Control

The Intel Core Ultra 7 155H is a 16-core, 22-thread mobile processor built on Intel's Meteor Lake architecture with a 7 nm process. It operates at a base clock of 3.80 GHz and can boost up to 4.80 GHz, with a thermal design power of 28 W. Its cache hierarchy includes 112 KB of L1 per core, 2 MB of L2 per core, and a shared 24 MB L3 cache. The processor's Cinebench R23 multi-core score is 15028, with a single-core score of 1743, placing it in the 83rd percentile of all CPUs tested. In the context of Control, this CPU provides ample headroom for the game's physics and AI computations, which are primarily single-threaded, but the 24 MB L3 cache helps with memory-bound scenarios. The 155H's nearest rival, the Intel Core i5-14600T, has an average benchmark score 0% higher (32707 vs 32697), while the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 360 is 0.1% behind (32662), and the AMD Ryzen 5 7400F is -0.2% lower (32750). This indicates the 155H is positioned very closely in CPU performance to these mid-range desktop and mobile chips. For a game like Control, which was released in 2019, the 155H's multi-threaded performance is more than sufficient to handle the game's background tasks, while its single-thread performance, with a Cinebench R20 single-core score of 1235, ensures that the primary game thread runs without bottlenecking the GPU. The PassMark single-thread score of 3468, which is in the 83rd percentile of all CPUs, further reinforces this. The processor's 28 W TDP is a modest figure for a mobile chip, suggesting that it may be designed for thin-and-light laptops, but in this specific test with the RTX 5090 Mobile, the CPU is not the limiting factor in most scenarios. The 155H's memory support for DDR5 with a dual-channel bus and 89.6 GB/s bandwidth is adequate for feeding the GPU, although the GPU's own memory bandwidth dwarves it.

Q: Is the Intel Core Ultra 7 155H a bottleneck for the RTX 5090 Mobile in this game?

A: The data suggests it is not. At 1080p High, the combo achieves 128 FPS, which is far beyond what most displays can show, and at 4K Ultra, it still hits 57 FPS. The CPU's Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 15028 and single-core score of 1743 indicate it can keep up with the GPU, even at lower resolutions where CPU load is relatively higher.

Q: How does the 155H compare to its nearest rivals in CPU performance?

A: In the benchmark database, the Intel Core i5-14600T has an average score of 32707, which is 0% different from the 155H's 32697. The AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 360 is 0.1% faster, with a score of 32662. The AMD Ryzen 5 7400F is -0.2% slower, scoring 32750, and the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 6850H is -0.4% slower with a score of 32812. These variations are within 1%, so the 155H is statistically tied with these chips in overall CPU benchmarks.

Q: What is the CPU's percentile ranking among all tested CPUs?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 9 155H sits in the 83rd percentile of all CPUs, meaning it outperforms 83% of all tested processors in the database. This puts it in the upper tier of mobile and desktop chips, though not in the top 1% of high-end desktop parts.

**Q: Which is better for this game, the 155H or a desktop chip like the Core i5-14600T?

A: According to the average benchmark scores, the Core i5-14600T has an average score of 32707, which is 0% higher than the 155H's 32697. This suggests they perform nearly identically in synthetic tests, but the 155H is a mobile chip with a 28W TDP, whereas the 14600T is a desktop chip with a higher power envelope. In this game, either would be sufficient, but the 155H's power efficiency is a key advantage for portable gaming.

**Q: Does the CPU's 28W TDP limit its performance in sustained loads like gaming?

A: The benchmark data shows the 155H can maintain sufficient performance for the game, as the measured FPS in this scenario is consistently high, such as 128 FPS at 1080p High. The TDP is a design parameter, but the actual performance in this game is not limited by it, as the CPU performance is sufficient to feed the GPU.

**Q: Are the CPUs's single-core performance adequate for the game's primary thread?

A: Yes. The Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1743 and the Passmark single-thread score of 3468 indicate that the CPU can handle single-threaded workloads with ease. In a game like Control, which is not heavily multi-threaded, this is more important than the multi-core score.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data in Control shows a clear trend: as resolution increases, frame rates drop, which is typical for a GPU-bound scenario. At 1080p High, the combo averages 128 FPS, but at 1440p High, it drops to 97 FPS, and at 4K High, it falls to 65 FPS. This represents a 24% drop from 1080p to 1440p and a further 33% drop from 1440p to 4K. The same trend is visible at other settings: at Ultra, the FPS goes from 111 at 1080p to 84 at 1440p, and then to 57 at 4K, a drop of 24% and 32% respectively. The data indicates that the GPU is the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions, as the CPU performance is more than sufficient even at 1080p where the CPU load is the highest. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p is more efficient than from 1440p to 4K, suggesting that the GPU's shading units and memory bandwidth are being fully utilized at 4K. The L3 cache and memory bandwidth of the CPU are not a constraint here; the GPU's 24 GB of GDDR7 memory and 896 GB/s bandwidth are the key components driving these differences. The frame rate at 4K Ultra, 57 FPS, is just below the 60 FPS target, indicating that the combo is slightly GPU-limited at maximum settings, but a slight reduction to High settings yields 65 FPS.

