Control

Control pairs a 14-core Intel Core Ultra 5 135H with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080, and the measured results show a system that is heavily skewed toward GPU performance. The CPU, running at a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.60 GHz, has 18 threads and 18 MB of shared L3 cache. Its average benchmark score of 29093 places it in the 81st percentile of all CPUs, sitting within a fraction of a percent of the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X, which scores 29123, and the AMD Ryzen 5 5600XT, which scores 28940. This is a capable mobile processor, but in a game like Control, its role is to feed frames to a far more powerful GPU; the data suggests it does so without becoming a severe bottleneck at most settings, though the frame pacing at higher resolutions indicates the GPU is the primary driver of performance.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core Ultra 5 135H is a Meteor Lake mobile chip built on Intel's 7 nm process, featuring 14 cores and 18 threads. With a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.60 GHz, it offers a strong foundation for gaming workloads. The CPU's benchmark scores are telling: a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 11875.5 and a single-core score of 1700. In PassMark, it achieves a multithread score of 22422 and a single-thread score of 3521. These numbers place it in the 81st percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 29093. Its nearest rivals show just how tight the competition is: the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X is only 0.1% faster, while the Intel Core i5-13500HX is 0.6% faster. The AMD Ryzen 5 5600XT is 0.5% slower. This means the 135H is essentially performance-equivalent to a desktop Ryzen 7 5800X in synthetic workloads, which is impressive for a mobile part.

In the context of Control, the CPU's job is to handle game logic, physics, and draw calls. The measured FPS data shows that at 1080p with Low settings, the system hits 190 FPS average. This high frame rate is a sign that the CPU can keep up with the GPU's output at lower resolutions where the GPU has less work to do. However, the gap between the CPU's synthetic performance and the GPU's raw power is significant. The RTX 5080 is a top-tier GPU, and the 135H, while strong for a laptop, is not in the same league. The data shows that as resolution increases, the FPS drops are consistent with GPU-bound behavior, not CPU stalls. At 4K Ultra, the system drops to 53 FPS, which is a 72% reduction from the 1080p Low result. This scaling pattern indicates that the CPU is not the limiting factor at higher resolutions; the GPU is. The CPU's 18 MB of L3 cache and dual-channel memory support with 89.6 GB/s bandwidth provide enough throughput to avoid major hiccups, but the frame rate ceiling is ultimately set by the GPU.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 is the star of this combo. It's built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture with a 5 nm process from TSMC, packing 45,600 million transistors on a 378 mm² die. The GPU has 16 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 960.0 GB/s of bandwidth. Its base clock is 2295 MHz with a boost clock of 2617 MHz, and memory runs at 1875 MHz (30 Gbps effective). With 10752 shading units, 336 TMUs, and 112 ROPs, the RTX 5080 is a monster. Its FP32 performance is 56.28 TFLOPS, and it has 84 RT cores and 336 tensor cores for ray tracing and AI workloads. The GPU's average benchmark score is 56083, placing it in the 87th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals are the AMD Radeon 8060S, which is 0.6% faster, and the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB, which is 0.7% faster. The AMD Radeon RX 9070 GRE is 2.2% faster, while the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X is 2.3% slower.

In Control, the GPU's 16 GB of VRAM is more than sufficient for the game's textures and effects, even at 4K Ultra. The measured FPS data shows that at 4K High, the system averages 61 FPS, which is playable but not smooth. At 4K Low, it jumps to 97 FPS, showing that the GPU has headroom when the graphical load is reduced. The RTX 5080's 960.0 GB/s of memory bandwidth is critical for high-resolution textures, and the boost clock of 2617 MHz ensures it can push pixels quickly. The data indicates that the GPU is the dominant component in this pairing. At 1080p Low, the system hits 190 FPS, which is likely near the CPU's limit for frame generation. But at 1440p and 4K, the GPU takes over as the bottleneck. The 4K Ultra result of 53 FPS is a clear sign that the RTX 5080 is being pushed hard, and the 16 GB VRAM is not the issue; it's raw compute and memory bandwidth that limit performance at the highest settings.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

Looking at the measured FPS data, the best experience depends on the resolution and the target frame rate. At 1080p, the High preset delivers 120 FPS average, which is excellent for fast-paced action. The Medium preset at 1080p gives 135 FPS, which is even better, but the jump from Medium to High costs 15 FPS. The Ultra preset at 1080p drops to 104 FPS, which is still smooth but shows a significant cost for the extra visual fidelity. For 1080p, the Medium preset is the sweet spot: it offers 135 FPS with a minimum of 115 FPS and a maximum of 155 FPS, providing consistent performance without the visual sacrifices of Low settings. The Low preset at 1080p hits 190 FPS, but that's overkill for most monitors and the visual quality drop is substantial.

At 1440p, the High preset averages 91 FPS, which is good for a 1440p monitor. The Medium preset gives 102 FPS with a minimum of 87 FPS and a maximum of 117 FPS, making it the best choice for a smooth experience at this resolution. The Ultra preset at 1440p drops to 79 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for competitive play. The Low preset at 1440p hits 144 FPS, which is a great result but again sacrifices visual quality. For 1440p, the High preset is recommended for a balance of visuals and performance, as 91 FPS is solid for most titles. However, if you want to push for higher refresh rates, the Medium preset at 102 FPS is the better option.

