Control

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235HX paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Mobile delivers a solid, if not spectacular, experience in Control, with the data showing a clear emphasis on high-refresh 1080p gaming rather than high-resolution pushes. Benchmark results indicate this combo ranks in the 66th percentile among all tested systems in this title, placing it ahead of the majority but not at the top tier. The GPU is the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions, while the CPU provides ample headroom for the game's physics and logic.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo holds the 2472nd position out of 3720 tested combinations in Control, placing it squarely in the upper-middle class of gaming systems. This rank is a direct reflection of the hardware's balanced but not elite capabilities. The GPU, the RTX 5060 Mobile, sits at the 67th percentile against all GPUs in the database, with an average benchmark score of 22435. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT (delta -0.5%), the AMD Radeon RX 5700 (delta 1.2%), the AMD Radeon RX 6700S (delta 1.3%), and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Mobile (delta -1.3%). This indicates the 5060 Mobile is essentially neck-and-neck with the RTX 4060 Mobile, trailing by a mere 1.3% in aggregate scores, while holding a slight edge over the Radeon options. The performance is consistent, with no single metric showing a dramatic outlier.

The CPU, the Intel Core Ultra 5 235HX, is a stronger performer relative to its own field. It ranks in the 91st percentile against all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 52073. Its nearest rivals include the AMD EPYC 8124P (delta -0.1%), the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X (delta 0.2%), the Intel Core i7-14700 (delta -0.4%), and the Intel Core i9-13900F (delta 0.7%). The deltas here are incredibly tight, all within a single percentage point, suggesting the 235HX offers desktop-class multi-threaded performance. In Control, this CPU strength ensures that the game's asynchronous physics and complex scene logic are handled with ease, but the overall combo rank is dragged down by the GPU's mid-tier standing. The data shows a system that is well-balanced for 1080p gaming, where the CPU can feed the GPU effectively, but it will struggle to maintain high frame rates at 4K.

Settings Recommendations

For the best balance of visual fidelity and smooth gameplay, the Medium preset is the clear winner in the measured data. At 1920x1080, Medium produces an average of 86 FPS, with a minimum of 73 and a maximum of 99. This is a significant jump from the High preset's 76 FPS average, and it does so while still providing a noticeable improvement over Low's 121 FPS, which sacrifices too much visual quality. The Medium preset delivers a 13% performance uplift over High at 1080p, making it the sweet spot for maintaining a high refresh rate without dropping to the most basic visual settings.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset again proves to be the most viable option. It achieves an average of 65 FPS, with a minimum of 55 and a maximum of 75. While this is below the 60 FPS target for some, the minimums being in the mid-50s means gameplay remains largely fluid. The High preset at this resolution drops to 58 FPS average, which is playable but less consistent. At 3840x2160, even Medium falls to 44 FPS average, indicating that 4K gaming is only feasible on the Low preset, which hits 62 FPS. For the best experience, users should start with Medium at 1080p or 1440p and only consider High if they prefer visual fidelity over frame rate stability.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals a clear GPU-bound scenario. At the Medium preset, the average FPS drops from 86 at 1920x1080 to 65 at 2560x1440 (a 24% decrease) and then to 44 at 3840x2160 (a 49% decrease from 1080p). This steep decline as resolution increases is a classic sign that the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Mobile is the limiting component. The CPU's performance is not the bottleneck; its high percentile rank and strong benchmark scores show it can handle the game's logic at any resolution.

The data also shows that the performance cost of moving from 1440p to 4K is more severe than moving from 1080p to 1440p. This is consistent with the pixel count increase: 4K has 2.25 times the pixels of 1440p, while 1440p has 1.78 times the pixels of 1080p. The GPU's memory bandwidth of 384.0 GB/s and 8 GB of GDDR7 memory are likely being pushed to their limits at 4K. The fact that the Low preset at 4K achieves 62 FPS, which is close to the High preset at 1440p (58 FPS), underscores that the GPU's raw throughput is the primary hurdle. Users should target 1080p or 1440p for this combination to fully leverage the CPU's capabilities.

