Control

The Intel Core i7-13700K paired with the AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT lands at rank 564 out of 1636 tested combos for Control, placing it comfortably in the top third of all configurations. This is a strong result for a 2019 title, reflecting a pairing that delivers high refresh-rate performance at 1440p and remains very playable at 4K. The data shows a system that is well-balanced for this game, with neither component acting as a clear bottleneck across the tested settings, though the performance scaling between presets reveals where each part's strengths lie.

How This Combo Ranks

The 564th position out of 1636 combos represents a solid, above-median standing for this pairing in Control. This rank is not about raw dominance but about consistent, high-level performance across all measured resolutions. The combo's strength is its versatility: it handles 1080p with extreme ease and still pushes past 60 frames per second at 4K on high settings. When looking at the component scores, the GPU's 87th percentile versus all GPUs and the CPU's 93rd percentile versus all CPUs indicate both are high-tier parts. The data suggests the CPU is slightly stronger relative to its peers than the GPU, which is typical for a high-refresh-rate setup. The rank of 564 is pulled down by the fact that many combos above it likely feature newer, more powerful GPUs, but for this specific game, the results show that this pairing provides a premium experience without requiring extreme hardware. The performance delta between this combo and the top 500 is not in the fact pack, but the measured frame rates below demonstrate that the gap is more about chasing maximum frame rates at 1080p than about playability.

Settings Recommendations

For the best balance of visual fidelity and performance, the High preset at 2560x1440 is the standout recommendation. The data shows 83.8 average FPS at this setting, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay and leaves headroom for demanding scenes. At 4K, the High preset delivers 55.4 average FPS, which is playable but not ideal for fast-paced action; the Medium preset at 4K provides 63.6 average FPS, making it the better choice for 4K displays if you prioritize a locked 60 FPS. For competitive or high-refresh-rate play, the Low preset at 1920x1080 achieves 180.6 average FPS, which is excellent for 144Hz or 165Hz monitors. However, the jump from Low to Medium at 1080p only costs about 50 FPS (from 180.6 to 130.1) while likely providing a significantly better image. The Ultra preset should be avoided at 4K where it dips to 52.5 average FPS, but it remains viable at 1440p with 71.4 average FPS. The most practical advice: use High at 1440p for the sweet spot, or Medium at 4K if you must have 4K resolution.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Control at 4K with high settings?

A: Yes, but just barely. The measured average FPS at 3840x2160 with High settings is 55.4, which is below the 60 FPS standard. If you want a smoother 4K experience, the Medium preset at 63.6 average FPS is a better option.

Q: What is the best resolution for a 144Hz monitor?

A: At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo hits 180.6 average FPS, which exceeds 144Hz. Even at High settings on 1080p, the 115.9 average FPS is close to the 144Hz target, but you may see dips in heavy combat.

Q: How much performance is lost by moving from 1080p to 1440p?

A: At High settings, the drop is from 115.9 to 83.8 average FPS, a reduction of roughly 28%. At Low settings, the drop is from 180.6 to 137.8, a reduction of about 24%, showing the GPU becomes more stressed at higher resolutions.

Q: Is the Ultra preset worth using?

A: Only at 1440p, where it yields 71.4 average FPS. At 4K, Ultra produces 52.5 average FPS, which is below the playable threshold for most users. The performance cost of Ultra over High at 4K is significant, dropping from 55.4 to 52.5 FPS.

Q: Does this combo favor high refresh rate or high resolution?

A: The data shows it excels at both, but it is more comfortable at high refresh rates. At 1080p, all presets except Ultra are above 115 FPS, while at 4K, only the Low preset (89.9 FPS) and Medium preset (63.6 FPS) are clearly above 60 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU's single-thread performance affect this game?

