Control

The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 and AMD Radeon RX 570 pairing produces a very specific bottleneck profile in Control. The data shows a CPU that is far ahead of the GPU in capability, placing the entire performance burden on the graphics card. This is a classic case of a modern processor paired with an aging graphics solution, and the benchmark results reflect that imbalance clearly. The following analysis breaks down the measured frame rates to explain what is happening, why it happens, and how to get the best experience out of this specific hardware combination.

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

The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 is a 10-core, 10-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture, built on a 3 nm process. It operates with a base clock of 3.30 GHz and a boost clock of 4.90 GHz, with a 65 W TDP. In synthetic benchmarks, this CPU achieves a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 25891 and a single-core score of 3655. Its Passmark single-thread score of 4412 and multithread score of 30459 place it in the 85th percentile of all CPUs, indicating strong overall performance.

Looking at its nearest rivals, the Core Ultra 5 225 is essentially performance-matched with the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F, which has an average score of 36945 compared to the Intel chip's 36938, a 0% delta. It also slightly edges out the AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D by 0.2% and the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 450 by 0.4%. This places the CPU in a solid mid-to-high tier for gaming, but its role in Control is secondary because the measured frame rates are not CPU-bound.

The data shows that even at 1080p Low settings, where CPU load is typically highest relative to GPU load, the average FPS is 57. This is a modest figure that does not stress a CPU capable of 25891 points in Cinebench R23 multi-core. The CPU is not the limiting factor here; it is running well below its potential. The high single-core score of 3655 in Cinebench R23 suggests that the CPU's individual cores have plenty of headroom to handle the game's logic and physics calculations. The fact that the frame rates do not improve dramatically when lowering resolution from 1440p to 1080p further confirms that the CPU is not the bottleneck; the GPU is. The Core Ultra 5 225 is effectively waiting on the graphics card to deliver frames, and its 10 cores and 10 threads are more than sufficient for Control's demands.

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

The AMD Radeon RX 570 is the definitive performance limiter in this configuration. This GPU features a Polaris 20 chip on a 14 nm process, with 2048 shading units, 128 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. Its base clock is 1168 MHz with a boost clock of 1244 MHz. It comes with 4 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 224.0 GB/s. The GPU's theoretical performance is rated at 5.095 TFLOPS for FP32 operations. The GPU sits in the 74th percentile of all GPUs, with its nearest rivals being the AMD Radeon RX 6800M (0.4% faster), the AMD Radeon R9 M295X (0.7% slower), and the AMD Radeon RX 470 (0.8% slower).

In Control, the RX 570's limitations are immediately apparent. The game is known for its physics-heavy environments and complex visual effects, which heavily tax the GPU. The measured FPS across all settings and resolutions shows that the GPU is struggling to maintain playable frame rates. At 1080p Low, the average FPS is 57, which is the highest score in the entire dataset. This indicates that even at the lowest graphical settings, the GPU is only delivering a mid-range frame rate. The 4 GB VRAM capacity is also a concern, as Control can use more memory at higher settings and resolutions, potentially causing stuttering or texture pop-in.

The GPU's 150 W TDP and PCIe 3.0 x16 interface are standard for its era, but they do not help overcome the architectural age. The Polaris architecture, while competent, lacks the modern feature set and raw throughput of newer GPUs. The benchmark results show a clear pattern: the RX 570 is the primary constraint, and its performance ceiling is what dictates the playable settings for this system.

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

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of how the system scales with resolution. At 1080p High settings, the average FPS is 36. Moving to 1440p High, the average drops to 27, and at 4K High, it falls to 18. This represents a 25% drop from 1080p to 1440p, and a 50% drop from 1080p to 4K. This is a steep decline that is characteristic of a GPU-bound system.

Similarly, at Low settings, the frame rates scale from 57 FPS at 1080p, to 43 FPS at 1440p, to 29 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 14 FPS, and from 1440p to 4K is another 14 FPS. This linear degradation in performance as pixel count increases is a textbook sign of the GPU being the limiting factor. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect the frame rates to remain relatively flat across resolutions, or at least show a much smaller drop when moving from 1080p to 1440p.

The data strongly suggests that the GPU is saturated at all resolutions. Even at 1080p Low, the GPU is working near its maximum capacity, and increasing the resolution pushes it further over the edge. The CPU's role in this scaling is minimal; it is not the component that is causing the frame rate to plummet. This is a clear indication that upgrading the GPU would yield a much larger performance increase than upgrading the CPU. The Core Ultra 5 225 has the headroom to drive a much faster graphics card, but the RX 570 is holding the entire system back.

