Control

# Control — Intel Core Ultra 5 245 + AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT

The measured frame rates for this combination show a system that delivers playable performance across all tested resolutions, with a clear pattern of scaling that points to the GPU as the dominant constraint at higher settings. At 1080p Low, the combo reaches 208 FPS average, while at 4K Ultra it drops to 58 FPS average, indicating a performance envelope that spans from high-refresh esports territory to console-class 4K experiences. The Intel Core Ultra 5 245, with its 14 cores and 14 threads, provides sufficient headroom to keep the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT fed at lower resolutions, but the GPU's limitations become evident as pixel count rises.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate progression from 1080p to 4K reveals how heavily this game's rendering load falls on the graphics card. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 208 at 1920x1080 to 157 at 2560x1440, a reduction of 51 FPS or approximately 24.5%. Moving further to 3840x2160, the average falls to 106 FPS, another 32.5% drop from the 1440p figure. This steep scaling pattern is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario, where each doubling of pixel count nearly halves the achievable frame rate.

At Medium settings, the same trajectory holds but with slightly smaller absolute numbers. The 1080p average of 148 FPS drops to 112 FPS at 1440p (a 24.3% reduction) and then to 75 FPS at 4K (a 33.0% reduction from 1440p). High settings show 131 FPS at 1080p, 99 FPS at 1440p, and 67 FPS at 4K, with the percentage drops being 24.4% and 32.3% respectively. Ultra settings follow the pattern with 114 FPS, 86 FPS, and 58 FPS across the three resolutions, representing a 24.6% drop from 1080p to 1440p and a 32.6% drop from 1440p to 4K.

The consistency of these percentage drops across all four settings presets — each showing roughly 24% degradation from 1080p to 1440p and roughly 33% from 1440p to 4K — strongly indicates that resolution scaling is uniform and entirely dependent on the GPU's pixel throughput capabilities. The RX 7900 XT's 192 ROPs and 459.6 GPixel/s pixel rate provide the raw fill rate needed for 1080p and 1440p, but the 4K pixel count of 8.3 million (compared to 3.7 million at 1440p) demands more than double the pixel processing, which explains the consistent ~33% FPS penalty at each step up in settings.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 features 14 cores and 14 threads, with a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.10 GHz. This configuration places it in the 90th percentile of all CPUs tested, with an average benchmark score of 48,995. Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G, scores 49,196 (0.4% higher), while the AMD Ryzen 9 7900 scores 49,228 (0.5% higher). The Intel Xeon Gold 5318H trails by 0.6% at 48,698, and the Intel Core i5-14600K is 0.8% behind at 48,618.

In Control, the CPU's role appears secondary to the GPU at higher resolutions, but becomes more relevant at 1080p. The fact that 1080p Low produces 208 FPS average suggests the CPU can sustain very high frame rates without becoming the limiting factor at that resolution. However, the gap between 1080p and 1440p at Low settings (51 FPS) is larger than the gap between 1440p and 4K (51 FPS as well, interestingly), which could indicate that at 1080p the CPU is nearing its maximum frame delivery capability.

The CPU's single-thread performance, as measured by Cinebench R23 at 4,648 points, and multi-thread score of 32,924, provide adequate processing power for Control's physics and AI systems. The PassMark physics score of 2,569 and multithread score of 38,706 suggest robust thread utilization, which aligns with the game's need for consistent frame pacing. At 1440p and 4K, where the GPU takes over as the bottleneck, the CPU's 5.10 GHz boost clock ensures it can keep up with the GPU's frame generation, as evidenced by the smooth scaling observed.

FAQ

Q: What is the maximum average FPS this combo achieves in Control?

A: The highest measured average FPS is 208, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. This is the only configuration exceeding 200 FPS in the measured data.

Q: How does the combo perform at 4K Ultra settings?

A: At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the combo produces an average of 58 FPS. This is the lowest measured average across all tested configurations, yet remains above the 60 FPS threshold only narrowly missing it.

Q: What is the frame time consistency like at Medium settings?

A: Medium settings are the only preset with min/max FPS data recorded. At 1080p, the range spans 125 to 170 FPS (average 148), at 1440p it spans 95 to 128 FPS (average 112), and at 4K it spans 64 to 87 FPS (average 75). The spread between min and max increases proportionally with resolution.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor at 1440p?

A: The data suggests the GPU becomes the primary limiter at 1440p. The consistent ~24% FPS drop from 1080p to 1440p across all settings presets indicates that the RX 7900 XT's rendering capacity, not the CPU's processing power, determines the frame rate at this resolution.

Q: How much performance is gained by dropping from Ultra to Low settings at 4K?

A: At 3840x2160, Low settings yield 106 FPS average compared to 58 FPS at Ultra, representing a gain of 48 FPS or approximately 82.8% higher performance. This is the largest absolute gain from settings reduction across any resolution.

