Control

# Control — Intel Core i7-13700K + AMD Radeon RX 6600

The combination of the Intel Core i7-13700K and AMD Radeon RX 6600 produces a mid-range gaming experience in Control, with the data showing a system that is firmly GPU-limited at higher resolutions but capable of delivering smooth frame rates at 1080p. The measured results span four settings presets across three resolutions, revealing a performance curve that degrades predictably as pixel count and graphical fidelity increase. This analysis walks through the resolution scaling behavior, the combo's ranking among tested configurations, the GPU's role, the exact FPS measurements, and the CPU's contribution, concluding with settings recommendations based on the recorded data.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent across all settings presets, indicating that the AMD Radeon RX 6600 becomes the primary limiting component as resolution climbs. At Low settings, the average frame rate falls from 108 FPS at 1920x1080 to 82 FPS at 2560x1440, then to 55 FPS at 3840x2160. That represents a 24% reduction from 1080p to 1440p and a further 33% reduction from 1440p to 4K. The overall scaling from 1080p Low to 4K Low is a 49% drop, which is substantial but not catastrophic—the game remains playable even at 4K on the lowest preset.

At Medium settings, the pattern is similar but with slightly smaller absolute values: 77 FPS at 1080p, 58 FPS at 1440p, and 39 FPS at 4K. The percentage drops are 25% and 33% respectively, mirroring the Low preset's scaling closely. High settings show 68 FPS at 1080p, 52 FPS at 1440p, and 35 FPS at 4K—a 24% drop to 1440p and a 33% drop to 4K. Ultra settings follow the same trend: 59 FPS at 1080p, 45 FPS at 1440p, and 30 FPS at 4K, with reductions of 24% and 33%.

The consistency of these percentage drops across all four presets is telling. When a game scales almost identically from one settings tier to the next, it strongly suggests that the bottleneck is the GPU's raw pixel throughput rather than any specific feature or setting. The RX 6600's 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus with 224.0 GB/s bandwidth is likely the constraint at 4K, where the sheer volume of pixel data overwhelms the memory subsystem regardless of the quality preset chosen.

The gap between 1080p and 1440p is relatively modest across all settings—roughly 24-25%—which shows that the GPU can still handle the increased load at 1440p without collapsing. The gap between 1440p and 4K is consistently larger at 33%, reinforcing that 4K is where the RX 6600 runs out of headroom. The data suggests that 1440p is the practical ceiling for this combo at higher settings, while 4K is only viable at Low or Medium if the user accepts sub-60 FPS averages.

How This Combo Ranks

In Control specifically, this CPU-GPU combination ranks 2904 out of 3720 tested combos, placing it in the lower-middle portion of the database. The percentile position is not directly listed for the game, but the raw rank indicates that roughly 78% of tested configurations outperform this pairing in Control. This is a notable contrast to the individual components' standalone standings: the i7-13700K sits at the 89th percentile among all CPUs, while the RX 6600 sits at the 63rd percentile among all GPUs.

The gap between the CPU's high percentile and the combo's low rank underscores that the Radeon RX 6600 is the limiting factor in this game. The i7-13700K's strong synthetic scores—including a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 30745 and a Geekbench multi-core score of 19429—do not translate into high frame rates in Control because the game's demands are predominantly GPU-bound at the tested resolutions. The combo rank of 2904 suggests that pairing this CPU with a stronger GPU would yield significantly better results, while the current pairing leaves performance on the table.

Looking at the GPU's nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks provides context for its positioning. The RX 6600's average benchmark score of 19036 is virtually identical to the NVIDIA Quadro K6000 at 19030 (0.0% delta), the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 Mobile at 19049 (-0.1% delta), and the NVIDIA Tesla K20m at 19089 (-0.3% delta). The NVIDIA RTX 2000 Ada Generation trails slightly at 18954, a 0.4% delta. These near-equal scores suggest that the RX 6600's gaming performance in Control is representative of a specific performance tier, and its rank of 2904 reflects that tier's standing in this particular game.

