Control

Control presents an interesting scaling pattern for the AMD Ryzen 5 4600G and Intel Arc B570 pairing, with the data showing a clear transition from a GPU-bound scenario at 4K to a more balanced workload at 1080p. The measured frames per second (FPS) indicate that this combination is capable of delivering smooth gameplay at lower resolutions, but struggles to maintain playable frame rates at higher resolutions with maximum settings. The 2307 rank out of 2888 total combos places this system in the lower-middle tier for this specific title, suggesting that while the hardware is competent, it requires careful settings management to achieve an optimal experience.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is substantial across all settings presets, revealing a system that is heavily influenced by resolution demands. At Low settings, the average FPS falls from 101 at 1920x1080 to 76 at 2560x1440, a reduction of 25 FPS, and then continues down to 51 at 3840x2160, representing a 50% decrease from the 1080p baseline. This steep decline indicates that the Intel Arc B570's 10 GB of GDDR6 memory and 380.0 GB/s bandwidth are being saturated as pixel count increases, with the GPU becoming the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions.

The gap between Low and Ultra settings widens as resolution increases, which is typical for a GPU-bound scenario. At 1080p, the difference between Low (101 FPS) and Ultra (55 FPS) is 46 FPS, while at 4K, the same settings comparison shows a difference of 23 FPS (51 vs 28). This narrower gap at 4K suggests that the GPU is already near its performance ceiling regardless of settings, whereas at 1080p, there is more headroom for the settings to impact performance. The Medium preset at 4K shows a minimum FPS of 31 and maximum of 42, indicating noticeable frame pacing inconsistency that could affect gameplay smoothness.

The scaling pattern points to the GPU as the dominant bottleneck at 1440p and above, with the CPU's 6 cores and 12 threads providing sufficient processing power to feed the Arc B570. At 1080p, the system behaves more like a balanced configuration, where both the CPU's single-thread performance (3dmark_single_thread score of 726) and the GPU's raw throughput (11.52 TFLOPS FP32) contribute to the final frame rate. The data suggests that users targeting 4K gameplay will need to accept significant settings compromises, while 1080p users can enjoy high refresh rate experiences with the right preset selection.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 4600G is a Zen 2 architecture processor built on TSMC's 7 nm process, featuring 6 cores and 12 threads with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and boost clock of 4.20 GHz. Its 8 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR4 memory support at 51.2 GB/s bandwidth provide adequate memory throughput for gaming workloads. The CPU's benchmark scores show a balanced profile, with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 13593 and single-core score of 1919, placing it in the 71st percentile among all CPUs.

In Control, the CPU's role becomes more pronounced at lower resolutions where the GPU has more headroom. The 1080p Low preset achieving 101 FPS average demonstrates that the 4600G can keep up with the Arc B570's output when the GPU isn't pixel-bound. The 3dmark 16-thread score of 4863 and max-thread score of 4889 indicate that the processor's multithreaded capabilities are well-utilized in this action-adventure title, which benefits from the 12 threads for physics and AI computations.

When comparing to its nearest rivals, the 4600G sits close to the AMD Ryzen 3 PRO 5355GE (0.1% faster) and AMD Ryzen 3 8300GE (0.6% faster), while being slightly ahead of the Intel Core 7 150U (0.6% faster than it) and Intel Core i3-14100T (0.8% faster than it). These tight margins suggest that the 4600G's performance in CPU-bound scenarios is competitive with modern low-power parts, though its 65 W TDP and older architecture mean it may not sustain peak performance as long as newer designs. The processor's 3dmark 2-thread score of 1430 and 4-thread score of 2732 indicate that lightly threaded workloads, which are common in game logic and rendering threads, are handled adequately.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to play Control with this CPU-GPU combo?

A: Based on the measured data, 1920x1080 is the most practical resolution, with all settings presets achieving playable frame rates. At Medium settings, the system averages 71 FPS, while High settings yield 63 FPS, providing smooth gameplay without requiring significant visual compromises.

Q: How does the system perform at 4K Ultra settings?

A: At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average FPS drops to 28, which is below the generally accepted threshold for smooth gameplay. The Low preset at 4K achieves 51 FPS average, making it the only settings level at this resolution that approaches playability.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor at 1440p?

A: The data indicates the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck at 2560x1440. The FPS drops from 76 at Low to 48 at High settings show that the Arc B570's performance is the limiting factor, as the CPU would not show such dramatic scaling with settings changes if it were the constraint.

Q: How does the Arc B570 compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The Intel Arc B570's average benchmark score of 20556 places it 0.1% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile and 0.1% behind the Intel Arc A750. It also sits 0.4% ahead of the NVIDIA Quadro M4000M and 0.5% behind the AMD Radeon R9 M390X, indicating it is competitive with these parts.

Q: What frame rates can be expected at 1080p with High settings?

