Control

Control is a demanding action-adventure title, and the measured results for the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 paired with the AMD Radeon RX 9070 show a configuration capable of smooth gameplay, though the optimal settings shift dramatically depending on your target resolution. The data indicates a system that scales predictably with graphical presets, but one where the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck as resolution climbs.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data across the three tested resolutions—3840x2160, 2560x1440, and 1920x1080—shows a clear hierarchy in performance. For the best balance between visual fidelity and playable frame rates, the High preset is the recommended starting point. At 1920x1080, the High preset delivers an average of 115 FPS, which is a significant 15 FPS jump over the Ultra preset's 100 FPS average, while likely retaining most of the visual polish that makes Control’s environments striking. At 2560x1440, the High preset maintains a robust 87 FPS average, which remains comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold for fluid gameplay.

However, the calculus changes at 4K. At 3840x2160, the High preset yields an average of 59 FPS, which is technically playable but right at the edge of what many consider the minimum for a smooth experience, especially in a game with fast-paced combat and physics-based environmental interactions. The Medium preset at 4K offers a 66 FPS average with a recorded minimum of 56 FPS, providing a more stable buffer. The data shows a 7 FPS gain from High to Medium at 4K, suggesting that dropping to Medium is a sensible trade-off to ensure consistent frame pacing on a 60Hz display. The Ultra preset, while visually superior, is the most demanding, and the measured averages of 100 FPS at 1080p, 75 FPS at 1440p, and 51 FPS at 4K make it a choice for users who prioritize image quality over raw frame rate, particularly at higher resolutions where the drop below 60 FPS is notable.

For a 1080p or 1440p gamer with a high-refresh-rate monitor, the High preset is the clear winner, offering frame rates well above 60 FPS and close to or exceeding the 100 FPS mark. For 4K users, the Medium preset is the more pragmatic choice, as the data suggests it is the highest quality setting that consistently holds an average above 60 FPS. Low is an option for those seeking maximum frame rates, with a 182 FPS average at 1080p, but the visual compromise is substantial for a game lauded for its art direction.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo handle Control at 4K with maximum settings?

A: The data shows the Ultra preset at 3840x2160 produces an average of 51 FPS. This is below the 60 FPS target for smooth gameplay, indicating that while the game runs, it does not maintain a consistent high frame rate at the highest settings. The High preset at 4K averages 59 FPS, while Medium averages 66 FPS.

Q: What is the best resolution to play this game with this hardware?

A: Based on the measured results, 2560x1440 with the High preset provides an excellent experience with an 87 FPS average. At 1920x1080, the same preset yields 115 FPS, making it ideal for high-refresh-rate displays. The combo is capable at 4K, but requires lowering settings to Medium to stay above a 60 FPS average.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from 1080p to 4K?

A: The performance drop is significant. With the High preset, the average FPS falls from 115 at 1080p to 87 at 1440p, and finally to 59 at 4K. This represents a 49% reduction in frame rate from 1080p to 4K, indicating the GPU is the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions.

Q: Is the Ultra preset worth the performance cost?

A: The data shows a consistent performance penalty for Ultra. At 1080p, Ultra averages 100 FPS, which is 15 FPS lower than High (115 FPS). At 1440p, the gap is 12 FPS (75 FPS vs 87 FPS), and at 4K, it is 8 FPS (51 FPS vs 59 FPS). The visual uplift is not quantified, but the frame rate cost is clear.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more important for this game's performance?

A: The data suggests the GPU is the bottleneck. When resolution is increased from 1080p to 4K, the frame rate drops by roughly half, which is characteristic of GPU-bound scenarios. The CPU, an Intel Core Ultra 5 245 with 14 cores and a boost clock of 5.10 GHz, provides sufficient headroom, as evidenced by the high frame rates at 1080p on the Low preset (182 FPS average).

Q: Does the game have good performance scaling with different presets?

A: Yes, the scaling is quite consistent. At 1080p, the average FPS ranges from 100 (Ultra) to 182 (Low). The most significant jump is from Low to Medium, which drops the average from 182 FPS to 129 FPS. The difference between Medium and High is 14 FPS, and between High and Ultra is 15 FPS, showing a steady, predictable performance curve.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 is a 14-core, 14-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture, with a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.10 GHz. In the context of Control, this CPU provides a robust foundation that prevents it from being the limiting factor in most scenarios. The benchmark results for this CPU are strong, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32924 and a single-core score of 4648, placing it in the 90th percentile of all CPUs.

