Control

The AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 presents a study in imbalance when running Control, with the data clearly showing a GPU-bound scenario at higher resolutions. At 1080p Low, the combo delivers 107.9 FPS, which drops to 70.1 FPS at High and 58.8 FPS at Ultra. Moving to 1440p shows a steeper decline: 80.4 FPS on Low, 52.8 FPS on High, and 46.8 FPS on Ultra. At 4K, the scaling becomes severe, with Low producing 55.5 FPS, Medium 42.1 FPS, High 36 FPS, and Ultra falling to 31.3 FPS. The delta between 1080p Low and 4K Low is a 52.6 FPS drop, indicating that the RTX 2060’s rendering capabilities are the limiting factor once pixel count rises, while the 7800X3D’s 8-core, 16-thread Zen 4 architecture with 96 MB of L3 cache keeps feeding frames without introducing CPU-side bottlenecks.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS curve across resolutions follows a predictable pattern for a mid-range GPU from the Turing generation. At 1080p, the RTX 2060 manages a playable 70.1 FPS on High, but the jump to 1440p High costs 17.3 FPS, landing at 52.8 FPS. The 4K High result of 36 FPS is a 34.1 FPS reduction from 1080p High, which is a 48.6% performance loss. This scaling behavior suggests the GPU’s 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus with 336.0 GB/s bandwidth becomes saturated as resolution increases, particularly with the game’s particle effects and physics simulation. The RTX 2060’s 1920 shading units and 48 ROPs deliver a pixel rate of 80.64 GPixel/s, but that proves insufficient for 4K Ultra, where the combo only reaches 31.3 FPS.

The 7800X3D’s role in this scaling is minimal, as its 3D V-Cache and high single-thread performance (a 3dmark_single_thread score of 959) ensure that even at 1080p Low with 107.9 FPS, the CPU is not the constraint. The bottleneck shifts entirely to the GPU at 1440p and above, where the RTX 2060’s 6.451 TFLOPS FP32 performance becomes the ceiling. The data shows a 25.3 FPS difference between 1080p High and 1440p High, which is a larger relative drop than the 16.8 FPS difference between 1440p High and 4K High, indicating diminishing returns as resolution scales beyond what the GPU’s memory subsystem can efficiently handle.

How This Combo Ranks

In the benchmark database, this specific CPU-GPU combination ranks 1312 out of 1636 tested combos for Control, placing it in the lower 20% of all configurations. This low ranking is primarily attributable to the RTX 2060, which sits at the 58th percentile among all GPUs, while the 7800X3D ranks at the 87th percentile among all CPUs. The pairing creates a significant mismatch: the CPU is a top-tier gaming processor, but the GPU anchors the system’s overall standing. The RTX 2060’s nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 7600S, which scores 0.5% higher, and the AMD Radeon Pro 5600M, which is 1.7% faster. None of these rivals are desktop-class cards, which underscores how the RTX 2060 is positioned near the entry level of modern gaming performance.

The combo’s average benchmark score of 16074 for the GPU and 31580 for the CPU highlights the disparity. In Control, the measured FPS data confirms that the GPU is the limiting component, as the 7800X3D’s Cinebench R23 multicore score of 29149 and single-core score of 4115 would not struggle with the game’s physics or AI workloads. The rank of 1312 out of 1636 means that 324 other combinations deliver better performance in this title, which is expected given that most of those likely pair the RTX 2060 with weaker CPUs or pair stronger GPUs with similar processors. For a 1440p gaming target, this combo achieves 52.8 FPS on High, which is below the 60 FPS threshold that many users consider the baseline for smooth gameplay.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS rows provide clear guidance for optimal settings at each resolution. At 1080p, the Medium preset delivers 76.6 FPS, which is a 6.5 FPS improvement over High’s 70.1 FPS while still maintaining visual quality. The Ultra preset drops to 58.8 FPS, which is playable but sacrifices 17.8 FPS compared to Medium. For 1080p users, Medium is the sweet spot, as it offers a 30.8 FPS advantage over Ultra while retaining most of the game’s graphical features. At 1440p, the Medium preset produces 56.3 FPS, which is only 3.5 FPS higher than High’s 52.8 FPS. The Low preset jumps to 80.4 FPS, but this requires significant visual compromises. For 1440p, High is the best balance, as the difference between Medium and High is minimal, and Ultra’s 46.8 FPS is too close to the 4K High result to justify the extra load.

