Control

Control is a demanding action-adventure title from 2019, and the benchmark data for the Intel Core Ultra 5 235 paired with the AMD Radeon RX 7700 shows a system that is capable of high frame rates at mainstream resolutions, but one that requires specific settings adjustments to maintain smooth performance at 4K. The measured results reveal a clear performance hierarchy across the three tested resolutions and four quality presets, with the data indicating a system that scales predictably with workload. This analysis will break down the CPU and GPU roles, answer common questions, and provide a detailed look at the measured frame rates.

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

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 is a 14-core, 14-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture, built on a 3 nm process. It operates with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. In the context of Control, a game that is typically more reliant on GPU throughput than on multi-core CPU scaling, this processor provides a solid foundation. The data suggests that the CPU is not the primary bottleneck in most tested scenarios, as frame rates vary significantly with resolution and settings, which is a hallmark of GPU-limited performance.

The processor's single-thread performance is a key factor for game logic and physics. Its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2085 and passmark single_thread score of 4516 place it in a competitive position. The CPU's overall percentile rank of 89 against all CPUs indicates it is a high-performing part. When comparing the Intel Core Ultra 5 235 to its nearest rivals based on average benchmark scores, it is effectively in a statistical tie. It is 0.1% faster than the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375, 0.1% slower than the Intel Core i9-13900HX, and 0.2% faster than both the AMD EPYC 4364P and the AMD EPYC 7303. These infinitesimal deltas mean that in a gaming scenario like Control, the choice between these CPUs would not be a determining factor for frame rates.

Looking at the measured FPS, at 1080p with Low settings, the system achieves 148 FPS. This is a high frame rate that suggests the CPU is more than capable of feeding the GPU with draw calls. However, as the resolution increases to 1440p and 4K, the frame rates drop, indicating that the rendering load on the GPU is becoming the limiting factor. The CPU's 24 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR5 memory support provide adequate bandwidth for the game's assets. The processor's TDP of 65 W and its integrated Arc Xe-LPG Graphics 24EU are not directly relevant to the discrete GPU's performance, but they do confirm the CPU's role as a conventional desktop part designed for efficiency. The data does not show a scenario where the CPU's 14 cores are overtaxed; instead, the performance curve aligns with GPU-bound behavior, where the frame rate scales inversely with the number of pixels rendered and the complexity of the settings.

FAQ — 4-6 Q&A pairs answerable from FACT PACK data

Q: What is the best resolution to play Control with this combo for a high refresh rate experience?

A: The data shows that at 1920x1080 with Low settings, the average frame rate is 148 FPS. Even at High settings, the system achieves 93 FPS at 1080p. This suggests that 1080p is the only resolution where the system can consistently push beyond the 100 FPS mark, and only with lower settings.

Q: How much of a performance drop is there when moving from 1080p to 4K?

A: The performance penalty is substantial. At High settings, the frame rate drops from 93 FPS at 1920x1080 to 71 FPS at 2560x1440, and further to 48 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a roughly 48% decrease in average FPS from 1080p to 4K at the High preset.

Q: Which graphics preset provides the highest minimum frame rate at 1440p?

A: The Medium preset at 2560x1440 is the only one with a recorded minimum frame rate of 68 FPS. While the Low preset has a higher average (112 FPS), it lacks a reported minimum, making the Medium preset the only data point with a guaranteed floor at this resolution.

Q: Is the RX 7700's performance in Control closer to the R9 370X or the RTX 3060 Ti based on synthetic benchmarks?

A: According to the average benchmark scores, the AMD Radeon RX 7700 is 0.1% slower than the AMD Radeon R9 370X, which is a negligible difference. It is 1.7% slower than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti. The data shows it is statistically closest to the R9 370X.

Q: What is the average frame rate at the Ultra preset for 3840x2160?

A: At 4K with the Ultra preset, the AMD Radeon RX 7700 achieves an average of 41 FPS. This is the lowest average frame rate recorded in the entire dataset for this combo.

