Control

Control is a 2019 action-adventure title that stresses both the CPU and GPU heavily, and the measured results for the Intel Core Ultra 5 235HX paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Mobile reveal a system that is consistently GPU-bound at higher settings, yet surprisingly responsive to CPU capabilities at lower presets. The data shows a clear hierarchy across resolutions and settings, with the combination ranking in the 55th percentile among all tested combos, indicating a middle-of-the-pack performance profile that leans on its modern architecture rather than raw brute force. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS rows to understand where this laptop configuration excels, where it falls short, and what the numbers imply for gamers targeting specific resolutions.

Resolution Scaling

The most striking observation from the measured FPS is how performance scales from 1080p to 4K, particularly at the High preset. At 1920x1080 High, the system delivers 87 FPS, which drops to 66 FPS at 2560x1440 and further to 44 FPS at 3840x2160. That represents a 24% reduction from 1080p to 1440p, and a 49% reduction from 1080p to 4K, showing that the RTX 5070 Mobile’s 8 GB VRAM and 128-bit memory bus become increasingly taxed as pixel count rises. The scaling is not linear, suggesting that at 1440p High, the GPU is still managing work efficiently, but at 4K High, the frame rate falls below the 60 FPS threshold, indicating a hard limit imposed by the graphics card.

Shifting to the Low preset reveals a different story. At 1920x1080 Low, the system hits 137 FPS, which drops to 104 FPS at 1440p (a 24% decrease) and 70 FPS at 4K (a 49% decrease from 1080p). The percentage drops are nearly identical to High, but the absolute values are much higher, indicating that the Low preset removes enough graphical load to let the CPU and GPU work in better balance. At 4K Low, the 70 FPS average is still playable, but the gap between Low and Ultra at 4K is substantial: 70 FPS versus 39 FPS, a 44% difference that underscores how much headroom the settings menu offers.

The Medium preset shows the system’s sweet spot for consistency, with min FPS values recorded. At 1080p Medium, the average is 98 FPS with a minimum of 83 FPS, while at 1440p Medium, the average drops to 74 FPS with a minimum of 63 FPS. At 4K Medium, the average falls to 50 FPS with a minimum of 42 FPS, which is the only resolution where Medium fails to hold above 60 FPS. This indicates that the limiting component at 4K is the GPU’s memory bandwidth, not the CPU, as the Core Ultra 5 235HX’s 14 cores and 24 MB of L3 cache are more than sufficient for the game’s logic at any resolution.

The Ultra preset paints the clearest picture of GPU limitation. At 1080p Ultra, the system produces 75 FPS, which drops to 57 FPS at 1440p and 39 FPS at 4K. The scaling from 1080p to 4K at Ultra is a 48% reduction, almost identical to the other presets, but the absolute floor is lower, showing that the RTX 5070 Mobile’s 4608 shading units and 48 ROPs are the primary constraint. The data suggests that for 4K gaming, users must accept either Low settings for a smooth 70 FPS or Medium for a choppier 50 FPS, with no preset achieving a locked 60 FPS at that resolution.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Mobile is built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture with a 5 nm process from TSMC, featuring 21,900 million transistors and a die size of 181 mm². Its 8 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 128-bit bus provides 384.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is the likely bottleneck at 4K resolutions. The base clock runs at 907 MHz, boosting to 1425 MHz, and the memory operates at 1500 MHz with 24 Gbps effective speed. These clock speeds are modest compared to desktop counterparts, but the 50 W TDP suggests a power-constrained design that prioritizes efficiency over raw throughput.

In benchmark terms, the GPU scores 20,355 in Passmark G3D, placing it in the 75th percentile among all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti with an average score of 29,945 (delta -0.1%), the RTX 2080 Ti at 29,783 (delta 0.5%), and the AMD Radeon RX 6800 at 30,095 (delta -0.6%). These numbers indicate that the RTX 5070 Mobile performs almost identically to a desktop RTX 3070 Ti, which is impressive for a mobile part, but it also means that 4K gaming will be challenging in a title like Control that uses heavy post-processing and physics effects.

The GPU’s 8 GB VRAM is adequate for 1080p and 1440p at all settings, but at 4K Ultra, the memory capacity becomes a concern. Control’s texture-heavy environments can exceed 8 GB at 4K, leading to potential stuttering or texture pop-in, though the measured FPS doesn’t show catastrophic drops, suggesting the game manages memory within limits. The 128-bit bus is also narrower than some rivals, which explains why the scaling from 1440p to 4K is steep; the bandwidth per pixel is insufficient to maintain high frame rates at 4K.

