Control

Intel Core Ultra 7 265 is a 20-core, 20-thread desktop processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture, with a base clock of 2.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz. NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 is a Blackwell 2.0 architecture GPU with 21,760 shading units and 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, offering 1.79 TB/s of bandwidth. Together, this combination is tested against Control, an Action Adventure title released on 2019-08-26. Benchmark data shows the system achieves playable frame rates across all tested resolutions and settings, with the data indicating a high-performance pairing capable of running the game at maximum detail at 4K.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The CPU benchmarks place the Intel Core Ultra 7 265 at the 93rd percentile among all tested processors, with an average benchmark score of 64,640. Its nearest rivals in synthetic testing are remarkably close in aggregate performance. The AMD EPYC 4464P scores 64,823, which is a 0.3% delta from the Ultra 7 265, making it effectively a statistical tie in average benchmark results. The Intel Core Ultra 7 265F, a variant without integrated graphics, scores 64,438, representing a 0.3% difference in favor of the standard 265 model. The AMD EPYC 7343 trails slightly with a score of 64,202, a 0.7% gap, while the AMD EPYC 9124 leads by a marginal 0.7% with a score of 65,104. In practical terms, any of these processors would deliver nearly indistinguishable frame rates in Control, as the CPU is not the primary bottleneck at most settings.

On the GPU side, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 sits at the 92nd percentile among all tested graphics cards, with an average benchmark score of 79,842. Its nearest rivals show a broader spread in aggregate scores. The NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB scores 79,605, a 0.3% deficit to the RTX 5090, while the Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB scores 79,396, trailing by 0.6%. The AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT is 1.1% behind with a score of 78,940, and the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64X leads by 1.4% with a score of 80,959. These deltas are small in synthetic benchmarks, but the RTX 5090's actual in-game performance in Control is what matters; the measured FPS data shows it far exceeds the 60 FPS playability threshold at every resolution and preset tested.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, which delivers an average of 78 FPS. The data shows a clear progression: Low settings average 142 FPS, Medium averages 101 FPS, High averages 90 FPS, and Ultra averages 78 FPS. All four presets clear the 60 FPS threshold, so the "best" setting is the highest quality option, Ultra, which still provides a comfortable margin above the playability floor. The minimum FPS at Medium is 86 and the maximum is 116, suggesting frame times are consistent enough for smooth gameplay even during demanding scenes.

At 2560x1440, Ultra again qualifies as the best setting, with an average of 116 FPS. The lower resolution reduces pixel count significantly, giving the GPU more headroom. Low settings average 211 FPS, Medium averages 150 FPS, and High averages 133 FPS. The minimum recorded at Medium is 127 FPS and the maximum is 172 FPS, indicating that even the most intense moments remain far above 60 FPS. With such high averages, players could theoretically enable additional features or higher internal render scales, but based on the measured data, Ultra is the recommended preset.

At 1920x1080, the system pushes even higher frame rates. Ultra settings average 153 FPS, which is the best preset that maintains performance. Low averages 279 FPS, Medium averages 198 FPS, and High averages 176 FPS. The Medium preset shows a minimum of 168 FPS and a maximum of 228 FPS. At 1080p, the RTX 5090 is heavily GPU-bound, and the CPU's single-thread performance is sufficient to avoid becoming a limiting factor, as demonstrated by the consistently high averages across all presets.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark data reveals how the balance between CPU and GPU shifts across resolutions. At 1920x1080, the average frame rate at Ultra is 153 FPS, while at 3840x2160 it drops to 78 FPS. This 49% decrease in average FPS when moving from 1080p to 4K at Ultra settings indicates that the GPU is the dominant constraint at higher resolutions. The GPU's rendering load scales with pixel count, and the RTX 5090's performance degrades proportionally as resolution increases.

At Low settings, the pattern is similar but more pronounced. 1080p Low averages 279 FPS, 1440p Low averages 211 FPS (a 24% drop), and 4K Low averages 142 FPS (a 49% drop from 1440p). This linear scaling with pixel count strongly suggests GPU-bound behavior across all settings. The CPU, with its 20 cores and high boost clock, provides enough headroom that it does not bottleneck even at 1080p Low where frame rates exceed 270 FPS.

