Control

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 and Intel Arc B580 combination ranks in the 25th percentile of tested systems for Control, placing it at position 2173 out of 2888 total combos. This is a mid-to-low tier ranking that reflects a pairing capable of smooth 1080p gameplay but one that struggles to maintain playable framerates at higher resolutions. Benchmark results indicate the Arc B580 is the primary constraint, as the CPU's strong multi-threaded performance is not the limiting factor in this title.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 2173 out of 2888 tested configurations places it in the lower quartile of all systems benchmarked in Control. This ranking is heavily influenced by the GPU's position in the broader hardware landscape; the Arc B580 sits at the 68th percentile among all GPUs, while the Core Ultra 5 235 achieves an 89th percentile ranking among all CPUs. The disparity between these two components reveals a system where processor headroom is abundant but graphics throughput caps overall performance.

In practical terms, this rank means the combination will deliver a competent experience at 1080p with most settings, but it will fall behind a significant majority of competing builds when resolution increases. The measured data shows that even at 1080p Ultra settings, the system produces 62 FPS, which is respectable but not exceptional. The rank also suggests that users prioritizing Control specifically would find more capable options among the top 25% of tested systems, though the components here offer a balanced baseline for less demanding titles.

The CPU's average benchmark score of 46062 places it within 0.1% of the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 and 0.2% of the AMD EPYC 4364P, indicating its processing power is not the bottleneck. Conversely, the GPU's average score of 23021 sits within 0.7% of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 and 0.6% of the RTX 2080, yet its percentile ranking of 68 shows it trails many modern graphics cards. This combination of a top-tier CPU with a mid-range GPU creates the observed rank, where the system's ceiling is defined by graphics performance.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B580 features 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, providing 456.0 GB/s of bandwidth. This memory configuration is sufficient for Control's texture and asset streaming demands at 1080p and 1440p, but the data shows it becomes a limiting factor at 4K where the Ultra preset drops to 32 FPS. The GPU's 2560 shading units, 160 TMUs, and 80 ROPs, paired with a boost clock of 2670 MHz, deliver a peak FP32 throughput of 13.67 TFLOPS, which is modest by contemporary standards.

The measured FPS across settings at each resolution demonstrates the GPU's scaling behavior. At 1080p, the Arc B580 produces 114 FPS on Low, 81 FPS on Medium, 72 FPS on High, and 62 FPS on Ultra. This progression shows a 46% performance drop from Low to Ultra, indicating that the GPU's compute resources are heavily taxed by the higher-quality shaders and effects in Control. The 12 GB VRAM is not the constraint here, as even at 4K Ultra the average FPS of 32 suggests compute limitations rather than memory exhaustion.

The GPU's nearest rivals in average score include the AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP (0.2% faster) and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 (0.6% slower), which places it in a performance class roughly equivalent to older high-end cards. However, the Arc B580's 68th percentile ranking among all GPUs means it falls short of modern mid-range offerings from both AMD and NVIDIA. In Control specifically, this translates to a card that can handle 1440p High at 54 FPS but requires settings reductions to maintain smooth framerates above that resolution.

Resolution Scaling

The benchmark data reveals a clear pattern of performance degradation as resolution increases, with the Arc B580 showing a 44% drop in average FPS from 1080p High (72 FPS) to 1440p High (54 FPS), and a further 31% drop to 4K High (37 FPS). This scaling behavior indicates that the GPU is the limiting component across all tested settings, as the CPU's single-thread performance of 2085 in Cinebench R23 and multi-thread score of 14769 provide ample headroom for the game's physics and logic.

At Low settings, the system achieves 114 FPS at 1080p, 86 FPS at 1440p, and 58 FPS at 4K. The progression from 1080p to 1440p shows a 25% reduction, while moving to 4K incurs an additional 33% drop. This pattern suggests that even at the lowest graphical fidelity, the GPU's pixel throughput and memory bandwidth become increasingly strained as resolution rises. The 456.0 GB/s bandwidth appears adequate for 1080p, but the 4K Low result of 58 FPS indicates that the card is approaching its limits.

The Medium settings provide the most complete data with min and max FPS values. At 1080p Medium, the system averages 81 FPS with a minimum of 69 and maximum of 93. At 1440p Medium, the average drops to 61 FPS with a range of 52 to 70. At 4K Medium, the average falls to 41 FPS with a minimum of 35 and maximum of 48. These figures show that the GPU maintains relatively stable frametimes at 1080p and 1440p, but the 4K results approach the 30 FPS threshold where gameplay becomes noticeably less fluid. The scaling suggests that users targeting 4K should expect to use Low settings or accept sub-60 FPS performance.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to achieve 60+ FPS in Control?

