Control

Measured FPS Breakdown

The recorded data for Control with the Intel Core i5-9400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 spans three resolutions and four quality presets. At 1920x1080, the average frame rates range from 162 FPS on Low settings down to 113 FPS on Ultra. Medium settings deliver 142 FPS average with a minimum of 121 FPS and a maximum of 164 FPS. High settings produce 130 FPS average. The spread across presets at 1080p is 49 FPS, indicating that the GPU has substantial headroom even at the most demanding quality level.

Moving to 2560x1440, the average FPS values are 147 for Low, 111 for Medium, 98 for High, and 85 for Ultra. The Medium preset records a minimum of 94 FPS and a maximum of 127 FPS. The delta between Low and Ultra at this resolution is 62 FPS, a wider gap than at 1080p, which shows that resolution scaling amplifies the cost of higher settings. Every preset at 1440p remains well above the 60 FPS playable threshold.

At 3840x2160, the averages are 105 FPS for Low, 75 FPS for Medium, 66 FPS for High, and 58 FPS for Ultra. The Medium preset shows a minimum of 63 FPS and a maximum of 86 FPS. This is the only resolution where a preset, Ultra, falls below the 60 FPS threshold. The difference between Low and Ultra at 4K is 47 FPS. Notably, the step from High to Ultra at 4K costs 8 FPS on average, while the step from Medium to High costs 9 FPS. The Low to Medium jump costs 30 FPS, which is the largest single-preset transition in the entire dataset.

Across all resolutions, the 1080p numbers show that even Ultra settings leave significant performance on the table. The 1440p results suggest a balanced workload where the GPU still has enough throughput to maintain high frame rates under maximum settings. The 4K results reveal the boundary of this combination: High settings are playable, but Ultra pushes the average below 60 FPS.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The database lists nearest rivals for both components based on aggregate benchmark scores. For the Intel Core i5-9400, the closest comparable CPUs are the Intel Core i7-1068NG7 with an average score of 2259, the Intel Core i3-10305 at 2264, the Intel Core i7-10710U at 2248, and the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 at 2246. The delta percentages are small: the i7-1068NG7 is 0.2% lower, the i3-10305 is 0.4% lower, the i7-10710U is 0.3% higher, and the Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 is 0.4% higher than the i5-9400's average score of 2254. In practical terms, swapping the i5-9400 for any of these four CPUs would produce nearly identical frame rates in Control, since the aggregate performance difference is under half of one percent.

For the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070, the nearest rivals are the AMD Radeon Pro 580 with an average score of 40318, the AMD Radeon Pro WX 7100 at 40063, the AMD Radeon Pro 5300 at 40870, and the NVIDIA RTX A500 Mobile at 39568. The RTX 5070's average score is 40377. The delta percentages are 0.1% for the Radeon Pro 580, 0.8% for the Radeon Pro WX 7100, -1.2% for the Radeon Pro 5300, and 2% for the RTX A500 Mobile. These differences are negligible in gaming workloads. A system with any of these GPUs paired with a similar-tier CPU would likely match the measured FPS values within a few frames per second at each resolution and preset.

The combination of a mid-range six-core CPU from 2018 with a current-generation GPU creates a platform where the GPU dominates most gaming scenarios. The rival CPUs listed are all within 0.4% aggregate performance, so the CPU choice among these options would not alter the verdict at any resolution. The rival GPUs, despite being professional or mobile parts, have aggregate scores close enough that the measured Control results would serve as a reasonable estimate for those configurations as well.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark data reveals how the CPU and GPU share the workload in Control across different resolutions. At 1920x1080, the average FPS drops from 162 on Low to 113 on Ultra, a 30% reduction. At 2560x1440, the same preset sweep goes from 147 to 85, a 42% reduction. At 3840x2160, Low averages 105 FPS while Ultra averages 58, a 45% reduction. The increasing percentage drop as resolution rises indicates that the GPU becomes progressively more responsible for the frame rate differences between presets.

Comparing the same preset across resolutions isolates the resolution scaling effect. For Low settings, the average FPS goes from 162 at 1080p to 147 at 1440p to 105 at 4K. That is a 35% decrease from 1080p to 4K. For Ultra settings, the averages are 113 at 1080p, 85 at 1440p, and 58 at 4K, a 49% decrease. The larger relative drop at Ultra settings suggests that the GPU's shading and memory throughput are the limiting factors when both resolution and quality are maximized.

At 1080p Low, the CPU likely plays a more prominent role, since the GPU can render frames quickly enough that the processor's six threads may become a bottleneck. The i5-9400 has a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.10 GHz, with six cores and six threads. Its aggregate benchmark percentile places it at 47% of all CPUs. The fact that 1080p Low only reaches 162 FPS, rather than higher values, may reflect this CPU ceiling. At 1440p and 4K, the GPU workload increases, and the frame rates scale more closely with GPU capability.

