Control

Control with the AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Mobile presents a dataset that is unusually clean for a modern AAA title, showing a near-textbook progression of frame rates tied to resolution and preset. The measured results indicate a system that is clearly GPU-bound at higher resolutions, while the CPU's headroom becomes more relevant as the pixel count drops. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS data, contextualizes the hardware's standing within the broader benchmark database, and provides actionable settings guidance based strictly on the observed numbers.

Resolution Scaling

The transition from 1080p to 4K in Control reveals a predictable but steep performance cost, characteristic of a visually demanding game with heavy rendering workloads. At the High preset, the average frame rate drops from 102 FPS at 1920x1080 to 77 FPS at 2560x1440, a 25 FPS reduction (approximately 24.5% loss) when moving to 1440p. Scaling further to 3840x2160 yields an average of 52 FPS, which is a 49% reduction from the 1080p baseline and a 32.5% reduction from 1440p. This pattern indicates that the RTX 5070 Ti Mobile is the primary bottleneck at 4K, as the rendering load increases superlinearly with pixel count.

At the Low preset, the scaling is even more pronounced in absolute terms. The average frame rate at 1080p is 162 FPS, dropping to 123 FPS at 1440p (a 24.1% decrease) and then to 83 FPS at 4K (a 48.8% decrease from 1080p). The fact that the 4K Low figure (83 FPS) is still higher than the 4K High figure (52 FPS) suggests that even at 4K, the GPU's shading units and memory bandwidth are the limiting factors, not the CPU. The Low preset reduces pixel shader complexity, but the sheer number of pixels at 3840x2160 still overwhelms the GPU's fill rate.

The Medium preset provides the only complete min/max FPS data in the dataset, offering insight into frame time consistency. At 1080p Medium, the average is 115 FPS with a minimum of 98 FPS and maximum of 132 FPS, creating a 29.5% spread between min and max. At 1440p Medium, the average drops to 87 FPS with a range of 74 to 100 FPS (a 35.1% spread). At 4K Medium, the average is 59 FPS with a range of 50 to 68 FPS (a 36% spread). The widening min-max spread at higher resolutions indicates that frame pacing becomes less stable as the GPU approaches its limits, though the minimums remain playable at all resolutions.

The Ultra preset shows the least headroom, with averages of 89 FPS at 1080p, 67 FPS at 1440p, and 45 FPS at 4K. The 1080p Ultra figure is notably lower than the 1080p High figure by 13 FPS, suggesting that Ultra settings introduce effects that are disproportionately expensive at lower resolutions, possibly related to ray tracing or advanced post-processing. The 4K Ultra average of 45 FPS is below the 60 FPS threshold typically considered smooth, indicating that this combination is not suitable for maximum settings at 4K without additional upscaling technology.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Mobile is the dominant component in this pairing, and its specifications directly explain the observed performance scaling. The GPU features 12 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 192-bit bus, yielding a bandwidth of 672.0 GB/s. This memory configuration is sufficient for Control's textures at all tested presets, as evidenced by the absence of any anomalous frame rate drops that would indicate VRAM swapping. The 12 GB capacity is adequate even at 4K Ultra, where the average of 45 FPS is more likely limited by compute than memory.

The GPU's clock behavior, with a base of 847 MHz and boost of 1447 MHz, is modest, reflecting the mobile form factor's power constraints (60 W TDP). The gap between base and boost (600 MHz) indicates that the card can scale its frequency substantially under load, but the thermal and power envelope caps sustained performance. The benchmark results support this: the PassMark G3D score of 24004 places the GPU in the 80th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 35435. The nearest rival, NVIDIA Quadro GV100, scores 35520 (a 0.2% delta), showing that the RTX 5070 Ti Mobile is positioned at the high end of mobile GPUs but not at the absolute top.

The GPU's architecture, Blackwell 2.0 on a 5 nm process, includes 46 ray tracing cores and 184 tensor cores. In Control, which has optional ray-traced reflections, these cores would be utilized at Ultra settings, likely explaining the significant drop from High to Ultra at all resolutions. The FP32 performance of 17.04 TFLOPS is substantial, yet the 4K Ultra result of 45 FPS suggests that the RT cores are being stressed by the game's implementation. The GPU's DirectX 12 Ultimate support (12_2) ensures full feature compatibility with Control's rendering pipeline.

How This Combo Ranks

Within the benchmark database's measured combinations for Control, this pairing of AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Mobile holds a combo rank of 1422 out of 3720 tested combos. This places it in the 38.2nd percentile of all tested configurations, meaning roughly 62% of tested systems perform better in this specific game. Given that the GPU is in the 80th percentile of all GPUs and the CPU is in the 95th percentile of all CPUs, the relatively low game-specific rank suggests that Control is particularly demanding on the GPU, and the CPU's high benchmark scores do not translate to proportional FPS gains.

