Control

Control pairs an Intel Core Ultra 5 135H mobile CPU with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 desktop GPU, creating an unusual but potent combination for this 2019 Action Adventure title. The benchmark data shows a system capable of delivering high frame rates across all tested resolutions and settings, though the performance scaling reveals interesting bottlenecks and optimization opportunities. This analysis focuses solely on the measured FPS data, hardware specifications, and ranking information provided.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a clear and predictable decline as resolution increases, but the magnitude of that decline varies significantly depending on the graphics preset. At 1080p with Low settings, the system achieves 194 FPS average, which drops to 147 FPS at 1440p and 99 FPS at 4K. This represents a 24% reduction from 1080p to 1440p and a further 33% reduction from 1440p to 4K, totaling a 49% drop from 1080p to 4K. The fact that even at 4K Low the system maintains nearly triple-digit frame rates indicates that the RTX 4090 has substantial headroom in this title.

Moving to Medium settings, the scaling pattern changes. At 1080p Medium, the average is 138 FPS with a minimum of 117 FPS and maximum of 158 FPS. The 1440p Medium average is 104 FPS with a min of 89 and max of 120, representing a 25% drop from 1080p. At 4K Medium, the average falls to 70 FPS with a min of 60 and max of 81, which is a 33% drop from 1440p and a 49% drop from 1080p overall. The minimum FPS at 4K Medium being exactly 60 suggests the system is just barely maintaining playable frame rates at this resolution.

High settings show a steeper scaling curve. The 1080p High average is 122 FPS, dropping to 93 FPS at 1440p (a 24% reduction) and then to 62 FPS at 4K (a 33% reduction from 1440p and 49% from 1080p). The 4K High average of 62 FPS is right at the edge of what many consider smooth gameplay, suggesting that this preset at 4K is borderline playable. Ultra settings follow a similar pattern but at lower absolute values: 106 FPS at 1080p, 80 FPS at 1440p, and 54 FPS at 4K.

The consistency of the percentage drops across all presets — roughly 25% from 1080p to 1440p and another 33% from 1440p to 4K — strongly indicates that the GPU is the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect the frame rate to plateau or drop less steeply as resolution increases, since the CPU workload stays relatively constant while the GPU workload grows. The data shows no such plateau, confirming that the RTX 4090 is being fully utilized as resolution scales, and the Ultra 5 135H is keeping pace without becoming the constraint.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is the dominant component in this combo, and its specifications explain much of the observed performance. It features 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus, providing 1.01 TB/s of bandwidth. This massive memory allocation and bandwidth are particularly relevant for Control, which has a reputation for being memory-hungry at high resolutions and settings. The benchmark data shows that even at 4K Ultra, the system maintains a 54 FPS average, which suggests the 24 GB frame buffer is not being exhausted — if VRAM were insufficient, we would expect to see severe frame drops or texture pop-in rather than a consistent average.

The GPU's clock speeds are also notable: a base clock of 2235 MHz and boost clock of 2520 MHz. These high clocks, combined with 16,384 shading units and 128 RT cores, provide the raw compute power needed for Control's physics-heavy environments and particle effects. The FP32 performance of 82.58 TFLOPS is substantial, and the data suggests this translates directly into the high frame rates observed at lower resolutions. At 1080p Low, the 194 FPS average indicates the GPU is barely being challenged, while at 4K Ultra the 54 FPS average shows it is working near its limits.

The GPU's benchmark scores reinforce its position in the hierarchy. The PassMark G3D score of 38,194 and the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 9,223 are consistent with a top-tier card that sits in the 88th percentile of all GPUs. Compared to its nearest rivals, the RTX 4090 is essentially tied with the Intel Arc Pro A60 (deltaPct of 0%) and AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48 (0.3% ahead), while being 2.5% behind the AMD Radeon Pro W6600M. These small deltas in synthetic benchmarks, however, do not fully capture the real-world gaming performance differences in Control, where the RTX 4090's architecture and driver optimization likely play a larger role.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 135H is a mobile processor with 14 cores and 18 threads, based on the Meteor Lake architecture on Intel's 7 nm process. Its base clock of 3.60 GHz and boost clock of 4.60 GHz are respectable for a mobile chip, and the 18 MB of shared L3 cache helps with multi-threaded workloads. The CPU's benchmark scores show it performs well for a mobile part: the Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 11,875.5 and single-core score of 1,700 place it in the 81st percentile of all CPUs.

In the context of Control, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with draw calls, physics calculations, and game logic. The measured FPS data suggests the Ultra 5 135H is more than adequate for this task, even at 1080p where CPU bottlenecks typically appear first. The fact that 1080p Low produces 194 FPS average indicates the CPU is capable of driving the RTX 4090 to very high frame rates. If the CPU were the limiting factor, we would expect to see diminishing returns as resolution decreases — i.e., the 1080p to 1440p drop would be smaller than the 1440p to 4K drop. Instead, the scaling is linear, which confirms the CPU is not the bottleneck.

Comparing the Ultra 5 135H to its nearest rivals, it is essentially tied with the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X (deltaPct of -0.1%) and AMD Ryzen 5 5600XT (0.5% ahead), while being 0.6% behind the Intel Core i5-13500HX. These tiny deltas in average benchmark scores suggest that all four CPUs would deliver nearly identical performance in a game like Control, which is not heavily CPU-dependent. The mobile nature of the Ultra 5 135H, with its 28 W TDP, makes its performance particularly impressive — it achieves desktop-class CPU scores while consuming a fraction of the power.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo ranks 612th out of 2,888 tested combinations in Control, placing it in the top 21% of all systems tested. This ranking is somewhat surprising given the RTX 4090's position as one of the fastest consumer GPUs available. The explanation lies in the combination of a mobile CPU with a desktop GPU — while the RTX 4090 is capable of extreme performance, the Ultra 5 135H, despite being a strong mobile chip, does not match the multi-threaded performance of the desktop CPUs typically paired with a 4090.

