Control

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X paired with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti is a combination that lands in the lower quartile of tested configurations for Control, achieving a rank of 1411 out of 1636 combos. The benchmark data shows that while the CPU is a high-end part with strong synthetic scores, the GPU consistently limits performance, particularly at higher resolutions and settings. This pairing delivers playable frame rates at 1080p with reduced settings, but struggles to maintain smooth performance at 4K or with Ultra presets.

FAQ

*Q: What is the overall performance ranking of this CPU and GPU combo in Control?*

A: This combination ranks 1411th out of 1636 tested combos, placing it in the 14th percentile of all configurations for this game.

Q: How does the Ryzen 7 9700X compare to its closest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The CPU's average benchmark score is 36029. It is 0.2% ahead of the Intel Core i5-14500HX and 0.6% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845, while being 0.4% and 0.8% behind the Intel Core Ultra 9 185H and Intel Core Ultra 5 225H, respectively.

Q: What is the best 1080p performance achieved by this combo?

A: The highest average frame rate at 1920x1080 is 94.6 FPS, which is achieved with the Low settings preset.

*Q: Is the GTX 1660 Ti capable of running Control at 4K?*

A: The data shows it can run at 4K, but with limited playability. At 3840x2160, the average FPS ranges from 27.6 FPS on High/Ultra settings to 47.4 FPS on Low settings.

Q: How does the GTX 1660 Ti's benchmark score compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The GPU's average benchmark score is 13925. It is 0.4% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 570X and 0.8% ahead of the NVIDIA RTX A2000 Mobile and GeForce GTX 680, but 0.7% behind the NVIDIA Tesla K10.

Q: What is the difference in performance between the Low and Ultra presets at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset yields an average of 66.9 FPS, while the Ultra preset drops to an average of 36.5 FPS, a significant performance cost for the higher visual fidelity.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X is a Zen 5 architecture processor with 8 cores and 16 threads, based on the Granite Ridge codename. It has a base clock of 3.80 GHz and a boost clock of 5.50 GHz, and its 32 MB of shared L3 cache helps with gaming workloads. The CPU's synthetic benchmark results are robust, with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 31588 and a single-core score of 4459, indicating strong processing power that is not a bottleneck in this game.

The 9700X's performance relative to its peers is tight. Its average benchmark score of 36029 places it within 1% of its nearest rivals, such as the Intel Core i5-14500HX and the Intel Core Ultra 9 185H. This demonstrates that the CPU is a high-tier part, capable of feeding frames to any modern GPU. In the context of Control, the CPU's role is to handle the game's physics and logic, which it does without issue, as indicated by its high Passmark Physics score of 2241.

The data suggests that at lower resolutions like 1080p, the CPU's power is sufficient to push frame rates higher, but the GPU becomes the limiting factor. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 94.6 FPS, showing the CPU can drive high frame rates. However, the consistent drop in FPS as resolution and settings increase points directly to the GPU being the performance ceiling, not the 9700X.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti is a Turing-architecture GPU with 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 288.0 GB/s. It has a base clock of 1500 MHz and a boost clock of 1770 MHz. Its synthetic performance is modest, with a Passmark G3D score of 12871 and a 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 1061, placing it in the 55th percentile of all GPUs.

The GTX 1660 Ti's benchmark score of 13925 is very close to its rivals, with a delta of less than 1% compared to the AMD Radeon RX 570X and NVIDIA RTX A2000 Mobile. This indicates the GPU is an average performer, and its 6 GB of VRAM is a potential limitation for modern games at higher settings. In Control, the GPU's role is critical, as the game's visual effects and rendering are demanding.

The measured FPS data shows the GPU's limitations clearly. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo hits 94.6 FPS, but at 1080p Ultra, it drops to 51.4 FPS. The frame rate declines further at higher resolutions, with 4K High and Ultra both producing an average of 27.6 FPS. This pattern confirms that the GTX 1660 Ti is the primary bottleneck, unable to maintain playable frame rates at resolutions above 1080p with high settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its best performance. The Low preset achieves an average of 94.6 FPS, which is highly playable. The Medium preset averages 68.1 FPS, and the High preset averages 58.5 FPS. The Ultra preset drops to an average of 51.4 FPS, which is still playable but shows a significant performance cost.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates decrease across all presets. The Low preset averages 66.9 FPS, a drop of 27.7 FPS from 1080p. The Medium preset averages 49.9 FPS, and the High preset averages 46.1 FPS. The Ultra preset at this resolution averages 36.5 FPS, which starts to feel less smooth for an action-adventure game.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is clearly overburdened. The Low preset averages 47.4 FPS, which is still somewhat playable. The Medium preset drops to 36.2 FPS, while the High and Ultra presets both average 27.6 FPS, which is below the threshold for comfortable gameplay. The data shows a consistent decline in performance as the resolution increases, with the gap between Low and Ultra settings narrowing at higher resolutions.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals a heavy GPU bottleneck. At 1080p Low, the average FPS is 94.6. At 1440p Low, it drops to 66.9 FPS, a 29.3% decrease. At 4K Low, the average is 47.4 FPS, a 49.9% decrease from 1080p Low.

The trend is similar for other settings. For High settings, the FPS drops from 58.5 at 1080p to 46.1 at 1440p, and then to 27.6 at 4K. This represents a 52.8% drop from 1080p to 4K. The data shows that the performance hit from increasing resolution is substantial, confirming that the GTX 1660 Ti's rendering capabilities are the limiting factor.

The scaling pattern indicates that the CPU is not the primary constraint. If the CPU were the bottleneck, the FPS would remain more stable across resolutions. Instead, the sharp decline in FPS as pixel count increases points directly to the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth being saturated. This is a classic sign of a GPU-bound scenario, especially at 4K where the 288.0 GB/s bandwidth is insufficient for the workload.

Settings Recommendations

For the best experience at 1920x1080, the Low preset is the clear winner, providing an average of 94.6 FPS. This is the only setting that allows the combo to push well beyond the 60 FPS threshold. For those who want better visuals, the Medium preset at 68.1 FPS is a solid compromise, offering a significant improvement in fidelity over Low while maintaining smooth gameplay.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset is the only option that consistently delivers playable frame rates, with an average of 66.9 FPS. The Medium preset at 49.9 FPS is borderline, and the High preset at 46.1 FPS may be acceptable for some players, but the Ultra preset at 36.5 FPS is not recommended for a responsive experience.

At 3840x2160, the data suggests that the Low preset at 47.4 FPS is the only viable option for gameplay. The Medium preset at 36.2 FPS and the High/Ultra presets at 27.6 FPS are too slow for a game like Control. The overall recommendation is to prioritize the Low or Medium presets at 1080p for the best balance of performance and visual quality.

How This Combo Ranks

This combination of the AMD Ryzen 7 9700X and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti ranks 1411th out of 1636 tested combos in Control. This places it in the bottom 14% of all configurations, a low position that is directly attributable to the GPU's performance ceiling. The CPU is a top-tier part, but the GTX 1660 Ti holds the system back.

The ranking reflects the data: the combo is only capable of high frame rates at 1080p with the Low preset. In a game with demanding visuals like Control, the 6 GB VRAM and lower compute power of the GTX 1660 Ti are insufficient for higher settings. The CPU's strong synthetic scores, such as a Geekbench multicore score of 17002, do not translate into high FPS in this title because the GPU cannot keep up.

The 1411th rank is a clear indicator that this is a mismatched pairing for Control. The high-end CPU is wasted in this scenario, as the GPU limits performance across all resolutions and settings. For users with this combo, the data shows that the upgrade path should focus on the GPU to improve the gaming experience in this title.