Control

Control is a demanding action-adventure title that stresses both GPU and CPU, but the Intel Core i7-13700K and AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX combination proves to be exceptionally well-balanced. The benchmark data shows that this pairing delivers high frame rates across all tested resolutions, with the most significant performance headroom appearing at 1080p. The measured results indicate that the optimal experience depends heavily on the player’s display resolution, but the data consistently shows that this combo is far more capable than the average tested system, ranking in the top percentile of all configurations.

Settings Recommendations

The benchmark results show a clear hierarchy in performance scaling across the four tested settings presets. For 4K gaming, the High preset is the best choice, delivering an average of 74.1 FPS while maintaining a substantial performance buffer over the Ultra preset’s 62.4 FPS. The data indicates that the jump from High to Ultra at 4K costs roughly 16% of the frame rate, which is a significant trade-off for marginal visual gains. The Medium preset at 79.7 FPS is also viable, but High offers a better balance of visual fidelity and speed. At 2560x1440, the High preset again emerges as the sweet spot, achieving 105.8 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold and leaves room for demanding scenes. While the Ultra preset at 92.4 FPS remains playable, the data suggests that High provides a superior experience without the performance penalty. At 1920x1080, all presets exceed 120 FPS, but the Ultra preset at 124.2 FPS is the recommended choice because the hardware has ample headroom; the Low preset at 225.6 FPS shows the CPU’s ceiling, but Ultra still delivers a smooth experience that fully utilizes the GPU’s capabilities. Overall, the High preset is the most consistent recommendation across all resolutions, offering the best measured experience without sacrificing playability.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX is the dominant component in this configuration, and its specifications directly explain the measured performance. With 24 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 384-bit bus, the GPU has a massive memory bandwidth of 960.0 GB/s, which is crucial for handling the high-resolution textures in Control’s environments. The GPU’s boost clock of 2498 MHz, combined with its 6144 shading units, allows it to scale effectively from 1080p to 4K, though the data shows a predictable drop in performance as resolution increases. The GPU’s RDNA 3.0 architecture and 96 ray tracing cores provide the raw compute power needed for this game’s physics-heavy combat and destructible environments. Benchmark results place this GPU in the 85th percentile of all GPUs, with a passmark G3D score of 31238. Compared to its nearest rivals, the RX 7900 XTX sits between the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti (which it beats by 2%) and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Mobile (which beats it by 0.8%), showing that it is a top-tier performer in its class. The data indicates that the GPU is the primary driver of frame rates at 4K, where the average FPS difference between Low and Ultra settings is nearly 50 FPS, highlighting its sensitivity to pixel count rather than CPU limitations.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-13700K provides the computational backbone for this combo, and its multi-threaded performance ensures that the GPU is never starved for data. With 16 cores and 24 threads, this CPU excels in handling the game’s background physics and AI calculations, as evidenced by its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 39000 and its 93rd percentile ranking among all CPUs. The CPU’s boost clock of 5.40 GHz is critical for single-threaded tasks, which Control relies on for game logic, and its single-core score of 5505 in Cinebench R23 confirms this strength. The data shows that at 1080p with Low settings, the combo reaches 225.6 FPS, which is a clear indicator that the CPU can push frames well beyond the GPU’s limits at lower resolutions. However, the CPU’s influence diminishes as resolution increases; at 4K, the GPU becomes the bottleneck, and the CPU’s role shifts to maintaining consistent frame pacing. Compared to its nearest rivals, the i7-13700K is nearly identical in average benchmark score to the Intel Core i7-13700KF (0.1% slower) and the AMD EPYC 4364P (0.3% faster), but it holds a slight edge over the Intel Core i9-12900F by 0.4%. This indicates that the CPU is a mature, well-optimized part that pairs effortlessly with the high-end GPU without introducing any measurable bottleneck in this game.

