Control

The AMD Ryzen 5 7400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER combination presents a fascinating case study in bottleneck dynamics within Control. This pairing of a modern 6-core Zen 4 processor with a Turing-era graphics card creates a system where the performance ceiling shifts dramatically depending on the resolution and settings selected. The measured data reveals a component relationship that is far from static, indicating a complex interplay between the CPU's raw computational power and the GPU's architectural capabilities.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K provides clear evidence of where the performance burden lies. At 1920x1080 with High settings, the system produces an average of 74 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 drops this to 56 FPS, a significant 24.3% reduction in performance. The jump to 3840x2160 further reduces the average to 38 FPS, another 32.1% decline from the 1440p figure. This progressive and steep decline as resolution increases is a classic indicator of a GPU-bound scenario at higher pixel counts.

However, the data at Low settings tells a different story. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 118 FPS, which is a substantial 59.5% improvement over High settings at the same resolution. This massive jump when graphical load is lightened suggests that at 1080p Low, the GPU is no longer the primary constraint. The 1440p Low result of 89 FPS is 24.6% lower than the 1080p figure, but the 4K Low result of 60 FPS is another 32.6% drop. The fact that the system can still hit 60 FPS at 4K Low while only managing 38 FPS at 4K High shows that the GPU's pixel throughput is a major limiting factor, but its compute capabilities are also being heavily taxed by higher settings.

The scaling pattern implies that at 1080p, the Ryzen 5 7400F is capable of pushing frame rates high enough to expose the RTX 2060 SUPER's limits. The 118 FPS at Low settings is likely near the ceiling of what this CPU can feed to the GPU in this title. As the resolution increases, the GPU's workload becomes more demanding, and the frame rate becomes increasingly dependent on its capabilities. The performance gap between Low and High settings widens with resolution, going from a 44 FPS gap at 1080p to a 22 FPS gap at 4K, which suggests that the CPU's influence diminishes as the GPU takes on more of the rendering burden.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER is built on the 12 nm Turing architecture and features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s. Its boost clock is rated at 1650 MHz, with a base clock of 1470 MHz. The GPU has 2176 shading units, 136 texture mapping units, and 64 raster operation units. It also includes 34 RT cores and 272 tensor cores, which are relevant for Control's ray tracing and DLSS features, though the measured data does not specify which of these features were enabled.

The GPU's role in the measured results is most apparent in the scaling from Medium to Ultra settings. At 1080p, the average frame rate drops from 84 FPS at Medium to 74 FPS at High, and then to 65 FPS at Ultra. This 19 FPS difference between Medium and Ultra represents a 22.6% performance cost for the highest quality presets. At 1440p, the same progression shows 63 FPS at Medium, 56 FPS at High, and 49 FPS at Ultra, a 14 FPS or 22.2% reduction. At 4K, the Medium preset yields 43 FPS, which drops to 38 FPS at High and 33 FPS at Ultra. The consistent percentage drop across resolutions indicates that the GPU's compute units are being saturated by the increased shading and texture work required by higher presets.

The 8 GB VRAM capacity is another factor to consider. The measured data shows that at 4K Ultra, the system only manages 33 FPS, which is below the threshold for smooth gameplay. This could be due to the GPU reaching its memory capacity limit, forcing texture thrashing. The fact that the 4K Medium preset provides a 43 FPS average with a minimum of 36 FPS suggests that the GPU can still function, but the headroom is minimal. The GPU's percentile rank of 62 indicates it performs better than 62% of all GPUs in the benchmark database, placing it in the mid-range tier. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Mobile, has a negligible 0.4% higher average score, confirming that the 2060 SUPER is still a competitive part for 1080p and 1440p gaming.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 7400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 4 architecture, codenamed Raphael. It operates on the AMD Socket AM5 platform and features a base clock of 3.70 GHz with a boost clock of 4.70 GHz. The CPU has a 32 MB shared L3 cache and supports DDR5 memory with a dual-channel configuration, providing a memory bandwidth of 83.2 GB/s. It is manufactured on a 5 nm process by TSMC, which contributes to its 65 W TDP.

The CPU's role in Control becomes evident when examining the Low settings results. At 1080p Low, the system produces 118 FPS, which is a significant jump from the 74 FPS at High settings. This 44 FPS increase is far larger than what would be expected if the GPU were the only bottleneck. This suggests that at Low settings, the reduced shading and texture complexity allows the CPU to feed frames to the GPU at a faster rate, but the GPU is still the limiting factor. The fact that the 1080p Low result is not higher than 118 FPS could indicate that the CPU is reaching its limit in this specific scenario, or that the game's engine has a frame rate cap.

The CPU's benchmark scores provide context for its gaming performance. It achieves a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 21765 and a single-core score of 3072. Its average benchmark score is 32750, placing it in the 83rd percentile of all CPUs. This is a strong result, showing that the 7400F is a high-performing processor. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core i5-14600T, has a nearly identical average score with a delta of just 0.1%. This indicates that the 7400F is perfectly capable of keeping up with modern games, and its performance is unlikely to be the primary bottleneck in most scenarios. However, the measured data in Control suggests that at 1080p Low, the CPU might be approaching its limits, as the frame rate does not scale proportionally with the reduction in GPU load.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for this combination reveals a consistent performance hierarchy across all resolutions. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers an average of 118 FPS, which is the highest result in the entire dataset. The Medium preset produces 84 FPS with a minimum of 71 FPS and a maximum of 96 FPS. The High preset averages 74 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 65 FPS. The variance between the minimum and maximum at Medium settings shows a 25 FPS range, indicating some frame pacing instability.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 89 FPS, which is a 24.6% decrease from the 1080p result. The Medium preset averages 63 FPS with a minimum of 54 FPS and a maximum of 73 FPS. The High preset averages 56 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 49 FPS. The frame rate drops are relatively consistent, with each settings tier costing roughly 6-7 FPS. At 3840x2160, the Low preset is the only one that achieves a playable average, hitting 60 FPS. The Medium preset averages 43 FPS with a minimum of 36 FPS, the High preset averages 38 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 33 FPS.

