Control

Measured FPS Breakdown

The recorded data for Control with the Intel Core i5-9400 and Intel Arc B570 shows a steep performance curve as resolution climbs. At 1920x1080, the combo delivers playable frame rates across most presets. Low settings average 101 FPS, Medium averages 71 FPS with a minimum of 61 FPS and maximum of 82 FPS, and High averages 63 FPS. Ultra is the only 1080p preset that falls below the 60 FPS playable threshold, averaging 55 FPS.

Stepping up to 2560x1440, the frame rates drop significantly. Low settings average 76 FPS, which remains comfortably playable. Medium averages 54 FPS with a minimum of 46 FPS and a maximum of 62 FPS, placing it just under the 60 FPS target. High averages 48 FPS, and Ultra averages 42 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at this resolution is 34 FPS, indicating that preset choice matters more than at 1080p.

At 3840x2160, the combination struggles to maintain playable performance. Low settings average 51 FPS, Medium averages 36 FPS with a minimum of 31 FPS and maximum of 42 FPS, High averages 32 FPS, and Ultra averages 28 FPS. No preset at this resolution reaches the 60 FPS playable threshold, and even Low falls 9 FPS short. The spread from Ultra to Low is 23 FPS, a narrower range than at lower resolutions, suggesting the GPU is becoming the dominant limiting factor.

The data shows a clear pattern: the Arc B570 handles 1080p well, 1440p only at Low settings, and 4K not at all for this title. The min/max figures available only for Medium presets show reasonable frame pacing, with the 1080p Medium spread of 21 FPS and the 1440p Medium spread of 16 FPS, indicating no severe stuttering in those configurations.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The nearest rivals in the database for the Intel Core i5-9400 are closely matched processors. The Intel Core i7-1068NG7 scores 2259 in aggregate benchmarks, a mere 0.2% difference from the i5-9400's average score. The Intel Core i3-10305 is 0.4% ahead, while the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 is 0.4% behind and the Intel Core i7-10710U is 0.3% behind. These four CPUs would all produce nearly identical frame rates in Control, since the game's performance scaling with the Arc B570 is unlikely to be sensitive to differences of less than half a percent in CPU compute.

For the GPU side, the Intel Arc A750 is the closest rival, scoring 20582 versus the Arc B570's 20556 average benchmark score, a negligible 0.1% difference. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile is 0.1% behind the B570, the NVIDIA Quadro M4000M is 0.4% ahead, and the AMD Radeon R9 M390X is 0.5% behind. In practice, swapping the Arc B570 for an Arc A750 or RTX 3070 Mobile would yield nearly identical FPS numbers in Control at every resolution and preset combination.

The CPU percentile ranking of 47 means the i5-9400 sits roughly in the middle of all tested processors, while the GPU percentile of 65 places the Arc B570 above average. This imbalance suggests that in GPU-bound scenarios, such as 4K Ultra, the CPU choice matters little; in CPU-bound scenarios, which are less common in this title, the i5-9400's mid-pack position could become relevant.

CPU and GPU Roles

Benchmark results indicate that the Intel Arc B570 is the primary performance driver in Control, but the CPU's influence grows at lower resolutions. At 3840x2160, the frame rate difference between Low and Ultra is only 23 FPS, from 51 to 28 FPS. This narrow spread indicates the GPU is saturated at all settings, and the CPU's role is minimal. The i5-9400's six cores and six threads are sufficient to feed the GPU at 4K, as evidenced by the fact that even Low settings cannot push past 51 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the picture changes slightly. The jump from Low to Medium costs 22 FPS, and from Medium to High costs another 6 FPS. The total spread of 34 FPS across presets is larger than at 4K, showing that the GPU has more headroom but is still the bottleneck. The CPU is not yet limiting, as the 76 FPS on Low settings is well within what the i5-9400 can support.

At 1920x1080, the CPU begins to matter more. Low settings hit 101 FPS, which is high enough that the i5-9400's single-thread performance could start to constrain the Arc B570. The 46 FPS spread from Low to Ultra (101 to 55 FPS) is the largest across resolutions, indicating that both components are contributing to the scaling. The i5-9400's Cinebench R23 single-core score of 935 and multi-core score of 6629 place it in the 47th percentile, which is adequate for this title but not exceptional.

