Control

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 paired with the Intel Arc B580 delivers a playable Control experience at 1080p and 1440p, but 4K remains out of reach. At 1080p, the combo achieves 62 FPS on Ultra settings, while 1440p tops out at 61 FPS on Medium. 4K fails to hit the 60 FPS threshold at any preset, with the best result being 58 FPS on Low.

FAQ

Q: Can this PC run Control at 4K resolution?

A: No. The data shows no playable settings at 3840x2160. The highest average FPS at 4K is 58 on Low, which is below the 60 FPS playable threshold. High, Medium, and Ultra presets yield 37, 41, and 32 FPS respectively.

Q: What is the best 1080p setting for this combo?

A: Ultra is the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS, delivering an average of 62 FPS. This makes it the recommended choice for 1920x1080, as all four presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra) clear the threshold.

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

A: The Arc B580’s average benchmark score is 23021. It sits within 1% of the AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP (23061, -0.2% delta), the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 (22895, +0.6%), the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 (23172, -0.7%), and the NVIDIA P106-100 (23249, -1%).

Q: Is the CPU a bottleneck at 1440p Medium settings?

A: The data does not indicate a CPU bottleneck. The combo achieves 61 FPS on Medium at 2560x1440 with a minimum FPS of 52, suggesting the frame rate is primarily determined by the GPU workload. The CPU’s percentile rank of 89 vs all CPUs indicates strong headroom.

Q: What FPS can be expected on Low settings at 1440p?

A: Low settings at 2560x1440 produce an average of 86 FPS. This is significantly higher than the Medium preset’s 61 FPS, showing a clear performance scaling with preset levels.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested systems?

A: The combo ranks 2816 out of 3720 tested combinations for Control. This places it in the lower half of tested systems, consistent with its 4K limitations but adequate 1080p and 1440p performance.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark data reveals a clear pattern: the GPU dominates performance scaling across resolutions, while the CPU maintains sufficient headroom. At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset delivers 62 FPS, and dropping to Low raises this to 114 FPS — a 52 FPS swing. This wide spread indicates that the Arc B580 is the primary constraint at lower resolutions, as the Core Ultra 5 235’s processing power is not limiting frame rates.

Moving to 2560x1440, the same preset scaling shows 47 FPS on Ultra versus 86 FPS on Low. The 39 FPS difference is slightly narrower than at 1080p, but still substantial. At this resolution, the GPU’s rendering load increases, yet the CPU still keeps up adequately. The Medium preset’s 61 FPS with a 52 FPS minimum suggests consistent frame delivery without CPU-induced stutters.

At 3840x2160, the GPU’s role becomes even more pronounced. Ultra drops to 32 FPS, while Low reaches 58 FPS — a 26 FPS spread. The 4K results show that even the lowest preset cannot hit 60 FPS, meaning the Arc B580’s raw throughput is the limiting factor. The CPU’s 14 cores and 24 MB of L3 cache provide ample processing power for Control’s physics and AI, but they cannot compensate for the GPU’s pixel-pushing limits at 4K.

Preset scaling reinforces this interpretation. At 1080p, the jump from Low to Medium costs 33 FPS (114 to 81), while Medium to High costs 9 FPS (81 to 72), and High to Ultra costs 10 FPS (72 to 62). This non-linear scaling is typical of GPU-bound workloads. At 1440p, Low to Medium costs 25 FPS (86 to 61), Medium to High costs 7 FPS (61 to 54), and High to Ultra costs 7 FPS (54 to 47). The 4K pattern is similar: Low to Medium costs 17 FPS (58 to 41), Medium to High costs 4 FPS (41 to 37), and High to Ultra costs 5 FPS (37 to 32).

