Control

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D paired with the AMD Radeon RX 570 produces a severely GPU-limited experience in Control, with the measured frame rates across all settings and resolutions falling well below the thresholds required for smooth, fluid gameplay. The data indicates that the RX 570 is the primary bottleneck, and even at the lowest settings, the system struggles to deliver acceptable performance, particularly at higher resolutions.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data shows a clear performance hierarchy across the four tested presets at each resolution, with the Low preset delivering the highest average frame rates. At 1920x1080, the Low preset achieves an average of 57 FPS, which is the only configuration in the entire dataset that approaches playability. The Medium preset at the same resolution drops to an average of 40 FPS, while High and Ultra fall further to 36 FPS and 31 FPS, respectively.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset produces an average of 43 FPS, which is a significant drop from the 1080p result but remains the best option at this resolution. The Medium preset averages 30 FPS, with High at 27 FPS and Ultra at 24 FPS. At 3840x2160, the performance becomes largely untenable, with the Low preset averaging only 29 FPS, while Medium, High, and Ultra average 21 FPS, 18 FPS, and 16 FPS, respectively.

Given these results, the Low preset at 1920x1080 is the only setting that provides a frame rate that could be considered acceptable for general gameplay, albeit without much headroom. The data suggests that for users who prioritize a smoother experience, the Low preset at 1080p is the recommended choice. However, even this configuration is far from ideal, and benchmark results indicate that the RX 570 is not well-suited to Control.

The step from Low to Medium at 1080p costs 17 FPS (from 57 to 40), which represents a 30% performance penalty for a moderate visual upgrade. The jump from Medium to High costs another 4 FPS, and High to Ultra costs an additional 5 FPS. This pattern shows that the Low preset is the most efficient use of the hardware's limited capabilities, as the visual gains from higher presets come at a steep cost to frame rate. The data does not support using any preset other than Low at 1080p, as the system simply lacks the GPU headroom to maintain playable performance while increasing visual fidelity.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 570 is the definitive limiting component in this configuration. Its specifications are modest by modern standards: it features 4 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 224.0 GB/s. The GPU is built on the GCN 4.0 architecture with a 14 nm process node from GlobalFoundries, and it operates with a base clock of 1168 MHz and a boost clock of 1244 MHz. The card has 2048 shading units, 128 texture mapping units, and 32 ROPs, which translates to a pixel rate of 39.81 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 159.2 GTexel/s. The FP32 performance is rated at 5.095 TFLOPS.

The RX 570's 4 GB VRAM is likely a significant constraint in Control, a game known for its demanding visuals and complex environments. At 3840x2160 with the Ultra preset, the system averages only 16 FPS, which suggests that the GPU is completely overwhelmed. The VRAM capacity may also be a limiting factor, as higher resolutions and settings require more memory for textures and geometry. The measured data shows that the GPU's performance degrades sharply as resolution increases, which is typical for a card with this level of memory and bandwidth.

The GPU's percentile ranking of 74 indicates that it performs better than 74% of all GPUs in the database, but its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 6800M, which has an average score that is 0.4% higher. The RX 570's average benchmark score is 28766, placing it close to the AMD Radeon RX 470, which has a deltaPct of -0.8. These comparisons show that the RX 570 is an older, mid-range card that is not designed for high-end gaming workloads.

In Control, the RX 570's clock speeds and memory bandwidth are insufficient to maintain high frame rates. The data shows that even at 1080p Low, the GPU operates near its limit, and any increase in resolution or settings causes a rapid decline in performance. The GPU's 4 GB VRAM is also a concern, as modern games like Control often require more memory at higher settings. The benchmark results indicate that the RX 570 cannot deliver a smooth experience in this title, and users would need to significantly lower their expectations or upgrade their GPU to achieve better performance.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D is a high-end desktop processor with 12 cores and 24 threads, based on the Zen 5 architecture and manufactured on a 4 nm process node at TSMC. It has a base clock of 4.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.50 GHz, with a total L3 cache of 128 MB. The CPU supports DDR5 memory in a dual-channel configuration with a memory bandwidth of 89.6 GB/s. Its benchmark results are strong, with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 47737 and a single-core score of 6739, indicating excellent multi-threaded and single-threaded performance.

The CPU's percentile ranking of 91 places it in the top tier of processors in the database. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core Ultra 5 245KF, which has an average score of 55093, representing a deltaPct of -0.6, meaning the 9900X3D is slightly behind that chip. The Intel Core Ultra 5 245K has a deltaPct of 1.3, and the Intel Xeon 6505P has a deltaPct of 2.0. These comparisons show that the 9900X3D is competitive with other high-end processors, but it is not the absolute fastest in every workload.

In the context of Control, the CPU's role is largely secondary due to the GPU bottleneck. The measured frame rates are consistently low across all settings, regardless of the CPU's capabilities. The 9900X3D's 12 cores and 24 threads are more than sufficient for modern games, and its high clock speeds ensure that it can handle any CPU-bound tasks in Control. However, the data shows that the RX 570 cannot keep up with the CPU's output, resulting in the GPU being the limiting factor in every scenario.

