Control

The Intel Core i5-11400F and AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX combination delivers a highly capable Control experience, but the benchmark data reveals a clear performance hierarchy where resolution and settings dictate whether the GPU or CPU becomes the limiting factor. At 1080p, the system is firmly CPU-bound at lower settings, while at 4K, the GPU’s raw power becomes the primary driver of frame rates. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS data to show exactly where this combo excels and where its potential is constrained.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is steep but predictable, with the magnitude of the drop heavily influenced by the graphics preset. At Low settings, the average frame rate falls from 196.6 FPS at 1920x1080 to 113.2 FPS at 3840x2160, a reduction of 83.4 FPS (42.4%). This relatively smaller percentage drop at Low suggests that at 1080p Low, the CPU is holding back performance, preventing the GPU from reaching even higher frame rates. The data shows that at 1080p Low, the system achieves 196.6 FPS, which is likely near the CPU’s practical ceiling for this game, given that the i5-11400F has 6 cores and 12 threads.

Moving to High settings, the scaling is similar in absolute terms: 139.3 FPS at 1080p drops to 105.4 FPS at 1440p, then to 71.5 FPS at 4K. The total decrease from 1080p to 4K is 67.8 FPS (48.7%). At Ultra settings, the frame rate drops from 124.9 FPS at 1080p to 65.2 FPS at 4K, a 59.7 FPS reduction (47.8%). Notably, the gap between Medium and High settings narrows as resolution increases; at 1080p, the difference is 20.6 FPS (159.9 vs 139.3), but at 4K, it shrinks to 10 FPS (81.5 vs 71.5). This indicates that at 4K, the GPU is fully saturated, and additional graphical fidelity from High to Ultra costs only 6.3 FPS (71.5 vs 65.2).

The limiting component shifts clearly with resolution. At 1080p Low, the CPU is likely the bottleneck, as evidenced by the 196.6 FPS result which cannot scale much higher regardless of GPU headroom. At 4K Ultra, the GPU’s 24 GB of VRAM and 960.0 GB/s bandwidth are fully utilized, and the 65.2 FPS result reflects pure GPU compute limits. The data shows that 1440p is the sweet spot for this combo, where the CPU and GPU are more balanced: High settings deliver 105.4 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS threshold while maintaining visual quality.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-11400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Rocket Lake architecture, manufactured on a 14 nm process. Its base clock of 2.60 GHz and boost clock of 4.40 GHz provide adequate single-thread performance for Control, which is an Action Adventure title that relies on physics and destruction. The CPU’s benchmark scores indicate solid multi-threaded capability, with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 14372 and a single-core score of 2029. These numbers place the i5-11400F in the 75th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 17181.

The CPU’s impact on Control’s frame rates is most visible at 1080p with lower settings. At 1080p Low, the system hits 196.6 FPS, but this is likely constrained by the CPU’s ability to feed the GPU. The 3DMark 16-thread score of 5619 and max-thread score of 5652 suggest that the CPU can handle multiple concurrent tasks, but Control’s engine may not scale perfectly with 12 threads. The L3 cache of 12 MB shared is modest by modern standards, but it is sufficient for this game’s data access patterns.

Comparing to its nearest rivals, the i5-11400F’s average benchmark score is nearly identical to the AMD Ryzen 7 5700U (deltaPct 0) and Intel Core i7-1260P (deltaPct -0.2). This means that in CPU-bound scenarios, the i5-11400F will perform similarly to those processors, providing roughly the same frame rates at 1080p Low. The data shows that at 1440p High, the CPU is less of a factor, as the frame rate of 105.4 FPS is more than sufficient to keep the GPU busy. The CPU’s 65 W TDP and dual-channel DDR4 memory support with 51.2 GB/s bandwidth are adequate for this game, though not exceptional.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides clear guidance on which settings to use at each resolution. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers 196.6 FPS, which is excessive for most displays and suggests the CPU is the limiting factor. The Medium preset at 159.9 FPS offers a better balance, while High at 139.3 FPS is still well above 120 FPS for high-refresh monitors. Ultra at 124.9 FPS is playable but offers diminishing returns over High, with only a 14.4 FPS difference between them, yet a 35.0 FPS gap from Low to Ultra.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset at 122.3 FPS is the recommended choice for competitive play, while High at 105.4 FPS is ideal for visual quality without sacrificing smoothness. Ultra at 95.6 FPS is still above 90 FPS, making it viable for those prioritizing visuals. The Low preset at 166.7 FPS is unnecessary unless targeting very high refresh rates, as the CPU is likely the bottleneck at this resolution.

For 3840x2160, the High preset at 71.5 FPS is the best experience, as it maintains frame rates above 70 FPS while providing good visual fidelity. The Medium preset at 81.5 FPS is also excellent, offering a 10 FPS improvement over High with minimal visual loss. Ultra at 65.2 FPS is borderline, dipping close to 60 FPS, but still playable. Low at 113.2 FPS is not recommended at 4K, as the visual downgrade is severe and the frame rate benefit is unnecessary for most users. Overall, the data suggests that High settings at 1440p provide the best experience per the measured rows, with 105.4 FPS being a strong balance of quality and performance.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations, this specific pairing of the Intel Core i5-11400F and AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX ranks 250th out of 1636 combos for Control. This places it in the top 15.3% of all tested systems, which is a strong showing given the CPU’s mid-range positioning. The rank reflects the GPU’s dominance in this pairing, as the RX 7900 XTX is a high-end card that can push high frame rates even when paired with a less powerful CPU.

