Control

Control, Remedy’s 2019 action-adventure, presents a demanding environment for the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 and Intel Arc B580 combination. The measured frame rates across resolutions and settings reveal a system that is consistently playable at 1080p and 1440p, but struggles to maintain fluid motion at 4K. This analysis examines the performance scaling, component roles, and optimal settings based strictly on the provided benchmark data.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a clear and predictable decline as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At the High preset, the system delivers 72 FPS at 1080p, which drops to 54 FPS at 1440p, a 25% reduction. Moving to 4K, the average frame rate falls to 37 FPS, which is a 31% drop from the 1440p result and a 49% drop from the 1080p baseline. This scaling pattern indicates that the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions, as the pixel throughput demand increases significantly.

The Low preset shows similar scaling behavior. At 1080p, the system achieves 114 FPS, which is an excellent result for competitive play. This drops to 86 FPS at 1440p and further to 58 FPS at 4K. The scaling from 1080p to 4K at Low settings is a 49% reduction, mirroring the percentage drop seen at High settings. This consistency suggests that the performance scaling is primarily driven by resolution rather than specific settings, confirming the GPU is the limiting factor in this configuration.

The Ultra preset, which is the most demanding, shows the steepest absolute decline. Starting at 62 FPS at 1080p, it falls to 47 FPS at 1440p and then to 32 FPS at 4K. The 4K result is below the 30 FPS threshold that many consider the minimum for single-player experiences, indicating that this preset is not viable at that resolution. The data suggests that for 4K gaming, users must rely on lower presets to achieve acceptable frame rates, with the Low preset being the only one that breaks the 60 FPS mark at that resolution.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 is a 14-core, 14-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture. It features a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.10 GHz. In synthetic benchmarks, it scores 32,924 points in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 4,648 points in single-core. This places it in the 90th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 48,995.

In the context of Control, the CPU's role appears to be secondary to the GPU, especially at higher resolutions. The game is known to be GPU-intensive, and the measured FPS data shows that the system is not CPU-limited at any tested resolution. At 1080p Low, the system reaches 114 FPS, which is well within the range where a powerful CPU like the Core Ultra 5 245 can feed the GPU without becoming a bottleneck. The processor's high single-core performance, evidenced by its 4,648 Cinebench R23 score, is sufficient for the game's physics and game logic.

Comparing to nearest rivals, the Core Ultra 5 245 has an average score of 48,995, which is -0.4% compared to the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G and -0.5% compared to the AMD Ryzen 9 7900. It is 0.6% ahead of the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H and 0.8% ahead of the Intel Core i5-14600K. These differences are minimal, indicating that the CPU is not a differentiating factor in this game's performance. The 14 cores and 24 MB of shared L3 cache provide ample headroom for gaming workloads, but the data confirms that the GPU is the primary driver of frame rates in Control.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B580 is the clear performance driver in this combination. It features 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, providing 456.0 GB/s of memory bandwidth. The GPU has a base and boost clock of 2670 MHz, with 2560 shading units and 80 ROPs. Its PassMark G3D score is 15,748, placing it in the 68th percentile of all GPUs with an average benchmark score of 23,021.

The GPU's role is evident in the resolution scaling data. At 1080p High, the system achieves 72 FPS, which is a solid result. However, the GPU's limitations become apparent at 4K, where the High preset drops to 37 FPS. This is a significant performance hit that cannot be compensated by the CPU. The 12 GB VRAM is sufficient for the game's textures at all presets, but the raw compute power of the Arc B580 is not enough to maintain high frame rates at 4K Ultra.

Looking at the GPU's nearest rivals, the Arc B580 has an average score of 23,021, which is -0.2% compared to the AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP and -0.7% compared to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080. It is 0.6% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 and 1% behind the NVIDIA P106-100. These comparisons show that the Arc B580 is a mid-range GPU that competes with older high-end models. In Control, this translates to playable performance at 1080p and 1440p, but not at 4K with high settings. The 13.67 TFLOPS FP32 performance is the key metric, and it is insufficient for 4K Ultra presets in this title.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 and Intel Arc B580 ranks 2,173 out of 2,888 tested combos for Control. This places it in the 75th percentile of all tested system configurations, meaning it outperforms approximately 75% of the combinations in the database. This is a respectable ranking, given that the GPU is a mid-range part and the CPU is a recent mid-range offering.

