Control

Control, the 2019 action-adventure from Remedy Entertainment, places the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 combination in a unique position. The benchmark data shows a system that is overwhelmingly GPU-bound at higher resolutions, yet reveals the CPU's capability to push exceptional frame rates at 1080p. This analysis breaks down the measured performance, contextualizes the hardware's standing, and provides actionable settings guidance based strictly on the provided data.

Resolution Scaling

The transition from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 demonstrates a classic resolution scaling curve, but with a notably steep drop-off that points directly at the GPU as the primary limiter. At Low settings, the average frame rate falls from 279 FPS at 1080p to 211 FPS at 1440p, a reduction of 68 FPS. The subsequent drop to 4K is more severe, bringing the average down to 142 FPS. This represents a 49% decrease in performance from 1080p to 4K at Low settings, indicating that while the RTX 5090 is powerful, the sheer pixel count at 4K begins to tax even its immense resources.

The scaling pattern becomes even more telling at higher graphical presets. At Ultra settings, the average frame rate starts at 153 FPS at 1080p, drops to 116 FPS at 1440p, and finally settles at 78 FPS at 4K. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1080p is substantial, with a 126 FPS difference, but this gap narrows to 64 FPS at 4K. This convergence suggests that at lower resolutions, the CPU and game engine are capable of feeding the GPU enough data to exploit its full potential, whereas at 4K, the GPU's rendering workload becomes the dominant factor, minimizing the impact of the CPU's performance ceiling. The data implies that for players targeting 4K, the CPU choice becomes less critical for average frame rates, as the RTX 5090 is the definitive bottleneck in this configuration.

How This Combo Ranks

Within the extensive database of tested combinations, this specific pairing of the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 achieves a combo rank of 64 out of 2888 tested combos for Control. This places the system in the top 2.2% of all configurations tested, a position that aligns with the high-end nature of the components involved. The rank reflects a balance of both CPU and GPU capabilities, and the data indicates that this pairing is exceptionally well-suited for this title, outperforming the vast majority of alternatives.

The CPU's individual benchmark scores further contextualize this ranking. The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 holds a percentile rank of 90 against all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 48995. Its nearest rivals in the CPU benchmark database include the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G with a score of 49196 and a delta of -0.4%, the AMD Ryzen 9 7900 with a score of 49228 and a delta of -0.5%, and the Intel Core i5-14600K with a score of 48618 and a delta of 0.8%. These tight deltas, all within approximately 1% of the Ultra 5 245's score, indicate that the CPU's compute performance is squarely in the upper echelon of mainstream and high-end desktop processors, providing a solid foundation for the RTX 5090.

The GPU itself also ranks highly, holding a percentile of 92 against all GPUs with an average benchmark score of 79842. Its nearest rivals, such as the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB (delta of 0.3%) and the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT (delta of 1.1%), show that the RTX 5090's raw compute power is at the peak of the database, even when compared to professional-grade and high-end mobile parts. The combination of a top-10% CPU and a top-8% GPU logically results in a top-2% combo ranking for this game, confirming that there are no significant weak links in this pairing for Control.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 is the undisputed workhorse in this configuration, and its specifications directly explain the frame rates observed. The GPU features a massive 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 1.79 TB/s. This immense bandwidth is crucial for handling the high-resolution textures and complex visual effects that Control is known for, ensuring that data transfer is not a limiting factor even at 4K Ultra settings. The 32 GB frame buffer is also far beyond what this game requires, providing significant headroom for future titles or heavy modding.

Clock speeds for the RTX 5090 are listed at a base of 2017 MHz and a boost of 2407 MHz. The boost clock behavior is critical in determining sustained performance. The data shows that at 4K Ultra, the card averages 78 FPS, which is a demanding workload. The high boost clock allows the GPU to maintain a strong level of performance, but the significant drop from 1080p to 4K indicates that the card's compute units, of which there are 21760 shading units, are being fully utilized at the higher resolution. The RTX 5090's architecture also includes 170 RT cores and 680 tensor cores, which are relevant for games with ray tracing and DLSS features, though the measured FPS data provided does not specify whether these features were enabled.

The GPU's overall performance is underscored by its benchmarks, such as a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 18355 and a Geekbench Vulkan score of 376728. These scores, combined with its percentile rank of 92, place it among the most powerful consumer GPUs available. The data strongly suggests that in this Control configuration, the RTX 5090 is the component that dictates the final frame rate at all resolutions, with its performance scaling directly with the rendering resolution.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of performance across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the system demonstrates exceptional capability. With Low settings, the average frame rate is 279 FPS. This jumps to 198 FPS at Medium, 176 FPS at High, and 153 FPS at Ultra. The difference between Low and Ultra at this resolution is 126 FPS, showing a clear performance cost for higher visual fidelity. The Medium preset at 1080p also shows a minimum FPS of 168 and a maximum of 228, indicating some variance but generally stable performance.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain very high but show the expected decline. Low settings produce an average of 211 FPS, while Medium drops to 150 FPS, High to 133 FPS, and Ultra to 116 FPS. The relative performance gap between presets narrows slightly at this resolution. The Medium preset at 1440p has a minimum of 127 FPS and a maximum of 172 FPS, suggesting that even in demanding scenes, the system maintains a comfortable frame rate above 120 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the RTX 5090's workload becomes significantly heavier. Low settings still allow for an impressive 142 FPS average. However, the higher presets take a toll: Medium averages 101 FPS with a minimum of 86 FPS and a maximum of 116 FPS, High averages 90 FPS, and Ultra drops to a 78 FPS average. The progression from 1080p to 4K at Ultra settings shows a reduction from 153 FPS to 78 FPS, which is a 49% decrease. This data clearly illustrates that while the system is capable of high refresh rate gaming at 1440p and even 4K on lower settings, achieving 4K Ultra at high refresh rates is not possible, as the GPU becomes the limiting factor.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 plays a supporting but essential role in this configuration. With 14 cores and 14 threads, it provides ample parallel processing power for modern game engines. Its base clock of 3.50 GHz and boost clock of 5.10 GHz ensure strong single-threaded performance, which is often critical for game logic and frame pacing. The CPU's architecture, Arrow Lake-S, and its 24 MB of shared L3 cache help to reduce latency and improve data access efficiency for gaming workloads.

