Control

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 delivers a robust showing in Control, with the benchmark data confirming that this combo is capable of high-refresh-rate play at standard resolutions and remains comfortably playable even at 4K. The measured results show a clear performance hierarchy across resolutions, with the system never dipping below the 60 FPS playability threshold except at the most demanding 4K Ultra preset, where it falls just short. The data indicates a well-balanced pairing where the GPU becomes the primary scaling factor as resolution increases, while the CPU’s strong single-thread performance keeps frame rates high at lower resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its highest raw frame rates. The Low preset averages 185 FPS, which is a massive headroom over any display refresh rate. Moving to Medium, the average drops to 131 FPS with a minimum of 111 FPS and a maximum of 151 FPS, showing excellent consistency. The High preset averages 117 FPS, while the Ultra preset still holds an average of 101 FPS. These numbers indicate that the system is never constrained at 1080p, and even the most demanding preset leaves significant performance in reserve.

Stepping up to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain very strong. The Low preset averages 140 FPS, which is still high enough for competitive play. Medium averages 99 FPS with a minimum of 84 FPS and a maximum of 114 FPS, demonstrating smooth pacing. High averages 88 FPS, and Ultra averages 77 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p shows an average reduction of roughly 25-30% across presets, which is consistent with a GPU-bound scenario. The minimum FPS at Medium (84) suggests that even in demanding scenes, the system stays well above 60 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the performance curve flattens considerably. The Low preset averages 94 FPS, which is respectable for 4K. Medium averages 67 FPS with a minimum of 57 FPS and a maximum of 77 FPS, meaning there are occasional dips below the 60 FPS threshold. High averages exactly 60 FPS, making it the borderline playable setting. Ultra drops to an average of 52 FPS, which is below the playability threshold. The delta between Low and Ultra at 4K is 42 FPS, highlighting how much headroom the lower presets provide at this resolution.

The data shows that the RTX 3080’s 10 GB of GDDR6X memory and 760.3 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for Control at 4K, but the GPU’s raw compute (29.77 TFLOPS FP32) becomes the limiting factor at Ultra settings. The minimum FPS figures provided only for Medium presets across all resolutions indicate that this preset is where the system’s stability is most thoroughly tested, and the results show a consistent pattern: at 1080p the minimum is 111 FPS, at 1440p it is 84 FPS, and at 4K it is 57 FPS.

FAQ

Q: Can this PC run Control at 4K with High settings?

A: Yes, the data shows an average of 60 FPS at 3840x2160 with High settings, which exactly meets the 60 FPS playability threshold. This is the best playable setting at 4K, as Ultra falls to 52 FPS.

Q: What is the maximum FPS this combo can achieve?

A: The highest measured average is 185 FPS at 1920x1080 with Low settings. The maximum FPS recorded across all tests is 151 FPS, which occurs at 1080p Medium.

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

A: The Intel Core Ultra 7 265 has an average benchmark score of 64640, which is 0.3% higher than the Intel Core Ultra 7 265F and 0.7% higher than the AMD EPYC 7343. It trails the AMD EPYC 4464P by 0.3% and the AMD EPYC 9124 by 0.7%.

Q: Is the GPU performance consistent with its benchmark percentile?

A: The RTX 3080 sits in the 68th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 23172. Its nearest rival is the NVIDIA P106-100, which scores 23249, just 0.3% higher, indicating the 3080 is performing exactly as expected.

Q: Which preset should be avoided at 4K?

A: The Ultra preset at 3840x2160 averages 52 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS playability threshold. The data suggests avoiding this preset if consistent 60+ FPS is required.

Q: Does the combo support modern graphics APIs?

A: The RTX 3080 supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, which covers all rendering paths used by Control. The CPU supports PCIe Gen 5 with 20 lanes, providing ample bandwidth for the GPU’s PCIe 4.0 x16 interface.

How This Combo Ranks

In the benchmark database, this specific combination of the Intel Core Ultra 7 265 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 ranks 1071 out of 3720 tested combos for Control. This places it in the top 28.8% of all systems tested, which is a strong position for a pairing that is not flagship-tier. The rank reflects the balance between the CPU’s 93rd percentile standing among all CPUs and the GPU’s 68th percentile among all GPUs.

The CPU’s nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks are all server-class AMD EPYC parts, which score within 0.7% of the Ultra 7 265. This indicates that the CPU’s 20 cores and 20 threads, running at boost clocks up to 5.30 GHz, provide ample compute headroom for Control, which is not a heavily multithreaded title. The GPU’s nearest rivals are a mix of older NVIDIA and AMD parts, with the RTX 3080 scoring within 0.4% of the AMD Radeon RX 6600M and the AMD Radeon R9 M290X. This tight grouping suggests that the 3080 is a mature, well-understood product whose performance is consistent with its specifications.

