Control

Intel Core Ultra 5 245 pairs with AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT to produce a mid-pack result in Control, ranking 1036th out of 2888 tested combos. This places the pairing in the 36th percentile of all configurations, indicating that while it handles the game comfortably at mainstream resolutions, it does not lead the field. The data shows a system that is well-balanced for 1080p and 1440p play, with 4K requiring settings compromises to stay fluid.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 1036 out of 2888 tested configurations places it in the upper-middle tier of all hardware pairings measured in Control. This percentile positioning suggests that the combination of the Core Ultra 5 245 and RX 7700 XT delivers a consistent experience, but it is not among the elite setups that dominate the leaderboard. The Intel processor's average benchmark score of 48995 puts it in the 90th percentile against all CPUs, while the GPU's average score of 22549 places it in the 67th percentile against all GPUs. The CPU is clearly the stronger component relative to its peers, which becomes relevant when analyzing bottleneck behavior at lower resolutions.

When compared to its nearest rivals, the CPU is virtually tied with the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G and AMD Ryzen 9 7900, sitting just 0.4% and 0.5% below them respectively. It edges out the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H by 0.6% and the Intel Core i5-14600K by 0.8%. These narrow margins indicate that the processor's compute performance is competitive with a wide range of alternatives, though none of these differences would be perceptible in gaming. The GPU's nearest rivals show similar tight clustering: the RX 7700 XT trails the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Mobile by 0.8% and the RTX 2080 by 1.5%, while leading the RTX 5060 Mobile by 0.5% and the RX 5700 by 1.7%. This grouping suggests that the graphics card performs in line with several previous-generation and current mid-range options.

Given that Control is an Action Adventure title from 2019, the measured frame rates reflect a game that is moderately demanding by modern standards. The combo rank indicates that this hardware pairing is far from the fastest available, yet it achieves playable performance across all tested settings and resolutions.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT brings 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, yielding 432.0 GB/s of bandwidth. This memory configuration is sufficient for Control's textures and effects at 1440p, and even at 4K the 12 GB capacity does not appear to be a limiting factor based on the measured results. The GPU's clock behavior shows a boost clock of 2544 MHz and a game clock of 2171 MHz, with a base clock of 1435 MHz. These clocks allow the card to sustain high throughput, as reflected in its 35.17 TFLOPS of FP32 performance.

The GPU's rendering capabilities include 3456 shading units, 216 texture mapping units, and 96 raster output units. The pixel rate of 244.2 GPixel/s and texture rate of 549.5 GTexel/s are relevant to how quickly the card can fill frames in a game like Control, which features physics-based destruction and particle effects. The 54 ray tracing cores are present but the measured data does not indicate whether ray tracing was enabled in any test, so their impact on these specific frame rates is not quantified.

The GPU's 67th percentile ranking against all GPUs, combined with its average benchmark score of 22549, confirms that it is a solid mid-range performer. The nearest rivals include the RTX 2080, which is a previous-generation high-end card, and the RX 5700, which is an older mid-range option. The RX 7700 XT's position between these cards in average score suggests it offers comparable or slightly better performance than both, depending on the workload.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of scaling from 1080p to 4K. At High settings, the average frame rate drops from 102 FPS at 1920x1080 to 77 FPS at 2560x1440, then to 52 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 24.5% decrease from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 32.5% decrease from 1440p to 4K. The scaling is consistent with a GPU-bound scenario at higher resolutions, where the rendering load increases faster than the CPU's ability to feed frames.

At Low settings, the drop is steeper in percentage terms: 162 FPS at 1080p falls to 123 FPS at 1440p (a 24.1% decrease) and then to 83 FPS at 4K (a 32.5% decrease). The fact that Low settings at 1080p produce 162 FPS while High settings at the same resolution produce only 102 FPS suggests that the GPU is the primary limiter even at lower resolutions, since the CPU would need to be exceptionally strong to push beyond that mark. The Core Ultra 5 245's single-thread performance, evidenced by its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4648, is sufficient to drive high frame rates, but the 162 FPS ceiling at Low settings indicates the GPU is saturating before the CPU becomes a constraint.

At Medium settings, the only tier with min and max FPS data, the frame rates show tighter consistency. At 1080p, the average is 115 FPS with a minimum of 98 and maximum of 133. At 1440p, the average drops to 87 FPS with a minimum of 74 and maximum of 100. At 4K, the average is 59 FPS with a minimum of 50 and maximum of 68. The relatively small spread between min and max FPS at each resolution suggests stable frame pacing, which is important for a game with the action-oriented combat of Control.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to maintain 60+ FPS?

A: The data shows that at 2560x1440 with High settings, the average FPS is 77, which exceeds 60 FPS. At 3840x2160, only Low settings achieve an average above 60 FPS at 83 FPS, while Medium averages 59 FPS and High averages 52 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 has an average benchmark score of 48995, placing it 0.4% below the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G, 0.5% below the AMD Ryzen 9 7900, 0.6% above the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H, and 0.8% above the Intel Core i5-14600K.

Q: Does the GPU bottleneck the CPU at 1080p?

A: The evidence suggests yes. At 1080p Low settings, the average FPS is 162, which is high but not indicative of CPU saturation. The CPU's percentile rank of 90th overall suggests it can handle more, but the GPU's 67th percentile rank and the frame rates observed indicate the graphics card is the limiting factor.

