Control

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235HX paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Mobile delivers a solid 1080p and 1440p experience in Control, with 4K requiring settings compromises. The data shows a clear scaling pattern where the GPU becomes the limiting factor at higher resolutions, while the CPU’s strong single-thread performance keeps frame rates high at lower settings.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to play Control with this combo?

A: Based on the measured FPS, 2560x1440 offers the best balance. At High settings, it delivers 67 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS target for smooth gameplay. 1920x1080 reaches 88 FPS at High, but 1440p provides a sharper image without a dramatic performance hit.

Q: Can this system handle 4K in Control?

A: Yes, but only with lowered settings. At 3840x2160, the Ultra preset averages 39 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold. Dropping to High yields 45 FPS, while Medium hits 51 FPS. Only the Low preset achieves a playable 71 FPS at 4K.

Q: How does the CPU perform relative to its rivals?

A: The Core Ultra 5 235HX sits in the 91st percentile of all CPUs. Its average benchmark score of 52073 is nearly identical to the AMD EPYC 8124P (52121, -0.1% delta) and the Ryzen 9 5950X (51947, +0.2%). It trails the Core i7-14700 (52301, -0.4%) by a negligible margin.

Q: What is the GPU’s standing compared to other graphics cards?

A: The RTX 4070 Mobile ranks in the 73rd percentile of all GPUs. Its average score of 27435 is essentially tied with the AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT (27425, 0% delta) and slightly behind the RTX 3090 (27565, -0.5%). It outperforms the RTX PRO 4000 Blackwell (27135, +1.1%).

Q: Is the 8 GB VRAM sufficient for Control?

A: The benchmark results indicate that the 8 GB VRAM is not a bottleneck at the tested settings. Even at 4K Ultra, the game runs without hitting a memory wall, as seen in the playable 39 FPS average. The memory bandwidth of 256.0 GB/s appears adequate for this title.

Q: What is the CPU’s boost clock and how does it affect gaming?

A: The Core Ultra 5 235HX has a boost clock of 5.10 GHz. This high frequency contributes to strong single-thread performance, which is critical for games like Control that rely on a few heavily loaded threads. The Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4903 reflects this capability.

Settings Recommendations

For the best experience, the Medium preset at 2560x1440 is the sweet spot. It delivers 75 FPS with a minimum of 64 FPS, ensuring consistent frame pacing without dipping below the 60 FPS refresh rate. This combination provides a visually detailed image while maintaining smooth motion.

At 1920x1080, High settings are recommended. The 88 FPS average is comfortable for any display, and the jump to Ultra only adds a 11 FPS penalty (to 77 FPS), which may not justify the extra visual fidelity. For competitive play, the Low preset at 1080p offers 140 FPS, giving a significant advantage in responsiveness.

Users with a 4K display should stick to the Low preset, which achieves 71 FPS. The Medium setting at 4K dips to 51 FPS, and while the minimum of 43 FPS is still playable, the frame drops are noticeable. The Ultra preset at 4K is not recommended, as the 39 FPS average falls into stutter territory for many players.

The data suggests that the Medium preset at 1440p provides the best overall experience, offering a 75 FPS average with a minimum above 60 FPS. This setup balances visual quality and performance, making it the default recommendation for most users.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K is steep. At High settings, the average FPS drops from 88 at 1920x1080 to 67 at 2560x1440, then to 45 at 3840x2160. This represents a 24% reduction from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 33% reduction from 1440p to 4K.

This pattern indicates that the GPU is the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions. The RTX 4070 Mobile’s 8 GB VRAM and 256.0 GB/s bandwidth are stressed as pixel count increases, with the 4K resolution requiring significantly more fill rate and memory throughput.

At Low settings, the scaling is more linear: 140 FPS at 1080p, 106 FPS at 1440p, and 71 FPS at 4K. This suggests that when the GPU is less burdened by graphical effects, the CPU’s strong performance (boost clock of 5.10 GHz) can keep up, but the GPU still bottlenecks at 4K.

