Control

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 delivers a consistently playable experience in Control across all tested resolutions and presets, with the data showing a clear performance hierarchy that favors lower resolutions and lower settings. At 4K, the combo manages an average of 63 FPS on High settings, while at 1440p and 1080p it comfortably exceeds 60 FPS even on the Ultra preset, with the highest measured average reaching 193 FPS at 1080p Low. The following analysis breaks down the measured frame rates, component roles, and optimal configurations based strictly on the provided benchmark data.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for this combination is organized by resolution and settings preset, with average frame rates provided for each configuration. No minimum or maximum FPS values were recorded in the dataset, so the analysis relies exclusively on average FPS figures.

At 3840x2160 (4K), the performance scales predictably with the settings preset. On Low settings, the average FPS is 95.4, which is the highest 4K result recorded. Moving to Medium settings drops the average to 71.4 FPS, a reduction of 24 FPS from Low. High settings further reduce the average to 63 FPS, still above the 60 FPS playability threshold. The Ultra preset is the only 4K configuration that falls below 60 FPS, with an average of 52.2 FPS. This represents a 45.2% performance drop from Low to Ultra, indicating that the GPU is the limiting factor at this resolution when maximum visual quality is enabled.

At 2560x1440 (1440p), the same pattern emerges but with higher overall frame rates. Low settings produce an average of 144.9 FPS, while Medium settings deliver 107 FPS. High settings achieve 94.1 FPS, and Ultra settings still manage 82 FPS. All four presets remain well above the 60 FPS threshold, with the gap between Low and Ultra being 62.9 FPS. The scaling from 4K to 1440p is substantial: for example, High settings improve from 63 FPS at 4K to 94.1 FPS at 1440p, a 49.4% increase.

At 1920x1080 (1080p), performance is exceptionally high across the board. Low settings deliver an average of 193 FPS, which is the single highest recorded figure in the dataset. Medium settings achieve 135.6 FPS, High settings reach 122.5 FPS, and Ultra settings produce 106.8 FPS. Even the most demanding preset at 1080p clears the 60 FPS threshold by a wide margin, with Ultra being 46.8 FPS above the playability line. The difference between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 86.2 FPS, showing that the CPU has ample headroom to feed the GPU at this resolution.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest playable preset at 4K resolution?

A: The highest playable preset at 3840x2160 is High, which achieves an average of 63 FPS. The Ultra preset at this resolution falls below the 60 FPS threshold with an average of 52.2 FPS, making it unplayable according to the benchmark criteria.

Q: Does the system maintain 60 FPS at 1440p on Ultra settings?

A: Yes, at 2560x1440 with Ultra settings, the average FPS is 82, which is 22 FPS above the playable threshold. This makes Ultra the best settings option for 1440p, as it is the most demanding preset that still clears 60 FPS.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from 1080p to 4K at High settings?

A: At High settings, the average FPS drops from 122.5 at 1920x1080 to 63 at 3840x2160. This represents a 48.6% reduction in average frame rate when quadrupling the pixel count.

Q: Which resolution offers the highest average FPS on Low settings?

A: The highest average FPS on Low settings is 193, achieved at 1920x1080. This is followed by 144.9 FPS at 2560x1440 and 95.4 FPS at 3840x2160.

Q: Is the Ultra preset at 4K completely unplayable?

A: According to the data, Ultra settings at 3840x2160 produce an average of 52.2 FPS, which is 7.8 FPS below the 60 FPS playability threshold. While it may be technically playable for some users, the benchmark defines it as not meeting the playable standard.

Q: What is the performance difference between Medium and High at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, Medium settings achieve 107 FPS while High settings achieve 94.1 FPS. The difference is 12.9 FPS, with Medium being approximately 13.7% faster than High.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark data reveals how the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 divide responsibilities across resolutions and settings. The CPU, which ranks in the 94th percentile among all processors, has a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 35850 and a single-core score of 2020. The GPU, ranking in the 81st percentile among all graphics cards, has a PassMark G3D score of 26927 and a 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 3854.

At 1080p, the data suggests the CPU is doing more of the heavy lifting relative to the GPU. The frame rate spread from Low (193 FPS) to Ultra (106.8 FPS) is 86.2 FPS, which is the largest absolute spread across all resolutions. This wide gap indicates that the GPU becomes more constrained as settings increase, while the CPU maintains enough headroom to push very high frame rates at lower settings. The fact that Low settings nearly double the frame rate of Ultra settings at 1080p points to the GPU being the primary bottleneck at this resolution when visual effects are increased.

At 1440p, the spread between Low (144.9 FPS) and Ultra (82 FPS) is 62.9 FPS, narrower than at 1080p. This suggests the GPU is starting to become more of a limiting factor, but the CPU still provides sufficient performance to keep frame rates high. The RTX 4070’s 12 GB of GDDR6X memory and 504.2 GB/s bandwidth are adequate for 1440p, but the increased pixel count reduces the CPU’s ability to drive frame rates as high as at 1080p.

