Control

The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 combination delivers a robust Control experience, with benchmark data showing that 60 FPS is achievable at every tested resolution when settings are chosen appropriately. The CPU sits in the 90th percentile among all processors, while the GPU ranks in the 81st percentile, forming a balanced pairing where the RTX 4070 proves to be the primary driver of frame rates in this title.

FAQ

Q: What is the best settings preset for 4K gameplay?

A: At 3840x2160, the High preset provides the best playable experience with an average of 62 FPS. Ultra dips to 54 FPS on average, falling below the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Q: Can this system maintain 60 FPS at 1440p on Ultra settings?

A: Yes. At 2560x1440 with Ultra settings, the combo achieves an average of 80 FPS, comfortably clearing the 60 FPS threshold with headroom for demanding scenes.

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

A: The Core Ultra 5 245 has an average benchmark score of 48995, placing it within 0.8% of the Intel Core i5-14600K and within 0.5% of the AMD Ryzen 9 7900. It trails the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G by 0.4%.

Q: What frame rates can be expected at 1080p with Medium settings?

A: At 1920x1080 with Medium settings, the system delivers an average of 137 FPS, with minimums of 116 FPS and maximums of 157 FPS.

Q: Is the RTX 4070 significantly faster than the nearest GPU alternatives?

A: The RTX 4070's average benchmark score is 37648. It outperforms the NVIDIA Tesla P4 by 0.1% and the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 by 0.4%, while the RTX 4080 Mobile leads by 1.3% and the Radeon PRO W6400 trails by 1.3%.

Q: Which resolution offers the best balance of visual quality and performance?

A: At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset runs at 80 FPS average, offering a significant visual upgrade over 1080p while maintaining well above the 60 FPS threshold. This represents the highest settings that remain fully playable at this resolution.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark data shows a clear pattern where the GPU dictates performance scaling across resolutions, while the CPU maintains consistent headroom. At 3840x2160, dropping from High to Low settings increases average FPS from 62 to 98, a 58% improvement that indicates GPU-bound operation. The same settings change at 1920x1080 moves average FPS from 122 to 193, a 58% gain, showing that the GPU remains the bottleneck even at lower resolutions.

The CPU's role becomes more apparent at lower resolutions where frame rates are higher. At 1080p Low settings, the system reaches 193 FPS average, and the Core Ultra 5 245's 14 cores and 14 threads with a boost clock of 5.10 GHz provide sufficient processing power to avoid limiting the RTX 4070. The CPU's PassMark single-thread score of 4394 and multi-thread score of 38706 indicate strong per-core performance that handles game logic and physics without constraining frame delivery.

Resolution scaling reveals the GPU's dominance. Moving from 1080p High (122 FPS) to 1440p High (92 FPS) results in a 25% performance drop, while moving from 1440p High to 4K High (62 FPS) results in a 33% drop. This consistent degradation across resolutions points to the RTX 4070's 12 GB of GDDR6X memory and 504.2 GB/s bandwidth as the limiting factor, rather than any CPU constraint. The GPU's 29.15 TFLOPS FP32 performance and 46 RT cores handle Control's rendering workload at all tested settings.

The CPU's benchmark scores relative to rivals reinforce its adequacy. With an average score of 48995, it sits nearly identical to the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G (49196, -0.4%) and AMD Ryzen 9 7900 (49228, -0.5%). This positioning means the CPU will not create a meaningful bottleneck in a game like Control, where the GPU handles the majority of the rendering pipeline. The data suggests that overclocking or upgrading the CPU would yield negligible frame rate improvements in this title.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 3840x2160, the system delivers playable performance on three of four presets. High settings produce an average of 62 FPS, Medium averages 70 FPS with minimums of 59 FPS and maximums of 80 FPS, and Low averages 98 FPS. Ultra settings fall short at 54 FPS average, missing the 60 FPS threshold by 11%. The Medium preset's minimum of 59 FPS indicates occasional dips just below the playable threshold, making High the recommended choice for consistent 4K gameplay.

At 2560x1440, all four presets clear the 60 FPS threshold. Ultra averages 80 FPS, High averages 92 FPS, Medium averages 104 FPS with minimums of 88 FPS and maximums of 119 FPS, and Low averages 146 FPS. The Ultra preset maintains a comfortable margin above 60 FPS, with the 80 FPS average providing ample headroom for demanding combat sequences with particle effects and destructible environments.

