Control

Control pairs an 8-core AMD Ryzen 7 5700 with the 6 GB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER, and the measured results show a combination that is strictly limited by the graphics card at higher resolutions. The data indicates a system that can deliver smooth 1080p gameplay on high settings but struggles to maintain playable frame rates at 4K, making it a solid choice for 1080p and acceptable for 1440p with settings adjustments. This analysis breaks down how resolution scaling, CPU and GPU roles, and the combo's overall ranking define its practical capabilities.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and clearly indicates that the GTX 1660 SUPER is the bottleneck. At 1080p High, the combo averages 57 FPS, which drops to 43 FPS at 1440p High (a 25% reduction) and further to 29 FPS at 4K High (a 49% reduction from 1440p). This scaling pattern is typical for a GPU with 6 GB of VRAM and 336.0 GB/s of bandwidth, as the pixel count quadruples from 1080p to 4K, overwhelming the rendering capabilities.

The gap between Low and Ultra settings widens dramatically as resolution increases. At 1080p, the difference between Low (91 FPS) and Ultra (50 FPS) is 41 FPS. At 1440p, that spread is 31 FPS (69 FPS Low vs 38 FPS Ultra), and at 4K it narrows to 21 FPS (46 FPS Low vs 25 FPS Ultra). The narrowing spread at 4K shows that even on Low settings, the GPU cannot push much beyond 46 FPS, meaning the resolution itself is the hard limit rather than the graphical features.

The Medium preset provides the only complete data set with min and max frames, which offers insight into frame time consistency. At 1080p Medium, the average is 64 FPS with a min of 55 and max of 74, giving a narrow 19 FPS range that suggests stable performance. At 1440p Medium, the average drops to 49 FPS with a min of 41 and max of 56, a 15 FPS range that remains relatively tight. At 4K Medium, the average falls to 33 FPS with a min of 28 and max of 38, which is below the 60 FPS target but still consistent.

For a 60 Hz display, the data shows that only 1080p Low (91 FPS) and 1080p High (57 FPS) come close to or exceed that threshold. The 1440p Low setting at 69 FPS is the only other configuration that clears 60 FPS. Every 4K setting falls below 46 FPS, making 4K effectively unplayable for smooth action in this game. The 1080p Ultra at 50 FPS is playable but not ideal for fast-paced combat.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 5700 brings substantial processing power that is largely underutilized in this pairing. With 8 cores and 16 threads based on Zen 3 architecture, this CPU has a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 4.60 GHz. Its benchmark scores are strong, including a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 20655 and a single-core score of 2916, indicating it can handle heavy multi-threaded workloads.

The CPU's percentile ranking at 78 vs all CPUs places it well above average, and its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 7 5825U with a 0.3% higher average score, and the AMD Ryzen 5 6600H which is 0.1% lower. This means the 5700 is competitive with modern mid-range processors, delivering performance that exceeds what a GTX 1660 SUPER can feed at most resolutions.

In this game, the CPU role is to maintain minimum frame rates and avoid bottlenecking the GPU at lower resolutions. At 1080p Low, the 91 FPS average shows the CPU can push frames well above what the GPU typically sustains at higher settings, confirming the CPU is not the primary constraint. The 3DMark 16-thread score of 6628 and single-thread score of 901 suggest the CPU has ample headroom for this title.

The 65W TDP and dual-channel DDR4 memory support with 51.2 GB/s bandwidth are adequate for gaming, but the PCIe Gen 3 interface with 20 lanes limits bandwidth to the GPU slightly compared to newer platforms. However, this does not appear to impact the measured results, as the bottleneck is clearly the GPU at 1440p and above.

The Ryzen 7 5700's 16 MB of L3 cache and 512 KB L2 per core are sufficient for game logic and draw calls. The CPU's passmark single-thread score of 3296 and multithread score of 24303 indicate it can handle the physics and AI systems in this action-adventure title without becoming a limiting factor, even when the GPU is saturated at 4K.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER is the decisive component in this combo, and its specifications explain the measured performance ceiling. Based on the Turing architecture with a TU116 chip on a 12 nm process, this GPU has 1408 shading units and 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, delivering 336.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The base clock of 1530 MHz and boost clock of 1785 MHz produce 5.027 TFLOPS of FP32 performance.

The GPU's percentile ranking at 53 vs all GPUs places it in the mid-range, with nearest rivals including the AMD Radeon RX 580 at 0.4% higher average score and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Mobile at 0.4% higher. This means the 1660 SUPER is competitive with older mid-range cards but lacks the headroom of newer models with more VRAM or higher memory bandwidth.

The 6 GB VRAM capacity is a critical factor at higher resolutions. At 4K, the game likely exceeds this capacity on High and Ultra settings, causing the frame rate to drop to 29 FPS and 25 FPS respectively. The Medium setting at 4K (33 FPS) and Low at 4K (46 FPS) show that reducing texture quality and other VRAM-heavy features can partially mitigate this, but the GPU's raw compute power remains insufficient for 4K.

The GPU's 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1278 and Passmark G3D score of 12699 reflect its mid-range positioning. The DirectX 12 score of 50 on Passmark is notably lower than the DirectX 11 score of 104, indicating that the GPU performs better under older APIs, which may affect how this game is rendered. The Vulkan score of 57102 on Geekbench suggests the GPU can leverage modern APIs, but the game's implementation matters more.

