Control

# CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core i5-11400F is a 6-core, 12-thread Rocket Lake desktop processor with a 2.60 GHz base clock and a 4.40 GHz boost clock. This combination of six physical cores with Hyper-Threading provides a solid foundation for Control, an Action Adventure title that benefits from multiple threads but does not heavily saturate high-core-count processors. The CPU's 12 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR4 memory support at 51.2 GB/s bandwidth are adequate for feeding the GPU in most scenarios.

Benchmark results place this CPU in the 71st percentile among all tested processors, with an average benchmark score of 17177. Its nearest rivals include the AMD EPYC 7H12 (0.3% faster), Intel Core i5-12450H (0.4% slower), AMD Ryzen 3 PRO 8300G (0.6% slower), and Intel Core Ultra 7 164U (0.6% faster). This clustering indicates the i5-11400F sits in a tightly contested mid-range performance tier, where small percentage differences separate it from competitors.

In Control specifically, the CPU's role becomes apparent when examining frame rates across settings. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 143 FPS average, suggesting the CPU is not the primary bottleneck at lower graphical loads. However, at 1080p Ultra, the average drops to 78 FPS, a 45% reduction that reflects the GPU's increasing workload rather than CPU limitations. The 12-thread capability ensures that background processes and game logic do not introduce stutter, as evidenced by the consistent minimum frame rates at Medium settings (86 FPS at 1080p, 65 FPS at 1440p, 44 FPS at 4K).

The CPU's single-thread performance, measured at 868 in 3dmark_single_thread and 2024 in Cinebench R23 single-core, is sufficient for Control's game logic and physics calculations. Multi-threaded scores, including 14340 in Cinebench R23 multicore and 16908 in Passmark multithread, indicate the processor can handle concurrent tasks without becoming a limiting factor in this title. At higher resolutions, the CPU's influence diminishes further, as the GPU becomes the dominant component in determining frame rates.

# Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

The measured data provides clear guidance for optimizing Control on this hardware combination. At 1080p, the Low preset delivers 143 FPS average, making it ideal for high-refresh-rate displays. However, the Medium preset at 101 FPS average (with minimum 86 FPS and maximum 117 FPS) offers a better balance between visual quality and performance for most users. The High preset at 90 FPS average remains playable, while Ultra at 78 FPS average sacrifices too much frame rate for marginal visual gains on this 6-core/8 GB VRAM pairing.

Moving to 1440p, the Low preset still achieves 108 FPS average, which is excellent for competitive play. The Medium preset at 77 FPS average (minimum 65 FPS, maximum 88 FPS) provides a smooth experience with improved visuals. High at 68 FPS average is acceptable for slower-paced exploration, but Ultra at 59 FPS average approaches the threshold where frame pacing inconsistencies become noticeable. The data suggests Medium is the sweet spot at 1440p, delivering a 14% performance uplift over High while maintaining visual fidelity that is difficult to distinguish in fast-paced action sequences.

At 4K, the options narrow considerably. Low at 73 FPS average is the only preset that maintains consistently smooth gameplay. Medium at 52 FPS average (minimum 44 FPS, maximum 60 FPS) is borderline, with frame drops below 50 FPS during intense scenes. High at 46 FPS average and Ultra at 40 FPS average are not recommended for action sequences, as the frame rate dips become distracting. For 4K gaming on this combo, Low or Medium presets are the viable choices, with Medium offering better image quality at the cost of occasional frame drops.

The measured data indicates that the Medium preset provides the best overall experience across all resolutions, offering the optimal trade-off between visual quality and frame rate stability. At 1080p, Medium's 101 FPS average with a tight 86-117 FPS range ensures consistent performance. At 1440p, Medium's 77 FPS average with a 65-88 FPS range maintains playability during combat. At 4K, Medium's 52 FPS average is acceptable for less demanding sections, though Low at 73 FPS is safer for consistent performance.

# Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The frame rate scaling across resolutions reveals the GPU as the primary limiting component in this configuration. From 1080p to 1440p at High settings, the average FPS drops from 90 to 68, a 24.4% reduction. From 1440p to 4K at High settings, the average falls from 68 to 46, a 32.4% reduction. The total drop from 1080p to 4K at High is 44 FPS, representing a 48.9% decrease. This pattern indicates that the AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT 8 GB becomes progressively more strained as pixel count increases.

At Low settings, the scaling is similar but with higher absolute values: 143 FPS at 1080p, 108 FPS at 1440p (24.5% drop), and 73 FPS at 4K (32.4% drop from 1440p). The consistency of these percentage drops across settings suggests that resolution scaling affects the GPU uniformly, regardless of graphical complexity. This uniformity points to the GPU's memory bandwidth and pixel processing capabilities as the limiting factors, rather than CPU performance.

The Medium preset shows the most complete data with minimum and maximum frame rates. At 1080p, the range is 86-117 FPS with an average of 101. At 1440p, the range narrows to 65-88 FPS with an average of 77. At 4K, the range compresses to 44-60 FPS with an average of 52. The progressive narrowing of the frame rate range at higher resolutions indicates that the GPU is being pushed closer to its sustained performance ceiling, reducing the headroom for frame time variations.

The data strongly suggests that the CPU, with its 6 cores and 12 threads, is not the bottleneck at any resolution. The i5-11400F's strong single-thread and multi-thread scores, combined with the consistent frame rate scaling pattern, indicate that the GPU is responsible for the performance degradation at higher resolutions. Users seeking higher frame rates at 4K would need a more powerful GPU, while the CPU has sufficient headroom to support higher GPU performance without becoming a constraint.

# How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

This specific combination of Intel Core i5-11400F and AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT 8 GB ranks 1908 out of 3720 tested combos for Control. This places the combo in the 48.7th percentile of all tested configurations, meaning approximately 51% of tested combos perform better and 49% perform worse. This mid-pack ranking reflects the balanced but not exceptional nature of this pairing in Control.

The ranking is somewhat surprising given the GPU's relatively low standalone percentile. The Radeon RX 9060 XT 8 GB sits in the 24th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 4093 in 3dmark_steel_nomad_dx12. Its nearest rivals include Intel HD Graphics 630 (0.4% faster), NVIDIA Quadro K2100M (1.4% slower), NVIDIA GeForce GT 755M (1.5% faster), and AMD Radeon R5 M330 (1.8% slower). This GPU positioning would typically suggest lower combo rankings, but the CPU's solid performance (71st percentile) helps boost the overall combo ranking.

The combo's rank of 1908 out of 3720 indicates that Control is moderately demanding on this hardware. The game's Action Adventure genre typically requires balanced CPU and GPU performance, and this combo provides that balance without excelling in either component. The 6-core CPU handles game logic efficiently, while the 8 GB GPU manages moderate graphical loads at reasonable settings.

Compared to other combos in the database, this pairing is neither a top-tier performer nor a budget compromise. It sits in the middle of the pack, suggesting that users with this configuration should expect playable frame rates at Medium settings across most resolutions, but should not expect high-refresh-rate performance at 4K or maximum graphical settings. The combo's mid-pack ranking aligns with its component-level performance, where both CPU and GPU are competent but not outstanding for their respective tiers.

# GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT 8 GB is built on the RDNA 4.0 architecture with the Navi 44 chip, manufactured on TSMC's 4 nm process. It features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, delivering 322.3 GB/s of memory bandwidth. The GPU has 2048 shading units, 128 texture mapping units, and 64 render output units, with 32 ray tracing cores. Its boost clock reaches 3130 MHz, with a game clock of 2530 MHz and a base clock of 1700 MHz.

