Control

Control, the 2019 action-adventure title from Remedy Entertainment, is a demanding showcase of physics-based combat and destructible environments. When paired with an AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060, the system produces a range of performance outcomes that are heavily dictated by resolution and graphics settings. This analysis examines the measured frame rate data to understand the balance between the processor and graphics card, and to provide a clear picture of what users can expect from this configuration. The data indicates a system where the GPU is the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions, while the robust CPU ensures consistent performance when the graphical load is reduced.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data across the three tested resolutions—1920x1080, 2560x1440, and 3840x2160—reveals a classic pattern of GPU-bound scaling. At the "Ultra" preset, the average frame rate drops from 59 FPS at 1080p to 45 FPS at 1440p, and finally to 30 FPS at 4K. This represents a significant 49% reduction in performance from 1080p to 4K, indicating that the rendering load at 4K is far beyond what this GPU can comfortably manage. The progression shows a steep decline that is consistent with the exponential increase in pixel count.

Moving to the "High" preset, the same trend continues. The average FPS at 1080p is 68, which drops to 51 at 1440p and further to 35 at 4K. The scaling factor from 1080p to 4K is a 48.5% decrease, almost identical to the "Ultra" preset. This suggests that the relative performance cost of higher resolutions is consistent regardless of the quality preset, further confirming that the resolution is the primary performance driver in this scenario.

When the settings are lowered to "Medium", the average FPS at 1080p is 76, at 1440p it is 58, and at 4K it is 39. The drop from 1080p to 4K is 48.7%, which is again in line with the other presets. However, the "Low" preset shows a slightly different scaling pattern. The average FPS at 1080p is 107, at 1440p it is 81, and at 4K it is 55. The drop from 1080p to 4K here is 48.6%. The consistency of this ~49% performance hit across all presets strongly indicates that the limiting component at higher resolutions is the GPU's raw rendering throughput.

The data suggests that the RTX 2060 is the definitive bottleneck at 4K, as even the "Low" preset can only muster an average of 55 FPS. In contrast, the Ryzen 7 9850X3D, with its 8 cores and 16 threads, is clearly capable of feeding the GPU at lower resolutions. The fact that the frame rate scales so dramatically with resolution, rather than with settings, points to a pixel-bound performance ceiling. The CPU's role becomes more apparent at 1080p, where the frame rates are higher, but even at the "Low" preset, the 107 FPS average suggests the GPU is still the primary constraint, just less so than at higher resolutions.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo achieve a smooth 60 FPS experience at 2560x1440?

A: The data indicates that the "Low" preset at 1440p reaches an average of 81 FPS, which is above 60. However, the "Medium" preset averages 58 FPS, which is just below the 60 FPS threshold, and the "High" preset drops to 51 FPS. Therefore, a stable 60 FPS is only attainable with lower graphical settings.

Q: What is the best resolution for this hardware to maintain a high frame rate?

A: At 1920x1080, all presets achieve playable frame rates. The "Low" preset produces an average of 107 FPS, "Medium" 76 FPS, "High" 68 FPS, and "Ultra" 59 FPS. This resolution offers the most headroom for frame rate, making it the most suitable for high-refresh-rate displays.

Q: How much of a performance difference is there between the "Low" and "Ultra" presets at 4K?

A: At 3840x2160, the "Low" preset yields an average of 55 FPS, while the "Ultra" preset yields an average of 30 FPS. This is a difference of 25 FPS, or an 83.3% improvement in frame rate when switching from "Ultra" to "Low" settings.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more responsible for the performance at 1080p?

A: The benchmark results suggest the GPU is still the main limiting factor, even at 1080p. While the Ryzen 7 9850X3D is a high-performance processor, the frame rate ceiling of 107 FPS at "Low" settings indicates the RTX 2060 cannot push much beyond that, regardless of the CPU's capabilities.

Q: Will lowering the resolution from 1440p to 1080p provide a significant FPS boost?

A: Yes. For example, at the "High" preset, the average FPS increases from 51 at 1440p to 68 at 1080p, a 33.3% improvement. Similarly, at "Ultra", the average FPS goes from 45 to 59, a 31.1% increase. The benefit is substantial across all settings.

Q: What is the average frame rate difference between the "Medium" and "High" presets at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the "Medium" preset produces an average of 76 FPS, while the "High" preset produces 68 FPS. This is a modest 8 FPS difference, suggesting that the "High" preset may offer a better visual experience for a relatively small performance cost.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060, based on the TU106 chip and Turing architecture, is the central piece of this configuration's rendering capabilities. With 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, it provides a memory bandwidth of 336.0 GB/s. This is a significant factor in how the card handles the high-resolution textures and effects in Control. The data shows that the GPU's memory capacity and bandwidth are likely a bottleneck at 4K, where even the "Low" preset only achieves 55 FPS, struggling to keep up with the pixel throughput demands.

The card's clock speeds, with a base of 1365 MHz and a boost of 1680 MHz, are the driving forces behind its compute performance. The measured FPS at lower resolutions, such as the 107 FPS average at 1080p "Low", indicates that the GPU can operate at a high level when not constrained by memory or fill-rate limits. However, the rapid decline in performance as resolution increases highlights the limits of its 6 GB frame buffer and overall processing power. The 30 RT cores and 240 Tensor cores present on the chip are features that could be relevant for games with ray tracing, but the average FPS data suggests that enabling such features would likely cause a significant performance hit.

