Control

Control, the 2019 Action Adventure title, presents a demanding workload for this pairing of the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER. The measured data shows a configuration that is heavily constrained by the graphics card, with playable performance largely confined to 1080p and select settings at higher resolutions. The 8-core, 16-thread processor provides ample headroom, but the GTX 1660 SUPER’s 6 GB VRAM and Turing architecture ultimately define the experience.

Settings Recommendations

The benchmark results clearly indicate that the Low preset is the only setting that provides a consistently fluid experience across all tested resolutions. At 1920x1080, Low yields an average of 90.4 FPS, which is 23 FPS higher than the next best setting (Medium at 67.4 FPS). This suggests that the visual quality difference between Low and Medium comes at a significant performance cost that this GPU cannot absorb while maintaining high frame rates.

For users prioritizing smoothness over visual fidelity, Low at 1920x1080 is the definitive choice, delivering the highest measured average frame rate. At 2560x1440, the Low preset drops to 71.5 FPS, which remains acceptable for most action gameplay, but the gap to Medium (47.8 FPS) is substantial, confirming that Low is necessary for a responsive feel. The High preset at 1080p (56.2 FPS) is a viable compromise for those who want better visuals, but it represents a 38% reduction in average FPS compared to Low, which is a steep trade-off for a game that benefits from smooth camera movement.

At 4K, no preset reaches a comfortable average above 47 FPS. The data shows that Low at 3840x2160 (46.6 FPS) is the only playable option, and even then, it borders on the edge of acceptability for a fast-paced action game. The Ultra preset is effectively unusable at every resolution, with the highest average being 51.8 FPS at 1080p and dropping to 23 FPS at 4K. The recommendation is to avoid Ultra entirely, as the performance penalty is severe without a proportionate visual benefit.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D is a Zen 3 architecture processor with 8 cores and 16 threads. Its base clock of 3.40 GHz and boost clock of 4.50 GHz, combined with a large 96 MB shared L3 cache, make it a strong performer in synthetic benchmarks, with a multi-thread score of 10,106 in Cinebench R20 and a single-thread score of 1,426 in the same test. In the context of Control, the data shows that this CPU is not the limiting factor.

The benchmark results show a consistent pattern where frame rates scale directly with resolution and settings, which is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario. At 1080p Low, the CPU has to feed frames to the GPU at a rate of 90.4 FPS, and the processor’s capability is not tested because the GPU becomes the bottleneck. The CPU’s percentile rank of 83 against all CPUs, and its proximity to rivals like the Intel Core i9-11900K (0.1% delta) and AMD Ryzen 5 7600 (-0.2% delta), indicate that its raw computational power is high enough to handle the game’s physics and AI without introducing frame drops.

The data does not show any scenario where the CPU’s thread count or clock speed becomes a constraint. Even at the lowest resolution and settings, the frame rate is dictated by the GPU’s rendering capacity, not the CPU’s ability to issue draw calls. This indicates that the Ryzen 7 5800X3D provides a stable foundation, but its 3D V-Cache and high core count are largely idle headroom in this particular game, as the GTX 1660 SUPER cannot keep pace.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER is built on the Turing architecture and features 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, providing 336.0 GB/s of bandwidth. Its boost clock of 1785 MHz and 1408 shading units deliver a peak FP32 performance of 5.027 TFLOPS. The GPU’s average benchmark score of 14,286 places it in the 55th percentile of all GPUs, with its nearest rival being the AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT, which is only 0.7% faster on average.

In Control, the GPU is the dominant performance limiter. The FPS data shows a clear trend: at 1080p, the average frame rates range from 51.8 (Ultra) to 90.4 (Low), but at 4K, the range narrows to 23.0 (Ultra) to 46.6 (Low). This steep decline with resolution is a direct result of the GPU’s limited pixel throughput and VRAM capacity. The 6 GB VRAM is a critical constraint, as the High and Ultra presets at 4K require more memory than available, causing the average FPS to drop to 31.7 and 23.0, respectively.

The GPU’s memory bandwidth of 336.0 GB/s is insufficient to handle the high-resolution texture loads at 4K, leading to stutter and low averages. Even at 1440p, the High preset (43.9 FPS) and Ultra preset (39.8 FPS) are both below the 60 FPS target, confirming that the GPU’s compute and memory resources are saturated. The data suggests that the GTX 1660 SUPER is a capable 1080p card, but its architecture and VRAM size make it unsuitable for higher resolutions in Control without significant settings reductions.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS achievable with this combo?

