Control

Control, the 2019 action-adventure from Remedy Entertainment, places the player in the shifting halls of the Federal Bureau of Control. This page analyzes the measured performance of the system pairing the Intel Core i5-9400 with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070. The data set provides a complete matrix of average frame rates across three resolutions and four quality presets, yielding a clear picture of how this combination handles the game's physics-heavy combat and destructible environments. The benchmark results indicate that this pairing offers a versatile experience, but the optimal settings vary significantly depending on the target resolution and refresh rate.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data suggests that the "High" preset offers the most balanced experience for this specific combination of CPU and GPU. At 1920x1080, the High preset delivers an average of 98.5 FPS, which is comfortably above the standard 60 FPS threshold and provides the headroom necessary for smoother motion on higher refresh rate displays. While the "Low" preset achieves a much higher 158 FPS average at 1080p, it does so by sacrificing visual fidelity. The "Ultra" preset, at 87.1 FPS, is also playable but offers diminishing returns over High for a measurable performance cost.

For users with a 1440p monitor, the High preset remains the strongest recommendation. The average of 75.6 FPS at 2560x1440 is sufficient for a responsive experience, though it does not quite hit the 144 FPS mark for competitive play. The Medium preset, at 85.4 FPS, is a viable alternative if a higher frame rate is prioritized over visual quality, but High provides a substantial improvement in graphical detail for a relatively modest FPS reduction.

At 4K (3840x2160), the situation changes. The High preset produces an average of 48.6 FPS, which falls below the ideal for smooth gameplay. The data shows that users targeting native 4K resolution should consider the Medium preset, which yields 58.9 FPS and approaches a standard 60 FPS experience. The Low preset at 4K (82.9 FPS) is the only way to achieve a high frame rate, but the visual compromise is significant. The Ultra preset at 4K, with an average of 46.1 FPS, should be avoided unless a consistent 30 FPS cap is acceptable, as the average is too low for reliable 60 FPS output.

FAQ

Q: Can this system achieve 60 FPS at 1440p with maximum settings?

A: No. The benchmark data shows an average of 63.5 FPS for the Ultra preset at 2560x1440. While this is technically above 60 FPS, the margin is narrow and may not hold in more demanding scenes.

Q: What is the best preset for a 1080p 144Hz monitor?

A: The High preset is the most appropriate choice. It delivers an average of 98.5 FPS, which is a significant jump from the 87.1 FPS of Ultra and provides a better visual experience than the 114.1 FPS of Medium. The Low preset's 158 FPS is the only way to fully saturate a 144Hz display, but the visual quality trade-off is substantial.

Q: How does the RTX 3070 perform at 4K in this game?

A: The data indicates that 4K gaming is possible, but it requires a compromise on settings. The High preset yields 48.6 FPS, while Medium yields 58.9 FPS. The Low preset is the only option that provides a high frame rate, averaging 82.9 FPS.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor at 1080p?

A: The performance gap between presets at 1080p suggests the GPU is the primary factor. The frame rate scales consistently with the graphics load, moving from 158 FPS on Low to 87.1 FPS on Ultra. There is no indication in the data of a CPU bottleneck.

Q: What is the average FPS difference between the Low and Ultra presets at 1440p?

A: The difference is 55.3 FPS. The Low preset averages 118.8 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 63.5 FPS.

Q: Does the game support a 4K experience above 60 FPS?

A: Yes, but only on the Low preset. The measured average at 3840x2160 with Low settings is 82.9 FPS. All higher presets fall below 60 FPS.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-9400 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 ranks 751st out of 1636 tested combos for Control. This places it in the upper-middle portion of the database, indicating a system that is capable but not at the very top tier for this specific title. The rank is determined by the measured FPS across the full matrix of resolutions and settings.

The GPU is the dominant component in this pairing. The RTX 3070 has a percentile rank of 72 among all GPUs, while the i5-9400 has a percentile rank of 50 among all CPUs. This suggests that the graphics card is a stronger performer relative to its peers than the processor. The CPU's average benchmark score of 2305 places it very close to its nearest rivals, including the Intel Core i3-10305 (2300, a 0.2% delta) and the Intel Xeon E-2134 (2295, a 0.4% delta). This indicates that the CPU is a solid mid-range performer, but it is not a high-end part that would typically be paired with a top-tier GPU for maximum performance.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following data represents the average FPS for the Intel Core i5-9400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 combination in Control.

At 1920x1080:

• The Low preset achieves the highest frame rate at 158.0 FPS.
• The Medium preset delivers 114.1 FPS.
• The High preset follows with 98.5 FPS.
• The Ultra preset produces 87.1 FPS.

At 2560x1440:

• The Low preset leads with 118.8 FPS.
• The Medium preset yields 85.4 FPS.
• The High preset provides 75.6 FPS.
• The Ultra preset drops to 63.5 FPS.

At 3840x2160:

• The Low preset is the most performant, averaging 82.9 FPS.
• The Medium preset averages 58.9 FPS.
• The High preset averages 48.6 FPS.
• The Ultra preset averages 46.1 FPS.

The data shows a consistent scaling pattern across all resolutions, with each step up in quality costing a significant number of frames. The difference between Low and Ultra is most pronounced at 1080p, where the gap is 70.9 FPS. This gap narrows to 55.3 FPS at 1440p and further to 36.8 FPS at 4K.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate data shows a predictable decline as resolution increases. Moving from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440 on the High preset reduces the average FPS from 98.5 to 75.6, a drop of 23.2%. A further step to 3840x2160 brings the average down to 48.6 FPS, which is a 50.7% reduction from the 1080p figure.

This scaling pattern indicates that the RTX 3070 is heavily taxed by the higher pixel counts. The performance hit from increasing resolution is substantial, suggesting that the GPU is the primary bottleneck at 4K. The CPU's role remains relatively constant, as the game's logic and physics calculations do not scale directly with resolution. The fact that the Ultra preset at 4K (46.1 FPS) is not much slower than High (48.6 FPS) further emphasizes that the GPU is saturated, and the extra graphical effects have a limited impact on the total frame time when the pixel throughput is already so high.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-9400 is a 6-core, 6-thread processor based on the Coffee Lake architecture. It has a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.10 GHz. Its 9 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR4 memory support are standard for its generation. In benchmark results, it scores 7969 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 1125 in single-core, placing it in the 50th percentile of all CPUs.

In Control, the CPU's role appears to be secondary to the GPU. The frame rates scale heavily with resolution and graphics settings, which are primarily GPU-bound workloads. The data does not show a scenario where the CPU becomes the limiting factor, as the frame rate drops consistently with increased graphical load. The 6-core, 6-thread configuration is sufficient to feed the RTX 3070 at 1080p, as evidenced by the high frame rates on the Low preset. The CPU's performance relative to its nearest rivals is within a margin of 0.6%, meaning that swapping in a similar processor would yield negligible differences in this game. The system performs as a balanced pairing where the GPU dictates the overall experience.