The scaling between resolutions reinforces this interpretation. Moving from 1080p Low to 1440p Low drops from 101 to 76 FPS, a 25% reduction. Moving from 1440p Low to 4K Low drops from 76 to 51 FPS, a 33% reduction. The larger drop at higher resolutions confirms that the GPU is becoming progressively more dominant. Conversely, the 1080p to 1440p drop is smaller, suggesting the CPU is still contributing meaningfully at the lower resolution.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Control at 1080p with High settings?

A: Yes. The recorded data shows 63 FPS average at 1920x1080 with High settings, which is above the 60 FPS playable threshold. Medium settings average 71 FPS with a minimum of 61 FPS, and Low averages 101 FPS.

Q: What is the best preset at 1440p for this hardware?

A: Low settings is the only playable option at 2560x1440, averaging 76 FPS. Medium averages 54 FPS and falls below the 60 FPS threshold, with a minimum of 46 FPS, so it is not recommended for smooth gameplay.

Q: Is 4K playable with the Intel Core i5-9400 and Arc B570?

A: No. At 3840x2160, the best preset is Low at 51 FPS average, which is 9 FPS short of the 60 FPS playable threshold. Medium averages 36 FPS, High averages 32 FPS, and Ultra averages 28 FPS.

Q: How does the Arc B570 compare to the Arc A750 in this game?

A: The two GPUs have nearly identical aggregate benchmark scores, with the Arc A750 at 20582 and the Arc B570 at 20556, a difference of only 0.1%. In Control, they would produce essentially the same frame rates across all resolutions and presets.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck at 1080p?

A: The GPU is still the primary limiter, but the CPU becomes more relevant at 1080p. The 101 FPS on Low settings suggests the i5-9400 can push high frame rates, yet the 46 FPS spread from Low to Ultra indicates the GPU is still the main constraint. At 4K, the GPU is almost entirely responsible for the performance ceiling.

Q: What frame rates can be expected on Medium at 1080p?

A: The recorded data shows 71 FPS average, 61 FPS minimum, and 82 FPS maximum at 1920x1080 with Medium settings. This is the only resolution and preset pair with complete min/max data, and it indicates stable frame pacing.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is High, which averages 63 FPS. Medium averages 71 FPS and Low averages 101 FPS, but High offers the best visual quality while remaining playable. Ultra averages 55 FPS, so it must be avoided for smooth gameplay.

At 2560x1440, only Low settings achieve the 60 FPS target, averaging 76 FPS. Medium falls to 54 FPS average with a 46 FPS minimum, which would produce noticeable dips. High at 48 FPS and Ultra at 42 FPS are not viable options.

At 3840x2160, no preset reaches the playable threshold. Low averages 51 FPS, Medium averages 36 FPS, High averages 32 FPS, and Ultra averages 28 FPS. Users who insist on 4K will need to lower resolution or adjust settings beyond the tested presets, but the data does not support a playable configuration at this resolution.

The verdict by resolution in the database confirms these findings: 1080p has three playable settings (High, Low, Medium) with High as the best at 63 FPS, 1440p has one playable setting (Low) at 76 FPS, and 4K has no playable settings.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-9400 and Intel Arc B570 combination ranks 2995 out of 3720 tested combos in Control, placing it in the 20th percentile of all configurations. This is a low ranking, driven primarily by the GPU's inability to handle 4K and the CPU's mid-pack positioning. The i5-9400's 47th percentile CPU ranking and the Arc B570's 65th percentile GPU ranking combine to produce a system that is competitive at 1080p but struggles at higher resolutions.

The rank suggests that roughly 725 combos in the database perform worse, while 2995 perform better. For a game released in 2019, this hardware pairing is adequate for 1080p gaming but not for modern high-refresh or high-resolution demands. The Arc B570's 65th percentile GPU score indicates it is a capable mid-range card, but Control's demanding rendering at 4K overwhelms it. The i5-9400's six-core, six-thread configuration with a 4.10 GHz boost clock is sufficient for this title, as evidenced by the 101 FPS result at 1080p Low, but it does not boost the combo's standing.

The combination's rank reflects a balanced but modest system: the GPU is slightly above average, the CPU is average, and together they deliver playable 1080p performance with a single playable 1440p preset. For users targeting 60 FPS, this combo is best suited to 1080p High or Medium settings, with 1440p reserved for Low presets and 4K avoided entirely.