Control

Control, the 2019 action-adventure title, shows a clear performance curve with the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 and AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT combination. The data indicates a system that scales predictably with both resolution and graphical preset, offering a smooth experience at higher settings and very high frame rates at lower ones. This analysis walks through the measured FPS rows to understand where the bottleneck lies and how to best configure the game for this specific hardware pairing.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is substantial, but the pattern reveals a system that remains largely GPU-bound across all tested resolutions. At 1080p High, the combo delivers 122 FPS, which falls to 92 FPS at 1440p and then to 62 FPS at 4K. That represents a 24.6% reduction from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 32.6% drop from 1440p to 4K. This steep decline indicates that the Radeon RX 9070 XT is the primary limiting factor as pixel count increases, with the CPU having ample headroom to feed the GPU at lower resolutions.

Looking at the Low preset, the scaling is even more revealing. At 1080p Low, the system hits 193 FPS, dropping to 146 FPS at 1440p (a 24.4% decrease) and then to 98 FPS at 4K (a 32.9% decrease from 1440p). The fact that the percentage drops are nearly identical between Low and High presets suggests that the GPU's rendering workload scales consistently with resolution regardless of the graphical complexity. The CPU, with its 10 cores and 10 threads, is not presenting a bottleneck even at 1080p Low, where the frame rate is highest and CPU overhead per frame is most significant.

The Medium preset shows a similar trend, with 137 FPS at 1080p, 103 FPS at 1440p, and 70 FPS at 4K. The Ultra preset, the most demanding, yields 106 FPS at 1080p, 80 FPS at 1440p, and 54 FPS at 4K. The absolute frame rate differences between presets shrink as resolution increases, which is a classic sign of the GPU being the limiting component. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 87 FPS (193 vs 106), but at 4K, that gap narrows to 44 FPS (98 vs 54). This compression of performance at higher resolutions confirms that the RX 9070 XT's pixel throughput is the constraint, not the Core Ultra 5 225's compute capability.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT, built on the RDNA 4.0 architecture with the Navi 48 chip, is the driving force behind these results. Its 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus provides 644.6 GB/s of bandwidth, which is sufficient for Control's asset streaming at all tested settings. The boost clock of 2970 MHz and game clock of 2400 MHz indicate a high-frequency design that scales well with the game's engine, though the data shows that the card's raw compute limits are hit at 4K Ultra, where it manages only 54 FPS.

The GPU's PassMark G3D score of 26795 places it in the 55th percentile of all GPUs, which is a modest ranking for a card of this class. Its nearest rivals, according to the benchmark data, are the AMD Radeon HD 7770M (0.1% ahead) and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570 (0.2% ahead), which are much older parts. This suggests that the average benchmark score of 13543 may not fully capture the card's gaming performance in modern titles like Control, where the measured FPS indicates a far stronger showing than the percentile would imply.

At 4K Medium, the GPU maintains 70 FPS with a minimum of 59 FPS, showing that it can hold playable frame rates even at higher resolutions when settings are not maxed out. The 4K High result of 62 FPS is borderline for a smooth experience, while 4K Ultra at 54 FPS would struggle on displays with higher refresh rates. The VRAM capacity of 16 GB is not exhausted in any of the measured configurations, as the frame rates do not show sudden drops that would indicate memory swapping or texture thrashing.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the optimal balance of visual quality and performance for this combo depends heavily on the target resolution. At 1080p, the Ultra preset at 106 FPS is the best choice for users with high-refresh monitors, as it provides a fully smooth experience without the need to compromise on visual fidelity. The High preset at 122 FPS offers a small frame rate boost but sacrifices the highest-quality effects, which many players may not notice in fast-paced action sequences.

At 1440p, the High preset at 92 FPS is the sweet spot, delivering a fluid experience that is close to the 100 FPS threshold for competitive play. The Medium preset at 103 FPS is also viable and may be preferable for those who prioritize frame rate over visual detail, but the 11 FPS difference between Medium and High is small enough that High is the recommended choice for most users. The Ultra preset at 80 FPS is playable but dips below the 85 FPS mark, which could cause noticeable judder on variable refresh rate displays.

For 4K gaming, the Medium preset at 70 FPS is the clear recommendation, as it maintains a consistent minimum of 59 FPS that stays above the 60 FPS target for most displays. The High preset at 62 FPS is marginally playable but has no reported minimum FPS data, making it riskier for maintaining smoothness. The Low preset at 98 FPS is the only way to achieve high refresh rates at 4K, but the visual downgrade is significant and likely not worth the frame rate gain for a game like Control that relies on atmospheric lighting and particle effects.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo maintain 60 FPS at 4K with the highest settings?

A: No. The data shows 54 FPS average at 4K Ultra, which falls below the 60 FPS target. To hit 60 FPS at 4K, you must drop to High settings, which average 62 FPS, or Medium settings, which average 70 FPS.

Q: What is the best preset for a 144Hz 1080p monitor?

A: The Ultra preset at 106 FPS is the only one that comes close to 144Hz, but it still falls short. The Low preset at 193 FPS exceeds 144Hz easily, while Medium at 137 FPS and High at 122 FPS are also above the 120Hz mark but below 144Hz.