The CPU's benchmark results confirm its capability. A Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32924 and a single-core score of 4648 demonstrate robust performance in both heavily threaded and lightly threaded tasks. The Passmark single-thread score of 4394 further corroborates this. The data suggests that the CPU is not a bottleneck in this system, particularly at higher resolutions where the GPU is the limiting factor. At 1080p with Low settings, the 279 FPS average reflects the CPU's ability to process and dispatch draw calls rapidly enough to keep the RTX 5090 fed.

Comparing this CPU to its nearest rivals from the database reinforces its standing. With an average benchmark score of 48995, it sits within a 1% margin of the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G, AMD Ryzen 9 7900, and Intel Xeon Gold 5318H. This proximity in performance indicates that the Ultra 5 245 provides a competitive foundation for the RTX 5090. The 5.10 GHz boost clock is particularly valuable for gaming, ensuring that the CPU can respond quickly to single-threaded demands, which is a key reason this combo achieves its high rank in Control.

FAQ

Q: Can this system achieve 4K gaming at high refresh rates in Control?

A: The data indicates that at 4K Ultra settings, the average frame rate is 78 FPS. While this is smooth, it does not hit typical 144 Hz high refresh rate targets. However, at 4K Low settings, the average jumps to 142 FPS, which is closer to high refresh rate territory.

Q: How does the performance at 1080p compare to 4K?

A: At 1080p Ultra, the average FPS is 153, while at 4K Ultra, it is 78. This represents a 49% reduction in performance when moving from 1080p to 4K, highlighting the significant GPU workload increase at higher resolutions.

Q: Is the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 a bottleneck for the RTX 5090?

A: Based on the data, the CPU appears to be a capable partner. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 279 FPS, which is a very high frame rate that demands strong CPU performance. The CPU's benchmark scores and high combo rank suggest it is not a significant limiting factor in this configuration.

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to maximize frame rate?

A: For the absolute highest frame rates, 1920x1080 is the best choice, with averages ranging from 153 FPS at Ultra to 279 FPS at Low. For a balance of visual quality and performance, 2560x1440 offers an average of 116 FPS at Ultra, which is a strong option for high refresh rate monitors.

Q: How much memory does the RTX 5090 have and does it matter for this game?

A: The RTX 5090 features 32 GB of GDDR7 memory. This is far more than Control requires, but it provides immense headroom and ensures that memory capacity is never a limiting factor for this game or likely future titles.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to other systems tested?

A: This specific CPU and GPU combination ranks 64th out of 2888 tested combos for Control, placing it in the top 2.2% of all tested systems. This indicates it is among the highest-performing configurations for this game.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend heavily on the user's display and performance targets. For gamers with a 1920x1080 144 Hz monitor, the High preset is the recommended choice, as it provides an average of 176 FPS with a substantial margin over the 144 FPS refresh rate. This preset offers a significant visual improvement over Low settings while still maintaining frame rates high enough to fully utilize a high refresh rate display. The Ultra preset at 153 FPS is also viable for 144 Hz displays, but the 23 FPS drop from High may not justify the marginal visual gains for all users.

For 2560x1440 displays, the High preset again offers an excellent balance, with an average of 133 FPS, which is suitable for 120 Hz or 144 Hz monitors. The Ultra preset's 116 FPS average is still smooth and provides the best visual experience, making it a strong contender for users who prioritize image quality over absolute frame rates. The Medium preset at 150 FPS is an option for those who want a higher frame rate buffer, but High provides a better visual experience with only a 17 FPS average cost.

At 3840x2160, the choices become more constrained. For a 60 Hz display, the Ultra preset is the clear winner, as the 78 FPS average exceeds the 60 FPS target and delivers the game's best visuals. For users with 120 Hz or higher displays, the Medium preset at 101 FPS is the most balanced option, providing a significant improvement over the 78 FPS of Ultra while maintaining a frame rate above 100 FPS. The Low preset at 142 FPS is available for those who prioritize high refresh rates over visual fidelity, but this comes at a substantial cost to image quality. In summary, High settings are the sweet spot for 1080p and 1440p, while Medium is the most practical choice for 4K high refresh rate gaming, with Ultra being reserved for 60 Hz displays.