The CPU’s benchmark scores support its non-limiting role. A Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 14769 and a single-core score of 2085 place it in the 89th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 (46030 avg, 0.1% delta) and Intel Core i9-13900HX (46098 avg, -0.1% delta), indicating performance parity with high-end mobile and desktop parts. For Control, a game with moderate CPU demands from its 2019 release, this processor is more than sufficient.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The CPU’s nearest rivals show that several processors would deliver nearly identical gameplay. The AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 scores 46030 average, a 0.1% delta from the Core Ultra 5 235’s 46062. The Intel Core i9-13900HX scores 46098, just -0.1% off. The AMD EPYC 4364P (45970, +0.2%) and AMD EPYC 7303 (45960, +0.2%) also fall within a fraction of a percent. For Control, any of these CPUs would produce the same frame rates in GPU-bound scenarios, as none would introduce a bottleneck at the tested settings.

The GPU’s nearest rivals are more diverse in their expected gaming behavior. The AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP (23061 avg, -0.2% delta) and NVIDIA P106-100 (23249, -1%) are older architectures with similar average scores, but they may lack some modern feature support. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 (22895, +0.6%) and RTX 3080 (23172, -0.7%) are more capable cards that would likely perform better in DirectX 12 titles like Control, despite similar aggregate benchmark scores. The Arc B580’s 12 GB of GDDR6 memory and 456.0 GB/s bandwidth compare favorably to these rivals for texture-heavy scenes.

In practice, swapping the Arc B580 for an RTX 2080 or RTX 3080 would likely yield higher frame rates in Control due to their mature driver support and established DirectX 12 performance. The RX 580 2048SP and P106-100 would probably deliver lower results in this specific game, as their average scores reflect broader workloads rather than Control’s specific rendering paths.

The Verdict

This PC can run Control at 1080p and 1440p, but not at 4K. The verdict data confirms 1920x1080 as fully playable across all presets, with Ultra delivering 62 FPS. At 2560x1440, Low and Medium are playable, with Medium providing 61 FPS as the best visual quality option. No settings at 3840x2160 meet the 60 FPS threshold, making 4K unplayable with this hardware.

For 1080p users, the Ultra preset is the clear choice. It maintains 62 FPS average, which is only 10 FPS below the High preset’s 72 FPS, but offers the highest visual fidelity. The 62 FPS result leaves minimal headroom for frame drops, but the data shows no minimum FPS recorded for this preset, suggesting consistent delivery.

At 1440p, Medium is the optimal setting. It achieves 61 FPS average with a 52 FPS minimum and 70 FPS maximum, providing a stable experience. The High preset’s 54 FPS falls below the playable threshold, so users should avoid it unless they prioritize visuals over smoothness.

The 4K results are unambiguous. Even Low settings at 58 FPS miss the 60 FPS target. This means owners should not attempt 4K gaming with this combo, as the Arc B580 lacks the raw throughput needed for Control at this resolution.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset is the most demanding option that stays at or above 60 FPS. It delivers an average of 62 FPS. This is the top choice for 1080p, as it provides the full visual experience while maintaining playability.

For 2560x1440, the Medium preset offers the best balance. It produces 61 FPS average, with a minimum of 52 FPS and maximum of 70 FPS. This is the only 1440p setting that combines visual quality with playable frame rates, as High (54 FPS) and Ultra (47 FPS) both fall short.

At 3840x2160, no preset meets the 60 FPS threshold. The best result is Low at 58 FPS, which is below the playable threshold. Users with 4K displays would need to reduce resolution or accept sub-60 FPS performance.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 and Intel Arc B580 combination ranks 2816 out of 3720 tested combos for Control. This places it in the 76th percentile of tested systems, meaning roughly 24% of combinations perform worse. However, the rank reflects the GPU’s limitations at high resolutions rather than any CPU deficiency.

The combo’s 1080p Ultra result of 62 FPS is respectable for a mid-range GPU, but the 4K failure drags the overall rank down. Systems with stronger GPUs, such as the RTX 3080 (which has a similar average benchmark score), would likely rank higher due to better high-resolution performance. The Core Ultra 5 235’s strong CPU score (46062 average, 89th percentile) ensures that this combo is never CPU-limited, but the Arc B580’s 68th percentile GPU score caps its overall potential.

For Control specifically, this rank means the combo is adequate for mainstream 1080p and 1440p gaming but not competitive with higher-tier GPUs at 4K. The data suggests that users targeting 1080p Ultra or 1440p Medium will have a satisfactory experience, while those expecting 4K capability should look at more powerful GPU options.