The rank of 1071 out of 3720 means that roughly 71% of tested combos are slower than this one in Control. Given that the game was released in 2019, this pairing represents a modern system that significantly outperforms the hardware that was contemporary to the game’s launch. The data suggests that this combo is positioned to handle the game with ease at most settings, with the only real limitation being the 4K Ultra preset.

The Verdict

Based on the measured FPS data and the verdict by resolution, this PC can run Control at 60 FPS or higher across all tested resolutions, with one exception. At 3840x2160, the playable settings are High, Low, and Medium, with High achieving exactly 60 FPS average. The Ultra preset at 4K falls to 52 FPS and is not playable at the 60 FPS threshold. At 2560x1440, all four presets are playable, with the Ultra preset averaging 77 FPS, well above the threshold. At 1920x1080, all presets are playable, with even the most demanding Ultra preset averaging 101 FPS.

The verdict is clear: for 4K gaming, users should stick to High settings or lower to maintain a smooth experience. The Medium preset at 4K averages 67 FPS but has a minimum of 57 FPS, which means there will be occasional stutters in heavy scenes. The High preset at 4K averages exactly 60 FPS, which is the safest choice for a consistent experience. For 1440p and 1080p, the system has substantial headroom, allowing users to max out settings without concern. This is a system that can handle Control as a showcase title at 1440p Ultra, and it can do so at 4K with a modest settings reduction.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data shows a clear division of labor between the CPU and GPU across resolutions. At 1920x1080, the frame rates are exceptionally high, with the Low preset hitting 185 FPS. This suggests that the Intel Core Ultra 7 265, with its 5.30 GHz boost clock and strong single-thread performance, is providing enough throughput to avoid bottlenecking the RTX 3080. The CPU’s PassMark single-thread score of 4689 is indicative of its capability in this scenario.

As resolution increases to 2560x1440, the average frame rates drop by roughly 25-30% across presets. This scaling is typical of a GPU-bound workload, where the number of pixels rendered becomes the primary factor. The RTX 3080’s 8704 shading units and 272 TMUs are being pushed harder, while the CPU’s workload remains relatively constant. The fact that the 1440p Ultra average (77 FPS) is higher than the 4K High average (60 FPS) further confirms that the GPU is the limiting factor at higher resolutions.

At 3840x2160, the GPU’s role becomes dominant. The difference between Low (94 FPS) and Ultra (52 FPS) at 4K is 42 FPS, which is a 45% reduction. This wide gap indicates that the GPU’s fill rate and memory bandwidth (760.3 GB/s) are being saturated. The CPU’s contribution is minimal at this resolution, as the frame rate is dictated almost entirely by the GPU’s ability to process the increased pixel count. The RTX 3080’s 10 GB of memory is sufficient, but the 320-bit bus width and 760.3 GB/s bandwidth become the constraining factors at 4K Ultra.

The scaling between Medium presets across resolutions provides additional insight. At 1080p Medium, the average is 131 FPS with a minimum of 111 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the average is 99 FPS with a minimum of 84 FPS. At 4K Medium, the average is 67 FPS with a minimum of 57 FPS. This shows a consistent 25-30% reduction for each resolution step, confirming that the GPU is the primary driver of performance scaling. The CPU’s role is to ensure that minimum frame rates stay high, which it does, as the minimum FPS at 1440p Medium (84) is still well above the playability threshold.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is High, with an average of exactly 60 FPS. While the Medium preset averages 67 FPS, its minimum of 57 FPS makes High the safer choice for consistent pacing. Users who prioritize frame rate stability over visual fidelity could opt for Low, which averages 94 FPS, but High provides the best balance of image quality and performance.

At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset is the best choice, averaging 77 FPS. This is 17 FPS above the playability threshold, providing ample headroom for demanding scenes. The minimum FPS at Medium (84) suggests that Ultra likely stays above 60 FPS in most situations, though no minimum FPS data is provided for Ultra. The 77 FPS average makes this the clear recommendation for 1440p users.

At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset is the best choice, averaging 101 FPS. This is 41 FPS above the playability threshold, offering a smooth experience with all visual features enabled. The High preset averages 117 FPS, which could be preferred by users with 120 Hz displays, but Ultra at 101 FPS is still well within the range of high-refresh-rate monitors. For users with 144 Hz displays, the Low preset at 185 FPS would be the optimal choice, but the Ultra preset provides the full visual experience without sacrificing playability.