Control

Control, Remedy’s 2019 action-adventure, is an unusual stress test for a modern flagship pairing. The combination of an Intel Core i5-11400F with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D creates a stark generational divide. The data reveals a system where the aging six-core processor often dictates the ceiling, while the massive Blackwell GPU waits for the resolution to climb high enough to stretch its legs. This analysis examines the measured FPS rows to determine where the bottleneck truly lies in this specific configuration.

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

The Intel Core i5-11400F is a Rocket Lake part built on a 14 nm process, featuring 6 cores and 12 threads. Its base clock sits at 2.60 GHz, with a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. While these clocks are respectable, the architecture’s age is evident in its synthetic benchmarks; it scores 14,340 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 2,024 in single-core. In the broader context, this chip sits at the 71st percentile of all CPUs, indicating a capable but decidedly mid-range standing in 2025.

The data suggests this processor is the primary constraint in Control at lower resolutions. At 1080p, the GPU is rarely taxed, and the CPU’s physics and draw-call processing become the limiting factor. The jump from 1080p High (168 FPS) to 1440p High (142 FPS) is substantial, but the more telling clue is the scaling at 4K. At 4K High, the system still manages 96 FPS, which is a massive drop from 1080p. However, the CPU’s influence is clear when comparing the Low settings across resolutions: 1080p Low hits 199 FPS, 1440p Low hits 181 FPS, and 4K Low hits 152 FPS. The absolute ceiling of ~199 FPS at 1080p Low is likely a hard limit imposed by the i5-11400F’s single-thread performance, preventing the RTX 5090 D from pushing further.

The CPU’s average benchmark score of 17,177 places it in close competition with the AMD EPYC 7H12 (0.3% higher) and the Intel Core i5-12450H (0.4% lower). This proximity to mobile and server parts underscores its position as a budget desktop chip that has been surpassed by newer generations. In a game like Control, which relies heavily on consistent frame pacing, the 11th Gen processor’s older architecture can cause hitches that are not reflected in the average FPS numbers, but the measured averages do show a clear performance ceiling.

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

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D is a behemoth by any metric. It is built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture (5 nm process) and is equipped with 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, delivering a bandwidth of 1.79 TB/s. Its core clocks are high, with a base of 2017 MHz and a boost of 2407 MHz. The sheer compute power is staggering, with 21,760 shading units and an FP32 throughput of 104.8 TFLOPS. It sits at the 92nd percentile of all GPUs, proof of its top-tier status.

Given this immense power, the RTX 5090 D is clearly not the limiting factor at 1080p or 1440p in this pairing. The GPU is effectively underutilized, waiting for the CPU to feed it data. The true potential of the 5090 D begins to show at 4K, where the pixel count becomes demanding enough to engage the GPU fully. The difference between 4K Low (152 FPS) and 4K High (96 FPS) is a 56 FPS swing, a much larger gap than the 31 FPS swing seen between 1080p Low (199 FPS) and 1080p High (168 FPS). This demonstrates that as resolution increases, the workload shifts from the CPU (which is saturated) to the GPU (which has massive headroom).

The GPU’s average benchmark score of 77,712 is remarkably close to the AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT, which scores 76,904 (1.1% lower). This is a strange comparison, as the 5090 D is a desktop flagship while the 6650M XT is a mobile part, but the data places them as nearest rivals in this specific aggregation. Regardless, the 5090 D's specifications—including 680 TMUs and 176 ROPs—suggest it can handle any graphical workload, and the 32 GB VRAM ensures texture memory is never a concern in Control, even at 4K Ultra.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the i5-11400F and RTX 5090 D ranks 126th out of 2,888 tested combos in Control. This places it in the top 4.4% of all configurations tested, which is an impressive position at first glance. However, this rank must be interpreted with caution. The high rank is almost entirely due to the GPU’s dominance. The CPU is holding the system back from reaching the absolute top echelons of the leaderboard, where pairings with newer, faster processors would reside.

This rank of 126 suggests that this combo outperforms the vast majority of systems, but it is not a champion. The data implies that if the i5-11400F were paired with a less powerful GPU, the rank would be significantly lower. Conversely, if the RTX 5090 D were paired with a newer high-end CPU like a Core i9 or Ryzen 9, the combo would likely crack the top 50 or better. The bottleneck is real and measurable; the CPU is leaving performance on the table, preventing the GPU from achieving its maximum possible frame rates in Control.

The percentile data for the individual components reinforces this. The GPU is in the 92nd percentile, while the CPU is in the 71st. This 21-point gap is a clear indicator of imbalance. The combo rank of 126 is a compromise—a high rank earned by the GPU, but not the number one spot that the GPU alone might warrant. It shows a system that is powerful but not perfectly balanced, a common theme in builds where a modern GPU is injected into an older platform.

