Control

The Intel Core i5-13400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 delivers a commanding performance profile in Control, with measured frame rates that comfortably exceed the 60 FPS playability threshold across every tested resolution and settings combination. The data shows a system that is not merely playable but consistently high-refresh-rate capable, with the RTX 5080 providing substantial headroom even at 4K Ultra settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 3840x2160 (4K), the RTX 5080 demonstrates its flagship-class capability. The Ultra preset, the most demanding configuration tested, still produces an average of 70.6 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS playability threshold. Stepping down to High settings yields a significant improvement to 83.2 FPS, a 17.8% uplift over Ultra. The Medium preset further increases performance to 92.7 FPS, while the Low preset delivers a substantial 131.1 FPS, indicating that the GPU has ample reserves even at this resolution. The scaling from Ultra to Low at 4K represents an 85.7% performance increase, showing that the game responds strongly to settings adjustments when pixel throughput is the primary constraint.

Moving to 2560x1440 (1440p), the frame rates scale up considerably. The Ultra preset achieves 111.5 FPS, which is 57.9% higher than the 4K Ultra result, demonstrating the expected resolution scaling. High settings produce 124.3 FPS, while Medium reaches 139.5 FPS. The Low preset at 1440p hits 198 FPS, a figure that approaches the limits of many high-refresh-rate monitors. The gap between Ultra and Low at this resolution is 77.6%, slightly narrower than at 4K, suggesting that the CPU begins to play a more noticeable role as the GPU load decreases.

At 1920x1080 (1080p), the system produces exceptional frame rates that fully leverage high-refresh-rate displays. The Ultra preset achieves 144.2 FPS, which is already beyond what most 144Hz monitors can display. High settings push this to 165.5 FPS, and Medium reaches 185 FPS. The Low preset yields 243.1 FPS, a figure that approaches the refresh rate limits of top-tier esports displays. The scaling from Ultra to Low at 1080p is 68.6%, the smallest relative difference among the three resolutions, which is a strong indicator that CPU limitations are beginning to surface at this lower resolution.

Best Settings per Resolution

For 3840x2160, the most demanding preset that remains at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, with a measured average of 70.6 FPS. This is a critical finding, as it means the system can run the game at maximum visual quality at 4K without dropping below the playability threshold. The 10.6 FPS margin above 60 FPS provides a modest but real buffer against transient frame drops, though users with strict 60 FPS lock preferences may prefer High settings at 83.2 FPS for additional safety.

At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset is also the best settings choice, delivering 111.5 FPS. The substantial 51.5 FPS headroom above the 60 FPS threshold means that even demanding scenes with heavy particle effects or physics interactions are unlikely to cause noticeable stuttering. This resolution offers the best balance of visual fidelity and performance, as the frame rate is high enough for smooth gameplay while still leveraging the full detail settings.

For 1920x1080, the Ultra preset again qualifies as the best settings, achieving 144.2 FPS. This is more than double the playability threshold, providing an exceptionally smooth experience that is well-suited for high refresh rate displays. The 84.2 FPS margin above 60 FPS is the largest across all resolutions, indicating that this combination at 1080p has enormous performance reserves, even at maximum settings.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark data reveals a clear shift in bottleneck behavior as resolution changes. At 3840x2160, the GPU is the dominant constraint. The frame rate difference between Ultra and Low is 60.5 FPS, and the absolute performance is heavily dependent on the rendering resolution. The RTX 5080's 56.28 TFLOPS of FP32 compute is being fully utilized, and the i5-13400F's 10 cores and 16 threads provide sufficient feeding bandwidth without becoming a limiting factor. The 4K results show that the GPU's raw throughput is the primary determinant of performance.

At 2560x1440, the balance shifts slightly. The frame rates are high enough that the CPU begins to matter more, but the GPU still carries the majority of the workload. The scaling from 4K to 1440p at the same settings shows a 57.9% improvement at Ultra, which is close to the theoretical pixel count reduction of 56.3%. This suggests that the system is still primarily GPU-bound at this resolution, with the CPU having some influence but not yet becoming a constraint.

