Control

The AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER is a study in contrast: a top-tier 2024 processor working alongside a 2019 mid-range GPU. In Control, this pairing yields playable frame rates at 1080p and 1440p, but the older graphics card is clearly the limiting factor at higher resolutions. The data shows a system that can deliver smooth gameplay when settings are adjusted appropriately, but it cannot fully exploit the CPU’s massive headroom.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D brings 8 cores and 16 threads to the table, built on the Zen 5 architecture (Granite Ridge) using a 4 nm process. Its base clock of 4.70 GHz can boost up to 5.20 GHz, and it carries a substantial 96 MB of shared L3 cache. This cache configuration is particularly beneficial for gaming workloads that rely on fast data access, though Control's engine does not appear to be especially cache-sensitive based on the performance scaling observed here.

The CPU's benchmark scores place it in the 90th percentile of all processors, with an average benchmark score of 37780. In synthetic tests, it achieves strong results: a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 34004 and a single-core score of 4800. Its nearest rivals in the overall CPU benchmark database are the Intel Xeon 6353P (deltaPct -0.1), Intel Core Ultra 5 225 (deltaPct -0.1), Intel Core i9-13900HK (deltaPct -0.6), and Intel Core i5-13600KF (deltaPct -0.7). These differences are negligible, meaning the 9800X3D is effectively at parity with those chips in aggregate compute.

For Control, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and physics data. At 1080p with Low settings, the system produces 116.6 FPS, which strongly suggests the CPU is not a bottleneck at that resolution and settings level. The 8-core, 16-thread design is more than sufficient for a game from 2019, and the high boost clock ensures that even single-threaded tasks are handled quickly. The 3DMark 16-thread score of 10081 and single-thread score of 1212 indicate well-balanced performance across both heavily threaded and lightly threaded workloads. In practice, this means the CPU will sit idle waiting for the GPU to complete its work, especially at higher resolutions where the RTX 2060 SUPER becomes the primary constraint.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of the Ryzen 7 9800X3D and RTX 2060 SUPER ranks 1239 out of 1636 tested combos in Control. That places it in the lower-middle portion of the database, which is a direct reflection of the GPU's age rather than the CPU's capability. The rank is heavily influenced by the graphics card's performance ceiling, as the CPU is among the fastest available.

Looking at the FPS data, the combo's rank makes sense. At 1080p Ultra, it achieves 66.9 FPS, which is playable but not exceptional. At 4K Ultra, it drops to 30.4 FPS, which is below the threshold for smooth gameplay. The pairing is essentially a "fast CPU with a slow GPU" configuration, and the benchmark results reflect that imbalance. If the same CPU were paired with a more modern high-end GPU, the combo rank would be dramatically higher, but with the RTX 2060 SUPER, the system is held back by the graphics card's 7.181 TFLOPS FP32 throughput and 8 GB of VRAM.

The GPU's nearest rivals in the database are the NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN (deltaPct 0.3), NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 (deltaPct 0.5), NVIDIA Quadro K5200 (deltaPct 0.8), and NVIDIA Tesla K40m (deltaPct 1.3). The RTX 2060 SUPER scores slightly higher than the RTX 2070 in the aggregate benchmark, which is an interesting anomaly but does not change the overall picture: this GPU is firmly in the mid-range tier from its generation, and it shows in Control's demanding scenes.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drops from 1080p to 4K reveal a classic GPU-bound scenario. At 1080p Low, the system hits 116.6 FPS. Moving to 1440p Low, it drops to 88.4 FPS, and at 4K Low, it falls to 61.2 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p is a 24% reduction, and from 1440p to 4K is another 31% reduction. This consistent decline with resolution indicates that the GPU is the limiting component, as the CPU's performance does not change with resolution.

At High settings, the pattern is similar: 77.3 FPS at 1080p, 57.9 FPS at 1440p, and 36.5 FPS at 4K. The gap between Low and High settings also widens as resolution increases. At 1080p, the difference between Low and High is 39.3 FPS (116.6 vs 77.3), but at 4K, the difference is only 24.7 FPS (61.2 vs 36.5). This narrowing gap suggests that at 4K, the GPU is so saturated that even reducing settings has diminishing returns — the pixel throughput becomes the hard limit.

The Ultra preset shows the most dramatic drop: 66.9 FPS at 1080p, 47.4 FPS at 1440p, and 30.4 FPS at 4K. This makes Ultra at 4K unplayable for most users, while 1080p Ultra remains viable. The data strongly suggests that for 1440p or 4K gaming with this combo, users should stick to Medium or Low settings to maintain acceptable frame rates. The RTX 2060 SUPER's 448.0 GB/s memory bandwidth and 8 GB of GDDR6 VRAM are simply not enough to drive high-quality textures at 4K without tanking performance.

