Control

# Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data for Control with the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 shows a clear pattern of GPU-bound scaling as resolution increases. At 1080p Low settings, the combo delivers 185 FPS average, which drops to 140 FPS at 1440p Low and 94 FPS at 4K Low. This represents a 24% reduction from 1080p to 1440p and a further 33% reduction from 1440p to 4K, indicating that the RTX 3080 becomes the limiting factor as pixel count grows.

The scaling behavior across other settings reinforces this interpretation. At High settings, the average FPS moves from 117 at 1080p to 88 at 1440p and 60 at 4K. The gap between 1080p and 1440p is 29 FPS, while the gap between 1440p and 4K is 28 FPS, showing a nearly linear decline as resolution increases. This linearity suggests the GPU is the primary constraint at all tested resolutions, with the CPU providing ample headroom.

Ultra settings tell a similar story: 101 FPS at 1080p, 77 FPS at 1440p, and 52 FPS at 4K. The percentage drops from 1080p to 4K are consistent across settings — roughly 45-49% — which is typical for a GPU-bound scenario. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect the 1080p results to plateau regardless of settings, but the data shows a 185 FPS Low versus 101 FPS Ultra at 1080p, a 84 FPS spread that confirms the GPU is doing the heavy lifting even at lower resolutions.

The 4K Medium result deserves special attention: 67 FPS average with a 57 FPS minimum and 77 FPS maximum. This is the only resolution/settings combo in the measured data where minimum and maximum FPS are provided, and the 20 FPS range between min and max indicates some frame time variance, but the average stays comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold. At 4K Ultra, the average drops to 52 FPS, which falls below that threshold and suggests the GPU is fully saturated.

Overall, the resolution scaling data indicates that this pair is well-balanced for 1440p gaming, capable at 1080p, and marginally adequate at 4K — but only with settings adjustments. The CPU's high single-thread performance, evidenced by its 3DMark single-thread score of 1269, ensures it never becomes the limiting component in this title.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Control?

A: Based on the measured FPS, 2560x1440 provides the best balance. At High settings, the combo averages 88 FPS, which is comfortably above the 60 FPS target, while 4K High drops to 60 FPS exactly and 4K Ultra falls to 52 FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 3080 compare to its nearest rivals in benchmark scores?

A: The RTX 3080 has an average benchmark score of 23172, which is 0.3% lower than the NVIDIA P106-100 (23249) and 0.3% lower than the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 16 (23250). It trails the AMD Radeon RX 6600M (23273) by 0.4% and the AMD Radeon R9 M290X (23276) by 0.4%.

Q: Is the Ryzen 9 9900X3D a strong performer relative to other CPUs?

A: The CPU sits in the 91st percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 54762. It is 0.6% behind the Intel Core Ultra 5 245KF (55093) but 1.3% ahead of the Intel Core Ultra 5 245K (54053) and 2% ahead of the Intel Xeon 6505P (53701).

Q: Can this combo handle 4K Ultra settings in Control?

A: The measured data shows 52 FPS average at 3840x2160 Ultra, which is below the 60 FPS threshold. However, 4K High achieves exactly 60 FPS, and 4K Medium reaches 67 FPS, so users have viable 4K options below Ultra.

Q: What is the FPS spread between Low and Ultra at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the Low preset averages 185 FPS while Ultra averages 101 FPS, a difference of 84 FPS. Medium lands at 131 FPS and High at 117 FPS, showing a clear stepwise decline as visual quality increases.

Q: How does the CPU's multi-threaded performance compare to its single-threaded performance?

A: The Ryzen 9 9900X3D scores 13795 in 3DMark max threads versus 1269 in 3DMark single thread, a roughly 10.9x scaling ratio across its 12 cores and 24 threads. In Cinebench R23, it scores 47737 multicore and 6739 singlecore, a 7.1x ratio.

How This Combo Ranks

Among the 2888 tested combos in Control, this pairing of AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 ranks 771st. This places it in the top 26.7% of all tested combinations, which is a solid position for a system built around a GPU that was released in 2020 and a CPU released in 2025.

The ranking reflects the GPU's age relative to newer hardware, but the CPU's strength helps boost the combo. The Ryzen 9 9900X3D sits in the 91st percentile among all CPUs, while the RTX 3080 sits in the 68th percentile among all GPUs. This disparity suggests the CPU is capable of driving even more powerful graphics cards, but the RTX 3080 holds the combo back from higher rankings.

In terms of raw benchmark scores, the CPU's average of 54762 is competitive with its nearest rivals: it trails the Intel Core Ultra 5 245KF by just 0.6% (55093) and leads the Intel Core Ultra 5 245K by 1.3% (54053). The GPU's average score of 23172 puts it in a tight pack with its nearest rivals, all within 0.4% of each other, indicating that the RTX 3080 is performing at its expected level.

