Control

CPU Role - cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Ryzen 5 2600 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor from the 2000 series, built on the Zen architecture (specifically Zen+ Pinnacle Ridge) using a 12 nm process at GlobalFoundries. It operates with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 3.90 GHz, with a 65 W TDP. The processor supports DDR4 memory over a dual-channel bus with a bandwidth of 46.9 GB/s, and it connects via PCIe Gen 3 with 16 lanes. The CPU has a 96 KB L1 cache per core, a 512 KB L2 cache per core, and a shared 16 MB L3 cache.

In synthetic benchmarks, this CPU records a Cinebench R15 multicore score of 1248 and a single-core score of 157.3. Geekbench results show 5648 for multicore and 1154 for single-core. PassMark tests include a multithread score of 13160, a single-thread score of 2239, and a physics score of 673. These figures place the processor at the 75th percentile among all CPUs in the database, with an average benchmark score of 21484.

The nearest rivals in the database are the Intel Core Ultra 5 228V with an average score of 21440 (0.2% lower), the Intel Core i9-11900H at 21367 (0.5% lower), the Intel Xeon D-1746TER at 21635 (0.7% higher), and the AMD EPYC 9454 at 21223 (1.2% lower). The Ryzen 5 2600 sits effectively in the middle of this cluster, with deltas of less than 1.2% in either direction, indicating that its computational throughput is tightly grouped with these processors.

For Control, an Action Adventure title, the CPU's 6 cores and 12 threads are relevant for game logic, physics, and streaming assets. The recorded data shows that at 1080p Low settings, the combo achieves 91 FPS average, which is the highest FPS recorded for this configuration. At 1080p Ultra, the average drops to 50 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 41 FPS, suggesting that while the CPU can drive high frame rates at lower settings, the higher settings impose a load that reduces performance. However, the CPU's single-thread performance (PassMark single-thread score of 2239) and multicore throughput are adequate to keep up with the GPU in this title at most settings, as evidenced by the FPS scaling across resolutions.

GPU Role - VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti uses the TU116 chip on the Turing architecture, fabricated by TSMC on a 12 nm process with 6,600 million transistors on a 284 mm² die. It has a base clock of 1500 MHz and a boost clock of 1770 MHz, with memory running at 1500 MHz (12 Gbps effective). The GPU has 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, yielding a bandwidth of 288.0 GB/s. It includes 1536 shading units, 96 texture mapping units, and 48 render output units. The pixel rate is 84.96 GPixel/s, the texture rate is 169.9 GTexel/s, and FP32 performance is 5.437 TFLOPS. The card is a dual-slot design with a 120 W TDP and requires a 300 W suggested PSU, using a single 8-pin power connector.

In the database, the GTX 1660 Ti sits at the 41st percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 7723. Its nearest rivals are the AMD Radeon 540 with a score of 7673 (0.7% higher), the AMD Radeon Pro WX 3100 at 7580 (1.9% higher), the AMD Radeon R7 250 at 7557 (2.2% higher), and the Intel Arc A310 at 7550 (2.3% higher). The GTX 1660 Ti leads these rivals by a small margin, with deltas ranging from 0.7% to 2.3% in its favor.

The 6 GB VRAM capacity is a critical factor for Control. At 4K resolution, the game's memory demands can approach or exceed this limit depending on settings. The data shows that at 4K Ultra, the average FPS is 25, while at 4K High, it is 29, and at 4K Medium, it is 33. The modest improvements from Ultra to High to Medium suggest that VRAM pressure and GPU compute limits are the primary constraints, rather than CPU throughput. At 4K Low, the average jumps to 46 FPS, indicating that reducing settings alleviates the GPU load substantially. The GPU's 288.0 GB/s bandwidth is sufficient for the textures at 1080p and 1440p, but at 4K with higher settings, the combination of memory capacity and bandwidth becomes a limiting factor.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database for Control, this configuration (AMD Ryzen 5 2600 with NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti) ranks 3176 out of 3720 tested combos. This places it in the lower portion of the distribution, at roughly the 85th percentile from the bottom (or the 15th percentile from the top). The rank reflects that many other CPU-GPU pairings in the database deliver higher average FPS in this game.

The ranking is consistent with the measured FPS data. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 91 FPS, which is playable but not exceptional. At 1080p Ultra, the average drops to 50 FPS. At 1440p, the average FPS ranges from 38 (Ultra) to 69 (Low). At 4K, the averages range from 25 (Ultra) to 46 (Low). These numbers put the combo below many higher-tier configurations, but the rank of 3176 out of 3720 also indicates that a substantial number of combos perform worse, likely those with older or weaker components.

