Control

Measured FPS Breakdown

The recorded data for Control with the Intel Core Ultra 5 235 and Intel Arc B390 shows a clear performance ceiling across all tested resolutions. At 1920x1080, the combination delivers 65 FPS average on Low settings, 46 FPS average on Medium, 41 FPS average on High, and 36 FPS average on Ultra. The Medium preset includes a minimum of 40 FPS and a maximum of 53 FPS, indicating some frame variance within that setting tier. The Low preset at 1080p is the only configuration in the entire dataset that reaches the 60 FPS threshold.

Moving to 2560x1440, the measured averages drop noticeably. Low settings produce 50 FPS average, Medium produces 35 FPS average with a minimum of 30 FPS and a maximum of 40 FPS, High produces 31 FPS average, and Ultra produces 27 FPS average. None of these configurations reach 60 FPS, and even the best case at Low falls 10 FPS short of the playability threshold.

At 3840x2160, the results decline further. Low settings average 33 FPS, Medium averages 24 FPS with a minimum of 20 FPS and a maximum of 27 FPS, High averages 21 FPS, and Ultra averages 18 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at 4K is 15 FPS, which shows that the graphics preset scaling has a meaningful impact, but even the lowest settings cannot approach a smooth experience at this resolution.

The pattern across all resolutions is consistent: lowering settings improves average frame rates, but the improvements are not sufficient to cross the 60 FPS line except at 1080p Low. The Medium preset data includes min and max values at every resolution, which provides some insight into frame pacing. At 1080p Medium, the spread from 40 to 53 FPS suggests moderate variance. At 1440p Medium, the 30 to 40 FPS range indicates a tighter but lower overall band. At 4K Medium, the 20 to 27 FPS range shows the hardware is heavily constrained.

CPU and GPU Roles

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 sits in the 89th percentile among all CPUs in the database, with an average benchmark score of 46062. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 with an average score of 46030 and a delta of 0.1%, the Intel Core i9-13900HX with a score of 46098 and a delta of -0.1%, the AMD EPYC 4364P with a score of 45970 and a delta of 0.2%, and the AMD EPYC 7303 with a score of 45960 and a delta of 0.2%. This places the processor in a strong position relative to the broader CPU landscape.

The Intel Arc B390, by contrast, ranks in the 9th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 1482 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12. Its nearest rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX with a score of 1463 and a delta of 1.3%, the NVIDIA GeForce 800M with a score of 1460 and a delta of 1.5%, the NVIDIA GeForce GT 625 OEM with a score of 1446 and a delta of 2.5%, and the NVIDIA GeForce GT 710 with a score of 1443 and a delta of 2.7%. The GPU is clearly the limiting factor in this pairing.

The resolution scaling in the measured data supports this interpretation. From 1080p Low to 1440p Low, the average FPS drops from 65 to 50, a 23% reduction. From 1440p Low to 4K Low, the average drops from 50 to 33, a 34% reduction. The frame rate declines are steep as pixel count rises, which points to the GPU being saturated well before the CPU becomes a constraint. The CPU has substantial headroom for this workload, as its percentile ranking suggests, while the GPU sits at the bottom of the database distribution.

Preset scaling reinforces the same conclusion. At 1080p, moving from Low to Medium reduces the average from 65 to 46 FPS, a 19 FPS drop. Moving from Medium to High reduces it from 46 to 41 FPS, a 5 FPS drop. Moving from High to Ultra reduces it from 41 to 36 FPS, another 5 FPS drop. The largest single step is Low to Medium, which suggests that the Medium preset introduces significant rendering costs that the GPU cannot absorb. The CPU is unlikely to be the cause of these drops, given its benchmark standing relative to the GPU.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the Low preset is the only configuration that stays at or above 60 FPS, with an average of 65 FPS. This is the most demanding preset that clears the threshold at this resolution. The Medium preset falls short at 46 FPS average, so it cannot be recommended for a 60 FPS target even though it is playable in a looser sense.

At 2560x1440, no preset reaches 60 FPS. The best recorded average is 50 FPS on Low settings, which is 10 FPS below the threshold. The verdict data confirms this: the playable settings list for 1440p is empty, and the best settings field is null. Users targeting 60 FPS at this resolution would need to reduce the resolution or accept a lower frame rate.

At 3840x2160, the situation is similar. No preset reaches 60 FPS, and the best recorded average is 33 FPS on Low settings. The verdict data lists no playable settings for 4K. The gap between the best 4K result and the playability threshold is 27 FPS, which is a substantial shortfall.