A: At 1920x1080 with High settings, the system averages 63 FPS. This is a solid performance level for a single-player action-adventure game, providing a responsive experience without needing to reduce visual quality significantly.

Q: Does the system support modern graphics APIs for Control?

A: Yes, the Intel Arc B570 supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), Vulkan 1.4, and OpenGL 4.6, which covers all the modern API options available in Control. The GPU's 18 ray tracing cores also provide hardware support for the game's ray-traced reflections and lighting effects.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its strongest performance across all presets. The Low settings preset achieves an average of 101 FPS, providing an exceptionally smooth experience for fast-paced action sequences. Medium settings reduce the average to 71 FPS, with a minimum of 61 and maximum of 82 FPS, showing consistent frame delivery. High settings average 63 FPS, while Ultra settings drop to 55 FPS average. This resolution is clearly the sweet spot, with even the highest preset maintaining playable frame rates.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance impact becomes evident. The Low preset averages 76 FPS, still smooth but notably lower than 1080p. Medium settings average 54 FPS, with a minimum of 46 and maximum of 62 FPS, demonstrating moderate frame time variance. High settings average 48 FPS, which is borderline for smooth gameplay, while Ultra settings drop to 42 FPS average. Users at this resolution will need to favor Medium or Low presets for consistent performance.

At 3840x2160, the system struggles to maintain playable frame rates. The Low preset averages 51 FPS, which is the only setting that approaches acceptable performance. Medium settings average 36 FPS, with a minimum of 31 and maximum of 42 FPS, showing significant frame pacing issues. High settings average 32 FPS, and Ultra settings drop to 28 FPS average. The 4K resolution requires substantial compromises, with only the Low preset offering a somewhat playable experience.

The Medium preset at each resolution provides the most balanced data, as it is the only preset with recorded minimum and maximum FPS values. At 1080p, the 61-82 FPS range indicates good consistency, while at 1440p, the 46-62 FPS range shows more variability, and at 4K, the 31-42 FPS range reveals the GPU's limitations under higher pixel loads.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B570 is a Battlemage architecture GPU built on TSMC's 5 nm process, featuring 2304 shading units, 144 texture mapping units, and 80 raster output units. Its 10 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 160-bit bus provides 380.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is crucial for texture-heavy scenes in Control. The GPU's 11.52 TFLOPS FP32 compute and 360.0 GTexel/s texture rate indicate solid raw performance, while its 18 ray tracing cores offer hardware acceleration for the game's advanced lighting effects.

The GPU's benchmark results show it performs at the 65th percentile among all GPUs, with a Passmark G3D score of 14195 and a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2649. These scores place it in a competitive position, with its nearest rivals including the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile (0.1% faster) and Intel Arc A750 (0.1% faster). The GPU's performance in Control's measured FPS data reflects its mid-range positioning, with the 4K resolution results particularly highlighting its memory bandwidth limitations.

The Arc B570's 2500 MHz base and boost clocks, combined with its 150 W TDP, suggest a power-efficient design that can sustain performance under load. The GPU's PCIe 4.0 x8 interface provides sufficient bandwidth for its 10 GB memory pool, and its support for DirectX 12 Ultimate ensures compatibility with Control's most demanding features. The GPU's role in this system is clearly the primary performance limiter at 1440p and above, as evidenced by the substantial FPS drops when increasing resolution.

Settings Recommendations

For the best overall experience with this system, the 1920x1080 resolution with Medium settings provides the most balanced performance. The 71 FPS average, with a minimum of 61 and maximum of 82 FPS, ensures smooth gameplay while maintaining reasonable visual quality. This preset offers a 26% performance increase over High settings while still delivering a visually appealing experience, making it the recommended choice for most users.

If visual fidelity is the priority and users are willing to accept lower frame rates, the 1080p High preset at 63 FPS average is a viable option. This setting provides better texture quality and effects while remaining playable, though users should be prepared for occasional frame drops in demanding scenes. The Ultra preset at 1080p (55 FPS average) is less recommended, as the performance gain from High to Ultra is minimal compared to the FPS cost.

For users with 1440p monitors, the Low preset at 76 FPS average is the only setting that provides a consistently smooth experience. Medium settings at 54 FPS average may be acceptable for less action-intensive moments, but the 46 FPS minimum could cause noticeable stuttering during combat. The High and Ultra presets at 1440p are not recommended, as their 48 and 42 FPS averages respectively fall below the threshold for responsive gameplay.

At 4K resolution, the Low preset at 51 FPS average is the only viable option, and even this requires accepting significant visual compromises. The Medium preset at 36 FPS average is too inconsistent for enjoyable gameplay, with the 31 FPS minimum causing visible frame pacing issues. Users with 4K displays should consider running the game at a lower internal resolution or accepting the Low preset as their only option for this hardware configuration.