Q: How does the GPU's benchmark percentile relate to its in-game performance?

A: The RX 9070 XT sits in the 55th percentile of all GPUs with a PassMark G3D score of 26795, yet it delivers 122 FPS at 1080p High in Control. This discrepancy suggests the card's gaming performance is stronger than its synthetic benchmark average would indicate.

Q: Is the CPU holding back performance in this game?

A: The data does not show a CPU bottleneck. The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K follows a GPU-bound pattern, with consistent percentage drops across presets. The Core Ultra 5 225's 10 cores and 10 threads appear sufficient for Control's engine.

Q: What frame rate can I expect at 1440p with Medium settings?

A: The measured average is 103 FPS, with a minimum of 88 FPS and a maximum of 119 FPS. This provides a smooth experience that stays well above the 60 FPS threshold throughout.

Q: Should I use Low settings at 4K for maximum frame rate?

A: If frame rate is your priority, Low settings at 4K yield 98 FPS average, which is the highest result at that resolution. However, this comes with significant visual sacrifices, and Medium at 70 FPS is better balanced for most players.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 and AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT combination ranks 937th out of 3720 tested combos in Control, placing it in the top 25.2% of all configurations tested on this benchmark database. This is a strong showing for a mid-range CPU paired with a high-end GPU, indicating that the combination is well-balanced for this particular title. The rank suggests that while there are many faster combinations, this setup outperforms the majority of alternatives.

The CPU's 85th percentile ranking among all processors, with an average benchmark score of 36938, is notably higher than the GPU's 55th percentile. This asymmetry implies that the GPU is more likely to be the limiting factor in this pairing, which aligns with the resolution scaling analysis. The CPU's nearest rivals, such as the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F (0% delta) and the AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D (-0.2% delta), have nearly identical average scores, showing that the Core Ultra 5 225 is competitively positioned within its segment.

The combo's rank of 937 out of 3720 is respectable but not exceptional, reflecting the fact that the RX 9070 XT, despite its high-end positioning, does not dominate in Control's specific engine. The data shows that this pairing is capable of excellent 1080p and 1440p performance, with 4K being viable only at reduced settings. For users with 1440p monitors, this combo delivers a near-optimal experience at High settings, making it a strong choice for this game.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 225, with its 10 cores and 10 threads, provides the computational foundation for this system. Its base clock of 3.30 GHz and boost clock of 4.90 GHz offer solid single-threaded performance, which is critical for Control's game logic and physics calculations. The CPU's Cinebench R23 scores of 25891 multi-core and 3655 single-core place it well above average, and its PassMark single-thread score of 4412 confirms strong per-core capability.

In this game, the CPU's role appears secondary to the GPU, as evidenced by the FPS scaling pattern. At 1080p Low, where the CPU would be most stressed due to high frame rates, the system still achieves 193 FPS, indicating that the Core Ultra 5 225 is not a limiting factor. The 20 MB of shared L3 cache and 3 MB per-core L2 cache provide adequate data locality for the game's streaming assets, though the 102.4 GB/s memory bandwidth on DDR5 is modest compared to the GPU's 644.6 GB/s.

The CPU's nearest rivals in the benchmark database, including the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F (0% delta) and Intel Core i9-12900T (-0.5% delta), show that it performs at parity with established mid-range options. The lack of a performance difference among these CPUs in synthetic tests suggests that Control is not sensitive to the specific core architecture or cache topology, and the game's engine scales primarily with GPU throughput. The 65W TDP of the Core Ultra 5 225 also indicates that it can sustain its boost clocks without thermal throttling in most desktop configurations, ensuring consistent frame delivery.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the resolution with the most headroom, the combo delivers its highest frame rates. The Low preset averages 193 FPS, which is the maximum result in the entire dataset. The Medium preset averages 137 FPS with a minimum of 116 FPS and a maximum of 157 FPS, providing a robust experience for high-refresh monitors. The High preset averages 122 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 106 FPS. All four presets at 1080p exceed the 100 FPS threshold, making this resolution the most versatile for this hardware.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain strong but show the GPU's increasing workload. The Low preset averages 146 FPS, dropping 24.4% from 1080p. The Medium preset averages 103 FPS with a minimum of 88 FPS and a maximum of 119 FPS, maintaining smoothness above 85 FPS. The High preset averages 92 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 80 FPS. At 1440p, the Medium and High presets are both viable for 60-100Hz displays, with Ultra still playable but approaching the lower limit of smooth motion.

At 3840x2160, the GPU's limits become apparent. The Low preset averages 98 FPS, which is the only 4K configuration above 90 FPS. The Medium preset averages 70 FPS with a minimum of 59 FPS and a maximum of 80 FPS, making it the recommended choice for 60Hz displays. The High preset averages 62 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 54 FPS, both of which are below the ideal 60 FPS target. The 4K data shows a clear progression: Low is for high refresh, Medium is for standard 60Hz, and High/Ultra are for users who prioritize visual quality over frame rate consistency.