The measured FPS data strongly suggests that the game becomes GPU-bound at higher resolutions, but the CPU's performance is still critical for maintaining high frame rates at lower resolutions. For instance, at 1920x1080 with the Low preset, the system achieves a 182 FPS average. This high frame rate is only possible with a CPU capable of feeding the GPU with enough data. The CPU's 24 MB of shared L3 cache and support for dual-channel DDR5 memory with a bandwidth of 102.4 GB/s contribute to its ability to handle the game's physics and AI calculations efficiently.

The data shows that the CPU's performance is not the primary constraint on this setup. When comparing the CPU to its nearest rivals, it is nearly identical in average benchmark score. For example, the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G has an average score of 49196, which is -0.4% different from the Intel Core Ultra 5 245's score of 48995. Similarly, the Intel Core i5-14600K has an average score of 48618, a 0.8% difference. This indicates that the Core Ultra 5 245 is a well-balanced mid-range processor that, in this pairing, allows the AMD Radeon RX 9070 to perform to its full potential.

How This Combo Ranks

In the specific game of Control, this combination of the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 and AMD Radeon RX 9070 is ranked 819th out of 2888 tested combos. This places it in the 72nd percentile of all recorded system configurations. This is a strong ranking, indicating that the system performs well above the median for this particular title.

The ranking suggests that this combo handles Control very well, placing it in the top third of all tested systems. The GPU, an AMD Radeon RX 9070 with a 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 6290 and a PassMark G3D score of 25381, is a capable performer, though its percentile rank against all GPUs is 69. The CPU, ranking in the 90th percentile, is a high performer. The combination of an above-average CPU with a solid GPU yields a system that is well-suited for Control, as evidenced by its high rank among 2888 configurations. The system's performance is likely limited by the GPU, as the CPU is powerful enough to avoid bottlenecking, but the overall result is a very playable experience across most settings and resolutions.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a classic GPU-bound scaling pattern. Moving from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440 and then to 3840x2160 results in significant frame rate drops across all settings.

At the High preset, the system averages 115 FPS at 1080p, drops to 87 FPS at 1440p (a 24% decrease), and then falls to 59 FPS at 4K (a 32% decrease from 1440p). This steep decline is a clear indicator that the AMD Radeon RX 9070 is the primary performance limiter. The GPU is being tasked with rendering more pixels, and its performance scales accordingly.

At the Medium preset, the pattern remains, with averages of 129 FPS at 1080p, 98 FPS at 1440p, and 66 FPS at 4K. The relative drop from 1080p to 4K is a 49% reduction. At the Low preset, the system hits 182 FPS at 1080p, 137 FPS at 1440p, and 93 FPS at 4K. This shows that even at the lowest settings, the 4K resolution is still significantly more demanding, and the frame rate is cut nearly in half compared to 1080p.

The fact that the frame rate drops proportionally with resolution, rather than remaining flat, confirms that the game's performance is not limited by the CPU. The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 has enough headroom to push the GPU to its limits at all resolutions. The scaling data suggests that for a consistently high-refresh-rate experience, 1080p or 1440p is the target, while 4K is best suited for 60 Hz displays with adjusted settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following is the complete set of measured average FPS figures for this configuration in Control.

At 1920x1080:

• The Low preset achieves an average of 182 FPS.
• The Medium preset achieves an average of 129 FPS, with a minimum of 110 FPS and a maximum of 148 FPS.
• The High preset achieves an average of 115 FPS.
• The Ultra preset achieves an average of 100 FPS.

At 2560x1440:

• The Low preset achieves an average of 137 FPS.
• The Medium preset achieves an average of 98 FPS, with a minimum of 83 FPS and a maximum of 112 FPS.
• The High preset achieves an average of 87 FPS.
• The Ultra preset achieves an average of 75 FPS.

At 3840x2160:

• The Low preset achieves an average of 93 FPS.
• The Medium preset achieves an average of 66 FPS, with a minimum of 56 FPS and a maximum of 76 FPS.
• The High preset achieves an average of 59 FPS.
• The Ultra preset achieves an average of 51 FPS.

The data shows a consistent performance hierarchy across all resolutions. The Medium preset is the only one with recorded minimum and maximum FPS values, providing a fuller picture of frame time consistency. At 1080p, the Medium preset's minimum of 110 FPS indicates a stable experience. At 1440p, the minimum is 83 FPS, which is still very playable. At 4K, the minimum drops to 56 FPS for Medium, which is the only preset that maintains an average above 60 FPS at that resolution, highlighting its suitability for 4K gaming on this hardware.