The data indicates that 1080p Low is the only viable configuration for a smooth experience. Even at 1080p, the Ultra preset averages 36 FPS, which is well below the 60 FPS target. The scaling from Low to Ultra at each resolution shows diminishing returns in the opposite direction: the hardware cannot sustain high preset levels even at the lowest tested resolution.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For the CPU, the nearest rivals in the database are all within a narrow performance band. The AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 scores 46030, which is 0.1% below the Core Ultra 5 235. The Intel Core i9-13900HX scores 46098, which is 0.1% above. The AMD EPYC 4364P scores 45970, 0.2% below, and the AMD EPYC 7303 scores 45960, also 0.2% below. Any of these processors would behave similarly in a CPU-bound scenario, though this game is not CPU-bound with this GPU pairing.

For the GPU, the nearest rivals are dramatically weaker in the database ranking. The NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX scores 1463, which is 1.3% below the Arc B390. The NVIDIA GeForce 800M scores 1460, 1.5% below. The NVIDIA GeForce GT 625 OEM scores 1446, 2.5% below. The NVIDIA GeForce GT 710 scores 1443, 2.7% below. The Arc B390 is only slightly ahead of these older parts, and the delta values show that the performance differences are small in absolute terms. A user swapping the Arc B390 for any of these alternatives would see nearly identical frame rates in Control, since the deltas are all under 3%.

The combination of a high percentile CPU with a low percentile GPU creates an unusual imbalance. The CPU is capable of feeding this game at high frame rates if paired with a stronger GPU, but the current GPU pairing limits the overall system to the measured results.

FAQ

Q: Can this combination run Control at 60 FPS on 1080p?

A: Yes, but only on Low settings. The measured average at 1920x1080 Low is 65 FPS. All other presets at this resolution fall below 60 FPS.

Q: What is the best playable setting at 1440p?

A: There is no playable setting at 2560x1440. The highest average is 50 FPS on Low, which is below the 60 FPS threshold. The verdict data confirms no preset qualifies as playable at this resolution.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B390 compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The Arc B390 scores 1482 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, which is 1.3% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX, 1.5% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce 800M, 2.5% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 625 OEM, and 2.7% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 710. These are small margins.

Q: Is the CPU or the GPU the limiting factor in this system?

A: The GPU is the limiting factor. The CPU ranks in the 89th percentile among all CPUs, while the GPU ranks in the 9th percentile among all GPUs. The steep frame rate drops across resolutions and presets align with GPU-bound behavior.

Q: What average FPS does the Medium preset produce at 4K?

A: The Medium preset at 3840x2160 averages 24 FPS, with a minimum of 20 FPS and a maximum of 27 FPS.

Q: What frame rate does the Ultra preset achieve at 1080p?

A: The Ultra preset at 1920x1080 averages 36 FPS, which is 24 FPS below the 60 FPS threshold and 29 FPS below the Low preset average at the same resolution.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 and Intel Arc B390 combination ranks 3311 out of 3720 tested combos in Control. This places the system in the bottom portion of the database distribution, around the 11th percentile among all tested combinations. The rank reflects the GPU's position in the 9th percentile rather than the CPU's position in the 89th percentile, since the game's frame rates are constrained by the graphics hardware.

The rank is consistent with the measured FPS data. A combo that can only reach 65 FPS at 1080p Low and cannot reach 60 FPS at any higher resolution or preset will naturally fall far down the ranking list. The 409 combos ranked below this system are likely those with even weaker GPU configurations or older hardware that cannot match the Arc B390's modest performance level.

The gap between the CPU's strong benchmark standing and the combo's low game rank highlights the importance of balanced hardware selection. The Core Ultra 5 235 has the processing headroom to support much higher frame rates in Control, but the Arc B390 cannot deliver the rendering throughput needed to exploit that headroom.

The Verdict

The data shows that this PC can run Control at 60 FPS only at 1920x1080 with Low settings, where the average is 65 FPS. At 2560x1440, no preset reaches 60 FPS, and the best average is 50 FPS on Low. At 3840x2160, no preset reaches 60 FPS, and the best average is 33 FPS on Low.

The verdict by resolution is clear: 1080p Low is the sole playable configuration, 1440p has no playable settings, and 4K has no playable settings. The system can run the game, but only under the most modest visual conditions. Users who want higher preset levels or higher resolutions would need a significantly stronger GPU, as the CPU is not the bottleneck in this pairing. The measured results indicate a functional but heavily limited experience for Control on this hardware combination.