Control

Control, Remedy’s 2019 action-adventure, is a demanding title that stresses both the CPU and GPU heavily due to its physics-driven combat and real-time ray tracing options. The combination of the Intel Core i5-11400F and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 4 GB presents a classic modern entry-level pairing. The benchmark data reveals a system that is consistently bound by its graphics card, yet the processor's six cores and high boost clock ensure that the frame rate does not collapse entirely at lower settings. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS data to understand the balance of this combo, its limitations, and the optimal ways to configure it for a playable experience.

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

The Intel Core i5-11400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Rocket Lake architecture. It operates with a base clock of 2.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. For a game like Control, which relies on simulating destructible environments and complex AI, the combination of six physical cores and twelve threads is a solid foundation. Its L3 cache is 12 MB (shared), and it supports dual-channel DDR4 memory with a bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s. The data suggests that the CPU is rarely the primary bottleneck in this pairing. At 1080p with Low settings, the system reaches an average of 84.7 FPS, which is a high enough frame rate to indicate that the processor can feed the GPU adequately when the graphical load is reduced.

Comparing the CPU to its nearest rivals in the benchmark database, we see it is a mid-range performer. The i5-11400F has an average benchmark score of 17181, which is virtually identical to the AMD Ryzen 7 5700U (17189), the Intel Core i7-1260P (17212), and the Intel Core Ultra 7 164U (17215). The deltaPct values are negligible, hovering around 0% to -0.2%. This indicates that in raw compute tasks, the i5-11400F is on par with those mobile and hybrid processors. However, the game's performance scaling suggests that the desktop i5's sustained power delivery and high boost clock are sufficient to avoid severe CPU-induced stutters, even if the average scores are similar. The processor's percentile ranking of 75 places it comfortably in the upper half of all CPUs tested, reinforcing its capability as a solid gaming partner.

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

The measured data provides a clear picture of the performance cost of each graphics preset. At 1920x1080, the jump from Low to Medium is surprisingly small, with the average FPS dropping from 84.7 to 56.3. However, the jump from Medium to High is almost non-existent (56.3 to 55.9 FPS), while the Ultra preset brings the average down to 48.6 FPS. This plateau between Medium and High suggests that the GPU is hitting a hard performance wall, likely due to its 4 GB VRAM capacity or raw shader throughput. For a smooth experience, the best choice is High at 1080p. It offers a marginal performance difference from Medium but likely provides a significant visual uplift in textures and effects, which is crucial for the game's atmospheric environments.

At 2560x1440, the pattern shifts. The Low preset yields 63.4 FPS, but Medium drops to 47.6 FPS, and High falls to 42.5 FPS. The Ultra preset is nearly unplayable at 38.1 FPS. The 1440p resolution demands more from the GPU, and the RTX 3050's 4 GB frame buffer becomes a limiting factor. The data indicates that Low is the only setting that consistently maintains a frame rate above 60 FPS at this resolution. For a compromise between visuals and playability, Medium is viable if the user can tolerate an average below 50 FPS, but the performance cliff from Low to Medium is steep. The analysis implies that the graphics card is the primary limiter here, and the CPU's role is diminishing as resolution increases.

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

The FPS scaling across resolutions confirms that the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 is the decisive bottleneck in this combo. At High settings, the average frame rate drops from 55.9 FPS at 1080p to 42.5 FPS at 1440p, a reduction of roughly 24%. Moving up to 4K (3840x2160), the average plummets to 27.5 FPS, a further 35% drop from the 1440p figure. This aggressive scaling is characteristic of a GPU that is running out of memory bandwidth and pixel throughput. The RTX 3050 has a memory bandwidth of 192.0 GB/s over a 128-bit bus, which is simply insufficient for the massive pixel count of 4K in a title like Control.

Looking at the Low settings, the scaling is even more telling. The system achieves 84.7 FPS at 1080p, but this falls to 63.4 FPS at 1440p and 41.6 FPS at 4K. While the 4K Low figure is technically playable, it highlights the GPU's struggle. If the CPU were the limiting factor, we would expect the FPS to remain relatively flat as resolution increases, since the CPU's workload would not change. Instead, the FPS drops significantly with every resolution step, a classic sign of a GPU-bound scenario. The data strongly implies that the i5-11400F has ample headroom, and the RTX 3050's 4 GB memory and 7.127 TFLOPS FP32 performance are the constraints holding back higher resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The database ranks this specific pairing at 1467 out of 1636 total combinations tested for Control. This places the combo in the bottom 10% of all systems, which is a sobering statistic. It positions the i5-11400F + RTX 3050 4 GB as a low-tier configuration for this specific game. While the CPU is a competent mid-ranger, the GPU's limitations drag the overall ranking down significantly. The rank is a holistic measure of the system's ability to handle the game's demands across all tested settings and resolutions. A rank of 1467 indicates that a vast majority of other CPU/GPU pairings in the database achieve higher average frame rates or better performance consistency.