Interestingly, the GPU’s Passmark DirectX 11 score of 192 and DirectX 12 score of 93 are relatively low compared to its G3D score, implying that the architecture favors modern APIs like Vulkan, where it scores 116,960 in Geekbench. Control uses DirectX 12, and the measured FPS indicates that the RTX 5070 Mobile handles the game’s rendering pipeline well at lower resolutions but hits a wall at 4K, likely due to memory bandwidth rather than compute power.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235HX is a 14-core, 14-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake-HX architecture, manufactured on a 3 nm process by TSMC. Its base clock is 2.90 GHz, boosting to 5.10 GHz, and it features 24 MB of shared L3 cache. In Cinebench R23, it scores 34,731 in multi-core and 4,903 in single-core, placing it in the 91st percentile among all CPUs. Its nearest rivals include the AMD EPYC 8124P (avg score 52,121, delta -0.1%), the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X (avg 51,947, delta 0.2%), and the Intel Core i7-14700 (avg 52,301, delta -0.4%). These scores show that the 235HX is a high-end mobile CPU that competes with desktop parts from previous generations.

In Control, the CPU’s role is evident when comparing Low preset FPS across resolutions. At 1080p Low, the system hits 137 FPS, which is 57% higher than at 1080p High (87 FPS), indicating that the CPU can feed frames fast enough when the GPU isn’t bottlenecked. At 1440p Low, the 104 FPS average is still high, and at 4K Low, 70 FPS shows that even at 4K, the CPU is not the limiting factor for lower settings. The 5.10 GHz boost clock and 14 cores provide ample headroom for Control’s physics-based combat and destructible environments.

The Passmark multi-thread score of 40,849 and single-thread score of 4,683 suggest that the CPU excels in both lightly-threaded and heavily-threaded workloads. Control is known for its use of asynchronous compute and multi-threaded rendering, and the 14 threads allow the CPU to handle background tasks without impacting frame pacing. However, the absence of hyper-threading (14 cores, 14 threads) means that the CPU can’t double its thread count, but the Arrow Lake architecture’s efficient cores likely compensate for this.

The data implies that at 1080p, the CPU is the primary limiter at Low settings, since the GPU can render frames faster than the CPU can process game logic. At 1080p Low, 137 FPS is respectable, but it’s not as high as some desktop CPUs might achieve, suggesting that the 3 nm process and 5.10 GHz boost are working well but are still constrained by laptop thermals or power limits. At higher settings, the GPU takes over as the bottleneck, making the CPU’s performance less critical for overall FPS.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the best experience for a 60 FPS target varies by resolution. At 1920x1080, the Medium preset delivers 98 FPS with a minimum of 83 FPS, which is smooth and leaves headroom for dips. High settings at 1080p produce 87 FPS, still above 60, but the 11 FPS difference between Medium and High is modest, and Ultra drops to 75 FPS, which is still playable but sacrifices some smoothness. For the most consistent experience at 1080p, Medium is the sweet spot, offering a high average with a high minimum, while High is acceptable for those who prioritize visuals.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset averages 74 FPS with a minimum of 63 FPS, which is right at the edge of the 60 FPS threshold. High settings at 1440p drop to 66 FPS, which is still above 60, but the minimum is not recorded, so there is risk of dips below 60. For a locked 60 FPS experience, Medium is the safest choice, as it provides a 11 FPS margin above the target. Ultra at 1440p averages 57 FPS, which is below 60, so it’s not recommended for competitive play but might be acceptable for slower-paced exploration.

At 3840x2160, no preset achieves a solid 60 FPS average. Medium averages 50 FPS with a minimum of 42 FPS, which is playable but not smooth. Low settings average 70 FPS, which is above 60, but the visual quality is significantly reduced. For 4K, the data suggests that players must choose between Low for performance or Medium for fidelity, with High and Ultra being too demanding at 44 FPS and 39 FPS respectively. Given that Control is a story-driven game, a 50 FPS average on Medium might be acceptable, but for action sequences, Low is the only viable option for maintaining a high frame rate.

