Control

The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 paired with the Intel Arc B370 integrated graphics produces a severely GPU-bound experience in Control, with performance metrics placing this combination in the bottom tier of all tested configurations. The data indicates a system capable of playable frame rates only at 1080p with the lowest settings, while higher resolutions and quality presets result in sub-30 FPS averages that fall below acceptable thresholds for an action-adventure title.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best resolution and settings combination for this system in Control?*

A: The only configuration that achieves an average frame rate at or near 60 FPS is 1920x1080 with Low settings, producing 59 FPS. The next closest is 2560x1440 Low at 45 FPS, while all other settings and resolution combinations fall below 43 FPS.

*Q: How does this combo rank among all tested systems for Control?*

A: This configuration ranks 2657th out of 2888 total tested combos, placing it in the bottom 8% of all systems benchmarked for this game. The data confirms it is a low-performance outlier relative to the broader database.

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

A: Benchmark results indicate the GPU is the overwhelming bottleneck. The Intel Arc B370 has a TDP of only 25 W and scores in the 5th percentile among all GPUs, while the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 scores in the 90th percentile among CPUs, creating a massive performance disparity.

Q: What is the performance difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the average frame rate drops from 59 FPS on Low to 32 FPS on Ultra, a reduction of 27 FPS or approximately 46%. This steep decline suggests the GPU cannot handle the increased rendering load of higher quality presets.

Q: Does the game become more playable at 1440p compared to 4K?

A: Yes, but only marginally. At 2560x1440, Low settings yield 45 FPS, which is 50% higher than the 30 FPS achieved at 3840x2160 Low. However, even at 1440p, Medium settings drop to 32 FPS, indicating limited headroom above the lowest preset.

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

A: The data shows a range of 18 to 25 FPS at 4K Medium, and 27 to 37 FPS at 1440p Medium, with 1080p Medium ranging from 36 to 48 FPS. These ranges indicate notable frame pacing instability, particularly at higher resolutions.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B370 functions as an integrated graphics processor with a 25 W TDP, and its role in Control is defined by severe computational limits rather than balanced system performance. The GPU's base clock of 300 MHz and boost clock of 2400 MHz provide the foundation for its operations, but the memory configuration is listed as "System Shared" with bandwidth described as "System Dependent," meaning it relies entirely on the host system's DDR5 memory rather than dedicated VRAM.

This shared memory architecture has direct consequences for the game's results. The GPU's 1280 shading units and 20 ROPs deliver a pixel rate of 48.00 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 96.00 GTexel/s, but these theoretical capabilities translate poorly into real-world gaming performance. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 benchmark score of 1184 places the Arc B370 in the 5th percentile of all GPUs, with nearest rivals including the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 and ATI Radeon HD 5770, both of which are over a decade old.

The CPU's integrated graphics designation means there is no dedicated frame buffer, and the "System Shared" memory type forces the GPU to compete with the operating system and game for bandwidth. This creates a scenario where the GPU is perpetually starved for memory access, particularly visible in the dramatic frame rate drops between Low and Medium settings at all resolutions. The data suggests that the Arc B370's 6.144 TFLOPS of FP32 compute is insufficient for Control's demanding rendering pipeline, as even the highest average frame rate achieved across all tests is only 59 FPS at the lowest quality preset and resolution.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides a clear hierarchy of playability for this specific hardware combination. At 1920x1080, Low settings deliver 59 FPS, which is the only configuration that approaches a standard 60 FPS target. Moving to Medium at the same resolution drops the average to 42 FPS, a 29% reduction that pushes the experience into a less fluid territory. High and Ultra settings at 1080p yield 37 FPS and 32 FPS respectively, neither of which provides a consistently smooth experience for an action game requiring precise timing.

At 2560x1440, the options narrow considerably. Low settings produce 45 FPS, which may be acceptable for some players, but Medium drops to 32 FPS and High falls to 28 FPS, with Ultra at 25 FPS. The 1440p Medium frame range of 27 to 37 FPS indicates that even the average represents significant variance, making gameplay feel inconsistent during intense scenes.

For 3840x2160, none of the settings achieve playable frame rates. Low settings reach 30 FPS exactly, but Medium, High, and Ultra all fall below 22 FPS, with Ultra at 17 FPS. The 4K Medium range of 18 to 25 FPS confirms that this resolution is entirely unsuitable for this hardware.

The optimal experience per the measured rows is unequivocally 1920x1080 with Low settings. This is the only combination that delivers a frame rate within striking distance of 60 FPS, and the 59 FPS average suggests the system is operating near its maximum capability. Players seeking better visual quality would have to accept frame rates in the 30s or lower, which compromises the gameplay experience significantly.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank of 2657 out of 2888 tested combinations places this system in the bottom 8% of all configurations benchmarked for Control. This ranking is consistent with the individual component benchmarks: the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 sits in the 90th percentile of all CPUs with an average benchmark score of 48995, while the Intel Arc B370 sits in the 5th percentile of all GPUs with a score of 1184.

