Control

Control, Remedy’s 2019 action-adventure, presents a demanding test for the Intel Core i3-12100F and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER pairing. The measured data reveals a configuration that is firmly capable at 1080p, but which struggles to maintain smooth frame rates as resolution climbs. The benchmark results indicate a system where the GPU is the primary bottleneck at higher settings, while the CPU’s four performance cores prove sufficient for the game’s logic. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS across resolutions and settings, examining the role of the GPU and offering clear guidance for the best playable experience.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS data shows a steep decline as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160, a pattern that clearly identifies the GPU as the limiting factor. At 1080p with Low settings, the system achieves an average of 90.9 FPS, but this drops to 68.4 FPS at 1440p and further to 45.3 FPS at 4K. This represents a 50.2% reduction in performance from 1080p to 4K at the lowest settings, which is a significant hit that points to the GTX 1660 SUPER’s 6 GB memory buffer and 192-bit bus being saturated by the increase in pixel count.

The scaling becomes even more punishing at higher graphical presets. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 56.5 FPS at 1080p to 42.2 FPS at 1440p, and finally to a playable-but-marginal 27.6 FPS at 4K. The delta between 1080p and 4K at High is a 51.2% drop, showing that the combination of higher resolution and more complex shading is overwhelming the GPU’s 5.027 TFLOPS of FP32 compute power. The data suggests that the CPU is not the primary constraint here; the i3-12100F’s boost clock of 4.30 GHz appears adequate to feed the GPU at these resolutions, as the frame rate drops are almost entirely proportional to the increase in pixel workload.

Looking at the Ultra preset, the trend continues with a 49.2% decrease from 47.4 FPS at 1080p to 24.1 FPS at 4K. This consistent scaling pattern across all presets indicates that Control is heavily GPU-bound on this hardware. The 4K results, which hover between 24.1 and 45.3 FPS depending on the preset, are uniformly below the 60 FPS threshold, confirming that this resolution is not viable for this combination. The 1440p data points are more promising, with Low settings reaching 68.4 FPS and Medium hitting 49.9 FPS, but the High and Ultra presets at 42.2 and 38 FPS respectively show that 1440p is only suitable for lower detail levels. The 1080p results are the only ones where a consistent 60+ FPS experience is achievable, and only at Low and Medium settings.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER is the clear workhorse in this pairing, and its specifications directly correlate with the measured performance. The GPU’s memory runs at 1750 MHz, translating to 14 Gbps effective, which provides a bandwidth of 336.0 GB/s across the 192-bit bus. This bandwidth is a critical factor in Control, a game known for its physics-heavy environments and particle effects. At 4K resolution, the 6 GB GDDR6 frame buffer is likely being filled to capacity, as evidenced by the dramatic FPS drops when moving from Medium (34.2 FPS) to High (27.6 FPS) and then to Ultra (24.1 FPS). These marginal decreases suggest that the GPU is not only compute-limited but also potentially memory-limited, as the larger textures at higher presets demand more memory throughput.

The GPU’s boost clock of 1785 MHz and base clock of 1530 MHz provide the computational foundation. With 1408 shading units and a pixel rate of 85.68 GPixel/s, the card can handle the rasterization load at lower resolutions, but the 4K data shows its limits. The FP32 performance of 5.027 TFLOPS is the key metric for a game like Control, which relies on traditional rendering rather than ray tracing (the card has no RT cores). The benchmark results show that this compute power is insufficient for 4K at any preset, as even the Low setting only manages 45.3 FPS, which is still below the 60 FPS ideal.

Interestingly, the GPU’s benchmark percentile of 55 places it just below the midpoint of all GPUs, and its nearest rivals are integrated graphics solutions like the AMD Radeon RX Vega 11, which it outperforms by a mere 0.2%. This close grouping highlights that the GTX 1660 SUPER is a mainstream part, not a high-end performer. In Control, this translates to a card that is best suited for 1080p gaming. The data shows that the GPU’s memory bandwidth is the likely bottleneck at higher resolutions, as the 336.0 GB/s figure is modest by modern standards. The 6 GB capacity is also a concern; while it is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p with the measured settings, the frame rate collapse at 4K suggests the game is requesting more memory than is available, forcing the system to rely on slower data pathways.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Control at 4K resolution?

A: The data shows 4K is not playable. Average FPS ranges from 24.1 at Ultra to 45.3 at Low settings, with High at 27.6 FPS. All 4K results are below the 60 FPS threshold, indicating the GTX 1660 SUPER is not powerful enough for this resolution in Control.

