Control

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 combination delivers a high-refresh-rate experience in Control, with performance scaling predictably across resolutions. The data shows a system that is heavily GPU-bound at higher settings, while the CPU's strength becomes apparent only at lower settings and resolutions. This analysis breaks down the measured frame rates, component roles, and ranking within the broader benchmark database.

FAQ

Q: What is the average frame rate at 1080p with Ultra settings?

A: The measured average frame rate is 135 FPS at 1920x1080 with the Ultra preset. This is the lowest average among the four settings tested at this resolution, with Low producing 246 FPS, Medium 175 FPS, and High 156 FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 4080 compare to its nearest rival in the database?

A: The RTX 4080 has an average benchmark score of 54247, which is 0.1% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER (avg score 54209). It is also 1.1% ahead of the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X, which has an average score of 54828, though that deltaPct is negative, indicating the RTX 4080 trails it by that margin.

Q: What is the best-case performance scenario for this combo at 4K?

A: At 3840x2160, the highest measured average frame rate is 126 FPS, achieved with the Low settings preset. The High preset yields 79 FPS, Medium yields 89 FPS, and Ultra yields 69 FPS.

Q: Does the CPU show a significant advantage over its direct competitors?

A: The Ryzen 9 9900X3D has an average benchmark score of 54762, which is 1.3% higher than the Intel Core Ultra 5 245K (avg score 54053). It also leads the Intel Core i7-14700F by 2.1% (avg score 53620) but trails the Intel Core Ultra 5 245KF by 0.6% (avg score 55093).

Q: Is there a large difference between the Medium and Ultra presets at 1440p?

A: Yes, the data shows a 30 FPS drop. At 2560x1440, the Medium preset averages 132 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 102 FPS. The Low preset reaches 186 FPS, and the High preset averages 118 FPS.

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

A: The combination of the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 ranks 241st out of 3720 tested combos for Control. This places it in the top 7% of all recorded configurations.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D is a 12-core, 24-thread processor based on the Zen 5 architecture (Granite Ridge). It operates on the AMD Socket AM5 platform and has a base clock of 4.40 GHz with a boost clock of 5.50 GHz. The processor includes 128 MB of L3 cache, which is substantial for gaming workloads. Its benchmark scores reflect strong multi-threaded performance: a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 47737 and a Geekbench multicore score of 22884.

In Control, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and physics calculations. The data indicates that the CPU is not a bottleneck at standard settings. For instance, at 1080p with Low settings, the system achieves 246 FPS, which is a 58% increase over the 156 FPS seen at High settings. This scaling with graphical fidelity suggests that even at lower resolutions, the GPU is still the primary limiter, as the CPU has ample headroom to push beyond 240 FPS.

The processor's single-thread performance is also robust, with a Cinebench R23 singlecore score of 6739 and a 3dmark_single_thread score of 1269. This is relevant because Control relies on a single main thread for game logic. The 3dmark_2_threads score of 2512 indicates strong performance in lightly-threaded scenarios. The CPU's percentile ranking of 91st among all CPUs confirms its position as a high-end part, though its average benchmark score of 54762 is only slightly above its nearest rivals, indicating that the 9900X3D is not a massive outlier in raw compute power but rather a balanced performer.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture (AD103 chip) and features 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 716.8 GB/s. Its base clock is 2205 MHz with a boost clock of 2505 MHz. The GPU has 9728 shading units, 304 TMUs, and 112 ROPs. The memory clock is rated at 1400 MHz, translating to 22.4 Gbps effective. These specifications allow it to handle 4K gaming effectively, as shown by the measured results.

In Control, the GPU is the dominant factor in determining frame rates. The data shows a clear progression: at 4K, the average FPS ranges from 69 (Ultra) to 126 (Low). At 1440p, the range is 102 (Ultra) to 186 (Low). At 1080p, the range is 135 (Ultra) to 246 (Low). This pattern indicates that the RTX 4080's compute and memory bandwidth are the limiting resources when graphical settings are increased.

The GPU's benchmark scores support its high-end status. Its passmark_g3d score is 34457, and its Geekbench Vulkan score is 263779. The 3dmark_steel_nomad_dx12 score of 6567 reflects modern API performance. The GPU's percentile ranking of 86th among all GPUs is slightly lower than the CPU's 91st percentile, but its average benchmark score of 54247 is very close to its nearest rival, the RTX 4080 SUPER (deltaPct 0.1%). This suggests that the RTX 4080 is a mature, well-optimized product that performs near the peak of its class.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Ryzen 9 9900X3D and RTX 4080 achieves a rank of 241 out of 3720 tested combos in Control. This percentile placement (roughly the top 6.5%) indicates that this configuration is well above the median for this game. The rank reflects the synergy between the two components: the CPU's high single-thread performance prevents it from bottlenecking the GPU, and the GPU's raw power is sufficient to drive high frame rates at all tested resolutions.

