Control

The AMD Ryzen 5 3600 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER is a mid-to-high-range combination from the 2019 generation, and the recorded benchmarks for Control show how this pairing handles one of the more visually demanding action-adventure titles of that era. The data covers three resolutions (1920x1080, 2560x1440, 3840x2160) across four quality presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra), providing a full picture of where this system sits relative to the 60 FPS threshold that defines playable performance in the database.

CPU and GPU Roles

The measured frame rates reveal a clear shift in workload balance between the CPU and GPU as resolution changes. At 1920x1080, the system delivers 127.4 FPS on Low, 91.6 FPS on Medium, 80.2 FPS on High, and 71.9 FPS on Ultra. The gap between Low and Ultra is 55.5 FPS, which indicates that the GPU still carries significant weight even at this lower resolution, but the CPU is not the limiting factor: the minimum frame rate at Ultra (71.9 FPS) stays well above the playable threshold, suggesting that the Ryzen 5 3600 with its 6 cores and 12 threads has enough headroom to feed the RTX 2070 SUPER without bottlenecking. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 1080p is roughly a 44% reduction in frame rate, which is consistent with a GPU-bound scenario where the graphics card’s shading units (2560), texture mapping units (160), and render output units (64) handle the increasing pixel and texture workload.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates drop to 97.9 FPS on Low, 73.1 FPS on Medium, 60.1 FPS on High, and 53.4 FPS on Ultra. The delta between Low and Ultra here is 44.5 FPS, a slightly smaller absolute gap than at 1080p, but the relative performance loss from 1080p to 1440p is substantial: at High settings, the frame rate falls from 80.2 to 60.1 FPS, a 25% reduction. This is a classic sign of the GPU becoming the primary constraint as the render resolution climbs. The CPU’s role diminishes because the graphics card must process more pixels, and the RTX 2070 SUPER’s 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus with 448.0 GB/s bandwidth is being exercised more heavily. The fact that Low settings at 1440p still produce 97.9 FPS, which is only slightly below the 1080p Low result of 127.4 FPS, indicates that the CPU can sustain high frame rates when the GPU is not overburdened, but the GPU’s compute capacity (9.062 TFLOPS FP32) starts to cap performance as quality improves.

At 3840x2160, the situation reverses further. The frame rates are 66.9 FPS on Low, 46.3 FPS on Medium, 42.1 FPS on High, and 34.8 FPS on Ultra. The gap between Low and Ultra is 32.1 FPS, and even the Low preset barely clears the 60 FPS mark. The drop from 1440p High (60.1 FPS) to 4K High (42.1 FPS) is a 30% reduction, and 4K Ultra falls to 34.8 FPS, which is only 55% of the 1080p Ultra figure. These numbers confirm that the GPU is the dominant factor at 4K; the RTX 2070 SUPER, with its 160 TMUs and 64 ROPs, cannot maintain playable frame rates at high quality settings when rendering over 8 million pixels. The CPU’s single-thread performance (Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2124) and multi-thread capability (Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 15045) are sufficient for this game, as evidenced by the fact that even the weakest GPU result (34.8 FPS) does not show signs of CPU stalling. The recorded data suggests that the Ryzen 5 3600 is never the bottleneck across any resolution or preset; the RTX 2070 SUPER’s pixel rate of 113.3 GPixel/s and texture rate of 283.2 GTexel/s are the limiting resources at higher resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

Within the database of tested CPU and GPU combinations, this pairing achieves a combo rank of 2266 out of 3720 total combinations. That places it in the 61st percentile of all tested systems, meaning roughly 39% of combinations outperform it while 61% fall behind. For a system built around a 2019 mid-range CPU and an upper-mid-range GPU, this rank reflects the balance of the hardware: the Ryzen 5 3600 sits at the 71st percentile among all CPUs in the database, while the RTX 2070 SUPER sits at the 65th percentile among all GPUs. The combo rank is slightly lower than either component’s individual percentile, which indicates that pairing these two parts does not produce an unusually high or low result compared to other combinations; it performs as expected given the individual strengths.

The measured FPS data aligns with this rank. At 2560x1440, which is likely the target resolution for this class of hardware, the system achieves 60.1 FPS on High settings, exactly at the playable threshold. At 1920x1080, it exceeds 60 FPS on all four presets, with Ultra delivering 71.9 FPS. At 4K, only Low settings reach 66.9 FPS, and all other presets fall below 60. This pattern suggests that the combo is optimized for 1080p and 1440p gaming, with 4K being a stretch. The rank of 2266 out of 3720 is not a reflection of failure; it simply indicates that many other combinations, particularly those with newer GPUs, can achieve higher frame rates at the same settings. However, for a system with a 65 W TDP CPU and a 215 W TDP GPU, the measured results are consistent with the hardware’s specifications.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The nearest rivals for the Ryzen 5 3600 include the Intel Core i7-1260P, which has an average benchmark score of 17007, and the Intel Core i5-11400, which scores 17067. The Ryzen 5 3600’s average benchmark score is 17035, placing it within a 0.2% margin of both. This means that in gaming scenarios where the CPU is the limiting factor, swapping the Ryzen 5 3600 for an i7-1260P or i5-11400 would produce nearly identical frame rates. The AMD EPYC 7573X (17070) and AMD EPYC 7742 (16998) also fall within a 0.2% difference, though these are server-class chips and unlikely to be relevant for a gaming build. For the RTX 2070 SUPER, the nearest rivals are the NVIDIA Quadro M4000M (20480, about 1% higher), the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile (20534, about 1.2% higher), the Intel Arc B570 (20556, about 1.3% higher), and the Intel Arc A750 (20582, about 1.5% higher). These GPUs have average benchmark scores that are within 1.5% of the RTX 2070 SUPER’s 20282, so in practical terms, a system with any of these alternatives would deliver very similar frame rates in Control.

