Control

The Intel Core i5-9400 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 delivers a playable Control experience at 1080p and 1440p, but it falls short of the 60 FPS threshold at 4K across all tested settings. At 1920x1080, the combination reaches 62.1 FPS on High settings, which is the most demanding preset that remains playable, while dropping to Low settings pushes performance to 95.3 FPS. At 2560x1440, only the Low preset stays above 60 FPS with an average of 74.2 FPS, and at 3840x2160 no settings level achieves playable frame rates, with the best result being 48.8 FPS on Low. This places the combo at rank 3120 out of 3720 tested combinations in the database, indicating that while it handles the game at mainstream resolutions, it is not positioned for high-end 4K gaming.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The recorded data for Control shows a clear progression of average frame rates as resolution and settings change. At 3840x2160, the average FPS ranges from 24.4 to 48.8 depending on the preset. Ultra settings produce the lowest average at 24.4 FPS, High settings reach 29.6 FPS, Medium settings improve to 32.6 FPS, and Low settings deliver the best 4K result at 48.8 FPS. None of these averages approach the 60 FPS playable threshold, so the database classifies 4K as having no playable settings for this hardware combo.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates scale upward noticeably. Low settings achieve 74.2 FPS, which is the only 1440p preset that clears the 60 FPS bar. Medium settings average 49.5 FPS, High settings average 44.4 FPS, and Ultra settings drop to 38.5 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium is substantial, a 24.7 FPS difference, which indicates that the Low preset avoids the most demanding visual effects that strain the GTX 1070 at this resolution.

At 1920x1080, the combo performs much more comfortably. Low settings produce 95.3 FPS, Medium settings reach 67.7 FPS, High settings average 62.1 FPS, and Ultra settings fall slightly below the playable threshold at 55.9 FPS. The database lists High, Low, and Medium as playable settings at 1080p, with High being the best setting that maintains at least 60 FPS. The difference between High and Ultra is only 6.2 FPS, but that small margin is enough to push Ultra under the 60 FPS line, making it the only 1080p preset that fails the playability requirement.

Across all resolutions, the min and max FPS values are not recorded in the database, so the analysis relies solely on average frame rates. The pattern is consistent: each step up in settings costs a meaningful amount of performance, and each step up in resolution does the same. For example, moving from 1080p High to 1440p High reduces the average from 62.1 FPS to 44.4 FPS, a drop of 17.7 FPS. Similarly, moving from 1440p Low to 4K Low reduces the average from 74.2 FPS to 48.8 FPS, a drop of 25.4 FPS.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark data suggests that the GPU is the primary bottleneck for Control at higher resolutions, while the CPU becomes more relevant at lower resolutions and higher frame rates. The Intel Core i5-9400 has six cores and six threads, with a boost clock of 4.10 GHz, and it scores in the 47th percentile among all CPUs in the database. The GTX 1070, with 8 GB of GDDR5 memory and a 256-bit memory bus, scores in the 47th percentile among all GPUs. Both components sit near the middle of their respective performance distributions, which means neither is a standout, but the way they interact depends heavily on the workload.

At 3840x2160, the frame rates are uniformly low, ranging from 24.4 FPS on Ultra to 48.8 FPS on Low. This pattern points to the GPU being the limiting factor, as even the lowest settings cannot push the combo above 50 FPS. The GTX 1070’s 6.463 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 256.3 GB/s of memory bandwidth are simply insufficient for the pixel count at 4K in Control. The CPU, meanwhile, has ample headroom at this resolution because the GPU cannot deliver enough frames to create a CPU-bound scenario.

At 2560x1440, the picture is similar but with more variation. Low settings reach 74.2 FPS, which is well above the playable threshold, but every other preset falls below 50 FPS. This suggests that the GPU handles the raw geometry and pixel work at Low settings, but as soon as more advanced lighting and post-processing effects are enabled, the GPU saturates quickly. The CPU’s role at 1440p is likely secondary, as the frame rates are still limited by the GPU’s ability to render each frame rather than the CPU’s ability to feed draw calls.

At 1920x1080, the CPU and GPU roles become more balanced. Low settings produce 95.3 FPS, which is high enough that the CPU’s six threads may start to influence performance, especially in scenes with many objects or physics interactions. The i5-9400’s single-core performance, as indicated by a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 935, is moderate, and Control is known to be sensitive to CPU performance in certain areas. However, the data does not provide per-frame breakdowns, so the exact split cannot be quantified. What is clear is that at 1080p High, the combo lands at 62.1 FPS, close to the playable threshold, and at Ultra it drops to 55.9 FPS. This narrow range near the 60 FPS line indicates that both components are contributing, with the GPU handling the visual load and the CPU keeping up just enough to avoid severe stutters.

The scaling between resolutions reinforces this interpretation. From 1080p to 1440p, the average FPS drops by roughly 28% to 40% depending on the preset. From 1440p to 4K, the drops are even steeper, with Low settings falling from 74.2 FPS to 48.8 FPS, a 34% reduction. This steep decline at 4K is typical of a GPU-bound scenario, where the render resolution directly dictates the pixel fill rate required. The CPU’s performance, meanwhile, does not change with resolution, so the fact that frame rates drop so dramatically confirms that the GPU is the dominant constraint at higher resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

The database places this Intel Core i5-9400 and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 combination at rank 3120 out of 3720 tested combos for Control. This puts it in the lower 16% of all tested systems, meaning that the majority of other hardware configurations achieve better performance in this game. The rank reflects the combined capabilities of the CPU and GPU, and given that both components sit at the 47th percentile in their respective benchmark categories, a low overall rank is expected.

