Control

The Intel Core i5-13400F paired with the AMD Radeon RX 9070 delivers a robust 1080p and 1440p experience in Control, with 4K remaining highly playable at most settings. The benchmark data shows a system where the GPU is the primary driver of performance scaling, while the 10-core CPU provides ample headroom to avoid bottlenecking at lower resolutions. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS across resolutions and settings, contextualizes the component roles, and offers practical recommendations based on the recorded data.

Resolution Scaling

The performance delta between 1080p and 4K is stark, revealing a classic GPU-bound scenario for this title. At High settings, the average frame rate drops from 115 FPS at 1920x1080 to 87 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of 28 FPS. Moving to 3840x2160, the average falls further to 59 FPS, representing a 56 FPS decline from the 1080p baseline. This scaling pattern indicates that pixel throughput is the dominant constraint; the RX 9070’s rendering workload increases significantly with resolution, while the CPU’s role diminishes.

The trend is consistent across all quality presets. At Low settings, the average FPS goes from 182 at 1080p to 137 at 1440p and finally to 93 at 4K. The percentage drop from 1080p to 4K at Low settings is approximately 49%, while at High settings it is roughly 49% as well, showing that the resolution penalty is relatively uniform regardless of the graphical load. This uniformity suggests that the GPU’s fillrate and memory bandwidth are the limiting factors, rather than any specific settings-related bottleneck.

At Medium settings, where min and max FPS data is available, the scaling is equally clear. The average at 1080p is 129 FPS, dropping to 98 FPS at 1440p and 66 FPS at 4K. The minimum FPS at 4K Medium is 56, which is below the 60 FPS threshold, indicating that even with a capable GPU, 4K requires careful settings tuning for a consistently smooth experience. The data points to the RX 9070 being the primary scaling agent, with the i5-13400F providing a stable platform that does not introduce additional frame pacing issues as resolution increases.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-13400F is a 10-core, 16-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.60 GHz. In Control, the game’s engine appears to leverage the CPU’s multi-threading capabilities effectively, as evidenced by the high frame rates at 1080p where the GPU is less stressed. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 182 FPS, which is a strong indicator that the CPU can feed the GPU with enough data to reach very high frame rates.

However, the CPU’s benchmark scores show that it is not a top-tier performer in absolute terms, with a percentile ranking of 77 among all CPUs. Its average benchmark score is 25292, placing it near the AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS, which has a deltaPct of 0, and the Intel Core 5 120, which is -0.3% slower. This positioning suggests that while the i5-13400F is a solid mid-range option, it is not the limiting factor in this combo for Control. The data shows that at 4K, the frame rates are similar to what one would expect from the GPU alone, implying that the CPU has spare capacity.

The CPU’s cache hierarchy, with 20 MB of shared L3 cache, helps with game data locality. The benchmark results for single-threaded performance, such as a Geekbench single-core score of 1996 and a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3191, are adequate for gaming. The multi-core scores, like Cinebench R23 multi-core at 22604, show that the 16 threads are well-utilized in threaded workloads, but in Control, the frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K is far more dependent on the GPU. The CPU’s role is to maintain a high minimum frame rate, which it does effectively, as seen in the 4K Medium min FPS of 56, which is close to the average of 66.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 9070 is the star of this combo, built on the RDNA 4.0 architecture with a 4 nm process. It features 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 644.6 GB/s. This memory configuration is crucial for 4K gaming, as the high bandwidth prevents texture streaming bottlenecks. The GPU’s boost clock is 2520 MHz, with a game clock of 2070 MHz, and it has 3584 shading units, 224 TMUs, and 128 ROPs.

The GPU’s raw compute power, rated at 36.13 TFLOPS FP32, translates directly into the measured FPS. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS is 51, which is playable but not ideal for fast-paced action. The GPU’s performance percentile is 69, and its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER, which is -1.2% slower in average benchmark score. This data positions the RX 9070 as a high-end card that competes with previous generation flagship models.

The VRAM capacity of 16 GB is a significant advantage, as it allows for high-resolution textures without exceeding memory limits. The measured FPS at 4K High (59 FPS) and 4K Medium (66 FPS) shows that the GPU is the primary determinant of performance. The GPU’s memory clock of 2518 MHz (20.1 Gbps effective) contributes to the high bandwidth, which is essential for the game’s detailed environments. The data confirms that the RX 9070 is well-suited for Control, providing a smooth experience at 1440p and a viable 4K option with settings adjustments.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of performance across resolutions and settings.

At 1920x1080, the system excels:

• Low: 182 FPS average
• Medium: 129 FPS average, with a minimum of 110 FPS and a maximum of 148 FPS
• High: 115 FPS average
• Ultra: 100 FPS average

These numbers indicate that at 1080p, the combo is never CPU-bound, and the GPU can easily push past 100 FPS on all presets. The difference between Low and Ultra is 82 FPS, showing the significant impact of graphical settings on frame rate.

