Control

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X and AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT combo delivers a solid 1080p and 1440p experience in Control, but it falls just short of a locked 60 FPS at 4K Ultra, placing it in the 65th percentile of tested configurations. The data shows a system where the GPU is the primary scaling factor, with CPU performance remaining ample across all tested resolutions.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a predictable and steep decline as resolution increases, confirming that the AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT is the limiting component in this pairing. At 1080p with High settings, the combo produces 116 FPS. Moving to 1440p reduces this to 85.6 FPS, a 26% drop. The jump to 4K is more severe, with the average FPS falling to 59, a further 31% reduction from the 1440p result. This pattern indicates that the rendering load is scaling heavily with pixel count, a classic sign of GPU-bound performance.

The scaling behavior is consistent across all quality presets. At Low settings, the frame rate drops from 180.6 FPS at 1080p to 132.5 FPS at 1440p and finally 88.5 FPS at 4K. This consistent proportional decrease across settings strongly suggests that the CPU is not a bottleneck; if it were, we would expect to see a plateau in FPS at lower resolutions or settings where the CPU's maximum throughput is reached. Instead, the frame rate continues to climb as resolution drops, indicating headroom in the processor.

The most demanding scenario, 4K Ultra, sees the average FPS fall to 50. This is the only tested configuration that dips below the 60 FPS threshold, highlighting the extreme load placed on the GPU. In contrast, the 4K High preset achieves 59 FPS, which is effectively on the cusp of smooth gameplay. The data suggests that for 4K gaming, the preset selection is the critical lever, as the resolution itself pushes the GPU to its limits.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT is the decisive factor in this combo's gaming performance. Its specifications, including a boost clock of 2250 MHz and a game clock of 2015 MHz, provide the raw compute power needed for Control's demanding visuals. The 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 512.0 GB/s of bandwidth, is a substantial asset for a game that can be memory-intensive at higher resolutions.

The GPU's performance percentile of 87 among all tested GPUs reinforces its capability. While its average benchmark score of 49982 places it in a close competition with its nearest rivals, the actual in-game results show it handling Control well. The RX 6800 XT is 0.5% ahead of the Intel Arc A550M and 2.6% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER in average benchmark scores, but the game's specific engine and effects clearly favor this AMD architecture.

The 128 ROPs and 288 TMUs are crucial for the game's post-processing and texture-heavy environments. The 4K Ultra result of 50 FPS, while below 60, demonstrates that the GPU can still produce playable frame rates at the highest settings. The jump from 4K High at 59 FPS to 4K Ultra at 50 FPS is a 15% performance cost, which is a significant investment for the visual uplift that the Ultra preset provides, and it is the difference between a smooth experience and one that is more variable.

Settings Recommendations

For a 60 FPS target at 4K, the High preset is the clear choice. The data shows it averaging 59 FPS, which is effectively at the target and a 15% improvement over the Ultra preset's 50 FPS. This is the optimal balance of visual fidelity and performance for 4K displays.

At 1440p, the Ultra preset is the recommended starting point. It achieves 74.9 FPS, providing a comfortable margin above 60 FPS while delivering the highest visual quality. The High preset at 1440p yields 85.6 FPS, which could be chosen for higher refresh rate monitors, but the Ultra preset's 74.9 FPS is still well within the playable range for most users.

For 1080p, all presets are viable. The Ultra preset delivers 95.8 FPS, which is ideal for high-refresh-rate gaming. The Medium and High presets offer even higher frame rates at 127 and 116 FPS respectively, but the visual trade-off may not be worth it. The data suggests that the Ultra preset at 1080p is the best way to experience the game's full visual effects without compromising on smoothness.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X and AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT ranks 568 out of 1636 tested combos in Control. This places it in the 65th percentile (calculated from the rank), indicating that it outperforms the majority of systems tested. This is a strong result, reflecting a well-balanced pairing where the GPU is not severely bottlenecked by the CPU.