The rank of 1422 out of 3720 indicates that many other combinations, likely featuring desktop-class GPUs or higher-end mobile parts, achieve better performance in Control. However, this does not mean the combo is weak — it simply reflects that Control's GPU-centric workload benefits from higher-end graphics hardware more than from the CPU's multi-threaded capabilities. The CPU's average benchmark score of 76212 is within 0.1% of the Intel Core Ultra 9 285HX (76155) and 0.6% of the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D (75779), indicating that the 8945HX is at the top of the mobile CPU hierarchy, but this advantage is muted in Control's GPU-bound scenarios.

It is also notable that the CPU's nearest rivals include server and workstation parts like the AMD EPYC Embedded 8224P (76492, -0.4% delta) and AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 9945WX (76513, -0.4% delta). This suggests that the 8945HX's processor-level performance is comparable to far more expensive and power-hungry parts, yet in Control, the in-game rank is more dependent on the GPU's ability to feed frames. The data implies that for users seeking higher ranks in Control, upgrading the GPU would yield more significant gains than upgrading the CPU, as the current GPU is the limiting factor.

FAQ

Q: What is the maximum average FPS achievable at 1080p with this combo?

A: The highest average FPS recorded at 1920x1080 is 162 FPS, achieved with the Low preset. The High preset yields 102 FPS, Medium 115 FPS, and Ultra 89 FPS.

Q: Does the RTX 5070 Ti Mobile's 12 GB VRAM cause any performance issues in Control?

A: No. The absence of anomalous frame rate drops across all tested presets and resolutions indicates that 12 GB of GDDR7 memory is sufficient for Control's texture requirements, even at 4K Ultra where the average FPS is 45.

Q: How does this combo rank against other tested systems in Control?

A: This combo ranks 1422nd out of 3720 tested combinations, placing it in the 38th percentile. The GPU is in the 80th percentile of all GPUs, and the CPU is in the 95th percentile, but Control's GPU-bound nature limits the overall rank.

Q: What is the difference in FPS between 1440p and 4K at the Medium preset?

A: At 2560x1440 Medium, the average FPS is 87, while at 3840x2160 Medium, it drops to 59. This represents a 28 FPS reduction (32.2% decrease) when moving from 1440p to 4K.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck at 1080p High settings?

A: At 1920x1080 High, the average FPS of 102 suggests the GPU is still the primary bottleneck, as the CPU's high benchmark scores (e.g., Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 42713) indicate it could push more frames if the GPU allowed. The GPU's PassMark G3D score of 24004 is the limiting factor.

Q: What is the frame rate stability at 4K Medium?

A: At 3840x2160 Medium, the average FPS is 59, with a minimum of 50 FPS and maximum of 68 FPS. This 36% spread between min and max indicates moderate frame pacing variance, but the minimum remains above 45 FPS.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The dataset provides average FPS measurements for four presets across three resolutions, with min/max data available only for the Medium preset. The following table summarizes all 12 measured rows:

| Resolution | Settings | Avg FPS | Min FPS | Max FPS |

|------------|----------|---------|---------|---------|

| 3840x2160 | High | 52 | - | - |

| 3840x2160 | Low | 83 | - | - |

| 3840x2160 | Medium | 59 | 50 | 68 |

| 3840x2160 | Ultra | 45 | - | - |

| 2560x1440 | High | 77 | - | - |

| 2560x1440 | Low | 123 | - | - |

| 2560x1440 | Medium | 87 | 74 | 100 |

| 2560x1440 | Ultra | 67 | - | - |

| 1920x1080 | High | 102 | - | - |

| 1920x1080 | Low | 162 | - | - |

| 1920x1080 | Medium | 115 | 98 | 132 |

| 1920x1080 | Ultra | 89 | - | - |

At 1080p, the Low preset delivers 162 FPS, which is 60 FPS higher than Medium (115 FPS) and 73 FPS higher than Ultra (89 FPS). The gap between Low and Medium (47 FPS) is larger than the gap between Medium and Ultra (26 FPS), suggesting that the Low preset removes significant computational load, likely disabling dynamic shadows and ambient occlusion. The High preset at 102 FPS sits between Medium and Ultra, but closer to Medium, indicating that High is a balanced setting that preserves most visual features without the performance hit of Ultra.

At 1440p, the same pattern holds but with reduced absolute numbers. Low produces 123 FPS, Medium 87 FPS, High 77 FPS, and Ultra 67 FPS. Interestingly, the High preset at 1440p (77 FPS) is only 10 FPS lower than Medium (87 FPS), while at 1080p, the difference between High and Medium is 13 FPS. This suggests that at higher resolutions, the GPU's shader load becomes more uniform across presets, and the differences between settings diminish in percentage terms. The 1440p Ultra average of 67 FPS is still playable, but the 4K Ultra average of 45 FPS is below the threshold for smooth gameplay.