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

A: At 2560x1440, Low settings average 123 FPS while Ultra settings average 67 FPS. This 56 FPS difference represents a 45.5% reduction in performance when moving from the lowest to the highest quality preset.

Q: Is this combo ranked high among all tested configurations?

A: The combo ranks 1036th out of 2888 tested combos, placing it in the 36th percentile. This is a mid-pack result, meaning the majority of tested configurations perform better, but a significant portion also perform worse.

Q: How much VRAM does the GPU have and is it sufficient?

A: The RX 7700 XT has 12 GB of GDDR6 memory with 432.0 GB/s bandwidth. Given that the game runs at playable frame rates even at 4K, the VRAM capacity does not appear to limit performance in Control.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and frame rate preference. For 1080p gaming, High settings deliver 102 FPS average, which is smooth for most displays. Those with high refresh rate monitors can drop to Low settings for 162 FPS, but this sacrifices visual quality for marginal gains. Medium settings at 1080p provide 115 FPS with a minimum of 98, ensuring no drops below 60 FPS even in demanding scenes.

At 1440p, High settings at 77 FPS is the recommended balance between visual fidelity and performance. This is comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold and offers better image quality than Medium, which averages 87 FPS. Ultra at 67 FPS is also playable, but the 10 FPS difference between Ultra and High may not justify the additional graphical load. Low settings at 1440p push the average to 123 FPS, which is only necessary for competitive play or high refresh rate monitors.

For 4K gaming, the choices are more constrained. Low settings at 83 FPS is the only preset that averages above 60 FPS. Medium settings at 59 FPS is borderline, with a minimum of 50 FPS indicating occasional dips below the 60 FPS threshold. High settings at 52 FPS and Ultra at 45 FPS are not recommended for a consistent experience. Players prioritizing smooth gameplay at 4K should use Low settings, while those willing to accept lower frame rates can use Medium for better visuals.

The data shows that Medium settings offer the most consistent frame pacing, as evidenced by the min and max FPS values across all resolutions. At 1080p, the min of 98 FPS ensures no stutter, while at 1440p the min of 74 FPS remains above 60. At 4K, the min of 50 FPS indicates some drops, but the overall experience is still playable.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 is a 14-core, 14-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture, manufactured on a 3 nm process by TSMC. With a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.10 GHz, the CPU delivers strong single-thread performance, as evidenced by its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4648 and PassMark single-thread score of 4394. These scores place the processor in the 90th percentile against all CPUs, confirming its capability to handle modern gaming workloads.

The CPU's multi-core performance is equally notable, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32924 and a PassMark multithread score of 38706. This multi-threaded capability is not heavily utilized by Control, which is primarily a single-threaded game, but it ensures that any background tasks or streaming workloads do not interfere with frame delivery. The 24 MB of shared L3 cache and 3 MB L2 cache per core provide ample data storage for game assets, reducing latency in memory access.

In the context of this combo, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and physics calculations. The measured frame rates at 1080p Low settings (162 FPS) suggest that the CPU is not the bottleneck in this configuration, as the GPU reaches its limit first. The nearest rival comparison shows the CPU is within 1% of several alternatives, indicating that swapping to a different processor would not yield significant frame rate changes in this game. The CPU's 65 W TDP and support for DDR5 memory with 102.4 GB/s bandwidth ensure it does not starve the GPU of data.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the RX 7700 XT delivers its highest frame rates. Low settings average 162 FPS, which is the fastest result across all tests. Medium settings average 115 FPS with a minimum of 98 and maximum of 133, providing a smooth experience with a narrow frame time variance. High settings average 102 FPS, while Ultra settings average 89 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a 73 FPS drop, representing a 45.1% reduction in performance. All presets at this resolution maintain average frame rates above 60 FPS, making 1080p the most versatile option for this combo.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates remain playable across all settings. Low settings average 123 FPS, which is still high enough for fast-paced action. Medium settings average 87 FPS with a minimum of 74 and maximum of 100, ensuring no drops below 60 FPS. High settings average 77 FPS, providing good visual quality at a smooth frame rate. Ultra settings average 67 FPS, which is just above the 60 FPS threshold. The drop from Low to Ultra at this resolution is 56 FPS, a 45.5% reduction, similar to the scaling seen at 1080p.

At 3840x2160, the GPU begins to struggle with higher presets. Low settings average 83 FPS, which is the only preset above 60 FPS. Medium settings average 59 FPS with a minimum of 50 and maximum of 68, meaning the frame rate dips below 60 FPS during demanding scenes. High settings average 52 FPS, while Ultra settings average 45 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra at 4K is 38 FPS, a 45.8% reduction, consistent with the scaling observed at other resolutions. The 4K results indicate that this combo is best suited for Low or Medium settings at this resolution, with Medium offering better visuals at the cost of occasional frame drops.

The data across all resolutions shows a consistent pattern: the RX 7700 XT scales predictably with resolution and settings changes, and the Core Ultra 5 245 provides sufficient CPU headroom to avoid bottlenecking. The combination is well-matched for 1080p and 1440p gaming, with 4K being achievable only at lower quality presets.