Control

The Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus paired with the Intel Arc B580 presents a compelling case study in mid-range hardware performance for a demanding action-adventure title like Control. The benchmark data reveals a system that is highly capable at mainstream resolutions but hits a definitive wall at 4K, with the playability threshold clearly set at 60 FPS. The numbers show a familiar scaling pattern where resolution dictates the performance ceiling, while the CPU's substantial headroom ensures the GPU is the primary bottleneck in most scenarios.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for this combo provides a clear picture of its capabilities across three resolutions and four quality presets. At 1920x1080, the system demonstrates strong performance across the board. The Low preset delivers an average of 114 FPS, which is more than enough for high-refresh-rate displays. Moving up to Medium, the average drops to 81 FPS, with a minimum of 69 FPS and a maximum of 93 FPS, indicating a stable experience. The High preset yields an average of 72 FPS, still comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold. Interestingly, the Ultra preset manages to hold an average of 62 FPS, which is just above the playable threshold, showcasing the B580's ability to handle the game's most demanding settings at 1080p.

Stepping up to 2560x1440, the performance scaling becomes more pronounced. The Low preset achieves an average of 86 FPS, which is a significant drop from the 1080p figure but still very playable. The Medium preset hits an average of 61 FPS, with a minimum of 52 FPS and a maximum of 70 FPS, making it the highest quality setting that maintains an average above 60 FPS. The High preset falls to an average of 54 FPS, which is below the playable threshold, while the Ultra preset drops further to 47 FPS. This data suggests that 1440p requires a compromise on settings to maintain smooth gameplay, with Medium being the optimal choice for a balance of visual fidelity and performance.

At 3840x2160, the system's limitations become evident. The Low preset is the only setting that comes close to playability, with an average of 58 FPS, just shy of the 60 FPS threshold. The Medium preset averages 41 FPS, with a minimum of 35 FPS and a maximum of 48 FPS, indicating a challenging experience. The High preset averages 37 FPS, and the Ultra preset bottoms out at 32 FPS. None of the 4K presets achieve the 60 FPS average required for a smooth experience, making 4K impractical for this hardware combination without significant compromises in visual quality.

FAQ

Q: Can this PC run Control at 60 FPS on Ultra settings at 1920x1080?

A: Yes, the data shows an average of 62 FPS on the Ultra preset at 1920x1080, which is just above the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Q: What is the best playable setting at 2560x1440?

A: The Medium preset is the best option, as it delivers an average of 61 FPS, while the High preset drops to 54 FPS and falls below the playable threshold.

Q: Does the system achieve 60 FPS at 3840x2160 on any preset?

A: No, the highest average FPS at 4K is 58 FPS on the Low preset, which is still below the 60 FPS threshold. All other presets average below 41 FPS.

Q: What is the difference in average FPS between Low and Ultra at 2560x1440?

A: The Low preset averages 86 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 47 FPS, representing a 39 FPS difference between the two extremes.

Q: Is the minimum FPS on Medium at 1920x1080 above the playable threshold?

A: Yes, the minimum FPS on Medium at 1920x1080 is 69 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS playable threshold, indicating good frame pacing.

Q: How does the combo rank among all tested hardware combinations for Control?

A: The combo ranks 2816 out of 3720 tested combinations, placing it in the lower-middle tier of all configurations tested for this game.

Best Settings per Resolution

For a consistent 60 FPS experience, the most demanding preset that maintains an average at or above 60 FPS varies by resolution. At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset is the best choice, as it delivers an average of 62 FPS. This allows players to experience the game with all visual features enabled without sacrificing smoothness. At 2560x1440, the Medium preset is the highest quality option that stays above the threshold, averaging 61 FPS. This setting provides a good balance between visual detail and performance, though it requires turning down some of the more demanding effects. At 3840x2160, no preset achieves the 60 FPS average, so the system cannot maintain a smooth experience at this resolution. The closest option is the Low preset at 58 FPS, but it still falls short of the playable threshold.