How This Combo Ranks

The combined configuration ranks 219th out of 1636 tested combos in Control, placing it in the top 13% of all systems in the database. This ranking is a strong indicator of the combo’s overall capability, though it is important to note that the rank considers both CPU and GPU performance together. The data suggests that this combo outperforms the vast majority of tested systems, but it is not at the absolute top tier, likely due to the presence of more extreme configurations with higher-end GPUs or multi-GPU setups. The combo’s performance is consistent across all resolutions, with no significant anomalies in the measured FPS data, which suggests that the pairing is well-matched. The GPU’s 85th percentile and the CPU’s 93rd percentile independently are high, but the combined rank is slightly lower, indicating that the GPU is the limiting factor in some scenarios. Nevertheless, a rank of 219 out of 1636 is a strong result, and the data shows that this combo delivers a premium experience in Control without requiring any overclocking or special tuning.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of performance scaling from 1080p to 4K. At the High preset, the combo delivers 144.6 FPS at 1080p, which drops to 105.8 FPS at 1440p (a 27% decrease) and then to 74.1 FPS at 4K (a 49% decrease from 1080p). This scaling pattern is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario, where the rendering load increases exponentially with pixel count. The Low preset shows an even more dramatic drop, from 225.6 FPS at 1080p to 112.3 FPS at 4K, which is a 50% reduction. This indicates that the GPU is the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions, while the CPU’s performance remains relatively constant. The data also shows that the gap between Low and Ultra settings widens as resolution increases; at 1080p, the difference is 101.4 FPS, but at 4K, it narrows to 49.9 FPS. This suggests that at 4K, the GPU’s raw compute power becomes the limiting factor, and the CPU’s ability to feed it becomes less critical. Overall, the resolution scaling confirms that the RX 7900 XTX is the dominant component, and players targeting 4K will need to accept lower settings to maintain high frame rates.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers exceptional performance across all presets. The Low preset achieves 225.6 FPS, which is the highest measured frame rate in the entire dataset. The Medium preset reaches 159.8 FPS, while the High preset hits 144.6 FPS. The Ultra preset still manages 124.2 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS standard for smooth gameplay. This data shows that at 1080p, the CPU is the limiting factor, as the frame rates are high enough to saturate most displays.

At 2560x1440, the performance remains strong but begins to show the GPU’s influence. The Low preset drops to 171.4 FPS, which is still excellent for high-refresh-rate monitors. The Medium preset achieves 120.9 FPS, and the High preset delivers 105.8 FPS. The Ultra preset falls to 92.4 FPS, which is still playable but shows a noticeable performance cost for the highest visual settings. The data indicates that 1440p is the sweet spot for this combo, offering a balance between visual fidelity and frame rate.

At 3840x2160, the GPU becomes the clear bottleneck. The Low preset achieves 112.3 FPS, which is surprisingly high for 4K and reflects the GPU’s raw power. The Medium preset drops to 79.7 FPS, while the High preset reaches 74.1 FPS. The Ultra preset falls to 62.4 FPS, which is right at the edge of playability but still above 60 FPS. The data shows that 4K gaming is viable with this combo, but players should stick to the High preset or lower to maintain a consistent experience.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to play Control with this combo?

A: The data indicates that 2560x1440 at High settings provides the best balance, delivering 105.8 FPS, which is high enough for smooth gameplay while maintaining strong visual quality.

Q: How does the combo perform at 4K with Ultra settings?

A: At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the combo achieves 62.4 FPS, which is just above the 60 FPS threshold, but the High preset at 74.1 FPS is recommended for a more comfortable margin.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in this game?

A: The data shows that at 1080p, the CPU is the limiting factor, as seen by the 225.6 FPS on Low settings, but at 4K, the GPU becomes the bottleneck, with frame rates dropping to 62.4 FPS on Ultra.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to other tested systems?

A: The combo ranks 219th out of 1636 tested configurations, placing it in the top 13% of all systems in the database for Control.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset achieves 171.4 FPS, while the Ultra preset achieves 92.4 FPS, a difference of 79 FPS, showing a significant performance cost for the highest settings.

Q: Does the GPU’s 24 GB of VRAM impact performance in Control?

A: The 24 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 384-bit bus provides 960.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is more than sufficient for Control’s textures, allowing the GPU to maintain high frame rates even at 4K without memory-related stutters.