Field oriented control (FOC), direct torque control (DTC) and finite set model predictive control (FS-MPC) are different strategies for high performance electrical drive systems. FOC uses linear controllers and pulse width modulation (PWM) to control the fundamental components of the load voltages. On the other hand, DTC and FS-MPC are nonlinear strategies that generate directly the voltage vectors in the absence of a modulator. This paper presents all three methods starting from theoretic operating principles, control structures and implementation. Experimental assessment is performed to discuss their advantages and limitations in detail. As main conclusions of this work, it is affirmed that different strategies have their own merits and all meet the requirements of modern high performance drives.