Control

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 delivers a mixed but largely playable experience in Control, depending heavily on resolution and quality preset. This combination ranks in the 55th percentile of tested combos for this game, sitting at rank 1665 out of 3720 configurations. The data indicates that 1080p and 1440p are fully viable at maximum settings, while 4K requires a significant compromise in visual fidelity to maintain smooth frame rates.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers consistently high frame rates across all settings. The Low preset produces an average of 149 FPS, which is excellent for high-refresh-rate monitors. Moving to Medium, the average drops to 106 FPS, with a minimum of 90 FPS and a maximum of 122 FPS, indicating solid frame pacing even during demanding scenes. The High preset yields 94 FPS on average, while Ultra settings still maintain a strong 82 FPS average. None of the 1080p presets dip below the 60 FPS playability threshold, making this resolution entirely comfortable for the hardware.

At 2560x1440, performance remains robust but shows the expected scaling pressure. The Low preset achieves 113 FPS on average, which is still very fast. Medium settings produce an 80 FPS average with a minimum of 68 FPS and a maximum of 92 FPS, keeping the experience smooth. High settings deliver 71 FPS on average, while Ultra settings fall to 62 FPS on average. The 1440p Ultra result is notable because it stays above the 60 FPS floor, but only by a narrow margin of 2 FPS, meaning any particularly chaotic combat sequence could push it lower.

At 3840x2160, the picture changes dramatically. The Low preset is the only playable option, producing an average of 76 FPS. Medium settings drop to 54 FPS on average, with a minimum of 46 FPS and a maximum of 62 FPS, which means the experience will frequently fall below the playability threshold despite occasional peaks above it. High settings average 48 FPS, and Ultra settings average 42 FPS. Neither High nor Ultra at 4K comes close to maintaining a consistent 60 FPS experience, so these presets are effectively unusable for smooth gameplay.

The measured data also reveals that the RTX 5060's 8 GB of GDDR7 memory is likely a limiting factor at 4K with higher presets, though the exact cause cannot be confirmed from frame rates alone. The gap between Low and Medium at 4K is significant—22 FPS on average—which suggests a steep scaling curve for the higher-quality assets and effects.

FAQ

Q: Can this PC run Control at 1080p with maximum settings?

A: Yes. At 1920x1080 with Ultra settings, the combination of the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 produces an average of 82 FPS, which clears the 60 FPS playability threshold by a comfortable margin.

Q: What is the best preset for 1440p gameplay?

A: Ultra settings at 2560x1440 are playable, with an average of 62 FPS. This is the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS at this resolution, according to the verdict data.

Q: Is 4K gaming possible with this hardware?

A: Only at Low settings. The 3840x2160 Low preset averages 76 FPS, which is playable. Medium settings drop to 54 FPS on average, with minimums as low as 46 FPS, so they do not meet the playability threshold consistently.

Q: How does the RTX 5060 compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RTX 5060 has an average benchmark score of 26331. Its closest rival, the AMD Radeon 860M, scores 26401, which is 0.3% higher. The NVIDIA GeForce MX550 scores 26421, also 0.3% higher, while the AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary scores 26553, 0.8% higher. The AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT scores 26011, which is 1.2% lower.

Q: What CPU benchmark performance does the Core Ultra 9 290K Plus offer?

A: The CPU achieves a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 51731 and a single-core score of 7303. In PassMark multithread testing, it scores 60860, and its single-thread score is 4823. Its overall average benchmark score is 84003, placing it in the 96th percentile of all CPUs.

Q: Does the RTX 5060 support modern graphics APIs needed for Control?

A: Yes. The GPU supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, which covers the API requirements for a game released in 2019.

Best Settings per Resolution

For 1920x1080, the best setting is Ultra, which delivers an average of 82 FPS. This is the most demanding preset available, and it comfortably exceeds the 60 FPS playability threshold. There is no need to compromise on quality at this resolution, as even the maximum settings leave significant headroom.

For 2560x1440, the best setting is also Ultra, with an average of 62 FPS. While this is above the playability threshold, the margin is slim. Players who prioritize frame rate stability over maximum visual fidelity could consider High (71 FPS average) or Medium (80 FPS average) for a more consistent experience, but the data confirms Ultra is technically playable.

