Control

# Control with Intel Core Ultra 7 165H + AMD Radeon 8050S

The Intel Core Ultra 7 165H paired with the AMD Radeon 8050S produces a solid 1080p and 1440p experience in Control, though 4K Ultra remains out of reach. The measured data shows this combo ranks 2127th out of 2888 tested combinations, placing it in the lower-middle tier of systems tested for this game. What matters most here is the balance between the CPU's 16-core/22-thread Meteor Lake design and the GPU's RDNA 3.5 architecture — they complement each other well at mainstream resolutions, but the integrated GPU's shared memory system becomes the limiting factor at higher settings.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Control?

A: Based on the measured FPS data, 1920x1080 is the sweet spot. At Low settings you get 116 FPS average, at High 73 FPS, and even at Ultra the combo maintains 63 FPS. At 2560x1440, High settings drop to 55 FPS, which is still playable but noticeably less fluid. 3840x2160 is only viable at Low settings (59 FPS) or if you accept 37 FPS at High.

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

A: The AMD Radeon 8050S has an average benchmark score of 62108, which sits 0.3% above the AMD Radeon Pro W6600M (61896) and 2.5% below the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 56 (63693). It also trails the AMD Radeon RX 7600M by 2.6% and the AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT LP by 2.7%. This places it in the 89th percentile of all GPUs.

Q: How does the CPU compare to similar processors?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 7 165H has an average benchmark score of 34083, placing it in the 84th percentile of all CPUs. It is 0.3% ahead of the Intel Core Ultra 5 338H (33989) and 0.4% behind the AMD EPYC 4244P (34220). The AMD Ryzen AI 7 350 (34222) and AMD Ryzen 7 3700X (34260) are also 0.4% and 0.5% ahead respectively.

Q: What is the CPU's multi-threaded performance like?

A: In Cinebench R23, the CPU scores 14551 multi-core and 1759 single-core. For context, its Cinebench R20 scores are 9233 multi-core and 1303 single-core. PassMark multi-thread score is 25933, with single-thread at 3509. These numbers indicate strong multi-threaded capability for a 28W mobile processor.

Q: Does this combo support ray tracing in Control?

A: The AMD Radeon 8050S features 32 dedicated ray tracing cores and supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2). However, the measured FPS data does not include ray tracing-specific tests. The GPU's FP32 performance is 11.47 TFLOPS, which suggests ray tracing would be demanding at higher resolutions given the shared memory architecture.

Q: What is the GPU's memory configuration?

A: The Radeon 8050S uses system shared memory with a bus width and type both listed as "System Shared." Memory bandwidth is described as "System Dependent," meaning it varies based on the host system's RAM configuration. This is a critical factor in Control, as the game benefits from dedicated VRAM at higher settings.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon 8050S is built on the RDNA 3.5 architecture using a 4 nm process from TSMC. The chip, codenamed Strix Halo, features 2048 shading units, 128 texture mapping units, and 64 render output units. Clock speeds range from a base of 1295 MHz to a boost of 2800 MHz, with a pixel rate of 179.2 GPixel/s and texture rate of 358.4 GTexel/s. The GPU's FP32 throughput is 11.47 TFLOPS, which matches its FP16 performance at a 1:1 ratio.

The most significant characteristic here is the shared memory design. With memory type, size, and bus width all listed as "System Shared," the GPU relies on the host system's DDR5 memory rather than dedicated VRAM. Memory bandwidth is "System Dependent," which means performance can vary substantially based on the laptop's memory configuration. This is particularly relevant for Control, a game that streams high-resolution textures and benefits from fast, plentiful memory.

In practice, the benchmark results show this shared memory architecture holds the GPU back at higher resolutions. At 3840x2160, the GPU manages 59 FPS at Low settings but drops to 42 FPS at Medium and 32 FPS at Ultra. The gap between Low and Ultra is 27 FPS — a 46% performance penalty. At 1920x1080, the same settings span from 116 FPS down to 63 FPS, a 53 FPS difference that represents a 46% drop as well. This consistent scaling suggests the GPU is compute-limited rather than memory-limited at lower resolutions, but at 4K the shared memory bandwidth becomes a constraint.