A: The Core i7-13700K scores 5505 in Cinebench R23 single-core and 1136 in 3DMark single-thread, which are strong numbers. Control benefits from strong single-thread performance for physics and AI, and this CPU's scores are high enough that the GPU is the limiting factor in most measured scenarios.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers exceptional performance across all presets. The Low preset achieves 180.6 average FPS, which is the highest score in the entire dataset. Medium drops to 130.1, High to 115.9, and Ultra to 96.0. The scaling from Low to Ultra shows a total reduction of about 47% in frame rate, which is a typical cost for maxing out settings. The gap between Medium and High is only 14.2 FPS, suggesting that High is nearly as fast as Medium while offering better visuals.

Moving to 2560x1440, the resolution stress becomes apparent. Low settings still produce 137.8 average FPS, which is excellent for high-refresh 1440p monitors. Medium yields 94.1, High yields 83.8, and Ultra drops to 71.4. The difference between High and Ultra here is 12.4 FPS, which is smaller than at 1080p, indicating the GPU is starting to become the primary constraint. At this resolution, all presets remain above 70 FPS, making 1440p the most versatile choice for this combo.

At 3840x2160, the limits of the RX 6800 XT are clearly visible. Low settings produce 89.9 average FPS, which is still very playable. Medium drops to 63.6, High to 55.4, and Ultra to 52.5. The drop from Low to Medium is a significant 26.3 FPS, showing that the GPU's 16 GB of VRAM and 512.0 GB/s bandwidth are being taxed heavily by higher detail levels at 4K. The difference between High and Ultra is only 2.9 FPS, meaning Ultra offers minimal performance penalty but also likely minimal visual gain at this resolution. For 4K gaming, the data clearly recommends Low or Medium settings to maintain a smooth experience.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT is the workhorse of this pairing, and its specifications directly explain the measured results. With 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus providing 512.0 GB/s of bandwidth, the card has ample resources for Control's textures and effects, even at 4K. The GPU's 72 ray accelerators (RT cores) are relevant for this game, which features ray tracing, though the measured FPS data does not specify whether ray tracing is enabled. The boost clock of 2250 MHz and game clock of 2015 MHz, combined with 4608 shading units, deliver 20.74 TFLOPS of FP32 compute, which is substantial for a 2020 card running a 2019 title.

The GPU's benchmark scores put it at the 87th percentile, with a Passmark G3D score of 24980 and a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 3689. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA RTX 4070 Ti SUPER, is 2.6% slower in average benchmark score, which is a minimal difference. In Control, the GPU's role is most evident in the 4K results: the card maintains 89.9 FPS at Low settings but drops to 52.5 at Ultra, indicating that the GPU's raw compute is sufficient for high frame rates, but its memory bandwidth and compute limits are challenged by the highest detail settings at 4K. The 16 GB VRAM is likely not a limiting factor at these settings, as the game's requirements are modest by modern standards, but the bandwidth is a key constraint.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-13700K provides the processing backbone for this combo, and its specifications ensure the GPU is rarely held back. With 16 cores and 24 threads based on Raptor Lake architecture, the CPU offers massive multi-threading capability, scoring 39000 in Cinebench R23 multi-core. However, Control is not a heavily multi-threaded game; it relies more on single-thread performance for game logic and physics. The CPU's 3DMark single-thread score of 1136 and Cinebench R23 single-core score of 5505 are elite-level numbers, ensuring that the CPU can feed the GPU at high frame rates.

The CPU's 30 MB of shared L3 cache and 2 MB per-core L2 cache help reduce memory latency, which is beneficial for game performance. Its 5.40 GHz boost clock is the key spec for gaming, as it allows for rapid single-core execution. The CPU's 93rd percentile ranking versus all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 47282, places it just 0.1% ahead of the Core i7-13700KF and 0.4% ahead of the Core i9-12900F. In the context of Control, the data indicates the CPU is not the bottleneck: the frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K is consistent with GPU-bound behavior, as higher resolutions result in lower FPS across all settings. At 1080p Low, the CPU can push 180.6 FPS, which is near the practical limit for many CPUs, but the fact that it maintains this level of performance without dips suggests the 16 cores and high boost clock are more than sufficient for this title.