Control

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235HX paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Mobile delivers a robust performance profile in Control, a 2019 action-adventure title. This combination exhibits a clear pattern of GPU-bound scaling across resolutions, with frame rates that remain highly playable even at 4K. The data indicates a system that can handle the game’s demanding physics and particle effects with substantial headroom at lower settings.

Resolution Scaling

The measured frame rates show a predictable and steep decline as resolution increases, which is the hallmark of a GPU-limited scenario. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo produces 203 FPS. Moving to 1440p Low drops this to 153 FPS, and at 4K Low, it further descends to 103 FPS. This progression means that every step up in resolution costs roughly 25-33% of the frame rate, a pattern typical for a GPU that is being pushed harder by the pixel count.

Under "High" settings, the same trend is visible but with a more pronounced drop at 4K. The system achieves 128 FPS at 1080p High, 97 FPS at 1440p High, and 65 FPS at 4K High. The step from 1080p to 1440p represents a 24% reduction, while the step from 1440p to 4K is a 33% reduction. This indicates that at 4K, the GPU is working much harder, and the scaling becomes more severe as the highest resolution taxes the GeForce RTX 5090 Mobile's resources.

The Medium preset shows a similar picture: 144 FPS at 1080p, 109 FPS at 1440p, and 73 FPS at 4K. The Ultra preset, the most demanding, yields 111 FPS at 1080p, 84 FPS at 1440p, and 57 FPS at 4K. The consistent pattern across all settings shows that the GPU is the primary limiting factor, as resolution scaling has a direct and expected impact on frame rates.

The data suggests that for this title, the CPU is not the main bottleneck, as the frame rates scale consistently with resolution, which is characteristic of a GPU-bound workload. The RTX 5090 Mobile's 24 GB of VRAM and 896.0 GB/s of bandwidth are sufficient for even the 4K Ultra settings, as the frame rate remains above playable thresholds. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p is generally less harsh than from 1440p to 4K, highlighting the GPU's faster 4K limits.

How This Combo Ranks

In the benchmark database, this specific combination of the Intel Core Ultra 5 235HX and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Mobile is ranked 812th out of 3720 tested combos in Control. This places it in the top 21% of all combinations tested, a strong showing for a mobile platform. The rank reflects a high-performing pairing, where the GPU's power is well matched with the CPU's capability.

The CPU itself, the Core Ultra 5 235HX, has an average benchmark score of 52073, which put it in the 91st percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals in the database include the AMD EPYC 8124P with an average score of 52121 (a delta of -0.1%), the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X with 51947 (a delta of +0.2%), the Intel Core i7-14700 with 52301 (a delta of -0.4%), and the Intel Core i9-13900F with 51730 (a delta of +0.7%). These scores show that the CPU is in the same league as these desktop-class parts, with differences of less than 1% in either direction.

The GPU, the GeForce RTX 5090 Mobile, is in the 84th percentile for all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 45152. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon Pro 5500 XT (avg score 45384, delta -0.5%), the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti (avg score 44795, delta +0.8%), the Intel Arc A730M (avg score 45592, delta -1%), and the NVIDIA RTX 5880 Ada Generation (avg score 45972, delta -1.8%). This shows the mobile GPU is performing at a level comparable to desktop parts, with a slight edge over the RTX 4070 Ti but slightly behind the others.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS recorded for this combo in Control?

A: The highest average FPS is 203 FPS, achieved at 1080p with Low settings.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the main limiting factor in this game?

A: The data suggests the GPU is the main limiting factor, as frame rates scale consistently with resolution. The CPU is not the bottleneck, as the same GPU shows a significant frame rate drop when moving to higher resolutions.

Q: How does the RTX 5090 Mobile compare to its rivals in this database?

A: The GPU is in the 84th percentile for all GPUs. Its nearest rival is the AMD Radeon Pro 5500 XT, which has a delta of -0.5% in average score, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti is +0.8% higher.

Q: What is the rank of this specific combo in Control?

A: The combo ranks 812th out of 3720 total combos tested in the game.

Q: What is the lowest average FPS recorded for this combo?

A: The lowest recorded average FPS is 57 FPS, which occurs at 4K with Ultra settings.

Q: How much of a frame rate drop is seen when going from 1080p to 1440p at High settings?

A: The frame rate drops from 128 FPS to 97 FPS, a 24% decrease, when moving from 1080p to 1440p.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for this combo is a complete set of average frame rates across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1080p, the frame rates are 203 FPS on Low, 144 FPS on Medium, 128 FPS on High, and 111 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset also recorded a minimum FPS of 122 and a maximum of 165 FPS, a range suggesting some variance in frame times.

At 1440p, the average FPS are 153 on Low, 109 on Medium, 97 on High, and 84 on Ultra. The Medium preset again shows a min and max of 93 and 125 FPS, respectively. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 50 FPS on Low, 35 FPS on Medium, 31 FPS on High, and 27 FPS on Ultra.

At 4K, the frame rates are 103 on Low, 73 on Medium, 65 on High, and 57 on Ultra. The Medium preset has a minimum of 62 FPS and a maximum of 85 FPS. The drop from 1440p to 4K is 29 FPS on Low, 36 FPS on Medium, 32 FPS on High, and 27 FPS on Ultra.

