Control

Control is a demanding action-adventure title from 2019, and the pairing of an Intel Core Ultra 5 225 with an Intel Arc B390 produces a specific, heavily GPU-bound experience. The data shows a configuration that is firmly anchored at the bottom of the performance spectrum, making it a fascinating case study in system bottlenecks rather than a recommendation for high-refresh-rate gaming. The measured frames per second (FPS) across resolutions and settings reveal a clear narrative: this combo is for low-resolution, low-detail play, and even then, it struggles to maintain smooth frame rates.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent, confirming that the Intel Arc B390 is the overwhelming limiting factor in this system. At High settings, the average FPS falls from 41 at 1920x1080 to 31 at 2560x1440, a reduction of roughly 24%. Pushing further to 3840x2160, the average collapses to 21 FPS, which is a 49% decline from the 1080p figure. This scaling pattern is a textbook example of a GPU that is saturated by pixel count well before the CPU can even begin to flex its muscles.

The trend is even more pronounced at Ultra settings, where the frame rate drops from 36 FPS at 1080p to 27 FPS at 1440p and finally to a slideshow-like 18 FPS at 4K. The gap between Low and Ultra settings at each resolution is also telling. At 1080p, the difference is 29 FPS (65 Low vs 36 Ultra), but at 4K, that gap narrows to just 15 FPS (33 Low vs 18 Ultra). This compression of the performance envelope at higher resolutions indicates that the GPU's compute and memory resources are so exhausted that even reducing the graphical workload yields diminishing returns. The processor's headroom becomes irrelevant as the render resolution climbs.

What this means for the player is that resolution is the single most destructive variable for this combo. The system is not balanced; the data suggests that the Arc B390's integrated nature and system-shared memory architecture are overwhelmed by the pixel throughput required at 1440p and 4K. The 1080p results are the only ones that approach playability, and even then, only at Low settings. The scaling shows a component that is completely out of its depth as the resolution increases, making any attempt to play at higher resolutions a futile exercise in frame rate sacrifice.

How This Combo Ranks

In the grand scheme of tested hardware combinations, this specific pairing of CPU and GPU lands in the lower percentile. The combo ranks 2551 out of 2888 total combinations for Control, placing it in the bottom 12% of all systems tested. This rank is not a reflection of the CPU, which performs admirably in synthetic benchmarks, but rather a direct consequence of the GPU's limited gaming capabilities. The data indicates that while the Core Ultra 5 225 is a competent modern processor, it is tethered to a GPU that ranks in the 9th percentile among all GPUs.

This stark contrast between the CPU's potential and the GPU's execution is the defining characteristic of this combo. The processor's 85th percentile ranking among all CPUs suggests it is more than capable of feeding a far more powerful graphics card. However, the Arc B390's 9th percentile standing means it is operating at a level comparable to entry-level discrete GPUs from over a decade ago. The combination of a top-tier CPU with a bottom-tier GPU creates a system that is fundamentally unbalanced for gaming, resulting in the low overall combo rank.

The rank also highlights the lack of synergy for this specific title. Control is known for its physics-heavy environments and visual effects, which typically load both the CPU and GPU. Here, the CPU appears to be waiting idly for the GPU to finish its work, as evidenced by the massive frame rate drops at higher resolutions. The combo rank of 2551 is a quantitative summary of this mismatch, indicating that users of this hardware will experience performance that is far below the median of the testing database, making it unsuitable for a game of Control's graphical intensity.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 is a 10-core, 10-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture. It operates with a base clock of 3.30 GHz and a boost clock of 4.90 GHz, which are modern and competitive figures. In synthetic tests like Cinebench R23, it scores 25,891 in multi-core and 3,655 in single-core, placing it in the 85th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals in average benchmark score include the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F (0% delta) and the AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D (-0.2% delta), showing that it sits in a familiar performance tier for mid-range desktop processors.

In the context of Control, however, the CPU's role is diminished. The game was released in 2019, and while it can utilize multiple cores, the frame rates measured here are so low that the CPU is never the bottleneck. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 65 FPS, which is the highest result in the entire dataset. This suggests that at this lowest graphical setting, the CPU is capable of driving the game to a reasonable frame rate. However, as soon as the resolution or settings are increased, the frame rate plummets, indicating that the GPU is taking over as the primary constraint.