The Medium preset's min/max data provides the only frame time consistency metrics. At 1080p, the range is 98-132 FPS, with an average of 115 FPS, meaning the minimum is 14.8% below the average. At 1440p, the range is 74-100 FPS, with an average of 87 FPS, meaning the minimum is 14.9% below average. At 4K, the range is 50-68 FPS, with an average of 59 FPS, meaning the minimum is 15.3% below average. The consistency of this relative variance (approximately 15% below average) across resolutions indicates that the game's frame pacing is stable, and the GPU is not experiencing thermal throttling or memory bottlenecks that would cause larger drops.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX is a 16-core, 32-thread processor based on Zen 4 architecture, with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz. Its benchmark scores are exceptional: Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 42713 and single-core score of 6030, with a PassMark multi-thread score of 51405. The CPU's percentile of 95 means it outperforms 95% of all CPUs in the database, making it one of the most powerful mobile processors available. However, in Control, the CPU's role is largely secondary due to the game's GPU-bound nature.

At 1080p Low, the average FPS of 162 is likely close to the CPU's maximum frame delivery capability, as the GPU is under less load. The CPU's 32 threads would be utilized by Control's asynchronous compute and physics systems, but the game is not heavily multi-threaded. The single-core performance, evidenced by the R23 single-core score of 6030, is more relevant for Control's main thread, and this score is strong enough to avoid bottlenecking the GPU. The boost clock of 5.40 GHz provides sufficient per-core speed to drive the GPU at 1080p, as evidenced by the 162 FPS Low result.

The CPU's memory bandwidth of 83.2 GB/s (DDR5 dual-channel) is ample for feeding the GPU's 672.0 GB/s memory bandwidth, and the 64 MB of L3 cache helps reduce latency in game logic. The L1 and L2 caches (64 KB and 1 MB per core, respectively) are standard for Zen 4, and the total cache hierarchy is well-suited for gaming workloads. The CPU's TDP of 55 W is relatively high for a mobile part, but the benchmark results indicate that this power budget is effectively converted into frame rate headroom.

At 4K Ultra, the CPU's role is minimal, as the GPU's rendering load dominates the frame time. The difference between 1080p Ultra (89 FPS) and 4K Ultra (45 FPS) is a 49.4% reduction, which is almost entirely attributable to the GPU's pixel throughput limits. If the CPU were a bottleneck, the 4K Ultra result would be closer to the 1080p Ultra result, as the CPU would not be able to feed frames fast enough. The data shows no such limitation, confirming that the 8945HX is more than sufficient for Control, even at the lowest resolution and highest settings.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend on the target resolution and desired frame rate. For 1080p gaming, the High preset (102 FPS average) provides the best balance of visual fidelity and smoothness, as it offers 13 FPS more than Ultra (89 FPS) while maintaining most visual effects. The Medium preset (115 FPS) is also viable for those prioritizing frame rate, but the jump from Medium to High is only 13 FPS, making High the better value in terms of visual quality per FPS. The Low preset (162 FPS) is only recommended for competitive play or if the user has a high-refresh-rate display, as the visual quality drop is significant.

At 1440p, the High preset (77 FPS) is the recommended starting point, as it provides a stable frame rate above 60 FPS. The Medium preset (87 FPS) offers a 10 FPS improvement with minimal visual impact, making it a better choice for those who prioritize smoothness over graphical details. The Ultra preset (67 FPS) is borderline, with an average just above 60 FPS, but the min FPS could dip below 60 in demanding scenes, so it is not recommended for consistent gameplay. The Low preset (123 FPS) is excessive for 1440p, as the visual quality loss is not justified by the frame rate gain.

At 4K, the situation is more constrained. The High preset (52 FPS) is below the 60 FPS threshold, making it unsuitable for smooth gameplay. The Medium preset (59 FPS) is also below 60 FPS, though its min FPS of 50 means it will be playable but not consistently smooth. The Low preset (83 FPS) is the only 4K setting that provides a truly playable experience, with an average above 60 FPS and sufficient headroom. The Ultra preset (45 FPS) is not recommended at 4K, as the frame rate is too low for a responsive experience.

For the best overall experience, the data suggests using the Medium preset at 1440p (87 FPS average) as the primary setting, as it offers a smooth frame rate with moderate visual quality. If the user prefers higher visual fidelity, the High preset at 1440p (77 FPS) is a viable alternative. At 4K, the Low preset (83 FPS) is the only recommended option, but users should consider lowering the resolution to 1440p to unlock higher-quality settings. The Ultra preset is best reserved for 1080p, where it achieves 89 FPS, making it the only resolution where Ultra is both visually impressive and smoothly playable.