Control

The Intel Core Ultra 5 125H paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 delivers a playable Control experience at 1080p and 1440p, with 4K requiring a settings compromise. The benchmark data shows a clear GPU-bound scenario at higher resolutions, while the 14-core Meteor Lake processor provides sufficient headroom to keep frame pacing consistent. The combo ranks in the 61st percentile of tested configurations, placing it firmly in the mid-range tier for this 2019 Action Adventure title.

Resolution Scaling

The transition from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 reveals a classic GPU-limited scaling curve. At High settings, the average frame rate drops from 79 FPS at 1080p to 59 FPS at 1440p, a 25% reduction, and then further to 40 FPS at 4K, a 49% drop from the 1440p figure. This steep decline indicates that the RTX 4060's 8 GB GDDR6 memory and 128-bit bus are the primary bottlenecks as pixel count quadruples. The 272.0 GB/s memory bandwidth becomes increasingly strained at 4K, where texture and shading demands outpace what the 15.11 TFLOPS FP32 compute can deliver.

At Low settings, the scaling is more forgiving but still shows GPU dominance. The jump from 124 FPS at 1080p to 94 FPS at 1440p is a 24% reduction, while 4K Low yields 64 FPS, a 32% drop from 1440p. This pattern suggests that even at minimal graphical load, the GPU's rendering pipeline saturates before the CPU can become a limiting factor. The Ultra preset tells a similar story: 68 FPS at 1080p, 52 FPS at 1440p, and 35 FPS at 4K, with the 4K figure falling below the 40 FPS threshold that most players consider acceptable for smooth action.

The data indicates that 1440p is the sweet spot for this combo. At High settings, 59 FPS is playable but not flawless, while Medium settings at 1440p produce 67 FPS with a minimum of 57 FPS, suggesting consistent frame delivery. The 1080p results are uniformly strong, with even Ultra settings maintaining 68 FPS. The 4K High result of 40 FPS is borderline, and the 4K Ultra result of 35 FPS is below the threshold for comfortable gameplay in a fast-paced Action Adventure title. This resolution scaling analysis points to the RTX 4060 as the definitive limiter, not the Core Ultra 5 125H.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this CPU-GPU combo in Control?

A: The data shows 2560x1440 as the optimal balance. At High settings, 59 FPS is achievable, while Medium settings yield 67 FPS with a 57 FPS minimum. 1080p offers higher frame rates (79 FPS High), but 1440p provides a better visual-to-performance ratio. 4K is only viable at Low settings (64 FPS), making it a less desirable choice.

Q: How does the RTX 4060's performance compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The GPU's average benchmark score of 17639 places it nearly identical to the AMD Radeon HD 7790 (17666), which is 0.2% faster. It sits 0.3% above the AMD Radeon 780M (17588) and 0.5% above the AMD Radeon Pro 560 (17551). These delta percentages indicate that the RTX 4060 is statistically indistinguishable from these rivals in raw compute terms.

Q: What CPU benchmark scores does the Core Ultra 5 125H produce?

A: The processor achieves 12804.5 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 1647.5 in single-core. In PassMark, it scores 21100 for multithread and 3399 for single-thread. Its average benchmark score is 27507, which is 0.1% below the AMD Ryzen 7 5800 (27535) and 0.3% below both the Intel Core i5-12600K and AMD Ryzen 7 5700X (27578 each).

Q: Does the CPU bottleneck the GPU in Control?

A: No, the benchmark data does not indicate CPU bottlenecking. At 1080p Low, the combo reaches 124 FPS, which is a high frame rate that would expose CPU limitations if they existed. The consistent scaling from Low to Ultra settings across all resolutions suggests the GPU is the primary constraint. The CPU's 14 cores and 18 threads provide ample margin for this game's workload.

Q: What is the frame time consistency at Medium settings?

A: The measured data includes minimum and maximum FPS only for Medium settings. At 1920x1080, the average is 88 FPS with a 75 FPS minimum and 102 FPS maximum, showing a 13 FPS variance. At 2560x1440, the average is 67 FPS with a 57 FPS minimum and 77 FPS maximum, also a 13 FPS variance. At 3840x2160, the average is 45 FPS with a 38 FPS minimum and 52 FPS maximum, a 14 FPS variance.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested configurations?

A: This CPU-GPU pairing ranks 2278 out of 3720 tested combos, placing it in the 61st percentile. This means approximately 61% of tested configurations perform worse, making it a solid mid-range option. The rank reflects the combined capabilities of the Core Ultra 5 125H and RTX 4060 for Control specifically.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 125H features 14 cores and 18 threads, a hybrid design from the Meteor Lake architecture. Its base clock of 3.60 GHz and boost clock of 4.50 GHz provide sufficient single-thread performance for Control's engine. The 18 MB of shared L3 cache helps with data locality, while the 89.6 GB/s memory bandwidth supports smooth asset streaming. The processor's PassMark single-thread score of 3399 indicates it can handle the game's main thread without becoming a bottleneck.

