Control

The Intel Core i7-13700K paired with the Intel Arc B390 produces a distinctly GPU-limited experience in Control, with frame rates that scale heavily with resolution and settings. The benchmark data shows a configuration that falls into the lower percentile of tested combos, indicating that while the CPU is a top-tier performer, the integrated graphics solution severely constrains overall gaming performance.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent across all quality presets, revealing a clear pattern of GPU-bound behavior. At Low settings, the average frame rate falls from 65 FPS at 1920x1080 to 50 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of 15 FPS, and then further down to 33 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 49% decrease in performance from 1080p to 4K, demonstrating that the rendering pipeline is saturated by the pixel throughput demands of higher resolutions.

The scaling pattern is similar at High settings, where the average drops from 41 FPS at 1080p to 31 FPS at 1440p, and finally to 21 FPS at 4K. The incremental drop between each resolution step is roughly 10 FPS, which is a consistent linear degradation. This linearity is a hallmark of a component that has reached its architectural limits rather than a bottleneck that fluctuates with workload intensity.

At Medium settings, the data includes minimum and maximum frame rate readings, providing additional insight into the scaling behavior. The average at 1080p is 46 FPS, dropping to 35 FPS at 1440p and 24 FPS at 4K. The minimum frame rates show a similar trajectory: 40 FPS at 1080p, 30 FPS at 1440p, and 20 FPS at 4K. The maximum frame rates scale proportionally, from 53 FPS down to 27 FPS. This consistent spread between minimum and maximum values across resolutions suggests that the frame time variance is stable, but the overall ceiling is being pushed lower as resolution increases.

Ultra settings show the most dramatic resolution penalty. The average frame rate at 1080p is 36 FPS, which drops to 27 FPS at 1440p and 18 FPS at 4K. The 4K Ultra result of 18 FPS is the lowest measurement in the entire dataset, representing a 50% reduction from the 1080p Ultra result. This indicates that the combination of maximum visual fidelity and 4K pixel count is beyond the capabilities of the Arc B390.

The scaling data clearly identifies the GPU as the limiting component. The CPU, with its 16 cores and 24 threads, has ample headroom to feed frames at these rates. The fact that performance drops proportionally with resolution increases — rather than plateauing at a CPU-limited ceiling — confirms that the integrated graphics unit is the primary constraint. The 80 W TDP of the Arc B390, combined with its system-shared memory architecture, means it simply cannot sustain high frame rates as pixel count increases.

FAQ

Q: What is the best frame rate achievable with this configuration?

A: The highest average frame rate recorded is 65 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. This is the only measurement that exceeds the 60 FPS threshold, making it the sole configuration capable of smooth gameplay.

Q: How does the Arc B390 compare to its closest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The GPU scores 1482 points in the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, placing it 1.3% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX and 1.5% ahead of the GeForce 800M. It also leads the GeForce GT 625 OEM by 2.5% and the GeForce GT 710 by 2.7%.

Q: Is 4K gaming viable with this hardware?

A: The data shows 4K results ranging from 18 FPS at Ultra settings to 33 FPS at Low settings. All 4K averages fall below 35 FPS, which is insufficient for a smooth experience in a fast-paced action adventure game like Control.

Q: What is the performance difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the average frame rate increases from 36 FPS at Ultra to 65 FPS at Low, a difference of 29 FPS. This represents an 81% performance uplift when dropping from the highest to the lowest quality preset.

Q: How does the CPU's synthetic benchmark performance compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Core i7-13700K has an average benchmark score of 46881, which is 0.2% lower than the AMD Ryzen 9 5900 and 0.3% lower than the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 375. It is 0.5% higher than both the AMD Ryzen 9 7845HX and the Intel Xeon w3-2535.

Q: Does the configuration have any settings where frame rates are stable?

A: The Medium preset at 1080p shows a minimum of 40 FPS and a maximum of 53 FPS, indicating a 13 FPS range. At 1440p Medium, the range is 10 FPS (30-40), and at 4K Medium, the range is 7 FPS (20-27). The tighter range at higher resolutions suggests more consistent frame pacing despite lower averages.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is an integrated graphics solution based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, built on a 3 nm process node. Its specifications reveal a design focused on efficiency rather than raw performance: 1536 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 24 raster output units. The GPU operates at a base clock of 300 MHz and boosts up to 2500 MHz, with a pixel rate of 60.00 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 120.0 GTexel/s. The FP32 compute throughput is rated at 7.680 TFLOPS, with FP16 performance at 15.36 TFLOPS.

The memory configuration is critical to understanding the performance limitations. The Arc B390 uses system-shared memory, meaning there is no dedicated VRAM. The memory type, bus width, and bandwidth are all listed as "System Shared" or "System Dependent," which indicates that performance is contingent on the host system's memory subsystem. This architecture avoids the cost of dedicated VRAM but introduces latency and bandwidth contention with the CPU.

In Control, the GPU's 80 W TDP and integrated nature translate directly into the measured frame rates. The highest average of 65 FPS at 1080p Low shows that the GPU can handle reduced workloads, but the 4K Ultra result of 18 FPS demonstrates its ceiling. The GPU's percentile ranking of 9th out of all GPUs places it in the bottom decile, and its average benchmark score of 1482 confirms its entry-level positioning.

