Control

Control on the AMD Ryzen 5 2600 + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER combination delivers a performance profile that is overwhelmingly GPU-bound at higher resolutions, yet reveals a distinct CPU ceiling at 1080p. The measured data shows this pairing ranks in the 80th percentile of tested combos, with the RTX 4080 SUPER providing massive headroom that the older Ryzen 5 2600 cannot fully exploit at lower settings. The result is a system that excels at 4K and 1440p but leaves noticeable performance on the table for esports-style play at 1080p.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is steep but not catastrophic, indicating a strong GPU presence that remains the primary driver of performance. At High settings, the average FPS falls from 128 at 1920x1080 to 117.2 at 2560x1440, a reduction of roughly 8.4%, and then to 79.6 at 3840x2160, representing a 37.8% drop from the 1080p figure. This scaling pattern is typical of a GPU-bound scenario where pixel count becomes the dominant workload factor.

The Low preset shows a similar but more compressed curve: 151 FPS at 1080p, 133.5 at 1440p, and 116.8 at 4K. The delta between 1080p and 4K here is 22.7%, significantly smaller than the High preset's 37.8% drop. This suggests that at Low settings, the CPU begins to assert more influence, limiting the absolute frame rates at 1080p while the GPU still handles the 4K load comfortably. The Ultra preset exhibits the largest relative decline, from 118.7 FPS at 1080p to 105.1 at 1440p (an 11.5% drop) and then 72.1 at 4K (a 39.3% drop from 1080p), confirming that the most demanding settings amplify the GPU's workload.

The data indicates that resolution scaling is not linear; the jump from 1440p to 4K costs roughly 30-32% performance across all presets, while moving from 1080p to 1440p costs only 8-12%. This is a classic sign of a GPU that has ample bandwidth and compute for moderate resolutions but begins to feel the pixel pressure at 2160p. The RTX 4080 SUPER's 16 GB of GDDR6X memory and 736.3 GB/s bandwidth are adequate for 4K, but the frame rates at Ultra (72.1 FPS) suggest that even this high-end card is not overkill for Control's most demanding configuration.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER is the dominant component in this pairing, and its specifications directly explain the measured results. With 10240 shading units, 320 texture mapping units, and 112 raster output pipelines, the GPU has enormous raw throughput, evidenced by its 52.22 TFLOPS FP32 performance. The boost clock of 2550 MHz and base clock of 2295 MHz are high for the Ada Lovelace architecture, and the 5 nm process node from TSMC allows for this density without excessive power draw.

In Control, the GPU's role is most evident at 4K where the average FPS across all settings (72.1 to 116.8) stays well above playable thresholds. The 16 GB VRAM capacity is more than sufficient for this 2019 title, even at Ultra settings, as the game's texture and geometry demands do not approach the memory limit. The memory clock of 1438 MHz with 23 Gbps effective speed, paired with a 256-bit bus, yields the 736.3 GB/s bandwidth that ensures no memory bottleneck at any resolution tested.

The benchmark data shows the RTX 4080 SUPER sits in the 88th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 53610. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT, scores 53489, a negligible 0.2% difference, indicating that this card is at the top of its class for rasterization workloads. In Control, the GPU's strength translates to frame rates that exceed 60 FPS even at 4K Ultra, which is a demanding combination for most hardware. The GPU's 320 W TDP and triple-slot design reflect its high-end positioning, but the performance justifies the thermal and power requirements.

Settings Recommendations

The measured rows reveal that the Medium preset offers the best balance of visual fidelity and performance for most users. At 1920x1080, Medium delivers 132.3 FPS, which is 3.4% higher than High (128 FPS) and only 12.4% lower than Low (151 FPS). The jump from Medium to High at 1440p is nearly identical (118.2 vs 117.2 FPS), suggesting that the Medium preset captures most of the visual enhancements without the performance penalty of High.

For 4K gaming, the choice is more nuanced. Medium at 3840x2160 yields 91.8 FPS, which is 15.3% higher than High's 79.6 FPS and 27.3% higher than Ultra's 72.1 FPS. The difference between High and Ultra at 4K is only 9.4%, making Ultra a questionable investment for the extra 7.5 FPS. Low settings at 4K produce 116.8 FPS, but the visual degradation in a game like Control, which relies heavily on atmosphere and lighting, is likely too severe for most players.

The data suggests that Medium is the sweet spot across all resolutions. At 1080p, it provides frame rates well above 120 FPS, which is ideal for high-refresh-rate displays. At 1440p, Medium hits 118.2 FPS, keeping gameplay smooth on 144Hz monitors. At 4K, Medium maintains 91.8 FPS, which is comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold for cinematic play. Users with 120Hz 4K displays may need to drop to Low to reach 116.8 FPS, but the visual compromise is substantial.

How This Combo Ranks

This combination of AMD Ryzen 5 2600 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER ranks 327 out of 1636 tested combos in Control, placing it in the top 20% of all configurations. This ranking is impressive given the CPU's age, but it also highlights the imbalance of this pairing. The CPU's percentile vs all CPUs is 77, while the GPU sits at 88, indicating the processor is the weaker link in this system.