Q: What percentile does this CPU rank in among all tested CPUs?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 ranks in the 90th percentile of all CPUs tested, with an average benchmark score of 48,995. Its closest rival, the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G, scores 49,196, just 0.4% higher.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its strongest performance. Low settings produce an average of 208 FPS, which is the highest figure in the entire dataset. Medium settings reduce this to 148 FPS, with a recorded minimum of 125 and maximum of 170 FPS. High settings yield 131 FPS average, and Ultra settings drop to 114 FPS average. The progression from Low to Ultra at 1080p shows a total reduction of 94 FPS, representing a 45.2% decrease from the Low preset.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance scales down proportionally. Low settings maintain 157 FPS average, which is still highly playable for competitive scenarios. Medium settings produce 112 FPS average with a range of 95 to 128 FPS. High settings achieve 99 FPS average, and Ultra settings drop to 86 FPS average. The delta between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 71 FPS, a 45.2% reduction that mirrors the 1080p pattern exactly.

At 3840x2160, the frame rates become more modest but remain playable. Low settings achieve 106 FPS average, which is surprising considering the 4K resolution. Medium settings produce 75 FPS average with a range of 64 to 87 FPS. High settings yield 67 FPS average, and Ultra settings drop to 58 FPS average. The reduction from Low to Ultra at 4K is 48 FPS, a 45.3% decrease, maintaining the consistent ratio seen at lower resolutions.

The Medium settings row is the only one with complete min/max data, providing insight into frame pacing. At 1080p, the 45 FPS spread between minimum and maximum indicates some variance, but the 148 FPS average suggests smooth gameplay. At 1440p, the spread narrows to 33 FPS, and at 4K it further narrows to 23 FPS, suggesting that frame pacing becomes more consistent as resolution increases and the GPU workload stabilizes.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT, built on the RDNA 3.0 architecture with the Navi 31 chip, provides the graphical horsepower for this combo. Its boost clock of 2394 MHz and game clock of 2025 MHz, combined with 20 GB of GDDR6 memory across a 320-bit bus, deliver a memory bandwidth of 800.0 GB/s. The GPU's 5,376 shading units, 336 TMUs, and 192 ROPs produce a texture rate of 804.4 GTexel/s and a pixel rate of 459.6 GPixel/s.

The GPU's benchmark scores place it in the 55th percentile of all GPUs, with an average score of 13,745. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon 660M at 13,812 (0.5% higher), the NVIDIA RTX A2000 Mobile at 13,821 (0.5% higher), and the AMD Radeon RX 570X at 13,871 (0.9% higher). The AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT scores 13,543, which is 1.5% lower than the 7900 XT. This moderate percentile ranking suggests that while the GPU is capable, it does not sit at the very top of the performance hierarchy.

In Control, the GPU's 20 GB VRAM capacity is more than sufficient for the game's textures at any resolution, and the 800 GB/s bandwidth ensures no memory-related stuttering. The 4K performance figures, ranging from 58 FPS at Ultra to 106 FPS at Low, demonstrate that the GPU's compute throughput — rated at 51.48 TFLOPS FP32 — is the primary determinant of frame rates at this resolution. The consistent 33% FPS drop when moving from 1440p to 4K across all settings presets aligns with the GPU's pixel rate limitations rather than any CPU bottleneck.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured frame rates, the optimal settings preset depends on the target resolution and desired frame rate. For 1080p gaming, the High preset at 131 FPS average offers a strong balance between visual quality and performance, especially if the display supports 120Hz or 144Hz refresh rates. The Ultra preset at 114 FPS average is also viable for high-refresh displays, while Low at 208 FPS is excessive for most monitors but useful for competitive play.

At 1440p, the Medium preset at 112 FPS average is the best choice for smooth gameplay, as it exceeds 100 FPS while maintaining reasonable visual fidelity. The High preset at 99 FPS average is acceptable if a 100Hz display is in use, but Medium provides a more comfortable margin above 60 FPS. The Ultra preset at 86 FPS average is playable but leaves less headroom for demanding scenes, and the Low preset at 157 FPS is only recommended if frame rate is the sole priority.

For 4K resolution, the Medium preset at 75 FPS average is the recommended choice, as it stays above 60 FPS while offering better visuals than Low. The High preset at 67 FPS average is also viable for 60Hz displays, though it sits closer to the threshold. The Ultra preset at 58 FPS average dips below 60 FPS and may produce noticeable frame pacing issues on standard 60Hz monitors. The Low preset at 106 FPS average is the only 4K option that comfortably exceeds 100 FPS, but the visual compromise may not be worth the performance gain for most players.

How This Combo Ranks

Among the 2,888 tested combinations in Control, this pairing of the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 and AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT ranks 518th, placing it in the top 17.9% of all tested combos. This ranking reflects the system's ability to deliver playable frame rates across all tested resolutions and settings, though it does not place it among the elite configurations that achieve 200+ FPS at 4K Ultra.

The CPU's 90th percentile ranking and the GPU's 55th percentile ranking create an interesting dynamic. The CPU is significantly stronger relative to other processors than the GPU is relative to other graphics cards, yet the measured performance in Control suggests the GPU is the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions. This means the combo's overall rank of 518 is likely limited more by the GPU's placement than the CPU's capabilities.

The relative performance of the CPU compared to its nearest rivals — all within 0.8% of its average benchmark score — indicates that the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 is not the limiting factor in this system. Similarly, the GPU's closest competitors are all within 1.5% of its score, placing it in a tightly contested mid-range tier. The combo's rank of 518 out of 2,888 demonstrates that this pairing delivers solid, consistent performance in Control, with the flexibility to prioritize either visual quality at 4K or high frame rates at 1080p depending on user preference.