Q: Does the CPU's performance in other benchmarks indicate it will bottleneck the GPU in Control?

A: No. The CPU has an average benchmark score of 46062 and a percentile rank of 89. Its closest rival, the Intel Core i9-13900HX, is only 0.1% faster in aggregate benchmarks. Since the game's frame rates scale heavily with resolution, the data indicates the GPU is the limiting factor in most higher-resolution scenarios.

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

The measured data provides a clear picture of how the system scales across resolutions. At the Low preset, the average frame rate moves from 148 FPS at 1080p to 112 FPS at 1440p, and finally to 76 FPS at 4K. This is a drop of 36 FPS (24.3%) from 1080p to 1440p, and another 36 FPS (32.1%) from 1440p to 4K. The scaling is not linear, but it is consistent. This pattern is classic evidence of a GPU-bound system. The CPU is capable of handling the game logic at 148 FPS, but as the pixel count increases, the GPU's fill rate and shading capabilities become the limiting factor.

At the High preset, the frame rates are 93 FPS at 1080p, 71 FPS at 1440p, and 48 FPS at 4K. The percentage drops are 23.7% from 1080p to 1440p, and 32.4% from 1440p to 4K. The relative drop from 1440p to 4K is similar to the Low preset, suggesting that the GPU is still the primary constraint. However, the absolute frame rates are lower across the board, showing the impact of increased shading quality and texture detail. The Ultra preset shows the most severe scaling, starting at 81 FPS at 1080p, falling to 61 FPS at 1440p, and then to 41 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1440p to 4K is 20 FPS, which is a 32.8% reduction, again reinforcing the GPU-bound nature of the workload.

The fact that the frame rate drops are proportionally similar across all settings when moving from 1440p to 4K strongly suggests that the limiting component is the GPU's raw rendering throughput. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see frame rates plateau at higher resolutions, or at least see smaller percentage drops when going from 1440p to 4K, because the CPU workload would remain constant. Instead, the performance scales directly with the number of pixels, which is a definitive sign that the AMD Radeon RX 7700 is the component determining the final frame rate in this configuration.

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

Based on the measured average frame rates, the optimal settings depend heavily on the target resolution. For 1080p gaming, the High preset at 93 FPS is a strong choice, offering a good balance between visual quality and performance. The Medium preset at 105 FPS is also viable and provides a higher frame rate with a recorded minimum of 89 FPS, which is useful for ensuring smooth gameplay. The Low preset at 148 FPS is the best for maximum responsiveness, but it sacrifices visual fidelity. The Ultra preset at 81 FPS is playable, but the data shows that for a 60 FPS target, the High or Medium presets are safer bets due to their higher average frame rates.

At 1440p, the data suggests that the High preset, with an average of 71 FPS, is the most balanced option. It provides a significant visual upgrade over Low (112 FPS) while maintaining an average frame rate that is above the 60 FPS threshold. The Medium preset at 80 FPS is another excellent choice, and it is the only preset at this resolution with a documented minimum frame rate (68 FPS), making it the most predictable option for consistent performance. The Ultra preset at 61 FPS is right at the edge of playability, and its average is too close to the minimum for comfort in a game with action sequences.

For 4K, the situation is more challenging. The Low preset is the only one that achieves an average frame rate above 60 FPS, hitting 76 FPS. The Medium preset averages 54 FPS, which is playable but might have dips. The High preset averages 48 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 41 FPS. For a smooth 4K experience, the data indicates that the Low preset is the only reliable option for maintaining a frame rate in the 60s. If visual quality is paramount, the Medium preset is the highest setting that stays within a reasonable range of 60 FPS, but it comes with a risk of occasional frame drops.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 5 235 and the AMD Radeon RX 7700 is ranked 1294th out of 2888 tested combos for Control. This places the system in the 55th percentile of all tested configurations, meaning it outperforms more than half of the other combos in the database. This rank is a composite measure, reflecting the performance across all tested resolutions and settings. Given the CPU's high percentile rank (89) and the GPU's more modest percentile rank (58), the overall combo rank is likely pulled down by the GPU's relative performance level.

