Control

The AMD Ryzen 5 3600 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER is a combination that mixes a 2019 six-core CPU with a 2024 flagship GPU. In Control, this pairing produces a dataset that is heavily influenced by which component is allowed to lead. The measured FPS rows show a system capable of high refresh rates, but the scaling between resolutions and settings reveals where the older CPU begins to constrain the newer GPU.

FAQ

Q: What is the average frame rate at 1440p with High settings?

A: The measured average FPS at 2560x1440 with High settings is 117 FPS. This is a strong result for a high-refresh-rate monitor, though it is notably lower than the 145 FPS average seen at 1080p with the same settings.

Q: How does the Ultra preset compare to High at 4K?

A: At 3840x2160, the Ultra preset averages 69 FPS, while the High preset averages 79 FPS. This represents a 10 FPS drop for the Ultra preset, indicating that the higher visual fidelity comes at a measurable cost to frame rate at this resolution.

Q: Is the RTX 4080 SUPER bottlenecked by the Ryzen 5 3600 in this game?

A: The data suggests a CPU limitation at lower resolutions. At 1080p, the gap between Low (171 FPS) and High (145 FPS) is 26 FPS, which is smaller than the 31 FPS gap seen at 4K between the same settings (125 FPS vs 79 FPS). This compression of FPS at 1080p indicates the CPU is limiting performance before the GPU can fully stretch its legs.

Q: What is the best preset for a 144Hz monitor at 1440p?

A: The High preset at 2560x1440 delivers an average of 117 FPS, which is the closest to a 144Hz target among the measured presets at that resolution. The Medium preset averages 132 FPS, but the High preset offers better visual quality while still remaining above the 100 FPS threshold.

Q: Does the GPU have enough VRAM for this game?

A: Yes. The RTX 4080 SUPER has 16 GB of GDDR6X memory, which is more than sufficient for Control. The game's memory requirements are well within this capacity, as evidenced by the high frame rates at 4K where memory pressure is typically highest.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested combinations?

A: The combo ranks 572 out of 3720 tested combinations in Control. This places it in the top 15% of all tested configurations, which is a strong showing given the age of the CPU relative to the GPU.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture for optimizing the experience in Control. The primary goal is to find a preset that maintains a playable frame rate while maximizing visual quality. At 3840x2160, the High preset offers the best balance, averaging 79 FPS. The Ultra preset drops to 69 FPS, which is a more significant loss for the visual uplift it provides. The Medium preset at 4K averages 89 FPS, but the jump to High is worth the 10 FPS cost if the display supports it.

For 2560x1440, the High preset is the recommended choice, averaging 117 FPS. This is well above the 60 FPS threshold and suitable for high-refresh displays. The Ultra preset averages 102 FPS, which is still playable, but the High preset provides a better frame rate headroom. The Medium preset at 132 FPS is an option for those prioritizing smoothness over detail, but the difference in quality between Medium and High is usually more noticeable than the 15 FPS difference suggests.

At 1920x1080, the High preset averages 145 FPS, which is an excellent result for competitive play. The Ultra preset averages 134 FPS, which is still very smooth. The Medium preset at 151 FPS offers the highest frame rate among the quality presets, but the High preset is the best overall choice. The Low preset at 171 FPS is available, but it sacrifices too much visual fidelity for the frame rate gain. The data shows that High is the sweet spot across all resolutions, providing a consistent experience without the performance penalty of Ultra.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER is the dominant component in this pairing for most of the measured scenarios. Its specifications include 10240 shading units, 80 RT cores, and a boost clock of 2550 MHz. The GPU's 16 GB of GDDR6X memory runs on a 256-bit bus, providing 736.3 GB/s of bandwidth. This memory configuration is more than adequate for Control, as the game does not appear to be memory-limited in the measured data.

The GPU's FP32 compute power is rated at 52.22 TFLOPS, which is substantial for a 2024 card. The pixel rate of 285.6 GPixel/s and texture rate of 816.0 GTexel/s are also high, allowing the card to handle the game's visual effects at high resolutions. The benchmark scores reflect this capability, with a Passmark G3D score of 34245 and a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 6600. The GPU's percentile rank of 86% among all GPUs confirms its position as a high-end part.

In Control, the GPU's role becomes more pronounced as resolution increases. At 4K, the GPU is clearly the limiting factor, as the FPS drops are more consistent with GPU-bound rendering. The GPU's ability to maintain 79 FPS at 4K High settings reflects its raw power. The RT cores and Tensor cores are present, though the measured data does not specify whether ray tracing or DLSS was enabled. The GPU's 320W TDP and triple-slot cooler suggest it is designed for sustained high-performance workloads, which aligns with the consistent frame rates seen in the data.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for this combo covers three resolutions and four settings, providing a comprehensive view of performance. At 1920x1080, the Low preset averages 171 FPS, the Medium preset averages 151 FPS with a minimum of 128 and a maximum of 173, the High preset averages 145 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 134 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 37 FPS, which is the narrowest of all resolutions, indicating a CPU limit.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 156 FPS, the Medium preset averages 132 FPS with a minimum of 112 and a maximum of 152, the High preset averages 117 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 102 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 54 FPS, which is wider than at 1080p, showing that the GPU is becoming more involved. The Medium preset's minimum of 112 FPS is still well above the 60 FPS threshold, ensuring smooth gameplay.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 125 FPS, the Medium preset averages 89 FPS with a minimum of 76 and a maximum of 102, the High preset averages 79 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 69 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 56 FPS, which is the widest of all resolutions. This confirms that the GPU is the primary bottleneck at 4K. The Ultra preset's 69 FPS average is close to the 60 FPS target, but the High preset's 79 FPS offers more headroom.

