Control

# Control with Intel Core i5-13400F + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER

This combination of the Intel Core i5-13400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER delivers a broadly playable experience in Control across most settings and resolutions, with the measured data showing a clear pattern of GPU-bound performance at higher quality presets. The combo ranks 999th out of 1,636 tested combinations in this game, placing it in the lower-middle portion of the database, which is consistent with a mid-range GPU paired with a strong modern CPU. The RTX 2070 SUPER, released in 2019, holds up reasonably well in this 2019 title, though the 8 GB VRAM capacity becomes a notable factor at higher resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 999 out of 1,636 tested combinations places it just past the 60th percentile of all tested systems for Control. This positioning suggests that while the hardware is not at the bleeding edge, it comfortably outperforms a significant portion of the database. The CPU itself sits at the 82nd percentile against all processors, indicating that the i5-13400F is a strong component in the pairing. However, the GPU's 65th percentile standing against all GPUs shows that the graphics card is the more limiting factor in this combination. In synthetic CPU benchmarks, the i5-13400F posts an average score of 25,236, sitting within 0.5% of the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X3D (25,365) and only 0.1% behind the Intel Core i7-13620H (25,201). This tight clustering around the CPU's average benchmark score indicates that the processor is performing exactly as expected for its class, with no unusual bottlenecks or enhancements in the measured results. The GPU's average benchmark score of 22,206 places it just 0.5% behind the NVIDIA RTX A400 (22,307) and 0.9% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN Z (22,006). This ranking context matters because it shows the RTX 2070 SUPER is positioned between professional workstation cards and older enthusiast-tier hardware, which explains the mid-pack game ranking.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER is built on the Turing architecture with a TU104 chip manufactured on a 12 nm process at TSMC. It contains 2,560 shading units, 160 texture mapping units, and 64 raster output units, along with 40 RT cores and 320 tensor cores. The card operates at a base clock of 1,605 MHz and a boost clock of 1,770 MHz, with memory running at 1,750 MHz (14 Gbps effective). The 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus provides 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is a critical specification for Control's texture-heavy environments. The measured frame rates show a consistent pattern: at 1080p Low, the GPU delivers 128.3 FPS, but this drops to 70.3 FPS at 1080p Ultra, a reduction of 58 FPS. This spread across settings widens further at higher resolutions. At 1440p, the card produces 99.3 FPS on Low and 55.2 FPS on Ultra, while at 4K it manages 65.9 FPS on Low and just 38.2 FPS on Ultra. The 4K Ultra result is particularly telling—at 38.2 FPS, the game becomes borderline unplayable, and this aligns with the GPU's 65th percentile ranking, which indicates it is not designed for maximum settings at 4K in demanding titles. The pixel rate of 113.3 GPixel/s and texture rate of 283.2 GTexel/s provide the raw throughput needed for 1080p and 1440p gaming, but the 9.062 TFLOPS of FP32 compute is modest by modern standards, explaining the sharp performance cliff at 4K Ultra.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals how the GPU becomes the dominant constraint as resolution increases. At 1080p High, the system produces 84.4 FPS, which is a smooth experience for most players. Moving to 1440p High, the frame rate drops to 61.5 FPS, a 27% reduction, while 4K High yields 42.8 FPS, a further 30% drop from 1440p. This scaling pattern is classic GPU-bound behavior—the CPU has enough headroom to feed the GPU at all resolutions, so the frame rate is dictated by the graphics card's fill rate and memory bandwidth. The Low preset shows an even steeper curve: 128.3 FPS at 1080p, 99.3 FPS at 1440p (a 23% drop), and 65.9 FPS at 4K (a 34% drop from 1440p). The Medium preset follows a similar trajectory with 92.1 FPS at 1080p, 67.7 FPS at 1440p, and 45.2 FPS at 4K. Ultra settings are the most demanding, with 70.3 FPS at 1080p, 55.2 FPS at 1440p, and 38.2 FPS at 4K. The consistent 30-35% performance penalty when moving from 1440p to 4K across all presets indicates that the GPU's 448.0 GB/s memory bandwidth and 8 GB VRAM capacity are fully saturated at 4K. The 4K Ultra result of 38.2 FPS is below the generally accepted 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay, suggesting that 4K gaming with this card requires Low or Medium settings at best.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for playing Control with this hardware?

