Control

The Intel Core i7-13700K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti delivers a robust experience in Control, with the data showing playable frame rates across all tested resolutions and presets. This combination ranks in the 74th percentile among all tested combos for this title, indicating strong but not top-tier performance. The following analysis breaks down the measured FPS data by resolution and settings, examines the CPU/GPU balance, and provides context on how this hardware stack compares to nearby alternatives.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160 (4K), the highest quality preset that maintains an average of at least 60 FPS is High, which produces an average of 60.5 FPS. The Ultra preset dips below the playable threshold at 56 FPS average, making it unsuitable for a locked 60 FPS experience. The Medium preset offers more headroom at 73.1 FPS, while Low reaches 99.2 FPS.

For 2560x1440 (1440p), the data shows that Ultra settings are fully playable, delivering an average of 78.9 FPS. This is the most demanding preset that clears the 60 FPS bar at this resolution. The High preset runs at 91.7 FPS, Medium at 101.4 FPS, and Low at 143.5 FPS, all providing substantial margin above the threshold.

At 1920x1080 (1080p), the Ultra preset is again the optimal choice, with an average of 108.7 FPS. This leaves considerable performance headroom, as High runs at 120.4 FPS, Medium at 135.7 FPS, and Low at 191.7 FPS. In summary, the best playable settings are High at 4K, Ultra at 1440p, and Ultra at 1080p.

CPU and GPU Roles

The performance scaling across resolutions reveals how the balance shifts between the Intel Core i7-13700K and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti. At 1080p, the GPU is less stressed, allowing the CPU's capabilities to become more prominent. The jump from Low (191.7 FPS) to Ultra (108.7 FPS) at 1080p represents a 43% performance drop, showing that the GPU is the primary limiter even at lower settings, but the high frame rates indicate the CPU can feed the GPU adequately.

Moving to 1440p, the frame rates drop consistently across all presets compared to 1080p. The Ultra preset falls from 108.7 FPS to 78.9 FPS, a decline of 27%. This reduction is smaller than the resolution pixel increase, suggesting the GPU is still the dominant factor, but the CPU's role becomes relatively more important as the GPU load increases.

At 4K, the trend accelerates. The Ultra preset drops to 56 FPS, which is 29% lower than the 1440p Ultra result. The High preset at 4K (60.5 FPS) is 34% lower than the 1440p High result (91.7 FPS). This scaling indicates that at 4K, the RTX 3080 Ti's rendering capabilities are the clear bottleneck, as the CPU has ample headroom. The data shows that the GPU is the deciding factor at every resolution, but the CPU's strong single-thread and multi-thread performance (evidenced by passmark_single_thread score of 4333 and passmark_multithread score of 45887) ensures it never becomes a limiting factor, even at 1080p where the GPU is comparatively underutilized.

FAQ

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

A: No. The Ultra preset at 3840x2160 produces an average of 56 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS playable threshold. The High preset is the most demanding playable option at this resolution, averaging 60.5 FPS.

Q: Is the RTX 3080 Ti or the Core i7-13700K more important for this game?

A: The GPU is the primary determinant of performance. At 4K, the Ultra preset yields 56 FPS compared to 99.2 FPS on Low, a 76% difference, which is far larger than the CPU scaling would suggest. The CPU's performance is sufficient to avoid bottlenecking, as shown by the 1080p Low preset reaching 191.7 FPS.

Q: What is the best settings preset at 1440p for a 60 FPS target?

A: The Ultra preset at 2560x1440 averages 78.9 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold. All four presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra) are playable at this resolution.

Q: How does the performance at 1080p compare to 1440p at the same settings?

A: At High settings, 1080p averages 120.4 FPS while 1440p averages 91.7 FPS, representing a 24% reduction. At Ultra settings, 1080p averages 108.7 FPS versus 78.9 FPS at 1440p, a 27% reduction.

Q: Is the Ultra preset at 1080p a viable option for high refresh rate monitors?

