Control

The Intel Core i5-9400 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 produces a combination that ranks 606th out of 3,720 tested combos in Control, placing it in the top 17% of all configurations. This is a strong showing that reflects the GPU's dominant role in this title, while the CPU holds its ground without becoming a severe bottleneck in most scenarios. The data indicates a system that is heavily weighted toward graphics performance, with the RTX 4080 clearly being the primary driver of frame rates across all tested resolutions and settings.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 606 out of 3,720 places it well above the median, demonstrating that this pairing is highly capable for Control. The RTX 4080 is the standout component here, sitting in the 86th percentile of all GPUs, while the i5-9400 is more modest, ranking in the 47th percentile of all CPUs. This disparity in component percentiles is a clear signal that the graphics card is the performance ceiling for this system, and the results in-game confirm this. The measured frame rates are consistently high, even at 4K, which is a direct result of the GPU's immense power. The CPU, while not a top-tier part by modern standards, provides enough throughput to avoid dragging down the experience at lower resolutions, though its limitations become more apparent as settings are reduced. The overall rank suggests that this is a very fast configuration for this specific game, with the GPU's strengths compensating for the CPU's more moderate standing.

Settings Recommendations

Benchmark results show that the Ultra preset delivers a fully playable experience at every resolution, with average frame rates of 130 at 1080p, 102 at 1440p, and 69 at 4K. The data suggests that Ultra is the ideal choice for maximizing visual fidelity without sacrificing smoothness, as even the 4K average remains above the 60 FPS threshold. For players who prioritize higher refresh rates, dropping to High settings offers a significant boost while maintaining excellent image quality. At 1080p, High produces an average of 137 FPS compared to Ultra's 130, and at 1440p it jumps from 102 to 118 FPS. The Medium preset provides a middle ground, with averages of 142 FPS at 1080p and 130 FPS at 1440p, but it does not offer a substantial enough advantage over High to justify the visual downgrade. The Low preset is the only one that pushes frame rates past 160 FPS at 1080p, but the visual compromise is not worth the performance gain when High and Ultra are already so smooth. The most balanced approach is the High preset, which offers a substantial improvement over Ultra at 1440p and 4K, at 118 and 79 FPS respectively, while still delivering a visually rich experience.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals a classic GPU-bound scenario, with the RTX 4080 being the limiting factor at all times. At High settings, the average FPS drops from 137 at 1080p to 118 at 1440p, a 14% decrease, and then to 79 at 4K, a further 33% decrease. This shows that the GPU is working progressively harder as pixel count increases, which is expected. However, the same pattern holds across all settings, including Low. At Low settings, the average FPS falls from 162 at 1080p to 147 at 1440p (a 9% drop) and then to 126 at 4K (a 14% drop). The fact that even at Low settings, frame rates still drop significantly at 4K indicates that the GPU is still the primary constraint. The CPU's role is more prominent at 1080p, where the frame rate ceiling is higher, but the data shows that even at 162 FPS, the i5-9400 is not causing a bottleneck that would flatten the scaling curve. The consistent scaling pattern across all presets confirms that the RTX 4080's raw compute and memory bandwidth are the keys to performance, with the CPU providing sufficient support to keep up.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the RTX 4080 delivers exceptional performance across all presets. The Low preset achieves an average of 162 FPS, which is the highest frame rate recorded for this combo. The Medium preset averages 142 FPS with a minimum of 121 and a maximum of 164, showing a tight frame time distribution. High settings average 137 FPS, while the Ultra preset is not far behind at 130 FPS. These numbers indicate that at 1080p, the system is capable of driving high-refresh-rate monitors with ease, and the difference between presets is relatively small, suggesting the GPU is not fully taxed until the resolution increases.

At 2560x1440, performance remains very strong. The Low preset averages 147 FPS, which is still exceptionally high. Medium settings average 130 FPS with a minimum of 110 and a maximum of 149, indicating that even during intense scenes, frame rates stay well above 100 FPS. High settings produce an average of 118 FPS, and the Ultra preset drops to 102 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p is consistent, with a roughly 10% to 15% performance penalty depending on the preset, which is a typical result for a high-end GPU.

