Control

The Intel Core i5-10400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 ranks 155th out of 1,636 tested combos in Control, placing it in the top 9.5% of all configurations. This is a surprisingly strong position given the CPU's mid-range pedigree, but the ranking is almost entirely carried by the GPU's raw horsepower. The data shows a combination where the processor is a clear bottleneck at lower resolutions, yet the sheer graphics throughput of the RTX 4090 still forces high frame rates. This specific pairing demonstrates an extreme imbalance, but it is an imbalance that produces playable, often excellent, results across the board. The combo's percentile ranking versus all CPUs (73rd) and GPUs (91st) confirms that the graphics card is doing the heavy lifting, while the processor keeps pace just enough to avoid a catastrophic frame rate collapse.

How This Combo Ranks

The 155th place out of 1,636 combos is a strong showing, but the composition of that rank is telling. Benchmark results indicate that this position is achieved through the GPU's dominance, not the CPU's. The i5-10400F's average benchmark score of 14,168 places it nearly equal to the AMD EPYC 7552 (14,115, deltaPct 0.4%) and slightly behind the Intel Core i5-8500 (14,332, deltaPct -1.1%). In contrast, the RTX 4090's average score of 66,473 is within 0.9% of the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 56 (67,097) and 1.3% of the NVIDIA Quadro P6000 (67,320). The CPU is a 10th-gen six-core Comet Lake part with a base clock of 2.90 GHz and boost of 4.30 GHz, while the GPU is a 5nm Ada Lovelace flagship with 16,384 shading units. In Control, this translates to a combo that can hang with far more balanced systems because the GPU's 82.58 TFLOPS of FP32 compute masks the CPU's limitations. The rank is real, but it is a product of one exceptionally strong component.

GPU Role

The RTX 4090 is the undisputed star of this configuration, and its specifications dictate the outcome. It ships with 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus, delivering 1.01 TB/s of bandwidth. The base clock is 2235 MHz with a boost of 2520 MHz, and the memory runs at 1313 MHz (21 Gbps effective). These are flagship-level numbers that dwarf the CPU's memory bandwidth of 42.7 GB/s (dual-channel DDR4). In Control, the GPU's role is to render the game's complex physics and particle effects, and the data confirms it does so effortlessly. The measured FPS at 4K High (87.5 fps) is more than triple the 30 fps console standard of the era. Even at 4K Ultra, the card produces 77.4 fps, showing that its 176 ROPs and 512 TMUs are not saturated until the very highest settings. The GPU's pixel rate of 443.5 GPixel/s and texture rate of 1,290.2 GTexel/s are the key metrics here; they explain why the card can push 4K resolutions without breaking a sweat. The RTX 4090's 91st percentile ranking among all GPUs is justified, and in this combo, it is doing nearly all the work.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a classic CPU bottleneck that loosens as resolution increases. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 169.7 fps, but this is the ceiling imposed by the i5-10400F. Dropping the resolution further would not yield more frames. At 1080p High, the score is 144.2 fps, and at 1080p Ultra, it is 136.9 fps. The spread from Low to Ultra at 1080p is only 32.8 fps, indicating that the CPU is limiting the GPU's output. Moving to 1440p, the frame rates tell a different story. At Low, the score is 156.4 fps, which is only 13.3 fps lower than 1080p Low, but at High, the score is 130.5 fps, and at Ultra, it is 112 fps. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p is more pronounced, suggesting the GPU is starting to engage more fully. The trend culminates at 4K, where the gap between Low (135.6 fps) and High (87.5 fps) is 48.1 fps. The 4K data shows the GPU becoming the primary limiter. From 1080p Low to 4K Low, the drop is 34.1 fps (169.7 to 135.6), but from 1080p Ultra to 4K Ultra, the drop is 59.5 fps (136.9 to 77.4). The conclusion is clear: at 1080p, the i5-10400F's six cores are the constraint; at 4K, the RTX 4090's workload is the determinant.

Settings Recommendations

For 1080p, the High preset at 144.2 fps is the sweet spot. It delivers a 7.3 fps improvement over Ultra (136.9 fps) while looking nearly as good. The jump from Medium (146.9 fps) to High is a modest 2.7 fps loss, making High the optimal balance. Pushing to Low (169.7 fps) gains only 25.5 fps over High but sacrifices visual fidelity that the RTX 4090 can easily afford. At 1440p, High at 130.5 fps is again the recommendation. Medium (134.9 fps) is only 4.4 fps faster, and Low (156.4 fps) is 25.9 fps faster but visually barren. Ultra (112 fps) is playable but offers marginal gains over High. At 4K, the choice is High at 87.5 fps. Medium (101.9 fps) is 14.4 fps faster and acceptable, but High provides the better image quality per the data. Ultra (77.4 fps) is still above 60 fps, but the 10.1 fps drop from High is not worth the extra effects. The data shows that High is the consistent best choice across all three resolutions, offering the best frame rate per visual quality.

FAQ

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-10400F a bottleneck for the RTX 4090 in Control?

A: Yes, the data indicates a CPU bottleneck at 1080p. The frame rate only improves by 25.5 fps when dropping from High (144.2 fps) to Low (169.7 fps) at 1080p, showing the CPU limits the GPU's potential. The gap narrows at higher resolutions, confirming the bottleneck is resolution-dependent.

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo?

A: The measured data shows that 1440p High (130.5 fps) offers the best balance of speed and fidelity. At 4K High, the score drops to 87.5 fps, which is still smooth but less competitive for high-refresh-rate monitors. The 1080p results are CPU-limited, wasting the RTX 4090's potential.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The i5-10400F's average score of 14,168 is 0.4% higher than the AMD EPYC 7552 (14,115) and 1.2% higher than the AMD Ryzen Embedded V2546 (14,336). It trails the Intel Core i5-8500 (14,332) by 1.1%. These are negligible differences, confirming the CPU is a mid-pack performer.

Q: What is the GPU's memory configuration?

A: The RTX 4090 has 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus, providing 1.01 TB/s of bandwidth. The memory clock is 1313 MHz (21 Gbps effective), which is essential for the high texture rates seen in Control at 4K.

Q: Does the combo maintain 60 fps at 4K Ultra?

A: Yes. The measured 4K Ultra score is 77.4 fps, which is well above the 60 fps threshold. The lowest recorded score in the entire data set is 4K Ultra at 77.4 fps, meaning the combo never drops below 60 fps in any tested configuration.

Q: How does the GPU's rank compare to its rivals?

A: The RTX 4090's average score of 66,473 is 0.4% lower than the NVIDIA Tesla T4 (66,733) and 0.5% higher than the NVIDIA Tesla P40 (66,127). It trails the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 56 (67,097) by 0.9%, showing it is statistically tied with these professional-grade cards.