Control

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti produces a mid-pack combination for Control, ranking 1848th out of 3720 tested combos. This places the pairing in the 50th percentile, meaning roughly half of all tested systems deliver higher average frame rates and half deliver lower ones. The rank reflects a balanced pairing where neither component is a severe bottleneck, but the overall result is constrained by the GPU's performance ceiling at higher resolutions and the CPU's moderate multi-core throughput.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank of 1848 out of 3720 positions this system squarely in the middle of the database's tested configurations for Control. This is not a top-tier setup, but it is far from a weak one; the data indicates a system capable of running the game smoothly at 1080p and playably at 1440p, with 4K being a stretch. The ranking suggests that while the CPU offers strong single-thread performance for its class, the GPU's 8 GB VRAM and Ampere architecture limit the maximum achievable frame rates, particularly when settings are pushed to Ultra. Systems ranked higher typically feature more powerful GPUs or newer architectures, while those ranked lower often have older CPUs or less capable graphics cards. The mid-pack placement implies the combo is well-suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, but it does not compete with high-end rigs at 4K.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is the primary driver of frame rates in this pairing. Its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus provides 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is adequate for Control's textures at 1080p and 1440p, but the VRAM capacity becomes a limiting factor at 3840x2160 with higher settings. The GPU's boost clock of 1665 MHz and base clock of 1410 MHz are typical for the Ampere architecture, and its 4864 shading units handle the game's rendering workload effectively. The measured data shows the GPU's performance scales predictably with resolution: at 1080p Low, the average FPS is 145, dropping to 92 at High and 80 at Ultra. At 1440p, the averages fall to 110 at Low, 69 at High, and 60 at Ultra. At 4K, the GPU begins to struggle, with averages of 74 at Low, 53 at Medium, 47 at High, and 41 at Ultra. The RTX 3060 Ti's percentile rank of 59 among all GPUs indicates it performs better than most, but its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT and Radeon Pro 5600M, which have similar average scores. The GPU's 16.20 TFLOPS of FP32 compute is sufficient for this 2019 title, but the 8 GB VRAM is the key constraint at higher resolutions, as the data shows a consistent drop in FPS when moving from Medium to High at 4K, likely due to memory pressure.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 provides the processing backbone for this combo, and its performance in Control is largely sufficient to avoid bottlenecking the GPU at most settings. With 14 cores and 14 threads, the CPU offers substantial multi-threading capability, though Control is not heavily multi-threaded, meaning the single-thread performance matters more. The boost clock of 5.00 GHz and base clock of 3.40 GHz are high, and the CPU's Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2085 reflects strong per-thread performance, which helps maintain frame pacing. The CPU's average benchmark score of 46062 places it in the 89th percentile among all CPUs, with nearest rivals including the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 and Intel Core i9-13900HX, which have nearly identical average scores. In the measured FPS data, the CPU's role is most apparent at 1080p, where the GPU is less stressed; the jump from 145 FPS at Low to 103 FPS at Medium suggests the CPU can handle high frame rates, but the scaling to 80 FPS at Ultra indicates the GPU becomes the limiting factor. At 4K, the CPU is rarely the bottleneck, as the GPU's frame rates drop to 41-74 FPS, leaving ample headroom for the CPU to process game logic. The CPU's 24 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR5 memory support provide adequate bandwidth for the game's data streams, but the 14-thread count is modest compared to higher-end CPUs, though this does not appear to hinder performance in this title.

FAQ

Q: Is this combo better suited for 1080p or 1440p gaming?

A: The data shows the combo performs well at both resolutions, but 1080p yields higher frame rates. At 1080p High, the average FPS is 92, while at 1440p High, it drops to 69. For a smoother experience with higher settings, 1080p is the better choice, but 1440p is still playable with adjusted settings.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 1440p, the average FPS ranges from 110 at Low to 60 at Ultra. This represents a significant 83% drop in performance when maxing out settings, indicating that Ultra presets are demanding on the GPU.