When compared to its nearest rivals in the benchmark database, the RTX 2060 has an average benchmark score of 15290. This puts it in a close performance band with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 (deltaPct 0), the AMD Radeon 680M (deltaPct 0.1), and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 OEM (deltaPct 0.6). It is slightly ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 7600 (deltaPct 0.8). This data situates the RTX 2060 as a mid-range performer from a previous generation. Its percentile rank of 58 among all GPUs confirms that it is not a top-tier part, which aligns with the observed frame rates in Control. The GPU's role in this game is clearly the limiting factor, as the performance scales directly with the resolution and graphical load.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend heavily on the user's target resolution and performance goals. For a 1080p display, the "High" preset at 68 FPS offers a strong balance between visual fidelity and smoothness. While the "Ultra" preset is playable at 59 FPS, the "High" preset provides a more comfortable margin above the 60 FPS threshold. For users seeking maximum frame rates, the "Low" preset at 107 FPS is an option, but it sacrifices significant visual quality for a performance gain that may not be necessary on a standard 60 Hz monitor.

At 2560x1440, the situation changes. The "Medium" preset, with an average of 58 FPS and a minimum of 49 FPS, is the highest quality setting that maintains a near-60 FPS average. The "High" preset at 51 FPS may be acceptable for some, but the frame rate dips could be noticeable in fast-paced combat. The "Low" preset at 81 FPS is the only setting that offers a consistently smooth experience above 60 FPS, making it the recommended choice for competitive play or high-refresh-rate monitors.

For 4K resolution, the data clearly shows that the RTX 2060 is not powerful enough for high-quality settings. The "Low" preset is the only one that achieves an average FPS above 50 (55 FPS), making it the only viable option for a playable experience. The "Medium" preset at 39 FPS and "High" at 35 FPS are likely to feel sluggish, and the "Ultra" preset at 30 FPS is on the edge of playability. Therefore, the recommendation is to use the "Low" preset at 4K to ensure a playable frame rate, or to consider lowering the resolution to 1440p to unlock higher quality settings.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested hardware combinations for Control, this pairing of the AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 holds a rank of 2274 out of 2888 total combos. This places it in the lower 21.3% of all tested configurations for this game. This ranking is a direct consequence of the GPU's performance ceiling, as the processor is a modern, high-end part that would rank much higher on its own.

The combo's rank indicates that while the CPU is more than capable, the RTX 2060 holds the system back in a game like Control, which is known for its intensive graphics. The 8-core, 16-thread Ryzen 7 9850X3D, with a boost clock of 5.60 GHz, is unlikely to be the source of any bottleneck in this game, as the frame rates are consistently limited by the GPU. This is a typical case of a CPU-GPU imbalance, where the graphics card's age and mid-range positioning prevent the full potential of the processor from being realized. The low rank is a clear signal that this configuration is not ideal for high-refresh-rate or high-resolution gaming in Control, despite the CPU's strength.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the performance ranges from a high of 107 FPS on "Low" to a low of 59 FPS on "Ultra". The "Medium" preset yields 76 FPS, with a minimum of 65 and a maximum of 88 FPS. The "High" preset sits between them at 68 FPS. This resolution provides the most playable range for this combo.

At 2560x1440, the average FPS drops across the board. The "Low" preset maintains a solid 81 FPS, while "Medium" produces 58 FPS (min 49, max 66). The "High" preset falls to 51 FPS, and the "Ultra" preset drops to 45 FPS. This resolution is a compromise, with only the "Low" preset offering a clear path to 60+ FPS.

At 3840x2160, the RTX 2060 is clearly overburdened. The "Low" preset is the only one to break 50 FPS, achieving 55 FPS. The "Medium" preset has an average of 39 FPS (min 33, max 45), the "High" preset drops to 35 FPS, and the "Ultra" preset bottoms out at 30 FPS. This resolution is not recommended for this hardware if a smooth experience is desired.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D is a formidable processor, featuring 8 cores and 16 threads based on the Zen 5 architecture (Granite Ridge). Its high boost clock of 5.60 GHz and large 96 MB shared L3 cache provide substantial compute power for gaming workloads. In the context of Control, the CPU's role is to handle game logic, physics calculations, and draw calls. Given the frame rates observed, it is clear that the processor is not a bottleneck at any resolution or settings combination tested.

The CPU's benchmark scores are also impressive, with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 22807 and a single-core score of 2228. Its Passmark multithread score of 41318 and single-thread score of 4704 further demonstrate its capability. It ranks in the 92nd percentile among all CPUs, and its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i9-14900 (deltaPct 0.5) and the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 470 (deltaPct -0.7). This data confirms that the Ryzen 7 9850X3D is a top-tier processor.

However, in this specific combo, the CPU's power is underutilized due to the GPU's limitations. Even at 1080p with "Low" settings, the average FPS is 107, which is a high number but not a reflection of the CPU's true potential. If a more powerful GPU were paired with this CPU, the frame rates would likely be significantly higher. The data suggests that the Ryzen 7 9850X3D provides a stable and consistent foundation, ensuring that the GPU is always the limiting factor, but it cannot overcome the inherent performance ceiling of the RTX 2060.