Control

# Control with Intel Core i7-13700K + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050

The Intel Core i7-13700K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 delivers a mid-pack experience in Control, placing 2296th out of 3720 tested combos. That ranking places this configuration in the lower-middle tier of tested systems, but the measured frame rates reveal a more nuanced story: this combo is capable of smooth 1080p play, acceptable 1440p performance, and only marginal 4K results. The data indicates a system where the RTX 5050 is the primary constraint at higher resolutions, while the i7-13700K provides ample headroom even at its most demanding settings. This analysis breaks down exactly where this combo excels, where it struggles, and what the numbers say about the balance between CPU and GPU.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank of 2296 out of 3720 places this configuration in the 38th percentile of all tested combinations for Control. That ranking reflects the RTX 5050's modest position in the GPU hierarchy — the card sits at the 66th percentile among all GPUs — while the i7-13700K ranks at the 89th percentile among all CPUs. The disparity between those two percentiles is the defining characteristic of this combo: a strong processor paired with a mid-range graphics card. In practical terms, the data suggests the CPU is rarely the limiting factor, but the GPU holds the system back from top-tier performance.

The CPU's nearest rivals in average benchmark score include the AMD Ryzen 9 5900, which scores 46971 versus the i7-13700K's 46881, a delta of -0.2%. The AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 375 scores 47022, also -0.3% relative. On the other side, the AMD Ryzen 9 7845HX scores 46654, a +0.5% delta, and the Intel Xeon w3-2535 scores 46653, also +0.5%. These deltas are all within one percentage point, indicating the i7-13700K sits in a tightly contested performance band. The GPU's nearest rivals show a similar pattern: the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL scores 21153 versus the RTX 5050's 21035, a -0.6% delta; the AMD Radeon HD 8970M scores 21237, -1%; the AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT scores 20713, +1.6%; and the NVIDIA RTX A4000 Mobile scores 21379, -1.6%. The RX 5600 XT is the only rival that outperforms the RTX 5050 by a notable margin, while the others are effectively within noise.

For Control specifically, the combo's rank reflects that the game is not particularly demanding by modern standards — a 2019 release — but the RTX 5050's 8 GB VRAM and 128-bit memory bus limit how high the settings can go before frame rates collapse. The measured FPS data confirms this: at 1080p Ultra, the combo hits 68 FPS average, which is playable but not stellar; at 4K Ultra, it drops to 35 FPS. The ranking of 2296 suggests many other combos achieve higher frame rates, but the i7-13700K's strong multi-threaded performance ensures the system never becomes CPU-bound in this title.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, delivering 320.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The core clocks run at 2317 MHz base and 2572 MHz boost, with memory clocked at 2500 MHz (20 Gbps effective). The GPU has 2560 shading units, 80 TMUs, and 32 ROPs, along with 20 ray tracing cores and 80 tensor cores. Its pixel rate is 82.30 GPixel/s, texture rate is 205.8 GTexel/s, and FP32 performance is 13.17 TFLOPS. The card draws 130 W TDP and connects via PCIe 5.0 x8.

In Control, the GPU's 8 GB VRAM is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p at most settings, but at 4K, the data shows a steep performance cliff. At 4K Medium, the average FPS is 45 with a minimum of 38 and maximum of 52. At 4K High, the average drops to 40 FPS. At 4K Ultra, it falls to 35 FPS. These numbers indicate the GPU is the bottleneck at 4K, as the frame rate scales almost linearly with resolution — a classic sign of a fill-rate or bandwidth-limited scenario. The 320 GB/s bandwidth is modest by modern standards, and Control's particle-heavy effects and physics simulations stress memory bandwidth heavily at high resolutions.

