Control

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the Intel Core i5-9400 with the AMD Radeon RX 9070 delivers a robust frame rate spread across all presets. The Low preset averages 162 FPS, which is the highest recorded figure for this combination at any resolution. Medium averages 129 FPS, with a minimum of 110 FPS and a maximum of 148 FPS. High drops to 115 FPS average, while Ultra still holds at 100 FPS average. The data shows a clear progression: each step up in visual fidelity costs roughly 13 to 14 FPS on average, with the gap between Low and Ultra totaling 62 FPS.

Moving to 2560x1440, the same settings hierarchy remains, but the absolute numbers scale down noticeably. Low averages 137 FPS, a 25 FPS reduction compared to 1080p. Medium averages 98 FPS, with a minimum of 83 FPS and a maximum of 112 FPS. High settles at 87 FPS, and Ultra lands at 75 FPS. The percentage drop from 1080p to 1440p is consistent across presets: roughly 15 to 18 percent lower average FPS, which indicates the GPU is still the dominant factor at this resolution, but the CPU is beginning to contribute more to the frame pacing.

At 3840x2160, the performance envelope tightens considerably. Low averages 93 FPS, Medium averages 66 FPS with a minimum of 56 FPS and a maximum of 76 FPS, High averages 59 FPS, and Ultra averages 51 FPS. The 1440p to 4K transition costs about 32 percent of the average frame rate on Low, and about 33 percent on Medium. High and Ultra fall below the 60 FPS threshold, making them unsuitable for smooth play at this resolution. The minimum FPS recorded for 4K Medium is 56, which dips slightly under the playable threshold even though the average stays above it.

The measured data includes only average FPS for most settings, with minimum and maximum values only recorded for the Medium preset at each resolution. This means the full frame time variance is not available for Low, High, and Ultra, but the average figures are sufficient to establish the overall performance tier.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-9400 and the AMD Radeon RX 9070 ranks 1221 out of 3720 tested combinations in the database for Control. This places it in the top third of all recorded pairings, which is a strong showing given that the CPU is an older six-core part while the GPU is a current-generation RDNA 4.0 product. The rank reflects the overall capability of the system across all settings and resolutions, not just the peak frame rates.

The CPU itself sits at the 47th percentile among all processors in the database, with an average benchmark score of 2254. Its nearest rivals in the database include the Intel Core i7-1068NG7, which scores 2259 (a 0.2 percent difference), the Intel Core i7-10710U at 2248 (0.3 percent difference), the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 at 2246 (0.4 percent difference), and the Intel Core i3-10305 at 2264 (0.4 percent difference). These deltas are all within a single percentage point, meaning the i5-9400 is effectively performance-equivalent to these other CPUs in general compute tasks. None of these rivals offer a meaningful advantage in raw throughput, so the GPU is doing most of the heavy lifting in this pairing.

The GPU, the AMD Radeon RX 9070, sits at the 69th percentile among all graphics cards, with an average benchmark score of 23877. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN Z at 23736 (0.6 percent higher), the AMD Radeon RX 6800S at 24063 (0.8 percent higher), the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Mobile at 23628 (1.1 percent higher), and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER at 24170 (1.2 percent higher). The RX 9070 is within 1.2 percent of all four of these cards, which shows that it occupies a tightly contested performance band. In the context of Control specifically, the combo rank of 1221 out of 3720 suggests that the system outperforms roughly two-thirds of all tested pairings, which is consistent with a high-end GPU paired with a mid-range older CPU.

The rank also implies that there are many combinations that do better, likely featuring newer CPUs with higher core counts or faster memory subsystems. However, for the specific purpose of running Control, the data indicates that the i5-9400 does not bottleneck the RX 9070 to the point of diminishing returns at any resolution except possibly 1080p Low, where the GPU is so fast that the CPU may limit the absolute maximum frame rate.

CPU and GPU Roles

The scaling between resolutions and presets reveals which component governs performance in Control. At 1920x1080, the delta between Low and Ultra is 62 FPS (162 to 100), which is a 38 percent reduction in average FPS. This is a large swing, and it indicates that the GPU is heavily loaded by the visual settings. The CPU has enough headroom at this resolution to feed the GPU at all preset levels, as even the Ultra preset maintains a 100 FPS average.

At 2560x1440, the same preset sweep yields a 62 FPS delta as well (137 to 75), which is a 45 percent reduction. The percentage loss is larger than at 1080p, showing that the GPU is being pushed harder as the pixel count rises. The CPU still manages to keep up, as the frame rates remain high across the board.