Measured FPS Breakdown

1920x1080: The resolution where this combo shines. The Low preset delivers an average of 121 FPS, providing an exceptionally smooth experience for fast-paced action. Medium is the recommended sweet spot, with an average of 86 FPS and a minimum of 73 FPS, ensuring no significant drops. High follows at 76 FPS average, and Ultra trails at 66 FPS average. All presets are playable, but the gap between Low and Medium is substantial (a 35 FPS difference), while the gap from Medium to Ultra is a more moderate 20 FPS.

2560x1440: Performance is still respectable, but the GPU begins to show its limits. Low produces an average of 91 FPS, which is excellent for a higher-resolution panel. Medium averages 65 FPS with a minimum of 55 FPS, which is the baseline for a good experience. High drops to 58 FPS average, and Ultra falls to 50 FPS average. The data suggests that Medium is the highest setting one should use at 1440p to maintain a stable frame rate.

3840x2160: This is the resolution where the RTX 5060 Mobile struggles. Low is the only preset that provides a consistently playable experience, averaging 62 FPS. Medium drops to 44 FPS (min 37, max 50), which is below the 60 FPS threshold and may feel sluggish. High averages 39 FPS, and Ultra is not recommended, averaging only 34 FPS. The performance cliff between 1440p and 4K is stark, confirming that this combo is not designed for native 4K gaming in Control.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Mobile is the decisive factor in this combo's performance. The GPU has 8 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 384.0 GB/s. This is a moderate amount of bandwidth, and the data shows it is insufficient for maintaining high frame rates at 4K, where texture data demands are highest. The GPU's clocks are set at a base of 952 MHz and a boost of 1455 MHz, which are conservative for a modern mobile part, further limiting its high-resolution prowess.

The GPU's compute capabilities, such as its 9.684 TFLOPS FP32 throughput and 104 tensor cores, are more than adequate for the game's rendering at 1080p. The benchmark results show the GPU has a PassMark G3D score of 18852 and a Geekbench OpenCL score of 96969, placing it in the 67th percentile. Its performance is nearly identical to the RTX 4060 Mobile (delta -1.3%), which is its direct predecessor in NVIDIA's mobile lineup. The GPU's role is clear: it provides enough power for high-refresh 1080p gaming and decent 1440p, but its 8 GB VRAM and bandwidth constraints become the bottleneck at 4K. The 26 RT cores and 104 tensor cores are present, but their impact in Control, which is not heavily reliant on ray tracing in the measured presets, is secondary to raw rasterization performance.

FAQ

*Q: Is this combo good for 1080p gaming in Control?*

A: Yes. The data shows that at 1920x1080, the combo achieves an average of 121 FPS on Low and 86 FPS on Medium, with even the Ultra preset reaching 66 FPS. This ensures a smooth experience across all settings.

Q: Can this setup handle 4K resolution?

A: Not well. At 3840x2160, only the Low preset provides a playable average of 62 FPS. The Medium preset drops to 44 FPS, and Ultra falls to 34 FPS, indicating the GPU is not powerful enough for native 4K gaming.

Q: What is the best settings preset for a balance of quality and performance?

A: The Medium preset is the best choice. At 1080p, it yields 86 FPS average, and at 1440p, it yields 65 FPS average. This provides a significant visual upgrade over Low while maintaining high frame rates.

Q: How does the RTX 5060 Mobile compare to the RTX 4060 Mobile in this game?

A: According to the benchmark data, the RTX 5060 Mobile is slightly slower than the RTX 4060 Mobile, with a delta of -1.3% in average benchmark scores. The performance in Control is expected to be very similar.

Q: Is the CPU a bottleneck for this GPU?

A: No. The Intel Core Ultra 5 235HX ranks in the 91st percentile among all CPUs, and its performance is on par with desktop processors like the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X. The FPS drops at higher resolutions are attributed to the GPU, not the CPU.

Q: What is the minimum FPS on the Medium preset?

A: The minimum FPS on the Medium preset is 73 at 1080p, 55 at 1440p, and 37 at 4K. This shows frame pacing is stable at lower resolutions but becomes inconsistent at 4K.