Control

The AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 pairing delivers a compelling Control experience, with the data showing a system capable of high refresh rates at 1080p and solid 4K performance. The benchmark results indicate a clear hierarchy where the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck as resolution increases, while the CPU provides ample headroom for the game's physics and logic.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 is a 16-core, 32-thread processor built on the Zen 5 architecture (Strix Halo). It operates with a base clock of 3.00 GHz and a boost clock of 5.10 GHz, which are the figures that matter for Control’s frame pacing. The processor’s 64 MB of shared L3 cache and 1 MB L2 per core help keep frequently accessed game data close at hand, reducing latency in a title that often streams assets dynamically.

In synthetic benchmarks, the CPU scores 35,314 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 2,044 in single-core, placing it in the 95th percentile of all CPUs. Its average benchmark score of 77,740 sits 1.6% above the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 9945WX (76,513) and 2% above the AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX (76,212), while trailing the Intel Core i9-14900K by 1.7% (79,097). These margins are small, but the data suggests the Ryzen AI Max+ 395 has enough single-thread throughput to feed the RTX 5080 without becoming a limiting factor at lower resolutions.

Control is an Action Adventure title that relies heavily on physics simulations and destructible environments, which scale with multi-core performance. The CPU’s 32 threads and 55 W TDP (with a 4 nm process node) indicate it can sustain high clocks under load without thermal throttling, which is reflected in the measured FPS. At 1080p Low, the combo reaches 190 FPS, a figure that exceeds the refresh rate of most displays and demonstrates that the CPU is not holding back the GPU at this setting. Even at 1080p Ultra, the system maintains 104 FPS, suggesting that single-core performance (Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2,044) is sufficient to handle the game’s main thread.

The CPU’s memory controller supports LPDDR5X with quad-channel bandwidth of 256.0 GB/s, which is ample for feeding the GPU data in a game like Control that streams environments. The data shows no scenario where the CPU appears to be the bottleneck: the FPS drop from 1080p Low (190 FPS) to 1080p Ultra (104 FPS) is a 45% reduction, which aligns more with GPU load than CPU limitations. The nearest rival comparisons reinforce this, as the Ryzen AI Max+ 395’s performance is within 2% of workstation-class chips like the EPYC Embedded 8224P, making it a robust foundation for this game.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 is the clear performance driver in this combo, featuring 16 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 256-bit bus with 960.0 GB/s of bandwidth. Its base clock of 2295 MHz and boost clock of 2617 MHz are the stated figures, and the memory runs at 1875 MHz (30 Gbps effective). The GPU’s 10,752 shading units and 84 RT cores handle Control’s visual effects, while the 112 ROPs ensure pixel throughput at high resolutions.

The RTX 5080’s average benchmark score is 56,083, placing it in the 87th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival is the AMD Radeon 8060S, which scores 55,757 (0.6% lower), and the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB at 55,698 (0.7% lower). The RTX 5080 trails the AMD Radeon RX 9070 GRE by 2.2% (57,367), but the measured FPS in Control shows the RTX 5080 delivering strong results regardless of this synthetic margin.

The 16 GB VRAM capacity is significant for Control, which can consume substantial memory at 4K Ultra due to high-resolution textures. The data shows the GPU handling 4K High at 61 FPS and 4K Ultra at 53 FPS, indicating that the memory bandwidth and capacity are sufficient to avoid stutters. The GPU’s 960.0 GB/s bandwidth is more than double what many mid-range cards offer, which directly benefits the game’s texture streaming.

At 1080p, the GPU is not the limiting factor, as evidenced by the 190 FPS Low result. The RTX 5080’s FP32 performance of 56.28 TFLOPS provides headroom that becomes apparent only when resolution scales up. The 360 W TDP and dual-slot design suggest it can sustain boost clocks over long sessions, which matches the consistent FPS figures across settings. The GPU’s 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 8,637 further confirms its ability to handle modern rendering workloads like Control’s.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured FPS data shows a predictable scaling pattern as resolution increases, and the magnitude of the drops reveals where the bottleneck lies. At High settings, the combo delivers 120 FPS at 1080p, 91 FPS at 1440p, and 61 FPS at 4K. This represents a 24% drop from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 33% drop to 4K, for a total reduction of 49% from 1080p to 4K. This scaling is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario, where the CPU has enough headroom to maintain frame rates but the GPU’s pixel throughput becomes the limiting factor.

The Low settings tell a similar story but with higher absolute numbers: 190 FPS at 1080p, 144 FPS at 1440p, and 97 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 4K here is 49%, identical to the High preset’s relative decline. This consistency suggests that the CPU is not introducing variability, as the proportional FPS loss remains stable across settings. If the CPU were the bottleneck, the 1080p Low result would show less scaling headroom, but the 190 FPS figure indicates there is still capacity.

Ultra settings show the steepest absolute declines: 104 FPS at 1080p, 79 FPS at 1440p, and 53 FPS at 4K, a 49% total drop. The Medium settings follow suit with 135 FPS, 102 FPS, and 69 FPS, respectively. The fact that all four presets show nearly identical percentage drops (around 49% from 1080p to 4K) is strong evidence that the RTX 5080 is the primary limiter at higher resolutions. The CPU’s performance, with its 95th percentile ranking, is sufficient to keep up even at 1080p Low where the GPU is least taxed.