What this means for the user is that the Ryzen 5 3600 plus RTX 2070 SUPER combination sits in a dense cluster of comparable hardware. If a different CPU from the rival list were installed, the measured FPS at any resolution and preset would change by less than 1%, because the GPU would still be the primary constraint in most scenarios. Similarly, substituting the GPU with an RTX 3070 Mobile or Intel Arc B570 would shift frame rates by only a few percent, not enough to alter the verdict at any resolution. This is useful context for understanding that the performance profile described here is not unique to this specific pairing; it represents a broad class of mid-range systems from the same era.

The Verdict

The database’s verdict, based on a playable threshold of 60 FPS, is clear. At 1920x1080, this system can run Control at every preset: Low (127.4 FPS), Medium (91.6 FPS), High (80.2 FPS), and Ultra (71.9 FPS) all exceed 60 FPS. The best settings at this resolution are Ultra, with an average frame rate of 71.9 FPS, leaving a comfortable margin above the threshold. At 2560x1440, the system clears 60 FPS on Low (97.9 FPS), Medium (73.1 FPS), and High (60.1 FPS), but falls short on Ultra (53.4 FPS). The best playable settings at 1440p are High, which delivers exactly 60.1 FPS, just barely above the threshold. At 3840x2160, only Low settings achieve playable performance with 66.9 FPS; Medium (46.3 FPS), High (42.1 FPS), and Ultra (34.8 FPS) all miss the 60 FPS target.

So, can this PC run Control? Yes, for the majority of gaming scenarios. At 1080p, it runs the game flawlessly at maximum quality. At 1440p, it runs the game well at High settings, which is arguably the sweet spot for this hardware. At 4K, it can run the game only at the lowest quality preset, and even then the margin above 60 FPS is thin (66.9 FPS). For users who prioritize visual fidelity over resolution, the 1440p High preset is the best balance, offering 60.1 FPS. For those who demand 4K, the system will require a significant reduction in quality to stay playable, and even then, the experience is not ideal. The data does not include minimum FPS values, so the average frame rates should be interpreted with some caution, but the averages themselves consistently point to a system that is well-suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest preset that stays above 60 FPS at 1920x1080?

A: Ultra settings deliver an average of 71.9 FPS, which is above the playable threshold of 60 FPS. All four presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra) exceed 60 FPS at this resolution.

Q: Can this system run Control at 2560x1440 with High settings?

A: Yes, the High preset at 2560x1440 achieves an average of 60.1 FPS, which is just above the 60 FPS threshold. Ultra settings fall to 53.4 FPS, so they are not playable.

Q: What is the performance at 4K with Ultra settings?

A: At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average frame rate is 34.8 FPS. This is well below the 60 FPS threshold, so Ultra at 4K is not playable.

Q: How does the RTX 2070 SUPER compare to its nearest rival GPU?

A: The nearest rival is the Intel Arc A750, which has an average benchmark score about 1.5% higher than the RTX 2070 SUPER. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile is about 1.2% higher, and the Intel Arc B570 is about 1.3% higher. These differences are small enough that frame rates in Control would be nearly identical.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more important for this game at 1920x1080?

A: At 1920x1080, the GPU is the primary factor, as evidenced by the frame rate drop from 127.4 FPS on Low to 71.9 FPS on Ultra. The CPU has enough headroom to support these frame rates, since even the lowest GPU-bound result stays above 60 FPS.

Q: What is the best settings preset for 2560x1440?

A: The best settings preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is High, with an average frame rate of 60.1 FPS. Medium and Low also exceed 60 FPS, but High offers the highest quality among playable options.

Best Settings per Resolution

For each resolution, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is as follows:

At 1920x1080, the best settings are Ultra, with an average frame rate of 71.9 FPS. This is the maximum quality preset available, and it still leaves an 11.9 FPS margin above the playable threshold, so users can enjoy the game’s full visual effects without compromising smoothness.

At 2560x1440, the best settings are High, with an average frame rate of 60.1 FPS. This preset barely clears the 60 FPS threshold, so the system is right at the edge of playable performance. Medium settings (73.1 FPS) offer more headroom for users who prefer a safety margin, but High is the highest quality option that remains playable.

At 3840x2160, the best settings are Low, with an average frame rate of 66.9 FPS. This is the only preset at 4K that exceeds 60 FPS. Medium (46.3 FPS), High (42.1 FPS), and Ultra (34.8 FPS) all fall short, so users who want to play at 4K must accept the lowest quality settings. The margin above 60 FPS at Low is 6.9 FPS, which is adequate but not generous.

These results indicate that the AMD Ryzen 5 3600 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER combination is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming with Control. At 1080p, the system has no trouble running the game at maximum quality. At 1440p, it delivers a playable experience at High settings, which is a reasonable expectation for this hardware class. At 4K, the system is only viable at the lowest preset, and even then the frame rate is close to the threshold. The data suggests that users with a 1440p monitor will get the best balance of visual quality and performance, while 4K users should consider lowering expectations or upgrading the GPU.