Control

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X and AMD Radeon RX 6600 combination presents a study in imbalance when running Control. The data shows a 12-core, 24-thread processor paired with a mainstream graphics card, and the measured frame rates across resolutions and settings consistently indicate that the GPU is the primary factor determining performance. The benchmark results provide a clear picture of how this pairing behaves in this Action Adventure title, from the demanding 4K Ultra preset down to 1080p Low.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a steep performance curve as resolution increases, which is a classic indicator of GPU-bound operation. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 108 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 Low drops that average to 82 FPS, a reduction of 26 frames. At 3840x2160 Low, the average falls further to 55 FPS. This pattern shows that the rendering load at higher pixel counts quickly overwhelms the RX 6600, even on the least demanding preset.

When examining the High preset, the scaling is equally pronounced. The average at 1080p is 68 FPS, which is already 40 FPS below the Low preset at the same resolution. At 1440p, the High preset averages 52 FPS, and at 4K, it drops to 35 FPS. The gap between 1080p and 4K on High is 33 FPS, confirming that the pixel throughput demand is the dominant variable. The frame rate loss from 1080p to 1440p is 16 FPS, while the loss from 1440p to 4K is 17 FPS, showing a fairly linear decline in this range.

The Ultra preset tells a similar story but at a lower overall level. At 1080p, the average is 59 FPS, which is lower than the High preset's 68 FPS at the same resolution. At 1440p Ultra, the average drops to 45 FPS, and at 4K Ultra, it bottoms out at 30 FPS. The difference between 1080p and 4K on Ultra is 29 FPS. Notably, the Medium preset provides the only full data set with minimum and maximum frame times: at 1080p it averages 77 FPS with a minimum of 65 and maximum of 88, at 1440p it averages 58 FPS with min/max of 49/67, and at 4K it averages 39 FPS with min/max of 33/45.

The data indicates that the limiting component is the GPU. The Ryzen 9 9900X, with its high single-thread and multi-thread scores, is not being stressed by the resolution scaling. The consistent FPS drops across all settings as resolution increases suggest that the RX 6600's rendering capabilities, specifically its 8 GB of VRAM and 224.0 GB/s memory bandwidth, are the bottleneck. The CPU's role is to feed the GPU, and in this case, the processor has ample headroom.

CPU Role

The Ryzen 9 9900X is a 12-core, 24-thread processor based on the Zen 5 architecture, with a boost clock of 5.60 GHz. Its benchmark scores are exceptionally high, such as a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32172 and a single-core score of 2253. The 3DMark 16-thread test yields a score of 12552, while the max-thread score is 13929. These numbers place the CPU in the 92nd percentile of all processors, indicating top-tier performance.

In the context of Control, the CPU's role appears secondary to the GPU. The game's frame rates are more sensitive to resolution and preset changes than to any CPU workload variation. Even at 1080p Low, where CPU load is typically highest relative to GPU, the combo only reaches 108 FPS, which is far from the CPU's potential ceiling. The 3DMark single-thread score of 1286 and multi-thread score of 13929 suggest that the processor can handle complex game logic and physics without issue.

The data shows that the CPU is not the limiting factor in this configuration. The FPS differences between presets at the same resolution are substantial, which is a GPU characteristic. For example, at 1440p, moving from Low to High reduces the average from 82 to 52 FPS. If the CPU were the bottleneck, these preset changes would have a smaller impact on frame rates, as the CPU workload would remain similar. The Ryzen 9 9900X's strong single-thread performance, evidenced by a Geekbench single-core score of 3010, ensures that it can keep up with the game's demands, but the RX 6600 cannot translate that CPU headroom into higher frame rates.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 4K with Ultra settings?

A: The measured average FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings is 30 FPS.

Q: How does the 1080p Medium preset compare to the 1440p Medium preset?

A: At 1920x1080 Medium, the average FPS is 77, while at 2560x1440 Medium, the average FPS drops to 58. The 1080p result also shows a minimum of 65 FPS and a maximum of 88 FPS, whereas the 1440p result shows a minimum of 49 FPS and a maximum of 67 FPS.

Q: Which resolution provides the highest average FPS in the data?

A: The highest average FPS is 108 at 1920x1080 with Low settings.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more likely to be the bottleneck at 4K High settings?

A: The GPU is the likely bottleneck. The average FPS at 3840x2160 High is 35, and the FPS drops significantly from 1080p to 4K across all presets, indicating the RX 6600's rendering limits are being reached rather than the CPU's processing capabilities.

Q: What is the performance difference between Low and Ultra presets at 2560x1440?

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 82 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 45 FPS. This is a difference of 37 FPS, showing a substantial impact from the preset choice.

Q: Does the data include minimum and maximum FPS for the 1080p High preset?