The CPU's 75th percentile standing and the GPU's 41st percentile standing create an imbalance. The CPU is relatively stronger than the GPU, meaning that in Control, the GPU is typically the bottleneck, especially at higher resolutions and settings. This is supported by the FPS scaling: moving from 1080p to 4K produces large drops, which is typical of GPU-limited scenarios. The combo rank in the game reflects this GPU limitation, as the processor has headroom that is not fully utilized at 4K.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The recorded measurements cover four resolutions and four settings levels. At 1920x1080, the average FPS is 91 on Low, 64 on Medium, 57 on High, and 50 on Ultra. The Medium setting also records a minimum FPS of 55 and a maximum of 74, while the other settings at this resolution have no min/max data. The spread from Low to Ultra is 41 FPS, a 45% reduction from the Low baseline.

At 2560x1440, the average FPS is 69 on Low, 49 on Medium, 43 on High, and 38 on Ultra. The Medium setting shows a minimum of 41 and a maximum of 56. The drop from Low to Ultra is 31 FPS, or 45% relative to the Low value. Compared to 1080p, the 1440p averages are lower by approximately 22 to 24 FPS across corresponding settings, except for Low where the difference is 22 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the average FPS is 46 on Low, 33 on Medium, 29 on High, and 25 on Ultra. The Medium setting has a minimum of 28 and a maximum of 38. The reduction from Low to Ultra is 21 FPS, or 46% relative to Low. The step from 1440p to 4K produces another substantial drop: for example, High settings fall from 43 to 29 FPS, a 14 FPS reduction.

The data shows a consistent pattern: each resolution step up (from 1080p to 1440p to 4K) reduces average FPS by roughly 20-25% of the previous value, depending on settings. At 1080p Low, the combo exceeds 60 FPS, which is a common threshold for smooth gameplay. At 1080p High and Ultra, it falls to 57 and 50 FPS, respectively. At 1440p, only the Low setting exceeds 60 FPS (69), while Medium and High are below 50. At 4K, all settings produce averages below 46 FPS, with Ultra at 25 FPS, which is not smooth for fast-paced action.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent across settings. At Low settings, the average goes from 91 FPS at 1080p to 69 FPS at 1440p (a 24% reduction) and then to 46 FPS at 4K (a 33% reduction from 1440p). At Ultra settings, the progression is 50 FPS at 1080p, 38 FPS at 1440p (a 24% reduction), and 25 FPS at 4K (a 34% reduction from 1440p). The relative drop from 1080p to 4K is roughly 49% for Low (91 to 46) and 50% for Ultra (50 to 25).

This pattern indicates that the GPU is the primary limiting component. If the CPU were the bottleneck, the FPS would remain relatively flat across resolutions because the CPU workload does not scale with resolution. Instead, the FPS falls sharply as resolution increases, which is the signature of a GPU-bound scenario. The GTX 1660 Ti, with its 6 GB VRAM and 288.0 GB/s bandwidth, cannot sustain high frame rates at 4K, especially with higher settings that increase memory pressure and shading load.

The scaling also reveals that the CPU has spare capacity. At 1080p Low, the CPU and GPU together produce 91 FPS, but at 4K Low, the same settings yield 46 FPS, meaning the GPU is doing roughly half the work per frame at the higher resolution. The Ryzen 5 2600's 6 cores and 12 threads are not the constraining factor in this title; the evidence points to the GPU's compute and memory limits. At 4K Ultra, the 25 FPS average is likely due to the GPU being overwhelmed, and the VRAM capacity of 6 GB may also be a factor, as Control is known for heavy texture usage at high settings.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS for this combo at 1080p High settings in Control?

A: The recorded average FPS is 57 at 1920x1080 with High settings.

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

A: At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average FPS is 25, which is the lowest recorded value for this configuration.

Q: What is the highest average FPS recorded for this combo?

A: The highest average FPS is 91, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in this game based on the data?

A: The data shows a steep FPS drop from 1080p to 4K (e.g., from 57 to 29 FPS at High settings), which indicates the GPU is the limiting component, as CPU workload does not scale with resolution.

Q: How does the GTX 1660 Ti rank relative to its nearest rivals in the database?

A: The GTX 1660 Ti has an average benchmark score of 7723, which is 0.7% higher than the AMD Radeon 540, 1.9% higher than the AMD Radeon Pro WX 3100, 2.2% higher than the AMD Radeon R7 250, and 2.3% higher than the Intel Arc A310.

Q: What is the combo's rank among all tested configurations in Control?

A: The combo ranks 3176 out of 3720 tested combos in the database for Control.

Q: Does the combo maintain 60 FPS at any resolution and setting?

A: Yes, at 1920x1080 with Low settings (91 FPS) and at 2560x1440 with Low settings (69 FPS). At 1080p Medium, the average is 64 FPS, which also exceeds 60 FPS.