Control

Control is a demanding action-adventure title that stresses both processor and graphics hardware, and the combination of the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER produces a wide spread of performance across its three primary resolutions. The measured data reveals a system that is capable of delivering high refresh rates at 1080p, but which begins to show its limits as pixel count climbs, with the scaling patterns pointing clearly toward the GPU as the primary bottleneck in this pairing.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate progression from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 shows a predictable yet steep decline that is characteristic of a GPU-bound workload. At the High preset, the system delivers 135 FPS at 1080p, drops to 102 FPS at 1440p, and falls to 69 FPS at 4K. That represents a 24% reduction from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 32% reduction from 1440p to 4K, resulting in an overall 49% loss of performance from the lowest to the highest resolution tested. This pattern strongly indicates that the RTX 4070 SUPER is the limiting factor, as the Core Ultra 5 225 has ample headroom to feed frames at lower resolutions.

The Low preset scaling tells an even more revealing story. At 1080p Low, the system hits 214 FPS, which is an exceptionally high number that suggests the CPU is doing heavy lifting to keep the GPU saturated. Dropping to 1440p Low yields 162 FPS, a 24% decline, while 4K Low produces 110 FPS, a further 32% drop. The fact that the percentage declines are nearly identical across presets indicates that the scaling penalty is resolution-driven rather than settings-driven, reinforcing the conclusion that pixel throughput is the dominant constraint.

The Medium preset data includes minimum and maximum frame rates, which offer insight into frame time consistency. At 4K Medium, the average is 78 FPS with a minimum of 66 and a maximum of 90, meaning the frame rate fluctuates by roughly 15% around the average. At 1440p Medium, the average is 115 FPS with a minimum of 98 and a maximum of 133, showing a similar relative spread. At 1080p Medium, the average is 152 FPS with a minimum of 130 and a maximum of 175. The consistency of these ranges suggests that the game's engine maintains stable frame pacing across resolutions, with the variance being proportional to the average rather than worsening at higher pixel counts.

What is particularly striking is the gap between Low and Ultra settings at each resolution. At 1080p, the difference between Low (214 FPS) and Ultra (118 FPS) is 96 FPS, a 45% reduction. At 1440p, the gap narrows to 73 FPS (162 vs 89), and at 4K it shrinks to 50 FPS (110 vs 60). This diminishing gap as resolution increases is a classic sign that the GPU is becoming more saturated, meaning the settings overhead has less relative impact when the rendering pipeline is already at capacity. For users targeting the highest refresh rates, the data suggests that lowering resolution provides far more headroom than lowering quality settings.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with a 5 nm process from TSMC, housing 35,800 million transistors on a 294 mm² die. Its 12 GB of GDDR6X memory operates across a 192-bit bus, delivering 504.2 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU's base clock is 1980 MHz with a boost clock of 2475 MHz, and its 7168 shading units are backed by 224 texture mapping units and 80 raster output units. These specifications position the card solidly in the upper mid-range tier, and the benchmark data confirms it can handle Control at 4K with playable frame rates, though not with extreme headroom.

The VRAM capacity of 12 GB appears sufficient for Control's demands at 4K Ultra, where the system still manages a 60 FPS average. The game's texture and geometry requirements at this resolution do not appear to exceed the memory allocation, as there are no signs of severe frame rate collapse that would indicate VRAM swapping. The 504.2 GB/s memory bandwidth is also adequate for the data throughput required at 4K, as the scaling from 1440p to 4K is consistent with pure pixel count increases rather than memory bandwidth limitations.

The GPU's compute capabilities are substantial, with 35.48 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 224 tensor cores, though Control does not heavily utilize ray tracing or DLSS in the measured data. The boost clock of 2475 MHz is the key frequency for gaming workloads, and the card maintains high utilization across all tested configurations. The 220 W TDP and dual-slot design indicate a card that runs within conventional thermal envelopes, allowing sustained performance without thermal throttling in most chassis configurations.

Comparing the RTX 4070 SUPER to its nearest rivals in the synthetic benchmark database provides context for its gaming performance. The GPU's average benchmark score of 43223 places it within 0.1% of the NVIDIA Quadro M6000 24 GB and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 Mobile, and 0.2% behind the Quadro M6000. The closest competitor, the RTX 4090 Mobile, scores 43667, which is 1% higher. These deltas are small enough that real-world gaming performance would be nearly indistinguishable between these cards, suggesting that the RTX 4070 SUPER is well-positioned in its performance tier.

FAQ

Q: Can this system maintain 60 FPS at 4K with Ultra settings in Control?

A: Yes, the measured data shows a 60 FPS average at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, though this leaves no headroom for demanding scenes, as the minimum frame rate was not recorded for this configuration.

Q: What is the best resolution for high refresh rate gaming with this combo?

A: At 1920x1080 with High settings, the system delivers 135 FPS, which is suitable for 144 Hz displays. For 240 Hz displays, dropping to Low settings at 1080p yields 214 FPS, which is closer to that target.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 has an average benchmark score of 36938, which is nearly identical to the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F at 36945 (0% delta) and 0.2% higher than the AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D at 37018.

Q: Does the GPU have enough VRAM for 4K gaming in Control?

A: The 12 GB of GDDR6X memory appears sufficient, as the system achieves 69 FPS at 4K High and 60 FPS at 4K Ultra without evidence of memory-related stuttering or frame rate collapse.

Q: What is the frame rate consistency like at Medium settings?