The 12 ray tracing cores present in the architecture are notable, but the measured data does not provide ray tracing-specific results. The game's support for DX12 Ultimate is matched by the GPU's API capabilities, which include DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. However, the raw performance numbers suggest that enabling ray tracing would further degrade the already limited frame rates.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The dataset provides 12 distinct measurements across three resolutions and four quality settings. At 1920x1080, the results are as follows: Low settings produce an average of 65 FPS, Medium produces 46 FPS with a range of 40-53 FPS, High produces 41 FPS, and Ultra produces 36 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a consistent degradation, with each step up in quality costing roughly 5-10 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the averages drop across the board. Low settings yield 50 FPS, Medium yields 35 FPS with a range of 30-40 FPS, High yields 31 FPS, and Ultra yields 27 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at this resolution is 23 FPS, which is narrower than the 29 FPS gap at 1080p. This compression suggests that the GPU is approaching its limits regardless of settings at this resolution.

The 3840x2160 results show severe performance constraints. Low settings average 33 FPS, Medium averages 24 FPS with a range of 20-27 FPS, High averages 21 FPS, and Ultra averages 18 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra at 4K is only 15 FPS, indicating that the GPU is so heavily pixel-bound that quality presets have diminishing impact on the final frame rate.

The Medium preset is the only one with complete minimum and maximum data across all resolutions. At 1080p, the range is 13 FPS (40-53), at 1440p the range is 10 FPS (30-40), and at 4K the range is 7 FPS (20-27). The narrowing range at higher resolutions indicates that the GPU is consistently saturated, with less variance between slow and fast frames.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of the Intel Core i7-13700K and Intel Arc B390 ranks 2551st out of 2888 tested combos in Control. This places it in the bottom 12% of all configurations, with a percentile position that reflects the significant mismatch between CPU capability and GPU performance. The rank of 2551 means that 337 combinations perform worse, while 2550 perform better.

The CPU alone ranks in the 89th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 46881. This is a high-performing processor that sits just below the AMD Ryzen 9 5900 (46971, -0.2% delta) and the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 375 (47022, -0.3% delta), while slightly exceeding the AMD Ryzen 9 7845HX (46654, +0.5% delta) and the Intel Xeon w3-2535 (46653, +0.5% delta). The CPU's strength is evident in its multi-threaded benchmarks, such as the Cinebench R23 multicore score of 30745 and the Passmark multithread score of 45887.

In contrast, the GPU ranks in the 9th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 1482. Its nearest rivals are all older NVIDIA entry-level parts: the GeForce GT 520MX (1463, +1.3% delta), the GeForce 800M (1460, +1.5% delta), the GeForce GT 625 OEM (1446, +2.5% delta), and the GeForce GT 710 (1443, +2.7% delta). The Arc B390 edges out all of these, but the margins are slim, ranging from 1.3% to 2.7%.

The combined rank of 2551 is overwhelmingly driven by the GPU's poor standing. The CPU's 89th percentile ranking is neutralized by the GPU's 9th percentile ranking, resulting in a configuration that is far below the median for gaming performance. This is a textbook case of a bottleneck, where the processor's potential is unrealized due to the graphics subsystem's limitations.

Settings Recommendations

Given the measured data, the only setting combination that achieves a playable frame rate is 1080p with Low settings, which averages 65 FPS. This is the sole configuration above the 60 FPS threshold, making it the recommended choice for any level of smooth gameplay. The next closest is 1080p Medium at 46 FPS, which may be acceptable for less demanding players but falls short of the 60 FPS target.

For users prioritizing visual quality over frame rate, 1080p High at 41 FPS is a reasonable compromise, as it maintains a playable rate while offering improved fidelity over Low. The 1080p Ultra setting at 36 FPS is the boundary of playability; anything below 30 FPS is generally considered too sluggish for an action-oriented title.

At 1440p, the frame rates range from 27 FPS at Ultra to 50 FPS at Low. The Low setting at 50 FPS is the only 1440p option that approaches playability, but it sacrifices most visual features. The Medium setting at 35 FPS is marginal, and High and Ultra at 31 and 27 FPS respectively are not recommended for active gameplay.

The 4K resolution is not viable for this configuration. The best 4K result is 33 FPS at Low settings, which is below the 35 FPS threshold often cited for minimum playability. All 4K settings produce averages between 18 and 33 FPS, making this resolution unsuitable for Control with this hardware.

The optimal experience per the measured rows is 1080p Low, which delivers 65 FPS. If visual quality is a priority, 1080p High at 41 FPS offers a balance, but users should accept a significant frame rate penalty for the upgrade.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-13700K is a 16-core, 24-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, built on Intel's 10 nm process. It has a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz, with a 125 W TDP. The cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 2 MB of L2 per core, and 30 MB of shared L3 cache. It supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory in a dual-channel configuration, and it includes Intel UHD Graphics 770 as integrated graphics.

In synthetic benchmarks, the CPU demonstrates strong multi-threaded performance. Its Cinebench R23 multicore score is 30745, and its Geekbench multicore score is 19429. Single-threaded performance is also solid, with a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2116 and a Geekbench single-core score of 2529. The Passmark multithread score of 45887 and the 3DMark max threads score of 12412 further confirm its capabilities.

In Control, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and game logic. Given that the GPU produces an average of 65 FPS at best, the CPU is operating far below its potential. The 16 cores and 24 threads are more than sufficient to handle the game's physics and AI at these frame rates. The data shows no evidence of CPU limitation; the frame rates are consistently bounded by GPU performance across all resolutions and settings.

The CPU's 89th percentile ranking and its proximity to rivals like the AMD Ryzen 9 5900 (within 0.2%) and the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 375 (within 0.3%) indicate that it is not the performance bottleneck. The benchmark results show that the processor has significant headroom, with 3DMark scores of 10717 for 16 threads and 12412 for max threads, which are far beyond what Control requires at the measured frame rates. The CPU is effectively idle waiting for the GPU to render each frame, making it a silent partner in this configuration.