At 1920x1080, performance scales to high refresh rates. Ultra averages 106 FPS, High averages 122 FPS, Medium averages 137 FPS with minimums of 116 FPS and maximums of 157 FPS, and Low averages 193 FPS. The Medium preset's minimum of 116 FPS ensures smooth gameplay on 144Hz displays, while the Low preset approaches 200 FPS for competitive or high-refresh-rate monitors.

The frame pacing data shows consistent scaling across settings tiers. At each resolution, the delta between Medium and High averages is roughly 15-18%, while the delta between High and Ultra is 10-13%. The Low preset provides the largest performance uplift, typically 55-60% above High settings, reflecting the significant GPU workload reduction from lower-quality textures, shadows, and post-processing effects.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The Core Ultra 5 245's nearest CPU rivals include the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G with an average score of 49196 (0.4% higher), the AMD Ryzen 9 7900 at 49228 (0.5% higher), the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H at 48698 (0.6% lower), and the Intel Core i5-14600K at 48618 (0.8% lower). In gaming scenarios like Control, these processors would produce nearly identical frame rates when paired with the same GPU, as the performance deltas are within measurement noise.

The RTX 4070's nearest GPU rivals present a similar picture. The NVIDIA Tesla P4 scores 37628 (0.1% lower), the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 scores 37507 (0.4% lower), the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile scores 38135 (1.3% higher), and the AMD Radeon PRO W6400 scores 37157 (1.3% lower). In practical terms, these GPUs would all deliver within a few frames per second of the RTX 4070 in Control at equivalent settings, though the RTX 4080 Mobile's slight edge could translate to 1-2 FPS at 4K Ultra.

For builders considering alternatives, the combination of a Core i5-14600K or Ryzen 9 7900 with an RTX 4070 would behave essentially identically to this tested configuration. The performance differences between these CPUs are below 1%, meaning game benchmarks would show frame rate variations attributable to run-to-run variance rather than hardware capability. Similarly, swapping the RTX 4070 for an RX Vega 56 or Tesla P4 would result in sub-1% performance differences, keeping the system's playability profile unchanged.

How This Combo Ranks

This configuration ranks 904th out of 3720 tested combos for Control, placing it in the top 24.3% of all system pairings. This ranking reflects the RTX 4070's strong position as a high-end GPU from the GeForce 40-series, combined with a modern mid-range CPU that avoids bottlenecking. The GPU's 81st percentile ranking among all GPUs and the CPU's 90th percentile ranking among all CPUs contribute to a system that handles this title well above average.

The 904th rank out of 3720 combos indicates that roughly three-quarters of tested configurations perform worse in Control. This positioning is consistent with the measured frame rates, which show 4K High and 1440p Ultra both clearing 60 FPS. The combination's rank would likely be higher in games with lighter GPU requirements where the CPU's 90th percentile performance could push frame rates further, but Control's rendering demands keep the GPU as the limiting factor.

The Verdict

Yes, this PC can run Control at playable frame rates across all tested resolutions, provided settings are selected appropriately. At 3840x2160, the system clears 60 FPS on High (62 FPS average), Low (98 FPS average), and Medium (70 FPS average) presets, with High being the best playable setting. Ultra at 4K falls short at 54 FPS average and is not recommended.

At 2560x1440, every preset is playable, with Ultra achieving 80 FPS average as the best setting. This makes 1440p the sweet spot for this hardware, offering the highest visual fidelity at a resolution that maintains comfortable performance margins. The 1080p resolution delivers excellent results across all presets, with Ultra running at 106 FPS average and Low reaching 193 FPS average, making this configuration suitable for high-refresh-rate displays at 1080p.

The verdict by resolution confirms that users seeking maximum visual quality should target 1440p Ultra or 4K High, while those prioritizing frame rates above 100 FPS should consider 1080p Medium or 1440p High. The system's 12 GB of GDDR6X VRAM and 504.2 GB/s bandwidth provide sufficient resources for Control's textures and effects at all tested settings, with no evidence of memory-related stuttering in the measured data.