Control

Control, Remedy’s 2019 action-adventure, presents a demanding workload that scales predictably with resolution on this AMD Ryzen 7 3700X and Radeon RX 6600 XT pairing. The benchmark data shows this combo is positioned in the lower-middle tier of tested configurations, ranking 1168th out of 1636 combos, yet it delivers a playable experience at 1080p and 1440p with the right settings. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS, the roles of the CPU and GPU, and provides clear guidance on how to optimize the game for this specific hardware.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and reveals a system that is firmly GPU-limited at higher resolutions. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 75.7 FPS at 1920x1080 to 56.6 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of approximately 25%. Moving to 3840x2160, the average plummets to 39.8 FPS, which is a further 30% drop from the 1440p result. This scaling pattern indicates that the graphics card is the primary bottleneck as pixel count increases.

The trend is consistent across all settings presets. At Low settings, the average FPS goes from 116.5 at 1080p down to 89.7 at 1440p and then to 59 at 4K. The fact that even the Low preset cannot maintain 60 FPS at 4K confirms that the RX 6600 XT's 8 GB of VRAM and its compute capabilities are insufficient for that resolution in this title. The GPU's benchmark percentile of 71 versus all GPUs, and its close rivalry with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti (a 0.1% delta), underscore that this is a mid-range graphics solution.

The scaling between 1080p and 1440p is more moderate, suggesting that the CPU can keep pace at these resolutions. The jump from 75.7 FPS to 56.6 FPS at High settings is a significant but manageable 25% loss. However, the jump from 1440p to 4K is where the GPU's limitations become stark, with the frame rate falling below the 40 FPS mark on High settings. This data clearly shows that for a consistent 60 FPS experience, 1080p is the target resolution, with 1440p being viable only if the user accepts lower frame rates or lower preset levels.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 3700X is a 3000-series processor with 8 cores and 16 threads, based on the Zen 2 architecture (Matisse). It has a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. In synthetic benchmarks, it scores 8016 points in Cinebench R20 multi-core and 1131 points in single-core. Its average benchmark score of 28631 places it just 0.1% behind the Intel Core i5-12600 and 0.1% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 5 5600XT, indicating it is a competent mid-range CPU.

In Control, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and handle game logic. The measured FPS data suggests that at 1080p, the CPU is not the limiting factor, as we see a substantial increase in performance when lowering graphical settings. For instance, at 1080p, the average FPS jumps from 75.7 on High to 116.5 on Low. This 54% increase in performance when reducing GPU load indicates that the CPU has headroom and is not bottlenecking the system at this resolution.

However, the CPU's performance ceiling is evident when comparing its multi-threaded score to its rivals. While it is nearly identical in average score to the Intel Core i5-12600, it is not in the same league as higher-end processors. The data suggests that the Ryzen 7 3700X provides adequate processing power for this game, ensuring that the GPU is the primary determinant of frame rate across all tested settings and resolutions. The CPU's 65W TDP and 7 nm process node make it an efficient partner, but its performance is standard for its class rather than exceptional.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT is the clear bottleneck in this configuration for Control. This RDNA 2.0 architecture GPU (Navi 23 chip) has a base clock of 1968 MHz and a boost clock of 2589 MHz. It comes with 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 256.0 GB/s. Its benchmark scores reflect a mid-range standing, with a Passmark G3D score of 16461 and a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1804. Its average benchmark score of 27985 is 0.9% behind the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070.

The GPU's performance in Control is directly tied to the settings preset. At 1080p, the GPU manages an average of 116.5 FPS on Low, but this drops to 65.2 FPS on Ultra. This shows that the GPU's raw power is sufficient for high refresh rates on lower settings, but the more demanding rendering features of Ultra settings, such as advanced lighting and reflections, cause a significant performance hit. The 4K results are particularly telling: even on Low settings, the average FPS is only 59, which is just below the 60 FPS target.

The 8 GB VRAM is a likely contributor to the performance drop at 4K. As the resolution increases, the memory footprint for textures and frame buffers grows, and the 128-bit memory bus with 256.0 GB/s bandwidth may struggle to keep up with the data demands. The GPU's 32 ray accelerators (RT cores) are present, but their impact on performance in Control is not directly measured in this data; the results show a clear trend of diminishing returns as settings move from Medium to High and Ultra, with the most substantial drops occurring at 4K resolution.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Control at 4K?

