Control

The Intel Core Ultra 7 155H paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 Mobile delivers a playable but resolution-sensitive experience in Control. At 1080p, the combo easily clears 60 FPS on High settings, but 4K Ultra is a slideshow at 29 FPS. The data indicates a GPU-bound scenario at higher resolutions, with the CPU’s 16 cores and 22 threads providing ample headroom for the game’s physics and action sequences.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a steep performance cliff as resolution increases. At 1920x1080 with High settings, the combo averages 65 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 drops that to 49 FPS, a 24.6% reduction. At 3840x2160, the average falls to 33 FPS, which is nearly half the 1080p figure. This pattern strongly suggests the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 Mobile is the limiting component; the pixel count doubles from 1080p to 1440p, and the FPS drop is substantial but not linear, indicating memory bandwidth and shading unit limits.

The gap between Low and Ultra settings widens dramatically at higher resolutions. At 1080p, Low nets 103 FPS while Ultra nets 56 FPS—a 45.6% performance penalty for maxing out visuals. At 4K, Low achieves 52 FPS while Ultra drops to 29 FPS, a 44.2% penalty. This consistency shows the GPU’s computational load scales predictably with both resolution and settings, but the absolute numbers at 4K are simply too low for smooth gameplay. The 4K Medium result of 37 FPS (with a minimum of 32 FPS) confirms that even mid-tier settings cannot sustain 60 FPS at that resolution.

From a bottleneck perspective, the CPU’s Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 15028 and single-core score of 1743 suggest it is not holding back the GPU at 1080p. The FPS drop from 103 at Low to 65 at High at 1080p is purely GPU-driven, as the CPU workload remains constant. At 1440p, the same settings gap produces 78 FPS to 49 FPS, reinforcing the GPU-bound nature. Only at 4K does the combo become severely GPU-limited, with even Low settings failing to hit 60 FPS.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 Mobile is built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture with a 5 nm process node. It packs 2560 shading units, 80 texture mapping units, and 32 render output units. The 8 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 128-bit bus provides a bandwidth of 384.0 GB/s. These specs directly explain the observed scaling: the 128-bit memory bus is narrow for 4K workloads, and the 32 ROPs limit pixel throughput at high resolutions.

Clocks are modest, with a base of 1020 MHz and a boost of 1500 MHz. The memory runs at 1500 MHz with 24 Gbps effective speed. These conservative clocks mean the card relies on architectural efficiency rather than raw speed. In Control, this translates to 33 FPS at 4K High, which is below the 60 FPS target. The card’s 7.680 TFLOPS FP32 performance is adequate for 1080p and 1440p gaming but insufficient for 4K at high settings.

The GPU’s benchmark scores place it in the 83rd percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 43268. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA Quadro M6000 24 GB (deltaPct 0), the Quadro M6000 (deltaPct -0.1), and the RTX 4070 SUPER (deltaPct 0.1). Notably, the RTX 4090 Mobile is only 0.9% faster in aggregate benchmarks, yet Control’s measured FPS shows the RTX 5050 Mobile struggling at 4K. This discrepancy highlights that synthetic benchmarks do not always translate to real-world gaming performance, especially in a game like Control that stresses memory bandwidth.

The 8 GB VRAM is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p at all settings tested, but at 4K Ultra the card may be hitting memory capacity limits. The 384.0 GB/s bandwidth is the likely culprit for the 29 FPS result at 4K Ultra, as the game’s texture streaming demands exceed what the 128-bit bus can deliver. Lowering settings at 4K to Medium improves FPS to 37, but the minimum of 32 FPS indicates occasional stutters.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 1080p with High settings?

A: The measured average is 65 FPS at 1920x1080 with High settings. This is above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming in Control?

A: Only at Low settings, where it averages 52 FPS. At Medium, High, and Ultra, the averages are 37, 33, and 29 FPS respectively, all below 60 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 7 155H has an average benchmark score of 32697, placing it in the 83rd percentile. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core i5-14600T, scores 32707 with a 0% deltaPct, while the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 360 scores 32662 with a 0.1% deltaPct.

