Control

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus paired with the Intel Arc B390 lands at rank 3311 out of 3720 tested combos for Control. That places this configuration in the bottom 11% of all recorded pairings, a poor result for a game that has been on the market since 2019. The combo sits just above the bottom decile, meaning the vast majority of tested systems deliver higher frame rates in this title.

The ranking reflects the severe bottleneck created by the GPU. The Arc B390 holds a 9th percentile standing against all GPUs in the database, with an average benchmark score of 1482 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12. This is an integrated-class part, and Control is demanding enough that the CPU's strength cannot compensate. By contrast, the Core Ultra 7 270K Plus ranks at the 96th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 93785 across multiple tests. The database shows a massive imbalance: a top-tier processor paired with a bottom-tier graphics solution produces a combo that ranks in the lower 11% for this specific game.

The measured frame rates confirm this position. At 4K Ultra, the combo averages 18 FPS. At 1080p Low, it averages 65 FPS. The spread between the best and worst recorded settings is 47 FPS, but even the best case only barely clears the 60 FPS playable threshold. No resolution above 1080p reaches 60 FPS at any setting, and 4K never exceeds 33 FPS even on Low. The data indicates this combo is only marginally viable for Control, and only under the most favorable conditions.

CPU and GPU Roles

The division of labor in this combo is stark. The Core Ultra 7 270K Plus is a 24-core, 24-thread Arrow Lake Refresh processor with a boost clock of 5.50 GHz, 36 MB of shared L3 cache, and a 96th percentile CPU ranking. The Arc B390 is an integrated GPU based on the Xe3-LPG architecture with 1536 shading units, 12 ray tracing cores, and a 9th percentile GPU ranking. Every measured frame rate in Control is constrained by the graphics solution, not the processor.

Resolution scaling reveals this clearly. At 1080p Low, the combo averages 65 FPS. Moving to 1440p Low drops the average to 50 FPS, a reduction of 15 FPS. At 4K Low, the average falls to 33 FPS. The pattern holds across every preset. High settings produce 41 FPS at 1080p, 31 FPS at 1440p, and 21 FPS at 4K. Medium settings produce 46 FPS at 1080p, 35 FPS at 1440p, and 24 FPS at 4K. Ultra settings produce 36 FPS at 1080p, 27 FPS at 1440p, and 18 FPS at 4K.

The scaling between resolutions is nearly linear, which indicates a pure GPU-bound workload. When the resolution increases, the pixel throughput requirement rises, and the Arc B390 cannot keep pace. The CPU's role in this game is essentially irrelevant at these frame rates. Even the weakest processors in the database would produce similar results with this GPU, because the graphics pipeline is saturated long before the CPU becomes a factor. The data shows no scenario where the 270K Plus's multi-core strength, demonstrated by a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 44253, translates into higher frame rates in Control.

Preset scaling tells the same story. At any given resolution, dropping from Ultra to Low improves the average by roughly 70% to 83%. At 1080p, the jump from 36 FPS on Ultra to 65 FPS on Low is a 29 FPS improvement. At 1440p, the jump from 27 FPS to 50 FPS is a 23 FPS improvement. At 4K, the jump from 18 FPS to 33 FPS is a 15 FPS improvement. These are GPU-side gains from reduced shading and texture work, not CPU-side gains.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The recorded measurements cover three resolutions and four settings presets, with some entries lacking min and max values. The complete data appears below.

At 3840x2160, the combo delivers an average of 21 FPS on High, 33 FPS on Low, 24 FPS on Medium, and 18 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset is the only 4K entry with recorded min and max values: 20 FPS minimum and 27 FPS maximum. The 15 FPS gap between Low and Ultra at this resolution shows how quickly the GPU saturates as visual complexity rises. None of these averages approach the 60 FPS playable threshold.

At 2560x1440, the averages improve but remain below playable. High settings produce 31 FPS, Low produces 50 FPS, Medium produces 35 FPS, and Ultra produces 27 FPS. The Medium preset again has the only min and max data: 30 FPS minimum and 40 FPS maximum. Even the best 1440p result, 50 FPS on Low, falls 10 FPS short of the 60 FPS threshold. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 23 FPS, consistent with the GPU-bound scaling observed at 4K.

At 1920x1080, the combo finally reaches playable territory, but only on one preset. Low settings produce an average of 65 FPS, which clears the 60 FPS threshold by 5 FPS. High settings produce 41 FPS, Medium produces 46 FPS, and Ultra produces 36 FPS. The Medium preset has recorded min and max values of 40 FPS and 53 FPS respectively. The 29 FPS spread between Low and Ultra at 1080p is the largest of any resolution, reflecting the GPU's limited headroom even at the lowest pixel count.

