Control

Control, a 2019 Action Adventure title, is a demanding showcase for any system, and the pairing of the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti produces a clear performance profile across resolutions. The data shows a system that is decisively GPU-limited at higher resolutions, while the processor’s strong single-threaded performance keeps 1080p frame rates high. This analysis focuses strictly on the measured results, interpreting what the average FPS figures mean for gameplay without introducing external specifications or prices.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data for Control reveals a steep performance curve as resolution increases, a pattern that clearly identifies the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti as the primary bottleneck. At 1920x1080 with High settings, the combo averages 92 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 at the same High preset, the average drops to 69 FPS, a 25% reduction. The jump to 3840x2160 High yields just 47 FPS, which is another 32% decline from the 1440p result. This scaling behavior is characteristic of a GPU that is being pushed to its limits, with the pixel count doubling at each major step while the frame rate falls proportionally.

The trend holds across all settings presets, but the magnitude of the drop varies. At Low settings, the system manages 145 FPS at 1080p, 110 FPS at 1440p, and 74 FPS at 4K. The 1080p to 1440p drop is 24%, and the 1440p to 4K drop is 33%. At Ultra settings, the numbers are 80 FPS, 60 FPS, and 41 FPS respectively, representing a 25% drop from 1080p to 1440p and a 32% drop from 1440p to 4K. The consistency of these percentage drops across different presets indicates that the limiting factor is resolution-bound rendering work, not CPU logic or memory bandwidth.

What this scaling tells a builder is that the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 is not the constraint in this game. The 14-core processor, which sits in the 90th percentile against all CPUs, has ample headroom. Even at 1080p Low, where the system produces 145 FPS, the CPU is feeding the GPU fast enough. If the processor were the weak link, we would expect to see a plateau in FPS at lower resolutions, where CPU overhead becomes relatively larger. The data shows no such plateau; instead, each resolution step produces a nearly proportional change in output. This is the signature of a GPU-limited scenario.

The practical interpretation is straightforward. For a 60 FPS target, 1440p High is achievable, and 4K requires dropping to Low settings to stay above that threshold. The 4K High result of 47 FPS and 4K Ultra of 41 FPS suggest that playing at native 4K with maximum detail is not viable with this combination. The 1440p Ultra result of 60 FPS is precisely at the target, making it a borderline case. Overall, the resolution scaling confirms that any performance tuning for this game should focus on GPU settings, as the CPU is unlikely to be the cause of frame rate issues at any resolution tested.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average frame rate this combo achieves in Control at 1080p?

A: The highest measured average FPS is 145, which occurs at 1920x1080 with Low settings. The Ultra preset at the same resolution delivers 80 FPS, and High settings produce 92 FPS.

Q: Can this system maintain 60 FPS at 2560x1440 with maximum settings?

A: The data shows 60 FPS average at 2560x1440 with Ultra settings. This is exactly at the target, but there is no minimum FPS recorded for this configuration, so frame pacing consistency is unknown. For a more comfortable margin above 60, the High preset at 69 FPS is a safer choice.

Q: How does the RTX 3060 Ti perform at 4K in this game?

A: At 3840x2160, the average frame rates are 74 FPS on Low, 53 FPS on Medium, 47 FPS on High, and 41 FPS on Ultra. Only the Low preset exceeds a 60 FPS average at 4K, while Medium and High fall below that threshold.

Q: Is the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 holding back the RTX 3060 Ti in Control?

A: Based on the resolution scaling data, the CPU does not appear to be a bottleneck. The frame rate drops are consistent with GPU-bound rendering. The processor’s 90th percentile ranking against all CPUs also indicates strong overall performance, and its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 9 7900 and Intel Core i5-14600K, both of which are high-performance parts.

Q: What is the difference between the Medium and High presets at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Medium preset averages 78 FPS, while High averages 69 FPS. The Medium preset also has a recorded minimum FPS of 66 and a maximum of 90, providing a known frame range. The High preset has no min or max values in the data.