At 2560x1440, the performance remains strong:

• Low: 137 FPS average
• Medium: 98 FPS average, with a minimum of 83 FPS and a maximum of 112 FPS
• High: 87 FPS average
• Ultra: 75 FPS average

The 1440p results show a more balanced load, with the GPU starting to become the bottleneck. The Ultra preset still maintains a 75 FPS average, which is smooth for most players. The Medium preset’s minimum of 83 FPS indicates a consistent experience without major drops.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is clearly the limiting factor:

• Low: 93 FPS average
• Medium: 66 FPS average, with a minimum of 56 FPS and a maximum of 76 FPS
• High: 59 FPS average
• Ultra: 51 FPS average

The 4K results show that the Ultra preset is borderline playable, with a 51 FPS average. The High preset at 59 FPS is close to the 60 FPS target, but the Medium preset at 66 FPS offers a better balance, with a minimum of 56 FPS that is still playable. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 4K is a 42 FPS drop, which is less pronounced than at 1080p, further confirming the GPU-bound nature of the workload.

How This Combo Ranks

In the benchmark database, this specific combination of the Intel Core i5-13400F and AMD Radeon RX 9070 ranks 1134 out of 3720 tested combos for Control. This places it in the top 30% of all tested systems, which is a strong showing given the mid-range CPU and high-end GPU pairing. The rank indicates that while the CPU is not the fastest available, the overall system performance is well above average.

The GPU’s average benchmark score is 23877, with a percentile of 69, while the CPU’s average is 25292, with a percentile of 77. The combo’s rank of 1134 suggests that the GPU is the more impactful component in this game, as systems with similar GPUs but faster CPUs likely achieve higher ranks. The nearest rivals for the GPU include the AMD Radeon RX 6800S, which is -0.8% slower, and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Mobile, which is 1.1% faster. This data shows that the RX 9070 is competitive with mobile flagships and desktop mid-range cards.

The CPU’s nearest rivals, such as the AMD Ryzen 7 6800H, are within 0.4% of its average score, indicating that the i5-13400F is a consistent performer. The combo rank of 1134 out of 3720 confirms the balanced nature of this setup, where the GPU is not severely held back by the CPU at typical gaming resolutions. At 4K, the rank would likely be higher due to the reduced CPU dependence, but the overall data shows a well-matched pair.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and desired frame rate.

For 1920x1080, the Ultra preset is recommended, as it provides a 100 FPS average, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold. The High preset at 115 FPS offers a marginal improvement for users with high refresh rate monitors, but the visual quality difference between High and Ultra is worth the slight FPS cost. The Medium preset at 129 FPS is unnecessary, as the GPU has ample headroom.

For 2560x1440, the High preset at 87 FPS is a solid choice for a smooth experience. The Ultra preset at 75 FPS is also viable, especially for players who prioritize visual fidelity over a higher refresh rate. The Medium preset at 98 FPS is an option for those seeking higher frame rates, but the visual downgrade from High is noticeable. The data shows that High offers the best balance of performance and quality at this resolution.

For 3840x2160, the Medium preset is the recommended choice, as it provides a 66 FPS average with a minimum of 56 FPS. This is the only 4K preset that maintains an average above 60 FPS. The High preset at 59 FPS is close, but the minimum FPS data is not available, making it a riskier choice. The Ultra preset at 51 FPS is playable but may cause discomfort for sensitive players. The Low preset at 93 FPS is not recommended, as the visual quality is significantly reduced for a frame rate that is not necessary at 4K.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best resolution to play Control with this combo for a 60 FPS experience?*

A: The data shows that 2560x1440 with the High preset achieves 87 FPS on average, while 3840x2160 with the Medium preset achieves 66 FPS. For a locked 60 FPS, both are viable, but 1440p High offers more headroom.

Q: How much of a performance drop is there from 1080p to 4K at High settings?

A: At High settings, the average FPS drops from 115 at 1920x1080 to 59 at 3840x2160, a 56 FPS reduction. This represents a 49% decrease in performance.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in this game?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the primary limiting factor. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 182 FPS, which is high, but the CPU’s benchmark percentile is 77, while the GPU’s is 69. The frame rate scaling with resolution is consistent with a GPU-bound workload.

Q: Does the 16 GB VRAM on the RX 9070 help with 4K performance?

A: Yes, the 16 GB memory capacity and 644.6 GB/s bandwidth allow for high-resolution textures without memory constraints. This is reflected in the playable 4K Medium average of 66 FPS.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded for this combo?

A: The minimum FPS recorded is 56, which occurs at 3840x2160 with Medium settings. This is the only data point with a min FPS below 60.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to other tested systems?

A: The combo ranks 1134 out of 3720 tested combos for Control, placing it in the top 30% of all tested systems. This rank is driven by the strong GPU performance, while the CPU is a solid mid-range option.