A: At 1080p Medium, the system averages 152 FPS with a minimum of 130 and maximum of 175. At 1440p Medium, it averages 115 FPS with a range of 98 to 133. At 4K Medium, it averages 78 FPS with a range of 66 to 90.

Q: How does the CPU's single-thread performance compare to its multi-thread performance?

A: The Core Ultra 5 225 scores 3655 in Cinebench R23 single-core and 25891 in multi-core, while in PassMark it scores 4412 in single-thread and 30459 in multithread, indicating strong single-core performance that benefits gaming.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system shows its full potential. The Low preset produces 214 FPS average, which is the highest measured value across all configurations. Medium settings yield 152 FPS with a minimum of 130 and maximum of 175, providing a solid experience for high-refresh displays. High settings drop to 135 FPS, still comfortably above 120 FPS for smooth gameplay. Ultra settings produce 118 FPS, which is the lowest at this resolution but still well above 60 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra represents a 45% performance reduction, showing that quality settings have a substantial impact at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the performance scales down proportionally. The Low preset delivers 162 FPS, which is 24% lower than at 1080p. Medium settings average 115 FPS with a minimum of 98 and maximum of 133, offering a balanced experience. High settings produce 102 FPS, which remains above the 100 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. Ultra settings average 89 FPS, which is still highly playable and approaches the 90 FPS mark. The gap between Low and Ultra narrows to 45% at this resolution, consistent with the 1080p pattern.

At 3840x2160, the system becomes more constrained. The Low preset yields 110 FPS, which is still remarkably high for 4K and indicates strong CPU headroom. Medium settings average 78 FPS with a minimum of 66 and maximum of 90, providing a playable experience with some variance. High settings drop to 69 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS baseline but requires some compromise in demanding scenes. Ultra settings produce exactly 60 FPS average, which is the threshold for console-like smoothness but offers no margin for error. The overall drop from 1080p Low to 4K Low is 49%, and from 1080p Ultra to 4K Ultra is also 49%, confirming that resolution scaling is consistent regardless of quality preset.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations for Control, this pairing of the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER ranks 438 out of 2888 total combinations. This places it in the 84.8th percentile of all tested systems, meaning it outperforms roughly 85% of configurations while being bested by about 15%. The rank is impressive given that the CPU is a mid-range desktop processor and the GPU is an upper mid-range card, indicating that the combination is well-balanced for this particular game.

The CPU itself ranks in the 85th percentile of all processors, with an average benchmark score of 36938. Its nearest rivals in the synthetic benchmarks are the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F with a score of 36945 (0% delta), the AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D at 37018 (-0.2%), the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 450 at 37093 (-0.4%), and the Intel Core i9-12900T at 37112 (-0.5%). These small deltas suggest that the Core Ultra 5 225 performs essentially on par with these competitors, with no meaningful advantage or disadvantage in raw processing power.

The GPU ranks in the 83rd percentile of all graphics cards, with an average benchmark score of 43223. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA Quadro M6000 24 GB at 43262 (-0.1%), the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 Mobile at 43268 (-0.1%), the NVIDIA Quadro M6000 at 43301 (-0.2%), and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Mobile at 43667 (-1%). The tight clustering of these scores indicates that the RTX 4070 SUPER sits at a performance plateau where many cards deliver nearly identical results.

The combination's rank of 438 out of 2888 suggests that while the individual components are not top-tier, their pairing in Control produces results that are better than the sum of their parts. The high rank relative to the component percentiles indicates that this game responds well to the balance of the Core Ultra 5 225's strong single-thread performance and the RTX 4070 SUPER's substantial rasterization power.

Settings Recommendations

For users with 1080p displays, the High preset at 135 FPS is the recommended starting point, as it delivers smooth gameplay with visual fidelity that is noticeably better than Medium. Those with 144 Hz monitors may prefer the High preset, while users with 240 Hz displays should consider the Low preset at 214 FPS to maximize frame rates. The Medium preset at 152 FPS offers a middle ground that balances quality and speed, though the jump from Medium to High only costs 17 FPS while providing meaningful visual improvements.

At 1440p, the High preset at 102 FPS is the sweet spot for most users, as it stays above the 100 FPS threshold while offering good visual quality. The Medium preset at 115 FPS provides a small performance boost for users who prioritize frame rate over fidelity, while the Ultra preset at 89 FPS is viable for those who want maximum quality and have adaptive sync displays. The Low preset at 162 FPS is unnecessary for most 1440p monitors unless targeting 165 Hz or higher refresh rates.

For 4K displays, the Medium preset at 78 FPS is the recommended configuration, as it provides a substantial improvement over Low while maintaining frame rates well above 60. The High preset at 69 FPS is also viable for users who prefer visual quality, though it leaves less headroom for demanding scenes. The Ultra preset at exactly 60 FPS is only recommended for users with VRR displays who can tolerate occasional drops below 60, as the lack of minimum frame rate data suggests potential instability. The Low preset at 110 FPS is overkill for most 4K displays, which typically max out at 60 or 120 Hz, but it demonstrates the system's capability in less demanding scenarios.

The overall recommendation is to prioritize resolution scaling over settings scaling, as the data shows that dropping from 4K to 1440p yields a 48% performance increase at High settings, while dropping from Ultra to High at 4K only yields a 15% increase. This suggests that users should first select the resolution that matches their display's native capabilities, then adjust settings to hit their target frame rate, with Medium or High being the optimal settings at any resolution for this hardware combination.