In Control, the GPU's 8 GB VRAM capacity is sufficient for the game's texture requirements at the tested settings. The measured frame rates show that the GPU can handle 1080p and 1440p gaming with ease at Medium settings, achieving 101 FPS and 77 FPS averages respectively. At 4K, the GPU struggles to maintain high frame rates, with the Low preset at 73 FPS being the only smooth option, indicating that the 128-bit memory bus and 322.3 GB/s bandwidth become limiting factors at higher resolutions.

The GPU's compute capabilities, rated at 25.64 TFLOPS FP32 and 25.64 TFLOPS FP16 (1:1 ratio), provide adequate pixel and texture processing for Control's visual effects. The pixel rate of 200.3 GPixel/s and texture rate of 400.6 GTexel/s translate to the frame rates observed in the benchmark data. At 1080p Medium, the GPU's pixel throughput is sufficient for 101 FPS average, but at 4K, the same settings yield only 52 FPS average, reflecting the four-fold increase in pixel count.

The GPU's 150 W TDP and PCIe 5.0 x16 interface ensure stable performance without thermal throttling in most systems. The dual-slot cooler and single 8-pin power connector are standard for this performance class. The GPU's DirectX 12 Ultimate support (12_2) ensures compatibility with Control's rendering features, while Vulkan 1.4 support provides alternative API options for users seeking performance tweaks.

The 24th percentile GPU ranking, despite the strong absolute performance in 3dmark_steel_nomad_dx12 (4093 score), reflects the competitive landscape where many higher-performing GPUs exist. The nearest rivals' scores are remarkably close, with deltas of 0.4% to 1.8%, indicating that this GPU sits in a tightly packed performance segment. In Control specifically, the GPU's performance is adequate for 1080p and 1440p gaming at Medium settings, but users seeking 4K performance should consider the GPU's limitations.

# FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution and settings combination for this hardware in Control?

A: The data shows 1080p Medium provides the best experience with 101 FPS average (86-117 FPS range), offering a strong balance between visual quality and performance. At 1440p, Medium at 77 FPS average (65-88 FPS range) is still smooth. For 4K, Low at 73 FPS average is recommended over Medium's 52 FPS average.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor at 4K resolution in Control?

A: The GPU is the clear limiting factor at 4K. Frame rates drop from 101 FPS at 1080p Medium to 52 FPS at 4K Medium, a 48.5% reduction. The CPU's strong benchmark scores (71st percentile) and consistent frame rate scaling patterns indicate it has sufficient headroom, while the GPU's 24th percentile ranking and limited memory bandwidth constrain 4K performance.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to other tested combinations in Control?

A: This combo ranks 1908 out of 3720 tested combinations, placing it in the 48.7th percentile. This mid-pack ranking means approximately 51% of tested combos perform better, while 49% perform worse, reflecting the balanced but not exceptional nature of this CPU-GPU pairing.

Q: What are the minimum frame rates at Medium settings across resolutions?

A: At 1080p Medium, the minimum frame rate is 86 FPS. At 1440p Medium, it drops to 65 FPS. At 4K Medium, the minimum falls to 44 FPS. These minimums indicate that 1080p and 1440p provide stable experiences, while 4K Medium may experience noticeable frame drops during intense scenes.

Q: How does the CPU's multi-threaded performance compare to its rivals?

A: The i5-11400F scores 14340 in Cinebench R23 multicore and 16908 in Passmark multithread. Its nearest rivals are within 0.6% in average benchmark score: the AMD EPYC 7H12 is 0.3% faster, while the Intel Core i5-12450H is 0.4% slower. This clustering indicates tight competition in this performance tier.

Q: Does the GPU's 8 GB VRAM cause any limitations in Control?

A: The 8 GB VRAM is sufficient for the tested settings, as no VRAM-related errors or crashes are indicated in the data. However, the 128-bit memory bus and 322.3 GB/s bandwidth contribute to the GPU's performance drop at 4K, where the Low preset achieves 73 FPS average but Medium drops to 52 FPS.