Control

The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 is a capable combination for Control, though its performance ceiling varies sharply by resolution. Measured data shows this system can clear the 60 FPS playable threshold at 1080p on Ultra settings, at 1440p on Medium, and at 4K only on Low. The following breakdown details exactly what to expect from this hardware in Remedy’s action-adventure title.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 3840x2160, the RTX 5050 delivers an average of 40 FPS on High settings, 45 FPS on Medium (with a minimum of 38 and maximum of 52), 35 FPS on Ultra, and 63 FPS on Low. The gap between Low and Ultra is substantial—63 vs. 35—indicating that the GPU is the primary limiter at 4K. Only the Low preset stays above the 60 FPS threshold, and even then by a narrow margin of 3 FPS.

Moving to 2560x1440, the picture improves. High averages 59 FPS, just one frame short of the playable line. Medium hits 67 FPS with a minimum of 57 and maximum of 77, while Low reaches 94 FPS. Ultra drops to 52 FPS, below the threshold. The scaling from 4K to 1440p shows a clear resolution-dependent performance curve: every preset gains roughly 50–60% more average FPS when dropping from 2160p to 1440p.

At 1920x1080, the system is comfortably playable across all four presets. Low averages 124 FPS, Medium 88 FPS (min 75, max 101), High 78 FPS, and Ultra 68 FPS. The difference between Ultra and Low is 56 FPS, showing that even at 1080p, settings have a significant impact on frame rate. The minimum reported value at Medium (75 FPS) is well above the playable threshold, suggesting consistent performance without severe dips.

Best Settings per Resolution

According to the measured data, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS at each resolution is as follows:

• 3840x2160: Low — average 63 FPS. Higher presets (Medium 45, High 40, Ultra 35) all fall below 60.
• 2560x1440: Medium — average 67 FPS. Low also clears 60 at 94 FPS, but Medium is the highest preset that remains playable. High (59) and Ultra (52) do not meet the threshold.
• 1920x1080: Ultra — average 68 FPS. All four presets are playable, with Ultra being the most demanding option that still maintains 60+ FPS.

These results indicate that the system’s sweet spot is 1080p, where it can run the game at maximum settings without compromise. At 1440p, users must accept Medium settings to stay fluid, while 4K requires the lowest preset.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data shows a clear pattern: as resolution increases, average FPS drops across all presets, which points to the GPU becoming the dominant bottleneck at higher pixel counts. At 1920x1080 Low, the system achieves 124 FPS—a frame rate that suggests the CPU can feed the GPU well beyond what the RTX 5050 can render at that resolution. When resolution is raised to 2560x1440 Low, FPS falls to 94, and at 3840x2160 Low it drops to 63. This scaling is consistent with a GPU-bound scenario, where the graphics card’s fill rate and memory bandwidth limit performance.

The CPU’s own benchmark profile supports this interpretation. The Core Ultra 5 225 scores 36,938 in average benchmark performance, placing it in the 85th percentile among all CPUs. Its Cinebench R23 results—25,891 multi-core and 3,655 single-core—are strong, but the game’s frame rates at 1080p Low (124 FPS) are high enough that the CPU is unlikely to be a limiting factor at any resolution tested. In contrast, the RTX 5050’s average benchmark score of 21,035 puts it in the 66th percentile among GPUs, a lower relative standing. The GPU’s 8 GB GDDR6 memory and 320.0 GB/s bandwidth are adequate for Control, but the sharp FPS drops at 4K and the large difference between Low and Ultra settings confirm that the graphics card is the primary constraint in this pairing.

At 1080p, the CPU has headroom: raising settings from Low to Ultra reduces FPS from 124 to 68, a 45% drop that is entirely attributable to GPU workload. At 1440p, the same settings change yields a drop from 94 to 52 (45% reduction), again GPU-driven. At 4K, the drop from Low to Ultra is 63 to 35 (44%), further reinforcing the GPU-bound nature. The CPU’s role is more apparent at lower resolutions where it can push higher frame rates, but even at 1080p Ultra the system stays above 60, meaning the CPU is never the bottleneck for playable performance.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The Core Ultra 5 225 sits within 0.5% of several rival CPUs in aggregate benchmark scores. The AMD Ryzen 5 5600F matches it exactly (delta 0%), while the AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D, AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 450, and Intel Core i9-12900T are all within 0.5% lower. In practical terms, any of these processors would deliver nearly identical frame rates in Control when paired with the same GPU, since the game is not CPU-limited at the tested settings.

On the GPU side, the RTX 5050’s nearest rivals are a mixed group. The AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT is 1.6% faster in aggregate score, while the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL (-0.6%), AMD Radeon HD 8970M (-1%), and NVIDIA RTX A4000 Mobile (-1.6%) are slightly slower. None of these differences exceed 1.6%, so swapping the RTX 5050 for any of these cards would result in a very similar Control experience—within a few frames per second at each resolution and preset. The RX 5600 XT might edge out the 5050 by a small margin, but the overall playability profile would remain the same.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Control at 4K with playable frame rates?

A: Yes, but only on Low settings, which average 63 FPS. Medium, High, and Ultra all fall below 60 FPS (45, 40, and 35 respectively).

Q: What is the highest preset that maintains 60 FPS at 1440p?

A: Medium averages 67 FPS, with a minimum of 57 and maximum of 77. High just misses the threshold at 59 FPS, while Ultra drops to 52.

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

A: The Core Ultra 5 225 has an average benchmark score of 36,938, which is within 0.5% of the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F, Ryzen 5 5500X3D, Ryzen AI 7 PRO 450, and Intel Core i9-12900T. Performance in Control would be effectively identical.

Q: What are the minimum and maximum FPS at 1080p Medium?

A: The average is 88 FPS, with a minimum of 75 and maximum of 101, showing consistent frame times above the 60 FPS threshold.

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

A: The data indicates the GPU is the bottleneck. At 4K Low, FPS drops to 63 from 124 at 1080p Low, and raising settings to Ultra reduces FPS to 35. The CPU’s high benchmark percentile (85th) and the resolution-dependent scaling point to the RTX 5050 as the primary constraint.

Q: What is this combo’s rank among all tested systems?

A: It ranks 2296 out of 3720 tested combinations, placing it in the lower-middle tier of overall performance.

The Verdict

Yes, this PC can run Control, but the experience depends heavily on resolution. At 1920x1080, every preset—Low, Medium, High, and Ultra—averages above 60 FPS, with Ultra at 68 FPS. At 2560x1440, only Low and Medium are playable, with Medium being the best choice at 67 FPS. At 3840x2160, only Low clears 60 FPS, hitting 63 FPS on average. For a smooth 60+ FPS experience, users should target 1080p Ultra or 1440p Medium. At 4K, they must settle for Low settings, and even then the margin is thin. The system is fully capable of running Control at playable frame rates across all tested resolutions, but the visual quality ceiling drops as resolution increases.

How This Combo Ranks

Among the 3,720 hardware combinations tested in Control, this pairing of the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 ranks 2296th. That places it in the 62nd percentile—better than the majority of systems, but far from the top tier. The ranking reflects the GPU’s mid-range standing (66th percentile among all GPUs) and the CPU’s strong performance (85th percentile), but the game’s GPU-bound nature means the RTX 5050’s limits define the overall experience. For a 1080p-focused system, this combo performs well; for 4K enthusiasts, it is only marginally playable on the lowest settings.