Control

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER combination delivers exceptionally high frame rates in Control, firmly establishing itself as a top-tier performer. The measured data shows this combo ranks 102nd out of 1636 tested combinations, placing it in the top 6.2% of all systems. This pairing excels at 1080p and 1440p, where the RTX 4080 SUPER’s raw power is fully utilized, while 4K performance remains highly playable, demonstrating a balanced system where the GPU is the primary driver of frame rates.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K clearly identifies the GPU as the limiting factor in this configuration. At High settings, the transition from 1920x1080 (156.3 FPS) to 2560x1440 (116.0 FPS) represents a 25.8% performance reduction, while moving from 1440p to 3840x2160 (76.6 FPS) costs another 33.9% of performance. This progressive decline is steeper than what a CPU-bound scenario would produce, indicating that the RTX 4080 SUPER is being pushed to its limits at higher resolutions.

The scaling pattern across all settings tells a consistent story. At Low settings, the system delivers 246.1 FPS at 1080p, but this drops to 183.8 FPS at 1440p (a 25.3% reduction) and further to 126.9 FPS at 4K (a 31.0% reduction from 1440p). These consistent percentage drops across different quality presets confirm that resolution is the dominant variable, with the Ryzen 9 9900X’s 12 cores and 24 threads providing ample headroom to feed the GPU at all resolutions.

The fact that 4K Ultra still maintains 71.8 FPS, while 1080p Ultra reaches 137.1 FPS, suggests that the system has a wide operational envelope. The 4K-to-1080p ratio of roughly 1.9x at Ultra settings indicates that the GPU is scaling as expected with pixel count, without any unusual bottlenecks emerging at lower resolutions.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER is the undisputed performance driver in this pairing. Its 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus provides 736.3 GB/s of bandwidth, which is sufficient for Control’s texture-heavy environments at all tested settings. The GPU’s 10240 shading units, operating at a boost clock of 2550 MHz, deliver the computational throughput necessary for the game’s physics-heavy combat sequences.

The memory configuration proves particularly valuable at 4K Ultra, where the system still achieves 71.8 FPS. The 16 GB frame buffer prevents any capacity-related stuttering, allowing the 112 ROPs to output 285.6 GPixel/s without interruption. The RTX 4080 SUPER’s 52.22 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is the key enabler for the high frame rates observed, especially when comparing the 4K Low result of 126.9 FPS against the 4K Ultra result of 71.8 FPS.

The GPU’s benchmark percentile of 88 versus all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 53610, aligns with its in-game performance. It sits marginally ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT (0.2% delta) and the AMD Radeon Pro W6600M (0.4% delta), while maintaining a 2.1% advantage over the AMD Radeon RX 7700S and a 2.9% lead over the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti. These small deltas in synthetic benchmarks translate to the smooth, consistent frame delivery seen in Control.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo’s rank of 102 out of 1636 puts it in the 93.8th percentile of all tested combinations, which is exceptionally strong for a game released in 2019. This high ranking is particularly notable because Control is known for its demanding physics simulations and particle effects, which can stress both CPU and GPU simultaneously.

The ranking suggests that this combination is well-balanced for this specific title. The Ryzen 9 9900X’s substantial multi-threaded capabilities complement the RTX 4080 SUPER’s raw graphics power, resulting in a system that doesn’t leave significant performance on the table. The data indicates this combo outperforms the vast majority of systems tested, with only 101 combinations achieving higher frame rates.

This positioning is consistent with the individual component strengths. The CPU’s 94th percentile ranking among all CPUs and the GPU’s 88th percentile ranking among all GPUs combine to create a system that performs better than the sum of its parts in Control, likely due to the game’s ability to utilize multiple CPU threads effectively.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers outstanding performance across all settings. Low settings produce 246.1 FPS, Medium reaches 176.9 FPS, High achieves 156.3 FPS, and Ultra maintains 137.1 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra is 109.0 FPS, representing a 44.3% performance spread, which gives users significant flexibility to prioritize visual quality or maximum refresh rates.

The 2560x1440 results show a similar pattern with reduced absolute numbers. Low settings yield 183.8 FPS, Medium achieves 131.2 FPS, High delivers 116.0 FPS, and Ultra attains 101.7 FPS. At this resolution, even Ultra settings maintain triple-digit frame rates, making 1440p the sweet spot for high-refresh-rate gaming with maximum visual fidelity.