The CPU's nearest rivals show its standing in the broader market: the AMD Ryzen 9 5900 scores 46971 (-0.2% delta), the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 375 scores 47022 (-0.3% delta), the AMD Ryzen 9 7845HX scores 46654 (0.5% delta), and the Intel Xeon w3-2535 scores 46653 (0.5% delta). These are all within a fraction of a percent, meaning the i7-13700K is competitively positioned against these alternatives, but none of that matters for Control when the GPU is the bottleneck.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6600 is built on the RDNA 2.0 architecture using the Navi 23 chip, fabricated on a 7 nm process by TSMC. The GPU contains 1792 shading units, 112 texture mapping units, and 64 raster output units, along with 28 ray tracing cores. Its base clock is 1626 MHz with a boost clock of 2491 MHz and a game clock of 2044 MHz. The memory configuration is 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus, yielding 224.0 GB/s of bandwidth.

The VRAM capacity of 8 GB is adequate for Control at 1080p and 1440p across all settings, as evidenced by the measured FPS values. At 4K, however, the combination of higher resolution textures and the memory bandwidth ceiling likely contributes to the steep FPS drop. The pixel rate of 159.4 GPixel/s and texture rate of 279.0 GTexel/s provide theoretical limits that the game's engine approaches at 4K, where the measured 30 FPS at Ultra settings suggests the GPU is saturated.

The RX 6600's FP32 performance of 8.928 TFLOPS positions it as a capable but not high-end part. Its synthetic benchmark scores include a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1492, a Geekbench Vulkan score of 67623, and a Passmark G3D score of 15096. The Passmark DirectX 12 score of 51 is notably low, but this does not appear to hinder Control specifically, as the game's engine likely relies on a mix of DX11 and DX12 paths.

The GPU's percentile of 63 among all GPUs and its average benchmark score of 19036 place it in the mid-range tier. In Control, the measured results confirm this: the GPU delivers playable frame rates at 1080p and 1440p but struggles to maintain 60 FPS at 4K on any preset. The fact that Low settings at 4K only reach 55 FPS while Ultra at 1080p reaches 59 FPS illustrates that the GPU's performance ceiling is roughly consistent—it can handle either high resolution with low fidelity or low resolution with high fidelity, but not both simultaneously.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the RX 6600 delivers its strongest results. Low settings produce an average of 108 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. Medium settings drop to 77 FPS with a minimum of 65 FPS and a maximum of 88 FPS, still comfortably playable. High settings yield 68 FPS, and Ultra settings produce 59 FPS—just below the 60 FPS mark but still within a reasonable range for most users.

At 2560x1440, the performance decreases noticeably. Low settings average 82 FPS, which remains smooth. Medium settings average 58 FPS with a minimum of 49 FPS and a maximum of 67 FPS, making the experience playable but with occasional dips below 60. High settings average 52 FPS, and Ultra settings average 45 FPS. These numbers suggest that 1440p is viable for Low and Medium presets, but High and Ultra require accepting sub-60 FPS averages.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is clearly overextended. Low settings average 55 FPS, which is borderline playable. Medium settings average 39 FPS with a minimum of 33 FPS and a maximum of 45 FPS, indicating noticeable stutter during demanding scenes. High settings average 35 FPS, and Ultra settings average 30 FPS. None of the 4K presets reach 60 FPS, and even the Low preset cannot consistently hold 60 FPS.

The Medium preset is the only one with recorded minimum and maximum FPS values at all three resolutions, providing insight into frame time consistency. At 1080p Medium, the range is 65-88 FPS; at 1440p Medium, it is 49-67 FPS; and at 4K Medium, it is 33-45 FPS. The spread narrows as resolution increases, which is typical of a GPU-bound scenario where the frame rate is more tightly constrained by the hardware limit.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Control?

A: The data shows 1920x1080 is the only resolution where all settings presets achieve near or above 60 FPS, with Low at 108 FPS, Medium at 77 FPS, High at 68 FPS, and Ultra at 59 FPS. At 2560x1440, only Low (82 FPS) and Medium (58 FPS) approach playable levels, while 3840x2160 maxes out at 55 FPS on Low.

Q: How does the RX 6600's performance in Control compare to its synthetic benchmark rivals?

A: The RX 6600's average benchmark score of 19036 is nearly identical to the NVIDIA Quadro K6000 (19030, 0.0% delta) and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 Mobile (19049, -0.1% delta). In Control, the measured FPS reflects this mid-range positioning, with 1080p Ultra at 59 FPS and 4K Ultra at 30 FPS.

Q: Is the i7-13700K holding back the RX 6600 in Control?

