Control

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D paired with the AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT delivers a strong, high-refresh-rate 1080p and 1440p experience in Control, while 4K remains firmly in playable territory. The combination ranks in the 68th percentile of tested configurations for this title, placing it at position 1183 out of 3720 total combos. This ranking suggests a well-balanced pairing where both components contribute meaningfully, though the data reveals specific bottlenecks at the highest resolution.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo’s rank of 1183 out of 3720 tested configurations places it comfortably in the upper third of all pairings tested for Control. This percentile position indicates that the Ryzen 9 9900X3D and RX 6800 XT together outperform the majority of systems, but they do not reach the top tier reserved for flagship GPUs paired with the fastest processors. The ranking reflects a system that can handle the game’s demanding physics and particle effects without struggling, yet it leaves headroom for higher-end graphics cards to pull ahead.

Looking at the individual components, the CPU holds the 91st percentile against all processors, while the GPU sits at the 85th percentile against all graphics cards. The slight gap between these two percentiles suggests the CPU has a bit more headroom than the GPU in general compute tasks, but in Control specifically, the balanced rank shows neither part is dramatically over- or under-powered relative to the other. The nearest rivals for the CPU—the Intel Core Ultra 5 245KF at -0.6% and Intel Core Ultra 5 245K at +1.3%—show that the 9900X3D sits in a tightly contested performance band, meaning motherboard and memory choices could tip the balance in either direction.

CPU Role

The Ryzen 9 9900X3D provides 12 cores and 24 threads, built on the Zen 5 architecture with a 4.40 GHz base clock and 5.50 GHz boost clock. For Control, which is an action-adventure title with heavy real-time physics, these threads matter for maintaining consistent frame pacing. The processor’s 128 MB of L3 cache is particularly relevant here, as the game’s destructible environments and object interactions can benefit from larger cache pools that keep frequently accessed data closer to the cores.

Benchmark data shows this CPU excels in both single-threaded and multi-threaded workloads. The Cinebench R23 single-core score of 6739 and multi-core score of 47737 indicate strong per-core performance that helps with the game’s main thread, while the 24 threads handle background simulation tasks. The 3DMark 16-thread score of 12490, compared to 13795 at max threads, shows scaling that is not perfectly linear, but the 12-core design still delivers substantial throughput for any CPU-bound sections of the game.

The 91st percentile ranking against all CPUs confirms this processor is far above average, but the nearest rivals tell an interesting story. The Intel Core Ultra 5 245KF is only 0.6% behind in average benchmark score, and the Core Ultra 5 245K is 1.3% ahead. This clustering means that in Control, the 9900X3D’s advantage is not overwhelming at lower resolutions where CPU load is higher, but the large cache and high boost clock should help maintain frame times during intense combat sequences.

GPU Role

The Radeon RX 6800 XT is built on the RDNA 2.0 architecture with 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 512.0 GB/s of bandwidth. For Control, which is known for its ray-traced reflections and complex lighting, the 72 ray accelerators provide dedicated hardware for these effects. The GPU’s boost clock of 2250 MHz and game clock of 2015 MHz ensure high throughput for the game’s pixel-heavy rendering.

The 16 GB VRAM capacity is ample for Control at all tested settings and resolutions. At 4K Ultra, the game’s highest preset, the GPU maintains an average of 50 FPS, which indicates the memory buffer is not a limiting factor. The 85th percentile ranking against all GPUs places it above the NVIDIA RTX A1000 Mobile, which is 1.5% ahead in average score, while the Intel Arc A550M sits 2.5% behind and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti trails by 3%. This grouping suggests the RX 6800 XT competes with mid-to-high-end cards from newer generations, though its older RDNA 2 architecture means it lacks some of the newer feature sets.

The GPU’s PassMark G3D score of 24980 and 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 3689 reflect strong rasterization performance. In Control, the GPU is clearly the primary driver of frame rates at 4K, as evidenced by the FPS scaling when settings change. At 4K Low, the system hits 92 FPS, but dropping to Ultra reduces that to 50 FPS—a 42 FPS swing that is entirely attributable to GPU workload.

FAQ

Q: Why does the 4K Ultra preset only achieve 50 FPS average?

A: The 4K Ultra settings push the RX 6800 XT to its limits, as the GPU’s 72 ray accelerators are fully utilized for the game’s advanced lighting effects. The 50 FPS average, combined with the 58 FPS at High and 65 FPS at Medium, shows that the GPU is the bottleneck at this resolution, with each settings tier costing approximately 8-15 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU perform in CPU-bound scenarios at 1080p?

A: At 1080p, where GPU load is lighter, the CPU’s single-thread performance (Cinebench R23 score of 6739) becomes more critical. The 179 FPS at Low settings demonstrates that the 12-core processor can feed the GPU efficiently, while the 98 FPS at Ultra shows the game engine still has per-frame costs that scale with visual complexity.