This low ranking is not a condemnation of the CPU, but rather a reflection of the GPU's 50th percentile standing among all GPUs. The RTX 3050 4 GB is an entry-level card, and Control is a demanding title. The combo's ranking suggests that users should expect a challenging experience at high resolutions or with maxed-out settings. It is a pairing that is best suited for 1080p gaming with moderate settings. The data does not lie; this is a system that will require compromises to deliver a smooth frame rate in this title, and its overall rank in the database reflects that reality.

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

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 4 GB is the definitive weak link in this pairing. Its 4 GB of GDDR6 memory is a significant limitation for a game like Control, which features high-resolution textures and complex effects. The card's clocks are set at a base of 1545 MHz and a boost of 1740 MHz, with memory running at 1500 MHz (12 Gbps effective). With a memory bus of 128 bit, it achieves a bandwidth of 192.0 GB/s. This bandwidth is a critical constraint at higher resolutions, as the data shows a severe FPS drop when moving from 1080p to 1440p and 4K. The GPU's 2048 shading units and 32 ROPs are also relatively low for rendering the game's advanced lighting and particle effects.

The difference in performance between the Medium and High presets is nearly zero at 1080p (56.3 vs 55.9 FPS). This suggests that the card is hitting a hard architectural limit, likely related to its shading units or memory bandwidth, rather than the specific preset's demands. The card's 8 nm process node and 8,700 million transistors are packed into a 200 mm² die, but this efficiency cannot overcome the hardware's base limits. The GPU's 90 W TDP is low, and the data implies that it is operating at its maximum capacity even in less demanding scenes. The VRAM is likely being saturated, causing the GPU to use slower memory paging, which explains the plateau in performance between Medium and High.

FAQ

Q: What is the maximum average FPS this combo can achieve at 1080p?

A: The highest measured average FPS at 1920x1080 is 84.7 FPS, which occurs at the Low settings preset.

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-11400F a bottleneck for the RTX 3050 4 GB in this game?

A: The data suggests no. FPS drops significantly as resolution increases (e.g., from 55.9 FPS at 1080p High to 27.5 FPS at 4K High), indicating the GPU is the primary limiting component, not the CPU.

Q: Which resolution and settings combination is the most balanced for this system?

A: Based on the measured rows, 1920x1080 with the High preset appears to be the best balance, offering 55.9 FPS while presumably providing better visual quality than Medium, which scores only 0.4 FPS higher.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested systems for Control?

A: It ranks 1467 out of 1636 combinations, placing it in the lower percentile of systems for this specific game.

Q: Does the RTX 3050 4 GB perform significantly better on Low settings compared to Ultra at 1440p?

A: Yes. At 2560x1440, the Low preset achieves 63.4 FPS, which is 25.3 FPS higher than the Ultra preset's 38.1 FPS, a substantial performance gain.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between High and Ultra settings at 4K?

A: At 3840x2160, the High preset averages 27.5 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 22.7 FPS, a difference of 4.8 FPS.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

The complete set of measured average FPS data is as follows:

3840x2160 (4K)

• Low: 41.6 FPS
• Medium: 28.8 FPS
• High: 27.5 FPS
• Ultra: 22.7 FPS

2560x1440 (1440p)

• Low: 63.4 FPS
• Medium: 47.6 FPS
• High: 42.5 FPS
• Ultra: 38.1 FPS

1920x1080 (1080p)

• Low: 84.7 FPS
• Medium: 56.3 FPS
• High: 55.9 FPS
• Ultra: 48.6 FPS

This data clearly illustrates the GPU's performance ceiling. At 1080p, the system is capable of playable frame rates on High settings. However, the inability to scale effectively beyond 1080p, coupled with the severe drop between Low and Medium settings, confirms that the RTX 3050 4 GB is the determining factor in this combo's performance profile. The i5-11400F provides a stable platform, but the graphics card dictates the overall experience.