Control

Control, Remedy’s 2019 action-adventure, presents a demanding workload that stresses both the CPU and GPU depending on the resolution and preset. This analysis examines the measured performance of the Intel Core Ultra 5 135H paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080, using only the provided benchmark data to interpret how this combination scales across 1080p, 1440p, and 4K resolutions.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear and predictable scaling pattern as resolution increases, with the most significant performance drop occurring between 1080p and 1440p. At 1080p with High settings, the combo achieves 112 FPS, but this falls to 84 FPS at 1440p—a 25% reduction. The jump from 1440p to 4K at High settings is less severe in percentage terms, dropping from 84 FPS to 57 FPS, a 32% reduction. This pattern indicates that the RTX 4080 is the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions, as the workload shifts from CPU-bound to GPU-bound.

Looking at the Ultra preset, which is the most demanding setting tested, the scaling is even more pronounced. At 1080p Ultra, the system produces 97 FPS, which drops to 73 FPS at 1440p (a 25% decrease) and then to 50 FPS at 4K (a 32% decrease from 1440p). The consistent percentage drops across presets suggest that the GPU is scaling linearly with pixel count, which is typical for a game like Control that features heavy real-time ray tracing and particle effects. The fact that the 4K Ultra result dips below the 60 FPS threshold, at 50 FPS, indicates that this combo is not fully capable of maxing out the game at native 4K without compromises.

The Medium preset shows a slightly different scaling curve. It delivers 126 FPS at 1080p, 95 FPS at 1440p (a 25% drop), and 64 FPS at 4K (a 33% drop). The 4K Medium result is the only preset at that resolution to provide a minimum FPS figure (55 FPS), suggesting that even at lower settings, frame pacing can become an issue at 4K. The data collectively shows that while the CPU has enough headroom to push high frame rates at 1080p, the GPU becomes the bottleneck as resolution climbs, with the RTX 4080's 16 GB of VRAM and 716.8 GB/s bandwidth being sufficient for the game's assets but the raw compute power being stretched at 4K.

How This Combo Ranks

In the global benchmark database, this specific CPU-GPU combination ranks 879th out of 2888 tested combos for Control. This places it in the 69th percentile of all tested systems, meaning it outperforms roughly 69% of other configurations. The rank is respectable but not exceptional, which reflects the fact that the RTX 4080 is a high-end GPU (86th percentile among all GPUs) paired with a mobile-class CPU (81st percentile among all CPUs) that has moderate multi-threaded performance.

The CPU's nearest rivals provide context for its contribution to this ranking. The Intel Core Ultra 5 135H has an average benchmark score of 29093, which is nearly identical to the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X (29123, a delta of -0.1%) and the AMD Ryzen 5 5600XT (28940, a delta of +0.5%). It also closely matches the Intel Core i5-13500HX (29270, a delta of -0.6%). This tight clustering means that the CPU is not a differentiator in Control's performance; any of these four processors would likely produce similar results when paired with the same GPU. The combo's rank is therefore driven more by the GPU's capabilities than the CPU's, as the RTX 4080 sits near the top of the GPU hierarchy.

Given that the RTX 4080 is 1.1% slower than the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X and 2.6% faster than the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB, the GPU is clearly in the high-end tier. However, the combo rank of 879 suggests that other configurations with faster CPUs (like desktop-class processors) achieve higher FPS in Control, likely due to better handling of the game's physics and AI workloads. The data indicates that this combo is well-balanced for 1440p gaming, where it hits 84 FPS at High settings, but it leaves performance on the table at 1080p where the CPU may be limiting frame rates.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to play Control with this hardware?

A: Based on the measured data, 1440p with High settings provides the best balance of visual quality and performance, delivering 84 FPS average. At 4K, the same settings drop to 57 FPS, which is below the ideal 60 FPS target.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from 1080p to 4K at High settings?

A: The average FPS drops from 112 at 1080p to 84 at 1440p and then to 57 at 4K. This represents a 49% total reduction from 1080p to 4K, with the largest single step being the 25% drop from 1080p to 1440p.

Q: Does the Ultra preset provide a playable experience at 4K?

A: No. At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average FPS is 50, which falls below the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. The Medium preset at 4K achieves 64 FPS average with a minimum of 55 FPS, which is more playable but still has occasional dips.

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

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 135H scores 29093 on average, which is within 0.6% of the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X, AMD Ryzen 5 5600XT, and Intel Core i5-13500HX. This indicates that the CPU's performance is typical for its class and not a bottleneck in this game.

Q: What is the lowest FPS recorded across all tested configurations?

A: The lowest average FPS is 50, which occurs at 4K with Ultra settings. The lowest minimum FPS recorded is 55, which appears in the 4K Medium preset, indicating that even mid-range settings can experience frame dips at this resolution.

Q: Is the 16 GB VRAM on the RTX 4080 sufficient for Control at 4K?

A: The data shows that the GPU achieves 57 FPS at 4K High and 50 FPS at 4K Ultra, with no VRAM-related errors or crashes reported. This suggests that 16 GB is sufficient for the game's textures and effects, as the performance limitations are compute-bound rather than memory-bound.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The dataset provides average FPS for all combinations of four presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra) and three resolutions (1080p, 1440p, 4K), with minimum and maximum FPS only recorded for the Medium preset at each resolution.