This data shows that the Ultra preset at 4K is the most demanding, with a 57 FPS average, while the Low preset at 1080p is the least demanding, with a 203 FPS average. The differences highlight the GPU's ability to handle up to 4K, but not always at the highest settings.

Settings Recommendations

For a 60 FPS target at 4K, the data shows that the Medium preset is a solid choice, with a 73 FPS average, and the minimum recorded is 63 FPS. This provides a smooth experience with some headroom for demanding scenes. The High preset at 4K averages 65 FPS, but dips might be noticeable, as the minimum is not recorded. The Ultra preset at 4K averages 57 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target, so it may not be ideal for the most demanding scenes.

At 1440p, the High preset offers an average of 97 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS target and suitable for high refresh rate gaming. The Ultra preset at 1440p averages 84 FPS, which is also smooth. The Medium preset at 1440p averages 109 FPS, but the min of 93 FPS indicates it can dip slightly. For the best visual quality, the Ultra preset at 1440p is a strong option.

At 1080p, the High preset averages 128 FPS, which is excellent for high refresh rate displays. The Ultra preset averages 111 FPS, also a good choice. The Medium preset at 1080p has a min of 122 FPS, which is also a good baseline. The Low preset at 1080p averages 203 FPS, but the visual quality is reduced, so it is recommended only for maximum frame rate.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235HX is a 14-core, 14-thread processor with a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 5.10 GHz. It has a 24 MB shared L3 cache and supports DDR5 memory with a dual-channel bus, offering a memory bandwidth of 102.4 GB/s. This CPU is part of the Core Ultra Series 2, based on the Arrow Lake architecture and built on a 3 nm process from TSMC.

In Control, the CPU's role is less critical than the GPU. The game is a GPU-bound title, as evident from the frame rate scaling with resolution. The 14 cores and high boost clock ensure that the CPU is not a bottleneck, providing enough headroom to feed the GPU at all settings.

The CPU's benchmark scores are strong: it achieves a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 34731 and a single-core score of 4903, which puts it in the top 91st percentile for all CPUs. It also performs well in PassMark's multi-thread test with a score of 40849. These results indicate that the CPU is more than capable of handling Control's CPU demands, which are typical for a game from 2019.

The CPU's memory bandwidth of 102.4 GB/s is also sufficient for the game's data needs at 1080p and 1440p, but the 4K the GPU is the main driver.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Mobile is a high-end mobile GPU with 24 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 896.0 GB/s. It has a base clock of 990 MHz and a boost clock of 1515 MHz. The GPU is based on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture and uses a 5 nm process, with a die size of 378 mm² and 45,600 million transistors.

In Control, the GPU is the primary driver of performance. The 24 GB of VRAM ensures that even at 4K Ultra, there is plenty of memory for textures. The 896.0 GB/s bandwidth is ample for the game's data transfer needs at all settings. The GPU's 10496 shading units and 112 ROPs are put to work in this title, especially at higher resolutions.

The GPU's benchmark results show a PassMark G3D score of 30034 and a Geekbench OpenCL score of 201834, which put it in the 84th percentile for all GPUs. The data shows that the RTX 5090 Mobile can handle Control's game at 4K, but the user may need to adjust settings to maintain a consistent frame rate. The GPU is the main component in this combo, and its performance dictates the overall experience.

The GPU's 448.10 GB/s bandwidth (from the FACT PACK, but it's 896.0 GB/s as per the memory bandwidth) is double the CPU's memory bandwidth, which is a sign of a balanced system. The GPU is designed for high-resolution gaming, and the data confirms that it can handle 4K with Medium settings at a playable frame rate.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Mobile is the dominant component in this combo. With 24 GB of GDDR7 memory and a 256-bit bus, the GPU has a memory bandwidth of 896.0 GB/s. This is a substantial amount of bandwidth, allowing the GPU to handle the large textures and effects at 4K resolutions without a performance penalty.

The GPU's clock speeds are 990 MHz base and 1515 MHz boost, which are moderate for a laptop GPU. The low power consumption of 95W is a factor, but the performance is still high. The GPU's 10496 shading units and 328 TMUs are well-suited for the game's particle effects and rendering tasks.

In Control, the GPU's performance is the main factor in frame rates. The data shows a clear frame rate drop when moving from 1080p to 4K, which is a classic GPU-bound scenario. The GPU's performance is also reflected in its benchmark scores, with a PassMark G3 score of 30034 and a Geekbench OpenCL score of 201834. These numbers indicate a high level of GPU compute performance.

The GPU's 84th percentile rank and an average benchmark score of 45152 show that it is a top-tier mobile GPU, but not the absolute fastest. The nearest rivals in the database are the AMD Radeon Pro 5500 XT, which is -0.5% slower, and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti, which is +0.8% faster. This means the RTX 5090 Mobile is in the same performance ballpark as a mid-range desktop GPU, which is impressive for a laptop.

Conclusion

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235HX and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Mobile pairing is a strong combination for Control, with the GPU being the main factor in performance. The frame rates are playable across all resolutions and settings, with the exception of 4K Ultra, which is still above 50 FPS. The GPU's 24 GB memory is a significant advantage for high resolution textures. The CPU's 14 cores and high clock speed ensure it doesn't hold the GPU back. The data indicates that for the best balance of visuals and performance, the 1440p Ultra or 1080p High presets are the recommended choices.