The drop from Medium to Ultra at each resolution reveals the GPU’s limits. At 1440p, Ultra (58 FPS) is 23% slower than Medium (75 FPS). At 4K, Ultra (39 FPS) is 24% slower than Medium (51 FPS). This consistent penalty across resolutions points to a GPU-bound scenario where the RTX 4070 Mobile’s compute resources are saturated.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo ranks 2008th out of 3720 tested combinations in Control, placing it in the 46th percentile of all tested systems. This position indicates that while the setup is capable, it is not near the top of the performance charts, with many higher-end combinations achieving better frame rates.

The rank reflects the balance between the CPU and GPU. The Core Ultra 5 235HX is a strong processor, ranking in the 91st percentile of CPUs, but the RTX 4070 Mobile is only in the 73rd percentile of GPUs. This GPU-centric limitation drags the overall combo ranking down, as Control is heavily GPU-dependent at higher settings.

Compared to other combos, this system sits in the middle of the pack. It outperforms lower-tier configurations with weaker GPUs but falls short of setups featuring desktop-class graphics cards or higher-tier mobile GPUs. The data shows that the combo’s performance is predictable based on its component strengths and weaknesses.

For users considering this combo, the ranking suggests that it is a competent choice for 1080p and 1440p gaming in Control, but it will not excel at 4K. The 2008th rank out of 3720 implies that approximately half of the tested systems perform better, which aligns with the GPU’s mid-range positioning.

GPU Role

The RTX 4070 Mobile is the performance bottleneck in this combo. Its 8 GB of GDDR6 VRAM, running at 16 Gbps effective on a 128-bit bus, provides 256.0 GB/s of bandwidth. This is sufficient for Control at 1080p and 1440p, but the 4K resolution stresses the memory subsystem, as evidenced by the significant FPS drops.

The GPU’s boost clock of 1695 MHz and 4608 shading units deliver 15.62 TFLOPS of FP32 performance. This compute power is well-suited for the game’s physics and particle effects, but the 48 ROPs and 144 TMUs limit fill rate and texture throughput at higher resolutions.

The data shows that the GPU’s performance scales predictably with settings. From Low to Ultra at 1080p, the FPS ranges from 140 to 77, a 45% drop. At 4K, the range is 71 to 39, a 45% drop as well. This consistent scaling indicates that the GPU is not hitting a hard memory limit but rather a compute limit.

The RTX 4070 Mobile’s 73rd percentile ranking reflects its mid-range status. Its average benchmark score of 27435 is on par with desktop-class cards like the RX 6700 XT (27425) and RTX 3090 (27565), but the mobile form factor’s 115 W TDP limits sustained performance compared to desktop counterparts.

The 8 GB VRAM is adequate for Control at the tested settings, with no indication of texture popping or stuttering due to memory overflow. However, users should be cautious about future titles that may require more VRAM, as the 128-bit bus and 8 GB capacity are modest for a modern GPU.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers strong performance across all settings. The Low preset averages 140 FPS, providing a high-refresh-rate experience for competitive play. Medium averages 99 FPS with a minimum of 84 FPS and a maximum of 114 FPS, ensuring smooth gameplay. High averages 88 FPS, while Ultra drops to 77 FPS, still well above the 60 FPS threshold.

At 2560x1440, the performance remains playable but requires careful settings selection. Low averages 106 FPS, offering a smooth experience. Medium averages 75 FPS with a minimum of 64 FPS and a maximum of 86 FPS, which is the recommended preset for this resolution. High averages 67 FPS, close to the 60 FPS target, while Ultra averages 58 FPS, dipping below the ideal threshold.

At 3840x2160, the GPU becomes the clear bottleneck. Low averages 71 FPS, making it the only playable preset for 4K. Medium averages 51 FPS with a minimum of 43 FPS and a maximum of 58 FPS, which may cause noticeable stuttering during intense scenes. High averages 45 FPS, while Ultra averages 39 FPS, both below the 60 FPS target.

The data indicates that the combo’s performance is highly dependent on resolution and settings. At 1080p, all presets are playable, with even Ultra maintaining 77 FPS. At 1440p, the Medium preset is the best choice, offering 75 FPS with a solid minimum. At 4K, only Low provides a smooth experience, with higher settings requiring significant compromises.

The min FPS values at Medium settings across resolutions (84 FPS at 1080p, 64 FPS at 1440p, 43 FPS at 4K) show that frame pacing remains consistent, with no severe drops that would indicate driver issues or thermal throttling. This suggests that the combo is stable under load, with the CPU and GPU working well together.