Control

# Control with AMD Ryzen 5 7600X + NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti

The AMD Ryzen 5 7600X paired with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti produces a system that sits at the lower end of the performance spectrum for Control, ranking 3176 out of 3720 tested combinations. This places the combo in the 15th percentile of all tested systems for this game, indicating that while the CPU is a strong modern part, the GPU becomes the primary constraint across all resolutions and settings. The measured frame rates show a system that can handle 1080p gaming comfortably at lower presets but struggles to maintain smooth performance at higher resolutions or with maximum quality settings.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals a clear pattern of GPU limitation throughout the tested range. At 1080p with Low settings, the system achieves 91 FPS average. Moving to 1440p Low drops this to 69 FPS, a reduction of approximately 24%, and at 4K Low the average falls to 46 FPS, representing a 49% decrease from the 1080p baseline. This scaling behavior is consistent with a GPU-bound scenario where the pixel throughput demands of higher resolutions directly impact frame rates.

When examining the High settings preset, the same pattern emerges but with lower absolute values. The 1080p High result of 57 FPS drops to 43 FPS at 1440p High, a 25% reduction, and further to 29 FPS at 4K High, a 49% decrease from 1080p. The consistency of these percentage drops across different quality presets strongly suggests that resolution scaling is the dominant factor, with the GTX 1660 Ti's rendering capabilities being the limiting component rather than the CPU or memory subsystem.

The Medium settings data provides additional insight through its min and max frame rate readings. At 1080p Medium, the average is 64 FPS with a range from 55 to 74 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the average drops to 49 FPS with a range from 41 to 56 FPS. At 4K Medium, the average falls to 33 FPS with a range from 28 to 38 FPS. The frame time consistency, as indicated by the relatively narrow min-max spreads, suggests that the system maintains stable performance even when the GPU is heavily loaded, though the overall pace becomes marginal at 4K.

The Ultra preset results show the most severe scaling: 50 FPS at 1080p, 38 FPS at 1440p, and just 25 FPS at 4K. The 50% reduction from 1080p to 4K at Ultra settings mirrors the pattern seen at other presets, reinforcing that resolution scaling is uniform regardless of quality level. This uniformity indicates that the GTX 1660 Ti's fill rate and memory bandwidth are the primary determinants of performance across the resolution spectrum.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to play Control with this hardware combination?

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 is the only resolution where the system maintains playable frame rates across all settings. At 1080p, even the Ultra preset achieves 50 FPS average, while at 1440p the Ultra preset drops to 38 FPS and at 4K it falls to 25 FPS.

Q: How does the GTX 1660 Ti compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The GTX 1660 Ti has an average benchmark score of 7723, placing it at the 41st percentile of all GPUs. It sits 0.7% above the AMD Radeon 540, 1.9% above the AMD Radeon Pro WX 3100, 2.2% above the AMD Radeon R7 250, and 2.3% above the Intel Arc A310.

Q: Does the Ryzen 5 7600X bottleneck the GTX 1660 Ti in Control?

A: The resolution scaling data suggests the GPU is the limiting factor. The consistent percentage drops in frame rates as resolution increases, regardless of quality preset, indicate that the GTX 1660 Ti's rendering throughput is the constraint rather than the CPU's processing capability.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the Low preset achieves 91 FPS average while the Ultra preset achieves 50 FPS average. This represents a 45% reduction in performance when moving from the lowest to the highest quality settings at the same resolution.

Q: Is the 6 GB VRAM capacity sufficient for Control at higher resolutions?

A: The memory configuration provides 6 GB of GDDR6 across a 192-bit bus with 288.0 GB/s bandwidth. The measured results show playable frame rates at 1440p with Low settings (69 FPS) and Medium settings (49 FPS), suggesting the VRAM capacity is adequate for these configurations, though the GPU's overall compute capability limits higher settings.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested systems for Control?

A: This combination ranks 3176 out of 3720 tested combos, placing it in the lower 15% of all systems. The ranking reflects the GPU's mid-tier position (41st percentile among all GPUs) relative to the CPU's higher-tier position (79th percentile among all CPUs).

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank of 3176 out of 3720 tested combinations places this system firmly in the lower performance tier for Control. This ranking is primarily driven by the GPU's modest standing in the overall performance hierarchy, as the GTX 1660 Ti sits at the 41st percentile of all GPUs. The CPU, by contrast, ranks at the 79th percentile of all processors, creating a significant performance disparity between the two components.

