Control

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 pairing delivers a firmly playable Control experience across most settings, with the data showing a clear shift from CPU-bound at 1080p to GPU-bound at 4K. The combo ranks 1071 out of 3720 tested combinations, placing it in the upper third of all systems in this database. Measured results span from 52 FPS at 4K Ultra to 185 FPS at 1080p Low, indicating that the RTX 3080’s 10 GB frame buffer and the 9900X’s 12-core Zen 5 architecture interact predictably with Control’s demands.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X is a 12-core, 24-thread processor built on the Zen 5 architecture, codenamed Granite Ridge, and manufactured on a 4 nm TSMC process. It operates at a base clock of 4.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz, with a 64 MB L3 cache and dual-channel DDR5 memory support. In synthetic benchmarks, the 9900X scores 32172 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 2253 in single-core, while Geekbench results show 22174 multi-core and 3010 single-core. Its average benchmark score of 57498 places it in the 92nd percentile among all CPUs, with nearest rivals including the AMD EPYC 9015 (delta -0.1%), AMD EPYC 7313 (delta 0.2%), Intel Core i9-14900 (delta -1.1%), and Intel Xeon Platinum 8260M (delta -1.4%). These deltas are negligible, meaning the 9900X sits at parity with enterprise-class silicon in aggregate CPU performance.

In Control, the CPU’s role becomes evident when evaluating frame rates at 1080p. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 185 FPS average, while 1080p High reaches 117 FPS. The jump from Low to High costs 68 FPS, a 37% reduction, which points to the CPU handling the game’s physics and AI logic efficiently even at high settings. The 9900X’s single-thread score of 1286 in 3DMark single-thread and 353 in Cinebench R15 single-core suggests strong per-core performance, which Control’s engine leverages for its destruction and object interaction systems. Multi-threaded capability is less critical here, as the 24-thread count does not translate to proportional gains in this title; the 3DMark max-thread score of 13929 versus 16-thread score of 12552 shows only a 11% scaling from 16 to 24 threads, indicating diminishing returns beyond 16 threads for most workloads.

The data indicates that at 1080p, the 9900X is not the limiting factor. At 1080p Ultra, the average FPS drops to 101, which is still 16% above the 1080p High result, showing that even with maximum CPU-side settings like draw distance and particle effects, the processor maintains headroom. The 4K results reinforce this: at 4K Low, the system produces 94 FPS, which is 50% higher than 4K Ultra’s 52 FPS. Since the CPU workload does not scale with resolution, the 42 FPS gap between 4K Low and 4K Ultra must be attributed to the GPU handling increased shading and post-processing loads, not CPU limitations.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 is built on the Ampere architecture with a GA102 chip, fabricated on an 8 nm Samsung process. It features 8704 shading units, 272 texture mapping units, 96 ROPs, 68 RT cores, and 272 tensor cores. The GPU has a base clock of 1440 MHz and a boost clock of 1710 MHz, with 10 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 320-bit bus providing 760.3 GB/s bandwidth. Its FP32 performance is 29.77 TFLOPS, and it supports DirectX 12 Ultimate, OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The RTX 3080’s average benchmark score is 23172, placing it in the 68th percentile among all GPUs. Nearest rivals include the NVIDIA P106-100 (delta -0.3%), AMD Radeon Pro Vega 16 (delta -0.3%), AMD Radeon RX 6600M (delta -0.4%), and AMD Radeon R9 M290X (delta -0.4%). These small deltas suggest the RTX 3080’s aggregate performance is comparable to lower-tier cards in synthetic tests, but in Control, the actual measured FPS tells a different story.

