Control

# Control Performance Analysis: Intel Core i5-13400F + AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT

This combination of the Intel Core i5-13400F and AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT delivers a compelling 1080p and 1440p experience in Control, with the data showing a clear shift in bottleneck behavior as resolution climbs. The measured frame rates across twelve resolution/settings configurations reveal a system that remains highly playable at 1440p High, but begins to strain at 4K Ultra. With the CPU ranking in the 82nd percentile among all processors and the GPU in the 76th percentile, this pairing sits comfortably in the upper-middle tier of tested hardware, though the game's demands at higher resolutions expose the GPU as the primary limiting factor.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate progression from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 at High settings tells a clear story about where the performance ceiling lies. At 1080p High, the system produces 112.2 FPS, which drops to 84 FPS at 1440p High — a 25.1% reduction. Moving to 4K High, the average falls to 58.2 FPS, representing another 30.7% drop from 1440p. This scaling pattern is consistent with a GPU-bound scenario at higher resolutions, as the pixel count increases by 2.25x from 1080p to 1440p, and another 2.25x from 1440p to 4K, yet the frame rate penalties are proportionally smaller than the pixel increases.

The Low settings curve reinforces this interpretation. At 1080p Low, the system reaches 171.7 FPS, which is the highest measured result in the entire dataset. At 1440p Low, it still maintains 132 FPS, but 4K Low drops to 88 FPS. The gap between 1080p Low and 1440p Low is 23.1%, while the gap between 1440p Low and 4K Low is 33.3%. This widening gap at lower settings suggests that as graphics load decreases, the CPU becomes more capable of feeding frames, but the GPU still faces the raw pixel throughput challenge at 4K.

The Ultra settings data shows the most dramatic scaling penalty. At 1080p Ultra, the system manages 96.4 FPS, dropping to 74.4 FPS at 1440p Ultra (a 22.8% reduction), and then to 50.7 FPS at 4K Ultra (a 31.9% reduction from 1440p). The 4K Ultra result is the only configuration in the dataset that falls below 60 FPS, indicating that this resolution/settings combination exceeds what this hardware can comfortably sustain for smooth gameplay.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-13400F brings 10 cores and 16 threads to the pairing, operating with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.60 GHz. This Raptor Lake architecture processor, built on Intel's 10 nm process, features a 20 MB shared L3 cache and 1.25 MB L2 cache per core. The benchmark data shows strong synthetic performance, with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 21279 and a single-core score of 3004. The 3DMark results reveal scalability from 1880 at 2 threads to 7307 at max threads, indicating solid multi-threaded headroom.

In Control, the CPU's role appears most significant at lower resolutions where the GPU is less stressed. The 1080p Low result of 171.7 FPS demonstrates that the i5-13400F can drive frame rates well above 144 Hz when given the opportunity. However, the game's engine seems to cap the practical benefit of the CPU at around 170 FPS in this configuration, as the 1440p Low and 4K Low results show progressively lower numbers despite the CPU having identical work to do at each resolution.

The processor's 82nd percentile ranking among all CPUs places it near the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X3D, which scores 25365 in average benchmarks and shows a delta of -0.5% compared to the i5-13400F's 25236 average. The nearest rival on the other side is the Intel Core i7-13620H at 25201 with a delta of 0.1%. This tight clustering suggests the i5-13400F is well-positioned for gaming workloads, though Control's engine appears to favor the GPU throughput at higher settings.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT is the dominant component in this pairing for Control, particularly as resolution increases. Built on the RDNA 3.0 architecture with the Navi 32 chip, this GPU features 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 624.1 GB/s of bandwidth. The 3840 shading units and 60 ray accelerators provide the computational foundation for the game's visual effects, with a boost clock of 2430 MHz and a game clock of 2124 MHz.