At 4K, the situation is different. The High preset averages 61 FPS, which is just at the edge of playability. The Medium preset at 4K gives 69 FPS with a minimum of 59 FPS and a maximum of 79 FPS, which is the best balance for 4K gaming. The Ultra preset at 4K drops to 53 FPS, which is not recommended for a smooth experience. The Low preset at 4K hits 97 FPS, which is impressive but leaves visual quality on the table. For 4K, the Medium preset is the clear winner: it offers 69 FPS with a minimum above 60, which is the minimum for a good experience. The High preset at 61 FPS is borderline, and the Ultra preset is too demanding. Overall, the Medium preset is the best across all resolutions, offering 135 FPS at 1080p, 102 FPS at 1440p, and 69 FPS at 4K, all with minimum frame rates that are playable.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

This specific combination of the Intel Core Ultra 5 135H and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 ranks 730th out of 2888 tested combos in Control. That puts it in the top 25% of all systems tested, which is a strong result given the CPU is a mobile part. The rank of 730 out of 2888 means there are 729 other combos that perform better, but the vast majority of systems (over 2000) are slower. This ranking is heavily influenced by the GPU, as the RTX 5080 is a top-tier card. The CPU's 81st percentile ranking is respectable, but the GPU's 87th percentile is what pushes this combo up the charts.

The data shows that this combo is not at the very top, which makes sense because the 135H is a mobile CPU, not a flagship desktop part. However, the 730th rank out of 2888 is a solid position. It means that in a head-to-head comparison, this system will outperform most gaming PCs, especially those with older or lower-end GPUs. The deltaPct values from the nearest rivals are informative: the CPU is nearly identical to the Ryzen 7 5800X in synthetic benchmarks, but the GPU is what matters here. If the CPU were faster, the rank might improve, but the current data suggests that the GPU is the primary driver of the combo's performance. The 730th rank confirms the RTX 5080's power, and it shows that even with a mid-range mobile CPU, you can achieve top-tier gaming performance in Control.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of resolution scaling that points to the GPU as the limiting component. At 1080p with High settings, the system averages 120 FPS. At 1440p High, it drops to 91 FPS, a 24% reduction. At 4K High, it falls to 61 FPS, a 49% reduction from 1080p. This scaling is consistent with a GPU-bound scenario: as resolution increases, the GPU has to render more pixels, and the FPS drops accordingly. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see a smaller FPS drop when moving from 1080p to 1440p, because the CPU workload would remain similar while the GPU gets more work. Instead, the FPS drops are proportional to the pixel count increase, which is a classic sign of GPU limitation.

Looking at the Low settings, the pattern is even more pronounced. At 1080p Low, the system hits 190 FPS. At 1440p Low, it drops to 144 FPS, a 24% reduction. At 4K Low, it drops to 97 FPS, a 49% reduction from 1080p. The consistent 24% and 49% drops across different settings confirm that the GPU is the limiting factor. The CPU is not holding the system back at any resolution, as the FPS scaling is purely pixel-driven. This is good news for the combo: the RTX 5080 is being fully utilized, and the Core Ultra 5 135H is providing enough CPU horsepower to avoid bottlenecks. The data suggests that if you were to pair this CPU with a slower GPU, you would see better scaling at higher resolutions, but with the RTX 5080, the GPU is the clear bottleneck. This is the expected behavior for a high-end GPU paired with a mid-range mobile CPU.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of this combo's performance across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the system delivers an average of 190 FPS on Low settings. On Medium, it averages 135 FPS, with a minimum of 115 FPS and a maximum of 155 FPS. High settings yield an average of 120 FPS. Ultra settings drop the average to 104 FPS. This shows that at 1080p, the system is capable of very high frame rates, and even the Ultra preset remains above 100 FPS.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance scales down as expected. Low settings produce an average of 144 FPS. Medium settings average 102 FPS, with a minimum of 87 FPS and a maximum of 117 FPS. High settings average 91 FPS. Ultra settings drop to 79 FPS. At 1440p, the system still offers excellent performance, with the Medium preset providing a smooth experience above 100 FPS and the High preset remaining playable.

At 3840x2160, the GPU starts to feel the pressure. Low settings average 97 FPS. Medium settings average 69 FPS, with a minimum of 59 FPS and a maximum of 79 FPS. High settings average 61 FPS. Ultra settings drop to 53 FPS. At 4K, the Medium preset is the only one that consistently stays above 60 FPS, with a minimum of 59 FPS. The High preset at 61 FPS is borderline, and the Ultra preset at 53 FPS is not recommended for a smooth experience. This breakdown shows that the combo is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, where it can max out settings and still maintain high frame rates. At 4K, it requires a compromise on settings to achieve playable performance. The data indicates that the RTX 5080 is a powerful GPU, but Control's demanding visuals at 4K Ultra push it to its limits.