Control

Control is a 2019 Action Adventure title that stresses both processor and graphics hardware in unusual ways, given its physics-heavy environments and real-time ray tracing options. The combination of the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 4 GB produces a specific performance profile that is heavily dictated by the GPU's modest memory capacity and bandwidth. The data shows a system that can achieve playable frame rates at 1080p with adjusted settings, but struggles significantly as resolution increases, clearly identifying the graphics card as the primary bottleneck in this pairing.

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

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X is a 12-core, 24-thread processor based on the Zen 5 architecture, codenamed Granite Ridge, and manufactured on a 4 nm process by TSMC. It operates with a base clock of 4.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz, with a TDP of 120 W. This processor sits in the 92nd percentile against all CPUs in the database, with an average benchmark score of 57498, placing it just ahead of the AMD EPYC 7313 (which scores 57399, a delta of +0.2%) and just behind the AMD EPYC 9015 (57555, delta -0.1%). Its multi-threaded capabilities are substantial, as evidenced by a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32172 and a single-core score of 2253, the latter being critical for games like Control that often rely on a few heavily loaded threads for game logic and physics simulation.

In Control, the CPU's role is primarily to feed the GPU with draw calls and manage the game's complex physics interactions, which involve destructible environments and objects with realistic mass and momentum. The 9900X, with its 64 MB of L3 cache and high single-thread performance, is more than capable of handling these tasks. The benchmark results indicate that at 1080p with Low settings, the system achieves 83 FPS average, which is the highest frame rate recorded across all tested configurations. This suggests that when the GPU is less burdened, the CPU can maintain high frame delivery without becoming a limiting factor. Even at 4K with Ultra settings, where the average FPS drops to 23, the CPU is unlikely to be the cause, as its computational headroom vastly exceeds what this game requires. The data implies that the Ryzen 9 9900X provides a stable platform, and any performance degradation observed in the measured rows is attributable to the GPU's inability to keep pace with the processor's output.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 4 GB is the clear performance limiter in this configuration. Based on the Ampere architecture with the GA107 chip, it features 2048 shading units, 64 TMUs, 32 ROPs, 16 RT cores, and 64 tensor cores. Its memory subsystem consists of 4 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus, providing 192.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU has a base clock of 1545 MHz and a boost clock of 1740 MHz, with a TDP of 90 W. Notably, this GPU model sits at the 50th percentile against all GPUs in the database, indicating it is an average performer overall. The 4 GB VRAM capacity is particularly problematic for Control, which is known for high-resolution textures and detailed environments that can quickly exhaust such a limited frame buffer.

The impact of the 4 GB VRAM limit is evident in the measured FPS data. At 1080p with Low settings, the average FPS is 83, but this drops to 53 at High settings and 46 at Ultra settings. The reduction from Low to High is a 36% performance loss, while the jump from High to Ultra costs an additional 13%. This pattern suggests that as texture quality and shadow details increase, the GPU is forced to swap data in and out of its limited VRAM, causing stutters and reduced throughput. The situation worsens dramatically at 1440p, where the High preset yields 40 FPS and Ultra yields 35 FPS. At 4K, the GPU is completely overwhelmed, with High settings producing only 27 FPS and Ultra dropping to 23 FPS. The data clearly shows that this GPU is not designed for high-resolution gaming in a demanding title like Control, as the frame rates fall below playable thresholds at 1440p and 4K with any preset above Low.

FAQ — 4-6 Q&A pairs answerable from FACT PACK data

Q: What is the best resolution and settings combination for achieving a stable 60 FPS experience?

A: Based on the measured data, only the 1080p Low preset achieves an average FPS above 60, specifically 83 FPS. The next closest is 1080p Medium at 59 FPS, which is just below the 60 FPS threshold. No other resolution or settings combination reaches 60 FPS, making 1080p Low the only configuration that reliably exceeds this target.

Q: How does the GPU's 4 GB VRAM affect performance at higher resolutions?

A: The data shows a steep performance cliff as resolution increases. At 1080p High, the average FPS is 53, but this drops to 40 FPS at 1440p High (a 24.5% decrease) and further to 27 FPS at 4K High (a 32.5% decrease from 1440p). This scaling indicates that the 4 GB frame buffer is insufficient for the increased texture and geometry data required at higher resolutions, causing severe bandwidth and capacity bottlenecks.

Q: Is the Ryzen 9 9900X a bottleneck in this system for Control?

A: No, the CPU does not appear to be a limiting factor. The processor boasts a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32172 and a single-core score of 2253, placing it in the 92nd percentile overall. The FPS variations across different settings and resolutions align with GPU-bound behavior, as lowering graphics settings consistently increases frame rates, which would not be the case if the CPU were the primary constraint.

Q: What is the performance difference between the Low and Ultra presets at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset achieves an average FPS of 63, while the Ultra preset achieves 35 FPS. This represents a 44.4% decrease in performance when moving from the lowest to the highest quality settings. The Medium preset sits in between at 45 FPS, and High is at 40 FPS, showing a clear linear progression of performance loss with increased graphical fidelity.

Q: Can this system run Control with ray tracing enabled?

A: The FACT PACK does not provide any measured FPS data for configurations with ray tracing enabled. Therefore, no quantitative assessment can be made regarding ray tracing performance. However, given that the GPU's standard rasterization performance drops to 23 FPS at 4K Ultra, it is reasonable to infer that enabling ray tracing would further degrade performance, but this cannot be confirmed from the available data.