However, the ranking should be interpreted in context. The 2,888 combos include many systems with lower-end GPUs, so a top-21% ranking still indicates strong performance. The actual FPS numbers tell a more nuanced story: at 1080p Low, the combo delivers 194 FPS, which is in the top tier of systems tested, but at 4K Ultra, the 54 FPS average is more modest. The ranking likely reflects an aggregate of all tested settings and resolutions, and the combo's performance is stronger at lower resolutions where the CPU can keep up, and weaker at 4K Ultra where the GPU is the sole limiting factor.

The data shows that this combo is not typical — most RTX 4090 systems would pair with a high-end desktop CPU like a Core i9 or Ryzen 9, which would likely push the combo rank much higher. The Ultra 5 135H, while capable, does not extract the absolute maximum from the 4090 in CPU-bound scenarios. That said, the measured FPS indicates that for Control specifically, the CPU is rarely the bottleneck, and the combo delivers smooth gameplay across most settings and resolutions.

FAQ

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

A: Based on the measured FPS, 1440p offers the best balance of performance and visual quality. At 1440p High, the average is 93 FPS, which is well above smooth gameplay thresholds, while 4K High drops to 62 FPS average. The 1440p Medium preset delivers 104 FPS average with a minimum of 89 FPS, providing both high frame rates and a comfortable margin above the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: How does the RTX 4090's 24 GB VRAM affect performance in Control?

A: The 24 GB GDDR6X memory with 1.01 TB/s bandwidth ensures that VRAM capacity is never a limiting factor, even at 4K Ultra. The data shows consistent frame rates at all settings and resolutions, with no evidence of texture thrashing or memory-related stutters. The minimum FPS at 4K Medium (60 FPS) is still playable, and the lack of severe frame drops suggests the GPU is compute-limited rather than memory-limited.

Q: Is the Intel Core Ultra 5 135H bottlenecking the RTX 4090?

A: The benchmark data indicates that the Ultra 5 135H is not a significant bottleneck in Control. The linear FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K across all presets shows that the GPU is the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions. At 1080p Low, the 194 FPS average demonstrates the CPU can feed the GPU effectively, and the 81st percentile CPU ranking with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 11,875.5 confirms it has sufficient processing power for this game.

Q: What settings should I use for 4K gaming with this combo?

A: For 4K, Medium settings provide the best experience with a 70 FPS average and a 60 FPS minimum. High settings at 4K are borderline at 62 FPS average, while Ultra drops to 54 FPS average, which may feel less smooth. The Medium preset at 4K offers the best combination of visual fidelity and frame rate stability.

Q: How does this combo compare to similar systems in the database?

A: This combo ranks 612th out of 2,888 tested combos, placing it in the top 21% of all systems. The RTX 4090 sits in the 88th percentile of GPUs and is essentially tied with the Intel Arc Pro A60 in average benchmark scores. The Ultra 5 135H is within 0.6% of the Intel Core i5-13500HX and 0.1% of the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X, indicating the CPU is competitive with mid-range desktop parts.

Q: Does the combo perform better at 1080p or 1440p in terms of frame time consistency?

A: The data shows that Medium settings provide the most consistent frame times, with the smallest gap between average and minimum FPS. At 1080p Medium, the range is 117-158 FPS (41 FPS spread), while at 1440p Medium it is 89-120 FPS (31 FPS spread). The 1440p Medium preset offers tighter frame pacing, which may result in a smoother feel despite lower average FPS compared to 1080p.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and whether the priority is maximum frame rate or visual quality. At 1080p, the system has enormous headroom — even Ultra settings deliver 106 FPS average, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. For competitive play or high-refresh-rate monitors, Low settings at 1080p produce 194 FPS, but the visual trade-off is significant. The Medium preset at 1080p (138 FPS average, 117 FPS minimum) offers a strong balance of visual quality and performance for most players.

At 1440p, the Medium preset is the clear recommendation. It delivers 104 FPS average with a 89 FPS minimum, providing a smooth experience with good visual fidelity. High settings at 1440p (93 FPS average) are also viable for players who prioritize graphics over frame rate, but the Medium preset's tighter minimum FPS (89 vs. the unlisted min for High) suggests better frame pacing. Ultra at 1440p (80 FPS average) is playable but may show occasional dips in demanding scenes.

For 4K gaming, the Medium preset is the only fully recommended option. The 70 FPS average with a 60 FPS minimum ensures consistent playability, while High settings at 62 FPS average sit uncomfortably close to the 60 FPS threshold. Ultra at 4K (54 FPS average) is technically playable but may feel less fluid during intense action sequences. The data suggests that players with 4K displays should choose Medium settings to maintain a consistent experience, reserving High or Ultra for screenshots or less demanding areas of the game.

The strongest overall recommendation from the data is the 1440p Medium preset, which offers the best combination of high average FPS (104), a comfortable minimum (89 FPS), and visual quality that is only one step below High. For players with high-refresh-rate 1440p monitors, this preset maximizes the system's capabilities without sacrificing smoothness. At 1080p, the Medium preset at 138 FPS average is also an excellent choice, providing headroom above 120 FPS for most gameplay scenarios.