Control

The AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX paired with the AMD Radeon 760M is a study in extreme imbalance for Control. The data shows a combo that ranks 2878 out of 2888 tested configurations, placing it in the bottom percentile of all systems tested for this title. This is not a gaming combination; it is a productivity CPU with a minimal integrated GPU trying to run a demanding action-adventure game. The benchmark results indicate that the experience is largely unplayable beyond the lowest settings, and even then, frame rates remain marginal. This analysis breaks down the measured numbers to explain exactly what the hardware is doing and what users can expect.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX is a 16-core, 32-thread processor based on the Zen 4 architecture, with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz. It features 64 MB of L3 cache and a TDP of 55 W. In synthetic benchmarks, this CPU is a powerhouse, scoring 42,713 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 6,030 in single-core. Its Passmark multithread score of 51,405 and its 95th percentile ranking among all CPUs confirm that this processor is not the bottleneck in this system for Control.

However, in this specific game, the CPU's immense compute capability is largely irrelevant. The measured frame rates are so low that the processor is essentially idle while the GPU struggles. For example, at 1080p Low, the system averages 40 FPS. Even a significantly weaker CPU could achieve this with the Radeon 760M. The data suggests that the CPU's role is to provide a solid foundation, but it cannot compensate for the GPU's limitations. The CPU is likely to have no trouble feeding frames to the GPU at the measured rates of 11 to 40 FPS. The bottleneck is entirely on the graphics side. The benchmark results show that the system is GPU-limited in every single measured scenario; the CPU has far more headroom than the Radeon 760M can utilize. This is a case where upgrading the GPU would yield a massive performance increase, while upgrading the CPU would yield zero measurable improvement in this title.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of what settings are viable. At 1080p, the Low preset delivers an average of 40 FPS, which is the only preset that approaches playability. The Medium preset drops to 29 FPS, High to 25 FPS, and Ultra to 22 FPS. None of these higher settings achieve a consistent 30 FPS, making them poor choices for a smooth experience. The Low preset is the only option that provides a playable frame rate, and even then, 40 FPS is far from ideal for a game like Control which benefits from higher frame rates for its fast-paced combat and physics-heavy environments.

At 1440p, the situation worsens. The Low preset averages 30 FPS, which is technically playable for some, but it represents a 25% drop from 1080p Low. The Medium preset at 1440p averages 22 FPS, and High and Ultra drop to 19 and 17 FPS respectively. At 4K, all presets are unplayable, with the Low preset averaging 21 FPS and the Ultra preset averaging just 11 FPS. The data strongly suggests that users should stick to 1080p and the Low preset. The performance difference between Low and Medium at 1080p is 11 FPS (40 vs 29), a significant 27.5% drop, which is not worth the visual improvement given the already low frame rate. The recommendation is clear: 1080p Low is the only sensible choice for this hardware. Running anything higher will result in a sub-30 FPS experience that is likely to feel stuttery and unresponsive.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The frame rate scaling across resolutions confirms that the AMD Radeon 760M is the definitive limiting component. At the Low preset, the average FPS drops from 40 at 1080p to 30 at 1440p, a 25% reduction. Moving to 4K Low further drops the average to 21 FPS, a 47.5% reduction from 1080p. This pattern of significant performance loss with each resolution increase is the classic signature of a GPU-bound scenario. The rendering workload is increasing faster than the integrated graphics can process it.

The same trend is visible at the Medium preset. The average FPS goes from 29 at 1080p to 22 at 1440p (a 24.1% drop) and then to 15 at 4K (a 48.3% drop from 1080p). The consistent percentage drops across resolutions indicate that the CPU is not becoming a bottleneck even at 4K. If the CPU were the limiting factor, we would expect the frame rate to remain relatively flat as resolution increases, because the CPU workload (physics, AI, draw calls) does not scale with resolution. Instead, the frame rate drops severely, proving that the GPU is saturated at all resolutions. The Radeon 760M, with its 512 shading units and 16 ROPs, simply cannot handle the pixel fill rate demand of higher resolutions. The data shows that even at 1080p, the GPU is working at its limit, and any increase in resolution pushes it further into unplayable territory.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combo of the AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX and AMD Radeon 760M ranks 2878 out of 2888 tested combinations in Control. This places it in the 0.3% worst-performing configurations in the database. This is an exceptionally poor ranking, and it highlights just how mismatched this pairing is for gaming. The CPU alone is a top-tier performer; its average benchmark score of 76,212 places it at the 95th percentile of all CPUs, and it sits within 0.4% of the performance of the Intel Core Ultra 9 285HX and AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D. However, the GPU is a different story.