Q: Is 16 GB of VRAM sufficient for Control at 4K?

A: Yes, the 16 GB GDDR6 memory is not a limiting factor. At 4K Ultra, the system maintains a 50 FPS average without dips below playability, indicating the memory capacity and 512.0 GB/s bandwidth are adequate for the game’s textures and geometry at this resolution.

Q: What does the combo rank of 1183 out of 3720 mean for upgrade potential?

A: The 68th percentile rank suggests the system is well above average, but there is room for improvement. Since the CPU ranks higher (91st percentile) than the GPU (85th percentile), upgrading the graphics card would likely yield a more significant FPS boost in Control at higher resolutions.

Q: How does the CPU’s cache size affect gameplay?

A: The 128 MB L3 cache helps keep frequently accessed game data close to the cores, reducing memory latency. This is beneficial for Control’s physics simulation and object interactions, contributing to the consistent frame times seen in the measured FPS data.

Q: Why is the FPS difference between Medium and High settings larger than between High and Ultra?

A: The data shows Medium to High transitions cost 9 FPS at 4K (65 to 58), while High to Ultra costs 8 FPS (58 to 50). This suggests the game’s Medium preset may disable certain heavy effects, while High and Ultra progressively add more demanding features that tax the GPU at similar rates.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals how the system scales across resolutions. At 1080p High, the system achieves 113 FPS, which drops to 86 FPS at 1440p High (a 24% decrease), and further to 58 FPS at 4K High (a 33% decrease from 1440p). This scaling pattern is typical of a GPU-bound scenario, where each resolution doubling increases pixel count by 2.25x, but the FPS drop is less severe due to the GPU’s bandwidth and compute capabilities.

Looking at the Low settings, the scaling is even more revealing. At 1080p Low, the system hits 179 FPS, at 1440p Low it reaches 136 FPS (a 24% drop), and at 4K Low it achieves 92 FPS (a 32% drop from 1440p). The consistent percentage drops across settings indicate the GPU is the primary limiter at all resolutions, even when visual fidelity is reduced. The CPU’s high single-thread score (3041 in Geekbench) ensures it rarely becomes the bottleneck, even at 1080p where frame rates are highest.

The Ultra preset shows the steepest scaling curve. From 98 FPS at 1080p to 74 FPS at 1440p (a 24% drop) and 50 FPS at 4K (a 32% drop from 1440p), the pattern holds. This consistency suggests the game engine’s rendering pipeline scales predictably with pixel count, and the RX 6800 XT’s 512.0 GB/s bandwidth is the key resource being consumed as resolution increases.

Settings Recommendations

For a balance of visual quality and performance, the High preset at 1440p offers the best experience. The 86 FPS average at this setting provides smooth gameplay well above the 60 FPS threshold, while maintaining the game’s atmospheric lighting and reflections. At 1080p, High delivers 113 FPS, which is ideal for high-refresh-rate monitors, and the Ultra preset at 98 FPS still provides excellent smoothness.

At 4K, the Medium preset at 65 FPS is the recommended choice, as it keeps frame rates above 60 while preserving more visual fidelity than Low. The 4K High preset at 58 FPS is playable but may show occasional dips, and the 4K Ultra at 50 FPS is best reserved for screenshots or slower-paced exploration. The Low preset at any resolution provides a competitive advantage for players prioritizing frame rate over visuals, with 179 FPS at 1080p being particularly noteworthy.

Players with 144Hz or higher refresh rate monitors should target 1440p High (86 FPS) or 1080p Ultra (98 FPS) to stay within the refresh window. For those with 60Hz displays, 4K Medium (65 FPS) offers the best visual experience without sacrificing smoothness.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1080p, the system delivers 179 FPS on Low, 127 FPS on Medium (with a minimum of 108 and maximum of 146), 113 FPS on High, and 98 FPS on Ultra. The medium preset’s frame time variance, as indicated by the 108-146 range, suggests occasional spikes during intense scenes, while the Low and High presets show more consistent averages.

Moving to 1440p, the frame rates scale down predictably: 136 FPS on Low, 96 FPS on Medium (82-111 range), 86 FPS on High, and 74 FPS on Ultra. The 1440p Medium preset shows a tighter frame time range than at 1080p, indicating the GPU workload is more uniform at this resolution.

At 4K, the numbers become more demanding: 92 FPS on Low, 65 FPS on Medium (55-75 range), 58 FPS on High, and 50 FPS on Ultra. The 4K Medium preset’s minimum of 55 FPS shows the system can dip below the 60 FPS target during heavy scenes, while the High and Ultra presets stay consistently above 50 FPS. The overall pattern confirms that this combo is best utilized at 1080p or 1440p for high refresh rates, with 4K viable for a solid 60 FPS experience at Medium settings.