Control

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 delivers a strong performance profile for Control, with benchmark data indicating that the combination can handle the game at high settings across all tested resolutions. The system’s ranking and measured frame rates show a clear narrative of capability, though the most demanding preset at 4K presents a near-miss scenario that requires careful settings selection.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest preset that maintains an average of 60 FPS or higher at 3840x2160?

A: The High preset is the most demanding playable option at 4K, achieving an average of 66 FPS. The Ultra preset falls short at 58 FPS, while Medium and Low reach 75 FPS and 105 FPS respectively.

Q: How does the combo rank among all tested system configurations for Control?

A: The combination ranks 780th out of 3720 tested combos, placing it in the top 21% of all systems benchmarked for this game.

Q: What is the performance difference between the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and its closest rival, the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K?

A: The 290K Plus has an average benchmark score of 84003, which is 0.2% higher than the 285K’s score of 83807, indicating nearly identical CPU-level performance.

Q: Which component shows a larger percentile standing relative to its peers?

A: The CPU holds a 96th percentile ranking among all CPUs, while the GPU sits at the 82nd percentile among all GPUs. This suggests the processor is a more dominant part of the system relative to its respective market.

Q: At 2560x1440, what is the average frame rate difference between the Low and Ultra presets?

A: The Low preset averages 156 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 85 FPS. This represents a 71 FPS reduction when moving from the least to most demanding settings.

Q: What is the only preset at 1920x1080 that does not reach an average of 150 FPS or higher?

A: The Ultra preset, which averages 113 FPS. The High, Medium, and Low presets all exceed this mark, with averages of 130, 146, and 206 FPS respectively.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data reveals a shifting balance between CPU and GPU workload depending on resolution. At 1920x1080, the system produces an average of 206 FPS on Low settings, which drops to 130 FPS on High—a 76 FPS reduction. This large swing indicates that the GPU is heavily utilized even at lower resolutions, but the CPU’s 96th percentile ranking ensures it can feed the graphics card efficiently, preventing bottlenecking at these high frame rates.

Moving to 2560x1440, the scaling pattern shows a more moderate drop. The Low preset averages 156 FPS, while High yields 98 FPS, a 58 FPS difference. The Medium preset lands at 111 FPS, and Ultra at 85 FPS. The frame rate reduction from 1080p to 1440p at Low settings is 50 FPS, suggesting that the GPU is beginning to take on more responsibility, but the CPU still maintains headroom.

At 3840x2160, the GPU becomes the dominant constraint. The Low preset averages 105 FPS, which is a significant 51 FPS drop from the 1080p Low result. The High preset produces 66 FPS, and Ultra falls to 58 FPS, below the 60 FPS playable threshold. This pattern shows that as pixel count increases, the RTX 5070’s workload grows exponentially, while the CPU’s role diminishes. The GPU’s 82nd percentile ranking, combined with its 12 GB of GDDR7 memory and 672.0 GB/s bandwidth, becomes the limiting factor at 4K, whereas the CPU’s 24 cores and 24 threads provide ample processing power for game logic and draw calls at all resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination’s rank of 780 out of 3720 combos places it in the upper echelon of tested systems for Control. This percentile position, roughly in the top 21%, indicates that the pairing is well-suited for the game’s demands. The CPU’s 96th percentile score of 84003 suggests that processor performance is not a bottleneck, as it outperforms the vast majority of installed CPUs. The GPU’s 82nd percentile ranking of 40377 is also strong, though it trails the CPU’s relative standing.

When interpreting this rank, it is important to note that Control is a game that benefits from both strong single-thread performance for physics and AI, and substantial GPU throughput for rendering effects like ray tracing. The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus delivers a single-core score of 7303 in Cinebench R23, which supports high frame rates in CPU-bound scenarios. Meanwhile, the RTX 5070’s Passmark G3D score of 29137 and 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 5077 indicate robust rasterization performance. The combination of these strengths explains the high ranking, as the system avoids the common pitfall of pairing a powerful GPU with a weak CPU, or vice versa.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For the CPU, the nearest rival is the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, which has an average score of 83807, a mere 0.2% difference from the 290K Plus. This indicates that swapping to the 285K would yield virtually identical game performance. The AMD EPYC 4584PX and EPYC 9135 are also close, with scores of 83090 and 82980, representing 1.1% and 1.2% deltas respectively. These server-class chips would provide similar compute capability, though their platform requirements differ. The AMD EPYC 7F72 sits slightly above with a score of 85072, a -1.3% delta, meaning it is 1.3% faster in synthetic benchmarks.

