Control

Control with the Intel Core Ultra 5 235 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER presents a clear case of a system where the GPU dictates the playable experience. The data indicates a capable 1080p performer that scales predictably with resolution, but the ceiling for high-refresh or high-fidelity gaming is firmly set by the graphics card. The measured results across the three resolutions provide a straightforward narrative of how these components interact under load.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is substantial, confirming that the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER is the primary bottleneck in this configuration. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 74 FPS at 1920x1080 to 56 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of 18 FPS. Moving to 3840x2160, the average plummets to 38 FPS, which is a 36 FPS drop from the 1080p result. This scaling pattern is typical of a GPU-bound scenario; the CPU has enough headroom to feed the graphics card at lower resolutions, but the rendering load at higher pixel counts overwhelms the RTX 2060 SUPER.

The scaling is even more pronounced when comparing the Low settings presets. At 1920x1080, the system achieves 118 FPS, which is an excellent result for a smooth experience. Dropping to 2560x1440 Low yields 89 FPS, a 29 FPS decline. At 4K Low, the average is exactly 60 FPS, which is half the 1080p figure. This halving of performance from 1080p to 4K underscores that the GPU's raw throughput, rather than any CPU limitation, is the deciding factor. The Intel Core Ultra 5 235, with its 14 cores and boost clock of 5.00 GHz, is not the constraining element in this game.

The data suggests that for a consistent 60 FPS experience, users must be mindful of their resolution and settings combination. At 4K, the only preset that hits the 60 FPS mark is Low. The Medium preset at 4K averages 43 FPS, with a minimum of 36 FPS, indicating noticeable stutter during intense scenes. The gap between Low and Ultra at each resolution is significant; for instance, at 1440p, the difference between Low (89 FPS) and Ultra (49 FPS) is a 40 FPS swing. This wide delta shows that the game's visual fidelity options have a massive impact on the RTX 2060 SUPER's workload.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Control at 60 FPS in 4K?

A: Yes, but only with the Low settings preset, which achieves an average of 60 FPS at 3840x2160. The Medium preset drops to 43 FPS, and High and Ultra fall to 38 FPS and 33 FPS, respectively.

Q: What is the best resolution for a smooth 60+ FPS experience?

A: At 1920x1080, all tested presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra) exceed 60 FPS, with averages of 118, 84, 74, and 65 FPS. At 2560x1440, only the Low preset (89 FPS) and Medium preset (63 FPS) provide an average above 60 FPS.

Q: How does the Ultra preset compare to High at 1080p?

A: The Ultra preset averages 65 FPS, which is 9 FPS lower than the High preset's 74 FPS. This is a 12% performance penalty for the highest visual quality settings.

Q: Is the Intel Core Ultra 5 235 limiting the GPU's performance?

A: Benchmark results indicate the GPU is the limiting factor. The performance scaling from 1080p to 4K is consistent with a GPU-bound workload, and the CPU's benchmark scores (e.g., 14769 in Cinebench R23 multicore) suggest it has ample headroom for this game.

Q: What average frame rate can I expect with Medium settings at 1440p?

A: The measured average is 63 FPS, with a minimum of 54 FPS and a maximum of 73 FPS. This provides a playable experience but may dip below 60 FPS in demanding scenes.

Q: How does the RTX 2060 SUPER's performance compare to its nearest rivals in this context?

A: The GPU's average benchmark score of 18093 is -0.4% behind the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Mobile and -1.5% behind the AMD Radeon RX 460. The performance is statistically similar to these competitors, indicating a tight cluster of GPUs around this performance tier.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER is the decisive component in this pairing, and its specifications directly explain the measured frame rates. With 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, it offers a memory bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s. This bandwidth is adequate for 1080p and 1440p gaming, but the 4K results show its limits. The GPU's boost clock of 1650 MHz and 2176 shading units provide the raw compute power, yet the data shows that at 4K, the rendering pipeline is saturated.

The VRAM capacity is not explicitly the issue at these settings, as the game does not show a catastrophic failure at 4K, but rather a steady decline in performance. The difference between the Low and Ultra presets at 4K (60 FPS vs 33 FPS) highlights how the GPU's texture fillrate and pixel rate (224.4 GTexel/s and 105.6 GPixel/s, respectively) are taxed by higher-quality assets. The RTX 2060 SUPER's position in the 62nd percentile of all GPUs, with a Passmark G3D score of 16462, places it as a solid mid-range performer from the Turing generation.