The VRAM capacity proves more than adequate for Control's demands, as even the 4K Ultra configuration with 50.7 FPS shows no signs of memory-related stuttering in the measured data. The GPU's 76th percentile ranking among all graphics cards places it in the upper tier, though its nearest rivals in the benchmark database — the AMD FirePro S9300 X2 at 32540 average score (0.2% delta) and the NVIDIA P104-100 at 32747 (-0.4% delta) — are professional or specialized cards that don't directly represent gaming competitors.

The GPU's compute capabilities, measured at 139381 in Geekbench OpenCL and 143060 in Vulkan, indicate strong raw throughput that translates well to Control's particle effects and physics simulations. The pixel rate of 233.3 GPixel/s and texture rate of 583.2 GTexel/s provide the fill rate needed for the game's destructible environments and debris effects, though the 4K Ultra result suggests these resources are fully utilized at the highest settings.

How This Combo Ranks

Among the 1636 tested combinations in the database, this pairing achieves rank 579, placing it in the top 35.4% of all configurations. This ranking reflects the balance between the i5-13400F's strong single-threaded performance and the RX 7800 XT's substantial rasterization capabilities. The combination outperforms many CPU-heavy or GPU-heavy mismatched pairs, as the two components are reasonably well-matched for a game like Control that scales with both processor and graphics demands.

The rank position is somewhat lower than the individual component percentiles might suggest, which indicates that Control's engine characteristics penalize this specific pairing more than average. The CPU's 82nd percentile and GPU's 76th percentile would theoretically suggest a higher combined rank, but the game's preference for raw GPU throughput at higher settings means the 4K Ultra result of 50.7 FPS pulls the overall ranking down relative to other games where this hardware might shine.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers playable frame rates across all settings. Low produces 171.7 FPS, Medium achieves 122.5 FPS, High reaches 112.2 FPS, and Ultra settles at 96.4 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 75.3 FPS, representing a 43.9% performance penalty for maximum visual quality. This resolution is clearly CPU-influenced, as the frame rates exceed what most 60 Hz and 144 Hz displays can utilize.

The 2560x1440 results show a tighter grouping with more pronounced GPU influence. Low delivers 132 FPS, Medium achieves 91.6 FPS, High reaches 84 FPS, and Ultra produces 74.4 FPS. The penalty from Low to Ultra is 57.6 FPS, or 43.6%, showing consistent scaling behavior. All four settings remain above 60 FPS, making 1440p a viable resolution for this hardware at any quality level.

At 3840x2160, the data reveals the GPU's limitations. Low produces 88 FPS, Medium achieves 64.8 FPS, High reaches 58.2 FPS, and Ultra drops to 50.7 FPS. The penalty from Low to Ultra is 37.3 FPS, or 42.4% — a similar percentage to lower resolutions, but the absolute values mean that only Low and Medium settings stay above 60 FPS. The 4K Ultra result of 50.7 FPS is the only configuration in the entire dataset that falls below the 60 FPS threshold traditionally considered necessary for smooth gameplay, though it remains playable with adaptive sync technology.

FAQ

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

A: The 2560x1440 resolution offers the best balance, with all settings above 60 FPS — Low delivers 132 FPS, Medium achieves 91.6 FPS, High reaches 84 FPS, and Ultra produces 74.4 FPS.

Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming in Control?

A: Yes, but with limitations. At 4K Low, the system produces 88 FPS, and at Medium it achieves 64.8 FPS. High drops to 58.2 FPS, and Ultra falls to 50.7 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold.

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

A: The Intel Core i5-13400F scores 25236 on average, which is 0.1% ahead of the Intel Core i7-13620H (25201) and 0.5% behind the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X3D (25365).

Q: What is the GPU's memory configuration and bandwidth?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT features 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 624.1 GB/s of bandwidth with a memory clock of 2438 MHz (19.5 Gbps effective).

Q: How much performance is lost from 1080p to 4K at High settings?

A: At 1080p High, the system produces 112.2 FPS, which drops to 84 FPS at 1440p and 58.2 FPS at 4K. This represents a 48.1% total reduction from 1080p to 4K.

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

A: This pairing ranks 579 out of 1636 tested combos, placing it in the top 35.4% of all configurations in the database for Control.