How This Combo Ranks

In this benchmark database, the combo of the Intel Core Ultra 9 155H and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Mobile ranks 812th out of 3720 tested combinations for Control, placing it in the top 22% of all tested combos. This is a very strong ranking, reflecting the high performance of both components. The RTX 5090 Mobile is in the 84th per centile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 45152, while the CPU is in the 83rd percentile. When combined, they achieve this rank, which is higher than the individual percentiles, indicating that the pairing is well-balanced for this game. The ranking suggests that the GPU is the stronger component in this combo, as the CPU's percentile is slightly lower than the GPU's, but the overall combo rank is still very high. The 812th rank out of 3720 means it beats 78% of other combos, which is a strong position for a laptop-based system. This rank is achieved with a CPU that has a 28W TDP, which is a mobile chip, and a GPU that has a 95W TDP, which is also a mobile part, but the performance is competitive with many desktop setups. The combo is well-suited for high-refresh-rate 1440p gaming and even 4K gaming with some settings adjustments.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Mobile is the dominant component in this combo, with a chip named GB203, based on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture and built on a 5 nm TSMC process with 45,600 million transistors. It has 24 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 896 GB/s, which is crucial for high-resolution textures in Control, a game known for its detailed environments. The GPU's shading units are 10496, with 328 TMUs and 112 ROPs, and it has 82 ray tracing cores and 328 tensor cores. Its boost clock is 1515 MHz, and the pixel rate is 169.7 GPixel/s, with a texture rate of 496.9 GTexel/s. In this game, the GPU's performance is the key driver of the measured FPS. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score is 5871, and in Passmark, the G3D score is 30034, with a compute score of 13401. The GPU is in the 84th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 45152. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon Pro 5500 XT, which has an average score of 45384, 0.5% higher, and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti, which is 0.8% lower. The GPU's performance in this game is primarily limited by the settings and resolution, as seen in the FPS data. At 4K Ultra, the GPU delivers 57 FPS, which is a playable frame rate, but at 4K Low, it reaches 103 FPS, showing that the GPU can handle even the most demanding resolutions if settings are reduced. The GPU's memory bandwidth is also a factor, as the 24 GB of GDDR7 is more than enough for Control, which is not a VRAM-heavy game. The GPU's power consumption is 95W, which is typical for a mobile part, and its performance reflects the efficiency of the Blackwell architecture.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The benchmark data provides measured FPS across four resolutions and four settings levels, all averaged.

At 1080p (1920x1080):

• Low: 203 FPS
• Medium: 144 FPS (with a minimum of 122 and a maximum of 165)
• High: 128 FPS
• Ultra: 111 FPS

At 1440p (2560x1440):

• Low: 153 FPS
• Medium: 109 FPS (with a minimum of 93 and a maximum of 125)
• High: 97 FPS
• Ultra: 84 FPS

At 4K (3840x2160):

• Low: 103 FPS
• Medium: 73 FPS (with a minimum of 62 and a maximum of 85)
• High: 65 FPS
• Ultra: 57 FPS

The data shows a clear trend: as resolution increases, the FPS drops proportionally. From 1080p to 1440p, the average FPS drop is 26 FPS across all settings (e.g., 128 to 97, 203 to 153, 144 to 109, 111 to 84). From 1440p to 4K, the drop is more severe, with an average of 25 FPS drop (e.g., 97 to 65, 153 to 103, 109 to 73, 84 to 57). This indicates that the GPU is the limiting factor at 4K, as the CPU is not a bottleneck at any resolution. The High setting at 1080p provides 128 FPS, which is 71% of the Low setting's 203 FPS, but the visual improvement is significant. The Ultra setting at 1080p provides 111 FPS, which is 87% of High's 128 FPS. At 4K, the Ultra setting produces 57 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target, but the High setting offers 65 FPS, which is playable. The Medium setting at 4K provides 73 FPS, with a minimum of 62 FPS, which is stable enough for most users. The data suggests that the GPU is the main component for this game, and the combo is best suited for 1440p gaming, where it can achieve high FPS at all settings. At 4K, users should consider using the High or Medium settings for a smooth experience. The minimum FPS for the Medium settings are recorded, and they are 122 at 1080p, 93 at 1440p, and 62 at 4K, which are all within playable ranges. The maximum FPS are also provided, with 165 at 1080p, 125 at 1440p, and 85 at 4K, indicating that the frame rate can be quite variable, but the game is generally smooth.