Control

Control is an action-adventure title that stresses both the CPU and GPU, and the measured data for the Intel Core Ultra 5 235 paired with the Intel Arc B570 provides a clear picture of its capabilities. The benchmark results, drawn from the FACT PACK, indicate a system that can handle the game at 1080p with high settings comfortably, but which struggles to maintain playable frame rates at higher resolutions. The data shows a clear performance ceiling that shifts depending on the resolution and preset, making the choice of settings critical for a smooth experience.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 finds itself in a tight cluster of processors based on average benchmark scores. Its nearest rival is the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375, which scores 46,030 compared to the Ultra 5 235’s 46,062, a negligible 0.1% difference. This places the two chips in essentially the same performance tier for this workload. Similarly, the Intel Core i9-13900HX is virtually identical, with an average score of 46,098, which is just 0.1% higher than the Ultra 5 235. The data suggests that a system with any of these CPUs would deliver nearly indistinguishable frame rates in Control, assuming the same GPU is used.

On the graphics side, the Intel Arc B570’s average benchmark score of 20,556 places it directly alongside the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile, which scores 20,534, a 0.1% difference. This indicates that in raw compute terms, these two GPUs are peers. The Intel Arc A750 is also a close match, scoring 20,582, which is 0.1% higher than the B570. For gaming, this means the Arc B570 should deliver frame rates very similar to an RTX 3070 Mobile or an Arc A750 in Control, making any of these GPUs a reasonable substitute for the B570 in this specific pairing. The data implies that users with these alternative components can expect a comparable experience, with performance differences likely falling within the margin of error for most benchmarks.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark data reveals how the balance between the CPU and GPU shifts across resolutions. At 1920x1080, the system achieves an average of 101 FPS on Low settings, but this drops to 63 FPS on High. This 38 FPS gap suggests that while the GPU is certainly being utilized, the CPU is capable of feeding it enough data to maintain high frame rates. The situation changes dramatically at 3840x2160, where the average FPS on Low is only 51, and on High it falls to 32. The scaling from 1080p Low to 4K Low shows a 50 FPS drop, indicating that the GPU is becoming the primary bottleneck as the resolution increases.

The data points to the GPU being the limiting factor at higher resolutions. At 2560x1440, the frame rates are closer to the 4K results than the 1080p results, with Low averaging 76 FPS and High averaging 48 FPS. This pattern confirms that the Arc B570's rendering throughput is the main constraint. The CPU, with its 14 cores and 14 threads, appears to have sufficient headroom to avoid being the bottleneck, as evidenced by the relatively high frame rates at 1080p. In essence, the CPU’s role is to maintain a high frame ceiling, while the GPU determines how close the system can get to that ceiling at each resolution and preset. The data implies that for this game, the GPU is the component to upgrade first if higher resolutions are desired.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the Intel Core Ultra 5 235 and Intel Arc B570 combination delivers playable performance across most presets. The Low preset achieves an average of 101 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold. The Medium preset averages 71 FPS, with a minimum of 61 FPS and a maximum of 82 FPS, ensuring a smooth experience even in demanding scenes. The High preset averages 63 FPS, which is just above the playable threshold, but it is importantly this is an average and may dip below 60 FPS in intense moments. The Ultra preset, however, falls below the threshold with an average of 55 FPS, indicating that this setting is too demanding for a consistent 60 FPS experience at this resolution.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance drops significantly. The Low preset is the only one that remains playable, with an average of 76 FPS. The Medium preset averages 54 FPS, with a minimum of 46 FPS and a maximum of 62 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS average threshold. The High preset averages 48 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages just 42 FPS. At 3840x2160, none of the presets achieve a playable average frame rate. The Low preset averages 51 FPS, the Medium preset averages 36 FPS (with a minimum of 31 FPS and a maximum of 42 FPS), the High preset averages 32 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 28 FPS. The data shows a clear and consistent decline in performance as resolution increases, with the gap between Low and Ultra presets widening from 46 FPS at 1080p to 23 FPS at 4K.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 5 235 and the Intel Arc B570 ranks 2995 out of 3720 tested combos for this game. This places it in the bottom 20% of all systems tested, which is a notable finding given that the individual components are not particularly low-end. The percentile rankings for the CPU and GPU are 89 and 65, respectively, indicating that both components outperform the majority of their peers. However, the low combo rank suggests that this specific pairing is not optimized for Control, or that many other systems have higher-end GPUs that push their overall scores up.

The data implies that while the CPU is strong and the GPU is mid-range, the combination does not synergize well for this title. The rank of 2995 suggests that users with this setup will have a worse experience than most, particularly when compared to systems with higher-tier GPUs. It is important to note that this rank is specific to Control and does not reflect performance in other games. The data indicates that the GPU is the limiting factor, and that pairing the Ultra 5 235 with a more powerful GPU would likely result in a much higher combo rank.

The Verdict

Based on the verdictByResolution data, this PC can run Control at 1920x1080 with the High, Medium, or Low presets, all of which achieve an average frame rate at or above 60 FPS. The High preset is the best playable option at this resolution, with an average of 63 FPS. At 2560x1440, the system can only run the game with the Low preset, which achieves an average of 76 FPS. The Medium, High, and Ultra presets all fall below the 60 FPS threshold. At 3840x2160, the system cannot achieve a playable frame rate with any preset, as all settings average below 60 FPS. The data clearly shows that this system is best suited for 1080p gaming, with some capability at 1440p on the lowest settings. For 4K gaming, the hardware is insufficient.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is High, which achieves an average of 63 FPS. This is the recommended setting for a balance between visual quality and smooth gameplay. At 2560x1440, the only playable preset is Low, with an average of 76 FPS. This setting will provide a playable experience, but with reduced visual fidelity. At 3840x2160, there is no playable preset, as even the Low setting averages only 51 FPS. The data suggests that users at this resolution would need to lower the resolution or upgrade the GPU to achieve a playable frame rate. The best settings per resolution are therefore High at 1080p, Low at 1440p, and none at 4K.

FAQ

Q: Can the Intel Core Ultra 5 235 and Intel Arc B570 run Control at 1080p?

A: Yes, the system achieves playable frame rates at 1920x1080 on the High, Medium, and Low presets, with average FPS of 63, 71, and 101, respectively.

Q: What is the best preset for 1440p gaming with this combo?

A: The only preset that stays at or above the 60 FPS threshold at 2560x1440 is Low, which averages 76 FPS. The Medium preset averages 54 FPS, which is below the playable threshold.

Q: Is this system capable of 4K gaming in Control?

A: No, the data shows that at 3840x2160, no preset achieves an average of 60 FPS. The highest average is 51 FPS on the Low preset, which is below the playable threshold.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B570 compare to its closest rival in terms of benchmark scores?

A: The Intel Arc B570 has an average benchmark score of 20,556, which is 0.1% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile (20,534) and 0.1% lower than the Intel Arc A750 (20,582).

Q: What is the average FPS on the Medium preset at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080 with Medium settings, the system averages 71 FPS, with a minimum of 61 FPS and a maximum of 82 FPS.

Q: What rank does this CPU and GPU combination hold among tested systems?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 and Intel Arc B570 combo ranks 2995 out of 3720 tested combos for Control, placing it in the lower percentile of systems.