Control

The AMD Ryzen 7 5700X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 pairing in Control presents a fascinating study in bottleneck dynamics. The data reveals a system where the GPU is the primary constraint at higher resolutions, but the CPU's substantial cache architecture ensures that even at 1080p, frame pacing remains stable. This combination, ranking 1349 out of 1636 tested combos, is positioned in the lower-middle tier, yet its behavior across settings offers clear insights into where its strengths and limitations lie.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a predictable and steep decline as resolution increases, confirming that the RTX 2060 is the dominant limiting factor. At 1080p with High settings, the combo delivers 68.7 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 drops this to 52.5 FPS, a reduction of roughly 24%. The jump to 3840x2160 is even more punishing, with the average falling to 35.7 FPS, which is 48% lower than the 1080p result. This pattern strongly indicates that pixel throughput is the bottleneck; the GPU’s 6 GB of VRAM and 192-bit memory bus are being saturated as the render load increases.

The scaling from Low to Ultra settings at each resolution further emphasizes the GPU-bound nature. At 1080p, the spread between Low (105.8 FPS) and Ultra (60.8 FPS) is a massive 45 FPS, showing that the graphics card has headroom at lower loads but quickly runs out of steam when effects and textures are maxed out. At 4K, the same spread shrinks to 24.7 FPS (52.7 FPS Low vs 28 FPS Ultra), suggesting that even at Low settings, the resolution itself is so demanding that the GPU cannot fully utilize the CPU’s capabilities. The data implies that for smoother 4K gameplay, one must accept significant compromises in visual fidelity.

GPU Role

The RTX 2060’s specifications paint a clear picture of a mid-range Turing card that is showing its age under Control's demanding engine. With a base clock of 1365 MHz and a boost clock of 1680 MHz, the card’s 1920 shading units are pushed hard, but the 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus (336.0 GB/s bandwidth) appears to be a critical limitation. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS collapses to 28, which is barely playable, and even at 1440p Ultra, the 47.6 FPS average suggests the card is right at its limit.

Benchmark scores for the GPU show it ranks in the 58th percentile among all GPUs, with a Passmark G3D score of 14111. Its nearest rivals in synthetic tests are the AMD Radeon RX 7600S (0.5% faster) and the Radeon Pro W5500 (1.8% slower), indicating it sits in a tightly contested performance band. In Control, the 30 RT cores and 240 tensor cores do not appear to provide a meaningful advantage, as the measured data does not isolate ray tracing performance. The FP32 throughput of 6.451 TFLOPS is the raw compute available, and the results show that at 1440p High (52.5 FPS), the card is delivering a playable experience, but the 4K figures suggest the memory bandwidth is insufficient for high-resolution texture streaming.

CPU Role

The Ryzen 7 5700X3D is an interesting counterweight to the GPU. Its 8 cores and 16 threads, based on Zen 3 architecture, are more than sufficient for Control's threading model. The key differentiator is the 96 MB of shared L3 cache, which is the "3D" feature of this chip. While the base clock of 3.00 GHz and boost of 4.10 GHz are not exceptional, the massive cache helps mitigate memory latency, which is crucial for frame consistency.

Synthetic benchmarks for the CPU are strong, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 22366 and a single-core score of 3157. It ranks in the 82nd percentile of all CPUs, and its nearest rivals in average benchmark score include the Intel Core i7-1360P (0.2% ahead) and the AMD Ryzen 5 7600X3D (0.3% behind). In this game, the CPU’s role is to feed the GPU quickly. At 1080p Low, the 105.8 FPS average suggests the CPU can keep up, but the question is whether the 5700X3D is holding back the GPU at lower resolutions. Given that the GPU is only in the 58th percentile, it is unlikely the CPU is the primary bottleneck; instead, the data shows a balanced pairing where the CPU has enough headroom to avoid stutters, even if it cannot push the GPU beyond its own limits.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Control?*

A: Based on the measured data, 1920x1080 is the most viable resolution. At High settings, it achieves 68.7 FPS, which is smooth, while 2560x1440 drops to 52.5 FPS and 3840x2160 falls to 35.7 FPS, making higher resolutions less ideal for consistent play.

Q: Does the CPU bottleneck the GPU at 1080p?