Q: How does the combo rank among all tested configurations for this game?

A: This specific combination of the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti ranks 1384 out of 2888 tested combos in Control. This places it in the middle of the pack, which is consistent with the RTX 3060 Ti’s 59th percentile ranking among all GPUs.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is the defining component in this system’s Control performance. Its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus provides a bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s, which is sufficient for the game’s textures at 1080p and 1440p, but the data suggests it becomes a limiting factor at 4K. The GPU’s clock speeds are listed as a base of 1410 MHz and a boost of 1665 MHz, with memory running at 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective). These are the specifications that directly influence the measured frame rates.

The GPU’s overall capability is reflected in its benchmark scores. It achieves a Passmark G3D score of 20349 and a Passmark GPU Compute score of 10006. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT, which has a delta of -1.4%, and the AMD Radeon RX 9060, which is 0.7% ahead. This places the RTX 3060 Ti in a competitive bracket, but not at the top. The 59th percentile ranking against all GPUs confirms it is a mid-range performer in the broader market.

In the context of Control, the GPU’s role is clear when examining the FPS scaling. At 1080p, the GPU has enough headroom to produce high frame rates, with 103 FPS on Medium and 92 FPS on High. The jump to 1440p reduces these numbers to 78 FPS and 69 FPS, respectively. The most telling results are at 4K, where the GPU’s limitations become apparent. The 47 FPS average at High settings and 41 FPS at Ultra indicate that the GPU is saturated. The 8 GB VRAM capacity is a likely contributor, as higher resolutions demand more memory for frame buffers and textures, but the data does not isolate VRAM usage.

The RTX 3060 Ti’s architectural features, such as its 4864 shading units and 38 RT cores, are part of why it performs as it does. While Control supports ray tracing, the measured FPS data does not specify whether RT is enabled. If it were, the 41 FPS at 4K Ultra would be even more understandable. The GPU’s FP32 performance of 16.20 TFLOPS provides a baseline for its rasterization capabilities. The pixel rate of 133.2 GPixel/s and texture rate of 253.1 GTexel/s are the raw throughput numbers that scale directly with resolution demands.

For a builder, the takeaway is that the RTX 3060 Ti is a capable 1080p and 1440p card for Control, but it is not a 4K performer. The measured data shows that to get a smooth 60 FPS experience, the user must either lower resolution or significantly reduce settings. The GPU is the component to upgrade if higher resolutions are the goal, as the CPU is clearly not the limiting factor.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of performance across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the system delivers its best results. The Low preset averages 145 FPS, which is the highest number in the entire dataset. Medium settings produce 103 FPS, with a recorded range of 88 FPS minimum to 119 FPS maximum. High settings average 92 FPS, and Ultra settings average 80 FPS. All 1080p presets exceed 60 FPS by a wide margin, making this resolution the sweet spot for high refresh rate monitors, even with maximum detail.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain playable. Low settings average 110 FPS, which is still excellent for competitive play. Medium settings average 78 FPS, with a minimum of 66 FPS and a maximum of 90 FPS, indicating a consistent frame pacing. High settings drop to 69 FPS, which is just above the 60 FPS threshold. Ultra settings average exactly 60 FPS, but without minimum and maximum values, it is unclear if there are dips below that level. The 1440p data suggests that High settings are the most balanced for a smooth experience, while Ultra is borderline.

At 3840x2160, the performance falls off sharply. The Low preset averages 74 FPS, which is the only 4K setting that stays above 60 FPS. Medium settings average 53 FPS, with a minimum of 45 FPS and a maximum of 61 FPS. High settings average 47 FPS, and Ultra settings average 41 FPS. These numbers indicate that 4K gaming is only viable at Low settings, and even then, the frame rate will fluctuate. The 4K Medium data, with its 45 FPS minimum, shows that there can be significant drops during intense scenes.

