Control

The Intel Core Ultra 7 155H paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 delivers a highly capable 1440p experience in Control, though the data reveals distinct performance tiers that shift dramatically based on resolution and settings. This combination ranks in the 46th percentile of tested configurations, indicating a balanced pairing where neither component consistently bottlenecks the other across the board.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best resolution to play Control with this hardware?*

A: Based on the measured FPS data, 2560x1440 provides the optimal balance. At High settings, this combo delivers 66 FPS average, which is comfortably above the 44 FPS average seen at 3840x2160 on the same settings. The 1440p resolution maintains smooth gameplay while offering significantly higher visual fidelity than 1080p.

Q: How does the RTX 5070's performance compare to its closest rivals?

A: The GPU's average benchmark score of 40377 places it within 2% of several competitors. It trails the AMD Radeon Pro 580 by 0.1% and the AMD Radeon Pro WX 7100 by 0.8%, while outperforming the AMD Radeon Pro 5300 by 1.2% and the NVIDIA RTX A500 Mobile by 2%. This indicates the RTX 5070 sits in a tightly contested performance band among its peers.

Q: What is the difference between the CPU's single-thread and multi-thread performance?

A: The Core Ultra 7 155H shows a substantial multi-thread advantage. Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 15028 is over 8.6 times higher than its single-core score of 1743, highlighting the benefit of its 16 cores and 22 threads for heavily threaded workloads, though Control may not fully utilize all of them.

Q: Does the CPU's performance match its nearest rivals?

A: The CPU's average benchmark score of 32697 is nearly identical to its rivals. It scores 0.1% higher than the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 360, and is within 0.2% of the Intel Core i5-14600T and 0.4% of the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 6850H. The performance differences are negligible in synthetic benchmarks.

Q: What are the minimum FPS figures for the Medium settings preset?

A: The measured data provides minimum FPS values only for the Medium preset. At 1920x1080, the minimum is 83 FPS, at 2560x1440 it drops to 63 FPS, and at 3840x2160 it falls to 42 FPS. These figures suggest that frame pacing remains consistent even when the average FPS is lower.

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

A: In Control, this CPU-GPU combination ranks 1551 out of 2888 tested combos. This places it in the upper-middle tier, suggesting it is a standard configuration that performs adequately but does not reach the top echelons of performance seen in the benchmark database.

Settings Recommendations

The data strongly suggests that the High preset offers the most stable and rewarding experience across all resolutions. At 1920x1080, High settings yield 87 FPS, which is only 11 FPS less than Low but provides a substantial visual upgrade. The jump from Medium to High is also efficient, costing just 11 FPS (from 98 to 87) at 1080p while likely improving image quality significantly.

At 2560x1440, the High preset becomes even more compelling. The measured 66 FPS average is well above the 57 FPS of Ultra, and the performance cost from Medium (74 FPS) to High (66 FPS) is a modest 8 FPS. This makes High the clear choice for 1440p gaming, as it sits comfortably in the range where most players consider frame rates smooth, while Ultra dips into less desirable territory.

For 4K gaming at 3840x2160, the High preset drops to 44 FPS, which is borderline playable but not ideal for fast-paced action. The data shows that Low settings at 4K produce 70 FPS, but this sacrifices too much visual quality. A more pragmatic approach might be to use Medium settings, which offer 50 FPS average with a minimum of 42 FPS, providing a playable experience without dropping to the lowest visual tier. However, the 44 FPS at High suggests that players prioritizing visual fidelity over frame rate may find it acceptable, while those seeking smoother motion should consider 1440p.

Resolution Scaling

The performance scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals a clear GPU-bound scenario. At High settings, the average FPS drops from 87 at 1920x1080 to 66 at 2560x1440, a reduction of 24%. Moving further to 3840x2160, the FPS falls to 44, representing a 33% drop from 1440p and a 49% drop from 1080p. This steep decline indicates that the RTX 5070's rendering capabilities are the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions, as the CPU has ample headroom.

The scaling pattern holds across other presets. At Low settings, the FPS decreases from 137 at 1080p to 104 at 1440p (24% drop) and then to 70 at 4K (33% drop from 1440p). This consistent proportional scaling suggests that the GPU's pixel throughput, texture rate, and memory bandwidth are being progressively saturated as resolution increases. The GPU's 672.0 GB/s memory bandwidth and 192-bit bus width appear sufficient for 1080p and 1440p but become strained at 4K, particularly on higher presets.

The data indicates that the Core Ultra 7 155H is not the bottleneck at any resolution. If the CPU were limiting performance, we would expect to see a plateau or less drastic FPS drops between 1440p and 4K. Instead, the consistent 24-33% reductions in frame rate across resolution steps point squarely at the GPU's rendering workload as the determining factor in this game.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 1551 out of 2888 tested configurations places it in the 46th percentile, which is a middling position in the database. This ranking suggests that while this pairing is capable of running Control well, many other combinations of CPUs and GPUs deliver higher frame rates. The rank reflects a balanced but not exceptional pairing, where the GPU's performance is adequate but not top-tier.