A: The highest measured average FPS is 90.4, achieved at 1920x1080 with the Low preset.

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

A: The data shows the GPU is the clear bottleneck. Frame rates drop significantly as resolution increases, which is a GPU-bound characteristic. The CPU’s performance is sufficient to feed the GPU at all tested settings.

Q: How does the GTX 1660 SUPER compare to its nearest rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The GTX 1660 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 14,286, which is 0.7% lower than the AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT (14,389). It is also 0.2% slower than the Intel Iris Xe MAX Graphics (14,315).

Q: What is the performance impact of switching from Low to Medium at 1080p?

A: Switching from Low to Medium at 1920x1080 reduces the average FPS from 90.4 to 67.4, a drop of 23 FPS. This is a significant penalty for a modest visual upgrade.

Q: Can this system run Control at 4K smoothly?

A: No. The highest average FPS at 3840x2160 is 46.6 on Low settings. All other presets at 4K average below 35 FPS, with Ultra averaging only 23 FPS, making them unplayable.

Q: How does the Ryzen 7 5800X3D rank among all CPUs?

A: The Ryzen 7 5800X3D has an average benchmark score of 26,574 and ranks in the 83rd percentile of all CPUs. It is 0.1% faster than the Intel Core i9-11900K.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS data reveals a stark resolution scaling pattern that underscores the GPU’s limitations. Moving from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440 on the Low preset reduces the average FPS from 90.4 to 71.5, a 21% drop. This is a moderate decline, indicating that the GPU is still managing the workload at 1440p. However, the jump from 1440p to 4K on the same preset is more severe, with FPS falling from 71.5 to 46.6, a 35% reduction.

This pattern is consistent across all settings. At High, the FPS drops from 56.2 (1080p) to 43.9 (1440p) to 31.7 (4K). At Ultra, the FPS drops from 51.8 (1080p) to 39.8 (1440p) to 23.0 (4K). The data shows that the scaling is not linear; the transition from 1440p to 4K incurs a disproportionately larger penalty, particularly on higher presets. This indicates that the GPU is running out of both compute power and memory bandwidth as the pixel count increases.

The limiting component is unequivocally the GPU. The CPU’s performance remains constant, and the frame rate is directly tied to the GPU’s rendering output. At 1080p, the GPU can produce playable frame rates on Low and Medium, but as the resolution increases, the GPU’s fill rate and memory bandwidth are exhausted, causing the average FPS to plummet. This suggests that for optimal performance, users should prioritize resolution scaling down to 1080p rather than adjusting settings at higher resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured data provides a complete matrix of average FPS across three resolutions and four settings presets.

At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers the best performance with an average of 90.4 FPS. The Medium preset follows with 67.4 FPS, which is a significant step down. High averages 56.2 FPS, and Ultra averages 51.8 FPS. This resolution is the only one where any preset exceeds the 60 FPS threshold, and it is only the Low preset that does so comfortably.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 71.5 FPS, which remains playable. The Medium preset drops to 47.8 FPS, High averages 43.9 FPS, and Ultra averages 39.8 FPS. None of the higher presets reach 60 FPS, indicating that 1440p requires the Low preset for a smooth experience.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 46.6 FPS, which is the best result at this resolution. Medium averages 35.0 FPS, High averages 31.7 FPS, and Ultra averages 23.0 FPS. All results at 4K are below 50 FPS, and the higher presets are effectively unplayable due to the low frame rates and potential stutter from VRAM limits.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER combination is ranked 1429 out of 1636 tested combos in Control, placing it in the bottom 13% of all configurations. This low ranking is a direct consequence of the GPU’s performance, as the CPU is a high-end component. The CPU’s average benchmark score of 26,574 is in the 83rd percentile, while the GPU’s score of 14,286 is in the 55th percentile, creating a significant imbalance.

This ranking indicates that the system is not well-suited for Control, particularly at higher resolutions. The data shows that the combo is outperformed by a large majority of tested systems, which likely feature more powerful GPUs. The position in the lower quartile of the ranking is a clear verdict that the GTX 1660 SUPER is the limiting factor. While the CPU provides a strong foundation, the overall experience is hampered by the GPU’s inability to maintain high frame rates at 1440p and 4K. For a game like Control, which features complex visual effects and physics, this combo is best suited for 1080p gaming with settings tuned to Low or Medium for a stable frame rate.