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

Based on the measured FPS data, the only viable settings for a playable experience with this hardware combination are at 1080p with the Low preset. The measured 57 FPS average at 1080p Low is the only configuration that approaches a smooth 60 FPS target. All other settings and resolutions result in frame rates that are either marginally playable or outright unplayable for a fast-paced action game like Control.

At 1080p Medium, the average FPS drops to 40, which is playable but not ideal for a game that requires precise aiming and quick reactions. The 1080p High preset delivers 36 FPS, which is borderline, and 1080p Ultra drops to 31 FPS, which is below the threshold for smooth gameplay. Moving to 1440p, even the Low preset only achieves 43 FPS, and the Medium preset drops to 30 FPS. At 4K, all settings are unplayable, with the Low preset at 29 FPS and the Medium preset at 21 FPS.

The recommendation is clear: use the 1080p Low preset for the best balance of visual fidelity and performance. While the Low preset sacrifices graphical features, it is the only way to get a frame rate that is consistently above 50 FPS. The data shows that the step from Low to Medium at 1080p costs 17 FPS, which is a significant hit for a modest visual improvement. For this specific CPU and GPU combination, prioritizing frame rate over visual quality is the only sensible choice. The 1080p Low setting is the sweet spot, and players should not expect to run higher presets without a substantial performance penalty.

FAQ

Q: Is the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 sufficient for playing Control?

A: Yes, the CPU is more than sufficient. Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 25891 and single-core score of 3655 place it in the 85th percentile of all CPUs. The benchmark data shows that the CPU is not the bottleneck in this system, as the frame rates are consistently low across all tests, indicating the GPU is the limiting factor.

Q: Can this system run Control at 1440p?

A: Not at playable frame rates. The highest average FPS at 1440p is 43, achieved on the Low preset. The Medium preset drops to 30 FPS, and High and Ultra settings deliver 27 FPS and 24 FPS, respectively. These frame rates are too low for a smooth experience in an action game.

Q: What is the best settings preset for this system?

A: The 1080p Low preset is the only option that provides a near-60 FPS experience, with a measured average of 57 FPS. All other presets and resolutions result in average frame rates below 45 FPS, which is not ideal for this game's fast-paced action.

Q: How does the RX 570 compare to its nearest rival, the RX 470?

A: The RX 570 has an average benchmark score of 28766, while the RX 470 has a score of 28996. This means the RX 470 is 0.8% faster in synthetic benchmarks, according to the nearestRivals data. The performance difference is negligible in real-world gaming.

Q: Is the 4 GB VRAM on the RX 570 a problem for Control?

A: Yes, it is likely a contributing factor to the low performance. The data shows that the GPU is the bottleneck, and its 4 GB VRAM capacity is limited for a game like Control, which can use more memory at higher settings. This is reflected in the poor frame rates observed at all settings.

Q: What is the CPU's performance relative to the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F?

A: The Core Ultra 5 225 and the Ryzen 5 5600F are performance equals. The Ryzen 5 5600F has an average score of 36945, while the Core Ultra 5 225 has a score of 36938, resulting in a 0% delta. They are effectively identical in average benchmark performance.

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

The measured FPS data for Control with the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 and AMD Radeon RX 570 is as follows:

1920x1080

• Low: 57 FPS average
• Medium: 40 FPS average, with a minimum of 34 FPS and a maximum of 46 FPS
• High: 36 FPS average
• Ultra: 31 FPS average

2560x1440

• Low: 43 FPS average
• Medium: 30 FPS average, with a minimum of 26 FPS and a maximum of 35 FPS
• High: 27 FPS average
• Ultra: 24 FPS average

3840x2160

• Low: 29 FPS average
• Medium: 21 FPS average, with a minimum of 17 FPS and a maximum of 24 FPS
• High: 18 FPS average
• Ultra: 16 FPS average

The data shows a consistent pattern: every step up in settings or resolution results in a significant drop in frame rate. The only configuration that achieves a frame rate above 50 FPS is 1080p Low. The system's overall rank in the game is 2768 out of 2888 combinations, placing it in the bottom 4% of tested hardware configurations for Control. This confirms that the RX 570 is severely limiting the experience, and the system is only suitable for low-resolution, low-detail gameplay.