At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers the highest average FPS at 177, followed by Medium at 126 (with a range of 107-144), High at 112, and Ultra at 97. The 1080p Medium preset shows a minimum of 107 FPS and a maximum of 144 FPS, indicating a 37 FPS variance during gameplay. This wide range suggests that while the average is high, there are moments of significant frame drops, likely during intense combat sequences with multiple enemies and particle effects.

Moving to 2560x1440, the Low preset still leads with 134 FPS average, but the gap narrows. Medium delivers 95 FPS (with a range of 81-109), High achieves 84 FPS, and Ultra drops to 73 FPS. The Medium preset at 1440p shows a minimum of 81 FPS, which is still above the 60 FPS threshold, making this resolution and preset a safe choice for consistent gameplay. The variance of 28 FPS (81-109) is smaller than at 1080p, indicating more stable frame pacing as the GPU becomes more consistently utilized.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset is the only one to break 90 FPS, achieving exactly 90 FPS average. Medium drops to 64 FPS (with a range of 55-74), High to 57 FPS, and Ultra to 50 FPS. The 4K Medium preset's minimum of 55 FPS is notable because it falls below the 60 FPS target, meaning that even at Medium settings, the system will experience sub-60 FPS moments. The Ultra preset at 4K, at 50 FPS average, is the least playable configuration in the dataset.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 135H is a 14-core, 18-thread mobile processor with a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.60 GHz. It features 18 MB of shared L3 cache and a dual-channel memory bus with 89.6 GB/s bandwidth. In synthetic benchmarks, the CPU scores 11875.5 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 1700 in single-core, with a PassMark multi-thread score of 22422 and a single-thread score of 3521.

For Control, which is known to utilize multiple CPU cores for physics, AI, and world streaming, the 14-core configuration provides adequate headroom. The data shows that at 1080p, the CPU can push the GPU to 177 FPS on Low settings, which is near the RTX 4080's maximum output at that resolution. However, the CPU's percentile rank of 81 among all CPUs, combined with its average benchmark score of 29093, places it in the mid-range tier. Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X, has a nearly identical score (29123), confirming that this is not a top-tier processor but rather a competent middle-ground option.

The CPU's performance in the PassMark physics test (1482) and integer math (73509) suggests it can handle Control's computational demands without becoming a bottleneck at higher resolutions. Evidence for this is that the FPS drop from 1080p to 1440p is consistent across all presets (around 25%), which is expected if the GPU is the limiting factor. If the CPU were the bottleneck, the FPS drop would be less severe at lower resolutions where the GPU has more headroom. The data instead shows that even at 1080p Low (177 FPS), the CPU is keeping pace, meaning it is not significantly restricting the GPU's performance.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and desired frame rate. For 1080p gaming, the High preset at 112 FPS offers a smooth experience well above 60 FPS, while Ultra at 97 FPS is also viable for players who prioritize visual fidelity over raw frame rate. The Medium preset at 126 FPS provides a middle ground with a wider FPS range (107-144), which may cause perceptible stutters on high-refresh-rate monitors.

At 1440p, the High preset at 84 FPS is the recommended choice, as it maintains a comfortable margin above 60 FPS while delivering good visual quality. The Ultra preset at 73 FPS is also playable, but the reduced headroom means that intense scenes may cause dips below 70 FPS. The Medium preset at 95 FPS is the safest option for maintaining consistently high frame rates, though it sacrifices some visual effects compared to High.

For 4K gaming, the data strongly recommends the Medium preset, which achieves 64 FPS average with a 55 FPS minimum. This is the only 4K configuration that stays close to the 60 FPS target. The High preset at 57 FPS and Ultra at 50 FPS are not recommended for competitive or fast-paced play, as they fall below the threshold for smooth motion. Players with 4K displays should accept the visual compromises of Medium settings to ensure a playable experience, as the GPU cannot handle higher presets at this resolution without significant frame drops.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is a high-end desktop GPU with 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 716.8 GB/s of bandwidth. It has a base clock of 2205 MHz and a boost clock of 2505 MHz, with 9728 shading units, 304 TMUs, and 112 ROPs. The GPU's 76 RT cores and 304 tensor cores are particularly relevant for Control, which features extensive ray-traced reflections and DLSS support, though the measured data does not specify whether these features were enabled.

The GPU's synthetic performance is impressive, with a PassMark G3D score of 34457 and a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 6567. Its percentile rank of 86 among all GPUs places it in the top tier, and its average benchmark score of 54247 is nearly identical to the RTX 4080 SUPER (54209, a delta of 0.1%). This indicates that the RTX 4080 is a mature, well-performing product that competes directly with its successor in many workloads.

In Control, the GPU's role is clearly the dominant factor in determining FPS at higher resolutions. The 4K Ultra result of 50 FPS is a direct reflection of the GPU's compute limitations, as the 16 GB VRAM is unlikely to be exhausted by the game's textures. The GPU's memory bandwidth of 716.8 GB/s is sufficient for 4K rendering, but the raw shader throughput (48.74 TFLOPS FP32) is what limits performance when all visual effects are enabled. The fact that the GPU achieves 177 FPS at 1080p Low shows that it has massive headroom at lower resolutions, but the 4K results demonstrate that Control is a demanding title that pushes even top-tier hardware to its limits.