In Control, the CPU's role is primarily to feed the GPU with draw calls and physics calculations. The benchmark results show that at 1080p Low, the combo achieves 124 FPS, which is a high enough frame rate to stress the CPU if it were weak. The fact that this result is 46% higher than the 1080p High result (79 FPS) suggests the GPU is the limiting factor at higher settings, while the CPU maintains adequate frame pacing. The Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 12804.5 demonstrates strong multi-threaded performance, which helps with background tasks and any parallel processing in the game.

The processor's 7 nm process node and 28 W TDP indicate it is designed for mobile efficiency, yet it still delivers desktop-class performance in this benchmark. The PassMark multithread score of 21100 places it in the upper mid-range, with its average benchmark score of 27507 being nearly identical to the AMD Ryzen 7 5800 (27535), a 0.1% difference. This parity suggests that the Core Ultra 5 125H offers competitive CPU performance for gaming, even though it is a mobile part. The 18 threads allow for efficient handling of multiple game subsystems, but Control's demands are modest enough that the CPU never becomes the primary constraint.

How This Combo Ranks

This configuration ranks 2278 out of 3720 tested combos, placing it in the 61st percentile of all CPU-GPU pairings tested for Control. This means it outperforms roughly 61% of competing setups, which is a respectable position for a mobile processor paired with a mid-range desktop GPU. The rank reflects the combined strengths of the Core Ultra 5 125H and RTX 4060, with the GPU's percentile rank of 61 and the CPU's percentile rank of 79 both contributing to the overall score.

The 2278 rank indicates that there are 1442 combos that perform better, which includes setups with higher-end GPUs like the RTX 4070 or RX 7800 XT, and combos with desktop CPUs that offer higher single-thread performance. However, the rank also shows that this combo is far from the bottom, with 1442 combos performing worse. The gap between this combo and the top performers is primarily due to the RTX 4060's 8 GB memory and 128-bit bus, which limits 4K performance, but the CPU's strong single-thread score of 1647.5 in Cinebench R23 helps maintain competitive 1080p and 1440p results.

The combo's rank of 2278 is consistent with the GPU's percentile rank of 61, suggesting that the GPU is the primary determinant of overall performance in Control. The CPU's higher percentile rank of 79 does not boost the combo beyond the GPU's tier, confirming that Control is GPU-bound. For players with this combo, the data suggests that upgrading the GPU would yield more significant performance gains than upgrading the CPU, as the processor has headroom to drive a more powerful graphics card.

Settings Recommendations

For this combo, the Medium preset at 2560x1440 offers the best balance of visual quality and performance. The measured 67 FPS average with a 57 FPS minimum ensures smooth gameplay, and the 77 FPS maximum shows there is headroom for occasional spikes. At 1080p, Medium also performs well at 88 FPS, but the visual upgrade to 1440p justifies the 21 FPS reduction. The High preset at 1440p produces 59 FPS, which is playable but leaves less margin for demanding scenes, making Medium the safer choice.

For players prioritizing frame rate over visual fidelity, the Low preset at 1080p delivers 124 FPS, which is ideal for high-refresh-rate displays. This setting would be suitable for competitive play, though Control is primarily a single-player experience. The Ultra preset is not recommended at any resolution, as it only achieves 35 FPS at 4K and 52 FPS at 1440p, both of which are below the 60 FPS target that many players prefer. At 1080p, Ultra reaches 68 FPS, which is playable, but the visual difference between Ultra and High does not justify the 11 FPS reduction.

The 4K resolution is only viable at Low settings, where 64 FPS is achievable. This is a significant compromise, as Low settings drastically reduce texture quality and shadow detail, undermining the purpose of 4K resolution. The data suggests that this combo is not suited for 4K gaming in Control, and players should stick to 1440p or 1080p for the best experience. The Medium preset at 1440p is the recommended starting point, with the option to drop to High if the player prefers visual fidelity over a higher frame rate.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers a wide range of frame rates depending on settings. The Low preset achieves 124 FPS, making it the highest result of any configuration. Medium produces 88 FPS with a minimum of 75 FPS and maximum of 102 FPS, showing consistent frame delivery. High reaches 79 FPS, while Ultra drops to 68 FPS. The 56 FPS difference between Low and Ultra highlights the GPU's sensitivity to graphical settings at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates scale down predictably. Low achieves 94 FPS, which is 30 FPS lower than the 1080p Low result. Medium produces 67 FPS with a 57 FPS minimum and 77 FPS maximum, maintaining a playable experience. High reaches 59 FPS, while Ultra drops to 52 FPS. The 42 FPS difference between Low and Ultra at 1440p is smaller than at 1080p, indicating that the GPU becomes more stressed as resolution increases.

At 3840x2160, the results show significant performance degradation. Low achieves 64 FPS, which is the only 4K setting above 60 FPS. Medium produces 45 FPS with a 38 FPS minimum and 52 FPS maximum, showing frame times that may be noticeable as stutter. High reaches 40 FPS, while Ultra drops to 35 FPS. The 29 FPS difference between Low and Ultra at 4K is the smallest of all resolutions, confirming that the GPU is the overwhelming bottleneck at this setting. The data across all resolutions shows a consistent pattern: this combo is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, with 4K reserved for Low settings only.