Control

The Intel Core Ultra 5 135H paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 Mobile delivers a compelling 1080p and 1440p experience in Control, with 4K remaining viable at high settings. The measured data reveals a system that scales predictably with resolution and settings, indicating a balanced configuration where the GPU is the primary limiter at higher resolutions and the CPU holds its own at lower ones. This analysis breaks down the benchmark results into actionable insights for database users.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS data shows a classic resolution scaling curve, with the largest performance drop occurring between 1440p and 4K. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 120 FPS at 1920x1080 to 91 FPS at 2560x1440, a 24.2% reduction. Moving from 1440p to 3840x2160, the average drops further to 61 FPS, a 33% decrease from the 1440p figure. This steeper decline at 4K is a clear indicator that the rendering workload is becoming increasingly GPU-bound as pixel count rises.

The scaling pattern is consistent across all settings presets. At Low settings, the average FPS goes from 190 at 1080p to 144 at 1440p (a 24.2% drop) and then to 97 at 4K (a 32.6% drop from 1440p). At Ultra settings, the averages are 104, 79, and 53 FPS for 1080p, 1440p, and 4K respectively. The relative performance loss from 1440p to 4K is remarkably uniform, hovering around 33% for every preset. This uniformity suggests that the GPU's compute and memory subsystems are being saturated in a predictable manner as resolution increases.

The data indicates that at 1080p, the system is not fully GPU-limited. The jump from 120 FPS at High to 190 FPS at Low (a 58.3% increase) shows that the GPU has significant headroom when pixel count is low, and the CPU is capable of feeding it enough data to achieve these high frame rates. At 4K, the gap between Low and High settings narrows to 61 FPS vs. 97 FPS, a 59% difference, but the absolute numbers are much lower, confirming that pixel throughput is the dominant constraint. The 4K Ultra preset, at 53 FPS average, is the only configuration that dips below the 60 FPS threshold, indicating that this is the point where the GPU's raw fill rate becomes the definitive bottleneck.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 Mobile is the decisive component in this configuration. Its 16 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 256-bit bus provides 896.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is ample for Control's texture-heavy environments even at 4K. The measured FPS at 4K High (61 FPS) and 4K Medium (69 FPS) with a minimum of 59 FPS suggests that memory bandwidth is not a limiting factor at these settings; the GPU is instead constrained by its shading and rasterization throughput.

The GPU's clock behavior is typical for a mobile part: a base clock of 975 MHz and a boost clock of 1500 MHz. The boost clock is what the GPU sustains under load, and the benchmark results indicate that it is sufficient to drive Control's DirectX 12 workload effectively. The GPU's 7680 shading units and 240 texture mapping units deliver a texture rate of 360.0 GTexel/s and a pixel rate of 144.0 GPixel/s. These specifications correlate with the observed performance: at 4K Ultra, the pixel rate becomes the ceiling, capping average FPS at 53.

The GPU's average benchmark score of 38349 places it in the 81st percentile of all GPUs, and its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile, which scores 38135 (0.6% lower), and the NVIDIA GeForce MX570, which scores 38299 (0.1% lower). This positioning confirms that the RTX 5080 Mobile is a high-end part, but the benchmark results in Control show it is not an absolute top-tier performer, as its score is nearly identical to the older RTX 4080 Mobile. The GPU's FP32 throughput of 23.04 TFLOPS is the same as its FP16 throughput, indicating a 1:1 ratio, which is typical for modern NVIDIA architectures and contributes to consistent performance across different shader workloads.

Settings Recommendations

For users targeting a 60 FPS experience, the 4K High preset is the optimal choice, delivering an average of 61 FPS. This is the only 4K preset that achieves this target; 4K Medium averages 69 FPS and 4K Ultra drops to 53 FPS. The 4K Low preset, at 97 FPS, is far above the target but sacrifices visual quality unnecessarily. The data suggests that High settings at 4K offer the best balance of visual fidelity and performance for this game.

At 2560x1440, the High preset is the clear recommendation for a high-refresh-rate experience, averaging 91 FPS. Users with 144Hz displays can also consider the Ultra preset, which averages 79 FPS, providing a smoother experience than High at the cost of some visual details. The Low preset at 144 FPS is only useful for competitive play where maximum frame rate is prioritized over visuals. The Medium preset, at 102 FPS, sits between High and Ultra in performance but does not offer significant advantages over High in terms of perceived quality.

At 1920x1080, the High preset is the sweet spot, averaging 120 FPS, which is ideal for 120Hz displays. The Ultra preset at 104 FPS is also viable for 100Hz+ displays, and the data shows that the gap between High and Ultra is only 16 FPS, making Ultra a reasonable choice for users who prioritize image quality. The Low preset at 190 FPS is excessive for most displays but demonstrates the system's headroom at this resolution. Based on the measured rows, the High preset at 1440p provides the best overall experience, offering high frame rates and solid visual quality without pushing into diminishing returns.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 3840x2160, the measured average frame rates are as follows:

• Ultra: 53 FPS average.
• High: 61 FPS average.
• Medium: 69 FPS average, with a minimum of 59 FPS and a maximum of 79 FPS.
• Low: 97 FPS average.

The 4K Ultra preset is the only one that fails to maintain 60 FPS, and the Medium preset's minimum of 59 FPS shows that even this setting can briefly dip below the target. The Low preset at 97 FPS is surprisingly high, indicating that the GPU's raw compute power is not fully utilized until higher settings are enabled.