At 4K, the situation is more constrained. The Low preset achieves 55.5 FPS, which is the only 4K setting that approaches playability, while Medium drops to 42.1 FPS and High falls to 36 FPS. Ultra at 4K produces 31.3 FPS, which is below the threshold for smooth action gameplay. The data suggests that 4K is only viable with Low settings, and even then, the 55.5 FPS average may experience dips during intense combat sequences. For users prioritizing visual fidelity at 1080p, Ultra at 58.8 FPS is acceptable, but Medium offers a 30% FPS increase with only minor visual differences. The RTX 2060’s 6 GB VRAM capacity is a limiting factor at higher settings, as Control’s textures and effects can exceed 6 GB at 1440p and 4K Ultra, leading to potential stuttering beyond the measured averages.

FAQ

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

A: Yes, on Low and Medium presets. The measured data shows 107.9 FPS on Low and 76.6 FPS on Medium, both exceeding 60 FPS. High produces 70.1 FPS, which also clears the threshold, but Ultra drops to 58.8 FPS.

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

A: 1080p offers the most consistent performance, with all presets except Ultra staying above 70 FPS. At 1440p, only Low (80.4 FPS) and Medium (56.3 FPS) are playable, while 4K requires Low settings to reach 55.5 FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 2060 compare to its nearest rivals in benchmark scores?

A: The RTX 2060 has an average benchmark score of 16074, which is 0.5% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 7600S (15996) and 1.8% higher than the AMD Radeon Pro W5500 (15786). It trails the AMD Radeon Pro 5600M and Pro 5700 by 1.7% (16351).

Q: Is the Ryzen 7 7800X3D bottlenecking the RTX 2060 in this game?

A: No. The CPU’s 3dmark_single_thread score of 959 and Cinebench R23 multicore score of 29149 are far above what Control requires. The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K follows a GPU-bound pattern, with the RTX 2060 being the limiting component.

Q: What FPS can be expected at 1440p with High settings?

A: The measured average is 52.8 FPS. This is below 60 FPS but still playable for a single-player action-adventure title. Lowering to Medium increases to 56.3 FPS, a modest gain of 3.5 FPS.

Q: Does the combo’s rank of 1312 out of 1636 indicate poor performance?

A: The rank reflects the GPU’s limitations, not the CPU’s. The RTX 2060’s 58th percentile ranking among GPUs drags down the combo, while the 7800X3D’s 87th percentile ranking shows the processor is capable of much higher frame rates with a stronger GPU.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 is the decisive factor in Control’s performance with this combo. Its 6 GB of GDDR6 memory, running at 14 Gbps effective on a 192-bit bus, provides 336.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is adequate for 1080p but becomes strained at 1440p and 4K. The GPU’s base clock of 1365 MHz and boost clock of 1680 MHz are modest for the Turing architecture, and its 1920 shading units deliver 6.451 TFLOPS of FP32 performance. In Control, the game’s use of real-time ray tracing is supported by the RTX 2060’s 30 RT cores, but the measured FPS data indicates that enabling such features would push performance below playable levels at all resolutions. The GPU’s 48 ROPs and 201.6 GTexel/s texture rate handle the game’s surfaces, but the 4K Ultra result of 31.3 FPS shows that the 80.64 GPixel/s pixel rate is insufficient for high-resolution rendering.

The RTX 2060’s 12 nm process node from TSMC, with a die size of 445 mm² and 10,800 million transistors, is an older design compared to the CPU’s 5 nm process. This contributes to its 160 W TDP, which requires a 450 W suggested PSU and a single 8-pin power connector. The GPU’s end-of-life production status and launch MSRP of 349 USD position it as an entry-level option from the GeForce 20-series, and its PassMark G3D score of 14111 reflects its mid-range standing. The 58th percentile ranking among all GPUs means that roughly 42% of tested GPUs perform worse, but in Control, the measured FPS at 1440p High (52.8 FPS) and 4K High (36 FPS) indicates that the GPU is the primary constraint. The CPU’s average benchmark score of 31580 is nearly double the GPU’s 16074, emphasizing that upgrading the GPU would yield significant FPS gains in this title without requiring a CPU change. The RTX 2060’s 6 GB VRAM is a particular concern for Control at higher settings, as the game’s texture streaming and particle effects can exceed this capacity at 1440p Ultra, potentially causing frame drops beyond the measured averages.