Looking at the CPU’s nearest rivals, the i5-9400’s average benchmark score is 2254. The Intel Core i7-1068NG7 scores 2259, which is 0.2% higher, and the Intel Core i3-10305 scores 2264, which is 0.4% higher. On the other side, the Intel Core i7-10710U scores 2248, which is 0.3% lower, and the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 scores 2246, which is 0.4% lower. These differences are tiny, within a fraction of a percent, so swapping the i5-9400 for any of these CPUs would have virtually no impact on Control’s frame rates in GPU-bound scenarios.

For the GPU, the GTX 1070’s average benchmark score is 9780. The AMD FirePro W5000 scores 9803, which is 0.2% higher, and the NVIDIA Quadro M2000M scores 9832, which is 0.5% higher. The NVIDIA Tesla M10 scores 9724, which is 0.6% lower, and the NVIDIA Tesla C2070 scores 9716, which is 0.7% lower. Again, these differences are negligible, so the GTX 1070’s performance in Control is representative of a broad cluster of GPUs with similar compute capabilities.

Given that both components are near the middle of their performance distributions, the combo’s low rank in Control specifically indicates that the game is demanding enough to expose the limits of this hardware. The 3120th rank out of 3720 means that roughly 84% of tested combos perform better, which aligns with the measured FPS data showing that 4K is unplayable and 1440p is only playable on Low settings.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For the CPU, the nearest rivals to the Intel Core i5-9400 are all within 0.4% of its average benchmark score. The Intel Core i7-1068NG7 and Intel Core i3-10305 are marginally faster, while the Intel Core i7-10710U and AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 are marginally slower. In Control, any of these CPUs would produce nearly identical frame rates when paired with the same GTX 1070, because the GPU is the limiting factor at most settings. The only scenario where a CPU swap might matter is at 1080p Low, where frame rates exceed 90 FPS and the CPU’s single-threaded performance could become more relevant, but the differences among these rivals are too small to shift the outcome meaningfully.

For the GPU, the nearest rivals to the GTX 1070 are the AMD FirePro W5000, NVIDIA Quadro M2000M, NVIDIA Tesla M10, and NVIDIA Tesla C2070. These GPUs have average benchmark scores within 0.7% of the GTX 1070, so a system using any of them with the i5-9400 would behave almost identically in Control. The FirePro W5000 and Quadro M2000M are slightly faster on average, while the Tesla M10 and Tesla C2070 are slightly slower, but the differences are not large enough to change the playable settings or the measured FPS by more than a frame or two.

It is worth remembering these rival GPUs include professional and workstation models, which are not typically used for gaming, but their raw compute performance is what matters for this comparison. The database scores them closely to the GTX 1070, so the expected FPS in Control would be very similar. A user with any of these GPUs should expect the same limitations: no playable settings at 4K, Low settings at 1440p, and High settings at 1080p.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, the database records no playable settings for this combo. The highest average FPS at 4K is 48.8 on Low settings, which is well below the 60 FPS threshold. Even the least demanding preset cannot deliver a smooth experience, so the recommendation is to avoid 4K entirely with this hardware.

At 2560x1440, the only playable settings level is Low, which produces an average of 74.2 FPS. This is comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold, leaving some headroom for fluctuations. Medium settings fall to 49.5 FPS, which is not playable according to the database’s criteria. Therefore, Low is the best settings level at 1440p, as it is the only one that meets the playability requirement.

At 1920x1080, the database lists High, Low, and Medium as playable settings. The best settings level that stays at or above 60 FPS is High, with an average of 62.1 FPS. This is just above the threshold, so while it is playable, there is little margin for demanding scenes. Medium settings average 67.7 FPS, which is also playable and offers more headroom, but High is the most visually demanding preset that still meets the 60 FPS target. Ultra settings average 55.9 FPS, which falls short of the threshold, so it is not considered playable.

The recommendation for the best experience is to use High settings at 1080p for the optimal balance of visual quality and performance, or Low settings at 1440p if a higher resolution is preferred. For users who prioritize smoothness over visuals, Medium at 1080p provides a safer margin above 60 FPS.

FAQ

Q: Can the Intel Core i5-9400 and GTX 1070 run Control at 60 FPS?

A: Yes, but only at certain resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, High settings achieve 62.1 FPS, Medium settings achieve 67.7 FPS, and Low settings achieve 95.3 FPS. At 2560x1440, only Low settings reach 74.2 FPS, while all other presets fall below 60 FPS. At 3840x2160, no settings level reaches 60 FPS.

Q: What is the best settings preset for 1080p gaming?

A: High settings is the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS, with an average of 62.1 FPS. Ultra settings drop to 55.9 FPS, which is below the playable threshold, so High is the recommended choice for maximum visual quality at a playable frame rate.

Q: Is 1440p playable with this hardware?

A: Yes, but only on Low settings, which produce an average of 74.2 FPS. Medium settings average 49.5 FPS, High settings average 44.4 FPS, and Ultra settings average 38.5 FPS, all of which are below the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: Why is 4K not playable with this combo?

A: The highest average FPS at 3840x2160 is 48.8 on Low settings. Ultra settings average 24.4 FPS, High settings average 29.6 FPS, and Medium settings average 32.6 FPS. None of these approach the 60 FPS threshold, so the database records no playable settings at 4K.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to other tested systems?

A: The combo ranks 3120 out of 3720 tested combinations for Control, placing it in the lower portion of the database. This is consistent with both the CPU and GPU sitting at the 47th percentile in their respective benchmark categories.

Q: Would a different CPU or GPU make a significant difference?

A: The nearest rivals to the i5-9400 differ by at most 0.4% in average benchmark score, and the nearest rivals to the GTX 1070 differ by at most 0.7%. These differences are too small to change the playable settings or FPS results in Control, so any of these alternatives would behave similarly.