Control

# Control with Intel Core i7-13700K + AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT

This combination of the Intel Core i7-13700K and AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT lands at rank 594 out of 1636 tested combos in Control, placing it in the upper-middle tier of the database. The pairing shows a balanced profile, with the CPU sitting in the 93rd percentile among all processors and the GPU in the 76th percentile among all graphics cards, suggesting that neither component is dramatically holding the other back in this title. The measured frame rates reveal a system capable of smooth 4K play at medium settings and high refresh rates at 1080p, though the data also exposes where the bottlenecks emerge as resolution and quality demands rise.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 594 out of 1636 tested combinations in Control places it comfortably ahead of the median, though not among the elite configurations. This positioning makes sense given the hardware: the Core i7-13700K is a high-end desktop processor with a strong multi-threaded profile, while the RX 7800 XT is a capable upper-midrange GPU. Benchmark results indicate that in Control, this pairing delivers playable performance across the board, but the rank suggests there are roughly 593 combinations that achieve higher average frame rates, likely featuring more powerful GPUs or CPUs. The CPU's average benchmark score of 47282 places it within 0.5% of its nearest rivals—the Core i7-13700KF at 47334, the AMD EPYC 4364P at 47131, the Core i9-12900F at 47081, and the Ryzen 9 PRO 5945 at 47527—indicating that the processor is performing exactly as expected for its class. On the GPU side, the RX 7800 XT's average score of 32619 is tightly clustered with its nearest rivals, showing a delta of just 0.7% or less against the AMD FirePro S9300 X2, NVIDIA P104-100, NVIDIA T600 Mobile, and AMD FirePro S10000, confirming that this graphics card is well within its expected performance envelope.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-13700K brings 16 cores and 24 threads to the table, with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz. In Control, which is an action-adventure game with physics-heavy environments and destructible objects, the CPU's multi-threaded muscle matters for maintaining consistent frame pacing. The processor's Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 39000 and single-core score of 5505 indicate substantial headroom for game logic and physics calculations. The 30 MB of shared L3 cache helps with data locality, which is beneficial for the game's streaming of environments. The CPU's 3DMark scores show a scaling pattern from 2262 at 2 threads to 12412 at max threads, suggesting that Control can utilize more than a few cores effectively. The PassMark multi-thread score of 45887 and single-thread score of 4333 further reinforce that this CPU is not likely to be the primary constraint in most scenarios, particularly at lower resolutions where the GPU is less taxed. The processor's 125 W TDP and Gen 5 PCIe support with 20 lanes provide a solid foundation for the GPU to communicate with the system, though the practical impact in Control is likely minimal given the game's 2019 release date.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT is built on the Navi 32 chip with RDNA 3.0 architecture, featuring 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus with 624.1 GB/s of bandwidth. This memory configuration is particularly relevant for Control, which is known for its high-resolution textures and complex visual effects. The GPU's boost clock of 2430 MHz and game clock of 2124 MHz, combined with 3840 shading units and 96 ROPs, deliver a pixel rate of 233.3 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 583.2 GTexel/s. In benchmark terms, the GPU's PassMark G3D score of 24176 and 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 4157 show solid DirectX 12 performance, which is the primary API for Control. The GPU's 60 ray tracing cores are present but Control's implementation of ray tracing in the measured data is not specified, so the focus remains on rasterized performance. The 16 GB VRAM ensures that memory capacity is not a limiting factor even at 4K Ultra settings, where the measured average of 47.9 FPS suggests the GPU is doing substantial work. The GPU's percentile rank of 76 among all GPUs places it above average, though not in the top tier, which aligns with the observed frame rates.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data covers three resolutions and four settings presets, providing a comprehensive view of performance. At 1920x1080, the combo achieves an average of 175.6 FPS on Low settings, 121.6 FPS on Medium, 110.3 FPS on High, and 97.7 FPS on Ultra. These numbers indicate that at 1080p, the system is capable of driving high-refresh-rate monitors even at the highest quality preset. Moving to 2560x1440, the averages drop to 128.9 FPS on Low, 96.1 FPS on Medium, 81.4 FPS on High, and 70.1 FPS on Ultra. The 1440p results show a more pronounced gap between Low and Ultra, with the Ultra preset still maintaining a smooth 70 FPS average. At 3840x2160, the performance becomes more demanding: 90.1 FPS on Low, 64.3 FPS on Medium, 53.5 FPS on High, and 47.9 FPS on Ultra. The 4K Ultra result dips below 48 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for fast-paced action sequences. The data shows a clear progression where each resolution step up reduces frame rates by roughly 30-40%, and each settings step up within a resolution costs a similar percentage.

