Control

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and Intel Arc B580 combination delivers a distinctly tiered performance profile in Control, with playability above the 60 FPS threshold depending heavily on resolution and preset selection. The measured data shows a clear progression: 1080p is fully playable across all tested presets, 1440p drops to only the two lighter presets, and 4K falls short of the 60 FPS target at every setting tested. This analysis breaks down the exact frame rates, the optimal settings per resolution, and how this pairing compares to other hardware in the database.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combination performs comfortably across the board. The Low preset produces an average of 114 FPS, making it the highest frame rate recorded for this pairing in any configuration. Moving to Medium, the average drops to 81 FPS, with a minimum of 69 FPS and a maximum of 93 FPS. The High preset delivers 72 FPS on average, while the Ultra preset, the most demanding setting tested, still maintains an average of 62 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 52 FPS, indicating that the GPU has sufficient headroom to handle increased visual fidelity without falling below the playable threshold.

At 2560x1440, the performance picture changes noticeably. The Low preset averages 86 FPS, which is a 28 FPS drop from the same preset at 1080p. Medium averages 61 FPS, with a recorded minimum of 52 FPS and a maximum of 70 FPS. This is the only preset at 1440p that stays at or above 60 FPS on average. High drops to 54 FPS, and Ultra falls further to 47 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p shows a consistent reduction: High loses 18 FPS, Medium loses 20 FPS, and Ultra loses 15 FPS, while Low loses 28 FPS. The data indicates that the transition to 1440p places a significant load on the graphics card, with only the least demanding presets remaining viable.

At 3840x2160, the performance drops below playable levels for all presets. The Low preset averages 58 FPS, narrowly missing the 60 FPS target. Medium averages 41 FPS, with a minimum of 35 FPS and a maximum of 48 FPS. High averages 37 FPS, and Ultra averages 32 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra at 4K is 26 FPS, which is a smaller spread than at lower resolutions, suggesting that the GPU is becoming the limiting factor across all settings. The jump from 1440p to 4K is severe: Low loses 28 FPS, Medium loses 20 FPS, High loses 17 FPS, and Ultra loses 15 FPS. The 4K results show that this pairing cannot sustain smooth gameplay at any preset, with even the lowest settings falling just short of the target.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset is the most demanding setting that stays at or above 60 FPS, with an average of 62 FPS. This means the user can enable the highest visual quality available in the test suite while maintaining a playable frame rate. The margin above 60 FPS is only 2 FPS, so frame rate fluctuations could occasionally dip below the threshold, but the average remains above it.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset is the best option, delivering an average of 61 FPS. The recorded minimum of 52 FPS shows that there are moments where performance dips below 60 FPS, but the overall average clears the threshold. High and Ultra both fall short, at 54 FPS and 47 FPS respectively, so Medium represents the highest quality preset that remains playable on average.

At 3840x2160, there is no playable preset. The Low preset comes closest with an average of 58 FPS, but it fails to reach the 60 FPS target. Medium, High, and Ultra all average well below 60 FPS, at 41, 37, and 32 FPS respectively. The data indicates that 4K gaming with this combination would require a reduction in resolution or a change in hardware.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest preset that maintains at least 60 FPS at 1080p?

A: The Ultra preset averages 62 FPS at 1920x1080, making it the most demanding setting that stays above the 60 FPS threshold. The Low preset averages 114 FPS, Medium averages 81 FPS, and High averages 72 FPS.

Q: Does this combination achieve 60 FPS at 1440p on High settings?

A: No. At 2560x1440, the High preset averages 54 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target. The Medium preset averages 61 FPS, while Low averages 86 FPS and Ultra averages 47 FPS.

Q: What is the average frame rate at 4K with Medium settings?

A: At 3840x2160 with Medium settings, the average frame rate is 41 FPS, with a minimum of 35 FPS and a maximum of 48 FPS. This is below the playable threshold of 60 FPS.

Q: How does the frame rate scale from 1080p to 1440p on the High preset?

A: The High preset drops from 72 FPS at 1920x1080 to 54 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of 18 FPS. This represents a 25% decrease in performance when moving to the higher resolution.

Q: Which resolution has the largest number of playable presets?

A: At 1920x1080, all four tested presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra) average at or above 60 FPS. At 2560x1440, only Low and Medium are playable, and at 3840x2160, no preset reaches the threshold.