The CPU's average benchmark score of 27636 places it 0.2% above the AMD Ryzen 7 5700X and Intel Core i5-12600K, 0.3% below the AMD Ryzen 5 8500GE, and 0.4% above the AMD Ryzen 7 5800. These near-identical scores indicate that the 7600X is well-matched to its direct competitors in raw processing power. However, the GPU's average benchmark score of 7723 puts it only marginally ahead of much lower-tier cards like the AMD Radeon 540 (0.7% faster), AMD Radeon Pro WX 3100 (1.9% faster), AMD Radeon R7 250 (2.2% faster), and Intel Arc A310 (2.3% faster).

This combination of a high-percentile CPU with a mid-percentile GPU results in a system that is CPU-rich but GPU-poor for gaming workloads. The 3720-combo ranking context shows that many systems with less capable processors but stronger graphics cards would outperform this configuration in Control. The system's position at the 15th percentile of the ranking distribution indicates that it is better suited for 1080p gaming than for higher resolutions, which aligns with the measured frame rates showing playable performance only at the lowest resolution across all settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080 resolution, the system delivers its strongest performance. The Low preset achieves 91 FPS average, providing a smooth experience well above typical display refresh rates. The Medium preset drops to 64 FPS average with a range from 55 to 74 FPS, maintaining playability with some headroom for visual improvements. The High preset reaches 57 FPS average, while the Ultra preset falls to 50 FPS average. All four presets at 1080p remain above the 30 FPS threshold, and the three lower presets stay above 50 FPS, making this resolution comfortable for general gaming.

At 2560x1440 resolution, performance becomes more constrained. The Low preset achieves 69 FPS average, which remains playable but represents a 24% reduction from the 1080p Low result. The Medium preset delivers 49 FPS average with a range from 41 to 56 FPS, providing a playable experience with some frame time variance. The High preset drops to 43 FPS average, which is below the 60 FPS target but remains acceptable for many players. The Ultra preset falls to 38 FPS average, which is below the 40 FPS threshold that many consider the minimum for smooth gameplay.

At 3840x2160 resolution, the system struggles to maintain playable frame rates. The Low preset achieves 46 FPS average, which is marginally playable but represents a 49% reduction from the 1080p Low result. The Medium preset drops to 33 FPS average with a range from 28 to 38 FPS, placing frame rates right at the edge of playability. The High preset falls to 29 FPS average, and the Ultra preset reaches only 25 FPS average. These results indicate that 4K gaming is only viable with the lowest quality settings, and even then, the experience is marginal.

The Medium preset provides the most complete data across all resolutions, with min and max frame rates recorded for each. At 1080p, the 55-74 FPS range shows a 19 FPS spread, indicating moderate frame time variation. At 1440p, the 41-56 FPS range shows a 15 FPS spread, suggesting slightly more consistent frame pacing. At 4K, the 28-38 FPS range shows a 10 FPS spread, which in percentage terms represents the largest relative variation and indicates increasing frame time inconsistency at higher resolutions.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti is built on the TU116 chip using a 12 nm process at TSMC, containing 6,600 million transistors on a 284 mm² die. The GPU operates at a base clock of 1500 MHz with a boost clock of 1770 MHz, and its memory runs at 1500 MHz with 12 Gbps effective speed. This configuration produces a fill rate of 84.96 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 169.9 GTexel/s, with FP32 performance rated at 5.437 TFLOPS.

The graphics card's memory subsystem consists of 6 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus, providing 288.0 GB/s of bandwidth. This memory configuration is adequate for 1080p and 1440p gaming at moderate settings but becomes a limiting factor at 4K, where the lower frame rates observed (25-46 FPS depending on settings) indicate that both memory bandwidth and compute throughput are insufficient for high-resolution rendering.

The GPU's synthetic benchmark results show a varied performance profile. The PassMark G3D score of 12871 and the Geekbench OpenCL score of 51029 indicate solid general-purpose compute capability. However, the DirectX 12 benchmark score of 51 is notably low, and the DirectX 11 score of 103, DirectX 10 score of 66, and DirectX 9 score of 190 suggest that the GPU's performance varies significantly depending on the API and workload characteristics. The Vulkan score of 5827 and the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1061 provide additional context for different rendering paths.