A: The data shows 1080p is the most consistent option, with 84.4 FPS on High and 92.1 FPS on Medium. At 1440p, High still achieves 61.5 FPS, which is playable, but 4K results fall below 60 FPS on every preset, with the highest 4K score being 65.9 FPS on Low.

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

A: The Intel Core i5-13400F posts an average benchmark score of 25,236, which is 0.1% higher than the Intel Core i7-13620H (25,201) and 0.5% higher than the AMD EPYC 9474F (25,103). It trails the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X3D (25,365) by 0.5%, putting it in a dead heat with these competitors.

Q: Is the RTX 2070 SUPER's 8 GB VRAM sufficient for Control at 4K?

A: The 4K results suggest the VRAM capacity is adequate but the bandwidth is strained. At 4K High, the system achieves 42.8 FPS, and at 4K Ultra it drops to 38.2 FPS. These low frame rates indicate the GPU's 448.0 GB/s bandwidth is insufficient for smooth 4K gameplay in this title.

Q: What GPU is the RTX 2070 SUPER most comparable to in benchmark performance?

A: The GPU's average benchmark score of 22,206 places it 0.5% behind the NVIDIA RTX A400 (22,307) and 2.5% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 5700 (21,670). It also sits 0.9% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN Z (22,006).

Q: Can this system maintain 60 FPS at 1440p?

A: Yes, on Low and Medium presets. At 1440p Low, the system achieves 99.3 FPS, and at Medium it reaches 67.7 FPS. However, High settings drop to 61.5 FPS, and Ultra falls to 55.2 FPS, so the 60 FPS target is only reliably met on Low or Medium.

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

A: The CPU shows strong scaling, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 21,279 versus a single-core score of 3,004. The 3DMark results also demonstrate this: 7,314 for 16 threads versus 960 for single-thread, indicating the 10-core, 16-thread configuration is well-utilized.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides clear guidance on which preset offers the best balance of visual quality and frame rate. At 1080p, High settings deliver 84.4 FPS, which is smooth and visually rich, while Ultra only improves visuals marginally but drops performance to 70.3 FPS. The 14 FPS difference between High and Ultra at 1080p is not worth the visual gain for most players, making High the recommended preset for this resolution. At 1440p, Medium produces 67.7 FPS, which is a comfortable experience, while High drops to 61.5 FPS—still playable but close to the edge. For players who prioritize frame rate, Low at 1440p offers 99.3 FPS, but this comes at a significant visual cost. The 4K resolution is only viable on Low settings, where the system achieves 65.9 FPS; Medium drops to 45.2 FPS, and High falls to 42.8 FPS. Given these numbers, the optimal configuration for this hardware is 1080p High for the best combination of visuals and performance, or 1440p Medium for a higher resolution experience with acceptable frame rates. Ultra settings are not recommended at any resolution, as the performance penalty (from 84.4 FPS at 1080p High to 70.3 FPS at 1080p Ultra) is substantial relative to the marginal visual improvement. The data indicates that this system is best suited to High or Medium presets, with Low reserved for 4K gaming or competitive play where frame rate is paramount.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-13400F is a 10-core, 16-thread processor from the Raptor Lake architecture, built on a 10 nm process. It operates with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.60 GHz, with 20 MB of shared L3 cache and 1.25 MB of L2 cache per core. In Control, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and physics calculations, and the benchmark results show it performs this task admirably. The processor's 82nd percentile ranking against all CPUs is reflected in its strong synthetic scores: a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 21,279 and a single-core score of 3,004. The 3DMark results further illustrate its capabilities, with a 16-thread score of 7,314 and a single-thread score of 960. In the context of Control, the CPU's performance is more than sufficient to avoid bottlenecking the RTX 2070 SUPER. The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K follows a purely GPU-bound pattern—if the CPU were limiting, the frame rates would remain relatively flat across resolutions. Instead, the measured data shows a consistent 30-40% drop in FPS when moving from 1080p to 4K at the same settings, which is the hallmark of a GPU-limited scenario. The CPU's 65 W TDP and dual-channel memory support (DDR4 and DDR5) make it a versatile pairing with the GPU's PCIe 3.0 x16 interface. The nearest rival comparisons show the i5-13400F performing within 0.5% of the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X3D and Intel Core i7-13620H, confirming that it delivers competitive processing power for gaming workloads. The CPU's single-thread performance, as measured by the Geekbench single-core score of 2,301 and PassMark single-thread score of 3,634, ensures that Control's game logic and physics calculations are handled efficiently, leaving the GPU as the primary determinant of frame rate.