The ranking is influenced by the GPU's strong showing, as evidenced by its 87th percentile among all GPUs. The CPU, with a 94th percentile ranking among all CPUs, ensures that it is not a limiting factor. This combination of a high-end GPU and a top-tier CPU results in a system that is well-positioned for this title. The 568th rank out of 1636 combos suggests that while there are faster systems, this one is firmly in the upper echelon of performance for Control.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X provides the computational foundation for this combo, but the benchmark data indicates its role is largely supportive rather than performance-limiting. With 12 cores and 24 threads based on the Zen 5 architecture, it offers immense multi-threaded capability, as shown by its Cinebench R23 multicore score of 46438. However, Control's frame rate is governed by the GPU, as evidenced by the resolution scaling.

The CPU's single-thread performance is also strong, with a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 6555. This is important for game logic and physics, which often rely on a few fast cores. The boost clock of 5.60 GHz ensures that these single-threaded tasks are handled quickly. The data shows that even at 1080p Low settings, where the CPU would be most likely to bottleneck, the combo still manages 180.6 FPS. This high frame rate suggests the CPU has significant headroom.

The CPU's percentile ranking of 94 among all CPUs confirms its high-end status. Its average benchmark score of 54450 is within 0.7% of the Intel Core i7-14700F and only 0.4% below the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D. This performance parity means that in a GPU-bound scenario like Control, the choice between these CPUs would yield negligible differences in frame rate. The 64 MB of shared L3 cache likely helps with game data access, but the primary takeaway is that the 9900X is more than sufficient for this GPU.

Measured FPS Breakdown

1080p Resolution:

At 1080p, the combo shows its full potential. With Low settings, it achieves 180.6 FPS. Medium settings produce 127 FPS, while High settings yield 116 FPS. The most demanding Ultra preset still delivers a very smooth 95.8 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a 47% reduction in frame rate, which is a significant cost for the highest visual fidelity.

1440p Resolution:

The 1440p results show a balanced performance profile. Low settings average 132.5 FPS, which is an excellent result for high-refresh-rate 1440p monitors. Medium and High settings produce 94.7 FPS and 85.6 FPS, respectively. The Ultra preset averages 74.9 FPS, which remains comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold. The scaling from Low to Ultra at this resolution is a 43% performance drop.

4K Resolution:

The 4K results are the most telling. Low settings average 88.5 FPS, showing that the GPU can still push high frame rates at this resolution when settings are lowered. Medium settings drop to 63.2 FPS, and High settings to 59 FPS. The Ultra preset falls below the 60 FPS target, averaging 50 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at 4K is a 43% reduction, mirroring the 1440p scaling and confirming the GPU as the primary bottleneck.

FAQ

Q: What is the best settings preset for a 60 FPS target at 4K?

A: The High preset is the best choice for 4K, as it averages 59 FPS. The Ultra preset is not recommended for a 60 FPS target, as it only reaches 50 FPS.

Q: Can this combo handle 1440p gaming at the highest settings?

A: Yes. The Ultra preset at 2560x1440 achieves an average of 74.9 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS mark and suitable for smooth gameplay.

Q: How does the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X compare to its closest rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Ryzen 9 9900X has an average benchmark score of 54450, which is 0.4% lower than the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D and 0.7% higher than the Intel Core i7-14700F.

*Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor for performance in Control?*

A: The data indicates the GPU is the limiting factor. Frame rates scale consistently with resolution and settings, and the CPU can deliver up to 180.6 FPS at 1080p Low, showing it is not a bottleneck.

Q: What is the performance difference between the 4K High and 4K Ultra presets?

A: The 4K High preset averages 59 FPS, while the 4K Ultra preset averages 50 FPS. This represents a 15% performance cost for the Ultra preset.

Q: How does the AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT's average benchmark score compare to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER?

A: The RX 6800 XT has an average benchmark score of 49982, which is 2.6% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER's score of 48704.