At 3840x2160, the RTX 4080 continues to deliver playable frame rates. The Low preset averages 126 FPS, which is remarkable for 4K. Medium settings average 89 FPS with a minimum of 76 and a maximum of 103, proving that the system can handle 4K with high settings comfortably. High settings average 79 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 69 FPS. All 4K averages are above the 60 FPS threshold, which is the key metric for smooth gameplay. The data shows that this combo is fully capable of 4K gaming at the highest settings, with High and Ultra both being viable options.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is the undisputed performance driver in this configuration. Its benchmark results place it in the 86th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 54,247, which is nearly identical to its closest rival, the RTX 4080 SUPER, which scores 54,209, a 0.1% difference. The GPU's 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus provides a bandwidth of 716.8 GB/s, which is more than sufficient for Control's textures and effects at any resolution. The high memory bandwidth is a likely factor in the consistent frame rates seen at 4K, where the game's asset streaming demands are highest. The GPU's boost clock of 2505 MHz and its 48.74 TFLOPS of FP32 compute power give it the raw throughput needed to maintain high frame rates even at Ultra settings. The data shows that the RTX 4080 is not just fast; it is also well-balanced, with its compute capabilities and memory subsystem working in tandem to deliver the observed results. Its performance is so dominant that it effectively dictates the frame rate at all settings, with the CPU playing a secondary role.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-9400 serves as a capable but secondary component in this build. With 6 cores and 6 threads, it lacks hyper-threading, which can be a limitation in heavily threaded workloads, but Control appears to be more dependent on the GPU. The CPU's benchmark scores, such as 6,629 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 935 in single-core, place it in the 47th percentile of all CPUs. Its closest rival, the Intel Core i7-1068NG7, has an average score of 2,259, which is only 0.2% higher, showing that the i5-9400 is in a competitive performance bracket for its class. The CPU's base clock of 2.90 GHz and boost clock of 4.10 GHz provide solid single-threaded performance, which is crucial for game logic and physics. The 9 MB of shared L3 cache is adequate for this title. The data suggests that while the CPU is not a high-end part, it does not significantly bottleneck the RTX 4080 in Control, especially at higher resolutions where the GPU is the limiting factor. At 1080p with Low settings, the frame rates reach 162 FPS, which is likely near the practical limit for this CPU, but the system still performs admirably.

FAQ

Q: What is the best settings preset for this combo at 4K?

A: The Ultra preset averages 69 FPS, while High averages 79 FPS. Both are above the 60 FPS threshold, so Ultra is the best choice for maximum visual quality, but High offers a 14% performance boost for those who prioritize higher frame rates.

*Q: How does this combo rank against other tested combinations in Control?*

A: It ranks 606th out of 3,720 tested combos, placing it in the top 17% of all configurations. This is a strong result, driven primarily by the RTX 4080's high performance.

Q: Is the CPU a bottleneck at 1080p?

A: At 1080p with Low settings, the average FPS is 162, which is very high. The CPU's performance, with a 47th percentile ranking, is sufficient to support these frame rates, though it is likely near its limit at this resolution and setting.

Q: How does the RTX 4080 compare to its closest rival, the RTX 4080 SUPER?

A: The RTX 4080 has an average benchmark score of 54,247, which is only 0.1% lower than the RTX 4080 SUPER's score of 54,209. The performance difference in this game's data is negligible.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Medium and High settings at 1440p?

A: At 1440p, Medium settings average 130 FPS, while High settings average 118 FPS. This is a 12 FPS difference, showing that High provides a visual improvement for a modest performance cost.

Q: Does the GPU's memory bandwidth matter for this game's results?

A: The RTX 4080's 716.8 GB/s of memory bandwidth likely contributes to the consistent performance seen at 4K, where the game’s textures and effects demand high data throughput. The 16 GB of GDDR6X memory is also more than ample for this title.