A: The benchmark data shows that 1080p is the only resolution where all settings, including Ultra, maintain an average FPS above 60. At 1440p, only Low settings (86 FPS) exceed 60 FPS, while Medium (61 FPS) barely meets the threshold. At 4K, no settings preset achieves 60 FPS, with Low being the highest at 58 FPS.

Q: How does the Arc B580 compare to the RTX 3080 in this game?

A: The Arc B580's average benchmark score of 23021 is 0.7% lower than the RTX 3080's 23172. In Control, this means the two cards deliver very similar performance, though the measured FPS for the Arc B580 at 1080p High (72 FPS) and 1440p High (54 FPS) indicates that the RTX 3080 would likely produce marginally higher framerates.

Q: Is the Core Ultra 5 235 sufficient for Control's CPU demands?

A: Yes, the CPU's 89th percentile ranking and Cinebench R23 scores of 14769 multi-core and 2085 single-core indicate it is more than capable for this game. The measured FPS scaling across resolutions shows the GPU is the bottleneck, as evidenced by the consistent performance drops when resolution increases.

Q: What settings preset provides the most balanced experience at 1440p?

A: At 1440p, Medium settings average 61 FPS with a minimum of 52 FPS, which offers a smoother experience than High (54 FPS) and Ultra (47 FPS). Low settings at 86 FPS provide the highest framerate but sacrifice visual quality, making Medium the best compromise for playability and fidelity.

Q: Does the 12 GB VRAM on the Arc B580 cause any issues in Control?

A: The data does not indicate VRAM limitations, as the performance scaling from 1080p to 4K follows a pattern consistent with compute and bandwidth constraints. The 12 GB capacity is ample for Control's requirements at all tested settings, with the GPU's 456.0 GB/s bandwidth being the more relevant factor.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to other tested systems?

A: The combination ranks 2173 out of 2888 tested combos, placing it in the lower 25% of systems for Control. This rank reflects the GPU's mid-range performance (68th percentile) rather than the CPU's high-end capabilities (89th percentile), indicating the graphics card is the primary limiter.

Settings Recommendations

For users seeking the best experience with this combo, the benchmark data points to 1080p Medium as the optimal balance of performance and visual quality. At this setting, the system averages 81 FPS with a minimum of 69 FPS, ensuring smooth gameplay without the graphical compromises of Low settings. The jump from Medium to High at 1080p costs 9 FPS on average (81 to 72), which may be acceptable for those prioritizing image quality, but the Ultra preset at 62 FPS still maintains playability.

At 1440p, Medium settings (61 FPS average, 52 FPS minimum) are recommended for a playable experience, though users sensitive to framerate drops may prefer Low settings at 86 FPS. The High preset at 54 FPS and Ultra at 47 FPS dip below the 60 FPS threshold, which can impact the game's fast-paced combat sequences. Given that Control features demanding physics and particle effects, maintaining a minimum FPS above 50 is advisable, which Medium achieves.

At 4K, no settings preset provides a consistently smooth experience, with Low averaging 58 FPS and Medium at 41 FPS. Users with 4K displays should either use Low settings for near-60 FPS performance or reduce the resolution to 1440p. The data suggests that this combo is not well-suited for 4K gaming in Control, as even the lowest settings struggle to maintain high framerates.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 features 14 cores and 14 threads with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and boost clock of 5.00 GHz, built on the Arrow Lake architecture using a 3 nm process. Its Cinebench R23 scores of 14769 multi-core and 2085 single-core demonstrate strong processing capability, and the 89th percentile ranking among all CPUs confirms that it is not a bottleneck in Control. The CPU's 24 MB of shared L3 cache and 102.4 GB/s memory bandwidth provide sufficient data throughput for the game's streaming and AI calculations.

In the measured FPS data, the CPU's influence is evident in the consistency of framerates across different settings at the same resolution. At 1080p, the system maintains average FPS above 60 across all presets, indicating that the CPU can feed the GPU adequately. The scaling from 1080p to 4K shows a 49% drop in FPS at High settings (72 to 37), which is entirely attributable to GPU workload rather than CPU limitations, as the processor's single-thread performance of 2085 in Cinebench R23 is more than sufficient for Control's typical thread utilization.

The CPU's nearest rivals, including the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 (0.1% faster) and Intel Core i9-13900HX (0.1% slower), show that it performs on par with high-end mobile and desktop processors. This level of performance ensures that users upgrading the GPU in the future would see proportional FPS gains, as the CPU has headroom to support more powerful graphics cards. The 65 W TDP also indicates efficient operation, allowing sustained boost clocks during extended gaming sessions without thermal throttling concerns.