Control

FAQ

Q: What is the overall ranking of this CPU and GPU combination in Control?

A: This combo ranks 3,176 out of 3,720 tested combinations in the game's benchmark database, placing it in the lower portion of all tested systems.

Q: How does the Ryzen 7 9800X3D compare to its nearest CPU rivals in average benchmark score?

A: The Ryzen 7 9800X3D has an average benchmark score of 39,768. It is 0.4% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840HS (39,603), 0.7% ahead of the AMD Ryzen AI 7 450 (39,485), but 0.7% behind the AMD Ryzen AI 9 365 (40,048) and 0.8% behind the AMD Ryzen 7 7700 (40,081).

Q: What is the best average frame rate achievable with this GPU at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER achieves an average of 91 FPS, which is the highest average recorded for this GPU across all tested settings and resolutions.

Q: Does the GTX 1660 SUPER support ray tracing or hardware-accelerated features in Control?

A: The GPU has no RT cores and no tensor cores, meaning it lacks dedicated hardware for ray tracing and AI-accelerated features. Its architecture is Turing, but the chip (TU116) does not include these acceleration blocks.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded at 1440p Medium settings?

A: At 2560x1440 with Medium settings, the minimum FPS is 41, with a maximum of 56 and an average of 49.

Q: How does the GTX 1660 SUPER's average benchmark score compare to its nearest GPU rival?

A: The GTX 1660 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 12,986. It is 0.4% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Mobile (12,940) and 0.4% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 580 (12,928), but 0.7% behind the NVIDIA Tesla M2090 (13,075) and 0.9% ahead of the AMD Radeon 740M (12,870).

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER is built on the TU116 chip using a 12 nm TSMC process, with 6,600 million transistors on a 284 mm² die. It has 1,408 shading units, 88 texture mapping units, and 48 raster output units. The GPU operates with a base clock of 1530 MHz and a boost clock of 1785 MHz. Memory is 6 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus, with a memory clock of 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective) delivering 336.0 GB/s of bandwidth.

In Control, these specifications translate into a GPU that is capable of playable frame rates at lower resolutions, but struggles at 4K. The pixel rate is 85.68 GPixel/s and texture rate is 157.1 GTexel/s. FP32 performance is 5.027 TFLOPS. The GPU's 53rd percentile ranking among all GPUs indicates it sits near the middle of the pack; it performs similarly to the RTX 3050 Ti Mobile and RX 580, both of which are within 0.4% of its average benchmark score.

The absence of RT cores and tensor cores means no hardware-accelerated ray tracing or DLSS. In Control, which heavily uses real-time lighting and physics effects, this places the burden entirely on the rasterization pipeline. The 6 GB VRAM is a limiting factor at higher resolutions: at 3840x2160 Ultra, the average FPS drops to 25, while at 1920x1080 Low it reaches 91. The VRAM capacity likely becomes a bottleneck when texture quality and resolution scale up, as evidenced by the steep decline from Low to Ultra at each resolution.

How This Combo Ranks

Among all tested CPU and GPU combinations in Control, this pairing ranks 3,176 out of 3,720. That places it in the bottom 15% of all systems tested. The ranking reflects the GPU's mid-tier position and the CPU's high-end capabilities, which are mismatched for this title: the Ryzen 7 9800X3D is a top-tier processor, but the GTX 1660 SUPER limits overall performance.

The combo's rank is driven almost entirely by the GPU. The CPU, which ranks in the 87th percentile among all CPUs, is not the bottleneck in this game. The GPU, at the 53rd percentile, is the limiting factor. The nearest GPU rivals — RTX 3050 Ti Mobile, RX 580, Tesla M2090, and Radeon 740M — all have average benchmark scores within 0.9% of the GTX 1660 SUPER, meaning the GPU is solidly in a mid-range cluster.

In practice, this means the system will deliver smooth frame rates at 1080p with medium-to-high settings, but will fall below 60 FPS at 1440p High and below 30 FPS at 4K Ultra. The ranking suggests that many other tested combinations deliver more consistent high-refresh-rate experiences, but this setup remains viable for 1080p gaming in Control.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the GTX 1660 SUPER delivers an average of 91 FPS on Low settings, 64 FPS on Medium (min 55, max 74), 57 FPS on High, and 50 FPS on Ultra. The step from Low to Medium costs 27 FPS, while the step from Medium to High costs 7 FPS, and High to Ultra costs another 7 FPS. This shows that the largest performance hit comes from moving out of Low settings, with diminishing returns at higher presets.