Resolution Scaling

Examining how frame rates scale from 1080p to 4K reveals the limiting component's behavior. At Low settings, the drop from 175.6 FPS at 1080p to 128.9 FPS at 1440p (a 26.6% reduction) and then to 90.1 FPS at 4K (a 30.1% reduction from 1440p) suggests that the GPU is becoming the primary constraint as resolution increases. The CPU is likely capable of pushing even higher frame rates at 1080p Low, but the GPU's fill rate and shading capacity cap the output. At Ultra settings, the scaling is steeper: 97.7 FPS at 1080p drops to 70.1 FPS at 1440p (28.2% reduction) and then to 47.9 FPS at 4K (31.7% reduction from 1440p). The consistent percentage drops across resolutions indicate that the system is GPU-limited throughout the Ultra settings range. However, at Low settings, the 1080p result of 175.6 FPS is high enough that the CPU's single-thread performance (Cinebench R23 single-core score of 5505) could become a factor if the GPU were even more powerful. The data suggests that for this combo, the RX 7800 XT is the primary determinant of frame rates in Control, with the i7-13700K providing sufficient headroom to avoid becoming a bottleneck except possibly at very high frame rates at 1080p Low.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the optimal settings balance depends on the target resolution and frame rate preference. At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset's 97.7 FPS average is well above the 60 FPS threshold and close to 100 FPS, making it the recommended choice for users with 100 Hz or lower refresh rate monitors. For 1440p, the High preset at 81.4 FPS offers a strong balance, with Ultra at 70.1 FPS also being acceptable if visual fidelity is prioritized over the small frame rate difference. The Medium preset at 1440p delivers 96.1 FPS, which would be preferable for competitive play on high refresh rate displays. At 3840x2160, the Medium preset at 64.3 FPS is the sweet spot, providing a smooth experience above 60 FPS, while High at 53.5 FPS and Ultra at 47.9 FPS dip below the 60 FPS mark. The Low preset at 4K achieves 90.1 FPS but likely sacrifices too much visual quality for the gain. The data indicates that the most consistent experience across all resolutions is achieved by selecting Medium or High, with Ultra being viable only at 1080p.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows that 2560x1440 on High settings delivers 81.4 FPS average, providing a strong balance between visual quality and smoothness. At 4K, the Medium preset achieves 64.3 FPS, which is also playable but offers less headroom for demanding scenes.

Q: Can this system run Control at 4K?

A: Yes, the measured data shows 4K performance ranging from 47.9 FPS on Ultra to 90.1 FPS on Low. For a consistently smooth experience, the Medium preset at 64.3 FPS is the recommended 4K option, as it stays above 60 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its closest rivals?

A: The Core i7-13700K has an average benchmark score of 47282, which is 0.1% below the Core i7-13700KF at 47334 and 0.4% below the Core i9-12900F at 47081. It scores 0.3% above the AMD EPYC 4364P at 47131 and 0.5% above the Ryzen 9 PRO 5945 at 47527.

Q: Is the GPU the limiting factor in this pairing?

A: The benchmark results suggest yes. The GPU's percentile rank of 76 is lower than the CPU's 93, and the frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K shows consistent percentage drops that are characteristic of GPU-bound scenarios.

Q: What settings should I use for 1440p gaming?

A: The High preset at 1440p provides 81.4 FPS, which is a good balance. For higher refresh rates, the Medium preset at 96.1 FPS is also viable, while the Ultra preset at 70.1 FPS is acceptable for those prioritizing visual fidelity.

Q: How does this combo rank overall in the database?

A: This combination ranks 594 out of 1636 tested combos in Control, placing it in the upper-middle tier. The rank reflects the GPU's mid-to-upper range position while the CPU provides solid support without being a bottleneck.