The Ultra preset is not recommended at any resolution above 1080p, as it drops below 60 FPS at 1440p and below 40 FPS at 4K. The performance gap between Medium and Ultra is 23 FPS at 1080p (98 vs 75), 17 FPS at 1440p (74 vs 57), and 11 FPS at 4K (50 vs 39), showing diminishing returns as resolution increases. For most users, Medium offers the best balance of visual quality and performance, with High being a viable alternative for those with G-Sync or adaptive sync monitors.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235HX and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Mobile combination ranks 2056 out of 3720 tested combos in Control, placing it in the 55th percentile. This means that slightly more than half of all tested systems outperform this configuration, but it also means that nearly half are slower. The ranking reflects a balanced but not exceptional setup, where the CPU’s high percentile (91st) is offset by the GPU’s lower percentile (75th), resulting in a middle-of-the-pack overall score.

In terms of raw benchmark scores, the CPU’s average benchmark score of 52,073 is only 0.2% higher than the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X, and the GPU’s average score of 29,928 is nearly identical to the RTX 3070 Ti (29,945). This suggests that the combo performs like a high-end desktop from a few years ago, but in a laptop form factor. The ranking indicates that for Control specifically, the combination is slightly below the average of all tested systems, which might be due to the game’s heavy VRAM usage at higher resolutions.

The combo’s rank is likely influenced by the GPU’s 8 GB VRAM and 128-bit bus, which are limiting factors in a game that pushes memory bandwidth. The CPU’s 14 cores and 5.10 GHz boost are more than sufficient, but the GPU’s performance at 4K drags down the overall average. If the same CPU were paired with a higher-tier GPU, the rank would likely improve, but as measured, this combo is a mid-range performer that excels at 1080p and 1440p but struggles at 4K.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers the following averages: Low at 137 FPS, Medium at 98 FPS (min 83, max 112), High at 87 FPS, and Ultra at 75 FPS. The 62 FPS gap between Low and Ultra highlights the impact of settings on performance, with Medium offering the best balance of smoothness and visual quality. At 2560x1440, the averages are: Low at 104 FPS, Medium at 74 FPS (min 63, max 85), High at 66 FPS, and Ultra at 57 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is consistent across settings, averaging about 25%, but the absolute values remain playable for most presets.

At 3840x2160, the averages are: Low at 70 FPS, Medium at 50 FPS (min 42, max 57), High at 44 FPS, and Ultra at 39 FPS. The 4K results show a dramatic falloff, with even Low settings barely maintaining 70 FPS, and Ultra dropping below 40 FPS. The min FPS values for Medium at 4K (42 FPS) and 1440p (63 FPS) indicate that the system can experience significant dips during intense scenes, but the averages are stable enough for most gameplay.

The data shows that the system is capable of 60+ FPS at 1080p and 1440p for all settings except Ultra at 1440p, and at 4K, only Low achieves 60+ FPS. For a game like Control, which features fast-paced combat and physics-based destruction, maintaining a high minimum FPS is important, and the Medium preset at 1440p provides the best mix, with a 63 FPS minimum that stays above the 60 FPS target.

FAQ

Q: Can this combination run Control at 4K with a stable 60 FPS?

A: No. The measured data shows that at 3840x2160, the highest average FPS is 70 on Low settings, but Medium drops to 50 FPS with a minimum of 42 FPS. High and Ultra are even lower at 44 FPS and 39 FPS, respectively, so 4K 60 FPS is not achievable on any preset.

Q: What is the best setting for a 1440p gaming experience?

A: The Medium preset at 2560x1440 provides an average of 74 FPS with a minimum of 63 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS target. High settings average 66 FPS but lack a recorded minimum, so Medium is the safer choice for consistent performance.

Q: How does the RTX 5070 Mobile compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The GPU’s average benchmark score of 29,928 is nearly identical to the RTX 3070 Ti (29,945, delta -0.1%) and the RTX 2080 Ti (29,783, delta 0.5%). It is also close to the AMD Radeon RX 6800 (30,095, delta -0.6%), indicating similar performance levels.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck at 1080p Low settings?

A: At 1920x1080 Low, the system achieves 137 FPS, which is the highest measured value. Since the GPU can render frames faster than the CPU can process game logic, the CPU is likely the limiting factor at this setting, but the 5.10 GHz boost clock keeps it competitive.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded for this combo?

A: The only preset with recorded minimum and maximum FPS is Medium. At 1080p, the minimum is 83 FPS, at 1440p it’s 63 FPS, and at 4K it’s 42 FPS. These values indicate the system’s ability to handle frame rate dips during intense scenes.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested systems?

A: The combination ranks 2056 out of 3720 tested combos, placing it in the 55th percentile. This means it performs better than 55% of systems but worse than 45%, reflecting a mid-range position for Control.