Q: What is the GPU’s memory configuration?

A: The RTX 5050 Mobile has 8 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 384.0 GB/s. The memory clock is 1500 MHz with 24 Gbps effective speed.

Q: Is there a big FPS difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: Yes. At 2560x1440, Low settings average 78 FPS while Ultra averages 43 FPS, a 44.9% decrease. Medium and High sit in between at 55 and 49 FPS.

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

A: It ranks 2983 out of 3720 tested combos, placing it in the bottom 20% of all configurations. This reflects the GPU’s limitations at higher resolutions.

Settings Recommendations

For 1080p gaming, the High preset at 65 FPS is the best balance of visual fidelity and performance. The Ultra preset at 56 FPS is still playable, but the 13.8% FPS loss over High may not justify the visual improvements. Low at 103 FPS is overkill for most displays, which typically max out at 60 or 144 Hz.

At 1440p, Medium settings at 55 FPS provide the best experience, as High drops to 49 FPS and Ultra to 43 FPS. The Medium preset’s minimum of 47 FPS keeps frame pacing consistent. Low at 78 FPS is viable for competitive play, but the visual quality loss is significant. For 4K, Low settings at 52 FPS are the only option for a near-playable experience, though 30 FPS on Medium is acceptable for slower-paced exploration.

The data suggests that the sweet spot is 1440p Medium, offering 55 FPS with a 47 FPS minimum. This avoids the GPU’s memory bandwidth bottleneck at 4K while maintaining higher fidelity than 1080p. At 1080p, High is recommended over Ultra due to the diminishing returns in visual quality for the 13.8% FPS penalty. For players with 120 Hz or 144 Hz displays, 1080p Low at 103 FPS is the only way to fully utilize the refresh rate.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 7 155H and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 Mobile ranks 2983 out of 3720 tested combos for Control, placing it in the 20th percentile. This is a low ranking, reflecting the GPU’s inability to maintain high frame rates at 4K. The CPU’s strong benchmark performance—83rd percentile among all CPUs with an average score of 32697—suggests it is not the limiting factor.

Instead, the GPU’s 83rd percentile ranking among all GPUs (average benchmark score 43268) masks its poor performance in Control specifically. While the RTX 5050 Mobile’s nearest rivals include the RTX 4070 SUPER (deltaPct 0.1) and RTX 4090 Mobile (deltaPct -0.9), the measured FPS in this game show it lagging behind expectations. The combo rank of 2983 indicates that many other configurations—likely with stronger GPUs—achieve better frame rates in Control.

Given that the CPU’s nearest rivals (Intel Core i5-14600T, AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 360) have nearly identical average scores, the CPU is not the bottleneck. The low combo rank is almost entirely attributable to the RTX 5050 Mobile’s memory bandwidth constraints at high resolutions. Players seeking higher rankings should prioritize a GPU with a wider memory bus or more VRAM.

Measured FPS Breakdown

1920x1080 (1080p):

• Low: 103 FPS average
• Medium: 73 FPS average, 62 FPS minimum, 84 FPS maximum
• High: 65 FPS average
• Ultra: 56 FPS average

2560x1440 (1440p):

• Low: 78 FPS average
• Medium: 55 FPS average, 47 FPS minimum, 63 FPS maximum
• High: 49 FPS average
• Ultra: 43 FPS average

3840x2160 (4K):

• Low: 52 FPS average
• Medium: 37 FPS average, 32 FPS minimum, 43 FPS maximum
• High: 33 FPS average
• Ultra: 29 FPS average

The Medium settings at each resolution provide the only minimum FPS data, showing frame pacing: 62 FPS at 1080p, 47 FPS at 1440p, and 32 FPS at 4K. These minimums are 15.1%, 14.5%, and 13.5% lower than the averages respectively, indicating consistent frame time variance. The 4K Medium result of 32 FPS minimum confirms that even at reduced settings, the GPU cannot avoid dips below 30 FPS. Overall, the data paints a clear picture: this combo is a 1080p performer that can stretch to 1440p with settings compromises, but 4K is only viable at Low settings.