Q: What is the best resolution for a smooth experience?

A: According to the measured FPS, 1920x1080 is the only resolution where the system can maintain a high frame rate. At Medium settings it hits 68 FPS, and at Low it reaches 90.9 FPS, both of which are above the 60 FPS target for smooth gameplay.

Q: How does the CPU affect performance in Control?

A: The Intel Core i3-12100F, with 4 cores and 8 threads, appears to be a sufficient partner for the GPU. The consistent FPS scaling across resolutions indicates the GPU is the limiting factor, not the CPU. The CPU’s boost clock of 4.30 GHz helps keep up with the game’s demands at lower resolutions.

Q: Is there a big difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: Yes. At 1080p, the average FPS drops from 90.9 at Low to 47.4 at Ultra. This is a 47.9% reduction in performance, showing that Ultra preset is very demanding on the GPU.

Q: What is the GPU's performance ranking compared to other cards?

A: The GTX 1660 SUPER sits at the 55th percentile of all GPUs in benchmark scores. Its average score is 14286, which is nearly identical to the AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT, which is only 0.7% faster. This places it in the lower-mid tier of graphics cards.

Q: Does the GPU have ray tracing capabilities?

A: No. The FACT PACK lists the GPU as having no RT cores. This means it relies on traditional rasterization for rendering, which explains why the FP32 performance of 5.027 TFLOPS is the primary determinant of frame rate in Control.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured data, the optimal experience for Control on this hardware is at 1920x1080 resolution. The data shows that the Medium preset provides the best balance of visual fidelity and performance, achieving an average of 68 FPS. This is comfortably above the 60 FPS standard for smooth action gameplay. While the Low preset offers a higher 90.9 FPS, the step up to Medium provides a significant visual improvement for only a 25.2% drop in frame rate, which is a worthwhile trade-off.

For users who prioritize frame rate above all else, the Low preset at 1080p is the only setting that approaches the 90 FPS mark, which is ideal for high refresh rate monitors. However, the jump from Low to Medium is substantial in Control, as the game’s particle effects and volumetric lighting are noticeably improved. The High preset at 1080p, averaging 56.5 FPS, is a borderline choice; it is playable but will exhibit occasional stutters during intense scenes. The Ultra preset, at 47.4 FPS, is not recommended for a consistent experience, as it falls below the 60 FPS threshold and the visual gains over High are often marginal in fast-paced action.

At 2560x1440, the data suggests that only the Low preset is viable for smooth gameplay, with an average of 68.4 FPS. The Medium preset at 49.9 FPS is playable but not ideal, and High and Ultra at 42.2 and 38 FPS respectively are too sluggish for a game that requires quick reflexes. The 4K resolution is not recommended at any setting, as even the Low preset’s 45.3 FPS is below the 60 FPS target, and the visual quality at Low is significantly compromised. Ultimately, the sweet spot for this configuration is 1080p with Medium settings, offering a frame rate that is 44.1% higher than the High preset at the same resolution while maintaining a solid visual presentation.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete set of measured data provides a clear picture of performance across all combinations.

At 1920x1080, the system is most capable. The Low preset scores an average of 90.9 FPS. Medium settings yield 68 FPS. High settings drop to 56.5 FPS. The Ultra preset produces an average of 47.4 FPS. This shows a clear progression of diminishing returns, where each step up in quality costs a significant amount of performance.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates fall substantially. Low settings average 68.4 FPS, which is a 24.8% decrease from the 1080p result. Medium settings hit 49.9 FPS, a drop of 26.6%. High settings average 42.2 FPS, a 25.3% reduction. Ultra settings manage 38 FPS, down 19.8% from the 1080p Ultra score. The scaling is consistent, reinforcing the GPU-bound nature of the workload.

At 3840x2160, the system struggles to maintain playable frame rates. Low settings average 45.3 FPS, which is a 50.2% reduction from the 1080p Low result. Medium settings yield 34.2 FPS, a 49.7% drop. High settings average 27.6 FPS, a 51.2% decrease. Ultra settings bottom out at 24.1 FPS, a 49.2% reduction from the 1080p Ultra preset. The 4K results show that the GTX 1660 SUPER is completely out of its depth at this resolution, with all presets falling below the 30 FPS playability threshold except for Low, which only just crosses it. This data confirms that Control is a demanding title that requires a more powerful GPU for 4K, and that the i3-12100F is not the limiting factor in this configuration.