On the GPU side, the AMD Radeon Pro 580 has an average score of 40318, just 0.1% below the RTX 5070’s 40377. This makes it a very close performance match, though it lacks the newer Blackwell 2.0 architecture features. The AMD Radeon Pro WX 7100 is 0.8% slower at 40063, while the AMD Radeon Pro 5300 is 1.2% faster at 40870. The NVIDIA RTX A500 Mobile is 2% slower at 39568. These alternatives would produce similar frame rates in Control, with the caveat that driver optimizations and API support may vary, particularly for DirectX 12 Ultimate features that the RTX 5070 supports natively.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, the High preset is the most demanding configuration that remains playable, achieving an average of 66 FPS. This is the optimal choice for 4K gaming, as the Ultra preset drops to 58 FPS, below the 60 FPS threshold. The Medium preset offers a safer margin at 75 FPS, but High provides the best visual quality while staying above the playable limit.

For 2560x1440, the Ultra preset is the clear winner, delivering an average of 85 FPS. This allows gamers to max out all settings while maintaining smooth performance. The High preset at 98 FPS and Medium at 111 FPS are also viable, but Ultra is the most demanding option that clears the 60 FPS bar with substantial headroom.

At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset again is the best choice, with an average of 113 FPS. This is well above the 60 FPS threshold and provides the highest fidelity experience. All presets at this resolution are playable, with Low reaching 206 FPS, Medium at 146 FPS, and High at 130 FPS, but Ultra offers the best balance of visual quality and performance.

The Verdict

The data confirms that this PC can run Control effectively at all three tested resolutions, with the caveat that 4K requires a settings compromise. At 3840x2160, the playable settings include High, Low, and Medium, with High being the best option at 66 FPS average. The Ultra preset at 4K fails to meet the 60 FPS threshold, averaging 58 FPS. This means 4K gamers must forgo the highest preset for a smooth experience.

At 2560x1440, the verdict is unequivocal: all four presets are playable, and Ultra is the recommended choice with an 85 FPS average. This resolution offers the best combination of visual fidelity and performance, with enough margin to handle demanding scenes. Similarly, at 1920x1080, every preset clears the 60 FPS bar, with Ultra averaging 113 FPS. The system is more than capable of delivering high-refresh-rate gameplay at 1080p, even with maximum settings. Overall, the system is a strong performer for Control, with the only limitation being the inability to run Ultra at 4K without dropping below 60 FPS.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 3840x2160, the benchmark results show a clear progression across presets. The Low setting produces an average of 105 FPS, with no minimum or maximum recorded. Medium steps up to an average of 75 FPS, with a minimum of 63 and maximum of 86, indicating some frame time variance. High achieves 66 FPS on average, again without min/max data. Ultra drops to 58 FPS, which is below the playable threshold.

For 2560x1440, the numbers improve significantly. Low averages 156 FPS, while Medium reaches 111 FPS with a minimum of 94 and maximum of 127. High delivers 98 FPS, and Ultra produces 85 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 71 FPS, showing the impact of increasing graphical fidelity.

At 1920x1080, the system shows its peak performance. Low averages 206 FPS, Medium hits 146 FPS with a range of 124 to 168, High reaches 130 FPS, and Ultra manages 113 FPS. The minimum frame rate at Medium, 124 FPS, is still above the 60 FPS threshold, demonstrating consistent performance even in demanding scenarios. The data across all resolutions shows that the combination of the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 is well-matched, with the CPU providing sufficient headroom for the GPU to operate at its full potential.