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

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of the system's scaling behavior. At 1920x1080, the results are as follows: Low averages 199 FPS, High averages 168 FPS, and Ultra averages 160 FPS. The Medium preset shows an average of 175 FPS, with a minimum of 149 FPS and a maximum of 202 FPS. The absolute cap appears to be around 199-202 FPS, which strongly suggests a CPU limit, as the GPU should easily exceed this at 1080p Low.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates begin to drop as the GPU takes on more work. Low averages 181 FPS, High averages 142 FPS, and Ultra averages 124 FPS. The Medium preset averages 160 FPS, with a minimum of 136 FPS and a maximum of 184 FPS. The delta between 1080p and 1440p is significant—a 18 FPS drop on Low, a 26 FPS drop on High, and a 36 FPS drop on Ultra. This scaling indicates that the system is transitioning from a CPU-bound state to a more balanced one, but the CPU is still limiting the peak.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is finally the primary driver. Low averages 152 FPS, High averages 96 FPS, and Ultra averages 83 FPS. The Medium preset averages 108 FPS, with a minimum of 92 FPS and a maximum of 124 FPS. The drop from 1440p to 4K is steep—29 FPS on Low, 46 FPS on High, and 41 FPS on Ultra. This is the expected behavior for a GPU-heavy workload; the RTX 5090 D is flexing its muscle, but the older CPU still prevents it from hitting the 200+ FPS figures it might achieve with a better processor.

FAQ

Q: Why is the frame rate capped around 199 FPS at 1080p Low?

A: The data shows an average of 199 FPS at 1080p Low, with a maximum of 202 FPS on the Medium preset. This ceiling is likely due to the Intel Core i5-11400F's single-thread performance, which becomes the limiting factor when the GPU is not under heavy load.

Q: Is the RTX 5090 D wasted in this system?

A: Not entirely, but it is underutilized at lower resolutions. At 1080p and 1440p, the CPU is the bottleneck. However, at 4K, the GPU's power is more effectively harnessed, as seen in the significant frame rate differences between settings at that resolution.

Q: How does the combo rank compare to the individual component rankings?

A: The combo ranks 126th out of 2,888 tested. The GPU is in the 92nd percentile of all GPUs, while the CPU is in the 71st percentile. The lower CPU percentile drags the combo's overall rank down from what the GPU alone might achieve.

Q: Which settings preset offers the highest minimum frame rate?

A: The data shows that at 1080p Medium, the minimum FPS is 149. At 1440p Medium, the minimum is 136 FPS, and at 4K Medium, it is 92 FPS. The 1080p Medium preset has the highest recorded minimum frame rate.

Q: What is the performance difference between Low and Ultra at 4K?

A: At 4K, the Low preset averages 152 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 83 FPS. This is a 69 FPS difference, showing that the Ultra preset demands significantly more from the GPU, which is the primary bottleneck at this resolution.

Q: Is this a balanced system for Control?

A: The data indicates an imbalance. The 21-point gap between the GPU's 92nd percentile and the CPU's 71st percentile shows the CPU is the weaker link. The system performs well, but the CPU prevents the GPU from reaching its full potential, especially at 1080p and 1440p.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data suggests that the Medium preset offers the most balanced experience for this specific pairing, particularly if you are sensitive to frame drops. At 1080p Medium, the system averages 175 FPS with a minimum of 149 FPS, providing a smooth and responsive experience. The High preset at 1080p averages 168 FPS, but no minimum is listed, making it riskier for stutter-prone scenes.

At 1440p, the Medium preset again appears to be the sweet spot, averaging 160 FPS with a minimum of 136 FPS. This provides a high refresh rate experience without the risk of dropping below 60 FPS. The High preset at 1440p averages 142 FPS, which is still excellent, but the lack of a minimum FPS figure makes Medium the safer recommendation for consistent performance.

For 4K gaming, the Medium preset (108 FPS average, 92 FPS minimum) is the only option that guarantees a stable 60+ FPS experience. High mode averages 96 FPS, but without a minimum figure, it could dip below 60 in intense combat. The Ultra preset at 83 FPS is playable but leaves less headroom. Given the CPU bottleneck, sticking to Medium ensures the frametime is consistent, as the GPU has enough headroom to handle any sudden CPU-induced delays.

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

The scaling behavior from 1080p to 4K is the most revealing aspect of this data. On the Low preset, the average FPS drops from 199 at 1080p to 181 at 1440p (a 9% decrease) and then to 152 at 4K (a 16% decrease from 1440p). This relatively gentle scaling curve indicates that the CPU is the main limiter, as a pure GPU-bound system would show a much steeper drop when moving to 4K.

On the High preset, the drop is more pronounced: 168 FPS at 1080p, 142 FPS at 1440p (a 15% decrease), and 96 FPS at 4K (a 32% decrease from 1440p). This shows the GPU starting to become more involved. The most dramatic scaling is on the Ultra preset, which drops from 160 FPS at 1080p to 124 FPS at 1440p (a 22.5% decrease) and then to 83 FPS at 4K (a 33% decrease from 1440p).

This pattern tells a clear story. At Low settings, the frame rate is heavily CPU-bound, so increasing resolution has a smaller impact. As settings increase to High and Ultra, the GPU workload grows, and the frame rate becomes more sensitive to resolution changes. However, even at 4K Ultra, the system still achieves 83 FPS, which reflects the RTX 5090 D's raw power. The data suggests that the i5-11400F is the primary limiter across all resolutions, but its influence wanes as the resolution and settings increase, allowing the GPU to take over. The system is a paradox: a top-tier GPU held back by a mid-range CPU, yet still capable of excellent performance in Control due to the sheer strength of its graphics card.