Control

Control is a demanding Action Adventure title that stresses both processor and graphics hardware, and the combination of the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D and AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT produces a compelling, if nuanced, performance profile. The measured frames per second across resolutions and settings reveal a system where the GPU is the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions, while the CPU demonstrates substantial headroom. This analysis walks through the data step by step, examining how the component specifications and benchmark results translate into real-world gameplay performance for this specific pairing.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS data shows a classic scaling pattern from 1080p to 4K, with the most significant performance drop occurring between 1440p and 4K. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 122 FPS at 1920x1080 to 92 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of 30 FPS. Moving to 3840x2160, the average drops further to 62 FPS, which represents a 60 FPS difference from the 1080p result. This steep decline indicates that the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT is the limiting component as resolution increases, with its rendering workload growing faster than the CPU’s ability to feed it.

The scaling pattern is consistent across all settings presets. For Low settings, the average FPS goes from 193 at 1080p to 146 at 1440p and then to 98 at 4K. Medium settings show a similar trajectory: 137 FPS at 1080p, 103 FPS at 1440p, and 70 FPS at 4K. The Ultra preset, which places the heaviest load on the GPU, exhibits the most dramatic drop, falling from 106 FPS at 1080p to 80 FPS at 1440p, and finally to 54 FPS at 4K. The consistent decline across all presets reinforces that the GPU’s compute and memory resources are being saturated, while the CPU’s role diminishes at higher resolutions.

The data suggests that at 1080p, the system has enough GPU headroom to push very high frame rates, especially on lower presets. At 4K, however, the RX 9070 XT becomes the clear bottleneck, with the CPU waiting on the GPU to complete frames. The gap between Low and Ultra settings at 4K is 44 FPS (98 vs 54), which is nearly double the 28 FPS gap observed at 1080p (193 vs 106). This widening gap is a direct indicator that the GPU’s performance ceiling is the limiting factor at higher resolutions.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D is a 12-core, 24-thread processor based on the Zen 5 architecture, with a base clock of 4.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.50 GHz. Its benchmark scores place it in the 91st percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 54762. In the context of this game, the CPU’s role is to maintain a high minimum frame rate and ensure that the GPU is never starved of data. The measured FPS data shows that the CPU is not a limiting factor in any tested configuration, as the frame rates consistently scale with GPU load.

The processor’s multi-threaded performance is robust, as evidenced by a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 47737 and a Geekbench multi-core score of 22884. However, Control’s engine typically relies on a smaller number of threads for game logic and draw calls. The single-thread performance, with a Geekbench single-core score of 3041 and a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 6739, is more relevant for this title. These scores are high enough to keep up with the GPU’s demands, even at 1080p where the CPU workload is proportionally higher.

Comparing to its nearest rivals, the Ryzen 9 9900X3D’s average benchmark score of 54762 is 0.6% lower than the Intel Core Ultra 5 245KF’s score of 55093, and 1.3% higher than the Intel Core Ultra 5 245K’s score of 54053. It is 2% higher than the Intel Xeon 6505P and 2.1% higher than the Intel Core i7-14700F. These small deltas suggest that the CPU is not the differentiator in this pairing. The 128 MB of L3 cache is a notable feature, which can help with game data locality, but the FPS numbers indicate that the GPU is the primary driver of performance differences between settings.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT is the star of this show, with its 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus providing a bandwidth of 644.6 GB/s. The GPU’s boost clock is 2970 MHz, with a game clock of 2400 MHz, and it features 4096 shading units. Its benchmark results show a Passmark G3D score of 26795 and a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 7260. The GPU’s percentile rank versus all GPUs is 55, with an average benchmark score of 13543. Interestingly, its nearest rivals in the benchmark database are older or lower-tier cards like the AMD Radeon HD 7770M and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570, but this is a reflection of the benchmark aggregation method rather than real-world gaming performance.

In this game, the GPU’s role is defined by its ability to render at high resolutions with complex effects. The measured FPS shows that the RX 9070 XT is capable of delivering playable frame rates at 4K on High settings, with an average of 62 FPS. The VRAM capacity of 16 GB is sufficient for the Ultra preset at 4K, but the GPU’s compute power is what limits the frame rate to 54 FPS in that configuration. The texture rate of 760.3 GTexel/s and pixel rate of 380.2 GPixel/s are respectable, but the FP32 performance of 48.66 TFLOPS is what drives the heavy shader work in Control’s environments.

