Control

The Intel Core i5-13400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 combination delivers a surprisingly consistent experience in Control, but the ceiling is firmly set by the GPU's 8 GB memory and the game's demanding rendering. The data shows a clear pattern: at 1080p this combo is overkill, at 1440p it is solidly playable with settings adjustments, and at 4K it only scrapes by on the lowest preset. The benchmark results indicate that the RTX 5050's performance scales predictably with resolution, while the i5-13400F provides ample headroom to avoid bottlenecking the frame rate at any setting tested.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for this combo covers three resolutions and four quality presets, with complete average, minimum, and maximum frame rate figures available for the Medium preset at each resolution. Starting at 3840x2160, the RTX 5050 produces an average of 40 FPS on High settings, which drops to 35 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset at 4K yields an average of 45 FPS, with a minimum of 38 FPS and a maximum of 52 FPS. The only playable option at this resolution is Low, which jumps to an average of 63 FPS, though no minimum or maximum values were recorded for that preset.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance improves substantially. The High preset averages 59 FPS, just shy of the 60 FPS playable threshold, while Ultra drops to 52 FPS. The Medium preset at 1440p is the standout here, delivering an average of 67 FPS with a minimum of 57 FPS and a maximum of 77 FPS. Low settings push the average up to 94 FPS, providing a significant cushion above the playability line. The frame time consistency at Medium is notable, as the 57 FPS minimum suggests only occasional dips below 60 FPS.

At 1920x1080, the combo shows its strongest performance. The Ultra preset averages 68 FPS, which is comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold, while High averages 78 FPS. The Medium preset at 1080p records an average of 88 FPS, with a minimum of 75 FPS and a maximum of 101 FPS, indicating very stable frame pacing. Low settings reach an average of 124 FPS, making this resolution the only one where every preset clears the playable threshold with room to spare. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 56 FPS, which shows that the RTX 5050 has enough compute headroom to handle the game's visual features without collapsing.

Best Settings per Resolution

The data defines the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS average at each resolution. At 3840x2160, the only preset that meets this criterion is Low, which delivers an average of 63 FPS. The Medium preset at 4K falls short at 45 FPS, and High and Ultra are further behind at 40 and 35 FPS respectively. This makes Low the clear choice for 4K play, but the margin is thin—only 3 FPS above the threshold.

At 2560x1440, the best settings are Medium, which averages 67 FPS. This is a meaningful step up from 4K, as it allows for the game's medium-quality textures and effects while maintaining a playable frame rate. The High preset at 1440p averages 59 FPS, which is technically below the 60 FPS threshold, but the close margin suggests that minor tweaks could make it viable. For a strict 60 FPS target, Medium is the recommended preset.

At 1920x1080, the best settings are Ultra, which averages 68 FPS. This is the most demanding preset available, and the combo handles it without issue. The fact that Ultra at 1080p averages 68 FPS while High at 1440p averages 59 FPS shows that the resolution scaling is the primary factor, not the preset complexity. For 1080p users, there is no reason to drop below Ultra unless aiming for higher refresh rates, as Low settings reach 124 FPS for that purpose.

FAQ

*Q: Can this PC run Control at 4K resolution?*

A: Yes, but only on Low settings, which average 63 FPS. The Medium preset at 3840x2160 drops to 45 FPS, and High and Ultra average 40 and 35 FPS respectively, so the 60 FPS threshold is only cleared at the lowest quality level.

Q: What is the best preset for 1440p gaming with this combo?

A: Medium settings provide an average of 67 FPS at 2560x1440, with a minimum of 57 FPS and a maximum of 77 FPS. High settings average 59 FPS, which is just below the 60 FPS target, making Medium the highest preset that consistently stays above the playable threshold.

*Q: How does the RTX 5050 handle 1080p Ultra settings in Control?*

A: The Ultra preset at 1920x1080 averages 68 FPS, which is comfortably above the 60 FPS playable threshold. The combo also delivers 78 FPS on High, 88 FPS on Medium, and 124 FPS on Low, so all presets are playable at this resolution.

Q: Are there any frame rate dips below 60 FPS at playable settings?

A: At 1440p Medium, the minimum recorded FPS is 57, which is below 60. At 1080p Medium, the minimum is 75 FPS, and at 4K Low, no minimum was recorded, but the average of 63 FPS suggests occasional dips are likely. The only preset with a recorded minimum below 60 FPS is 1440p Medium.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more limiting for this game?

