Control

The AMD Ryzen 7 5800X and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER combination delivers a playable experience in Control at 1080p, but struggles at higher resolutions. Benchmark data shows the system's performance is heavily contingent on the selected graphics preset, with the gap between Low and Ultra settings widening as resolution increases. This analysis breaks down the measured frame rates to determine the optimal settings for this specific hardware pairing.

Settings Recommendations

For this combo, the data clearly indicates that the Low preset is the only reliable path to smooth gameplay at 1440p and 4K, while Medium is the optimal choice for 1080p. At 1920x1080, the Low preset yields an average of 94.1 FPS, which is comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold. The Medium preset provides 65.2 FPS, still a solid experience with better visual fidelity. High drops to 59.4 FPS, which is borderline, and Ultra falls to 51.9 FPS, making it less ideal for fast-paced action.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance cliff becomes steeper. The Low preset produces 72.1 FPS, maintaining smoothness. However, Medium drops to 47.8 FPS, which is below the ideal 60 FPS mark. High offers 42.9 FPS, and Ultra only 40.9 FPS. At 3840x2160, the situation is dire; even the Low preset only achieves 48.7 FPS, while Medium drops to 31.3 FPS, High to 27.6 FPS, and Ultra to a sluggish 25.2 FPS.

The measured data suggests a clear strategy. For 1080p gaming, Medium is the best balance of visual quality and performance, offering 65.2 FPS. For 1440p, Low is the only preset that maintains a playable frame rate. At 4K, all presets are below 60 FPS, but Low is the most viable option for a less demanding experience. The incremental gains from dropping from Medium to Low are substantial, especially at higher resolutions, indicating the GPU is the primary bottleneck.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested hardware combinations for Control, this pairing of the Ryzen 7 5800X and GTX 1660 SUPER ranks 1422nd out of 1636 combos. This places it in the lower percentile of tested systems, indicating that while it can run the game, it is not a high-performance configuration. The rank reflects the GPU's mid-range standing, as the CPU is quite capable.

The data shows the GPU is a significant limiting factor. The GTX 1660 SUPER's average benchmark score is 14286, and it sits in the 55th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals, such as the AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT, have an average score of 14389, which is only 0.7% higher. This marginal difference in raw GPU compute power translates directly to the frame rate limitations seen in the measured FPS data. The CPU, by contrast, is a high-end part, ranking in the 84th percentile of all CPUs, but its performance is not the constraint here.

The combination's overall rank is a result of pairing a top-tier CPU with a mid-range GPU. The CPU’s potential is largely untapped in this scenario, as the GPU cannot push enough frames to utilize the 5800X's full processing power. The benchmark results confirm that the system's performance ceiling is defined by the graphics card, not the processor.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER is the decisive component in this system's Control performance. It features 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 336.0 GB/s. The card's clocks are set at a base of 1530 MHz and a boost of 1785 MHz. These specifications, particularly the memory bandwidth, are crucial for handling the game's textures and effects.

The benchmark results show a clear pattern: performance scales significantly with resolution, but the GPU struggles to maintain high frame rates at 1440p and 4K. The data indicates that the 6 GB VRAM is sufficient for the game at 1080p, but at higher resolutions, the memory capacity and bandwidth become limiting factors. The GPU's pixel rate of 85.68 GPixel/s and texture rate of 157.1 GTexel/s are modest, which explains the steep drop in performance when moving from 1080p to 1440p.

The GTX 1660 SUPER's FP32 performance is rated at 5.027 TFLOPS, placing it in the lower mid-range tier. This is reflected in its percentile rank of 55 and its average benchmark score of 14286. In Control, the GPU is the primary bottleneck, as evidenced by the fact that the CPU is in the 84th percentile while the GPU is only in the 55th. The data suggests that the GPU's architecture, while capable of DirectX 12, lacks the raw horsepower to drive high settings at higher resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a detailed view of the system's performance across all settings and resolutions. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers 94.1 FPS, which is the highest average recorded for this combo. Medium follows at 65.2 FPS, High at 59.4 FPS, and Ultra at 51.9 FPS. The transition from Low to Medium incurs a significant 28.9 FPS drop, suggesting a major increase in GPU load.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates decrease across the board. Low yields 72.1 FPS, Medium 47.8 FPS, High 42.9 FPS, and Ultra 40.9 FPS. The difference between Low and Medium is 24.3 FPS, again showing a steep cost for the higher preset. The gap between High and Ultra narrows to 2 FPS, indicating diminishing returns at the highest settings.

At 3840x2160, all presets fall below 50 FPS. Low is the only playable option at 48.7 FPS, while Medium drops to 31.3 FPS, High to 27.6 FPS, and Ultra to 25.2 FPS. The performance is severely constrained, with the resolution demanding far more from the GPU than it can deliver. The data shows that the 4K resolution is not viable for this combination, even at the lowest settings.

FAQ

*Q: Can this system run Control at 60 FPS?*

A: Yes, but only at 1080p with Low or Medium settings, which achieve 94.1 FPS and 65.2 FPS respectively. At 1440p, only the Low preset reaches 60 FPS or higher with 72.1 FPS.

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo?

A: The data supports 1920x1080 as the optimal resolution. It is the only resolution where multiple presets achieve playable frame rates above 50 FPS, with Medium offering a good balance of quality and performance.

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

A: The GTX 1660 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 14286. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT, scores 14389, which is 0.7% higher. The AMD Radeon RX Vega 11 scores 14314, a 0.2% difference. These differences are minimal, indicating similar performance levels.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in this game?

A: The GPU is the clear bottleneck. The Ryzen 7 5800X ranks in the 84th percentile of all CPUs, while the GTX 1660 SUPER ranks in the 55th percentile. The FPS data shows performance drops that align with GPU limitations, not CPU capabilities.

*Q: Is the 6 GB of VRAM on the GPU sufficient for Control?*

A: The data suggests it is sufficient at 1080p, where the game runs well. However, at 1440p and 4K, performance drops significantly, indicating that the memory bandwidth of 336.0 GB/s and the 6 GB capacity become limiting factors.

Q: What settings should I avoid at 1440p?

A: The data shows that Medium, High, and Ultra presets all result in frame rates below 50 FPS at 1440p. Only the Low preset, at 72.1 FPS, provides a smooth experience. Avoiding the higher presets is recommended for this resolution.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 5800X is a powerful processor with 8 cores and 16 threads, based on the Zen 3 architecture. It has a base clock of 3.80 GHz and a boost clock of 4.70 GHz, with 32 MB of L3 cache. These specifications are more than adequate for Control, and the CPU's benchmark scores reflect its high performance. For instance, its Cinebench R23 multicore score is 23571, and its single-core score is 3327.

The CPU’s percentile rank of 84 indicates it is a top-tier processor. Its nearest rivals, such as the Intel Core i7-13700H, have an average score of 27716, which is only 0.4% higher. This demonstrates that the 5800X's performance is competitive with newer mobile parts. However, in this gaming scenario, the CPU's capabilities are not fully utilized.

The measured FPS data shows that the system's performance is not CPU-limited. The frame rate differences between presets are consistent with GPU workload changes, not CPU bottlenecks. The Ryzen 7 5800X provides ample headroom, but the GTX 1660 SUPER cannot translate that CPU power into higher frame rates. The data confirms that the processor is a non-factor in the performance ceiling of this combo, and the GPU is the sole determinant of playability.