Q: What is the minimum frame rate recorded across all tested configurations?

A: The lowest minimum frame rate is 35 FPS, observed at 3840x2160 with Medium settings. The next lowest minimum is 52 FPS at 2560x1440 with Medium settings, and 69 FPS at 1920x1080 with Medium settings.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus has an average benchmark score of 84003, placing it in the 96th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals in the database include the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, which scores 83807 and is 0.2% slower, and the AMD EPYC 4584PX, which scores 83090 and is 1.1% slower. On the faster side, the AMD EPYC 7F72 scores 85072, which is 1.3% ahead, and the AMD EPYC 9135 scores 82980, which is 1.2% slower. These deltas are all within a narrow band, meaning that any of these CPUs would deliver nearly identical CPU-bound performance in Control.

The Intel Arc B580 has an average benchmark score of 23021, placing it in the 68th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP, which scores 23061 and is 0.2% faster, and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080, which scores 22895 and is 0.6% slower. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 scores 23172, which is 0.7% faster, and the NVIDIA P106-100 scores 23249, which is 1% faster. The performance differences among these GPUs are minimal, so users with any of these cards would see nearly the same frame rates in Control at the tested settings. The RTX 2080 and RTX 3080, while from different generations, fall within 1% of the Arc B580 in the aggregate benchmark, suggesting similar gameplay performance.

The Verdict

This PC can run Control at 1920x1080 with all tested presets, including Ultra, which averages 62 FPS. At 2560x1440, the system clears the 60 FPS threshold only on Low and Medium presets, with Medium averaging 61 FPS. At 3840x2160, the system cannot reach 60 FPS on any preset; the closest is Low at 58 FPS. The verdict by resolution is clear: 1080p is fully playable, 1440p is playable with reduced settings, and 4K is not playable at the target frame rate. The data shows that the Intel Arc B580 is the primary constraint at higher resolutions, as the CPU is in the top 4% of all processors and is unlikely to bottleneck at 1440p or 4K.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and Intel Arc B580 combination ranks 2816 out of 3720 tested combos in Control, placing it in the lower half of the database. This ranking reflects the GPU's mid-tier position, as the Arc B580 sits in the 68th percentile of all GPUs, while the CPU is in the 96th percentile. The combination's rank suggests that while the CPU is exceptionally strong, the GPU limits overall gaming performance in this title. The 4K results, where no preset reaches 60 FPS, contribute significantly to this ranking. At 1080p, the system performs relatively well, but the database includes many combinations with more powerful GPUs that achieve higher frame rates at higher resolutions.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark data indicates that the GPU is the dominant factor in Control's performance, particularly at higher resolutions. The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus, with 24 cores and 24 threads and a boost clock of 5.80 GHz, provides ample processing power. Its average benchmark score of 84003 places it far above the GPU's percentile ranking, suggesting the CPU is not the limiting component. The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K supports this: at 1080p, the Ultra preset averages 62 FPS, but at 4K, the same preset drops to 32 FPS, a 48% reduction. This severe drop is characteristic of GPU-bound scenarios, where the graphics card cannot keep up with the increased pixel count.

The CPU's role becomes more apparent at lower resolutions and settings. At 1080p with Low settings, the system averages 114 FPS, which is a high enough frame rate that CPU overhead could matter, but the data shows the GPU still delivers consistent performance. The difference between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 52 FPS, while at 4K the difference narrows to 26 FPS. This narrowing indicates that as resolution increases, the GPU's workload grows, and the CPU's contribution to overall frame rate diminishes. The Medium preset shows the most complete data, with minimum and maximum values recorded at each resolution: at 1080p, the range is 69 to 93 FPS; at 1440p, it is 52 to 70 FPS; and at 4K, it is 35 to 48 FPS. These ranges show that the GPU's performance variability increases with resolution, further confirming its dominant role.

For users seeking higher frame rates at 1440p or 4K, the data suggests that upgrading the GPU would yield more significant gains than upgrading the CPU, as the current CPU is already in the top percentile and unlikely to bottleneck. At 1080p, the combination is balanced enough to deliver playable performance at all presets, but the GPU's mid-tier standing means that higher resolutions will require reduced settings or a more powerful graphics card.