The AMD Radeon 760M has an average benchmark score of 6,019, placing it at the 35th percentile of all GPUs. It performs similarly to the AMD Radeon RX 6400 and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770M, with delta percentages of 0.3% in either direction. This low GPU performance relative to the CPU's high performance is what drags the combo ranking down so dramatically. The system is effectively a high-end workstation CPU paired with an entry-level integrated GPU. In the context of Control, this means the result is a near-bottom-of-the-barrel experience. The 2878th rank out of 2888 is a direct reflection of the GPU's inability to run the game at acceptable frame rates, regardless of the CPU's strength. The data shows that this combo is not designed for gaming, and its rank in this specific title confirms that.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best resolution and settings to use for this hardware in Control?*

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 with the Low preset is the only playable option, averaging 40 FPS. All other settings or resolutions result in average frame rates below 30 FPS.

*Q: Can this system run Control at 4K?*

A: No. The measured data shows that even at 4K Low, the average frame rate is only 21 FPS. At 4K Ultra, it drops to 11 FPS, which is not playable.

Q: Why is the performance so poor if the CPU is a high-end Ryzen 9?

A: The AMD Radeon 760M integrated GPU is the limiting factor. The CPU's benchmark scores are in the 95th percentile, but the GPU's are in the 35th percentile. The game is entirely GPU-bound, so the CPU's power cannot be utilized.

*Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in this system for Control?*

A: The GPU is definitively the bottleneck. The frame rate drops significantly when moving from 1080p to 1440p to 4K, which is a clear indicator of GPU limitation. The CPU has plenty of headroom.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to other tested systems?

A: This combo ranks 2878 out of 2888 tested configurations in Control, placing it near the very bottom of the database. This reflects the GPU's poor gaming performance.

Q: What kind of FPS can I expect at 1440p Medium?

A: The measured average FPS for 1440p Medium is 22 FPS, with a minimum of 18 and a maximum of 25. This is below the threshold for a smooth gaming experience.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

The following data is derived directly from the measured FPS table for Control using the AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX and AMD Radeon 760M.

1920x1080 (1080p)

• Low: Average 40 FPS. This is the highest average frame rate achieved by this combo at any resolution or setting.
• Medium: Average 29 FPS, with a minimum of 24 and a maximum of 33. This represents a 27.5% drop from Low.
• High: Average 25 FPS. A further drop of 4 FPS from Medium.
• Ultra: Average 22 FPS. The lowest average at 1080p, a 45% reduction from Low.

2560x1440 (1440p)

• Low: Average 30 FPS. This is exactly 25% lower than the 1080p Low result.
• Medium: Average 22 FPS, with a minimum of 18 and a maximum of 25. This is a 26.7% drop from 1080p Medium.
• High: Average 19 FPS. A 24% drop from 1080p High.
• Ultra: Average 17 FPS. A 22.7% drop from 1080p Ultra.

3840x2160 (4K)

• Low: Average 21 FPS. This is a 47.5% drop from the 1080p Low result.
• Medium: Average 15 FPS, with a minimum of 12 and a maximum of 17. This is a 48.3% drop from 1080p Medium.
• High: Average 13 FPS. A 48% drop from 1080p High.
• Ultra: Average 11 FPS. A 50% drop from 1080p Ultra.

The data reveals a consistent pattern where the 4K results are approximately half the frame rate of the 1080p results for the same settings, confirming the GPU's inability to handle higher pixel counts. The only scenario that exceeds 30 FPS is 1080p Low, and the only other scenario that reaches exactly 30 FPS is 1440p Low. All other scenarios fall below 30 FPS, which is generally considered the minimum for playable action games. The measured minimum FPS values for Medium settings (24 at 1080p, 18 at 1440p, 12 at 4K) indicate that frame pacing will be inconsistent, leading to noticeable stutters during intense scenes. This hardware combo is not suitable for Control beyond the lowest settings, and it is entirely inadequate for 4K gaming.