In Control specifically, the GPU's role as the primary performance limiter is evident from the resolution scaling data. The uniform percentage drops in frame rates across all quality presets when moving from 1080p to 4K indicate that the GPU's rendering pipeline is the bottleneck, while the CPU's high percentile ranking (79th) relative to the GPU's (41st) confirms that the graphics card is the weaker link in this configuration. The measured results show that the GTX 1660 Ti can deliver smooth performance at 1080p with settings up to High (57 FPS) but requires Low settings to maintain 60+ FPS at 1440p (69 FPS).

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured frame rates, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and performance threshold. For 1080p gaming, the High preset at 57 FPS average provides the best balance between visual quality and smoothness, as it delivers near-60 FPS performance while offering substantially better visual fidelity than the Medium preset at 64 FPS. Players prioritizing frame rate above all else can use the Low preset for 91 FPS, but the High preset's combination of acceptable performance and improved visuals makes it the recommended choice.

At 1440p, the Low preset at 69 FPS is the only configuration that maintains a comfortable margin above 60 FPS, making it the clear recommendation for players who require smooth gameplay. The Medium preset at 49 FPS is a viable alternative for those who value visual quality over frame rate, though the 41 FPS minimum frame rate suggests potential dips below 45 FPS during demanding scenes. The High preset at 43 FPS and Ultra preset at 38 FPS are less recommended, as they fall below the 45 FPS threshold that many consider the minimum for acceptable gameplay.

For 4K resolution, the Low preset at 46 FPS is the only configuration that approaches playability, and even this represents a compromise. The Medium preset at 33 FPS and High preset at 29 FPS are below the 30 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay, while the Ultra preset at 25 FPS is not viable for serious play. Players attempting 4K gaming with this system should use the Low preset and accept the reduced visual quality, or alternatively consider dropping to 1440p for a better overall experience.

The Medium preset provides the most complete frame time data across all resolutions, with min and max values recorded for each. At 1080p, the 55-74 FPS range indicates that the system maintains playability even during frame rate dips. At 1440p, the 41-56 FPS range shows that the system can occasionally drop below 45 FPS, which may be noticeable in fast-paced action sequences. At 4K, the 28-38 FPS range demonstrates that the system consistently stays below 40 FPS, confirming that this resolution is not recommended with this hardware.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 7600X is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 4 architecture (codenamed Raphael), manufactured on TSMC's 5 nm process. It operates at a base clock of 4.70 GHz with a boost clock of 5.30 GHz, and its cache hierarchy includes 64 KB of L1 per core, 1 MB of L2 per core, and 32 MB of shared L3 cache. The CPU supports DDR5 memory in a dual-channel configuration, providing 83.2 GB/s of memory bandwidth, and connects via PCIe Gen 5 with 24 lanes.

The CPU's synthetic benchmark results demonstrate strong single-thread and multi-thread performance. The Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 15236 and single-core score of 1965 highlight its capability in both heavily-threaded and lightly-threaded workloads. The Geekbench multi-core score of 13858 and single-core score of 2603 corroborate this assessment. The PassMark multi-thread score of 28390, integer math score of 84749, floating point math score of 51025, and extended instructions score of 24216 all indicate robust processing power across various workload types.

In Control, the CPU's role is secondary to the GPU, as the measured frame rates are consistently limited by the graphics card's rendering throughput. The CPU's high percentile ranking (79th among all processors) and its near-identical performance to the AMD Ryzen 7 5700X and Intel Core i5-12600K (both within 0.2% in average benchmark score) suggest that it is more than capable of feeding the GTX 1660 Ti with sufficient draw calls and game logic updates. The CPU's 12 threads and high boost clock ensure that even the most demanding scenes in Control do not become CPU-bound at the frame rates measured.

The CPU's specifications, including the 5 nm process node, 6,570 million transistors, and 71 mm² die size, contribute to its efficiency and performance. The 105 W TDP and unlocked multiplier allow for overclocking headroom, though the stock performance appears sufficient for this GPU combination. The DDR5 memory support and PCIe Gen 5 connectivity ensure that the platform has headroom for future upgrades, even if the current GPU is the limiting factor in this game.

The fact that the system maintains higher frame rates at lower settings (91 FPS at 1080p Low) while the CPU's percentile ranking remains high indicates that the processor is not a bottleneck in any tested configuration. The uniform scaling of frame rates with resolution changes, regardless of quality preset, confirms that the GTX 1660 Ti is the component that determines performance in Control, while the Ryzen 5 7600X provides ample processing headroom that would accommodate a more powerful GPU in future upgrades.