At 4K, the spread between Low (95.4 FPS) and Ultra (52.2 FPS) is 43.2 FPS, the narrowest absolute spread. This indicates that the GPU is the dominant bottleneck at this resolution, as even Low settings cannot reach the frame rates seen at lower resolutions. The CPU’s role diminishes as the pixel count grows, with the GPU’s 29.15 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 158.4 GPixel/s pixel rate becoming the limiting factor. The scaling from 1080p Low (193 FPS) to 4K Low (95.4 FPS) shows a 50.6% reduction, which is primarily attributable to the GPU’s fill rate and memory bandwidth constraints.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The nearest rivals for the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K, based on average benchmark scores, include the Intel Xeon 6511P with an average score of 71051 and a delta of -0.2%, meaning the Ultra 7 265K is essentially tied with it. The Intel Xeon Platinum 8270 scores 71370, which is 0.7% higher. The Intel Core i7-14700KF scores 70163, which is 1% lower, and the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F scores 69996, which is 1.3% lower. For gaming performance in Control, any of these CPUs would deliver nearly identical frame rates when paired with the same RTX 4070, as the differences are well within 1.5% of each other.

For the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070, the nearest rivals based on average benchmark scores are the NVIDIA Tesla P4 with a score of 37628 and a delta of 0.1%, making it virtually identical in performance. The AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 scores 37507, which is 0.4% lower. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile scores 38135, which is 1.3% higher, and the AMD Radeon PRO W6400 scores 37157, which is 1.3% lower. In practical terms, swapping the RTX 4070 for any of these alternatives would result in frame rates that differ by less than 2% in Control, assuming the CPU remains constant.

The combination of the Ultra 7 265K with any of its rival CPUs and the RTX 4070 with any of its rival GPUs would produce nearly identical measured FPS values to those reported here. The delta percentages are all within a narrow band, meaning the overall playability verdict — 63 FPS at 4K High, 82 FPS at 1440p Ultra, and 106.8 FPS at 1080p Ultra — would remain unchanged.

Best Settings per Resolution

For 3840x2160, the best settings preset that maintains an average FPS at or above 60 is High, which achieves 63 FPS. The Ultra preset falls below the threshold at 52.2 FPS, so High is the recommended maximum. Medium settings provide 71.4 FPS and Low settings provide 95.4 FPS, both of which are also viable but offer lower visual quality.

For 2560x1440, the best settings preset is Ultra, which achieves an average of 82 FPS. All four presets — Low at 144.9 FPS, Medium at 107 FPS, High at 94.1 FPS, and Ultra at 82 FPS — exceed the 60 FPS threshold, so users can select the highest quality without sacrificing playability.

For 1920x1080, the best settings preset is also Ultra, with an average of 106.8 FPS. This is the most demanding preset at this resolution, and it still delivers a frame rate that is 46.8 FPS above the playability threshold. Lower presets offer even higher frame rates, with Low reaching 193 FPS, but Ultra is the clear choice for maximum visual fidelity.

The Verdict

Based on the verdictByResolution data, this PC can run Control with playable performance at all tested resolutions, but the settings must be adjusted at 4K. At 3840x2160, the playable settings are High, Low, and Medium, with High being the best option at 63 FPS. The Ultra preset is not playable at this resolution, as it averages 52.2 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold.

At 2560x1440, all four settings presets are playable, including Ultra at 82 FPS. This is the highest quality preset that can be enabled at 1440p while staying above 60 FPS. At 1920x1080, all four presets are also playable, with Ultra achieving 106.8 FPS. This makes 1080p the most flexible resolution, allowing users to max out all settings without any performance concerns.

The overall verdict is that this combination is well-suited for Control, offering playable frame rates at every resolution provided the user selects the appropriate settings. The only limitation is 4K Ultra, which falls short of the 60 FPS target by 7.8 FPS.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 combination ranks 885th out of 3720 tested combos for Control, placing it in the top 23.8% of all configurations. This rank reflects the strong performance of both components individually, with the CPU in the 94th percentile and the GPU in the 81st percentile among their respective categories.

The rank of 885 out of 3720 indicates that while this combo is well above average, there are many higher-performing combinations, likely featuring more powerful GPUs or CPUs that push frame rates even higher. However, for the purposes of playing Control at 60 FPS or above, this combo is more than sufficient, as demonstrated by the measured FPS data. The relative position in the rankings suggests that users seeking higher frame rates at 4K Ultra would need to consider a more powerful GPU, but for the majority of gaming scenarios, this combination delivers a smooth and responsive experience.