For 3840x2160, the best setting that maintains playability is Low, producing an average of 76 FPS. Medium, High, and Ultra all fall below the 60 FPS average threshold, with 54 FPS, 48 FPS, and 42 FPS respectively. Low is the only preset that keeps the experience smooth at 4K.

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 closest rivals in synthetic testing are the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, which scores 83807 (0.2% lower), and the AMD EPYC 4584PX, which scores 83090 (1.1% lower). On the higher side, the AMD EPYC 7F72 scores 85072, which is 1.3% higher than the 290K Plus. The AMD EPYC 9135 scores 82980, 1.2% lower. These differences are all within a narrow band, meaning any of these CPUs would deliver nearly identical frame rates in Control, assuming the GPU remains the bottleneck.

For the GPU, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 has an average benchmark score of 26331, placing it in the 72nd percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon 860M (26401, 0.3% higher), the NVIDIA GeForce MX550 (26421, 0.3% higher), and the AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary (26553, 0.8% higher). The AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT scores 26011, which is 1.2% lower. In practical terms, any of these GPUs would produce nearly identical frame rates in Control at the same settings and resolution, since their synthetic scores are within 1.2% of each other.

When considering an alternative build, a system with the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K and an AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT would behave almost identically to the reviewed combo. The CPU is 0.2% slower, and the GPU is 1.2% slower, so the net difference in game performance would be negligible. Similarly, swapping the CPU for the AMD EPYC 7F72 (1.3% faster) while keeping the RTX 5060 would yield a marginal improvement in CPU-bound scenarios, but Control is likely GPU-bound at most settings.

The Verdict

The data shows that this PC can run Control, but the playable experience depends on resolution and preset. At 1920x1080, all four presets—Low, Medium, High, and Ultra—clear the 60 FPS playability threshold. The Ultra preset averages 82 FPS, making this the ideal resolution for maximum visual quality without performance concerns.

At 2560x1440, all four presets also clear the 60 FPS threshold. Ultra averages 62 FPS, which is playable but leaves minimal headroom. High (71 FPS) and Medium (80 FPS) provide more margin for demanding scenes. For players who want the best visuals at 1440p without worrying about frame dips, High is the safer choice, but the data confirms Ultra technically passes.

At 3840x2160, only the Low preset is playable, averaging 76 FPS. Medium (54 FPS), High (48 FPS), and Ultra (42 FPS) all fall below the 60 FPS threshold, meaning they will produce noticeable stuttering and a less fluid experience. The verdict is clear: 4K gaming requires dropping to Low settings, which sacrifices many of the visual enhancements that make Control's environments so atmospheric.

The verdict by resolution confirms this assessment: 1920x1080 and 2560x1440 are fully playable at all settings, while 3840x2160 is limited to Low. The best settings at each resolution are Ultra for 1080p (82 FPS average), Ultra for 1440p (62 FPS average), and Low for 4K (76 FPS average).

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations for Control, this specific pairing of the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 ranks 1665 out of 3720 total combos. This places it in the upper-middle range of tested configurations, specifically around the 55th percentile. The rank reflects the balance between the CPU's strong synthetic performance (96th percentile among CPUs) and the GPU's more modest standing (72nd percentile among GPUs).

The CPU's high percentile ranking indicates that it is not the limiting factor in this pairing for Control. The GPU, while capable at 1080p and 1440p, falls short at 4K with higher presets, which drags the overall combo rank down relative to systems with more powerful graphics cards. A configuration with a stronger GPU and a slightly weaker CPU would likely rank higher in this specific game, since Control's frame rates are more sensitive to graphics hardware at higher resolutions.

The rank also suggests that this combo is a balanced mid-range option for this game. It outperforms the bottom 45% of tested combos, which likely include older CPUs or GPUs, but it trails the top configurations that pair high-end CPUs with flagship GPUs. For a game like Control, which was released in 2019 and has moderate hardware demands, this combo provides a solid 1080p and 1440p experience, but it is not optimized for 4K gaming. The data indicates that users targeting 4K should either lower settings to Low or consider a different GPU pairing.