Control

Control, the 2019 action-adventure title from Remedy Entertainment, pairs a 6-core, 6-thread Intel Core i5-9400 with an AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT, a combination that places in the 701st position out of 1,636 tested system combos in this game. The CPU, based on the Coffee Lake architecture, operates with a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.10 GHz, while the GPU, built on the RDNA 3.0 architecture, features 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus. This hardware pairing produces a wide range of frame rates depending on resolution and settings, from a demanding 48.1 FPS at 4K Ultra to a fluid 159.8 FPS at 1080p Low.

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

The Intel Core i5-9400 provides six physical cores and six threads, a configuration that relies on a 2.90 GHz base clock and a 4.10 GHz boost clock for processing game logic and physics. This processor, built on a 14 nm process, shares a 9 MB L3 cache across all cores, with individual L1 and L2 caches of 64 KB and 256 KB per core, respectively. The processor's benchmark profile shows a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 7,969 and a single-core score of 1,125, which places it at the 50th percentile among all CPUs, indicating a mid-range standing that is sufficient for maintaining frame pacing in a game like Control.

The data shows that the CPU's performance envelope is closely matched with its nearest rivals, as the average benchmark score of 2,305 sits only 0.2% above the Intel Core i3-10305 and 0.2% above the Intel Core i3-1125G4, while also being 0.4% above the Intel Xeon E-2134. Interestingly, the i5-9400 trails the Intel Core i7-8809G by 0.6%, a delta that shows the narrow performance band these processors occupy. For Control, which is an action-adventure game that features destructible environments and complex physics interactions, the six threads are a baseline requirement. At lower resolutions like 1080p, the CPU's single-thread performance, reflected in its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1,125, becomes more critical, as the GPU can render frames faster than the CPU can feed it, but the measured FPS suggests the i5-9400 does not bottleneck the RX 7700 XT severely, given the high frame rates observed.

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

The AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT is the primary driver of visual fidelity in this pairing, equipped with 12 GB of GDDR6 memory running at an effective speed of 18 Gbps across a 192-bit bus, yielding a memory bandwidth of 432.0 GB/s. The GPU's compute power is substantial, with 3,456 shading units and a boost clock of 2,544 MHz, which contributes to its 35.17 TFLOPS of FP32 performance. The 96 ROPs and 216 TMUs handle rasterization, and the 54 ray accelerators provide hardware support for ray tracing effects that Control can utilize. The GPU's memory capacity of 12 GB is a key asset for this game, as high-resolution textures at 4K resolutions can consume significant VRAM, and the data shows the card can handle these loads.

In terms of raw performance, the RX 7700 XT sits at the 73rd percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 30,097. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060, has an average score of 30,109, a negligible 0% delta. The comparison to the AMD Radeon RX 570, which scores 30,158, shows a -0.2% delta, meaning the RX 7700 XT is effectively on par with these competitors in aggregate benchmarks. However, in Control specifically, the GPU's performance scales predictably with settings, as the measured FPS shows a clear hierarchy from Low to Ultra settings across all resolutions. The GPU's clock speeds and memory bandwidth allow it to push high frame rates at 1080p, but the demands of 4K Ultra settings, which require more pixel shading and memory bandwidth, bring the average FPS down to 48.1, indicating the GPU becomes the limiting factor at that extreme configuration.

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

Examining the measured FPS data across resolutions reveals a consistent pattern of scaling that identifies the GPU as the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions. At High settings, the average frame rate drops from 104.6 FPS at 1920x1080 to 75.5 FPS at 2560x1440, and further to 52.6 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 28% decrease from 1080p to 1440p, and a 50% decrease from 1080p to 4K. The scaling is similar for other settings: at Low, the FPS goes from 159.8 at 1080p to 119.4 at 1440p and 82.4 at 4K, while at Ultra, it drops from 88.5 at 1080p to 68.5 at 1440p and 48.1 at 4K.