The GPU’s percentile ranking of 85% versus all GPUs is notably higher than the CPU’s 75% percentile, indicating that the GPU is the more capable component in this combo. This is consistent with the measured FPS data, which shows that at higher resolutions, the GPU is the primary determinant of performance. The combo’s rank of 250 suggests that there are 249 other combinations that perform better in Control, likely featuring more powerful CPUs like the Intel Core i7-1260P or AMD Ryzen 7 5700U, which have similar average benchmark scores to the i5-11400F but may have better gaming-specific optimizations.

The nearest rivals for the CPU, including the AMD Ryzen 7 5700U (deltaPct 0) and Intel Core i7-1260P (deltaPct -0.2), indicate that swapping the CPU for those models would yield negligible performance changes in CPU-bound scenarios. However, the GPU’s rivals, such as the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti (deltaPct -2), show that the RX 7900 XTX is slightly ahead in raw benchmark scores, which translates to better frame rates at higher resolutions.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX is the dominant component in this combo, featuring 24 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 384-bit bus with 960.0 GB/s bandwidth. Its RDNA 3.0 architecture, built on a 5 nm process, includes 6144 shading units, 384 TMUs, and 192 ROPs. The GPU’s boost clock of 2498 MHz and game clock of 2365 MHz enable high compute throughput, with an FP32 performance of 61.39 TFLOPS. The memory size of 24 GB is more than sufficient for Control, even at 4K Ultra, where the game’s textures and effects can consume significant VRAM.

The GPU’s benchmark scores are impressive, with a Passmark G3D score of 31238 and a Geekbench OpenCL score of 189573. These place the RX 7900 XTX in the 85th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 44019. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon Pro 580 (deltaPct -0.4) and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti (deltaPct -2), indicating that the RX 7900 XTX is competitive with high-end cards from the previous generation.

In Control, the GPU’s role is most evident at 4K, where the frame rates scale directly with the GPU’s compute capability. At 4K Ultra, the 65.2 FPS result confirms the GPU’s raw power, as this is a demanding resolution and settings combination. The GPU’s 96 ray tracing cores and DirectX 12 Ultimate support are relevant for Control’s advanced rendering features, though the measured FPS data does not isolate ray tracing performance. The GPU’s 355 W TDP and dual-slot design are consistent with its high-end positioning, and the 2x 8-pin power connectors indicate substantial power delivery requirements.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows that 2560x1440 with High settings is the sweet spot, delivering 105.4 FPS, which balances visual quality and smoothness. At 1080p, the CPU becomes the bottleneck, while at 4K, the GPU is fully utilized.

Q: How much FPS is lost when moving from 1080p to 4K?

A: At High settings, the frame rate drops from 139.3 FPS at 1920x1080 to 71.5 FPS at 3840x2160, a reduction of 67.8 FPS. This represents a 48.7% decrease in performance.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more important for this game?

A: The GPU is more important at higher resolutions, as evidenced by the 4K results where the RX 7900 XTX’s compute power determines frame rates. At 1080p Low, the CPU is the limiting factor, with the system hitting 196.6 FPS.

Q: What settings should I use at 4K?

A: The High preset at 71.5 FPS is recommended, as it provides a good balance of visuals and performance. The Medium preset at 81.5 FPS is also viable, while Ultra at 65.2 FPS is playable but close to the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: How does this combo rank against other tested systems?

A: This combo ranks 250th out of 1636 tested combinations for Control, placing it in the top 15.3% of all systems. The GPU’s 85th percentile ranking is higher than the CPU’s 75th percentile, indicating the GPU is the stronger component.

Q: Does the RX 7900 XTX’s 24 GB VRAM matter for Control?

A: The 24 GB VRAM is more than sufficient for Control, even at 4K Ultra, where the game’s textures and effects can consume significant memory. The 960.0 GB/s bandwidth ensures fast data transfer, contributing to the strong 4K performance.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following table presents the exact measured average FPS for each resolution and settings combination:

| Resolution | Settings | Avg FPS |

|------------|----------|---------|

| 1920x1080 | Low | 196.6 |

| 1920x1080 | Medium | 159.9 |

| 1920x1080 | High | 139.3 |

| 1920x1080 | Ultra | 124.9 |

| 2560x1440 | Low | 166.7 |

| 2560x1440 | Medium | 122.3 |

| 2560x1440 | High | 105.4 |

| 2560x1440 | Ultra | 95.6 |

| 3840x2160 | Low | 113.2 |

| 3840x2160 | Medium | 81.5 |

| 3840x2160 | High | 71.5 |

| 3840x2160 | Ultra | 65.2 |

The data reveals a consistent pattern across all resolutions: Low settings provide the highest frame rates, with Medium offering a modest reduction, High providing a balanced experience, and Ultra delivering the lowest frame rates. At 1080p, the frame rate range from Low to Ultra is 71.7 FPS (196.6 to 124.9), while at 4K, the range narrows to 48.0 FPS (113.2 to 65.2). This narrowing suggests that at 4K, the GPU is the primary bottleneck, and settings changes have a smaller relative impact on performance. The largest single-step drop occurs between Low and Medium at 1080p, with a 36.7 FPS reduction, while the smallest drop is between High and Ultra at 4K, with only a 6.3 FPS difference. This indicates that at 4K, the Ultra preset is a viable option for those seeking maximum visual quality without sacrificing too much performance.