Control

The Intel Core i7-13700K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 delivers exceptional performance in Control, ranking 6th out of 1,636 tested combinations. This places the combo in the top 0.4% of all systems tested, with the data showing a clear capability to drive high refresh rates at 1440p and solid 4K performance. The benchmark results indicate that this pairing is heavily GPU-bound at higher settings, while the 16-core processor provides ample headroom for the game's physics and rendering demands.

FAQ

*Q: What is the combo rank for this CPU and GPU in Control?*

A: The Intel Core i7-13700K with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 ranks 6th out of 1,636 tested combinations in Control, placing it in the top tier of all systems benchmarked.

Q: How does the Core i7-13700K compare to its closest rivals?

A: The i7-13700K has an average benchmark score of 47,282. It is effectively tied with the Intel Core i7-13700KF, which scores 47,334 (a -0.1% delta). It is also within 0.5% of the AMD EPYC 4364P and the AMD Ryzen 9 PRO 5945, showing that performance is nearly identical among these top processors.

Q: What is the performance difference between the RTX 5090 and its nearest rival?

A: The RTX 5090 has an average benchmark score of 84,306. Its closest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D, scores 84,241, making the standard 5090 just 0.1% faster. The gap widens to 1.3% against the AMD Radeon PRO W6600.

Q: What is the maximum average FPS recorded for this combo?

A: The highest average frame rate recorded is 283.8 FPS at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This drops to 213.5 FPS at 2560x1440 and 147.1 FPS at 3840x2160 under the same Low settings preset.

Q: What is the lowest average FPS recorded in the measured data?

A: The lowest average frame rate is 81.4 FPS, recorded at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings. This is still comfortably playable and demonstrates the GPU's strength at 4K.

Q: How many cores and threads does the i7-13700K have?

A: The Intel Core i7-13700K features 16 cores and 24 threads, with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 is the dominant component in this pairing for Control, as evidenced by the frame rate scaling across resolutions. The GPU features 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, delivering 1.79 TB/s of bandwidth. This massive memory allocation is far beyond the requirements of Control, ensuring that texture loading and memory allocation are never bottlenecks, even at 4K Ultra settings.

The GPU's clock speeds are notable: a base of 2017 MHz and a boost of 2407 MHz. The benchmark results show that this silicon, built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture with a 5 nm process, is capable of substantial throughput. The raw compute power is reflected in the FP32 performance of 104.8 TFLOPS, which directly contributes to the high frame rates observed in the game's particle-heavy combat and physics sequences.

The data shows a clear pattern: as resolution increases, the GPU becomes more stressed. At 1080p, the GPU is often underutilized, allowing the CPU to push frame rates to nearly 300 FPS on Low settings. However, at 4K Ultra, the GPU's workload intensifies, and the average FPS drops to 81.4. This indicates that the RTX 5090's 176 ROPs and 680 TMUs are being fully exercised at higher resolutions, but the card still maintains a very high level of performance. The GPU's 94th percentile ranking among all GPUs in the database further confirms its elite status, though its nearest rivals show only marginal differences in synthetic benchmarks.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-13700K serves as a high-end companion that ensures the RTX 5090 is never left waiting for data. With 16 cores and 24 threads based on the Raptor Lake architecture, the CPU provides substantial multi-threaded capability. Its boost clock of 5.40 GHz is critical for maintaining high minimum frame rates in Control, which relies on a strong single-threaded performance for game logic and physics calculations.

The CPU's benchmark scores are impressive, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 39,000 and a single-core score of 5,505. The 3DMark 16-thread score of 10,717 shows strong scaling across its cores. However, the data suggests that in Control, the CPU is not the primary bottleneck. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 283.8 FPS, which is a very high frame rate that still indicates some CPU limitation, as the GPU could theoretically render even more frames. The processor's 93rd percentile ranking among all CPUs shows it is well above average, but it is virtually tied with its nearest rivals—the i7-13700KF, AMD EPYC 4364P, and Ryzen 9 PRO 5945—all within a 0.5% performance delta.