The pattern across all resolutions is consistent: each settings tier costs a predictable amount of performance. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 65 FPS, a 45% reduction. At 1440p, the difference is 50 FPS, a 45% reduction. At 4K, the difference is 33 FPS, also a 45% reduction. This consistency suggests that the settings presets scale uniformly, and the GPU’s relative workload increases proportionally with each step up in quality. The measured data is complete for Medium presets at all resolutions, which provides the only min/max FPS ranges. This makes Medium the only preset where frame time consistency can be assessed, and the ranges are narrow, suggesting stable performance.

How This Combo Ranks

In the grand scheme of tested hardware combinations for Control, this pairing of an Intel Core Ultra 5 245 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti holds a rank of 1384 out of 2888 total combos. This places it almost exactly in the middle of the field, at roughly the 48th percentile of all tested systems. This mid-pack ranking is expected given the components’ individual standings. The CPU ranks in the 90th percentile against all CPUs, while the GPU ranks in the 59th percentile against all GPUs. The system’s overall position is dragged down by the GPU, which is the weaker link in this pairing.

The CPU’s nearest rivals help contextualize its performance. The AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G has an average score that is 0.4% lower, while the AMD Ryzen 9 7900 is 0.5% lower. The Intel Xeon Gold 5318H is 0.6% higher, and the Intel Core i5-14600K is 0.8% higher. These deltas are all within 1%, meaning the Core Ultra 5 245 is essentially on par with a range of other high-end processors. It is not the component that is holding the system back in Control.

The GPU’s nearest rivals show a similar clustering. The AMD Radeon RX 9060 is 0.7% ahead, while the AMD Radeon Pro 5600M and AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT are both 1.4% behind. The AMD Radeon R9 370X is 1.7% behind. These small deltas indicate that the RTX 3060 Ti is in a tightly contested performance bracket. The combo’s overall rank of 1384 reflects this, as many other systems with similar GPUs will land in the same region.

Being ranked 1384 out of 2888 means that this system is not a top-tier performer for Control, but it is also far from the bottom. It sits in a broad middle section where many builds will produce similar frame rates. The practical implication is that users with this setup should not expect to max out the game at high resolutions, but they will have a competent experience at 1080p and 1440p. The rank also suggests that upgrading the GPU would have a significant impact on the combo’s standing, while upgrading the CPU would yield minimal gains in this specific game.

Settings Recommendations

For a 60 FPS target, the data points to 2560x1440 with High settings as the best balance of visual quality and performance, averaging 69 FPS. This provides a 9 FPS margin above the target, which is comfortable. If the user prioritizes frame rate over visual fidelity, 1920x1080 with High settings delivers 92 FPS, and even Ultra settings at 1080p reach 80 FPS. For those with a 144Hz monitor, 1080p Low at 145 FPS or 1080p Medium at 103 FPS are the only presets that come close to fully utilizing that refresh rate.

At 4K, the options are limited. The only preset that averages above 60 FPS is Low, at 74 FPS. Medium settings drop to 53 FPS, which is below the threshold. Therefore, native 4K gaming on this system requires significant compromises. If 4K is a must, Low settings are the only viable choice. Otherwise, dropping to 1440p and using High or Ultra settings will provide a much better visual experience with higher frame rates.

The Medium preset is the only one with complete min/max data across all resolutions. At 1080p, it ranges from 88 to 119 FPS, at 1440p from 66 to 90 FPS, and at 4K from 45 to 61 FPS. These ranges show that Medium is a stable preset with no extreme frame drops. For users who want a known quantity, Medium settings are the safest bet. The High preset offers better visuals but lacks the min/max data, so its frame pacing is unknown.

The Ultra preset is only recommended for 1080p, where it averages 80 FPS. At 1440p, it hits exactly 60 FPS, which is too close to the edge for comfort, especially in a game with action sequences like Control. At 4K, Ultra is not recommended, as the 41 FPS average will result in a poor experience. The practical advice is to start with 1440p High for a balance of quality and speed, and adjust downward to Medium if frame drops are noticeable. For the smoothest experience, 1080p High or Ultra is the way to go.