The Medium preset is the only one with complete min/max data across all resolutions. At 1080p, the minimum is 128 FPS and the maximum is 173 FPS, a range of 45 FPS. At 1440p, the minimum is 112 FPS and the maximum is 152 FPS, a range of 40 FPS. At 4K, the minimum is 76 FPS and the maximum is 102 FPS, a range of 26 FPS. The narrowing range at higher resolutions indicates that the GPU's consistent frame times are less affected by CPU-induced variability.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 572 out of 3720 tested combinations places it in the 85th percentile of all tested systems for Control. This is a strong result, but it is important to contextualize it. The RTX 4080 SUPER is a high-end GPU, and its performance alone would likely place it in the top tier. However, the Ryzen 5 3600 is an older CPU, and its benchmark scores reflect its age.

The CPU has a percentile rank of 71% among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 17035. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i7-1260P (average score 17007, delta 0.2%), the Intel Core i5-11400 (average score 17067, delta -0.2%), the AMD EPYC 7573X (average score 17070, delta -0.2%), and the AMD EPYC 7742 (average score 16998, delta 0.2%). These rivals are all within 0.2% of the Ryzen 5 3600's score, indicating that the CPU is performing at a level consistent with its class.

The GPU has a percentile rank of 86% among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 54209. Its nearest rivals include the RTX 4080 (average score 54247, delta -0.1%), the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X (average score 54828, delta -1.1%), the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB (average score 55698, delta -2.7%), and the AMD Radeon 8060S (average score 55757, delta -2.8%). The GPU's score is slightly lower than its non-SUPER counterpart, but the delta is negligible.

The combo's rank of 572 suggests that while the GPU is powerful, the CPU holds the system back from the top tier. Systems with newer CPUs would likely rank higher, as the CPU's single-thread and multi-thread scores are modest by 2024 standards. The Cinebench R23 multicore score of 15045 and single-core score of 2124 are decent, but they are not competitive with newer high-end CPUs.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 3600 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 2 architecture. It has a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.20 GHz. The CPU's cache configuration includes 64 KB of L1 per core, 512 KB of L2 per core, and 32 MB of shared L3 cache. The CPU supports DDR4 memory on a dual-channel bus, providing 51.2 GB/s of bandwidth. Its PCIe Gen 4 interface with 16 lanes is a notable feature, though its impact on Control is likely minimal.

The CPU's benchmark scores show a mixed picture. The 3DMark 16-thread score is 4605, while the 2-thread score is 1361. The Cinebench R23 multicore score is 15045, and the single-core score is 2124. The Geekbench multicore score is 7372, and the single-core score is 1536. The Passmark multithread score is 17700, and the single-thread score is 2562. These scores place the CPU in the 71st percentile among all CPUs, which is respectable but not outstanding.

In Control, the CPU's role is most evident at 1080p. The FPS at 1080p High (145 FPS) is only 19 FPS higher than at 1440p High (117 FPS), despite the significant reduction in pixel count. This suggests that the CPU is unable to feed the GPU enough frames at 1080p to fully utilize its potential. The 171 FPS at 1080p Low is the highest measured value, but it is still lower than what the GPU could theoretically deliver if the CPU were faster.

The CPU's 6 cores and 12 threads are sufficient for Control, which is a game that scales well with multi-threaded CPUs. However, the CPU's IPC and clock speed are limiting factors. The boost clock of 4.20 GHz is not high by modern standards, and the Zen 2 architecture has been superseded by newer designs. The CPU's TDP of 65W is low, which is good for thermals, but it also indicates that the CPU is not designed for extreme performance.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals the nature of the bottleneck in this system. At High settings, the FPS drops from 145 at 1080p to 117 at 1440p, a decrease of 19.3%. From 1440p to 4K, the FPS drops from 117 to 79, a decrease of 32.5%. The larger drop at 4K indicates that the GPU is becoming the limiting factor at higher resolutions.

At Low settings, the FPS drops from 171 at 1080p to 156 at 1440p, a decrease of 8.8%. From 1440p to 4K, the FPS drops from 156 to 125, a decrease of 19.9%. The smaller drop at 1080p to 1440p suggests that the CPU is still able to keep up at Low settings, but the GPU becomes more involved as resolution increases.

At Ultra settings, the FPS drops from 134 at 1080p to 102 at 1440p, a decrease of 23.9%. From 1440p to 4K, the FPS drops from 102 to 69, a decrease of 32.4%. This pattern is similar to High settings, confirming that the GPU is the primary bottleneck at 4K.

The data shows that the CPU is the limiting component at 1080p, while the GPU becomes more dominant at higher resolutions. At 1080p, the FPS differences between settings are compressed, indicating that the CPU is preventing the GPU from showing its full potential. At 4K, the FPS differences between settings are more pronounced, showing that the GPU's workload is the determining factor. This suggests that for users with a 1080p monitor, an upgrade to a newer CPU would provide a significant frame rate boost. For users with a 4K monitor, the current CPU is sufficient, as the GPU is doing most of the heavy lifting.