The processor's 20 MB of shared L3 cache and support for DDR5 memory with a bandwidth of 102.4 GB/s are ample for this workload. The benchmark results for the CPU, such as a Passmark multi-thread score of 30,459 and a single-thread score of 4,412, confirm that it is a strong performer for general computing tasks. Yet, in this gaming scenario, its power is largely untapped. The data implies that the Core Ultra 5 225 is a future-proof component that could easily support a much more capable graphics card, but in this specific pairing, it is held back by the GPU's inability to keep up, making its high core count and clock speeds irrelevant to the final gaming experience.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a clear, if sobering, picture of what to expect. At 1920x1080, the combo produces its best results. With Low settings, it averages 65 FPS, which is the only truly playable result in the dataset. Medium settings drop the average to 46 FPS, with a minimum of 40 and a maximum of 53, which is borderline acceptable for slower-paced action. High settings yield 41 FPS, and Ultra falls to 36 FPS, both of which are below the ideal smoothness threshold for a game that requires quick reactions.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates become more challenging. Low settings average 50 FPS, which is still decent, but Medium drops to 35 FPS (min 30, max 40). High settings average 31 FPS, and Ultra falls to 27 FPS. These figures indicate that 1440p is too demanding for the Arc B390 in this title, as even the lowest settings cannot maintain a consistent 60 FPS, and the higher presets result in noticeable stutter and lag.

At 3840x2160, the performance is critically low. Low settings average just 33 FPS, which is a significant drop from the 1080p Low result. Medium settings average 24 FPS (min 20, max 27), High averages 21 FPS, and Ultra averages 18 FPS. These numbers are essentially unplayable for a game like Control, where precision and timing are important. The data shows a hard limit: this combo is only viable at 1080p with Low or possibly Medium settings, and any attempt to scale up the resolution will result in a severely compromised experience.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is an integrated graphics processor (IGP) based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, built on a 3 nm process. It operates at a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2500 MHz. Its memory is designated as "System Shared," meaning it relies on the system's DDR5 RAM, and its memory bandwidth is listed as "System Dependent." This architecture is designed for mobile or low-power devices, which is reflected in its performance. The GPU has 1536 shading units, 48 TMUs, and 24 ROPs, along with 12 ray tracing cores.

The GPU's benchmark results are stark. In 3DMark Steel Nomad (DX12), it scores just 1,482 points, placing it in the 9th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (1.3% faster), the GeForce 800M (1.5% faster), and the GeForce GT 625 OEM (2.5% faster). These are ancient, entry-level discrete GPUs from over a decade ago, which perfectly contextualizes the Arc B390's gaming capability. It is essentially a display adapter with some 3D acceleration, not a gaming GPU.

This explains the measured FPS data perfectly. The GPU's texture rate of 120.0 GTexel/s and pixel rate of 60.00 GPixel/s are simply insufficient for the demands of a modern title like Control. The FP32 performance of 7.680 TFLOPS is theoretically adequate, but the system-shared memory bottleneck and the low ROP count severely hamper real-world rendering. The GPU is the clear and definitive bottleneck in this combo. The CPU could easily handle higher frame rates, but the Arc B390 cannot render them. The data shows that this GPU is only suitable for 1080p gaming at the lowest settings, and even then, it is only just playable.

FAQ

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

A: The only playable configuration is at 1920x1080 with Low settings, which yields an average of 65 FPS. At 1080p Medium, the average drops to 46 FPS, which may be acceptable, but all higher resolutions or settings result in averages below 41 FPS.

Q: How does the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The CPU is essentially tied in average benchmark score with the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F (0% delta) and is only 0.2% behind the AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D. It also trails the Intel Core i9-12900T by 0.5%.

Q: Is the CPU or the GPU the limiting factor in this system?

A: The GPU is the overwhelming bottleneck. The CPU ranks in the 85th percentile of all processors, while the GPU ranks in the 9th percentile. The frame rate drops significantly with resolution and settings, indicating the Arc B390 cannot keep up with the rendering load.

Q: What is the average FPS at 1440p with High settings?

A: At 2560x1440 with High settings, the combo averages 31 FPS. This is not smooth enough for a fast-paced action game.

Q: How does the Arc B390's performance compare to NVIDIA's older GPUs?

A: In the 3DMark Steel Nomad benchmark, the Arc B390 scores 1,482. It is 1.3% slower than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX and 1.5% slower than the GeForce 800M, showing it is on par with very old, low-end hardware.

Q: What is the combo's overall ranking for Control?

A: The combo ranks 2551 out of 2888 tested combos for this game, placing it in the bottom 12% of systems. This low rank is due to the GPU's limited performance, which severely restricts the playable settings.