The GPU's compute capabilities, as shown by a Passmark GPU compute score of 6721, do not translate into a linear FPS advantage in this game. Control's engine appears to favor raw rasterization performance, which the RTX 2060 SUPER provides in sufficient quantities for 1080p. The data shows that the 14 Gbps effective memory speed is not a limiting factor until you push to 4K, where the combination of memory bandwidth and shader output becomes insufficient for High and Ultra presets. For this game, the RTX 2060 SUPER is best treated as a 1080p-high-refresh card or a 1440p-medium card.

How This Combo Ranks

Within the database of tested combinations, this specific pairing of the Intel Core Ultra 5 235 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER ranks 2054 out of 2888 total combos for Control. This places it in the lower third of all tested systems, which is a direct reflection of the GPU's age and tier. The CPU itself is a strong performer, sitting in the 89th percentile of all CPUs with an average benchmark score of 46062, but the combo's rank is dragged down by the graphics card.

Comparatively, the CPU's nearest rivals, such as the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 and the Intel Core i9-13900HX, have nearly identical average scores (46030 and 46098, respectively), with deltas of 0.1% and -0.1%. This indicates that swapping the CPU for a similar-tier part would have a negligible effect on Control's frame rates. The GPU's nearest rivals, including the RTX 3060 Mobile and Radeon Pro 5700, are also within a 1.6% performance delta, meaning that this combo's rank is representative of a broad group of mid-range components.

The rank of 2054 suggests that while the combo is fully capable of playing the game, it is not a high-performance setup by modern standards. For context, being ranked in the 71st percentile of combos means that roughly 29% of tested systems perform worse, but the vast majority of newer or higher-end builds will outperform it. The data implies that this system is suitable for 1080p gaming, but it is not a configuration that will top any performance charts for Control.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its best results across all presets. The Low preset achieves an average of 118 FPS, making it ideal for high-refresh-rate monitors. The Medium preset averages 84 FPS, with a minimum of 71 FPS and a maximum of 96 FPS, providing a stable experience. The High preset averages 74 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 65 FPS. All four presets at 1080p are playable, with the Ultra preset still maintaining a solid 60+ FPS average.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance drops are clear. The Low preset averages 89 FPS, which is still excellent for a 1440p experience. The Medium preset averages 63 FPS, with a minimum of 54 FPS, which may cause occasional hitches. The High preset averages 56 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 49 FPS. At this resolution, the Low and Medium presets are the only viable options for a consistently smooth frame rate.

At 3840x2160, the RTX 2060 SUPER is clearly overmatched. The Low preset averages 60 FPS, which is the only preset to reach that threshold. The Medium preset averages 43 FPS, with a minimum of 36 FPS and a maximum of 49 FPS. The High preset averages 38 FPS, and the Ultra preset drops to 33 FPS. The 4K results show that this resolution is only playable on the lowest settings, and even then, the average is right at the 60 FPS line.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data points to a clear set of recommendations based on your target resolution and refresh rate. For 1080p users, the High preset offers the best balance of visual quality and performance, with an average of 74 FPS. If you have a 144Hz monitor, the Medium preset at 84 FPS or the Low preset at 118 FPS will better utilize the display's capabilities. The Ultra preset, while playable at 65 FPS, offers diminishing returns over High for a 9 FPS loss.

For 1440p, the Medium preset is the recommended choice, as it provides an average of 63 FPS, which is just above the 60 FPS target. The Low preset at 89 FPS is the better option for competitive play or if you prefer a higher frame rate buffer. The High and Ultra presets at 56 FPS and 49 FPS, respectively, are not recommended for a smooth experience, as they fall below the 60 FPS threshold.

For 4K, the only playable option is the Low preset, which averages 60 FPS. The Medium preset at 43 FPS is too inconsistent for a comfortable experience, and the High and Ultra presets are not viable. The data suggests that 4K should be avoided on this setup unless you are willing to accept significant visual compromises. Ultimately, the best experience with this combo is at 1080p with High settings, or 1440p with Medium settings, which delivers a stable and visually appealing result without pushing the GPU past its limits.