The ranking reflects the system's ability to handle the game at 1080p and 1440p with good performance. At 1080p High, the system achieves 72 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS target for most players. At 1440p High, it maintains 54 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for fast-paced action. The 4K performance is limited, with only the Low preset achieving above 60 FPS at 58 FPS. This ranking suggests that the combo is well-suited for 1080p gaming and can handle 1440p with some settings adjustments, but it is not a 4K-capable system for this game.

The combo's ranking is likely influenced by the GPU's performance relative to its peers. The Arc B580's 68th percentile ranking among GPUs is lower than the CPU's 90th percentile, indicating that the GPU is the weaker link in this pairing. This is consistent with the resolution scaling data, which shows the GPU becoming the bottleneck at higher resolutions. The system's overall ranking of 2,173 out of 2,888 is a fair reflection of its capabilities, placing it in the upper-middle range of tested configurations.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this system depend on the target resolution and desired frame rate. At 1920x1080, the High preset offers a balanced experience with 72 FPS, which is suitable for most players. The Ultra preset drops to 62 FPS, which is also playable, but the visual difference between High and Ultra may not justify the 10 FPS loss. For competitive play, the Low preset at 114 FPS is the best choice, providing maximum fluidity.

At 2560x1440, the High preset delivers 54 FPS, which is slightly below the 60 FPS target. The Medium preset provides 61 FPS, making it the best option for a smoother experience at this resolution. The Low preset at 86 FPS is the only setting that comfortably exceeds 60 FPS, but it sacrifices visual quality. For most users, the Medium preset at 61 FPS is recommended, as it balances visual fidelity and performance.

At 3840x2160, the system struggles to maintain playable frame rates. The Low preset at 58 FPS is the only option that approaches 60 FPS, but it is below the threshold. The Medium preset at 41 FPS is playable but not smooth, and the High and Ultra presets at 37 FPS and 32 FPS respectively are not recommended. For 4K gaming, users should stick to the Low preset or consider lowering the resolution to 1440p for a better experience. The data clearly shows that the Medium preset at 1440p is the sweet spot for this system, offering 61 FPS with moderate visual quality.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this system in Control?

A: The best resolution is 2560x1440 with the Medium preset, which achieves 61 FPS. At 1920x1080, the High preset provides 72 FPS, while 3840x2160 is limited to 58 FPS on Low settings.

Q: Can this system run Control at 4K?

A: Yes, but only at Low settings, which achieves 58 FPS. The Medium, High, and Ultra presets at 4K deliver 41, 37, and 32 FPS respectively, which are below the 60 FPS target.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B580 compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Arc B580 has an average benchmark score of 23,021, which is 0.6% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 and 0.7% lower than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080. It is nearly identical to the AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP.

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

A: The GPU is the bottleneck, especially at higher resolutions. The CPU ranks in the 90th percentile, while the GPU ranks in the 68th percentile, and resolution scaling shows significant FPS drops as resolution increases.

Q: What is the highest FPS achievable with this system?

A: The highest measured FPS is 114 at 1920x1080 with Low settings. At Ultra settings, the maximum is 62 FPS at 1080p.

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

A: This combo ranks 2,173 out of 2,888 tested combinations, placing it in the 75th percentile of all tested systems for Control.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following data presents the exact measured average FPS for each resolution and settings combination:

3840x2160 (4K):

• High: 37 FPS
• Low: 58 FPS
• Medium: 41 FPS (min 35, max 48)
• Ultra: 32 FPS

2560x1440 (1440p):

• High: 54 FPS
• Low: 86 FPS
• Medium: 61 FPS (min 52, max 70)
• Ultra: 47 FPS

1920x1080 (1080p):

• High: 72 FPS
• Low: 114 FPS
• Medium: 81 FPS (min 69, max 93)
• Ultra: 62 FPS

The Medium preset is the only one with min/max data, showing a range of 69 to 93 FPS at 1080p, 52 to 70 FPS at 1440p, and 35 to 48 FPS at 4K. This indicates that the Medium preset provides a stable experience at 1080p and 1440p, but the frame rate variance increases at 4K. The data confirms that the system is best utilized at 1080p and 1440p, with the 4K resolution reserved for lower settings or users who prioritize visual fidelity over frame rate.