Control

Control pairs the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060, producing a measurable performance profile that is heavily influenced by resolution and graphics preset. The data shows a system capable of high refresh rates at 1080p and playable frame rates at 1440p, but one that requires careful settings management to remain fluid at 4K. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS rows to determine the optimal experience, the roles of the CPU and GPU, and how this specific combination ranks against other tested hardware.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the best experience for this combo depends entirely on the target resolution. At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset delivers an average of 77 FPS, which is fully playable and provides the highest visual fidelity without sacrificing smoothness. However, the data shows that dropping to High yields 88 FPS, a meaningful 14% improvement, while Medium produces 99 FPS and Low reaches 140 FPS. For users prioritizing maximum frame rates on a high-refresh 1080p monitor, the Low preset is the clear choice, as the 140 FPS average is substantially higher than any other setting. Conversely, for a balanced experience at 1080p, High offers a strong compromise: 88 FPS is comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold, and the visual uplift over Medium is worth the 11 FPS cost.

At 2560x1440, the situation shifts. The Ultra preset drops to 58 FPS, which is borderline for smooth gameplay. The High preset improves this to 67 FPS, providing a more consistent experience while retaining most visual features. Medium sits at 75 FPS, and Low jumps to 106 FPS. The data suggests that High is the optimal preset for 1440p, as it is the highest quality setting that maintains a comfortable margin above 60 FPS. Pushing to Ultra risks dipping below 60 FPS, while dropping to Medium or Low sacrifices visual detail for frame rates that may not be fully necessary on a standard 60Hz display.

At 3840x2160, the RTX 4060's 8 GB VRAM and 128-bit memory bus become limiting factors. The High preset averages 45 FPS, which is below the ideal 60 FPS target. Medium improves this to 51 FPS, but the minimum frame rate of 43 FPS indicates noticeable stutter. Low is the only preset that achieves a playable average at 71 FPS. For 4K, the recommendation is unequivocally the Low preset, as it is the sole option that provides a smooth, consistent experience. The Ultra preset at 4K averages only 39 FPS, making it unsuitable for action-oriented gameplay. The data clearly shows that this combination is not designed for high-fidelity 4K, and users should either lower resolution or accept the Low preset to maintain playability.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with a 5 nm process and contains 18,900 million transistors on a 159 mm² die. Its core configuration includes 3072 shading units, 96 texture mapping units, and 48 raster output units, alongside 24 RT cores and 96 tensor cores. The GPU operates at a base clock of 1830 MHz and a boost clock of 2460 MHz, with memory running at 2125 MHz (17 Gbps effective). The 8 GB of GDDR6 memory is paired with a 128-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 272.0 GB/s. These specifications directly influence the measured FPS results.

The memory configuration is the most critical factor in this game's performance. The 8 GB VRAM capacity is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p at most settings, allowing the GPU to maintain high frame rates. However, at 3840x2160, the combination of higher resolution and increased texture detail in the Ultra preset likely exceeds the available VRAM, causing the average FPS to plummet to 39. The 128-bit memory bus, which limits bandwidth to 272.0 GB/s, further constrains performance at 4K, as the GPU must constantly swap data between VRAM and system memory. The measured data supports this: at 4K, the difference between Low (71 FPS) and High (45 FPS) is 26 FPS, a 37% drop, whereas at 1080p the same setting change only reduces performance by 52 FPS (from 140 to 88), a 37% drop as well, but the absolute impact is far more severe at higher resolutions.