The 771st rank out of 2888 combos means there are 2117 combinations that score lower in Control, which confirms the overall capability of this pairing. For a game released in 2019, this modern CPU and older GPU combination still delivers a competitive experience, particularly at 1440p and 1080p resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its highest frame rates across all settings. Low settings produce an average of 185 FPS, which is the single highest measured result in the entire dataset. Medium settings average 131 FPS with a minimum of 111 FPS and maximum of 151 FPS. High settings average 117 FPS, and Ultra settings average 101 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 84 FPS, demonstrating significant headroom for users who prefer higher visual fidelity at this resolution.

Moving to 2560x1440, the average FPS drops across the board. Low settings average 140 FPS, still well above the 120 FPS mark. Medium settings average 99 FPS with a minimum of 84 FPS and maximum of 114 FPS. High settings average 88 FPS, and Ultra settings average 77 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is consistent: 45 FPS for Low, 32 FPS for Medium, 29 FPS for High, and 24 FPS for Ultra.

At 3840x2160, the averages fall further and the gaps between settings narrow. Low settings average 94 FPS, which remains playable. Medium settings average 67 FPS with a minimum of 57 FPS and maximum of 77 FPS. High settings average exactly 60 FPS, right at the standard display refresh rate. Ultra settings average 52 FPS, which dips below the 60 FPS target but remains usable on adaptive sync displays.

The minimum FPS data, available only for Medium settings, shows that the 4K Medium result (57 FPS minimum) stays just above the 60 FPS average of High settings, making Medium the safest 4K choice for consistent frame pacing. At 1440p Medium, the minimum of 84 FPS ensures no drops below 60 FPS, while 1080p Medium's 111 FPS minimum keeps everything well above refresh rate thresholds for 100Hz monitors.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D is a 12-core, 24-thread processor based on the Zen 5 architecture with a 4 nm process node from TSMC. It features a base clock of 4.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.50 GHz, with a 120 W TDP. The CPU includes 128 MB of L3 cache, which is substantial for gaming workloads, and supports DDR5 memory with dual-channel configuration at 89.6 GB/s bandwidth.

In Control, a game that is primarily GPU-bound at higher resolutions, the CPU's role is to maintain consistent frame delivery without becoming a bottleneck. The benchmark data shows that at 1080p Low, the combo reaches 185 FPS average, which is high enough to stress CPU performance. The Ryzen 9 9900X3D's single-thread score of 1269 in 3DMark and 6739 in Cinebench R23 indicates strong per-core performance, which helps maintain high frame rates in scenarios where the GPU is not fully saturated.

The CPU's multi-threaded capabilities are also relevant: 3DMark max threads score of 13795 and Cinebench R23 multicore score of 47737 show that the 12-core/24-thread configuration can handle heavily threaded workloads. However, Control's engine scales primarily with single-thread performance, so the CPU's 3DMark 2-thread score of 2512 and 4-thread score of 4885 are more indicative of its gaming performance.

The 128 MB L3 cache is a notable feature for gaming, as it reduces memory latency and improves hit rates for frequently accessed data. In a game like Control, which has complex physics and destructible environments, this cache size likely contributes to maintaining stable frame times. The CPU's percentile rank of 91st among all CPUs confirms that it is a high-end processor, and its average benchmark score of 54762 places it just 0.6% behind the Intel Core Ultra 5 245KF, which is its closest rival.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend on the target resolution and refresh rate. At 1080p, all settings deliver playable frame rates, with Ultra averaging 101 FPS. For users with 144Hz or 165Hz monitors, Medium settings at 131 FPS or Low settings at 185 FPS will be necessary to fully utilize the display's refresh rate. High settings at 117 FPS are a good compromise for 120Hz displays.

At 1440p, the recommended setting is High, which averages 88 FPS and provides a good balance between visual quality and performance. Ultra settings at 77 FPS are also viable for 75Hz displays, while Medium at 99 FPS is better suited for 100Hz monitors. Low settings at 140 FPS are available for competitive play, though the visual quality reduction may not be worth the frame rate gain for most users.

At 4K, the choices are more constrained. High settings average exactly 60 FPS, making it the best option for standard 60Hz displays. Medium settings average 67 FPS with a 57 FPS minimum, providing a small buffer above 60 FPS and better frame pacing. Ultra settings at 52 FPS are only recommended for users with adaptive sync technology who can tolerate frame rates below 60 FPS. Low settings at 94 FPS are the highest-performing 4K option, but the visual trade-offs are substantial.

The Medium preset consistently offers the best performance-to-visual ratio across all resolutions. At 4K, it is the only setting that stays above 60 FPS average while maintaining a minimum above 55 FPS. At 1440p, Medium's 99 FPS average with 84 FPS minimum ensures smooth gameplay on high-refresh displays. At 1080p, Medium's 131 FPS average with 111 FPS minimum provides an excellent experience on 144Hz monitors without the visual compromises of Low settings.