The Medium preset provides the only min/max data in the dataset. At 1080p, the minimum is 121 FPS and the maximum is 164 FPS, a range of 43 FPS. At 1440p, the minimum is 94 FPS and the maximum is 127 FPS, a range of 33 FPS. At 4K, the minimum is 63 FPS and the maximum is 86 FPS, a range of 23 FPS. The narrowing range at higher resolutions indicates that GPU-bound scenarios produce more consistent frame pacing, while CPU involvement at lower resolutions introduces larger fluctuations.

How This Combo Ranks

The database places this specific combination at rank 832 out of 3720 tested combos for Control. That puts the configuration in the top 22% of all recorded systems. The rank reflects the combined capability of the i5-9400 and RTX 5070 across the measured scenarios. Given that the RTX 5070 sits at the 82nd percentile of all GPUs in the database, while the i5-9400 sits at the 47th percentile of all CPUs, the overall combo rank is pulled down by the processor. A newer or higher-tier CPU paired with the same GPU would likely rank higher, but the recorded data shows that this pairing still outperforms the majority of tested systems.

The gap between the GPU's percentile and the combo's rank suggests that in Control, the CPU does impose a measurable limit. If the GPU were the sole determinant, a component at the 82nd percentile would likely produce a combo rank closer to that range. Instead, the CPU's 47th percentile standing drags the overall position down. However, the measured FPS values at 1440p and 1080p are high enough that this limitation is not practically visible in most gameplay scenarios.

Compared to all 3720 combos, a rank of 832 means that 2888 tested configurations produced lower or equal performance in this game. The data also shows that the RTX 5070's nearest GPU rivals have aggregate scores within 2% of each other, so systems using those GPUs with faster CPUs could occupy nearby ranks. The i5-9400's nearest CPU rivals are similarly clustered, so the entire neighborhood of comparable builds likely falls within a narrow rank band.

The Verdict

The verdict by resolution is clear from the measured data. At 1920x1080, all four presets, Low, Medium, High, and Ultra, are playable. The best preset that maintains at least 60 FPS is Ultra, which averages 113 FPS. This means a user can enable the maximum quality settings at 1080p and still have nearly double the playable threshold.

At 2560x1440, all four presets are also playable. The best preset is Ultra with an average of 85 FPS. The minimum recorded value for Medium at 1440p is 94 FPS, so even transient drops stay well above 60 FPS. The Ultra preset, while lacking min/max data in the record, averages 85 FPS, which provides comfortable margin.

At 3840x2160, the situation changes. The playable settings are Low with 105 FPS average, Medium with 75 FPS average, and High with 66 FPS average. Ultra falls to 58 FPS average, which is below the 60 FPS threshold and therefore not listed as playable. The best playable preset at 4K is High, with an average of 66 FPS. The Medium preset's minimum of 63 FPS confirms that it stays above the threshold, while High, lacking min/max data, averages 66 FPS.

The answer to whether this PC can run Control is yes, with caveats at 4K. The system clears 60 FPS at every resolution and preset combination except for 4K Ultra. For users targeting 1080p or 1440p, the maximum settings are fully usable. For 4K users, High settings are the ceiling, and Low or Medium provide additional headroom if desired.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 1080p with Ultra settings?

A: The average FPS is 113, with no recorded minimum or maximum values in the database.

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

A: No. The average FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings is 58, which is below the 60 FPS playable threshold. The highest playable preset at 4K is High, which averages 66 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Intel Core i5-9400 has an average benchmark score of 2254. The closest rivals are the Intel Core i7-1068NG7 at 2259, the Intel Core i3-10305 at 2264, the Intel Core i7-10710U at 2248, and the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 at 2246. The performance differences range from -0.4% to 0.4%, which is negligible.

Q: What is the GPU's percentile ranking among all GPUs in the database?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 sits at the 82nd percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 40377.

Q: Which resolution provides the largest performance drop between Low and Ultra presets?

A: At 3840x2160, Low averages 105 FPS and Ultra averages 58 FPS, a drop of 47 FPS. At 2560x1440, the drop is 62 FPS (147 to 85), and at 1920x1080, the drop is 49 FPS (162 to 113). The largest absolute drop occurs at 1440p.

Q: What is the combo rank for this CPU and GPU pairing in Control?

A: The combo rank is 832 out of 3720 tested combinations, placing it in the top 22% of all recorded systems.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, with an average of 113 FPS. This provides the maximum visual quality without any playability concerns, since the average is nearly double the threshold.

At 2560x1440, the best preset is also Ultra, averaging 85 FPS. The margin above 60 FPS is 25 FPS, which leaves room for demanding scenes without dropping below playable levels.

At 3840x2160, the best preset that remains playable is High, with an average of 66 FPS. The margin is only 6 FPS, which is tighter than at lower resolutions. Users who prioritize stability over visual fidelity could select Medium, which averages 75 FPS and records a minimum of 63 FPS, providing a larger safety buffer. However, based on the database's verdict, High is the listed best setting at 4K.

For each resolution, the recommended preset represents the highest quality option that still clears the 60 FPS average threshold. The data suggests that 1080p and 1440p users can safely enable maximum settings, while 4K users must accept High as the ceiling or drop to Medium for additional headroom.