The rank of 1294 suggests that this is a mid-to-upper-midrange gaming system. It is not a top-tier configuration, but it is far from a low-end one. The system is capable of delivering excellent performance at 1080p and good performance at 1440p, as evidenced by the measured frame rates. The 4K performance is present but not optimal, requiring significant settings reductions to achieve playable frame rates. The data indicates that the combo is well-balanced for 1080p and 1440p gaming, but the GPU becomes the limiting factor when pushing to 4K, which is consistent with the resolution scaling analysis. The rank reflects this balanced nature, positioning the combo in the upper half of the database but not among the elite performers.

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

The following is a complete breakdown of the average frame rates measured in the benchmark data for this system.

1920x1080:

• Low: 148 FPS average.
• Medium: 105 FPS average, with a minimum of 89 FPS and a maximum of 121 FPS.
• High: 93 FPS average.
• Ultra: 81 FPS average.

2560x1440:

• Low: 112 FPS average.
• Medium: 80 FPS average, with a minimum of 68 FPS and a maximum of 92 FPS.
• High: 71 FPS average.
• Ultra: 61 FPS average.

3840x2160:

• Low: 76 FPS average.
• Medium: 54 FPS average, with a minimum of 46 FPS and a maximum of 62 FPS.
• High: 48 FPS average.
• Ultra: 41 FPS average.

The data for the Low, High, and Ultra presets does not include minimum or maximum frame rates, so the analysis relies on the average values. The Medium preset is the only one for which a full range is provided at each resolution. At 1080p, the Medium preset's minimum of 89 FPS is higher than the average of the High preset (93 FPS), indicating that the Medium preset provides a more consistent experience in terms of frame pacing, despite having a lower average. At 1440p, the Medium preset's maximum of 92 FPS is higher than the High preset's average of 71 FPS, while its minimum of 68 FPS is close to the High preset's average. At 4K, the Medium preset's range of 46 to 62 FPS shows that while the average is 54 FPS, the system can dip below 50 FPS, which might be noticeable in fast-paced scenes.

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

The AMD Radeon RX 7700 is based on the RDNA 3.0 architecture and the Navi 32 chip, built on a 5 nm process. It features 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 624.1 GB/s. The GPU has 2560 shading units, 160 TMUs, and 96 ROPs. Its boost clock is 2459 MHz, and the game clock is 2041 MHz. In the context of Control, these specifications are directly responsible for the measured frame rates, especially at higher resolutions and settings.

The 16 GB of VRAM is a significant asset. Control is a game known for its detailed textures and complex environments, and having 16 GB ensures that the GPU does not run out of memory at 4K with high-resolution textures, which would cause stuttering or texture pop-in. The memory bandwidth of 624.1 GB/s is also crucial for feeding the GPU's processing units, particularly at 4K where the data throughput demand is high. The GPU's synthetic benchmark scores show a passmark_g3d score of 20974, placing it in the 58th percentile of all GPUs. Its closest rival, the AMD Radeon R9 370X, has a nearly identical average score (15862 vs 15852), indicating that in synthetic tests, these two are statistically tied.

However, the real-world performance in Control shows a different story. The drop in frame rates from 1080p to 4K at the same settings is a direct result of the GPU's compute capabilities. The FP32 performance of 25.18 TFLOPS and the texture rate of 393.4 GTexel/s are the limits that the game's rendering engine pushes against. At the Ultra preset, the GPU's shading and texture units are saturated, leading to the lowest average frame rates. The GPU's 40 ray tracing cores are present, but their impact on performance is not isolated in this data. The results indicate that the RX 7700 is a capable 1080p and 1440p GPU for this game, but it falls short of providing a high-refresh or high-fidelity 4K experience. The GPU's TDP of 200 W and the suggested 550 W PSU are power considerations, but the benchmark data focuses on the performance outcome, which demonstrates that the GPU is the primary driver of the frame rates seen across all tested configurations.