Control

The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 paired with the AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT delivers a strong 1080p and 1440p experience in Control, with 4K remaining playable if you are willing to drop settings. The data shows a combination that is well-balanced for this title, though the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions. This analysis breaks down the measured performance to help you choose the right settings for your display.

Settings Recommendations

For the best balance of visual fidelity and performance, the High preset is the clear sweet spot for this hardware combination. At 1920x1080, it produces an average of 110 FPS, which is more than enough for smooth gameplay. Moving down to Medium only yields a 14 FPS increase to 124 FPS, a marginal gain that doesn't justify the visual downgrade. The jump from High to Ultra, however, costs you 14 FPS (dropping from 110 to 96 FPS) for what is typically a subtle increase in shadow and reflection quality.

At 2560x1440, the High preset remains the recommended choice, delivering an average of 83 FPS. This keeps you comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold for most displays. While Medium offers a higher 94 FPS average, the visual clarity of High is generally preferred for a game like Control, which relies heavily on atmospheric lighting and particle effects. The Ultra preset at 1440p drops to 72 FPS, which is still playable, but the performance headroom is slimmer, and you are closer to the 60 FPS minimum that many players prefer for action sequences.

The situation changes at 3840x2160, where the Medium preset becomes the most practical option. It achieves an average of 63 FPS with a minimum of 54 FPS, which is the only 4K setting that maintains a mostly stable experience above the 60 FPS line. The High preset at 4K falls to 56 FPS, which is noticeably less fluid. For a locked 60 FPS experience at 4K, you would need to use the Low preset, which jumps to 89 FPS, but this sacrifices too much visual quality. The Ultra preset at 4K is the worst option, averaging just 49 FPS, which is below the threshold for smooth gameplay. Therefore, the recommendation is High for 1080p and 1440p, and Medium for 4K.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 is a 14-core, 14-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture. Its specifications include a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.10 GHz. In the context of Control, the data suggests that the CPU is not the limiting factor at most settings. The game is known for its physics-heavy combat and destructible environments, which can tax processor performance, but the measured frame rates indicate this CPU handles the load effectively.

Benchmark results show the Ultra 5 245 performs strongly in synthetic tests. Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score is 32924, and its single-core score is 4648. These numbers place it in the 90th percentile among all CPUs, indicating it has ample headroom for gaming workloads. When compared to its nearest rivals, the data shows a near-tie. It trails the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G by 0.4% and the AMD Ryzen 9 7900 by 0.5% in average benchmark score. Conversely, it leads the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H by 0.6% and the Intel Core i5-14600K by 0.8%. This performance parity means that in a GPU-bound scenario like Control at high resolutions, the choice between these processors would have a minimal impact on frame rates.

The CPU's role becomes more apparent at lower resolutions. At 1080p with Low settings, the average FPS reaches 174, which is high enough that the CPU's single-thread performance begins to matter more. The high boost clock of 5.10 GHz helps ensure that the game's main thread is processed quickly, avoiding bottlenecks that could limit the frame rate. The processor's 24 MB of shared L3 cache is also beneficial for keeping game data readily accessible. Overall, the Ultra 5 245 provides a solid foundation that allows the RX 7800 XT to perform to its full potential without being held back.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT is the dominant component in this pairing for Control. Built on the RDNA 3.0 architecture with the Navi 32 chip, it features 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 624.1 GB/s. This memory configuration is more than sufficient for Control at all tested settings, preventing texture streaming or memory capacity from becoming a limiting factor. The GPU's boost clock is 2430 MHz, with a game clock of 2124 MHz.

The GPU's performance is clearly the primary driver of the frame rates seen in the measured data. The difference between the Low and Ultra presets at 1080p is 78 FPS (from 174 to 96 FPS), which is a massive swing that is entirely attributable to the GPU's workload. This indicates that the RX 7800 XT has enough raw power to push very high frame rates at lower settings, but the game's more demanding visual effects at Ultra settings still bring it to its knees. The GPU's average benchmark score is 11627, placing it in the 51st percentile of all GPUs.

Interestingly, the RX 7800 XT's nearest rivals in the database are not modern high-end cards. It trades blows with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 (0.5% lower score), the AMD Radeon Pro 5500M (0.9% higher), and the NVIDIA Tesla K20c (1.3% higher). This is a reflection of the average benchmark score, which may include older or compute-focused tests. In a modern gaming title like Control, the RX 7800 XT's architectural advantages, such as its 60 RT cores and DirectX 12 Ultimate support, are what allow it to achieve the high frame rates in the measured data. The 16 GB of VRAM is a key asset, ensuring that even at 4K Ultra settings, the game does not run out of memory, a problem that could affect cards with less capacity.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for a smooth 100+ FPS experience?