FAQ

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

A: Yes, but only at Low settings, where it achieves 61.2 FPS. At Medium settings, it drops to 42.2 FPS, and at Ultra, it falls to 30.4 FPS, which is below the generally accepted 60 FPS target for smooth gameplay.

Q: What is the best resolution for this pairing?

A: 1080p is the sweet spot. At High settings, it delivers 77.3 FPS, and at Ultra, it still manages 66.9 FPS. 1440p is also viable, with 57.9 FPS at High and 47.4 FPS at Ultra, but users may need to drop to Medium (62 FPS) to get smoother performance.

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

A: The GPU is clearly the bottleneck. The CPU is in the 90th percentile of all processors, while the GPU is only in the 63rd percentile. The FPS scaling with resolution confirms this, as performance drops consistently as resolution increases, which is a GPU-bound pattern.

Q: How does the RTX 2060 SUPER compare to its nearest rival, the RTX 2070?

A: The RTX 2060 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 19774, which is 0.5% higher than the RTX 2070's 19680 score. This means they perform nearly identically in aggregate, though individual games may vary.

Q: What is the launch MSRP of the CPU and GPU?

A: The CPU's launch MSRP is $479, and the GPU's launch MSRP is 399 USD. This is provided for reference only.

Q: Does the 8 GB VRAM on the GPU cause issues at 4K?

A: The data suggests it may. At 4K Ultra, the system only produces 30.4 FPS, which is likely due to both the GPU's compute limits and potential VRAM pressure from high-resolution textures. Dropping to Low settings at 4K improves performance to 61.2 FPS, indicating that reducing texture memory usage helps significantly.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER is based on the Turing architecture (TU106 chip) and built on a 12 nm process. It features 2176 shading units, 136 texture mapping units, and 64 ROPs. Its base clock is 1470 MHz with a boost clock of 1650 MHz, and it has 34 RT cores and 272 tensor cores, which enable ray tracing and DLSS features, though Control's benchmark data here does not specify whether these features were enabled.

The GPU's memory configuration consists of 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus, providing 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. This is a reasonable amount for 1080p and 1440p gaming, but it becomes a limiting factor at 4K with high-quality settings. The pixel rate of 105.6 GPixel/s and texture rate of 224.4 GTexel/s are modest by modern standards, which explains the significant FPS drops at higher resolutions.

In synthetic benchmarks, the RTX 2060 SUPER scores 16462 in Passmark G3D and 6721 in Passmark GPU Compute. Its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score is 2011. These scores place it in the 63rd percentile of all GPUs, which is respectable for its age but far from competitive with modern mid-range cards. The GPU's average benchmark score of 19774 puts it just ahead of the GTX TITAN (0.3% delta) and RTX 2070 (0.5% delta), confirming that it sits at the upper edge of the previous generation's mid-range tier.

For Control, the GPU's role is to handle the game's physics-heavy environments and particle effects. The benchmark results show that it can manage 1080p Ultra at 66.9 FPS, which is a good experience, but 4K is a struggle. The 175 W TDP and dual-slot design are typical for this class of card, and the 450 W suggested PSU is adequate for this combo.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the best experience for this combo is at 1080p with High or Ultra settings. At 1080p High, the system delivers 77.3 FPS, which is smooth and visually appealing. Moving to Ultra only costs 10.4 FPS (66.9 FPS), so if a user prefers maximum visual fidelity, Ultra at 1080p is a solid choice.

For 1440p users, Medium settings provide the best balance, delivering 62 FPS. High settings drop to 57.9 FPS, which is still playable, but Medium offers a more comfortable margin. Ultra at 1440p is borderline, at 47.4 FPS, and may cause noticeable stutter in fast-paced scenes.

At 4K, Low settings are the only viable option, yielding 61.2 FPS. Medium drops to 42.2 FPS, and High falls to 36.5 FPS, both of which are below the ideal 60 FPS target. Ultra at 30.4 FPS is not recommended for gameplay. The data indicates that this GPU is not suited for 4K gaming in Control unless a user is willing to sacrifice most visual quality.

In summary, the recommended presets are: 1080p High or Ultra for the best experience, 1440p Medium for a good balance, and 4K Low only if resolution is a priority over visual fidelity. The CPU's performance headroom means that users could potentially upgrade the GPU in the future without changing the processor, and they would see immediate improvements in Control at all resolutions.