The CPU's high L3 cache of 128 MB may provide some benefit in certain workloads, but in this game, the performance is dictated by the GPU. The benchmark results indicate that the 9900X3D has a 3DMark max threads score of 13795 and a 3DMark single thread score of 1269, demonstrating its strong all-around performance. Despite this, the measured FPS in Control are low, confirming that the CPU is not the bottleneck. Users with this combination would see no improvement in frame rates by upgrading the CPU alone; only a GPU upgrade would yield meaningful gains.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D and AMD Radeon RX 570 ranks 2768 out of 2888 tested combos in Control. This places it in the bottom 4.2% of all tested configurations. The low ranking is almost entirely attributable to the GPU's performance, as the CPU is a top-tier component. The data shows that the RX 570 severely limits the system's ability to run Control at playable frame rates, dragging the overall combo ranking down despite the CPU's high benchmark scores.

The combo's rank of 2768 out of 2888 indicates that the vast majority of other tested combinations deliver better performance in this game. This is unsurprising given the RX 570's age and specifications, which are not suited to a demanding title like Control. The CPU's percentile ranking of 91 and the GPU's percentile ranking of 74 highlight the disparity between the two components; the CPU is in the top 9% of all processors, while the GPU is only in the top 26% of all GPUs.

The data suggests that this combo is poorly balanced for gaming, with the CPU's potential being wasted due to the GPU's limitations. The 9900X3D could easily support a much more powerful graphics card, but the RX 570 holds it back. In Control specifically, the combo's performance is dominated by the GPU's capabilities, and the results reflect that the system is not capable of delivering high frame rates at any resolution or setting. The ranking of 2768 out of 2888 serves as a clear indicator that this is not a viable configuration for this game.

Resolution Scaling

The measured data shows a significant drop in frame rates as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At the Low preset, the average FPS falls from 57 at 1080p to 43 at 1440p, a decrease of 14 FPS or 24.6%. From 1440p to 4K, the average FPS drops from 43 to 29, a further decrease of 14 FPS or 32.6%. This pattern is consistent across all settings, with the Medium preset dropping from 40 FPS at 1080p to 30 FPS at 1440p and then to 21 FPS at 4K.

The resolution scaling behavior indicates that the GPU is the limiting component. As resolution increases, the GPU must render more pixels, which puts additional strain on its processing units and memory bandwidth. The RX 570's 224.0 GB/s memory bandwidth and 5.095 TFLOPS of FP32 performance are insufficient to handle the increased workload at higher resolutions. The sharp decline in frame rates from 1440p to 4K, where the Low preset loses 14 FPS, suggests that the GPU is being pushed well beyond its capabilities.

The Ultra preset at 4K yields an average of only 16 FPS, which is a 50% drop from the 1080p Ultra result of 31 FPS. This demonstrates that the RX 570 cannot maintain playable performance at 4K under any circumstances. The data reveals that the CPU is not the bottleneck in this scaling, as the 9900X3D has more than enough processing power to handle the game's logic at any resolution. The frame rate drops are directly correlated with the GPU's rendering load, confirming that the RX 570 is the primary constraint.

FAQ

Q: What is the best preset for this combo at 1080p?

A: The Low preset at 1920x1080 delivers the highest average frame rate of 57 FPS. The Medium preset averages 40 FPS, while High averages 36 FPS and Ultra averages 31 FPS. The data shows that Low is the only preset that approaches playable performance.

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

A: At the Low preset, the average FPS drops from 57 at 1920x1080 to 29 at 3840x2160, representing a decrease of 28 FPS or 49.1%. This indicates that the GPU is heavily taxed by the increase in resolution.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in this combination?

A: The GPU is the limiting factor. The Ryzen 9 9900X3D has a high percentile ranking of 91, while the RX 570 has a percentile ranking of 74. The measured frame rates are consistently low regardless of the CPU's capabilities, confirming that the RX 570 is the bottleneck.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to other tested configurations?

A: The combo ranks 2768 out of 2888 tested combos in Control, placing it in the bottom 4.2% of all configurations. This low ranking is due to the RX 570's inability to deliver adequate performance in this game.

Q: What is the average frame rate at 1440p with Medium settings?

A: At 2560x1440 with Medium settings, the combo averages 30 FPS, with a minimum of 26 FPS and a maximum of 35 FPS. This is below the threshold for smooth gameplay.

Q: Does the CPU's 128 MB L3 cache provide any benefit in this game?

A: The CPU's 128 MB L3 cache is a high-end feature, but the benchmark results show that it does not translate to higher frame rates in Control because the GPU is the limiting factor. The 9900X3D has a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 47737, but the RX 570 cannot utilize this performance potential in this game.