A: No, the data for 1920x1080 High only includes an average FPS of 68. Minimum and maximum FPS values are only provided for the Medium preset at each resolution.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete matrix of performance across three resolutions and four settings presets. Starting at 1920x1080, the Low preset achieves an average of 108 FPS, which is the highest score in the entire dataset. The Medium preset at this resolution averages 77 FPS, with a minimum of 65 FPS and a maximum of 88 FPS. The High preset averages 68 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 59 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra at 1080p is 49 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the performance drops across the board. The Low preset averages 82 FPS, which is 26 FPS lower than the 1080p Low result. The Medium preset averages 58 FPS, with a minimum of 49 FPS and a maximum of 67 FPS. The High preset averages 52 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 45 FPS. The delta from Low to Ultra at 1440p is 37 FPS, which is narrower than at 1080p.

At 3840x2160, the results become marginal for smooth gameplay. The Low preset averages 55 FPS, which is the only 4K result above 50 FPS. The Medium preset averages 39 FPS, with a minimum of 33 FPS and a maximum of 45 FPS. The High preset averages 35 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 30 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra at 4K is 25 FPS, showing that even the lowest settings cannot overcome the resolution's demands.

The data shows a consistent pattern: each step up in resolution or settings reduces the average FPS. The Medium preset is the only one that provides frame time variance data, with the 1080p result showing a 23 FPS range, the 1440p result showing an 18 FPS range, and the 4K result showing a 12 FPS range. This suggests that at lower resolutions, the frame delivery is less stable, likely due to the GPU working harder relative to the CPU's output.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6600 is a RDNA 2.0 architecture GPU with 1792 shading units, 112 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. It has a boost clock of 2491 MHz and a game clock of 2044 MHz. The memory subsystem consists of 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus, providing 224.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU's benchmark scores include a Passmark G3D score of 15096 and a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1492, placing it in the 63rd percentile of all GPUs.

In Control, the GPU's role is decisive. The measured FPS across all resolutions and settings falls within a range that is typical for this class of graphics card. The 4K Ultra result of 30 FPS is exactly at the threshold of playability, while the 1080p Low result of 108 FPS shows the card's capability when the workload is reduced. The VRAM capacity of 8 GB is likely a limiting factor at 4K, where texture data can exceed this amount, but the data does not explicitly confirm this.

The GPU's performance relative to its rivals is tight. The nearest rivals include the NVIDIA Quadro K6000 with a delta of 0%, and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 Mobile with a delta of -0.1%. This indicates that the RX 6600's raw compute performance is evenly matched with these other products. However, in gaming, the RX 6600's modern architecture and driver support may provide advantages not captured in synthetic benchmarks, though the measured FPS data suggests it is still a mid-range performer.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and desired frame rate. For 1080p, the High preset at 68 FPS is a balanced choice for most users, offering good visual quality without sacrificing smoothness. The Ultra preset at 59 FPS is also viable, but the 9 FPS gain from High to Ultra may not justify the increased load. For competitive play or high refresh rate monitors, the Low preset at 108 FPS is the best option, though it sacrifices visual fidelity.

At 1440p, the Medium preset at 58 FPS is the recommended starting point, as it maintains a playable frame rate while providing a reasonable visual experience. The High preset at 52 FPS is also acceptable, but the Low preset at 82 FPS is the only one that comfortably exceeds 60 FPS. The Ultra preset at 45 FPS is not recommended for action-oriented gameplay, as it falls below the standard smoothness threshold.

At 4K, the data shows that only the Low preset at 55 FPS is close to playable. The Medium preset at 39 FPS and High preset at 35 FPS are below 40 FPS, which may result in noticeable stutter. The Ultra preset at 30 FPS is only suitable for slow-paced exploration or screenshots. Users with 4K displays should lower the resolution to 1440p for a better experience, as the RX 6600 cannot deliver consistent frame rates at 4K with this game.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Ryzen 9 9900X and RX 6600 ranks 2904 out of 3720 tested combos in Control. This places it in the lower 22% of all tested configurations, reflecting the GPU's mid-range positioning relative to the CPU's high-end status. The CPU's percentile of 92% contrasts sharply with the GPU's 63rd percentile, and the combo's rank is dragged down by the graphics card's performance.

The data indicates that this pairing is unbalanced for this game. The CPU is capable of far higher frame rates than the GPU can deliver, as seen in the CPU's 3DMark max-thread score of 13929 and the GPU's modest 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 1492. The combo rank of 2904 suggests that many other combinations of CPUs and GPUs achieve better results in Control, likely those with more powerful graphics cards paired with less expensive processors.

The delta between the CPU and GPU performance is evident in the measured FPS. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 108 FPS, which is respectable, but the CPU could support much higher frame rates if paired with a stronger GPU. The rank of 2904 out of 3720 means that approximately 816 other combinations perform worse, but the vast majority of tested combos outperform this setup, primarily due to the RX 6600's limitations.