The GPU’s 10 GB VRAM capacity is a defining factor at higher resolutions. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS is 52, likely constrained by both compute and memory bandwidth. The 760.3 GB/s bandwidth is substantial, yet Control’s high-resolution textures and effects can stress the 10 GB buffer. The measured data shows 4K Medium averaging 67 FPS with a min of 57 and max of 77, while 4K High reaches 60 FPS. The GPU’s boost clock of 1710 MHz and pixel rate of 164.2 GPixel/s contribute to these results, but the 320-bit bus width and 10 GB capacity create a ceiling that the CPU cannot overcome at 4K. At 1080p, the GPU has ample headroom: 1080p Ultra produces 101 FPS, which is 94% higher than 4K Ultra’s 52 FPS. This disproportionate scaling indicates that the RTX 3080 is the primary limiter at 4K, while at 1080p, the CPU and GPU are more balanced.

The RTX 3080’s ray tracing cores (68) do not appear to be heavily utilized in these measurements, as the settings rows do not specify RT enabled or disabled. The data suggests that with standard rasterization, the GPU can handle Control’s requirements at 1440p comfortably, with 1440p High averaging 88 FPS and 1440p Ultra at 77 FPS. These results imply that for a 60 FPS target, the RTX 3080 can maintain that at 4K High (60 FPS) but falls short at 4K Ultra (52 FPS), requiring a drop to Medium (67 FPS) or a resolution reduction.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a clear pattern of diminishing returns as resolution increases. At 1080p Low, the average FPS is 185; at 1440p Low, it drops to 140; at 4K Low, it falls to 94. This represents a 24% reduction from 1080p to 1440p and a 33% reduction from 1440p to 4K. The same trend appears at High settings: 117 FPS at 1080p, 88 FPS at 1440p, and 60 FPS at 4K. The percentage drops are 25% (1080p to 1440p) and 32% (1440p to 4K), showing that the scaling is consistent across settings. At Ultra settings, the FPS goes from 101 at 1080p to 77 at 1440p (a 24% drop) to 52 at 4K (a 32% drop). This consistency indicates that the GPU’s workload scales nearly linearly with pixel count, while the CPU maintains a fixed contribution.

The limiting component shifts based on resolution. At 1080p, the 185 FPS Low result suggests the CPU is not the bottleneck, as the GPU can render frames quickly. At 4K, the 52 FPS Ultra result shows the GPU is saturated, with the CPU having spare capacity. The medium settings provide min/max data: at 4K Medium, min FPS is 57 and max is 77, giving a 20 FPS variance. At 1440p Medium, min is 84 and max is 114, a 30 FPS variance. At 1080p Medium, min is 111 and max is 151, a 40 FPS variance. This widening variance at lower resolutions indicates that frame times become less stable as the CPU becomes more involved, though the average FPS remains high. The data suggests that for a smooth 60 FPS experience, 4K High is the boundary, while 1440p allows for Ultra at 77 FPS with a comfortable margin.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the optimal preset depends on the target refresh rate and resolution. For 4K displays, High settings provide an average of 60 FPS, which exactly matches a 60 Hz display’s refresh rate. Dropping to Medium raises the average to 67 FPS with a min of 57, providing a small buffer against frame drops. Ultra at 4K averages only 52 FPS, which may result in visible stutter on 60 Hz panels. Low at 4K produces 94 FPS, but the visual quality loss is significant, making High the better balance. For 1440p, Ultra averages 77 FPS, which is suitable for 75 Hz or 144 Hz displays with VRR, while High at 88 FPS offers a more stable experience for 90 Hz panels. Medium at 1440p yields 99 FPS with a min of 84, making it a strong choice for 100 Hz displays. Low at 1440p reaches 140 FPS, ideal for 144 Hz monitors but with reduced visual fidelity.

