Control

Control with an AMD Ryzen 7 7700 and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER is a study in GPU-limited scaling. The GTX 1660 SUPER sits at the 55th percentile of all GPUs, while the Ryzen 7 7700 ranks in the 91st percentile of CPUs, making the graphics card the clear constraint in this pairing. The benchmark data shows a predictable pattern: as resolution climbs, frame rates fall sharply, and the CPU's headroom goes unused.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent across all settings presets. At Low settings, the average frame rate falls from 94 FPS at 1920x1080 to 45.4 FPS at 3840x2160 — a reduction of roughly half. At Ultra settings, the decline is from 50.1 FPS to 22.9 FPS, which is proportionally similar. This linear scaling behavior indicates the GTX 1660 SUPER is the limiting component; a CPU-bound scenario would show a much smaller gap between resolutions.

The difference between 1080p and 1440p is also telling. At High settings, 1920x1080 delivers 56.8 FPS, while 2560x1440 drops to 45.7 FPS — a 19.5% decrease. Moving from 1440p to 4K at High settings yields a further drop to 27.9 FPS, a 38.9% decrease. The incremental penalties grow as pixel count rises, which is the signature of a GPU working at full capacity. The Ryzen 7 7700, with its 8 cores and 16 threads, is not the bottleneck here; its Cinebench R23 multicore score of 29302 suggests it could handle far more graphical load than the GTX 1660 SUPER can feed it.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Control at 4K comfortably?

A: No. At 4K, even Low settings only yield 45.4 FPS average, and Ultra drops to 22.9 FPS. This is below playable thresholds for most users.

Q: What is the best resolution for smooth gameplay?

A: 1920x1080 is the only resolution where all settings presets stay above 50 FPS. Low settings hit 94 FPS, Medium 66 FPS, and High 56.8 FPS.

Q: Does the Ryzen 7 7700 hold back the GTX 1660 SUPER in this game?

A: Benchmark results indicate no. The CPU's performance percentile (91st) far exceeds the GPU's (55th), and the FPS scaling with resolution matches GPU-bound behavior.

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

A: The GPU's average benchmark score of 14286 is nearly identical to the AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT (14389, delta -0.7%) and the Intel Iris Xe MAX Graphics (14315, delta -0.2%). Performance is effectively a tie.

Q: Is there a settings preset that balances quality and frame rate at 1440p?

A: Low settings at 2560x1440 deliver 67.8 FPS, which is the only 1440p preset above 60 FPS. Medium drops to 51 FPS, and High falls to 45.7 FPS.

Q: What does the combo rank tell us about this pairing?

A: This combination ranks 1449 out of 1636 tested combos, placing it in the lower 12% of configurations. This is consistent with the GPU's mid-low tier positioning.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 7700 is a Zen 4 desktop processor with 8 cores and 16 threads, running at a base clock of 3.80 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz. Its synthetic benchmarks are strong: Cinebench R23 multicore scores 29302 and single-core scores 4136. The 3DMark 16-thread score of 8484 aligns closely with the max-thread score of 8479, confirming the processor scales well with full thread usage. In Control, this CPU has more than enough computational headroom.

The game's FPS data shows no sign of CPU limitation. At 1080p Low, the combo reaches 94 FPS average, which is respectable but far from the CPU's potential ceiling. The Ryzen 7 7700's nearest rivals in CPU benchmark scores include the AMD Ryzen 9 7940H (40431, delta 0.1%) and the Intel Core i9-13905H (40712, delta -0.6%), all within a 1.2% band. This indicates the CPU is performing as expected for its class. However, the GTX 1660 SUPER's Passmark G3D score of 12699 places it in the 55th percentile, meaning the GPU is likely the limiting factor in every measured frame rate.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the full settings sweep is available. Low settings produce an average of 94 FPS, which is the highest measured result in the entire dataset. Medium settings drop to 66 FPS, a 29.8% decrease from Low. High settings yield 56.8 FPS, and Ultra falls to 50.1 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 43.9 FPS, showing that Control's settings have a substantial impact on this GPU.

Moving to 2560x1440, the averages compress downward. Low settings still lead with 67.8 FPS, followed by Medium at 51 FPS, High at 45.7 FPS, and Ultra at 36.3 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra narrows to 31.5 FPS, indicating that the GPU is becoming the dominant constraint at this resolution. At 3840x2160, the pattern continues: Low hits 45.4 FPS, Medium 34.8 FPS, High 27.9 FPS, and Ultra 22.9 FPS. The Low-to-Ultra gap shrinks further to 22.5 FPS, confirming that pixel fill rate is the primary limitation.

The data shows a consistent hierarchy: Low > Medium > High > Ultra at every resolution. The relative performance drop from Low to Ultra is 46.7% at 1080p, 46.5% at 1440p, and 49.6% at 4K. This consistency suggests the GTX 1660 SUPER handles all settings in a similar GPU-bound manner, with no sudden cliff or anomaly.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of AMD Ryzen 7 7700 and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER ranks 1449 out of 1636 tested combos, placing it in the bottom 11.4% of configurations. The rank reflects the GPU's modest standing rather than the CPU's capability. The GTX 1660 SUPER's average benchmark score of 14286 sits at the 55th percentile of all GPUs, and its nearest rivals are all within 0.7% in either direction: the Intel Iris Xe MAX Graphics (14315, delta -0.2%), the AMD Radeon RX Vega 11 (14314, delta -0.2%), and the AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT (14389, delta -0.7%). This means the GPU is essentially tied with integrated and entry-level discrete options.

In contrast, the Ryzen 7 7700 ranks in the 91st percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 40468. Its nearest rivals — the AMD Ryzen 9 7940H, AMD Ryzen AI 9 365, Intel Core i9-13905H, and Intel Core Ultra 5 235T — are all within 1.2% of its score. The pairing of a top-tier CPU with a mid-low-tier GPU makes the combo rank lower than the CPU alone would suggest. For Control specifically, the measured FPS data aligns with the GPU's rank, showing that the graphics card dictates the experience.

Settings Recommendations

For 1920x1080, which is the target resolution for this GPU class, the data supports using High settings as the default. High delivers 56.8 FPS average, which is above the 50 FPS threshold for acceptable smoothness in an action-adventure game. Medium settings offer 66 FPS for players who prioritize frame rate over visual fidelity, while Low reaches 94 FPS for competitive or high-refresh-rate play. Ultra at 50.1 FPS is playable but leaves no headroom for demanding scenes.

At 2560x1440, the recommendation shifts to Low settings, which produce 67.8 FPS. Medium dips to 51 FPS, which is borderline, and High falls to 45.7 FPS, which may cause noticeable stutter in fast-paced combat. Ultra at 36.3 FPS is not recommended. For 3840x2160, no preset delivers a consistently smooth experience; Low at 45.4 FPS is the best option, but even that is marginal. Players with 4K displays should consider lowering resolution or accepting the frame rate tradeoff.

The empirical data suggests that the GTX 1660 SUPER is best paired with 1080p displays and Medium-to-High settings for a balanced experience. The Ryzen 7 7700's performance headroom means future GPU upgrades would unlock more FPS without needing a CPU change.