At 1080p, the GPU shows its strengths. The 57 FPS average on High and 50 FPS on Ultra demonstrate that the 1660 SUPER can handle this resolution with most features enabled. The 91 FPS on Low shows that the GPU has enough compute power for competitive play, but the 6 GB VRAM and 192-bit bus become limiting factors as resolution scales up.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo ranks 3176 out of 3720 tested combinations, placing it in the bottom 15% of all tested systems for this game. This rank reflects the GPU's mid-range status rather than the CPU's strength, as the Ryzen 7 5700's 78th percentile ranking is well above the GPU's 53rd percentile. The data suggests that pairing this CPU with a stronger GPU would yield significantly better results, but as configured, the system is GPU-bound.

The rank of 3176 indicates that most other combinations tested, even those with weaker CPUs, achieve higher frame rates in Control due to having more powerful GPUs. This is consistent with the resolution scaling analysis, which shows the GTX 1660 SUPER cannot maintain 60 FPS at 1440p High or any 4K setting. The combo's position in the bottom 15% is a direct consequence of the GPU's 6 GB VRAM and 5.027 TFLOPS compute capacity.

However, the rank does not tell the whole story. At 1080p, this combo performs respectably, with the 57 FPS High average placing it in the range of many mid-range systems from the 2019-2020 era. The CPU's 8-core, 16-thread configuration ensures that frame times remain stable, as evidenced by the 1080p Medium min/max range of 55-74 FPS. The CPU's Cinebench R20 multi-core score of 8675 and single-core score of 1224 show it is not the limiting factor.

The combo's rank relative to the CPU's rivals is telling. The Ryzen 7 5700 outperforms the Intel Xeon D-2752TER by 0.1% and the AMD Ryzen 5 6600H by 0.1% in average CPU score, yet the combo rank remains low because the GPU is the same across all these pairings. This highlights that the GTX 1660 SUPER is the primary constraint, and upgrading it would move this combo significantly higher in the rankings.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Control at 60 FPS on a 1080p monitor?

A: Yes, but only on Low settings, which average 91 FPS. On High settings, the average is 57 FPS, which is close to 60 but not consistently above it. Medium settings yield 64 FPS, making that the best preset for a 60 FPS target.

Q: Is 4K playable with this hardware?

A: No, not in a meaningful way. The best 4K result is 46 FPS on Low settings, while High and Ultra drop to 29 FPS and 25 FPS respectively. Medium at 4K averages 33 FPS with a minimum of 28 FPS, which is below the 30 FPS threshold for playability.

Q: What is the limiting component at 1440p?

A: The GPU is the clear bottleneck. The CPU's 8 cores and 16 threads provide ample processing power, but the GTX 1660 SUPER's 6 GB VRAM and 336.0 GB/s bandwidth cannot sustain high frame rates at 1440p. The best 1440p result is 69 FPS on Low, while High drops to 43 FPS.

Q: How does the GPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The GTX 1660 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 12986, which is 0.4% lower than the RTX 3050 Ti Mobile and 0.4% lower than the RX 580. It outperforms the Radeon 740M by 0.9% and is 0.7% faster than the Tesla M2090. This places it squarely in the mid-range.

Q: Does the CPU hold back the GPU in this game?

A: No, the data shows the opposite. The CPU's single-thread performance (3296 Passmark) and multi-thread performance (24303 Passmark) are sufficient to feed the GPU at all tested settings. The frame rate drops are consistent with GPU limitations, not CPU bottlenecks.

Q: What is the best resolution and preset for this combo?

A: 1080p Medium provides the best balance, with a 64 FPS average and a tight 55-74 FPS range. This keeps frame times consistent while offering better visual quality than Low. For a smoother experience, 1080p Low at 91 FPS is viable, but Medium is recommended for visual fidelity.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data points to 1080p Medium as the optimal configuration for this combo. The 64 FPS average with a minimum of 55 FPS and maximum of 74 FPS shows consistent performance that stays above 60 FPS for most of the session. This preset balances the GPU's 6 GB VRAM and compute capacity, avoiding the VRAM pressure seen at 4K while providing better visuals than Low.

For players who prioritize frame rate over visuals, 1080p Low delivers 91 FPS, which is ideal for competitive play or high-refresh-rate monitors, though the visual quality reduction is significant. The 1080p High setting at 57 FPS is a viable alternative if you can tolerate occasional drops below 60 FPS, as it provides better textures and effects than Medium.

At 1440p, the data recommends Low settings at 69 FPS if you have a 60 Hz monitor, as this is the only 1440p option that maintains playable frame rates. Medium at 1440p (49 FPS) and High (43 FPS) are acceptable for slower-paced exploration but may feel stuttery during combat sequences. Avoid 1440p Ultra at 38 FPS unless you prioritize visual quality over responsiveness.

4K is not recommended for this combo. Even Low settings at 46 FPS are borderline, and the 25-33 FPS range on Medium through Ultra will result in a poor experience. If you must play at 4K, use Low settings and accept the frame rate, but the data strongly suggests sticking to 1080p for this game.

The GPU's 6 GB VRAM is the key constraint at higher resolutions, so prioritize settings that reduce VRAM usage, such as texture quality and shadow resolution. The CPU's 8-core, 16-thread configuration ensures that enabling features like physics and AI detail will not impact performance, but the GPU's 5.027 TFLOPS compute limit means that resolution scaling is the primary lever for improving frame rates.