Notably, the 4K Medium result (69 FPS) is higher than the 4K High result (61 FPS), and the 4K Low result (97 FPS) is nearly double the 4K Ultra result (53 FPS). This indicates that the GPU’s workload scales significantly with preset complexity, particularly with effects like reflections and volumetric lighting that are CPU-independent. The data shows that at 1080p, the CPU can push frames up to 190 FPS, but the GPU’s rendering capabilities cap the experience as resolution climbs.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

Based on the measured FPS rows, the Medium preset offers the best balance of visual fidelity and performance across all resolutions. At 1080p Medium, the combo achieves 135 FPS with a minimum of 115 FPS and a maximum of 155 FPS, providing a smooth experience that exceeds the 120 FPS threshold often considered ideal for fast-paced action. The minimum frame rate of 115 FPS ensures that even in heavy combat scenarios with physics calculations, the frame pacing remains consistent.

At 1440p Medium, the average drops to 102 FPS with a minimum of 87 FPS, which is still above the 60 FPS baseline for playable performance and comfortably within the range of high-refresh-rate monitors. The 4K Medium result of 69 FPS, with a minimum of 59 FPS, is the only preset at 4K that stays above the 60 FPS average threshold, making it the recommended choice for users with 4K displays. The High preset at 4K delivers 61 FPS average but lacks the minimum frame data, and the Ultra preset falls to 53 FPS, which risks visible stutter in demanding scenes.

The Low preset offers the highest frame rates (190 FPS at 1080p, 144 FPS at 1440p, 97 FPS at 4K) but sacrifices visual quality that Control’s atmospheric design relies on. The data suggests that Medium provides a 69% improvement over Low at 1080p in terms of visual settings while only reducing FPS from 190 to 135, a 29% drop. The jump from Medium to High at 1080p yields only an 11% FPS reduction (135 to 120), but the visual gains are marginal compared to the jump from Low to Medium.

For users prioritizing frame rate over visuals, the Low preset at 1440p (144 FPS) is the best option, as it exceeds the refresh rate of most 144 Hz displays. However, for a balanced experience, Medium is the clear winner across all resolutions, as it maintains frame rates above 60 FPS at 4K and above 100 FPS at 1440p. The Ultra preset is only viable at 1080p (104 FPS) but fails to maintain 60 FPS at 4K, making it a poor choice for this resolution.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 combination ranks 730th out of 2,888 tested combos in Control, placing it in the top 25% of all systems measured. This rank reflects the overall performance across all resolutions and settings, and the data shows that this combo outperforms the majority of alternatives, though it is not at the absolute top tier of configurations.

The rank of 730 out of 2,888 means that 2,158 other combos performed worse, while 729 performed better. This positioning is consistent with the CPU’s 95th percentile ranking and the GPU’s 87th percentile ranking, though the combo’s rank is slightly lower than either individual component’s percentile. This suggests that the combination’s performance is limited by the GPU at higher resolutions, as the CPU’s 95th percentile ranking would imply it could support even faster GPUs.

The nearest rival comparisons provide context: the CPU’s average benchmark score of 77,740 is 1.6% higher than the Threadripper PRO 9945WX, but the GPU’s average score of 56,083 is only 0.6% higher than the Radeon 8060S. This indicates that the CPU is a stronger component relative to its peers than the GPU is relative to its peers, which is reflected in the combo rank. The gap between the combo’s rank (730th) and the CPU’s percentile (95th) suggests that pairing this CPU with a higher-end GPU would likely yield a better rank.

The measured FPS data supports this analysis: at 1080p Low, the combo achieves 190 FPS, which is exceptional, but at 4K Ultra, it drops to 53 FPS. The rank of 730 out of 2,888 indicates that many other combos with similar or better GPUs achieve higher frame rates at 4K, while the CPU’s strong multi-core performance (Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 35,314) ensures that CPU-bound scenarios are not a weakness. The data shows that this combo is well-balanced for 1080p and 1440p gaming, but its rank is pulled down by the GPU’s performance at 4K Ultra relative to top-tier competitors.

FAQ

Q: What is the maximum average FPS this combo achieves in Control at 1080p?

A: The maximum average FPS is 190, achieved at 1080p with the Low preset. The Medium preset delivers 135 FPS, High delivers 120 FPS, and Ultra delivers 104 FPS.

Q: Does the combo maintain 60 FPS at 4K with any settings?

A: Yes, the Medium preset at 4K achieves an average of 69 FPS with a minimum of 59 FPS. The High preset also exceeds 60 FPS with an average of 61 FPS, while the Low preset reaches 97 FPS. The Ultra preset falls below 60 FPS at 53 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 has an average benchmark score of 77,740, which is 1.6% higher than the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 9945WX (76,513) and 2% higher than the AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX (76,212). It trails the Intel Core i9-14900K (79,097) by 1.7%.

Q: What is the GPU’s VRAM capacity and how does it affect 4K performance?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 has 16 GB of GDDR7 memory with a 960.0 GB/s bandwidth. This capacity is sufficient for Control’s 4K textures, as evidenced by the 4K High preset achieving 61 FPS and 4K Medium achieving 69 FPS without apparent stuttering.

Q: Which preset provides the best balance of performance and visuals according to the data?

A: The Medium preset is the best balance, as it delivers 135 FPS at 1080p, 102 FPS at 1440p, and 69 FPS at 4K. It maintains minimum frame rates above 59 FPS at all resolutions, ensuring smooth gameplay.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested configurations in Control?

A: The combo ranks 730th out of 2,888 tested combos, placing it in the top 25% of all systems. This rank reflects the GPU’s performance at higher resolutions, as the CPU ranks in the 95th percentile of all CPUs.