The GPU's benchmark scores reinforce its mid-range positioning. Its Passmark G3D score is 17326, with a Passmark GPU Compute score of 9184. In 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, it scores 2502. Geekbench OpenCL and Vulkan scores are 90334 and 89381, respectively. The card's percentile rank of 66th among all GPUs means it outperforms most discrete cards but lags well behind high-end options. For Control, this translates to smooth 1080p performance — 124 FPS at Low, 88 FPS at Medium, 78 FPS at High — but the 4K results show the card is out of its depth. The 35 FPS at 4K Ultra is below the 60 FPS threshold most gamers consider smooth, and even 40 FPS at 4K High is marginal.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-13700K is a 16-core, 24-thread processor based on 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 80 KB of L1 cache per core, 2 MB of L2 cache per core, and 30 MB of shared L3 cache. The CPU supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory in dual-channel configuration, and its 125 W TDP is modest for a desktop 16-core part. The i7-13700K also includes UHD Graphics 770 integrated graphics, though the discrete RTX 5050 handles all rendering in this configuration.

Benchmark data shows the i7-13700K is a strong performer. In Cinebench R23, it scores 30745 multi-core and 2116 single-core. In Cinebench R20, the scores are 16292 multi-core and 2299 single-core. Geekbench results show 19429 multi-core and 2529 single-core. Passmark multi-thread score is 45887, with a single-thread score of 4333. The 3DMark scores range from 1136 single-thread to 12412 max threads. These numbers place the CPU at the 89th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 46881.

For Control, the CPU's role is less critical than the GPU's because the game is not heavily threaded. The i7-13700K's 16 cores and 24 threads are far more than Control requires, and the game's physics and AI systems are unlikely to stress even half of those threads. The high single-thread performance — 2116 in Cinebench R23 single-core — ensures that any CPU-bound scenarios in Control are handled with ease. The data confirms this: frame rates at 1080p Low reach 124 FPS, which is likely near the engine's ceiling rather than a CPU limitation. Even at 4K, where the GPU is clearly the bottleneck, the CPU never appears to constrain results — the FPS drops are consistent with GPU-bound behavior.

The CPU's nearest rivals all score within 0.5% of the i7-13700K, meaning the processor choice among these options would have minimal impact on Control's performance. The Ryzen 9 5900 and Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 375 are essentially equivalent, while the Ryzen 9 7845HX and Xeon w3-2535 are marginally faster. This indicates that the i7-13700K provides all the CPU headroom needed for Control, and any performance differences in this game would come from the GPU.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1080p, the RTX 5050 delivers playable frame rates across all settings. At Low, the average FPS is 124. At Medium, it drops to 88 FPS with a minimum of 75 and maximum of 101. At High, the average is 78 FPS. At Ultra, it falls to 68 FPS. These numbers show a steady decline as settings increase, with the gap between Low and Ultra being 56 FPS. The Medium preset's minimum of 75 FPS ensures no noticeable stuttering, while the Ultra preset's 68 FPS average is still above the 60 FPS threshold.

At 1440p, the performance drops are more pronounced. At Low, the average FPS is 94. At Medium, it falls to 67 FPS with a minimum of 57 and maximum of 77. At High, the average is 59 FPS. At Ultra, it drops to 52 FPS. The Medium preset's minimum of 57 FPS is slightly below 60, which could produce occasional hitches in fast-paced scenes. The High preset at 59 FPS average is borderline, while Ultra at 52 FPS is not ideal for smooth gameplay.

At 4K, the RTX 5050 struggles significantly. At Low, the average FPS is 63. At Medium, it drops to 45 FPS with a minimum of 38 and maximum of 52. At High, the average is 40 FPS. At Ultra, it falls to 35 FPS. Only the Low preset achieves an average above 60 FPS, and even that is marginal. Medium at 45 FPS is playable but not smooth, while High and Ultra are below the threshold for comfortable action gaming.