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

At 1920x1080, the system demonstrates its best performance, with the Low preset achieving an average FPS of 83. The Medium preset delivers 59 FPS, with a minimum of 50 and a maximum of 68, indicating some frame time variance. The High preset drops to 53 FPS, and the Ultra preset yields 46 FPS. This progression shows that from Low to Medium, there is a 28.9% performance hit, while from Medium to High, the drop is 10.2%, and from High to Ultra, it is 13.2%. The 1080p resolution is the only one where the system approaches playable frame rates on higher presets, though only Low comfortably exceeds 60 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the performance scales down significantly. The Low preset achieves 63 FPS, which is a 24.1% decrease from the 1080p Low result. The Medium preset provides 45 FPS (minimum 38, maximum 51), representing a 23.7% drop from the 1080p Medium figure. High settings yield 40 FPS, a 24.5% reduction from 1080p High, and Ultra produces 35 FPS, a 23.9% decrease from 1080p Ultra. The consistency of the percentage drops across all presets suggests that the GPU is uniformly constrained by the increased pixel count, rather than any single setting causing a disproportionate impact.

At 3840x2160, the system struggles to maintain playability. The Low preset averages 43 FPS, which is a 31.7% decrease from 1440p Low. Medium settings drop to 30 FPS (minimum 26, maximum 35), a 33.3% reduction from 1440p Medium. High settings yield 27 FPS, a 32.5% decrease, and Ultra drops to 23 FPS, a 34.3% reduction. The frame rates at 4K are all below 45 FPS, making the game difficult to play smoothly. The data indicates that this resolution is beyond the capabilities of the RTX 3050 4 GB in Control, regardless of the quality preset selected.

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

The resolution scaling analysis reveals a clear pattern of GPU-bound performance. From 1080p Low (83 FPS) to 1440p Low (63 FPS), the frame rate drops by 24.1%. From 1440p Low to 4K Low (43 FPS), the drop is 31.7%. For the High preset, the scaling is 53 FPS at 1080p, 40 FPS at 1440p (a 24.5% decrease), and 27 FPS at 4K (a 32.5% decrease). The percentage losses are remarkably consistent across different settings, which is a hallmark of a GPU that is limited by its raw rendering throughput and memory bandwidth, rather than by CPU capabilities or specific game logic.

The fact that the FPS drops are proportionally similar at every resolution step indicates that the Ryzen 9 9900X is providing more than enough data to the GPU, and the bottleneck lies entirely in the graphics card's ability to process pixels. This is further corroborated by the observation that the CPU's performance percentile (92nd) is far higher than the GPU's (50th), creating a significant imbalance in the system. The RTX 3050's 192.0 GB/s memory bandwidth and 4 GB VRAM capacity are simply insufficient for the demands of 1440p and 4K rendering in Control, which requires large texture buffers and high fill rates. The data suggests that to achieve smoother performance at those resolutions, a more powerful GPU with greater memory bandwidth and capacity would be necessary, as the CPU is not the limiting factor.

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

The measured FPS data provides a clear hierarchy of playability. For a target of 60 FPS or higher, the only viable option is 1080p with the Low preset, which achieves 83 FPS. If a user can tolerate frame rates in the 50-60 FPS range, the 1080p Medium preset at 59 FPS is the highest quality setting that remains near this target. The 1080p High preset at 53 FPS is also acceptable for those who prioritize visual fidelity over a locked 60 FPS experience, but the jump from Medium to High yields only a 6 FPS loss, making Medium the better balance of quality and performance.

At 1440p, the Low preset at 63 FPS is the only configuration that exceeds 60 FPS, and it is recommended for competitive or fast-paced play. For a more visually rich experience, the Medium preset at 45 FPS is playable but may exhibit noticeable frame pacing issues, as indicated by the 38-51 FPS range. The High and Ultra presets at 40 and 35 FPS, respectively, are suboptimal and likely to result in a sluggish feel, particularly during combat sequences with heavy physics calculations. At 4K, no preset provides a satisfactory experience, as even the Low preset at 43 FPS is below the 60 FPS threshold, and Ultra at 23 FPS is unplayable. Therefore, the recommended configuration is 1080p Medium for a balanced experience, or 1080p Low for maximum smoothness, with 1440p Low as a secondary option for users with higher-resolution displays who can accept lower settings.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 4 GB ranks 3265 out of 3720 tested combinations for Control. This places the system in the bottom 12.2% of all tested configurations, indicating that it is a low-performing setup for this specific game. The rank is heavily influenced by the GPU's limitations, as the CPU's performance percentile (92nd) is excellent, but the GPU's percentile (50th) is average. The disparity between the two components is stark, with the CPU being capable of much higher frame rates if paired with a more powerful graphics card.

The ranking suggests that while the Ryzen 9 9900X is a top-tier processor that can handle the most demanding games, the RTX 3050 4 GB severely caps the system's overall gaming potential. In a game like Control, which is known for its demanding graphics and physics, this combination is only suitable for 1080p gaming at low to medium settings. The data shows that the system's performance is not competitive with higher-ranked combinations, which likely feature GPUs with more VRAM and higher memory bandwidth. For users with this configuration, the ranking indicates that an immediate GPU upgrade would yield the most significant performance improvement, as the CPU has ample headroom to support a much faster graphics card without becoming a bottleneck. The 3265th rank serves as a quantitative confirmation that this combo is underpowered for the game's requirements at higher resolutions and settings.