The GPU's compute capabilities, measured at 15.11 TFLOPS for FP32, are sufficient for this game's rendering workload at lower resolutions. The pixel rate of 118.1 GPixel/s and texture rate of 236.2 GTexel/s allow the GPU to handle the game's visual effects efficiently. However, the RTX 4060's percentile ranking of 61 among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 17,639, places it in the mid-range tier. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon HD 7790 (deltaPct -0.2), AMD Radeon 780M (deltaPct 0.3), and AMD Radeon Pro 560 (deltaPct 0.5), all of which are within 0.7% of its benchmark score. This indicates that while the GPU is capable, it is not a high-end part, and its performance in Control reflects this positioning.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of performance degradation as resolution increases, which points to the GPU as the primary bottleneck at higher settings. At 1920x1080, the average FPS across all presets ranges from 77 (Ultra) to 140 (Low), with a median of approximately 94 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440, the same presets yield averages between 58 (Ultra) and 106 (Low), representing a typical drop of around 25% from 1080p. At 3840x2160, the averages fall to between 39 (Ultra) and 71 (Low), a further 35-40% reduction from 1440p.

The scaling from 1080p to 1440p shows a consistent, predictable decline. For example, the High preset drops from 88 FPS at 1080p to 67 FPS at 1440p, a 24% decrease. The Low preset drops from 140 to 106 FPS, a 24% decrease as well. This linear scaling suggests that the GPU is still the limiting factor, but the CPU (Intel Core Ultra 5 225) is keeping up with the increased pixel count. However, from 1440p to 4K, the decline accelerates. The High preset drops from 67 to 45 FPS, a 33% decrease, while the Low preset drops from 106 to 71 FPS, a 33% decrease. This steeper decline indicates that the GPU is hitting its memory bandwidth ceiling, as the 8 GB VRAM and 128-bit bus struggle to feed the massive pixel count of 4K.

At 1080p, the data suggests the CPU plays a more significant role. The Low preset at 140 FPS indicates that the CPU can feed the GPU enough data to achieve high frame rates, but the gap between Low and Ultra (140 vs 77 FPS) is 63 FPS, showing that the GPU's rendering pipeline is the main constraint. At 4K, the CPU's role diminishes further, as the GPU is clearly overwhelmed, and the difference between Low and Ultra (71 vs 39 FPS) is 32 FPS. The resolution scaling data indicates that this combo is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, with 4K only viable at the lowest settings.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations for Control, this pairing of the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 holds a combo rank of 1515 out of 2888 combos. This places it in the 52nd percentile, meaning it outperforms roughly half of all tested configurations while falling behind the other half. The rank reflects the balanced nature of this pairing: neither component is a top-tier performer, but they work together to provide a solid mid-range experience.

The CPU's benchmark performance helps contextualize this rank. The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 has an average benchmark score of 36,938 and sits in the 85th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F (deltaPct 0), AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D (deltaPct -0.2), AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 450 (deltaPct -0.4), and Intel Core i9-12900T (deltaPct -0.5), all of which are within 0.5% of its score. This indicates the CPU is competitive with other mid-range parts, but it is not a performance leader.

The GPU's rank is lower, at the 61st percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 17,639. Its nearest rivals are all older or integrated parts, such as the AMD Radeon HD 7790 (deltaPct -0.2) and AMD Radeon 780M (deltaPct 0.3), which suggests the RTX 4060 is at the lower end of discrete GPUs in this database. The combo rank of 1515 out of 2888 is thus a reflection of a strong CPU paired with a modest GPU. In Control, this manifests as a system that can handle 1080p and 1440p well but struggles at 4K, as evidenced by the FPS data.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 is a 10-core, 10-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture, manufactured on a 3 nm process by TSMC. It operates at a base clock of 3.30 GHz and a boost clock of 4.90 GHz, with a TDP of 65 W. The CPU features a cache hierarchy of 192 KB L1 per core, 3 MB L2 per core, and a shared 20 MB L3 cache. Memory support is limited to DDR5 with a dual-channel bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 102.4 GB/s. The CPU is built on the Intel Socket 1851 and supports PCIe Gen 5 with 20 lanes.

In Control, the CPU's role is most evident at lower resolutions and higher frame rates. At 1080p with the Low preset, the average FPS reaches 140, which is a very high frame rate that requires the CPU to process a large number of draw calls and physics calculations per second. The 10 cores and 10 threads, combined with a boost clock of 4.90 GHz, provide sufficient single-thread performance to enable this. The CPU's benchmark scores support this: a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3655 and a multi-core score of 25,891 indicate strong per-core performance. The PassMark single-thread score of 4412 further confirms its capability in lightly-threaded workloads.