The measured FPS data shows a clear pattern: the RTX 5050 is best suited for 1080p gaming, where it handles even Ultra settings respectably. At 1440p, Medium and Low are viable, but High and Ultra require compromises. At 4K, only Low settings provide acceptable performance, and even then, the 63 FPS average leaves little headroom.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent across all settings. At Low settings, the average FPS goes from 124 at 1080p to 94 at 1440p (a 24% drop) and then to 63 at 4K (a 33% drop from 1440p and a 49% drop from 1080p). At Medium settings, the progression is 88 to 67 to 45, representing a 24% drop from 1080p to 1440p and a 33% drop from 1440p to 4K. At High settings, the numbers are 78 to 59 to 40, with a 24% drop and then a 32% drop. At Ultra settings, the progression is 68 to 52 to 35, showing a 24% drop and then a 33% drop.

These consistent percentage drops — roughly 24% from 1080p to 1440p and 32-33% from 1440p to 4K — indicate that the GPU is the limiting component at all resolutions. If the CPU were the bottleneck, the FPS would not scale so predictably with resolution. The fact that the drops are nearly identical across all settings further confirms this: the GPU's pixel throughput and memory bandwidth are the constraints, not the CPU or the game's logic.

The RTX 5050's 32 ROPs and 128-bit memory bus are the likely culprits. At 4K, the GPU must fill four times as many pixels as at 1080p, and the 320 GB/s bandwidth becomes a severe limitation. The 8 GB VRAM is also a concern at 4K, as Control's high-resolution textures and effects can approach or exceed that capacity, forcing the GPU to manage memory more aggressively. The scaling data suggests that users seeking 4K performance would need a significantly more powerful GPU, as the RTX 5050's architecture is simply not designed for that resolution.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution and settings combo for this system in Control?

A: The data shows 1080p High at 78 FPS average is the sweet spot for balanced quality and performance. For maximum frame rates, 1080p Low delivers 124 FPS. At 1440p, Medium at 67 FPS is the highest settings that stay above 60 FPS average, while High at 59 FPS is borderline. At 4K, only Low at 63 FPS exceeds 60 FPS average.

Q: Is the Intel Core i7-13700K or the RTX 5050 the limiting factor in Control?

A: The GPU is clearly the limiting factor. The i7-13700K ranks at the 89th percentile among CPUs, while the RTX 5050 sits at the 66th percentile. Resolution scaling shows consistent FPS drops from 1080p to 4K across all settings, which indicates GPU-bound behavior. The CPU's strong single-thread performance (2116 in Cinebench R23 single-core) ensures it never becomes the bottleneck in this game.

Q: How does the RTX 5050 compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The RTX 5050's average benchmark score is 21035. The AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT scores 20713, which is 1.6% lower, meaning the RTX 5050 is slightly faster. The AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL scores 21153, which is 0.6% higher. The AMD Radeon HD 8970M scores 21237, 1% higher. The NVIDIA RTX A4000 Mobile scores 21379, 1.6% higher. All rivals are within 2% of the RTX 5050.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming in Control?

A: Only at Low settings, where it averages 63 FPS. At Medium, the average drops to 45 FPS with a minimum of 38 FPS, which is not smooth. High and Ultra average 40 FPS and 35 FPS respectively, both below the 60 FPS threshold for comfortable play. The 8 GB VRAM and 320 GB/s bandwidth are insufficient for 4K High or Ultra.

Q: What is the CPU's performance relative to its nearest rivals?

A: The i7-13700K has an average benchmark score of 46881. The AMD Ryzen 9 5900 scores 46971, which is 0.2% higher. The AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 375 scores 47022, 0.3% higher. The AMD Ryzen 9 7845HX scores 46654, 0.5% lower. The Intel Xeon w3-2535 scores 46653, 0.5% lower. All deltas are within one percentage point.

Q: How does the RTX 5050's memory configuration affect Control's performance?

A: The 8 GB GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus delivers 320 GB/s bandwidth. At 1080p, this is sufficient for all settings, with Ultra averaging 68 FPS. At 1440p, Ultra drops to 52 FPS, and at 4K, Ultra falls to 35 FPS. The bandwidth limitations become apparent at higher resolutions, where the GPU cannot feed its 2560 shading units fast enough to maintain frame rates.