A: Yes. The average of 108.7 FPS at 1080p Ultra exceeds the standard 60 FPS target and is suitable for 100Hz+ displays. The Medium preset reaches 135.7 FPS and Low reaches 191.7 FPS for even higher refresh rates.

Q: Does the system maintain 60 FPS at 4K with any settings?

A: Three of the four presets at 3840x2160 average above 60 FPS: High at 60.5 FPS, Medium at 73.1 FPS, and Low at 99.2 FPS. Only the Ultra preset falls short at 56 FPS.

How This Combo Ranks

Among the 3720 tested hardware combinations for Control, this pairing of the Intel Core i7-13700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti is ranked 970th. This places it in the top 26% of all tested combos, indicating above-average performance. The rank reflects the GPU's strong showing in the game's benchmark suite, where it achieves a passmark_g3d score of 26896 and a 3dmark_steel_nomad_dx12 score of 5077. The CPU contributes a passmark_multithread score of 45887, which is in the 89th percentile among all CPUs. The combination's rank suggests it outperforms the majority of systems tested, but there is meaningful headroom above it in the database, likely from more recent or higher-end components.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Looking at the nearest rivals for the CPU, the Intel Core i7-13700K has a benchmark score of 46881, which is nearly identical to several alternatives. The AMD Ryzen 9 5900 scores 46971 (a -0.2% difference), the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 375 scores 47022 (-0.3%), and both the AMD Ryzen 9 7845HX and Intel Xeon w3-2535 score 46654 and 46653 respectively (each 0.5% higher than the i7-13700K). These CPUs would deliver virtually indistinguishable performance in Control, as the game does not appear to be CPU-bound at typical settings.

For the GPU, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti has an average benchmark score of 41187. The nearest rivals show a mixed picture: the AMD Radeon Pro 5300 scores 40870 (0.8% lower), the NVIDIA Tesla M40 24 GB scores 41707 (-1.2% higher), the NVIDIA Tesla M40 scores 41897 (-1.7% higher), and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 scores 40377 (2% lower). The RTX 5070 being 2% slower in synthetic benchmarks is notable, as it suggests the older 3080 Ti still holds its own against a newer generation part in this specific workload. Users with these alternative GPUs would see very similar frame rates in Control, with differences of only a few FPS at most.

The Verdict

The data clearly indicates that this PC can run Control successfully. At 1920x1080, all four presets are playable, with the Ultra preset averaging 108.7 FPS. At 2560x1440, all presets also exceed the 60 FPS threshold, with Ultra at 78.9 FPS. At 3840x2160, the High, Medium, and Low presets are playable, with High being the best quality option at 60.5 FPS. The Ultra preset at 4K is the only configuration that fails to reach 60 FPS, averaging 56 FPS. For the vast majority of gaming scenarios, this system provides a smooth experience, and even at 4K, dropping from Ultra to High is sufficient to cross the playable threshold.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following table details the exact average FPS measurements for each resolution and settings combination. No minimum or maximum FPS values were recorded in the data, so only averages are presented.

| Resolution | Settings | Average FPS |

|------------|----------|-------------|

| 3840x2160 | Low | 99.2 |

| 3840x2160 | Medium | 73.1 |

| 3840x2160 | High | 60.5 |

| 3840x2160 | Ultra | 56.0 |

| 2560x1440 | Low | 143.5 |

| 2560x1440 | Medium | 101.4 |

| 2560x1440 | High | 91.7 |

| 2560x1440 | Ultra | 78.9 |

| 1920x1080 | Low | 191.7 |

| 1920x1080 | Medium | 135.7 |

| 1920x1080 | High | 120.4 |

| 1920x1080 | Ultra | 108.7 |

The progression from Low to Ultra at each resolution shows a consistent performance cost. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 83 FPS (from 191.7 to 108.7). At 1440p, the spread is 64.6 FPS (from 143.5 to 78.9). At 4K, the spread narrows to 43.2 FPS (from 99.2 to 56.0), reflecting the GPU becoming the primary constraint at higher pixel counts. The data shows that the RTX 3080 Ti provides diminishing returns as resolution increases, but the overall performance envelope remains strong for this title.