A: The CPU's high synthetic scores (Cinebench R23 multi-core of 30745, Geekbench multi-core of 19429) and 89th percentile ranking suggest it is not the bottleneck. The combo ranks 2904 out of 3720 in Control, and the consistent FPS drops across resolutions point to GPU limitation rather than CPU constraint.

Q: What settings are recommended for 1440p gaming on this combo?

A: Medium settings at 2560x1440 produce an average of 58 FPS with a minimum of 49 FPS, which is the best balance of fidelity and performance. Low settings achieve 82 FPS for smoother gameplay, while High (52 FPS) and Ultra (45 FPS) require accepting lower frame rates.

Q: Can this combo run Control at 4K?

A: The data shows 4K is technically playable only on Low settings, which average 55 FPS. Medium averages 39 FPS, High averages 35 FPS, and Ultra averages 30 FPS. Users seeking consistent 60 FPS should avoid 4K entirely.

Q: How much performance is lost going from 1080p to 4K?

A: Across all settings presets, the FPS drop from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 is approximately 49-51%. Specifically, Low goes from 108 to 55 FPS (49% drop), Medium from 77 to 39 FPS (49% drop), High from 68 to 35 FPS (49% drop), and Ultra from 59 to 30 FPS (49% drop).

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-13700K is a 16-core, 24-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, manufactured on Intel's 10 nm process. It has a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz, with a TDP of 125 W. The cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 2 MB of L2 per core, and 30 MB of shared L3 cache. It supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory in dual-channel configuration and has 20 PCIe Gen 5 lanes.

The CPU's synthetic benchmarks are impressive: a 3DMark max threads score of 12412, a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 30745, a Geekbench multi-core score of 19429, and a Passmark multi-thread score of 45887. Single-thread performance is also strong, with a 3DMark single-thread score of 1136, a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2116, and a Geekbench single-core score of 2529.

In Control, however, the CPU's role is secondary to the GPU. The measured FPS values across all resolutions and settings show a pattern that is characteristic of GPU-bound rendering: frame rates scale inversely with resolution and settings complexity, but the CPU's high core count and clock speeds ensure that it never becomes the limiting factor. The data does not include CPU-specific frame rates, but the consistency of the FPS drops—nearly identical percentage reductions across all settings at each resolution step—strongly implies that the RX 6600 is the constraint.

The i7-13700K's 16 cores and 24 threads are more than sufficient for Control's engine, which is not known for being heavily multithreaded. The CPU's 89th percentile ranking among all CPUs further confirms that it is not the weak link in this pairing. The combo rank of 2904 out of 3720 is almost entirely attributable to the GPU's mid-range positioning, as the CPU's synthetic scores place it in the top tier of processors.

Settings Recommendations

For users prioritizing smooth gameplay at 1080p, the data supports using High settings, which average 68 FPS. This provides a solid balance between visual quality and performance, staying above the 60 FPS threshold. Ultra settings at 1080p average 59 FPS, which is close enough that users with adaptive sync displays may prefer it, but those seeking a guaranteed 60 FPS should stick with High.

At 1440p, Medium settings are the recommended choice, averaging 58 FPS with a minimum of 49 FPS. This preset offers the best compromise between image quality and playability, as Low settings (82 FPS) sacrifice too much visual fidelity while High (52 FPS) and Ultra (45 FPS) fall below the 60 FPS target. The recorded minimum of 49 FPS at 1440p Medium indicates occasional dips, but the overall experience remains acceptable.

At 4K, no preset delivers a fully smooth experience. Low settings average 55 FPS, which is the only option that comes close to 60 FPS, but even this preset cannot guarantee consistent performance. Medium settings average 39 FPS, making them playable only for users who tolerate frame rates in the 30-40 range. For most users, 4K is not recommended with this combo unless they are willing to accept significant compromises in both settings and frame rate.

The data shows a clear pattern: the RX 6600's sweet spot is 1080p with High settings, while 1440p requires Medium settings to maintain reasonable frame rates. Users who prioritize frame rate over visual fidelity can push higher resolutions with Low settings, but the measured values suggest that the GPU's performance ceiling is reached at 1440p Medium for a balanced experience. The 4K results, with a maximum of 55 FPS on Low, indicate that this resolution is best avoided for serious gameplay with this hardware combination.