Control

Control, the 2019 action-adventure title, presents an interesting case study for the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X and AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT combination. The benchmark data reveals a system that is heavily reliant on the graphics card at higher resolutions, while the processor’s strength becomes more apparent at 1080p. The measured frames per second (FPS) across the board show a clear hierarchy of performance tied to both resolution and graphical presets, with the gap between Low and Ultra settings widening significantly as pixel count increases.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 is dramatic and indicates a GPU-bound scenario at the higher resolutions. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 78.5 FPS at 1080p to 59.5 FPS at 1440p, and finally to 42.8 FPS at 4K. This represents a 45.5% reduction in performance from 1080p to 4K. The trend is even more pronounced at Low settings, where the system delivers 123.8 FPS at 1080p but drops to 91.5 FPS at 1440p and 60.3 FPS at 4K. The data suggests that the RX 7600 XT is the limiting factor at 4K, as even the lowest preset cannot maintain a 60 FPS average, hitting exactly 60.3 FPS which is borderline playable.

At 1440p, the scaling is more moderate. Moving from 1080p to 1440p at Medium settings yields a drop from 87.6 FPS to 65.9 FPS, a 24.8% decrease. This is a typical pattern for a mid-range GPU, where the increased pixel count directly impacts the fill rate. The Ultra preset at 1440p manages 48.6 FPS, which is below the 50 FPS threshold often considered smooth for action games. The 4K Ultra result of 33.3 FPS is the lowest recorded score, confirming that this combination is not suited for maximum fidelity at that resolution. The data clearly shows that the CPU has ample headroom, as the frame rate scaling follows the GPU’s expected performance curve almost perfectly across all settings.

Settings Recommendations

For a balanced experience, the Medium preset appears to be the sweet spot for this hardware. At 1920x1080, Medium delivers 87.6 FPS, which is a 11.6% improvement over High (78.5 FPS) and a 28.4% improvement over Ultra (68.2 FPS). The jump from Low to Medium at 1080p is also significant, moving from 123.8 FPS to 87.6 FPS, suggesting that Low settings leave substantial visual quality on the table for a relatively modest frame rate gain. At 2560x1440, Medium provides 65.9 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS target and offers a smoother experience than High’s 59.5 FPS without the heavy cost of Ultra’s 48.6 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the choice becomes more constrained. Low settings produce 60.3 FPS, which is the only preset at this resolution to reach the 60 FPS mark. High and Medium are nearly identical at 42.8 FPS and 43.9 FPS respectively, indicating that the GPU is saturated and the settings have a minimal impact on performance. Ultra at 4K is not recommended, as the 33.3 FPS result falls below playable standards for a fast-paced action game. The data suggests that users with a 4K display should either drop to Low settings or consider lowering the resolution, as the RX 7600 XT cannot handle the pixel throughput required for higher quality presets at 4K.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT is the dominant component in this configuration. Its 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus provides a memory bandwidth of 288.0 GB/s, which is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p gaming but becomes a bottleneck at 4K. The GPU’s boost clock of 2755 MHz and game clock of 2470 MHz are relatively high, yet the 4K results show that raw clock speed cannot compensate for the limited 128-bit memory interface. The card’s average benchmark score of 20146 places it in the 63rd percentile of all GPUs, and it is nearly identical in performance to the AMD Radeon RX 7600, which has a deltaPct of -0.6%. This close rivalry is reflected in the game’s frame rates, which are typical for this performance tier.