This rank is somewhat surprising given the RTX 5070's individual GPU percentile of 82 among all GPUs. The discrepancy between the GPU's strong standalone ranking and the combo's middling position suggests that the CPU may be holding back performance in certain scenarios, or that the database includes many configurations with more powerful CPUs that better complement the GPU. The CPU's percentile of 83 is also respectable, but the combination does not synergize as effectively as higher-ranked pairings.

The deltaPct values for the GPU's nearest rivals indicate a tight cluster of performance, with all competitors within 2% of the RTX 5070's average score. This suggests that the ranking position is not due to a weak GPU, but rather the competitive landscape of other tested combos. The Core Ultra 7 155H's average score is similarly close to its rivals, within 0.4%, meaning the combo's rank is more a function of the overall distribution of tested hardware than any specific deficiency.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 plays a pivotal role in determining Control's frame rates, with its 12 GB of GDDR7 memory and 192-bit bus width proving sufficient for the game's demands at 1080p and 1440p. The GPU's 672.0 GB/s memory bandwidth is a key specification that supports high-resolution textures and effects without causing memory-related stuttering. The measured FPS data shows that the GPU can deliver 137 FPS at 1080p Low, indicating that its raw compute power is substantial.

The GPU's clock speeds of 2325 MHz base and 2512 MHz boost provide the foundation for its performance. The 30.87 TFLOPS of FP32 compute power is more than adequate for Control's DirectX 12 rendering, as evidenced by the 87 FPS at 1080p High. However, the GPU's performance degrades significantly at 4K, where the 44 FPS at High settings suggests that the 192-bit memory interface becomes a limiting factor, as the pixel rate of 201.0 GPixel/s is challenged by the 8.3 million pixels of 4K resolution.

The GPU's 48 RT cores are relevant for Control's ray tracing features, though the measured data does not specify whether these were enabled. The 80 ROPs and 192 TMUs contribute to the texture and pixel fill rates, which are critical for the game's particle effects and environmental detail. The RTX 5070's 82nd percentile ranking among all GPUs confirms that it is a strong performer, but the combo's 46th percentile rank in Control indicates that the game's specific workload does not fully leverage the GPU's capabilities at higher resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the performance envelope is broad, with average FPS ranging from 137 at Low to 75 at Ultra. The High preset delivers 87 FPS, while Medium produces 98 FPS with a minimum of 83 and maximum of 112. The gap between Low and Ultra is 62 FPS, demonstrating that Control's settings have a substantial impact on GPU load.

Moving to 2560x1440, the averages compress to a range of 104 FPS at Low down to 57 FPS at Ultra. High settings yield 66 FPS, and Medium provides 74 FPS with a minimum of 63 and maximum of 85. The 47 FPS difference between Low and Ultra at this resolution shows that the GPU is beginning to feel the pressure of increased pixel count.

At 3840x2160, the range narrows further to 70 FPS at Low and 39 FPS at Ultra. High settings produce 44 FPS, while Medium offers 50 FPS with a minimum of 42 and maximum of 57. The 31 FPS spread between Low and Ultra at 4K is the smallest of any resolution, indicating that the GPU's performance ceiling is being approached regardless of settings. The minimum FPS of 42 at Medium 4K suggests that even mid-range settings can cause frame drops below 60 FPS, which may be noticeable in action sequences.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 155H provides a strong foundation for Control, with its 16 cores and 22 threads ensuring that the game's logic and physics calculations are never starved for processing power. The CPU's boost clock of 4.80 GHz delivers responsive single-thread performance, as evidenced by its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1743. This is crucial for games like Control that have complex gameplay systems running alongside rendering tasks.

The CPU's 24 MB of shared L3 cache helps reduce memory latency, which is beneficial for the game's asset streaming. The 89.6 GB/s memory bandwidth of the dual-channel DDR5 support ensures that data can be fed to the GPU quickly, preventing potential bottlenecks. However, the measured FPS data shows that the CPU is not the primary constraint, as frame rates scale consistently with GPU load across resolutions.

The Core Ultra 7 155H's multi-threaded performance, with a Cinebench R23 score of 15028, is more than sufficient for Control's requirements. The CPU's 83rd percentile ranking among all CPUs places it above average, and its average benchmark score of 32697 is nearly identical to its nearest rivals. This suggests that in terms of raw processing power, the CPU is well-matched to the RTX 5070, allowing the GPU to be the limiting factor in most scenarios, which is the ideal configuration for gaming.