The percentage drops between resolutions are telling. From 1440p to 4K, the frame rate reduction is more severe than from 1080p to 1440p, which indicates that the GPU's pixel throughput is being saturated. For instance, at Medium settings, the FPS at 1080p is 114.9, which drops to 86.1 at 1440p (a 25% decrease) and then to 58.8 at 4K (a 49% decrease from 1080p). This pattern shows that the RX 7700 XT, despite its 432.0 GB/s bandwidth, cannot maintain the same performance headroom as resolution increases, confirming that the GPU, not the CPU, is the limiting component at 4K. The CPU's role remains constant across resolutions, so the FPS drop is entirely attributable to the GPU's rendering load.

FAQ

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

A: Based on the measured FPS, 1920x1080 with High settings yields 104.6 FPS, which is a smooth experience. For a higher refresh rate, 1080p Low achieves 159.8 FPS, while 1080p Ultra drops to 88.5 FPS, making 1080p High a balanced choice.

Q: How does the Intel Core i5-9400 compare to its closest rivals in benchmark scores?

A: The i5-9400 has an average benchmark score of 2,305, which is 0.2% higher than the Intel Core i3-10305 and the Intel Core i3-1125G4, and 0.4% higher than the Intel Xeon E-2134. It is 0.6% lower than the Intel Core i7-8809G.

Q: What is the GPU's benchmark percentile ranking?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT ranks at the 73rd percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 30,097.

Q: What is the FPS difference between 1080p Low and 4K Ultra settings?

A: The difference is significant. At 1080p Low, the average FPS is 159.8, while at 4K Ultra, it is 48.1, representing a 70% decrease in frame rate.

Q: How much VRAM does the GPU have, and what is its memory bus width?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT has 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 432.0 GB/s.

Q: What is the GPU's boost clock and FP32 performance?

A: The GPU's boost clock is 2,544 MHz, and it delivers 35.17 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, which is substantial for rendering high-resolution graphics.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-9400 and AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT achieves a rank of 701 out of 1,636 tested combos in Control, placing it in the upper-middle tier of systems. This rank reflects the balance between the CPU's 50th percentile standing and the GPU's 73rd percentile standing. The CPU's average benchmark score of 2,305 is close to its rivals, but the GPU's performance is what boosts this combo in the rankings, as the RX 7700 XT's 35.17 TFLOPS and 12 GB VRAM allow it to handle the game's demanding visuals.

The rank of 701 suggests that while this system is not at the top of the chart, it outperforms a majority of the 1,636 combos tested. The CPU's six threads are adequate for the game's physics and AI, but the GPU is clearly the stronger component, as evidenced by the benchmark percentiles. In the context of Control, this combo is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, where it delivers high frame rates, but it also manages playable performance at 4K on lower settings. The data indicates that the system's overall standing is a result of the GPU's strong showing relative to the CPU, making it a GPU-bound build for this title.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of performance across three resolutions and four settings levels.

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its highest frame rates. With Low settings, the average FPS is 159.8, which is the maximum recorded in the data. Medium settings produce 114.9 FPS, High settings produce 104.6 FPS, and Ultra settings produce 88.5 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 71.3 FPS, showing that settings have a substantial impact at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates remain strong but begin to drop. Low settings yield 119.4 FPS, Medium settings yield 86.1 FPS, High settings yield 75.5 FPS, and Ultra settings yield 68.5 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra is 50.9 FPS, a narrower gap than at 1080p, indicating the GPU is working harder.

At 3840x2160, the system's performance is the most demanding. Low settings average 82.4 FPS, Medium settings average 58.8 FPS, High settings average 52.6 FPS, and Ultra settings average 48.1 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 34.3 FPS, and notably, the FPS at 4K Ultra is below the 60 FPS threshold, suggesting that for a smooth 4K experience, players should use High settings or lower, as the 52.6 FPS at High is closer to playable.

These numbers show a consistent trend: the RX 7700 XT is most comfortable at 1080p, where it can push beyond 100 FPS on High settings, and it remains capable at 1440p, but 4K Ultra is a stretch. The data does not include min or max FPS values, but the average FPS figures provide a reliable baseline for expectations.