The combo rank of 327 means that 1,309 other combinations performed better, which is a significant number. However, many of those likely feature newer high-end CPUs paired with similar or better GPUs. The data shows that the Ryzen 5 2600, with its 6 cores and 12 threads at 3.40 GHz base and 3.90 GHz boost, is capable of feeding the RTX 4080 SUPER adequately at higher resolutions but falls short at 1080p where CPU overhead becomes more relevant. The CPU's Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 11186 and single-core score of 1579 are modest by modern standards, explaining the bottleneck in lower-resolution scenarios.

The GPU's nearest rivals include the RTX 5070 Ti (2.9% higher average score) and RX 7700S (2.1% higher), but the 4080 SUPER's 0.2% lead over the RX 6900 XT shows it remains competitive. In Control specifically, the combo's rank suggests that while the GPU can push high frame rates, the CPU limits the absolute ceiling, particularly in the 1080p Low preset where the 151 FPS average is likely constrained by the processor rather than the graphics card.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 2600 plays a supporting role that becomes more critical as resolution decreases. At 4K, the CPU's workload is lighter relative to the GPU, allowing the RTX 4080 SUPER to dominate. At 1080p, however, the CPU's 6 cores and 12 threads at a 3.90 GHz boost clock must work harder to feed the GPU, and the data reflects this. The difference between 1080p Low (151 FPS) and 1440p Low (133.5 FPS) is 11.6%, which is smaller than the difference between 1440p Low and 4K Low (116.8 FPS, a 12.5% drop). This suggests the CPU is already near its limit at 1080p Low, preventing the GPU from reaching its full potential.

The CPU's benchmark scores provide context. Its Passmark single-thread score of 2239 and multithread score of 13160 are adequate for gaming, but its nearest rival, the Intel Core i5-11600KF, scores 19740 in average benchmarks, 0.6% higher. The Ryzen 5 2600's Cinebench R20 single-core score of 663 and multi-core of 4698 indicate a processor that was mid-range in 2018 and is now several generations behind. In Control, which is not heavily CPU-bound, the 2600 still manages to keep frame rates playable, but the data shows that at 1080p Medium (132.3 FPS) and High (128 FPS), the CPU is likely the limiting factor, as the GPU could theoretically push higher numbers based on its 4K performance.

The CPU's architecture (Zen+ on 12 nm) and 16 MB shared L3 cache are sufficient for this game, but the 46.9 GB/s memory bandwidth and dual-channel DDR4 support are modest compared to modern platforms. The 65 W TDP and unlocked multiplier allow for overclocking, but even a boost to 3.90 GHz does not fully offset the generational gap. For this title, the CPU's role is to provide a stable baseline, which it does, but it cannot boost the combo beyond its 327th rank.

FAQ

Q: What is the maximum average FPS this combo achieves in Control?

A: The highest measured average FPS is 151 at 1920x1080 with Low settings. The next best is 133.5 at 2560x1440 Low, and 116.8 at 3840x2160 Low.

Q: Does the CPU bottleneck the GPU at any resolution?

A: Yes, the data indicates a CPU limit at 1080p, particularly at Low settings where the 151 FPS average is likely constrained by the Ryzen 5 2600's single-thread performance, given that the GPU can push 116.8 FPS at 4K Low.

Q: What is the best preset for 4K gaming with this combo?

A: Medium at 3840x2160 delivers 91.8 FPS, which is 15.3% higher than High (79.6 FPS) and 27.3% higher than Ultra (72.1 FPS), making it the recommended choice for 4K.

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

A: It ranks 327 out of 1636 combos, placing it in the top 20% of all configurations tested in Control.

Q: Is the RTX 4080 SUPER's 16 GB VRAM sufficient for this game?

A: Yes, the measured frame rates at Ultra settings (72.1 FPS at 4K) show no evidence of VRAM limitations, as Control's requirements are well below the 16 GB capacity.

Q: What is the FPS difference between High and Ultra at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, High yields 117.2 FPS while Ultra yields 105.1 FPS, a 10.3% difference that may not justify the visual upgrade for some users.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete measured FPS data for this combo is as follows. At 1920x1080, Low settings produce an average of 151 FPS, Medium 132.3 FPS, High 128 FPS, and Ultra 118.7 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 32.3 FPS, or 21.4%, showing that the GPU has headroom even at the highest settings.

At 2560x1440, Low averages 133.5 FPS, Medium 118.2 FPS, High 117.2 FPS, and Ultra 105.1 FPS. The difference between Medium and High is negligible (1 FPS), while Ultra drops 11.1% below High. The resolution jump from 1080p to 1440p costs between 7.6% (Low) and 11.5% (Ultra) of performance.

At 3840x2160, Low averages 116.8 FPS, Medium 91.8 FPS, High 79.6 FPS, and Ultra 72.1 FPS. The drop from 1440p to 4K is substantial: 12.5% for Low, 22.3% for Medium, 32.1% for High, and 31.4% for Ultra. This confirms that 4K is where the GPU's workload becomes most demanding, yet even at Ultra, the frame rate remains above 60 FPS, ensuring a smooth experience. The data shows no min or max FPS values were recorded, so the averages represent the sole metric for judgment.