The data shows that the system can handle 1080p gaming with ease, even at Ultra settings where it maintains a 65 FPS average. At 1440p, the High preset is still playable at 56 FPS, but the Ultra preset dips to 49 FPS. At 4K, only the Low preset is viable for smooth gameplay, as anything above Medium drops below the 40 FPS threshold. The progression from Low to Ultra at each resolution shows a clear pattern: the cost of each settings tier is roughly 10-15% of the previous tier's performance, which is typical for a GPU-bound scenario.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations for Control, this pairing of the AMD Ryzen 5 7400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER ranks 2650 out of 3720 total combinations. This places it in the 71st percentile of all tested combos, meaning it outperforms 71% of the systems that have been benchmarked in this game. This is a surprisingly strong ranking given that the GPU is from an older generation, but it is likely bolstered by the CPU's excellent performance in feeding frames at lower resolutions.

The ranking suggests that while the RTX 2060 SUPER is not a top-tier GPU, its combination with the Ryzen 5 7400F creates a balanced system for 1080p and 1440p gaming. The rank of 2650 out of 3720 indicates that there are still 1070 combos that perform better, which would include systems with more powerful GPUs like the RTX 3060 Mobile or the AMD Radeon Pro 5700. However, the deltaPct values for the GPU's nearest rivals show that the 2060 SUPER is very close in performance to these cards, with all of them being within 1.6% of each other. This means that the ranking is not just about the GPU, but also about how well it pairs with the CPU.

The combo rank also implies that this system is a solid mid-range choice for playing Control. It can handle the game at high settings in 1080p and 1440p, and it can even manage 4K at lower settings. The ranking confirms the CPU's ability to avoid bottlenecking the GPU, even in a game that can be demanding on both components. The fact that the combo is in the top 71% of all tested systems is a positive sign for users looking for a competent gaming experience without needing a top-of-the-line GPU.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best resolution for this system to run Control at Ultra settings?*

A: Based on the measured data, 1920x1080 is the only resolution where the Ultra preset achieves a playable average frame rate of 65 FPS. At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset drops to 49 FPS, and at 3840x2160, it falls to 33 FPS.

Q: How much of a performance difference is there between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: The difference is significant. The Low preset averages 118 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 65 FPS. This represents a 53 FPS or 44.9% reduction in performance when switching from the lowest to the highest quality settings.

*Q: Can this system play Control at 4K resolution?*

A: Yes, but only at lower settings. The Low preset at 3840x2160 achieves an average of 60 FPS. The Medium preset averages 43 FPS, while the High and Ultra presets average 38 FPS and 33 FPS, respectively, which are not ideal for smooth gameplay.

*Q: Is the CPU or GPU the main bottleneck in this system for Control?*

A: The data suggests the GPU is the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions and settings. The frame rate drops significantly as resolution increases, and the performance difference between Low and Ultra settings is substantial. However, at 1080p Low, the CPU may be nearing its limit, as the frame rate does not scale as much as expected.

*Q: How does this combo rank compared to other systems tested in Control?*

A: This combination ranks 2650 out of 3720 tested combos, placing it in the 71st percentile. This means it performs better than 71% of all systems in the database for this specific game.

Q: What are the minimum and maximum frame rates for the Medium preset at 1440p?

A: The Medium preset at 2560x1440 has a minimum frame rate of 54 FPS and a maximum frame rate of 73 FPS, with an average of 63 FPS.

Settings Recommendations

For the best balance of visual fidelity and smooth gameplay, the High preset at 1920x1080 is the recommended choice. It provides an average of 74 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold for most displays, while still offering a significant visual upgrade over the Medium preset. The step from High to Ultra at 1080p only yields a 9 FPS increase in performance cost, but the visual difference is often minimal in fast-paced action games like Control. If a higher frame rate is preferred, the Medium preset at 1080p delivers 84 FPS with a minimum of 71 FPS, ensuring a very stable experience.

For users with a 2560x1440 monitor, the High preset is the most reasonable option, as it maintains an average of 56 FPS. This is playable, though not ideal for competitive gaming, and the Medium preset at 63 FPS offers a safer margin for maintaining a consistent frame rate. At 3840x2160, the options are more limited. The Low preset is the only one that achieves a 60 FPS average, but the visual quality will be noticeably reduced. The Medium preset at 43 FPS could be acceptable for slower-paced exploration, but it may suffer in combat scenarios.

The data suggests that this system is best suited for 1080p gaming, where it can handle all presets with a playable frame rate. At 1440p, dropping to High settings provides a good experience. For 4K, the Low preset is the only way to achieve smooth gameplay, making it a less desirable option for this resolution. Ultimately, the choice of settings should be guided by the user's preference for frame rate over visual fidelity, but the measured data provides clear guidance on what each preset will deliver in terms of performance.