However, as resolution increases, the CPU's influence wanes. At 4K, the average FPS drops to 71 even at Low settings, which is below the 1080p Low result of 140 FPS. This indicates that the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck, and the CPU is no longer able to push higher frame rates. The CPU's multi-threaded performance, measured by a PassMark multithread score of 30,459, is adequate for the game's background processing, but Control is not a heavily multi-threaded title. The CPU's nearest rivals, such as the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F (deltaPct 0) and Intel Core i9-12900T (deltaPct -0.5), show similar performance profiles, meaning the CPU is not a differentiator in this game.

The data suggests that the CPU is more than capable of handling this game at any resolution, as its single-thread performance is among the best in its class. The limiting factor is consistently the GPU, particularly at 1440p and 4K. For users with this combo, the CPU provides headroom for future GPU upgrades, as it is unlikely to bottleneck even a more powerful graphics card at mainstream resolutions.

FAQ

Q: What is the best preset for 1080p gaming with this combo?

A: At 1920x1080, the High preset offers the best balance of visual quality and performance, averaging 88 FPS. The Ultra preset drops to 77 FPS, while the Low preset reaches 140 FPS.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming?

A: Yes, but only at the Low preset, which averages 71 FPS at 3840x2160. The High preset averages 45 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 39 FPS, both of which are below the ideal 60 FPS target.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its rivals?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 has an average benchmark score of 36,938, with its nearest rival being the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F at 36,945 (deltaPct 0). The AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D is 0.2% behind, and the Intel Core i9-12900T is 0.5% behind.

Q: What is the GPU's memory configuration?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 272.0 GB/s. This configuration is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p but limits 4K performance.

Q: How does this combo rank against other tested setups?

A: This combo ranks 1515 out of 2888 tested combinations in Control, placing it in the 52nd percentile of all configurations.

Q: Does the CPU bottleneck the GPU at any resolution?

A: At 1080p, the CPU can achieve 140 FPS on Low settings, indicating it is not a bottleneck. At 4K, the GPU is the clear bottleneck, as the CPU's performance is more than sufficient for the frame rates observed.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data is consistent across three resolutions and four settings levels, providing a complete picture of performance.

At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset delivers an average of 77 FPS. The High preset improves to 88 FPS. The Medium preset averages 99 FPS, with a minimum of 84 FPS and a maximum of 114 FPS. The Low preset achieves the highest average at 140 FPS. This shows a clear progression where each settings reduction yields a roughly 11-14 FPS improvement, with the jump from Medium to Low being the most substantial at 41 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset averages 58 FPS. The High preset improves to 67 FPS. The Medium preset averages 75 FPS, with a minimum of 64 FPS and a maximum of 86 FPS. The Low preset reaches 106 FPS. The relative scaling is similar to 1080p, but the absolute values are lower, with the Low preset dropping from 140 FPS at 1080p to 106 FPS at 1440p, a 24% reduction.

At 3840x2160, the Ultra preset averages 39 FPS. The High preset improves to 45 FPS. The Medium preset averages 51 FPS, with a minimum of 43 FPS and a maximum of 58 FPS. The Low preset is the only playable option, averaging 71 FPS. The differences between presets are smaller in absolute terms (32 FPS between Low and Ultra), but the percentage differences are similar to lower resolutions. The Medium preset's minimum FPS of 43 indicates occasional stutter, making Low the recommended setting for 4K.

The data overall shows that this combo is best utilized at 1080p or 1440p with High or Medium settings, while 4K gaming requires the Low preset to maintain a smooth experience. The GPU's 8 GB VRAM and 128-bit memory bus are the primary constraints at higher resolutions, while the CPU's strong single-thread performance ensures it is never the limiting factor.