Control

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 delivers a commanding performance profile in Control, with measured data showing the combination capable of maxing out the game’s Ultra preset at every resolution tested. The data indicates that this pairing is not merely playable, but operates with substantial headroom above the 60 FPS threshold, positioning it as a high-end solution for this title.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 3840x2160, the system demonstrates strong 4K capability. The Ultra preset, the most demanding setting, yields an average of 72 FPS. Dropping to High settings increases the average to 82 FPS. The Medium preset produces an average of 93 FPS, with a minimum of 79 FPS and a maximum of 107 FPS. The Low preset delivers the highest performance at this resolution, reaching an average of 130 FPS.

Moving to 2560x1440, performance scales up significantly. The Ultra preset achieves an average of 106 FPS. High settings raise the average to 122 FPS. The Medium preset shows an average of 137 FPS, with a minimum of 117 FPS and a maximum of 158 FPS. At Low settings, the system reaches an average of 193 FPS.

At 1920x1080, the combination produces exceptionally high frame rates. The Ultra preset averages 140 FPS. High settings push the average to 161 FPS. The Medium preset delivers an average of 181 FPS, with a minimum of 154 FPS and a maximum of 209 FPS. The Low preset yields an average of 255 FPS, the highest recorded figure across all configurations.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, the Ultra preset is fully playable, maintaining an average of 72 FPS. This makes Ultra the best settings choice for 4K, as it clears the 60 FPS threshold with a 12 FPS margin. The data shows that there is no need to compromise on visual quality at this resolution.

For 2560x1440, the Ultra preset again provides the optimal experience, with an average of 106 FPS. This represents a substantial 46 FPS buffer above the playable threshold, indicating that the system is not stressed at this resolution. The 1440p Ultra setting offers a smooth and responsive experience.

At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset is the definitive choice, achieving an average of 140 FPS. This is more than double the 60 FPS playable threshold. The performance at 1080p is so high that the system is likely limited by the display’s refresh rate rather than the hardware’s capability.

CPU and GPU Roles

The performance scaling between resolutions and presets reveals a balanced system where the GPU becomes the primary constraint at higher resolutions, while the CPU’s strength ensures consistent performance at lower settings. The data shows a clear trend: as resolution decreases from 3840x2160 to 1920x1080, the average FPS increases substantially across all presets. For instance, the Ultra preset scales from 72 FPS at 4K to 106 FPS at 1440p, and finally to 140 FPS at 1080p. This scaling pattern is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario, where the graphics card’s workload decreases with lower pixel counts.

The CPU’s role becomes more apparent when examining the performance at Low settings. At 1080p Low, the system reaches 255 FPS, which is a significant jump from the 130 FPS at 4K Low. This suggests that the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus, with its 24 cores and 24 threads, provides ample processing power to feed the RTX 5080 even at high frame rates. The CPU’s benchmark scores support this, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 51731 and a single-core score of 7303, placing it in the 96th percentile of all CPUs.

The RTX 5080’s influence is most evident in the 4K results, where the gap between Low and Ultra settings is 58 FPS (130 vs 72). This indicates that the GPU’s rendering capabilities are the limiting factor at this resolution. The GPU’s 16 GB of GDDR7 memory and 960.0 GB/s bandwidth provide sufficient resources for high-resolution textures and effects, but the raw compute power determines the final frame rate.

The Verdict

The data confirms that this system can run Control with exceptional proficiency. According to the verdict by resolution, all settings are playable at every resolution tested. At 3840x2160, the best settings are Ultra with an average of 72 FPS, which clears the 60 FPS threshold. At 2560x1440, Ultra settings achieve 106 FPS, and at 1920x1080, Ultra settings reach 140 FPS.

The measured FPS data aligns perfectly with these verdicts. The minimum recorded FPS across all tests is 79 FPS, which occurs at 4K Medium settings. This means that even the lowest frame rates observed stay well above the playable threshold. The system never dips below 60 FPS in any configuration, providing a consistently smooth experience.

For a game like Control, which features physics-heavy environments and particle effects, the combination of the RTX 5080’s 56.28 TFLOPS FP32 performance and the CPU’s high single-thread performance ensures that both visual fidelity and gameplay responsiveness are maintained. The system is not just playable; it is overqualified for this title at all tested settings.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Based on the nearest rival data for the CPU and GPU, several alternative combinations would deliver comparable performance in Control. The Intel Core Ultra 9 285K has an average benchmark score of 83807, which is only 0.2% lower than the 290K Plus’s 84003. This means the 285K would perform nearly identically in CPU-bound scenarios. The AMD EPYC 4584PX and AMD EPYC 9135 are also close, with scores of 83090 and 82980 respectively, showing a 1.1% and 1.2% deficit. The AMD EPYC 7F72 scores 85072, which is 1.3% higher than the 290K Plus, indicating slightly better multi-threaded performance.

On the GPU side, the AMD Radeon 8060S has an average score of 55757, which is 0.6% lower than the RTX 5080’s 56083. This makes it a very close match for gaming performance. The AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB scores 55698, a 0.7% difference, while the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X scores 54828, showing a 2.3% deficit. The AMD Radeon RX 9070 GRE scores 57367, which is 2.2% higher than the RTX 5080, potentially offering slightly better frame rates.

For a builder seeking similar performance, pairing an Intel Core Ultra 9 285K with an AMD Radeon 8060S would yield results within a few percentage points of this configuration. The data suggests that any of these rival components would maintain playable frame rates at all resolutions, though the exact FPS numbers would vary by the small margins indicated by the deltaPct values.

How This Combo Ranks

In the comprehensive database of tested combinations, this specific pairing of the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 ranks 204th out of 3720 total combos for Control. This places the system in the top 5.5% of all tested configurations, indicating that it outperforms the vast majority of hardware pairings for this game.

The rank of 204 is impressive given the large pool of 3720 combinations. This position reflects the balanced strength of both components. The CPU’s 96th percentile ranking among all CPUs and the GPU’s 87th percentile ranking among all GPUs contribute to this high overall standing. The combination’s performance is greater than the sum of its parts, as the strong CPU ensures the GPU is never bottlenecked, allowing the RTX 5080 to operate at its full potential.

For context, this rank means that there are only 203 other combinations that deliver better performance in Control. These would likely include configurations with higher-tier GPUs such as the RTX 5090 or next-generation hardware. However, for the vast majority of users, this system provides more than enough power to enjoy Control at maximum settings with high frame rates. The data indicates that this is a top-tier pairing for this specific game, offering a level of performance that exceeds the requirements of most gaming scenarios.