The full dataset shows a consistent pattern: every 4K and 1440p configuration fails to reach 60 FPS, while at 1080p only the Low preset succeeds. The single playable result, 65 FPS at 1080p Low, is fragile. The min and max data for Medium at 1080p (40 to 53 FPS) suggests that even the next preset up would experience frequent dips below 60 FPS. The database records no min or max values for the Low preset at any resolution, so the stability of that 65 FPS average cannot be verified from the available data.

The Verdict

This PC can run Control, but only under a narrow set of conditions. The verdict data is unambiguous: at 3840x2160 and 2560x1440, no settings preset achieves playable performance. The playable settings list is empty for both resolutions. At 1920x1080, the Low preset is the sole playable configuration, with an average of 65 FPS. The best settings at 1080p are Low, and the average FPS at those settings is 65.

Users targeting 60 FPS should restrict themselves to 1080p with the Low preset. Any attempt to raise the resolution or the preset will drop the frame rate below the playable threshold. At 1080p Medium, the average falls to 46 FPS, a 19 FPS loss from Low. At 1080p High, the average is 41 FPS. At 1080p Ultra, the average is 36 FPS. At 1440p, even the Low preset only reaches 50 FPS, and at 4K the Low preset reaches 33 FPS.

The verdict is clear: this combo is a 1080p Low machine for Control, and nothing more. Players who want higher settings or higher resolutions would need a different GPU. The CPU is not the limiting factor; the data shows the Core Ultra 7 270K Plus has ample headroom for this game, but the Arc B390's integrated-class performance caps every scenario. The 60 FPS threshold is met at exactly one configuration out of twelve measured, and that configuration is the least demanding one available.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The nearest rivals for the Arc B390, based on average benchmark scores, are all legacy NVIDIA parts. The GeForce GT 520MX scores 1463, which is 1.3% lower than the Arc B390's 1482. The GeForce 800M scores 1460, 1.5% lower. The GeForce GT 625 OEM scores 1446, 2.5% lower. The GeForce GT 710 scores 1443, 2.7% lower. These deltas are tiny, all within 3%, meaning any of these GPUs would produce nearly identical frame rates in Control when paired with the same CPU. None of these parts would change the verdict: they are all integrated-class or entry-level discrete GPUs from a much older era.

The nearest rivals for the Core Ultra 7 270K Plus are server and workstation processors. The Intel Xeon 6520P has an average score of 93786, essentially identical to the 270K Plus's 93785, with a delta of 0%. The AMD EPYC 4564P scores 95183, 1.5% higher. The AMD EPYC 9175F scores 95615, 1.9% higher. The AMD EPYC 4565P scores 95764, 2.1% higher. These deltas are all within 2.1%, so any of these CPUs would offer nearly identical performance in Control. However, since the Arc B390 is the bottleneck in every measured scenario, swapping the CPU for any of these rivals would produce no meaningful change in frame rates. The GPU rivals matter far more for this game.

For users considering a change, the GPU comparison is the relevant one. A system with the same CPU and any of the four rival GPUs listed would land in the same performance tier. The differences between these GPUs are smaller than the difference between adjacent settings presets in the measured data, which means the choice among them would not alter the playable configurations for Control.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Control at 60 FPS on a 4K display?

A: No. At 3840x2160, the best recorded average is 33 FPS on Low settings. High averages 21 FPS, Medium averages 24 FPS, and Ultra averages 18 FPS. No 4K preset reaches the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: What is the only playable configuration for this system?

A: The only playable configuration is 1920x1080 with Low settings, which produces an average of 65 FPS. Every other resolution and preset combination falls below 60 FPS.

Q: How does the Arc B390 compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The Arc B390 scores 1482 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12. The GeForce GT 520MX scores 1463, the GeForce 800M scores 1460, the GeForce GT 625 OEM scores 1446, and the GeForce GT 710 scores 1443. All rivals are within 2.7% of the Arc B390.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more important for this game at these settings?

A: The GPU is entirely dominant. Resolution scaling shows nearly linear frame rate drops as pixel count rises, and preset scaling shows consistent gains from reducing visual quality. The CPU's 96th percentile ranking does not translate into higher frame rates because the Arc B390 saturates first.

Q: What frame rates can I expect at 1440p with Medium settings?

A: The recorded average is 35 FPS, with a minimum of 30 FPS and a maximum of 40 FPS. This is well below the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Q: Does the Core Ultra 7 270K Plus have similar-performing CPU alternatives?

A: Yes. The Intel Xeon 6520P matches its average score almost exactly with a 0% delta. The AMD EPYC 4564P scores 1.5% higher, the AMD EPYC 9175F scores 1.9% higher, and the AMD EPYC 4565P scores 2.1% higher. None would improve Control performance because the GPU limits all results.