At 3840x2160, the preset sweep produces a 42 FPS delta (93 to 51), which is a 45 percent reduction as well. The absolute numbers are lower, but the relative cost of each preset tier is similar to 1440p. This pattern suggests that the GPU is the primary performance driver across all resolutions, with the CPU playing a secondary role.

The CPU's role becomes more apparent when comparing the same preset across resolutions. For example, Low at 1080p averages 162 FPS, while Low at 4K averages 93 FPS, a 43 percent drop. This is a significant reduction, but it is in line with the increase in pixel count. If the CPU were the bottleneck, the 1080p Low figure would be much higher, as the GPU would have very little work to do. Instead, the data shows that even at 1080p Low, the system caps out at 162 FPS, which is likely a combination of CPU instruction throughput and game engine limits.

The medium preset has the only recorded minimum and maximum FPS values. At 1080p Medium, the range is 110 to 148 FPS, a 38 FPS spread. At 1440p Medium, the range is 83 to 112 FPS, a 29 FPS spread. At 4K Medium, the range is 56 to 76 FPS, a 20 FPS spread. The shrinking variance as resolution increases indicates that the GPU becomes the limiting factor more consistently, while at lower resolutions the CPU can cause more frame time spikes.

In summary, the RX 9070 is the dominant component in this pairing for Control. The i5-9400 provides sufficient single-thread performance to avoid severe bottlenecks, but it does cap the absolute maximum frame rate at 1080p. At 1440p and 4K, the GPU is almost entirely responsible for the performance level.

The Verdict

Can this PC run Control? The answer depends on the resolution and preset, but the verdict data is clear. At 1920x1080, all four presets are playable, with average FPS ranging from 100 to 162. The best settings at 1080p are Ultra, which averages 100 FPS, comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold. At 2560x1440, all four presets are also playable, with Ultra averaging 75 FPS. This means the system can run Control at maximum settings at 1440p without dropping below 60 FPS on average.

At 3840x2160, the situation changes. Only Low and Medium are playable, with averages of 93 FPS and 66 FPS respectively. High averages 59 FPS, which is just under the 60 FPS threshold, and Ultra averages 51 FPS, which is clearly below it. The medium preset's minimum FPS of 56 also dips below 60, so there may be brief stutters, but the average is still above the playable threshold.

The verdict by resolution confirms this: for 4K, the playable settings are Low and Medium, with Medium being the best at 66 FPS. For 1440p, all settings are playable, with Ultra as the best at 75 FPS. For 1080p, all settings are playable, with Ultra as the best at 100 FPS.

In practical terms, players with a 1080p or 1440p monitor can enable Ultra and enjoy a smooth experience. Players with a 4K monitor should stick to Medium or Low, as the higher presets will cause frame rates to dip below the playable threshold. The system is not capable of running Control at 4K Ultra with a consistent 60 FPS, but it is fully capable at lower resolutions.

FAQ

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

A: The highest recorded average FPS is 162, achieved at 1920x1080 with the Low preset.

Q: Can this system run Control at 4K with High settings?

A: No. At 3840x2160 with High settings, the average FPS is 59, which is just below the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Q: What is the best settings preset for 2560x1440 that stays at or above 60 FPS?

A: Ultra at 2560x1440 averages 75 FPS, making it the most demanding preset that clears the 60 FPS threshold at this resolution.

Q: How does the Intel Core i5-9400 compare to its nearest rival, the Intel Core i7-1068NG7?

A: The i5-9400 has an average benchmark score of 2254, while the i7-1068NG7 scores 2259, a difference of 0.2 percent. They are effectively performance-equivalent.

Q: Does the AMD Radeon RX 9070 outperform the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER in general benchmarks?

A: The RX 9070 has an average benchmark score of 23877, while the RTX 2080 SUPER scores 24170, which is 1.2 percent higher. The RTX 2080 SUPER is slightly ahead in the database's average benchmark.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded for Medium settings at 4K?

A: The minimum FPS for 3840x2160 Medium is 56, which is below the 60 FPS threshold, even though the average is 66 FPS.

Best Settings per Resolution

For 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, with an average FPS of 100. This is the maximum visual quality setting available in the test data, and it delivers a frame rate well above the playable threshold.

For 2560x1440, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is also Ultra, with an average FPS of 75. The system has enough headroom at 1440p to run the game at max settings without dropping below the 60 FPS average.

For 3840x2160, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Medium, with an average FPS of 66. The High preset at 4K averages 59 FPS, so it does not qualify. Medium is the highest setting that maintains a playable average frame rate at this resolution.

These recommendations are based strictly on the average FPS figures. Players who are sensitive to frame drops should note that the 4K Medium minimum FPS is 56, which is below the 60 FPS line, but the average is sufficient for a playable experience.