Control

Control, Remedy’s 2019 action-adventure, is a demanding title that stresses both the GPU’s rasterization throughput and the CPU’s ability to feed a high-frame-rate pipeline. The data for the Intel Core Ultra 7 155H paired with the AMD Radeon RX 7900M provides a clear profile of a system that is firmly GPU-limited at higher resolutions but begins to show its processor’s ceiling at 1080p. This analysis breaks down the measured performance, settings scaling, and component roles based exclusively on the provided benchmark data.

Settings Recommendations

The measured frame rates across the four quality presets at each resolution reveal a consistent pattern: the "High" preset offers the most balanced experience, while "Ultra" provides diminishing returns for a significant performance cost. At 3840x2160, the Ultra preset delivers 44 FPS average, which is below the 60 FPS target that many players prefer. Dropping to High raises the average to 51 FPS, a 7 FPS improvement, while Medium sits at 57 FPS. The Low preset jumps to 81 FPS, but the visual degradation is typically severe. For 4K, the data suggests Medium is the optimal preset, as it is the only setting that approaches playable smoothness without the stark visual compromises of Low.

At 2560x1440, the situation improves. The High preset achieves 76 FPS average, which is a comfortable playable state for most action titles. Medium reaches 85 FPS, and Low hits 120 FPS. The Ultra preset still lags at 66 FPS. Here, High is the recommended starting point; it maintains a solid frame rate while preserving the game’s signature visual fidelity. If a higher refresh rate is a priority, Medium’s 85 FPS average provides a nearly 12% uplift over High, though the 1440p Medium minimum FPS of 72 suggests occasional dips that are still well within acceptable bounds.

At 1920x1080, the system becomes more CPU-bound, which changes the calculus. The High preset delivers 100 FPS average, which is excellent for a fast-paced game. Medium achieves 112 FPS, and Low reaches 158 FPS. The Ultra preset, at 87 FPS, is the only one that dips below the 90 FPS threshold that some high-refresh monitors use. For the best experience at 1080p, High is again the sweet spot, providing a 13 FPS advantage over Ultra while maintaining a 100 FPS average. The data does not include minimum FPS values for High or Ultra at 1080p, but the Medium preset’s 96 FPS minimum suggests that High likely maintains a floor above 90 FPS, ensuring consistent gameplay. The optimal preset, therefore, is High across all resolutions if visual quality is paramount, but Medium is the better choice for 4K to secure a smoother frame rate.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7900M is the dominant component in this pairing, and its specifications align perfectly with the performance scaling observed. With a massive 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, the card has ample bandwidth (576.0 GB/s) and capacity to handle 4K textures without any memory-related stuttering. The 4608 shading units and 192 ROPs provide the raw compute power needed for Control’s physics and particle effects. The base clock of 1825 MHz and boost clock of 2090 MHz are high for a mobile part, reflecting the 180 W TDP that allows it to sustain significant load.

The GPU’s role is evident in the resolution scaling. From 1080p High (100 FPS) to 1440p High (76 FPS), the frame rate drops by 24%. Further scaling to 4K High (51 FPS) shows another 33% reduction. This steady decline as pixel count increases points to a system where the GPU is the primary bottleneck. The card’s 94th percentile ranking among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 97487, places it in the high-end tier. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon Pro VII (avg score 97131) and the NVIDIA Quadro RTX 6000 (avg score 101872), indicating that the RX 7900M is positioned just below a professional-grade workstation card in raw compute. In Control, this translates to a GPU that can push high resolutions but still respects the game’s demanding rendering load, as evidenced by the inability to sustain 60 FPS at 4K Ultra.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 7 155H and AMD Radeon RX 7900M ranks 1192 out of 2888 tested combinations for Control. This places it in the 59th percentile of all combos, meaning it outperforms a majority of systems but is not at the top tier. This rank is somewhat lower than the GPU’s individual 94th percentile, which suggests that the CPU is holding the system back from achieving its full potential in this specific game. The GPU’s high average benchmark score (97487) is dragged down by the CPU’s more moderate standing.

The CPU’s average benchmark score of 32697 places it in the 83rd percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i5-14600T (avg score 32707, 0% delta) and the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 360 (avg score 32662, 0.1% delta). The Core Ultra 7 155H is virtually identical in performance to these chips, all hovering around the 32,700 mark. This means the CPU is a solid mid-range performer, but it lacks the headroom of a top-tier desktop processor. In Control, which can be sensitive to CPU performance, this mid-range CPU limits the combo’s overall rank, preventing the GPU from fully stretching its legs at lower resolutions. The data suggests that pairing this GPU with a higher-ranked CPU would yield a significantly better combo rank in this game.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive look at performance across all settings and resolutions. At 1920x1080, the Low preset achieves a 158 FPS average, which is the highest score recorded for this combo. Medium drops to 112 FPS (min 96, max 129), High falls to 100 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 87 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 71 FPS, a 45% reduction, showing that the visual settings have a massive impact on the frame rate at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the same pattern holds but with lower absolute numbers. Low averages 120 FPS, Medium 85 FPS (min 72, max 98), High 76 FPS, and Ultra 66 FPS. The delta between Low and Ultra is 54 FPS, a 45% reduction, matching the 1080p scaling. This consistency indicates that the GPU is scaling its workload proportionally with resolution.