The gap between Low and Ultra settings narrows as resolution increases. At 1080p, the difference between Low (279 FPS) and Ultra (153 FPS) is 126 FPS. At 1440p, the gap shrinks to 95 FPS (211 vs. 116). At 4K, the gap is 64 FPS (142 vs. 78). This trend indicates that at lower resolutions, the CPU can feed the GPU faster, but at higher resolutions, the GPU's pixel throughput becomes the limiting factor, reducing the impact of settings changes. The data shows that CPU performance matters most at 1080p, while GPU performance dominates at 1440p and 4K.

FAQ

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

A: Yes. At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the system averages 78 FPS, which exceeds the 60 FPS playability threshold by a comfortable margin.

Q: What is the highest average FPS recorded in the test?

A: The highest average FPS is 279, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This is the fastest frame rate in the entire measured dataset.

Q: How does the RTX 5090 compare to its nearest rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RTX 5090 scores 79,842 in average benchmark scores, which is 0.3% higher than the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB and 1.1% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT, but 1.4% lower than the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64X.

Q: Does the system maintain 60 FPS at all resolution and preset combinations?

A: Yes. The verdict data confirms that all four presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra) at all three resolutions (1920x1080, 2560x1440, 3840x2160) exceed the 60 FPS threshold, with minimum recorded FPS values also staying above 60 FPS where available.

Q: What is the CPU's percentile ranking among all tested processors?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 7 265 ranks in the 93rd percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 64,640.

Q: Which component is more important for Control at 4K?

A: The GPU is the primary factor at 4K. The average FPS drops from 153 at 1080p Ultra to 78 at 4K Ultra, a 51% reduction, indicating that the RTX 5090's rendering throughput is the limiting factor, not the CPU.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 3840x2160, the system produces the following results: Low settings average 142 FPS with no min or max data recorded. Medium settings average 101 FPS, with a minimum of 86 FPS and a maximum of 116 FPS. High settings average 90 FPS, and Ultra settings average 78 FPS. The spread between Low and Ultra at 4K is 64 FPS, showing that visual quality settings have a significant impact on performance at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, Low settings average 211 FPS. Medium settings average 150 FPS, with a minimum of 127 FPS and a maximum of 172 FPS. High settings average 133 FPS, and Ultra settings average 116 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 95 FPS, indicating that the GPU has more headroom at this resolution to absorb increased graphical demands.

At 1920x1080, Low settings average 279 FPS. Medium settings average 198 FPS, with a minimum of 168 FPS and a maximum of 228 FPS. High settings average 176 FPS, and Ultra settings average 153 FPS. The 126 FPS gap between Low and Ultra at 1080p is the largest across all resolutions, confirming that the CPU can push high frame rates when the GPU is less stressed.

The Medium preset is the only setting where min and max FPS values are recorded across all resolutions: at 1080p the range is 168-228 FPS, at 1440p it is 127-172 FPS, and at 4K it is 86-116 FPS. These ranges show consistent frame pacing, with the minimum never dropping below 86 FPS even at 4K.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 combination ranks 72nd out of 3,720 tested combos for Control. This places the system in the top 2% of all configurations in the database, indicating exceptional performance for this title. The high ranking is consistent with the measured FPS data, which shows the system clearing the 60 FPS playability threshold at every resolution and preset combination tested.

The 72nd rank out of 3,720 combos means that 3,648 other configurations perform worse, while only 71 perform better. Given the RTX 5090's position at the 92nd GPU percentile and the CPU's 93rd percentile, the combo's top-2% ranking is expected. The data shows that this pairing is well-matched for Control, with neither component bottlenecking the other to a significant degree, as evidenced by the smooth scaling of frame rates across resolutions.

The Verdict

This PC can run Control exceptionally well at all tested resolutions and settings. According to the verdict data, all playable settings lists include Low, Medium, High, and Ultra at every resolution. At 3840x2160, the best settings are Ultra with an average of 78 FPS, comfortably above the 60 FPS playability threshold. At 2560x1440, Ultra settings average 116 FPS, and at 1920x1080, Ultra settings average 153 FPS.

The system never drops below 60 FPS in any measured configuration. The lowest recorded average is 78 FPS at 4K Ultra, and the lowest minimum FPS is 86 FPS at 4K Medium. This indicates that even in the most demanding scenarios, the frame rate remains smooth and responsive. The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 7 265 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 delivers a top-tier experience for Control, allowing players to max out all settings at any resolution without concerns about playability. The data confirms that this is a high-end setup that exceeds the requirements of this 2019 action-adventure title by a wide margin.