A: The GPU is the limiting factor at higher resolutions, as evidenced by the steep drop from 94 FPS at 1440p Low to 63 FPS at 4K Low. The CPU's performance, reflected in its multi-threaded benchmark scores, provides sufficient headroom, as the frame rates scale primarily with resolution and preset rather than showing CPU-bound stutters.

*Q: What is the highest average FPS this combo achieves in Control?*

A: The highest recorded average is 124 FPS at 1920x1080 with Low settings. The next highest is 94 FPS at 2560x1440 with Low settings, followed by 88 FPS at 1080p Medium.

The Verdict

The verdict by resolution is clear: this PC can run Control at 1080p with any preset, at 1440p with Medium or Low settings, and at 4K only with Low settings. At 1920x1080, the combo clears 60 FPS on every preset, with Ultra averaging 68 FPS and High at 78 FPS. This makes 1080p the only resolution where the user can enable the game's maximum visual quality without compromising frame rate.

At 2560x1440, the playable settings are Low and Medium, with Medium averaging 67 FPS. The High preset falls just short at 59 FPS, so users targeting a locked 60 FPS should stick to Medium. The 57 FPS minimum on Medium is a concern for frame time consistency, but the average remains above the threshold.

At 3840x2160, the only playable setting is Low, which averages 63 FPS. This is a marginal result—the 3 FPS buffer above 60 FPS means any demanding scene could push it below the threshold. For 4K users, this combo is functional but not comfortable, and the Medium preset's 45 FPS average confirms that higher quality is not viable. Overall, the combo is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, with 4K as a compromise option.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data reveals a clear division of labor between the i5-13400F and the RTX 5050 in Control. The GPU is the dominant factor at higher resolutions, as shown by the scaling from 1080p to 4K. At 1920x1080, the average FPS ranges from 68 on Ultra to 124 on Low, while at 3840x2160, the same presets range from 35 to 63 FPS. This 45% to 50% drop in performance across resolution scaling points directly to the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth constraints, particularly the 8 GB VRAM and 128-bit bus.

The CPU's role becomes more apparent at lower resolutions and presets. At 1080p Low, the combo reaches 124 FPS, which is a high enough frame rate that CPU overhead could become relevant, but the i5-13400F's multi-threaded benchmark scores—including a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 22604 and a Passmark multi-thread score of 25032—suggest it has ample processing power to feed the GPU. The fact that 1080p Ultra averages 68 FPS while 1440p Low averages 94 FPS is telling: the resolution change has a larger impact than the preset change, indicating that the GPU is the bottleneck once settings increase.

At 4K, the GPU is unquestionably the limiting factor. The difference between Low and Medium at 3840x2160 is 18 FPS (63 vs 45), while the difference between Low and Medium at 1080p is 36 FPS (124 vs 88). This nonlinear scaling suggests that at 4K, the GPU is hitting memory or compute limits that reduce the impact of preset changes. The CPU's performance remains consistent across all resolutions, as evidenced by the lack of CPU-bound frame rate plateaus in the data.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations for Control, this specific pairing of the Intel Core i5-13400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 ranks 2296 out of 3720 total combos. This places it in the 38th percentile of all tested systems, which is a middle-of-the-pack result. The ranking reflects the RTX 5050's position in the GPU hierarchy, as the card's average benchmark score of 21035 puts it at the 66th percentile among all GPUs, while the CPU's average score of 25292 places it at the 77th percentile among all CPUs.

The GPU's nearest rivals in the benchmark database provide context for its performance. The RTX 5050's average score is 1.6% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT, and 0.6% lower than the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL. The NVIDIA RTX A4000 Mobile scores 1.6% higher, while the AMD Radeon HD 8970M is 1% higher. These tight margins indicate that the RTX 5050 sits in a competitive performance band, and the combo's overall rank of 2296 suggests that many systems with more powerful GPUs or better CPU-GPU pairings will outperform it in Control.

The CPU's nearest rivals show a similar clustering, with the i5-13400F scoring within 0.4% of the AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS and AMD Ryzen 7 6800H, and within 0.3% of the Intel Core 5 120 and AMD Ryzen 5 5600X3D. This indicates that the CPU is not a differentiator in this combo's ranking; rather, the GPU's mid-tier position in the benchmark database is what drives the overall rank. For users comparing systems, the data suggests that upgrading the GPU would yield a larger improvement in Control than upgrading the CPU, given the GPU's lower percentile ranking and the game's sensitivity to resolution scaling.