At 1080p, Ultra averages 101 FPS, which is playable on 120 Hz displays but not on 144 Hz. High at 117 FPS is better for 120 Hz, while Medium at 131 FPS with a min of 111 provides a stable 120 Hz experience. Low at 185 FPS targets 180 Hz or 240 Hz displays but sacrifices too much visual quality for most users. The data indicates that Medium is the sweet spot at 1080p, offering a 131 FPS average with a 111 FPS minimum, ensuring consistent frame delivery. For 1440p, High is recommended for a 90 Hz target, and for 4K, High is the best preset to maintain 60 FPS without dipping below that threshold. The measured min FPS values are only available for Medium settings, so those should be used to assess worst-case performance: 4K Medium min is 57, 1440p Medium min is 84, and 1080p Medium min is 111.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 combination ranks 1071 out of 3720 tested combos in Control, placing it in the 71st percentile (since 1071/3720 is approximately 0.288, meaning it outperforms 71.2% of tested systems). This ranking reflects a balanced but not top-tier configuration. The CPU’s 92nd percentile standing among all CPUs is higher than the GPU’s 68th percentile, indicating that the RTX 3080 is the weaker component in this pairing. In terms of aggregate benchmark scores, the CPU’s average score of 57498 is 2.48 times the GPU’s average score of 23172, but the GPU’s role in gaming is more critical. The combo rank suggests that many other systems, likely with more powerful GPUs like RTX 3090 or RX 6900 XT, outperform this setup in Control, while the CPU’s high percentile ensures that it does not drag down performance in CPU-light titles.

The nearest rivals for the CPU (AMD EPYC 9015, AMD EPYC 7313, Intel Core i9-14900, Intel Xeon Platinum 8260M) have delta percentages within ±1.4%, meaning the 9900X is statistically equivalent to these processors in synthetic tests. For the GPU, the nearest rivals (NVIDIA P106-100, AMD Radeon Pro Vega 16, AMD Radeon RX 6600M, AMD Radeon R9 M290X) are all within -0.4% of the RTX 3080’s average score, which is surprising given the RTX 3080’s higher specs. This suggests that the GPU’s benchmark scores are not fully representative of its gaming performance, as the measured FPS in Control exceeds what these rival GPUs would likely achieve. The combo rank of 1071 out of 3720 is a solid mid-upper tier result, indicating that this system handles Control well but is not among the elite configurations.

FAQ

Q: What is the maximum FPS this combo achieves in Control?

A: The highest average FPS measured is 185, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings.

Q: Can this system maintain 60 FPS at 4K?

A: Yes, at 4K High settings the average FPS is 60, and at 4K Medium it averages 67 FPS with a minimum of 57 FPS.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded at 1440p Medium?

A: The minimum FPS at 2560x1440 with Medium settings is 84, with an average of 99 and a maximum of 114.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rival in benchmark scores?

A: The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X has an average benchmark score of 57498, which is 0.1% lower than the AMD EPYC 9015 and 0.2% higher than the AMD EPYC 7313, with deltas of -0.1% and 0.2% respectively.

Q: What is the GPU’s VRAM capacity and bandwidth?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 has 10 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 320-bit bus, providing 760.3 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: At which resolution does the GPU become the clear bottleneck?

A: At 3840x2160, the GPU is the limiting factor, as shown by the 52 FPS at Ultra versus 101 FPS at 1080p Ultra, a 49% drop that the CPU cannot compensate for.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured average FPS values are: Low 185, Medium 131 (min 111, max 151), High 117, and Ultra 101. These results show that the system has substantial headroom at 1080p, with even Ultra exceeding 100 FPS. The Medium setting’s min of 111 ensures that frame drops are rare, making it the most consistent option for high-refresh monitors.

At 2560x1440, the averages are: Low 140, Medium 99 (min 84, max 114), High 88, and Ultra 77. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is consistent across settings, with Low losing 45 FPS, Medium losing 32 FPS, High losing 29 FPS, and Ultra losing 24 FPS. The Medium min of 84 indicates that severe frame dips are possible, but the average remains above 90 FPS for most presets.

At 3840x2160, the averages are: Low 94, Medium 67 (min 57, max 77), High 60, and Ultra 52. The 4K results show a sharper decline, with Ultra falling below 60 FPS and High exactly at 60. The Medium min of 57 suggests that even at this setting, occasional drops below 60 FPS can occur, making High the safest choice for a solid 60 FPS experience. The data shows that the RTX 3080’s 10 GB VRAM and 760.3 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for 4K Medium and High, but Ultra exceeds what the GPU can deliver smoothly.