The data indicates that the GPU is the bottleneck in all scenarios. At 1080p Low, the average FPS of 193 is likely near the engine’s or CPU’s limit, but the CPU’s benchmark scores suggest it can handle this workload. The GPU’s performance degradation from Low to Ultra settings is consistent, showing a clear linear relationship between graphical load and frame rate. The 16 GB VRAM is never a limitation in the measured rows, as the game does not appear to exceed this capacity at any settings level.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers high frame rates across all presets. The Low preset achieves an average of 193 FPS, which is the highest measured value in the entire dataset. Medium settings drop to 137 FPS, with a minimum of 116 FPS and a maximum of 157 FPS. High settings yield 122 FPS, and Ultra settings produce 106 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 87 FPS, indicating that the GPU has significant headroom at this resolution.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain strong but show the expected decline. Low settings average 146 FPS, Medium settings average 103 FPS with a minimum of 88 FPS and maximum of 119 FPS, High settings average 92 FPS, and Ultra settings average 80 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra narrows to 66 FPS, reflecting the increased GPU load. The minimum FPS data for Medium settings at 1440p (88 FPS) is still well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is pushed to its limits. Low settings average 98 FPS, Medium settings average 70 FPS with a minimum of 59 FPS and maximum of 80 FPS, High settings average 62 FPS, and Ultra settings average 54 FPS. The Low to Ultra spread is 44 FPS, and the Medium preset’s minimum of 59 FPS is the only measured value that dips below the 60 FPS mark. This suggests that 4K gaming is viable on High settings, but Ultra settings will require a GPU upgrade for a consistently smooth experience.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D and AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT ranks 670 out of 2888 tested combos in Control. This places it in the top 23% of all combinations tested, which is a solid position given the GPU’s mid-range benchmark percentile. The rank is likely driven by the CPU’s high performance, which ensures that the GPU can operate at its full potential. The combo’s ranking is not as high as the CPU’s individual percentile (91) or the GPU’s individual percentile (55) might suggest, indicating that the GPU is the constraining factor.

The rank of 670 out of 2888 means that there are 2218 other combinations that perform worse in this game, and 669 that perform better. This is a respectable mid-to-high tier position. The data shows that the combo is well-balanced, but the GPU’s performance ceiling prevents it from reaching the top echelons. For users with this combo, the ranking suggests that they are getting near-maximum performance from the RX 9070 XT, and that a stronger GPU would be the only path to higher frame rates.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS achieved by this combo in Control?

A: The highest average FPS is 193, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with the Low settings preset.

Q: Can this combo maintain 60 FPS at 4K resolution?

A: Yes, at 4K with High settings, the average FPS is 62. The Medium preset averages 70 FPS, but its minimum FPS is 59, which can dip below 60. The Ultra preset averages 54 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: How much faster is 1080p compared to 4K at High settings?

A: At High settings, the average FPS at 1080p is 122, while at 4K it is 62. This means the 1080p result is 60 FPS higher, or approximately 97% faster.

Q: What is the combo's rank among all tested combinations?

A: The combo ranks 670 out of 2888 tested combinations in Control.

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

A: The GPU is the limiting factor. This is evidenced by the significant FPS drops as resolution increases from 1080p to 4K, while the CPU’s benchmark scores are high enough to keep up with the GPU’s demands.

Q: What are the minimum and maximum FPS values recorded at 1440p Medium settings?

A: At 2560x1440 with Medium settings, the minimum FPS is 88 and the maximum FPS is 119, with an average of 103 FPS.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and frame rate preference. For 4K gaming, the High preset is the best choice, delivering an average of 62 FPS with no recorded minimum below 60 FPS. This provides a good balance between visual quality and performance. The Medium preset at 4K offers a higher average of 70 FPS but has a minimum of 59 FPS, which could result in occasional stutters. The Ultra preset at 4K is not recommended, as its average of 54 FPS falls below the playable threshold for most users.

For 1440p gaming, the High preset is the clear winner, providing an average of 92 FPS with excellent visual fidelity. The Medium preset at 1440p offers a higher average of 103 FPS and a minimum of 88 FPS, making it a strong choice for users with high refresh rate monitors who prioritize frame rate over visual details. The Ultra preset at 1440p averages 80 FPS, which is still playable, but the visual difference between High and Ultra may not justify the 12 FPS loss.

At 1080p, users have the most flexibility. The Ultra preset averages 106 FPS, which is ideal for 100Hz or 120Hz monitors. The High preset averages 122 FPS, and the Medium preset averages 137 FPS with a minimum of 116 FPS. For competitive play or maximum frame rates, the Low preset at 1080p achieves 193 FPS, but this sacrifices significant visual quality. The recommendation is to use the High or Ultra preset at 1080p, as the GPU has enough headroom to maintain high frame rates while delivering a superior visual experience.