The CPU's nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G with a delta of -0.4%, the AMD Ryzen 9 7900 at -0.5%, the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H at 0.6%, and the Intel Core i5-14600K at 0.8%. These comparisons show the CPU is competitive with mainstream desktop processors, confirming that it is not the source of the system's poor gaming performance.

In contrast, the GPU's nearest rivals are the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 at -0.2%, ATI Radeon HD 5770 at -0.5%, AMD Radeon HD 7650M at -0.7%, and AMD FirePro M2000 at 1.4%. These are all legacy or low-power mobile parts, underscoring the Arc B370's position in the lowest performance tier. The massive gap between the CPU's 90th percentile ranking and the GPU's 5th percentile ranking creates a fundamental imbalance that dictates the system's overall ranking in Control.

The data indicates that the combo rank is almost entirely determined by the GPU's limitations. Even a top-tier CPU cannot compensate for a GPU that scores in the bottom 5% of all graphics processors, and the 2657th place ranking reflects this hardware bottleneck rather than any deficiency in the processor.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate progression from 1080p to 4K reveals a clear pattern of GPU-bound scaling. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 59 at 1920x1080 to 45 at 2560x1440, a 24% reduction, and then to 30 at 3840x2160, a further 33% reduction from 1440p. This translates to a total drop of 29 FPS from 1080p to 4K, representing a 49% decrease in performance.

At Medium settings, the scaling is steeper. The average FPS goes from 42 at 1080p to 32 at 1440p, a 24% drop, and then to 21 at 4K, a 34% drop from 1440p. The total reduction from 1080p to 4K is 21 FPS, or exactly 50%. High settings show a similar pattern: 37 FPS at 1080p, 28 FPS at 1440p (24% drop), and 19 FPS at 4K (32% drop from 1440p), for a total reduction of 18 FPS or 49%.

Ultra settings follow the same trend with 32 FPS at 1080p, 25 FPS at 1440p (22% drop), and 17 FPS at 4K (32% drop from 1440p), totaling a 15 FPS or 47% reduction. The consistency of these percentage drops across all settings indicates that the GPU is the limiting component at every resolution and quality level.

The resolution scaling data suggests that the system is not CPU-limited at any point. If the CPU were the bottleneck, the frame rates would remain relatively constant as resolution increases, since the CPU workload stays the same. Instead, the nearly linear scaling with pixel count confirms that the Intel Arc B370's rendering throughput is the primary constraint, and the system shared memory bandwidth further exacerbates the issue at higher resolutions where the GPU must access more data.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured average frame rates are as follows: Low settings produce 59 FPS, which is the highest performance recorded for this system in any configuration. Medium settings yield 42 FPS with a minimum of 36 FPS and maximum of 48 FPS. High settings deliver 37 FPS, and Ultra settings provide 32 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra represents a 27 FPS or 46% reduction in average performance.

At 2560x1440, the average frame rates drop across all settings. Low settings produce 45 FPS, which remains the most playable option at this resolution. Medium settings yield 32 FPS with a range of 27 to 37 FPS, High settings deliver 28 FPS, and Ultra settings provide 25 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 20 FPS, a 44% reduction that mirrors the scaling observed at 1080p.

At 3840x2160, the performance falls below playable thresholds for all settings. Low settings produce exactly 30 FPS, which is the only configuration at 4K that reaches the 30 FPS mark. Medium settings yield 21 FPS with a range of 18 to 25 FPS, High settings deliver 19 FPS, and Ultra settings provide 17 FPS. The total spread from Low to Ultra at 4K is 13 FPS, a 43% reduction.

The Medium settings data provides the only complete frame range information across all three resolutions. At 1080p, the range is 36 to 48 FPS, representing a 33% variance from minimum to maximum. At 1440p, the range narrows to 27 to 37 FPS, a 37% variance. At 4K, the range is 18 to 25 FPS, a 39% variance. This increasing variance at higher resolutions indicates growing frame pacing instability as the GPU becomes more heavily loaded.

Across all twelve measured configurations, the average frame rates span from 17 FPS (4K Ultra) to 59 FPS (1080p Low). The median average is 30.5 FPS, and the data shows that only three configurations exceed 40 FPS: 1080p Low at 59 FPS, 1440p Low at 45 FPS, and 1080p Medium at 42 FPS. All other configurations fall below 40 FPS, with six configurations below 30 FPS. This distribution confirms that the Intel Arc B370 is only capable of delivering smooth gameplay in a narrow range of settings and resolutions.