At 2560x1440, the results are:

• Ultra: 79 FPS average.
• High: 91 FPS average.
• Medium: 102 FPS average, with a minimum of 87 FPS and a maximum of 117 FPS.
• Low: 144 FPS average.

All 1440p presets exceed 60 FPS, and the Medium preset's minimum of 87 FPS ensures a smooth experience even in demanding scenes. The 144 FPS average at Low settings shows the system is capable of driving high-refresh-rate 1440p monitors, though this preset compromises visual quality significantly.

At 1920x1080, the data shows:

• Ultra: 104 FPS average.
• High: 120 FPS average.
• Medium: 135 FPS average, with a minimum of 115 FPS and a maximum of 155 FPS.
• Low: 190 FPS average.

The 1080p results are uniformly high, with even the Ultra preset exceeding 100 FPS. The Medium preset's maximum of 155 FPS and the Low preset's 190 FPS average highlight the CPU's ability to keep up with the GPU at this resolution. The minimum FPS of 115 at Medium is particularly strong, indicating consistent frame pacing.

How This Combo Ranks

In the combined CPU-GPU benchmark database for Control, this configuration ranks 1024th out of 3720 tested combos. This places it in the 72.5th percentile of all tested systems, meaning it outperforms roughly 72% of all combinations. This is a strong result, but it is important to note that the rank is based on the combination's overall performance, which is influenced by both the CPU and GPU.

The CPU alone, the Intel Core Ultra 5 135H, has an average benchmark score of 29093, placing it in the 81st percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rival is the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X, which scores 29123, a delta of -0.1%, meaning the two are virtually identical in overall processing power. The GPU, the RTX 5080 Mobile, also sits in the 81st percentile of all GPUs with an average score of 38349. The combination's rank of 1024 out of 3720 is slightly lower than the individual component percentiles, suggesting that the pairing, while strong, does not synergize as well as some higher-ranked combos.

The delta between the combo's rank and the component percentiles indicates that the system is well-balanced but not exceptional in its specific pairing. For instance, a combo with a more powerful CPU might achieve a higher rank even with the same GPU, as the CPU can better feed the GPU at lower resolutions. The data shows that this combo is a solid mid-to-high-tier performer, but it is not at the absolute top of the database.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 135H is a 14-core, 18-thread processor with a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.60 GHz. Its 18 MB of shared L3 cache and 89.6 GB/s memory bandwidth are sufficient for Control's requirements, as evidenced by the high frame rates at 1080p. The CPU's performance in synthetic benchmarks, such as a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 11875.5 and a single-core score of 1700, indicates a capable processor that can handle both multi-threaded and single-threaded workloads.

In Control, the CPU's role is most apparent at 1080p, where the GPU is not the bottleneck. The jump from 104 FPS at Ultra to 190 FPS at Low shows that the CPU can deliver frames to the GPU at a rate exceeding 190 FPS, which demonstrates its single-thread performance. The boost clock of 4.60 GHz is critical for this game, as Control relies heavily on a few primary threads for game logic and physics. The CPU's 18 threads also help with background tasks and asset streaming, which is reflected in the consistent minimum FPS values at 1440p Medium (87 FPS) and 1080p Medium (115 FPS).

The CPU's nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X, has an average score that is only 0.1% higher, indicating that the Ultra 5 135H is competitive with a desktop-class processor from a previous generation. However, the Intel Core i5-13500HX, which scores 29270, is 0.6% higher, suggesting that the Ultra 5 135H is slightly below some newer mobile HX-series parts. In the context of Control, the CPU's performance is more than adequate to support the RTX 5080 Mobile, as the GPU becomes the limiting factor at 1440p and 4K. At 1080p, the CPU is capable of driving frame rates well above 120 FPS, ensuring that the GPU is utilized to its full potential.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best resolution and settings preset for a 60 FPS target in Control?*

A: The 4K High preset is the only 4K setting that averages 61 FPS, just above the 60 FPS target. At 1440p, all presets exceed 60 FPS, with Ultra averaging 79 FPS. For a 60 FPS lock, 4K High is the recommended choice.

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

A: The average frame rate drops from 120 FPS at 1920x1080 to 91 FPS at 2560x1440, and then to 61 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 49.2% reduction in average FPS from 1080p to 4K.

Q: Is the CPU or the GPU the limiting factor at 1440p Ultra?

A: At 1440p Ultra, the average FPS is 79, which is lower than the 104 FPS at 1080p Ultra. This 25 FPS drop indicates that the GPU is the primary limiting factor at 1440p, as the CPU is capable of higher frame rates at lower resolutions.

Q: How does the RTX 5080 Mobile compare to its nearest rival in terms of average benchmark score?

A: The RTX 5080 Mobile has an average score of 38349. Its nearest rival, the RTX 4080 Mobile, scores 38135, which is 0.6% lower. The MX570 scores 38299, which is 0.1% lower. The data shows the RTX 5080 Mobile is only marginally faster than its closest competitors.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded for the 4K Medium preset?

A: The minimum FPS for the 4K Medium preset is 59 FPS, with a maximum of 79 FPS and an average of 69 FPS. This indicates that even at Medium settings, there can be brief dips below the 60 FPS threshold at 4K.

Q: Does the Core Ultra 5 135H bottleneck the RTX 5080 Mobile at any resolution?

A: At 1080p, the CPU is not a bottleneck, as evidenced by the 190 FPS average at Low settings. At 1440p and 4K, the GPU becomes the limiting factor, so the CPU does not bottleneck the GPU at these resolutions either. The system is well-balanced across all tested settings.