At 1920x1080, the CPU's role becomes more pronounced. The frame rate scaling from 1440p to 1080p is only 29.3% at Ultra (from 111.5 to 144.2 FPS), which is significantly less than the 56.3% pixel count reduction would suggest. This indicates that the i5-13400F is starting to limit performance at this resolution. The CPU's 3DMark single-thread score of 960 and Passmark single-thread score of 3634 are sufficient for most gaming workloads, but at 1080p with a GPU as powerful as the RTX 5080, the CPU becomes the bottleneck. The smaller relative gains from lowering settings at 1080p (68.6% from Ultra to Low) compared to 4K (85.7%) further confirm this interpretation.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The nearest rivals for the Intel Core i5-13400F provide context for its CPU-level performance. The AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS has an average benchmark score of 25284, which is essentially identical to the i5-13400F's 25292, representing a 0% delta. This means that in CPU-bound scenarios, the Ryzen 9 6900HS would produce nearly identical frame rates in Control. The Intel Core 5 120 scores 25362, which is 0.3% higher, and the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X3D scores 25365, also 0.3% higher. The AMD Ryzen 7 6800H scores 25201, which is 0.4% lower. All four alternatives are within a 0.7% performance band, indicating that any of these CPUs would deliver indistinguishable gaming performance in this title.

For the GPU, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080's nearest rivals show a slightly wider spread. The AMD Radeon RX 9070 GRE scores 57367, which is 2.2% higher than the RTX 5080's 56083 average. This would translate to approximately 1-2 FPS difference in Control at 4K Ultra. The AMD Radeon 8060S scores 55757, which is 0.6% lower, and the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB scores 55698, also 0.6% lower. The AMD Radeon Pro W5700X scores 54828, which is 2.3% lower. These small deltas mean that swapping the RTX 5080 for any of these GPUs would result in frame rate differences of only a few FPS, keeping the system firmly in playable territory at all resolutions.

The Verdict

This PC configuration can definitively run Control at exceptional performance levels. The verdictByResolution data confirms that all four settings presets — Low, Medium, High, and Ultra — are playable at every resolution tested. At 3840x2160, the best settings are Ultra with an average of 70.6 FPS, clearing the 60 FPS threshold by a comfortable margin. At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset achieves 111.5 FPS, and at 1920x1080, it reaches 144.2 FPS. The system is not merely capable of running the game; it is capable of running it at maximum visual quality with high frame rates across all standard resolutions. The only caveat is that at 1080p, the CPU begins to limit performance, but even then, the frame rates are far above what is required for smooth gameplay.

FAQ

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

A: Yes, the measured average FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings is 70.6 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS playability threshold.

Q: What is the highest playable preset at 1440p?

A: The Ultra preset is playable at 2560x1440, with an average of 111.5 FPS, making it the most demanding setting that stays above 60 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU affect performance at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the CPU becomes a limiting factor, as evidenced by the smaller frame rate gains from lowering settings compared to higher resolutions. The i5-13400F's single-thread score of 960 in 3DMark is sufficient but not unlimited.

Q: What GPU alternatives would perform similarly to the RTX 5080 in this game?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 9070 GRE scores 2.2% higher in average benchmarks, while the AMD Radeon 8060S and RX 6750 GRE 12 GB score 0.6% lower, indicating near-identical performance in Control.

Q: Is the frame rate consistent across all settings at 4K?

A: The data shows a wide range from 70.6 FPS at Ultra to 131.1 FPS at Low, with Medium at 92.7 FPS and High at 83.2 FPS, indicating substantial settings-based scaling.

Q: Does this system support high refresh rate gaming at 1080p?

A: Yes, at 1920x1080 with Ultra settings, the system produces 144.2 FPS, and with Low settings it reaches 243.1 FPS, making it suitable for displays with refresh rates up to 240Hz.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-13400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 combination ranks 194 out of 3720 tested combos in Control, placing it in the top 5.2% of all configurations evaluated. This high percentile ranking is consistent with the measured frame rates, which show the system outperforming the vast majority of alternatives. The rank reflects the balanced nature of this pairing, where the RTX 5080's top-tier GPU performance is complemented by a capable mid-range CPU that avoids being a significant bottleneck at most resolutions. While the CPU does limit performance at 1080p, the overall combination still delivers frame rates that are substantially higher than what most systems can achieve, making this a strong choice for playing Control at any resolution with maximum settings.