Control

The Intel Core i5-10400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER delivers a robust Control experience, with the data showing a clear bottleneck shift as resolution increases. The measured frames per second (FPS) at 1920x1080 and 2560x1440 reveal a system that is often held back by the processor, while at 3840x2160, the GPU becomes the primary limiting factor. This analysis breaks down the performance metrics across all settings and resolutions, interpreting what the numbers mean for gameplay.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 is substantial but not uniform across all settings, revealing how the workload shifts between components. At Low settings, the average FPS falls from 169.5 at 1080p to 127.9 at 4K, a decrease of 41.6 FPS (24.5%). This relatively modest drop at the lowest preset suggests that even at 4K, the CPU is still contributing significantly to the frame rate, as the GPU is not being pushed to its absolute limit with simpler visuals.

The scaling becomes more pronounced at higher presets. At High settings, the average FPS drops from 145.9 at 1080p to 116.1 at 1440p, and then to 80.6 at 4K. The 4K figure represents a 44.8% reduction from the 1080p result. This steeper decline indicates that the RTX 4080 SUPER, with its 16 GB of GDDR6X memory and 736.3 GB/s bandwidth, is increasingly taxed by the higher pixel count, making the GPU the dominant constraint. The gap between 1080p and 1440p is 29.8 FPS, while the gap between 1440p and 4K is 35.5 FPS, showing an accelerating performance penalty as resolution climbs.

Ultra settings follow a similar logic but with lower absolute numbers. The average FPS at 1080p Ultra is 134.8, which falls to 103.2 at 1440p and 71.6 at 4K. At 4K Ultra, the system produces a playable but not overwhelmingly smooth experience, indicating that this is the most demanding configuration tested. The data shows that the scaling from 1080p to 4K is not linear; the percentage drop is larger when moving from 1440p to 4K than from 1080p to 1440p across all settings, confirming that the rendering load expands faster than the raw pixel count suggests.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-10400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Comet Lake architecture, with a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.30 GHz. Its benchmark scores, such as a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 10297 and a single-core score of 1453, place it in the 73rd percentile of all CPUs. The nearest rival data shows it is nearly identical in average score to the AMD EPYC 7552, with a delta of just 0.4%, and performs 1.1% below the Intel Core i5-8500. This suggests a mid-range CPU that is capable but not top-tier for gaming.

In Control, the CPU's influence is most visible at lower resolutions. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the average FPS of 169.5 is the highest recorded in the dataset, but the difference between Low and Ultra at this resolution is only 34.7 FPS. This relatively small gap indicates that the i5-10400F is likely limiting the maximum frame rate, as the GPU could potentially render more frames if the CPU could feed it faster. The 3dmark_2_threads score of 1350 and the single-thread Passmark score of 2541 suggest that the processor's single-thread performance is adequate, but it is not a high-end part designed for extreme frame rates.

As resolution increases to 2560x1440, the CPU's role diminishes slightly. The FPS difference between Low (152.1) and Ultra (103.2) is 48.9 FPS, which is larger than at 1080p. This indicates that the GPU is starting to become more of a factor, but the CPU is still relevant. At 3840x2160, the CPU is less likely to be the bottleneck, as the GPU's workload dominates. The data shows that the i5-10400F provides enough performance to keep the RTX 4080 SUPER well-fed at 1080p and 1440p, but at 4K, the GPU is clearly the limiting component.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS recorded for this combination?

A: The highest average FPS is 169.5, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: How does the RTX 4080 SUPER compare to its nearest rival in terms of benchmark score?

A: The RTX 4080 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 53610, which is 0.2% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT (53489) and 2.9% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti (52086).

Q: At which resolution does the system perform best relative to the CPU's capabilities?

A: The data indicates that at 1920x1080, the CPU is more likely to be the limiting factor, as the FPS differences between settings are smaller, suggesting the i5-10400F is capping performance.

Q: What is the performance decrease from 1080p to 4K at High settings?

A: At High settings, the average FPS drops from 145.9 at 1920x1080 to 80.6 at 3840x2160, representing a 44.8% reduction in frame rate.

Q: Is the RTX 4080 SUPER in the top tier of GPUs based on its percentile?

A: The RTX 4080 SUPER is in the 88th percentile of all GPUs, indicating it is a high-end part, though not the absolute best available.

Q: How does the CPU's multi-threaded performance compare to its single-threaded performance in this game?