A: The data does not suggest a CPU bottleneck. At 1080p Low, the combo reaches 105.8 FPS, which is high. The CPU’s 96 MB L3 cache and 8 cores provide ample processing power, so the GPU’s 58th percentile ranking is the more likely limiter.

Q: How does the RTX 2060 compare to its closest rivals in this game?

A: While direct in-game rival scores are not provided, the GPU’s synthetic benchmarks show it is 0.5% slower than the AMD Radeon RX 7600S and 1.8% faster than the AMD Radeon Pro W5500. This suggests performance will be within a few FPS of those cards in Control.

*Q: Is 6 GB of VRAM enough for 4K in Control?*

A: The data indicates it is not sufficient for high settings. At 4K High, the average FPS is 35.7, and at Ultra it drops to 28. The 6 GB frame buffer, combined with the 192-bit bus, appears to cause a significant performance penalty at this resolution.

Q: What settings provide a 60 FPS experience at 1080p?

A: To hit 60 FPS at 1080p, the data shows that High settings (68.7 FPS) and Medium settings (77.9 FPS) both work. Ultra settings also achieve 60.8 FPS, meaning all settings except Low will provide a frame rate at or above 60 FPS.

Q: How does this combo rank overall in the database?

A: The combo ranks 1349 out of 1636 tested combinations in Control. This places it in the lower 20% of all tested systems, indicating that while playable, it is not a high-performance configuration for this specific title.

How This Combo Ranks

The comboRankInGame of 1349 out of 1636 is a stark indicator of where this system stands. This rank places it in the bottom 17.5% of all tested combinations. This is not surprising given the RTX 2060’s 58th percentile GPU ranking, but it highlights that the 5700X3D’s strong CPU performance (82nd percentile) cannot compensate for the GPU’s limitations in a graphically intensive game like Control. The data suggests that this pairing is more suited for esports titles or older games, rather than demanding AAA releases at high resolutions. The rank also implies that many other combinations, likely with newer or more powerful GPUs, will deliver significantly higher frame rates. However, for a system with an end-of-life GPU, the results are within expectations, and the CPU ensures that the experience is not hampered by processor-related frame drops.

Settings Recommendations

For the best experience according to the measured rows, the data points to a clear trade-off between visual quality and frame rate. At 1920x1080, the High preset offers an excellent balance, delivering 68.7 FPS. This is above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay and provides a substantial visual upgrade over Low. While Ultra also achieves 60.8 FPS, the difference in visual fidelity is marginal, and the lower frame rate leaves less headroom for demanding scenes. Therefore, High is the recommended preset for 1080p.

At 2560x1440, the choices become more constrained. Medium settings yield 59.8 FPS, just shy of 60, while High drops to 52.5 FPS. For a consistent 60 FPS experience, Medium is the better option, as it offers a solid frame rate without the visual degradation of Low. For 3840x2160, no setting achieves a playable 60 FPS. The highest average is 52.7 FPS at Low, which is playable but not ideal. If 4K is a priority, Low is the only viable preset, but users should expect a sub-60 FPS experience. The data clearly shows that this combo is not designed for 4K gaming in Control.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete measured FPS data for this combo is as follows:

1920x1080:

• Low: 105.8 FPS
• Medium: 77.9 FPS
• High: 68.7 FPS
• Ultra: 60.8 FPS

2560x1440:

• Low: 80.1 FPS
• Medium: 59.8 FPS
• High: 52.5 FPS
• Ultra: 47.6 FPS

3840x2160:

• Low: 52.7 FPS
• Medium: 38.1 FPS
• High: 35.7 FPS
• Ultra: 28.0 FPS

These numbers reveal a consistent pattern: the RTX 2060 loses roughly 20-25% performance when moving from 1080p to 1440p at the same settings, and another 30-35% when moving from 1440p to 4K. The gap between Low and Ultra settings also widens as resolution decreases, indicating that at 1080p, the GPU has enough bandwidth to process higher settings, but at 4K, the memory interface becomes the limiting factor. The data shows that 1080p Low is the only configuration that breaks the 100 FPS barrier, while 4K Ultra is the only configuration that drops below 30 FPS, making it the least playable option.