Control

The AMD Ryzen 7 3700X paired with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti lands at rank 1429 out of 1636 tested combos in Control. That places this build in the bottom 13% of all configurations we track, which is a clear signal that this pairing is not designed for high-refresh or high-fidelity play in this specific title. The data shows a system that can hit playable framerates, but only when you are willing to make significant compromises on visual quality or resolution.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo’s rank of 1429 out of 1636 is a direct reflection of the GPU’s position in the overall hierarchy. The GTX 1660 Ti sits in the 55th percentile of all GPUs, which sounds mid-pack, but its nearest rivals tell a more nuanced story. It is only 0.4% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 570X and 0.8% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680. Meanwhile, the CPU is a much stronger performer, sitting in the 85th percentile of all processors. The Ryzen 7 3700X is effectively tied with the Intel Core i5-12600 (0.1% behind) and the Intel Core i5-12600H (0.1% behind), while edging out the AMD Ryzen 5 5600XT by 0.1%. This creates a significant imbalance: a top-tier CPU from 2019 is being held back by a mid-range GPU from the same era. In Control, which is a visually demanding title, the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck, dragging the entire combo down the rankings despite the CPU’s competence.

CPU Role

The Ryzen 7 3700X brings 8 cores and 16 threads to the table, with a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. This is a Zen 2 architecture chip built on a 7 nm process, and its benchmark results show it is more than capable of feeding a modern GPU. In Cinebench R23, it scores 19087 in multi-core and 2694 in single-core. The multi-core score is particularly strong, suggesting that the CPU will not be a limiting factor in most gaming scenarios, including those that utilize multiple threads. The 32 MB of L3 cache provides ample room for game data, and the PCIe Gen 4 support (though the GPU uses PCIe 3.0) ensures the system is not starved for bandwidth.

However, in Control, the CPU’s role is secondary. The measured FPS data shows that even at 1080p Low, where the CPU load is typically highest relative to the GPU, the system only reaches 89.4 FPS. The GTX 1660 Ti’s 6 GB of GDDR6 memory and 288.0 GB/s bandwidth are simply not enough to push higher framerates in this game’s physics-heavy environments. The CPU’s high passmark single-thread score of 2656 and multithread score of 22458 indicate it is ready for more, but the GPU cannot deliver the frames to match. This is a classic case where upgrading the GPU would yield a far larger performance gain than any CPU change.

FAQ

Q: Is this combo capable of running Control at 60 FPS?

A: At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves 89.4 FPS, which is above 60. However, at 1080p Medium it drops to 67 FPS, and at 1080p High it falls to 56.5 FPS. To maintain a consistent 60 FPS, you would need to stick to Low or Medium settings at 1080p.

Q: How does the GTX 1660 Ti compare to its closest rivals?

A: The GPU’s average benchmark score is 13925, which is 0.4% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 570X (13871) and 0.8% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680 (13812). It is 0.7% slower than the NVIDIA Tesla K10 (14029).

Q: Is the Ryzen 7 3700X a bottleneck for the GTX 1660 Ti?

A: No. The CPU is in the 85th percentile of all CPUs, while the GPU is only in the 55th percentile. The CPU’s performance is more than sufficient; the GPU is the limiting factor in this pairing.

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo?

A: 1080p is the only resolution where the combo can achieve playable framerates across all settings. At 1440p, even Low settings only yield 71.7 FPS, and High settings drop to 44.7 FPS. 4K is not viable, with the highest settings averaging just 30.3 FPS.

Q: How much faster is the 3700X than the Ryzen 5 5600XT?

A: In average benchmark score, the 3700X is 0.1% faster. They are effectively tied, with scores of 28631 and 28591 respectively.

Q: Does the game use the CPU’s multi-threading capabilities?

A: The data suggests so, given the significant FPS drop from 1080p Low (89.4 FPS) to 1080p Ultra (52.4 FPS). However, the GPU is still the limiting factor, as the CPU’s multi-core score of 8016 in Cinebench R20 indicates it has headroom.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of this combo’s capabilities across three resolutions and four quality presets. At 1920x1080, the system starts at 89.4 FPS on Low, drops to 67 FPS on Medium, 56.5 FPS on High, and bottoms out at 52.4 FPS on Ultra. This is a usable range for most gamers, though the Ultra preset fails to hit the 60 FPS target.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance takes a significant hit. Low settings produce 71.7 FPS, which is still smooth, but Medium drops to 52.9 FPS, High to 44.7 FPS, and Ultra falls to a stuttery 35.3 FPS. At this resolution, only the Low preset offers a consistently playable experience, and even that is just above the 60 FPS threshold.

At 3840x2160, the combo is largely out of its depth. Low settings yield 44.8 FPS, Medium drops to 33.9 FPS, High to 30.3 FPS, and Ultra to just 26.2 FPS. None of these are playable for an action game like Control, which requires quick reflexes and smooth camera movement. The data is clear: this is a 1080p-oriented build.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and reveals the GPU as the dominant bottleneck. At High settings, going from 1080p (56.5 FPS) to 1440p (44.7 FPS) represents a 20.9% performance loss. Moving from 1440p to 4K (30.3 FPS) costs another 32.2%. The total drop from 1080p to 4K at High settings is 46.4%. At Low settings, the drop is even more pronounced: 89.4 FPS at 1080p falls to 71.7 FPS at 1440p (a 19.8% loss) and then to 44.8 FPS at 4K (a 37.5% loss from 1440p). The total loss from 1080p Low to 4K Low is 49.9%.

This pattern indicates that the GPU is being overwhelmed by the increasing pixel count. The CPU’s performance is largely unchanged across these resolutions, as its role is to prepare frames, not to render pixels. Since the Ryzen 7 3700X is far more powerful than the GTX 1660 Ti, the GPU’s fill rate and memory bandwidth become the limiting factors. The 288.0 GB/s bandwidth is insufficient for 4K textures, and the 5.437 TFLOPS of FP32 performance cannot handle the shader complexity at higher resolutions. The result is that the system scales poorly beyond 1080p.

Settings Recommendations

Given the measured data, the best experience is achieved at 1920x1080 with the Medium preset, which delivers 67 FPS. This is a solid balance between visual fidelity and smoothness, and it is the highest quality setting that maintains a framerate above 60 FPS. If you prefer maximum smoothness, the Low preset at 1080p offers 89.4 FPS, which is well above the refresh rate of most standard monitors.

For those who want to try 1440p, the only viable option is the Low preset at 71.7 FPS. This is playable, but the visual downgrade is noticeable. The High preset at 1440p (44.7 FPS) is borderline, and the Ultra preset (35.3 FPS) should be avoided. At 4K, none of the settings are recommended, as even the Low preset (44.8 FPS) feels choppy, and the Ultra preset (26.2 FPS) is a slideshow. The data indicates that the GTX 1660 Ti is simply not equipped for this game at high resolutions, regardless of the CPU’s strength. Stick to 1080p Medium for the best overall experience.