A: While the game's specific threading usage is not detailed, the CPU's Cinebench R23 multicore score of 10297 is significantly higher than its single-core score of 1453, suggesting that it can handle multi-threaded workloads, but the game's results at low resolutions show that single-thread performance may still cap FPS.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the data shows a clear hierarchy across presets. Low settings produce an average of 169.5 FPS, which is the highest in the entire dataset. Medium settings yield 149.5 FPS, which is 20 FPS lower than Low. High settings follow at 145.9 FPS, a difference of only 3.6 FPS from Medium, indicating diminishing returns from Medium to High. Ultra settings drop to 134.8 FPS, which is 34.7 FPS below Low. The spread between Low and Ultra is the smallest at this resolution, confirming that the CPU is likely the limiting factor.

At 2560x1440, the FPS values are lower across the board. Low settings average 152.1 FPS, which is a 17.4 FPS drop from 1080p Low. Medium settings average 131.1 FPS, High settings average 116.1 FPS, and Ultra settings average 103.2 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra is 48.9 FPS, which is larger than at 1080p, showing that the GPU is becoming more of a bottleneck. The step from Medium to High is 15 FPS, and from High to Ultra is 12.9 FPS, showing a consistent decline.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is clearly the dominant factor. Low settings average 127.9 FPS, which is still a very playable frame rate. Medium settings drop to 88.9 FPS, a significant 39 FPS reduction from Low. High settings average 80.6 FPS, which is 8.3 FPS lower than Medium. Ultra settings produce 71.6 FPS, the lowest in the dataset. The difference between Low and Ultra is 56.3 FPS, the largest spread of any resolution. This indicates that at 4K, the RTX 4080 SUPER's performance is heavily influenced by the graphics preset, and the CPU's role is minimal.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER is a high-end graphics card built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with a 5 nm process. It features 10240 shading units, 320 texture mapping units, and 112 render output units, along with 80 RT cores and 320 tensor cores. Its base clock is 2295 MHz with a boost clock of 2550 MHz, and it is equipped with 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 736.3 GB/s. The GPU's FP32 performance is rated at 52.22 TFLOPS, and it sits in the 88th percentile of all GPUs.

In Control, the GPU's impact is most evident at higher resolutions and settings. At 3840x2160 Ultra, the average FPS of 71.6 is the lowest measured, showing that the GPU is being pushed hard. In contrast, the GPU's Passmark G3D score of 34245 and its average benchmark score of 53610, which is 2.1% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 7700S, indicate it is a powerful part. The data shows that at 4K, the GPU is the limiting component, as the FPS scales directly with the graphics preset. The difference between Low and Ultra at 4K is 56.3 FPS, which is much larger than at 1080p, confirming that the GPU's workload is the primary constraint.

The GPU's memory capacity of 16 GB is more than sufficient for Control, but the data does not show memory usage. The boost clock of 2550 MHz and the high texture rate of 816.0 GTexel/s suggest that the card can handle complex textures and effects, which is reflected in the playable frame rates at High and Ultra settings across all resolutions. The RTX 4080 SUPER is clearly a capable card for this game, but at 4K Ultra, it falls below the 60 FPS threshold typically considered ideal, indicating that users may need to adjust settings.

Settings Recommendations

The data suggests that the best experience depends heavily on the target resolution. At 1920x1080, the differences between settings are relatively small, with Ultra settings providing 134.8 FPS, which is only 34.7 FPS lower than Low. Given this, Ultra settings are recommended for 1080p users, as the frame rate remains well above 100 FPS, and the visual quality increase is worth the minor performance cost. The data shows that High and Medium settings offer similar performance, but Ultra provides the most complete visual experience.

At 2560x1440, the choice is more nuanced. Ultra settings produce 103.2 FPS, which is still smooth, but High settings at 116.1 FPS offer a 12.9 FPS improvement. The data indicates that High settings are the sweet spot for 1440p, providing a significant FPS boost over Ultra while maintaining high visual fidelity. Medium settings at 131.1 FPS are also viable for users prioritizing frame rate over visuals, but the drop from High to Medium is only 15 FPS, making High the better choice for most users.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is the bottleneck, and the data shows that Ultra settings at 71.6 FPS are playable but not ideal. High settings at 80.6 FPS offer a 9 FPS improvement, which is noticeable. Medium settings at 88.9 FPS provide a further 8.3 FPS boost, and Low settings at 127.9 FPS are the fastest. For 4K users, High settings are recommended as they balance visual quality with a frame rate that is comfortably above 60 FPS. Medium settings are a good alternative for those who want extra headroom, while Ultra should be reserved for users with high refresh rate displays who are willing to accept lower frame rates. Low settings are only recommended for competitive play where maximum FPS is the priority.