The data shows that the GPU’s compute power, measured at 22.57 TFLOPS FP32, is more than adequate for the game’s rendering at 1080p. At High settings, the 1080p result of 78.5 FPS is strong, and even Ultra at 68.2 FPS is playable. However, the 4K results reveal the card’s limitations. The difference between Low (60.3 FPS) and Medium (43.9 FPS) at 4K is a 27.2% drop, which is much larger than the 8.6% drop seen at 1440p (91.5 to 65.9 FPS). This indicates that the memory bandwidth is being saturated at 4K, and the GPU cannot efficiently process the additional texture data required by the Medium preset. The RX 7600 XT is best positioned as a 1080p and 1440p card, with its 16 GB frame buffer offering future-proofing for texture-heavy titles but not overcoming the bus width limitations at extreme resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations for Control, this pairing of the Ryzen 9 9900X and RX 7600 XT ranks 1071 out of 1636 total combos. This places it in the lower third of all tested systems, which is expected given the mid-range GPU paired with a high-end CPU. The rank of 1071 suggests that while the CPU is capable of driving high frame rates, the GPU holds the system back in this specific title. The data indicates that many other combinations, likely those with lower-tier CPUs but more powerful GPUs, achieve better overall performance in Control.

The CPU’s individual performance is not the limiting factor here. The Ryzen 9 9900X has an average benchmark score of 54450, placing it in the 94th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D, has a deltaPct of -0.4%, showing they are statistically tied. The Intel Core i7-14700F is 0.7% behind, while the Intel Core Ultra 5 245K is 1.5% ahead. These differences are negligible in gaming scenarios. The combo’s rank of 1071 is therefore a direct reflection of the GPU’s 63rd percentile standing, not a failure of the processor. The system is unbalanced for this game, with the CPU’s potential untapped at higher resolutions where the GPU is fully utilized.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X, with its 12 cores and 24 threads, is a processor designed for heavy multi-threaded workloads, not just gaming. Its base clock of 4.40 GHz and boost clock of 5.60 GHz provide excellent single-thread performance, as evidenced by its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 6555 and Geekbench single-core score of 3341. In Control, the CPU’s role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and physics calculations. The benchmark results show that the CPU is never the bottleneck, as frame rates scale consistently with GPU load. At 1080p Low, the system reaches 123.8 FPS, which is high enough to expose any CPU limitations, yet the frame rate is stable.

The processor’s 64 MB of shared L3 cache and 1 MB per-core L2 cache help reduce latency in game logic. Its 3DMark single-thread score of 1286 and 2-thread score of 2519 indicate strong responsiveness. However, the game’s performance is not tied to the CPU’s multi-core might; the Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 46438 is impressive but irrelevant at 4K where the GPU is saturated. The data suggests that a less powerful CPU could achieve the same frame rates in this title, as the 9900X’s capabilities are largely idle. The 120W TDP and 4nm process node make it an efficient choice, but for Control specifically, the CPU contributes little beyond ensuring the GPU is never starved of data. The 0.7% deltaPct to the Intel Core i7-14700F in synthetic benchmarks is not reflected in gaming, as the GPU dictates the outcome.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system shows a wide range of performance across presets. Low settings produce the highest average of 123.8 FPS, which is a comfortable margin above the 60 FPS target and suitable for high-refresh-rate displays. Medium settings drop to 87.6 FPS, a 29.3% reduction from Low, but still smooth. High settings yield 78.5 FPS, and Ultra brings up the rear with 68.2 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 55.6 FPS, indicating that the GPU has headroom at this resolution, and users can prioritize visual fidelity without compromising playability.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates compress. Low settings deliver 91.5 FPS, which is still excellent. Medium settings provide 65.9 FPS, a 28.0% drop from Low. High settings are close behind at 59.5 FPS, and Ultra falls to 48.6 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 42.9 FPS, narrower than at 1080p. At 3840x2160, the compression is severe. Low settings achieve 60.3 FPS, barely hitting the 60 FPS mark. Medium settings produce 43.9 FPS, and High settings are nearly identical at 42.8 FPS. Ultra drops to 33.3 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra is 27.0 FPS, showing that the GPU is the limiting factor. The data confirms that the RX 7600 XT is best used at 1080p with Ultra or at 1440p with Medium settings, while 4K should be reserved for Low settings only.