Control

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X and Intel Arc B580 combination ranks 1292nd out of 1636 tested combos in Control, placing it in the lower-middle tier of the database. This ranking is reflective of a pairing where the CPU is a top-tier performer but the GPU holds the system back in this specific title. The Ryzen 9 9900X sits in the 94th percentile against all CPUs, yet the Arc B580 only reaches the 66th percentile against all GPUs. The data suggests that the Arc B580 is the primary determinant of this combo's position, as the CPU's substantial compute headroom is largely underutilized in a game like Control.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 1292 out of 1636 places it in the bottom 21% of all tested configurations for Control. This is a surprisingly low position given the strength of the individual components. The CPU's average benchmark score of 54450 is nearly 2.4 times higher than the GPU's average score of 23021, illustrating a significant performance imbalance. In practical terms, the Ryzen 9 9900X is capable of driving far more frames than the Arc B580 can render in this game. The ranking indicates that the system is heavily GPU-bound, with the processor waiting on the graphics card to deliver frames. This is not a reflection of the CPU's capability but rather a bottleneck imposed by the GPU's raw throughput in Control's rendering pipeline.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B580 is the limiting factor in this configuration. It features 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, providing 456.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU's base and boost clocks are both 2670 MHz, which are relatively high, but the architecture's execution resources are the constraint. With 2560 shading units, 160 TMUs, and 80 ROPs, the card delivers 13.67 TFLOPS of FP32 compute. In Control, these specifications translate to the measured frame rates, which peak at 110.9 FPS at 1080p Low. The GPU's nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060, has an average benchmark score that is only 0.7% higher, indicating that the Arc B580 is competitive with that card in general benchmarks. However, in Control specifically, the combo's rank suggests the GPU struggles to maintain high frame rates at higher settings, likely due to the game's demanding effects and the card's driver overhead.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a clear and consistent drop as resolution increases, which is a classic sign of GPU limitation. At 1080p High, the combo achieves 74.4 FPS. Moving to 1440p High, the frame rate falls to 56.0 FPS, a 24.7% decrease. At 4K High, the average FPS plummets to 33.3, which is a 55.2% drop from the 1080p figure. This scaling pattern is steep, indicating that the Arc B580's rendering throughput is the bottleneck. If the CPU were the constraint, we would expect to see a much smaller difference between 1080p and 4K, as the CPU's workload would not increase proportionally with resolution. The fact that FPS nearly halves when going from 1080p to 4K confirms that the GPU is working at its limits, and the Ryzen 9 9900X is not the factor preventing higher frame rates. At 4K Low, the frame rate recovers to 56.3 FPS, which is nearly identical to the 1440p High result, further underscoring that the GPU's pixel throughput is the deciding factor.

Settings Recommendations

The data indicates that the Ultra preset offers the worst experience in this pairing, with an average of 59.6 FPS at 1080p and just 34.4 FPS at 4K. These numbers are below the 60 FPS threshold that most users target, making Ultra settings impractical. The High preset provides a better balance, achieving 74.4 FPS at 1080p and 56.0 FPS at 1440p. For a smooth 60 FPS experience at 1080p, High is the recommended setting. At 1440p, High delivers 56.0 FPS, which is playable but just short of a locked 60 FPS. The Medium preset at 1080p offers 82.4 FPS, giving more headroom for demanding scenes, while at 1440p it produces 60.4 FPS, hitting the target. For 4K gaming, the only viable option is Low, which achieves 56.3 FPS. The data shows that the step from Low to Medium at 4K costs 16.8 FPS (from 56.3 to 39.5), a 29.8% drop, making Medium at 4K an unattractive trade-off. The best experience per the measured rows is High at 1080p or Medium at 1440p, as these provide a solid balance of visual quality and frame rate without the steep penalties seen at Ultra or 4K.

FAQ

Q: How does this combo rank overall in Control?

A: It ranks 1292nd out of 1636 tested combos, placing it in the lower 21% of all configurations. This rank is due to the GPU being the limiting factor, despite the CPU's high percentile ranking.

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

A: The data shows the GPU is the bottleneck. The CPU has an average benchmark score of 54450, while the GPU's is only 23021. The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is severe, which is a hallmark of GPU limitation.

Q: What is the best resolution and settings for a target of 60 FPS?

A: At 1080p, High settings achieve 74.4 FPS, and Medium achieves 82.4 FPS. At 1440p, Medium settings hit 60.4 FPS. To maintain 60 FPS at 4K, you must use Low settings, which yield 56.3 FPS.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from 1080p to 4K?

A: At High settings, the average FPS drops from 74.4 at 1080p to 33.3 at 4K, a 55.2% decrease. This is a significant loss that confirms the GPU's rendering limits.

Q: How does the Arc B580 compare to its nearest rival in general benchmarks?

A: The Arc B580's average benchmark score of 23021 is only 0.7% lower than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060, which scores 23181. This indicates they are closely matched in overall performance.

Q: Is the Ultra preset worth using at any resolution?

A: No. The Ultra preset yields 59.6 FPS at 1080p and 34.4 FPS at 4K. These are below the 60 FPS target for 1080p and far too low for 4K, making it a poor choice compared to High or Medium settings.