A: Yes, but not at a consistently playable frame rate. The measured data shows an average of 39.8 FPS at High settings and 31.9 FPS at Ultra. Even at Low settings, the average is 59 FPS, which is borderline for smooth gameplay.

Q: What is the best resolution for a 60 FPS experience?

A: According to the data, 1920x1080 is the only resolution where a 60 FPS average is consistently achievable. At High settings, it hits 75.7 FPS, and even Ultra settings average 65.2 FPS. At 2560x1440, only the Low preset (89.7 FPS) exceeds 60 FPS, while High and Medium presets fall short.

Q: How does the RX 6600 XT compare to its nearest rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The GPU's average benchmark score of 27985 is 0.9% lower than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070's score of 28238. It is also 0.1% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti's score of 27956.

Q: Is the Ryzen 7 3700X a bottleneck for the RX 6600 XT in this game?

A: The data suggests no. At 1080p, frame rates scale significantly with GPU settings (from 116.5 FPS on Low to 65.2 FPS on Ultra), which indicates the GPU is the limiting factor. The CPU's performance is sufficient to feed the GPU effectively.

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

A: At 2560x1440, the Medium preset averages 63.5 FPS, while the High preset averages 56.6 FPS. This is a difference of 6.9 FPS, with Medium being the better choice for a smoother experience.

Q: What is the combo's overall ranking among tested configurations?

A: This specific combination of CPU and GPU ranks 1168th out of 1636 tested combos for Control, placing it in the 71st percentile of all configurations.

Settings Recommendations

For the best balance of visual fidelity and performance, the Medium preset is the recommended starting point for this hardware. At 1080p, Medium delivers an average of 83.4 FPS, which is a comfortable margin above 60 FPS and only 8 FPS lower than High. At 1440p, Medium averages 63.5 FPS, which is just over the 60 FPS target and provides a much smoother experience than High's 56.6 FPS. The jump from Medium to High yields a relatively small visual improvement but costs roughly 10% of the frame rate at both resolutions.

For users prioritizing a high refresh rate experience, the Low preset is the only option that can push frame rates high enough at 1080p (116.5 FPS). However, this comes with a significant visual compromise. The Ultra preset is not recommended for this combo, as it brings the average FPS down to 65.2 at 1080p and 51.2 at 1440p, making 4K (31.9 FPS) nearly unplayable. The data indicates that Medium is the sweet spot, offering a robust frame rate without the heavy performance penalties of High and Ultra.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the resolution scaling is clear. The Low preset averages 116.5 FPS, Medium averages 83.4 FPS, High averages 75.7 FPS, and Ultra averages 65.2 FPS. All presets are playable, but the gap between Low and Ultra is 51.3 FPS, showing the GPU's sensitivity to the game's rendering features.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates drop. Low averages 89.7 FPS, Medium averages 63.5 FPS, High averages 56.6 FPS, and Ultra averages 51.2 FPS. Here, only the Low preset provides a comfortable margin above 60 FPS. Medium is borderline, and High and Ultra are below the 60 FPS target.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is overwhelmed. Low averages 59 FPS, Medium averages 44.5 FPS, High averages 39.8 FPS, and Ultra averages 31.9 FPS. None of the presets deliver a consistent 60 FPS, and the game becomes increasingly stutter-prone as settings increase. This confirms that 4K is not a viable resolution for this combo in Control.

How This Combo Ranks

In the benchmark database for Control, this AMD Ryzen 7 3700X and AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT combination ranks 1168th out of 1636 tested combos. This places it in the lower-middle tier of performance, which is consistent with the GPU's mid-range status (71st percentile versus all GPUs) and the CPU's similar standing (85th percentile versus all CPUs). The ranking indicates that while this system is capable of running the game, a large number of other configurations deliver higher frame rates.

The CPU's average benchmark score of 28631 is nearly identical to its closest rival, the Intel Core i5-12600, with a delta of -0.1%. The GPU's score of 27985 is also very close to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070, with a delta of -0.9%. This suggests that the system's performance is well-balanced for its class, but the GPU's 8 GB VRAM and memory bandwidth limit its ability to compete with higher-end cards in a demanding game like Control. The rank of 1168 out of 1636 shows there is significant headroom for improvement with a more powerful GPU, but for 1080p gaming, this combo performs admirably.