Compared to the nearest rivals for each component, the combo's performance is consistent. The CPU leads the Intel Core i7-14700F by 2.1% in average benchmark score, while the GPU is nearly identical to the RTX 4080 SUPER (0.1% delta). This means that swapping the 9900X3D for a slightly weaker CPU or the 4080 for a slightly weaker GPU would likely result in a negligible change in Control's frame rates, given that the game is primarily GPU-bound at higher settings. The rank of 241 confirms the balance of this pairing, though it does not crack the top 200, which likely requires more specialized hardware like a 4090 or a 14900KS.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows how the system scales across three resolutions: 1920x1080, 2560x1440, and 3840x2160. At the High preset, the average frame rates are 156 FPS (1080p), 118 FPS (1440p), and 79 FPS (4K). This represents a 24% drop from 1080p to 1440p and a 33% drop from 1440p to 4K. The scaling is not linear, which is characteristic of a GPU-bound workload where pixel count and memory bandwidth become increasingly important.

At the Low preset, the scaling is more dramatic: 246 FPS (1080p), 186 FPS (1440p), and 126 FPS (4K). The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 24%, but the drop from 1440p to 4K is 32%. This suggests that while the CPU can handle the lower resolution, the GPU's fill rate limits the 4K performance. The Medium preset shows 175 FPS (1080p), 132 FPS (1440p), and 89 FPS (4K), with a 25% and 33% drop respectively. The Ultra preset yields 135 FPS (1080p), 102 FPS (1440p), and 69 FPS (4K), with drops of 24% and 32%.

These numbers indicate that the limiting component is almost always the GPU. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see a plateau in frame rates as resolution decreases. Instead, the FPS increases consistently as resolution drops, confirming that the RTX 4080 is fully utilized across all settings. The only scenario where the CPU might matter is at 1080p Low, where 246 FPS is achieved, but even then, the GPU is still pushing a high frame rate, meaning the CPU has headroom.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured data provides a complete picture of performance. At 1920x1080, the Low settings preset delivers an average FPS of 246, which is the highest recorded for this combo. The Medium preset averages 175 FPS with a minimum of 149 and a maximum of 201. The High preset averages 156 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 135 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 111 FPS, or 82%, showing that graphical settings have a significant impact on performance at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 186 FPS. The Medium preset averages 132 FPS (min 113, max 152). The High preset averages 118 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 102 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra is 84 FPS, or 82%, consistent with the 1080p scaling. This suggests that the settings are scaling uniformly, and the GPU is the limiting factor.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 126 FPS. The Medium preset averages 89 FPS (min 76, max 103). The High preset averages 79 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 69 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra is 57 FPS, or 83%. The 4K results show that even at the Low preset, the system is capable of exceeding 120 FPS, which is remarkable for a title like Control. The minimum FPS figures for Medium (76 at 4K, 113 at 1440p, 149 at 1080p) indicate that the frame pacing is stable, with no severe drops below the average.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the optimal settings depend on the target refresh rate. For a 60 Hz display, the Ultra preset is viable at all resolutions, with a minimum average of 69 FPS at 4K. For a 144 Hz monitor, the High preset is recommended at 1440p (118 FPS) and 4K (79 FPS), though the 4K figure falls short of 144 Hz. At 1080p, the High preset achieves 156 FPS, which is sufficient for a 144 Hz display, while the Ultra preset at 135 FPS is also close.

For competitive or high-refresh-rate gaming (240 Hz), the Low preset is the only option that consistently exceeds 240 FPS, and only at 1080p (246 FPS). At 1440p, the Low preset averages 186 FPS, which is suitable for a 165 Hz monitor. The Medium preset offers a balanced experience, providing 175 FPS at 1080p and 132 FPS at 1440p, with minimums of 149 and 113 respectively, ensuring smooth gameplay even in demanding scenes.

The data suggests that the best experience for most users is the Medium preset at 1440p, as it delivers an average of 132 FPS with a minimum of 113, which is well above 100 FPS and offers a significant visual improvement over Low. At 4K, the High preset (79 FPS) is preferable to Ultra (69 FPS), as the 10 FPS gain is more noticeable than the minor visual differences between the two presets. Ultimately, the RTX 4080 provides enough power to run Control at high frame rates across all settings, and users should prioritize resolution and refresh rate over preset name.