The Verdict

Based on the verdictByResolution data, this PC can run Control at playable frame rates, but the experience is highly dependent on the chosen resolution. At 1920x1080, the system is fully capable, with all presets including Ultra clearing the 60 FPS threshold. This makes 1080p the ideal resolution for this hardware, allowing players to enjoy the game at maximum settings. At 2560x1440, the system remains playable but requires a reduction in settings, with only Low and Medium presets achieving average FPS above 60. The best experience at this resolution is on Medium, which offers a good balance of visual quality and performance. At 3840x2160, the system is not playable, as no preset reaches the 60 FPS average. The data indicates that 4K gaming is beyond the capabilities of this combination, and users seeking 4K performance would need to consider more powerful hardware.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark data reveals a clear division of labor between the CPU and GPU across different resolutions. At 1920x1080, the GPU is the primary bottleneck, as the high frame rates on Low and Medium presets (114 and 81 FPS respectively) suggest that the CPU has ample headroom to feed the graphics card. The scaling from Low to Ultra at this resolution shows a 52 FPS drop, indicating that the GPU is responsible for the performance differences as settings increase. The CPU's role is less critical here, as even the most demanding preset still achieves playable frame rates.

At 2560x1440, the balance shifts slightly, but the GPU remains the dominant factor. The performance scaling is more pronounced, with a 39 FPS difference between Low and Ultra. The fact that the CPU can maintain high frame rates on Low (86 FPS) while the GPU struggles on Ultra (47 FPS) suggests that the GPU is still the limiting factor. However, the reduced performance at higher presets indicates that the game is becoming more GPU-bound as resolution increases. The CPU's capabilities are not fully utilized at this resolution, as evidenced by the significant frame rate drops when GPU load increases.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is overwhelmingly the bottleneck. The highest average FPS is 58 on Low, and the performance drops steeply to 32 FPS on Ultra. This pattern shows that the GPU's pixel throughput and memory bandwidth are insufficient for 4K rendering in this title. The CPU's role diminishes further, as the GPU cannot process frames fast enough to challenge the processor. The data implies that for this game, the Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus provides more than enough processing power, with the Intel Arc B580's rendering capabilities being the sole determinant of playability at higher resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

The comboRankInGame data places this configuration at rank 2816 out of 3720 tested combinations. This percentile position indicates that the Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus and Intel Arc B580 combination performs in the lower 25% of all tested systems for Control. This ranking is somewhat surprising given the CPU's high benchmark scores, but it underscores the GPU's limitations in this specific game. The CPU's percentileVsAllCpus of 96 shows it is a top-tier processor, while the GPU's percentileVsAllGpus of 68 indicates it is a mid-range graphics solution. The combination of a high-end CPU with a mid-range GPU results in a system that is well-balanced for lower resolutions but falls behind other configurations that pair more powerful graphics cards with less capable processors. The data suggests that for Control, the GPU choice has a more significant impact on overall ranking than the CPU.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Examining the nearestRivals for both components provides insight into what other hardware would behave similarly. For the CPU, the closest rivals are the Intel Xeon 6520P, which has an identical average score and a deltaPct of 0, meaning it would perform essentially the same in CPU-bound scenarios. The AMD EPYC 4564P is 1.5% faster, the AMD EPYC 9175F is 1.9% faster, and the AMD EPYC 4565P is 2.1% faster. These differences are minimal, so any of these processors would offer nearly identical performance in Control. For the GPU, the nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP, which is 0.2% slower, and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080, which is 0.6% faster. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 is 0.7% slower, and the NVIDIA P106-100 is 1% slower. These deltas are all within a narrow margin, suggesting that swapping the Arc B580 for any of these cards would result in very similar frame rates. The RTX 2080 stands out as the most direct performance equivalent, offering slightly better performance without a significant change in gameplay experience. Users seeking similar behavior to this combo should consider these alternatives, as they would likely produce comparable FPS results in Control across all resolutions and presets.