Control

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the Intel Core i5-9400 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti delivers high frame rates across all presets. The Low preset produces an average of 162 FPS, the highest recorded figure for this combination at any resolution. Moving to Medium, the average drops to 142 FPS, with a minimum of 121 FPS and a maximum of 164 FPS. The High preset averages 137 FPS, while the Ultra preset still maintains a strong 127 FPS average. These numbers indicate that at 1080p, this system has substantial headroom above the 60 FPS playable threshold, even under the heaviest graphical load.

At 2560x1440, performance remains robust but shows a predictable decline as pixel count increases. The Low preset averages 147 FPS, which is only 15 FPS lower than the 1080p Low result. The Medium preset yields an average of 125 FPS, with recorded minimum and maximum values of 106 FPS and 143 FPS respectively. High settings produce an average of 111 FPS, while Ultra drops to 96 FPS. Every preset at 1440p stays well above the 60 FPS threshold, with the gap between the fastest and slowest presets measuring 51 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the system still manages to keep every preset playable, though the margins shrink. Low settings average 119 FPS, a significant drop from the 147 FPS seen at 1440p. Medium averages 84 FPS, with a minimum of 72 FPS and a maximum of 97 FPS. High settings average 75 FPS, and Ultra settles at 65 FPS. The Ultra preset at 4K is the closest this combination comes to the 60 FPS threshold, but it does not cross it. The scaling from 1440p to 4K costs roughly 19 percent of the average FPS on Low settings, and the reduction becomes more pronounced as settings increase.

The data shows a consistent pattern: the RTX 5070 Ti carries the load effectively at higher resolutions, while the i5-9400 provides sufficient throughput at lower settings. The minimum FPS figures, where available, indicate that frame pacing remains stable. At 1080p Medium, the minimum of 121 FPS is only 21 FPS below the average, suggesting no severe drops. At 1440p Medium, the minimum of 106 FPS sits 19 FPS below the average. At 4K Medium, the minimum of 72 FPS is 12 FPS below the average, still comfortably above the playable line.

CPU and GPU Roles

The division of labor between the Intel Core i5-9400 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti becomes clearer when examining how frame rates scale across resolutions and presets. At 1920x1080, the CPU has a more prominent role. The difference between Low and Ultra is 35 FPS (162 to 127), which indicates that the GPU is not fully saturated at lower settings, leaving the CPU to influence the upper bound. The i5-9400, with its 6 cores and 6 threads, is sufficient to feed the GPU at 1080p, but the data shows diminishing returns as settings rise.

At 2560x1440, the GPU begins to assert dominance. The Low to Ultra spread narrows to 51 FPS (147 to 96), but the absolute values remain high. The RTX 5070 Ti's 16 GB of GDDR7 memory and 896.0 GB/s bandwidth allow it to handle the increased pixel throughput without bottlenecking the CPU. The i5-9400's dual-channel DDR4 memory support with 42.7 GB/s bandwidth is not a limiting factor at this resolution, as the frame rates indicate.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is clearly the primary constraint. The Low to Ultra spread is 54 FPS (119 to 65), and the average FPS at Ultra falls to 65, which is close to the 60 FPS threshold. The RTX 5070 Ti's 8960 shading units and 235.4 GPixel/s pixel rate are being exercised heavily, while the CPU's workload remains relatively constant. The scaling from 1440p to 4K on Low settings shows a 28 FPS drop, while the drop from 1080p to 1440p on Low settings is only 15 FPS. This nonlinear scaling indicates that the GPU's rendering pipeline becomes the bottleneck as resolution increases, rather than the CPU's processing capability.

Benchmark results also show that the RTX 5070 Ti ranks in the 86th percentile among all GPUs, while the i5-9400 sits in the 47th percentile among all CPUs. This disparity suggests that the GPU is the stronger component in this pairing. At 4K Ultra, the system delivers 65 FPS, which is only 5 FPS above the playable threshold, reinforcing that the GPU is the limiting factor. At 1080p Ultra, the 127 FPS result shows that the CPU can keep up with the GPU's output, but the margin would likely shrink if the CPU were weaker.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For the CPU, the nearest rivals in the database provide context for the i5-9400's capabilities. The Intel Core i7-1068NG7 has an average benchmark score of 2259, which is 0.2 percent higher than the i5-9400's 2254. The Intel Core i7-10710U scores 2248, 0.3 percent lower. The AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 scores 2246, 0.4 percent lower, and the Intel Core i3-10305 scores 2264, 0.4 percent higher. These deltas are all within one percent, meaning that any of these CPUs would produce nearly identical frame rates in Control when paired with the RTX 5070 Ti. The differences are negligible for gaming purposes, as the GPU will dominate at higher resolutions.