The CPU's 30 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel memory support for DDR4 and DDR5 are adequate for feeding the GPU. The processor's TDP of 125 W is modest relative to the GPU's 575 W TDP, but this does not appear to limit performance in the measured results. The data indicates that the i7-13700K provides sufficient headroom to prevent CPU-bound scenarios at 1440p and 4K, where the GPU's workload dominates.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured data provides a comprehensive look at performance across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the combo delivers exceptional performance: 283.8 FPS on Low, 204.3 FPS on Medium, 177.4 FPS on High, and 154 FPS on Ultra. These numbers are all well above the refresh rate of typical high-end monitors, indicating that the system is CPU-limited at this resolution, particularly on Low settings where the GPU is not fully engaged.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain very high. The Low preset yields 213.5 FPS, while Medium drops to 151.3 FPS. High settings produce 135.5 FPS, and Ultra settings yield 119.4 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p shows a predictable decrease as the GPU takes on more rendering work, but all values remain far above the 60 FPS standard, confirming that this combo is well-suited for high-refresh-rate 1440p gaming.

At 3840x2160, the GPU's workload increases substantially. The Low preset still achieves 147.1 FPS, which is remarkable for 4K. Medium settings produce 104.6 FPS, High settings yield 89.1 FPS, and Ultra settings drop to 81.4 FPS. Even at the most demanding setting, the game remains fully playable, with the average FPS never dipping below 80. The data shows a clear linear progression: higher settings and resolutions reduce the frame rate, but the RTX 5090's raw power ensures that performance never becomes a concern.

Resolution Scaling

The transition from 1080p to 4K reveals the scaling behavior of this hardware combination. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 283.8 at 1080p to 213.5 at 1440p (a 24.8% decrease) and then to 147.1 at 4K (a 31.1% decrease from 1440p). This pattern indicates that the GPU is becoming the limiting factor as resolution increases, while the CPU remains capable of feeding it.

For Ultra settings, the scaling is similar: 154 FPS at 1080p drops to 119.4 FPS at 1440p (a 22.5% decrease), and then to 81.4 FPS at 4K (a 31.8% decrease from 1440p). The consistent percentage drop from 1440p to 4K across all settings suggests that the RTX 5090 is scaling predictably with the increase in pixel count. The GPU is the primary limiting component at 4K, as the CPU's role diminishes relative to the massive pixel throughput required.

The data indicates that the combo is balanced at 1080p and 1440p, where the CPU can keep up with the GPU's output. At 4K, the GPU becomes the clear bottleneck, but it is a very capable bottleneck, maintaining frame rates above 80 FPS even at Ultra. This suggests that for gamers targeting 4K, the RTX 5090 is the component dictating performance, while the i7-13700K provides more than enough support.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured frame rates, the best experience depends on the target resolution. At 1920x1080, all settings presets deliver over 150 FPS. For competitive play or maximum fluidity, the Low preset at 283.8 FPS is the clear choice, though the Ultra preset at 154 FPS still offers a high refresh rate experience with improved visual quality.

At 2560x1440, the High preset at 135.5 FPS presents the optimal balance between visual fidelity and performance. The Ultra preset at 119.4 FPS is also highly playable and offers the best image quality, but the marginal FPS difference does not justify the graphical upgrade for most users. The Low preset at 213.5 FPS is recommended for players with 240Hz monitors who prioritize frame rate above all else.

For 3840x2160, the High preset at 89.1 FPS is the recommended choice, as it provides a substantial visual improvement over Medium (104.6 FPS) while remaining well within the 60 FPS comfort zone. The Ultra preset at 81.4 FPS is also viable for those who want the absolute best visuals and have a G-Sync or FreeSync display to smooth out frame timing. The Low preset at 147.1 FPS is overkill for most 4K displays, which typically cap at 120Hz or 144Hz, but it serves as evidence of the hardware's headroom.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i7-13700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 combination ranks 6th out of 1,636 tested combos in Control. This top-tier ranking is driven by the GPU's exceptional raw performance, as the RTX 5090 sits in the 94th percentile of all GPUs. The CPU's 93rd percentile ranking further solidifies the pairing as a premium configuration.

The data shows that this combo outperforms the vast majority of systems in the database, with only five other combinations achieving higher average frame rates in this game. The ranking reflects the synergy between a high-end 16-core processor and the flagship consumer GPU. While the CPU is not the limiting factor at higher resolutions, its strong single-threaded performance ensures that the GPU is fed efficiently at lower resolutions, allowing the combo to achieve some of the highest FPS values recorded in the database.

The RTX 5090's proximity to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks (within 0.1% of the RTX 5090 D) does not diminish its real-world performance in Control. The measured FPS data confirms that this combo is among the elite for this title, delivering a smooth and highly responsive experience across all tested settings and resolutions.