At 3840x2160, performance becomes more constrained. Low delivers 81 FPS, Medium 57 FPS (min 49, max 66), High 51 FPS, and Ultra 44 FPS. The delta between Low and Ultra is 37 FPS, a 46% reduction, again consistent with the lower resolutions. The Medium preset’s minimum FPS of 49 is the only recorded sub-50 FPS value, indicating that 4K Ultra would likely have dips even lower than its 44 FPS average. The frame time consistency, as implied by the min/max values, degrades as resolution increases, with the 4K Medium range of 49-66 FPS showing a 17 FPS spread compared to the 1080p Medium’s 33 FPS spread (96-129), indicating higher variance at 4K.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Control at 60 FPS on a 4K monitor?

A: At 4K with Medium settings, the average FPS is 57, which is close to but not consistently above 60. The minimum FPS at this setting is 49, so there will be dips. To achieve a stable 60 FPS, you would need to use the Low preset, which averages 81 FPS.

Q: What is the best resolution for a high-refresh-rate monitor?

A: At 1920x1080, the High preset averages 100 FPS, and the Low preset reaches 158 FPS. This is the only resolution where the system can consistently exceed 144 FPS (via Low settings), making it the choice for high-refresh displays.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from 1080p to 1440p at High settings?

A: The average FPS drops from 100 at 1080p High to 76 at 1440p High. This is a 24 FPS reduction, or a 24% decrease in frame rate.

Q: Is the Ultra preset worth the performance cost?

A: The data shows that Ultra is the most expensive preset. At 4K, it drops to 44 FPS average, which is below the playable threshold. At 1440p, Ultra averages 66 FPS, which is 10 FPS lower than High. The visual gains are typically marginal, so the performance cost is not justified based on the numbers.

Q: What is the strongest component in this system for gaming?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 7900M is the stronger component. It ranks in the 94th percentile of all GPUs, while the Intel Core Ultra 7 155H ranks in the 83rd percentile of all CPUs. The GPU’s influence is more pronounced at higher resolutions.

Q: Does the system show any signs of CPU limitation?

A: Yes, at 1920x1080, the scaling from 1440p to 1080p is only a 24 FPS increase (76 to 100 FPS) at High settings, whereas the increase from 4K to 1440p is 25 FPS (51 to 76). The diminishing returns at 1080p suggest the CPU is becoming a limiting factor.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 155H is a 16-core, 22-thread processor based on the Meteor Lake architecture. It has a base clock of 3.80 GHz and a boost clock of 4.80 GHz, with a 28 W TDP. This mobile processor is designed for efficiency, but its benchmark scores show it is a capable performer. In Cinebench R23, it scores 15028 points in multi-core and 1743 points in single-core. This places it in the 83rd percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 32697.

In Control, the CPU’s role becomes apparent when examining the 1080p results. At 1080p, the GPU has more headroom, and the frame rate becomes more dependent on the CPU’s ability to process game logic and draw calls. The fact that 1080p High (100 FPS) is only 24 FPS higher than 1440p High (76 FPS) suggests that the CPU is not able to feed the GPU enough frames to fully utilize its potential at the lower resolution. If the CPU were stronger, the 1080p frame rate would likely be much higher, perhaps approaching the GPU’s limit. The CPU’s single-thread score of 1743 in Cinebench R23 is solid, but it is not exceptional, and Control’s engine tends to favor strong single-core performance. This is the primary factor holding the combo rank at 1192 out of 2888, as the GPU is clearly capable of more.

Resolution Scaling

The resolution scaling data reveals a classic GPU-bound scenario that transitions to a CPU-bound scenario at 1080p. When moving from 3840x2160 to 2560x1440 at High settings, the average FPS increases from 51 to 76, a 49% improvement. Moving from 2560x1440 to 1920x1080 at High settings, the average FPS increases from 76 to 100, a 32% improvement. The fact that the percentage improvement is smaller when stepping down to 1080p indicates that the GPU is no longer the sole bottleneck; the CPU is beginning to limit the frame rate.

This is also evident in the Low preset scaling. At 4K Low, the system hits 81 FPS. At 1440p Low, it jumps to 120 FPS (a 48% increase). But at 1080p Low, it only reaches 158 FPS (a 32% increase from 1440p). The 1080p Low score of 158 FPS is likely close to the CPU’s maximum frame output in this game, regardless of the GPU’s capabilities. The data strongly suggests that to achieve higher frame rates at 1080p, a more powerful CPU would be required. The GPU, on the other hand, shows no signs of struggling until the 4K Ultra preset, where the 44 FPS average is a clear indication of the rendering load overwhelming the 16 GB of VRAM and 4608 shaders, not a CPU issue.