At 2560x1440, the averages drop to 69 FPS on Low, 49 FPS on Medium (min 41, max 56), 43 FPS on High, and 38 FPS on Ultra. The 1440p Low result is the only 1440p setting that maintains an average above 60 FPS. Medium and High both fall below that threshold, and Ultra dips to 38 FPS.

At 3840x2160, performance becomes marginal: 46 FPS on Low, 33 FPS on Medium (min 28, max 38), 29 FPS on High, and 25 FPS on Ultra. No 4K setting reaches 60 FPS, and even Low settings only manage 46 FPS on average. The Medium preset at 4K has a minimum of 28 FPS, indicating noticeable stutter during demanding scenes.

Scaling from 1080p to 1440p at the same preset reduces average FPS by roughly 24–31% (e.g., High goes from 57 to 43, a 25% drop). Scaling from 1440p to 4K at the same preset reduces average FPS by an additional 33–43% (e.g., Low goes from 69 to 46, a 33% drop; High goes from 43 to 29, a 33% drop). The data shows that the GPU's memory bandwidth and VRAM capacity are insufficient for smooth 4K gameplay, but 1080p remains the sweet spot.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the best experience for this combo is at 1920x1080 with Medium settings, which yields an average of 64 FPS with a minimum of 55 and maximum of 74. This preset offers a good balance between visual quality and smoothness, staying above 60 FPS on average while avoiding the steep performance cost of High and Ultra.

At 1080p High, the average drops to 57 FPS, which is still playable but below the 60 FPS threshold. Ultra at 1080p yields 50 FPS, which may be acceptable for slower-paced sections but risks dips during action. Low at 1080p delivers 91 FPS, but the visual downgrade is substantial.

For 1440p, the only setting that maintains playable frame rates is Low, at 69 FPS average. Medium at 1440p drops to 49 FPS, which is borderline for a game like Control that has fast combat and environmental effects. High and Ultra at 1440p are not recommended, as averages fall to 43 and 38 FPS respectively.

At 3840x2160, no setting is recommended for a smooth experience. Even Low only reaches 46 FPS, and Medium dips to 33 FPS with a minimum of 28. Users with a 4K display should consider lowering the resolution or accepting sub-30 FPS on Low.

The data suggests that the optimal configuration is 1080p Medium: it provides the highest frame rate that stays above 60 FPS on average while retaining medium-level detail. For users prioritizing frame rate over visuals, 1080p Low offers 91 FPS, but the perceptible quality loss is significant. The 55 FPS minimum at 1080p Medium indicates that even in demanding scenes, the frame rate rarely drops below the 50s, which is generally considered playable.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D is a desktop processor from the 9000 series, built on the Zen 5 architecture (Granite Ridge) using a 4 nm TSMC process. It has 8 cores and 16 threads, with a base clock of 4.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.20 GHz. The CPU features 80 KB of L1 cache per core, 1 MB of L2 cache per core, and 96 MB of shared L3 cache. It supports DDR5 memory in a dual-channel configuration with 89.6 GB/s of bandwidth. It is unlocked for overclocking and has a TDP of 120 W.

In synthetic benchmarks, the CPU scores 23,230 in Cinebench R23 multi-core, 2,080 in single-core, and 18,696 in Geekbench multi-core. It ranks in the 87th percentile among all CPUs. Its nearest rivals — the Ryzen 7 PRO 8840HS, Ryzen AI 9 365, Ryzen AI 7 450, and Ryzen 7 7700 — all have average benchmark scores within 0.8% of each other, indicating that this CPU is in a tightly contested performance tier.

In Control, the CPU's role is secondary to the GPU. The game is graphically intensive, and the GTX 1660 SUPER is the clear bottleneck. The Ryzen 7 9800X3D's high single-thread performance (2,080 in Cinebench R23 single-core) and strong multi-threaded capabilities (23,230 in multi-core) mean that it will not limit frame rates in this title. Even at 1080p Low, where the GPU produces 91 FPS, the CPU is unlikely to be the limiting factor, given its 16 threads and high boost clock.

The CPU's 96 MB of L3 cache is beneficial for games that rely on large working sets, but Control's engine is more GPU-bound. The 8-core/16-thread configuration provides ample headroom for background tasks and streaming, but the measured FPS data shows no evidence of CPU-related stutters or frame drops. The minimum FPS values (e.g., 55 at 1080p Medium) are more likely attributable to GPU load than CPU limitations.

The CPU's 87th percentile ranking and 4.70 GHz base clock ensure that even in CPU-heavy scenes — such as physics calculations or AI updates — the processor can keep up. However, the combo's overall rank of 3,176 out of 3,720 is dictated by the GPU's mid-range performance. Upgrading the GPU would yield far greater FPS improvements than any CPU change, as the data indicates the processor is not the constraining component in this pairing.