A: At 1920x1080, the High preset delivers an average of 110 FPS. For a more competitive edge, the Low preset reaches 174 FPS, but for most players, High offers the best combination of visuals and speed.

Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming in Control?

A: Yes, but with compromises. The Medium preset at 3840x2160 achieves an average of 63 FPS with a minimum of 54 FPS. The High preset drops to 56 FPS, and Ultra is not recommended at 49 FPS.

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

A: The GPU is the primary bottleneck. The evidence is the large frame rate drop when increasing settings. For example, at 1440p, moving from Low (132 FPS) to Ultra (72 FPS) causes a 60 FPS drop, which is a GPU-bound workload. The CPU has more than enough headroom.

Q: How much performance is gained by dropping from High to Low settings?

A: The gain is substantial. At 1080p, Low is 64 FPS faster than High (174 vs 110 FPS). At 1440p, the difference is 49 FPS (132 vs 83 FPS). At 4K, the gap narrows to 33 FPS (89 vs 56 FPS) as the GPU becomes more strained.

Q: Is the 16 GB VRAM on the RX 7800 XT sufficient for Control?

A: Yes, the 16 GB of GDDR6 memory is more than enough. The measured data shows playable frame rates at all settings and resolutions, indicating that VRAM capacity is not a limiting factor in this title.

Q: How does the Core Ultra 5 245 compare to a typical rival like the Ryzen 9 7900?

A: The average benchmark scores are nearly identical. The Ultra 5 245 scores 48995, which is just 0.5% lower than the Ryzen 9 7900's score of 49228. In gaming, this performance difference is negligible.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals a clear picture of where the bottleneck lies. At 1080p High, the system produces 110 FPS. Moving to 1440p High, the frame rate drops to 83 FPS, a 24.5% decrease. Moving further to 4K High, the frame rate plummets to 56 FPS, a 49.1% decrease from the 1440p result. This pattern of significant drops with each resolution increase is the classic signature of a GPU-bound scenario.

The scaling pattern is consistent across all settings presets. At Low settings, the frame rates are 174 FPS (1080p), 132 FPS (1440p), and 89 FPS (4K). At Ultra settings, they are 96 FPS (1080p), 72 FPS (1440p), and 49 FPS (4K). In every case, the drop from 1440p to 4K is larger than the drop from 1080p to 1440p. This is because the number of pixels being rendered increases by 2.25x when going from 1440p to 4K, whereas it only increases by 1.78x from 1080p to 1440p.

The data indicates that the RX 7800 XT is the limiting component. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see similar frame rates at 1080p and 1440p, as the CPU workload doesn't change much with resolution. Instead, we see a consistent decline that correlates directly with the pixel count. The CPU's performance headroom, shown by its 90th percentile ranking, allows it to feed the GPU with data efficiently, but the GPU's rendering capabilities determine the final output. For users with a 1440p monitor, this system is an excellent match. For those with a 4K display, the Medium preset is the only way to get a playable experience without significant compromises.

Measured FPS Breakdown

1920x1080 (1080p)

• Low: Average FPS is 174. This is the highest frame rate measured for this system and is ideal for high-refresh-rate monitors.
• Medium: Average FPS is 124, with a minimum of 105 and a maximum of 142. This provides a comfortable margin above 60 FPS.
• High: Average FPS is 110. This is the recommended setting for a balance of visuals and performance.
• Ultra: Average FPS is 96. This is still a very playable frame rate, though it shows a significant cost for the highest visual quality.

2560x1440 (1440p)

• Low: Average FPS is 132. This setting provides a very fluid experience for fast-paced combat.
• Medium: Average FPS is 94, with a minimum of 80 and a maximum of 108. This is a solid choice for high refresh rate gaming.
• High: Average FPS is 83. This is the recommended setting for most users at this resolution, as it stays well above 60 FPS.
• Ultra: Average FPS is 72. This remains playable but shows the GPU is working harder, with less headroom for demanding scenes.

3840x2160 (4K)

• Low: Average FPS is 89. This is the only way to get a high frame rate at 4K, but it requires significant visual compromises.
• Medium: Average FPS is 63, with a minimum of 54 and a maximum of 73. This is the best balance for a playable 4K experience, keeping most of the action above 60 FPS.
• High: Average FPS is 56. This dips below the 60 FPS threshold and may cause noticeable stuttering in intense firefights.
• Ultra: Average FPS is 49. This is the lowest measured result and is not recommended for a smooth experience.