At 3840x2160, the system remains highly playable. Low settings produce 126.9 FPS, Medium reaches 90.3 FPS, High achieves 76.6 FPS, and Ultra maintains 71.8 FPS. The 4K results show a tighter spread between settings, with only 55.1 FPS difference between Low and Ultra, indicating that the GPU is becoming the primary constraint at this resolution.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X provides robust processing power that ensures the GPU is never starved for data. Its 12 cores and 24 threads, based on the Zen 5 architecture (Granite Ridge), operate at a base clock of 4.40 GHz and boost to 5.60 GHz. This high single-thread performance, evidenced by a 3dmark single-thread score of 1286 and a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 6555, is critical for Control’s game logic and physics calculations.

The CPU’s multi-threaded capabilities are equally impressive, with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 46438 and a Passmark multithread score of 54643. This processing headroom means that even at 1080p Low settings, where the GPU is outputting 246.1 FPS, the CPU can maintain frame pacing without becoming a bottleneck. The 64 MB of shared L3 cache helps reduce memory latency for frequently accessed game data.

The CPU’s benchmark average score of 54450 places it in the 94th percentile of all CPUs, with a -0.4% delta compared to the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D and a 0.7% delta versus the Intel Core i7-14700F. This competitive positioning confirms that the 9900X is more than adequate for pairing with the RTX 4080 SUPER in Control, providing consistent frame delivery across all resolution and settings combinations.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data strongly favors High settings at 1440p as the best overall experience. This configuration delivers 116.0 FPS, which is 14.1% higher than Ultra’s 101.7 FPS, while maintaining a substantial 24.3% improvement over 4K High’s 76.6 FPS. The visual difference between High and Ultra in Control is typically minor, making the performance trade-off clearly worthwhile.

For users with 1080p displays, Ultra settings at 137.1 FPS provide an excellent balance, as the frame rate remains high enough for smooth gameplay while maximizing visual quality. The 19.2 FPS difference between High (156.3 FPS) and Ultra (137.1 FPS) is relatively small in percentage terms (12.3%), making Ultra the recommended choice for this resolution.

At 4K, High settings (76.6 FPS) are preferable to Ultra (71.8 FPS) due to the 6.7% performance advantage. The drop to Medium (90.3 FPS) provides a more significant 17.9% improvement over High, which could be worthwhile for users prioritizing frame rate consistency over maximum visual fidelity. Low settings are only recommended for competitive play scenarios, as the visual compromises are substantial.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best resolution to play Control with this hardware?*

A: The data shows 2560x1440 at High settings provides the best balance, achieving 116.0 FPS while maintaining high visual quality. This is 51.4% faster than 4K High and only 25.8% slower than 1080p High.

Q: How does this combo perform at 4K Ultra settings?

A: The system achieves 71.8 FPS at 3840x2160 Ultra, which is playable but represents a 47.6% reduction from 1080p Ultra’s 137.1 FPS. High settings at 4K improve this to 76.6 FPS.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor at 1080p?

A: The GPU is the limiting factor. At 1080p Low, the system reaches 246.1 FPS, but the scaling from Low to Ultra shows a 44.3% drop to 137.1 FPS, indicating the RTX 4080 SUPER is the primary constraint, not the Ryzen 9 9900X.

Q: How does the RTX 4080 SUPER compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RTX 4080 SUPER’s average benchmark score of 53610 puts it 0.2% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT and 0.4% ahead of the AMD Radeon Pro W6600M, while maintaining a 2.1% lead over the AMD Radeon RX 7700S.

Q: What frame rate can be expected at 1440p Medium settings?

A: The measured data shows 131.2 FPS at 2560x1440 Medium, which is 13.1% higher than High settings (116.0 FPS) and 29.0% higher than Ultra settings (101.7 FPS).

*Q: Does the 16 GB VRAM of the RTX 4080 SUPER matter for Control?*

A: Yes, the 16 GB GDDR6X memory with 736.3 GB/s bandwidth ensures that 4K Ultra settings (71.8 FPS) do not suffer from memory capacity limitations, as evidenced by the consistent frame rates across all tested settings at every resolution.