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

A: The CPU scores 2085 in Cinebench R23 single-core and 14769 in multi-core. The single-core score is relatively strong, which benefits Control, while the multi-core score is moderate, but the game does not heavily utilize all 14 threads.

Q: Does the RTX 3060 Ti's 8 GB VRAM cause issues at 4K?

A: The data suggests yes. At 4K, the average FPS drops from 53 at Medium to 47 at High, a 12% reduction. This likely reflects VRAM capacity limits, as the game's textures at 4K High exceed the 8 GB buffer, causing performance to degrade.

Q: What is the closest rival to the RTX 3060 Ti in terms of benchmark scores?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT has an average score of 16361, which is 1.4% higher than the RTX 3060 Ti's 16129. This makes them nearly equivalent in raw GPU compute, though the RTX 3060 Ti offers newer features.

Q: What is the CPU's rank compared to all other tested CPUs?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 falls in the 89th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 46062. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core i9-13900HX, is only 0.1% faster, indicating the CPU is well-positioned in the mid-range.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear trend in how the combo scales from 1080p to 4K. At 1080p, the average FPS across all settings is 105 (calculated from 145, 103, 92, and 80), while at 1440p, it drops to 79.25 (110, 78, 69, and 60), and at 4K, it falls to 53.75 (74, 53, 47, and 41). This represents an approximate 25% reduction in average FPS from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 32% reduction from 1440p to 4K. The scaling is not linear, indicating that the GPU becomes increasingly stressed as resolution increases. Specifically, the drop from 1080p to 1440p is notable, but the drop from 1440p to 4K is more severe, suggesting the GPU's memory bandwidth and VRAM capacity are the primary bottlenecks at 4K. The CPU's role diminishes at higher resolutions; at 1080p, the CPU can push frame rates above 100 FPS at Low, but at 4K, the GPU limits the frame rate to below 75 FPS even at Low. This pattern confirms that the RTX 3060 Ti is the limiting component at 4K, while the CPU is more relevant at 1080p, where it helps maintain high frame rates.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the optimal settings for this combo depend on the target resolution. At 1080p, the Medium preset offers a strong balance, with an average FPS of 103 and a minimum of 88, ensuring smooth gameplay. The High preset at 92 FPS is also viable, but the jump to Ultra at 80 FPS is a 13% reduction for marginal visual gains. At 1440p, the Medium preset is the best choice, delivering 78 FPS with a minimum of 66, which is playable, while the High preset at 69 FPS is acceptable but closer to the edge of smoothness. The Low preset at 110 FPS is the only option for high refresh rate monitors, but it sacrifices visual fidelity. At 4K, the Low preset is the only playable option, with an average of 74 FPS; Medium at 53 FPS is borderline, and High at 47 FPS is not recommended. The data suggests that Medium settings at 1080p and 1440p provide the best experience, balancing frame rate and visual quality, while 4K requires Low settings for acceptable performance.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its highest frame rates. The Low preset averages 145 FPS, providing a very smooth experience. Medium averages 103 FPS, with a minimum of 88 and a maximum of 119, indicating consistent performance. High averages 92 FPS, which is still smooth. Ultra averages 80 FPS, which is playable but shows a noticeable drop from High. At 2560x1440, the performance scales down. Low averages 110 FPS, still high. Medium averages 78 FPS, with a minimum of 66 and a maximum of 90, which is good for most monitors. High averages 69 FPS, which is playable but less smooth. Ultra averages 60 FPS, which is the minimum for a playable experience. At 3840x2160, the GPU is heavily taxed. Low averages 74 FPS, which is playable. Medium averages 53 FPS, with a minimum of 45 and a maximum of 61, which is borderline. High averages 47 FPS, which is not smooth. Ultra averages 41 FPS, which is below the threshold for comfortable play. The data shows a consistent pattern: each step down in resolution or settings yields a predictable FPS change, but the biggest drops occur when moving from 1440p to 4K, highlighting the GPU's VRAM and bandwidth limitations at high resolutions.