For the GPU, the nearest rivals show a wider spread. The AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 has an average score of 50001, which is 0.1 percent lower than the RTX 5070 Ti's 49957. The Intel Arc A550M scores 49737, 0.4 percent lower. The AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT scores 50951, 2 percent higher, and the AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT scores 48477, 3.1 percent lower. In practical terms, the RX 6900 XT would deliver slightly higher frame rates in Control, perhaps 2 to 5 FPS more at each preset, while the RX 6800 XT would deliver 3 to 6 FPS less. The RX Vega 64 and Arc A550M would be virtually indistinguishable from the RTX 5070 Ti in this game.

The data suggests that if a user were to swap the i5-9400 for any of its nearest CPU rivals, the measured FPS would remain within roughly one percent. Likewise, swapping the RTX 5070 Ti for the RX 6900 XT would improve results by about 2 percent, while the RX 6800 XT would reduce results by about 3 percent. These variations are small enough that the overall verdict for this game would not change: all combinations would still clear 60 FPS at every resolution and preset.

The Verdict

This PC can run Control at all tested resolutions and presets. The verdict data confirms that every resolution from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 has all four settings (Low, Medium, High, Ultra) listed as playable, meaning the average FPS never falls below 60. At 1080p, the worst case is Ultra at 127 FPS, which is more than double the playable threshold. At 1440p, Ultra averages 96 FPS, still a comfortable margin. At 4K, Ultra averages 65 FPS, which clears the threshold by only 5 FPS, but it does clear it.

The best settings at each resolution are as follows: at 1080p, Ultra delivers 127 FPS; at 1440p, Ultra delivers 96 FPS; at 4K, Ultra delivers 65 FPS. There is no resolution where the system fails to maintain 60 FPS, and even the most demanding preset at the highest resolution remains playable. For users with a 60 Hz display at 4K, the Ultra preset is viable. For those with higher refresh rate monitors at 1080p or 1440p, the system has enough headroom to run Ultra and still exceed 120 FPS at 1440p, though 1080p Ultra at 127 FPS is also well above typical refresh rates.

The only caveat is that 4K Ultra sits close to the threshold. If future updates to the game were to add more demanding effects, the average could dip below 60 FPS. As it stands, the recorded data shows a stable experience across the board.

FAQ

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

A: Yes, the measured average FPS at 3840x2160 Ultra is 65, which is above the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Q: What is the highest average FPS recorded for this combination?

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

Q: How does the RTX 5070 Ti compare to its nearest GPU rival in terms of benchmark scores?

A: The RTX 5070 Ti has an average benchmark score of 49957, while the AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT scores 50951, which is 2 percent higher. The AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT scores 48477, 3.1 percent lower.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more limiting at 4K resolution?

A: The GPU is more limiting at 4K. The average FPS drops from 119 on Low to 65 on Ultra, indicating that the RTX 5070 Ti's rendering capacity is the primary constraint, while the CPU's workload remains relatively constant.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded at 1440p Medium settings?

A: The minimum FPS at 2560x1440 Medium is 106, with an average of 125 and a maximum of 143.

Q: How does the i5-9400 rank among all CPUs in the database?

A: The i5-9400 sits in the 47th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 2254.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations, this pairing of the Intel Core i5-9400 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti ranks 679th out of 3720 combos for Control. This places it in the top 18 percent of all tested systems. The rank reflects the strong GPU performance: the RTX 5070 Ti's 86th percentile standing among GPUs compensates for the i5-9400's more modest 47th percentile CPU ranking. In practical terms, the combo outperforms the majority of tested systems, and the high frame rates at 4K confirm that the GPU dominates the gaming experience. The rank also indicates that many other combinations with faster CPUs but weaker GPUs would fall below this system in Control, since the game is heavily GPU-bound at higher resolutions.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, with an average of 127 FPS. This leaves substantial headroom, so users could also enable additional features without falling below the threshold.

At 2560x1440, Ultra is again the best choice, averaging 96 FPS. The margin over the 60 FPS threshold is 36 FPS, which allows for consistent frame pacing even during intense scenes.

At 3840x2160, Ultra remains viable with an average of 65 FPS. This is only 5 FPS above the threshold, so users who prefer a larger safety margin might opt for High settings, which average 75 FPS. However, the data shows that Ultra is technically playable at 4K, and the verdict confirms it as the best setting.

For all three resolutions, the Medium preset also provides a stable experience, with minimum FPS values of 121 at 1080p, 106 at 1440p, and 72 at 4K. The Ultra preset lacks recorded minimum FPS values, but the averages are high enough to suggest no severe drops. The recommended settings prioritize visual quality while maintaining the 60 FPS floor: Ultra at 1080p, Ultra at 1440p, and Ultra at 4K, with High as a safer alternative for 4K users.