The GPU's benchmark scores reinforce this interpretation. Its Geekbench OpenCL score is 65818 and Vulkan score is 58398, giving it an average of 62108. This places it in the 89th percentile of all GPUs, with its nearest rival being the AMD Radeon Pro W6600M (61896, 0.3% slower). The gap to the next tier is small — the Radeon Pro Vega 56 is only 2.5% faster — which indicates the 8050S is well-positioned for its class but not exceptional.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of Intel Core Ultra 7 165H and AMD Radeon 8050S ranks 2127th out of 2888 tested combos in Control. That places it in the 26th percentile of all tested systems — meaning roughly 74% of tested configurations perform better. This is a modest result, but it's important to contextualize the ranking within the combo's target use case.

The CPU's individual standing is strong: the Ultra 7 165H sits in the 84th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 34083. Its nearest rivals are all within 0.5% of its score. The GPU's 89th percentile ranking is even better, with an average benchmark score of 62108. Yet the combo's in-game rank is far lower than either component's individual percentile would suggest. This discrepancy points to a bottleneck — likely the shared memory system limiting the GPU's ability to feed data efficiently during gameplay.

Looking at the measured FPS, the combo delivers playable performance at 1080p across all settings (63-116 FPS) and at 1440p up to High settings (55 FPS). At 4K, only Low settings (59 FPS) are viable. The rank of 2127 likely reflects that many other tested combos use discrete GPUs with dedicated VRAM, which gives them a significant advantage in Control's texture-heavy scenes. The 8050S's integrated design, despite its strong compute capabilities, cannot match the memory bandwidth of a dedicated card.

For a mobile system, this ranking is reasonable. The combo outperforms the lower quartile of tested systems while not competing with high-end desktop configurations. The data shows that this pairing is best suited for 1080p gaming, with 1440p being a secondary option at reduced settings.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend heavily on your target resolution and refresh rate. At 1920x1080, the Medium preset delivers 82 FPS average with a minimum of 70 FPS and maximum of 94 FPS. This provides a smooth experience on 60Hz and 75Hz displays while leaving headroom for 144Hz monitors. The High preset at 73 FPS is also viable, but Medium offers better frame time consistency given the 70 FPS minimum.

For 2560x1440, Medium settings produce 62 FPS average (53 min, 71 max), which is acceptable for 60Hz displays. The High preset at 55 FPS is borderline — it works but may experience occasional stutters in demanding scenes. Low settings at 87 FPS provide the smoothest 1440p experience, but the visual quality reduction may not be worth it for most players.

At 3840x2160, the situation is more constrained. Low settings yield 59 FPS, which is playable but just barely. Medium drops to 42 FPS, and High falls to 37 FPS. Ultra is not recommended at any resolution above 1080p. For 4K, Low settings are the only option that maintains playable frame rates.

The data suggests the best overall experience is 1080p Medium or High. Medium offers the best balance of visual fidelity and performance with a 82 FPS average, while High adds quality at 73 FPS. If you have a 144Hz display, 1080p Low at 116 FPS is the only setting that fully utilizes it. At 1440p, stick to Medium for a stable 60 FPS experience.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its strongest results. Low settings achieve 116 FPS average, which is the highest score across all resolutions and settings. Medium settings produce 82 FPS average with a 70 FPS minimum and 94 FPS maximum. High settings reach 73 FPS average, while Ultra drops to 63 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra is a 53 FPS reduction, representing a 46% performance loss.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance drops are consistent but manageable. Low settings maintain 87 FPS average, which is still excellent for 1440p. Medium settings yield 62 FPS average (53 min, 71 max), providing playable performance. High settings fall to 55 FPS, and Ultra drops to 48 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 39 FPS — a 45% reduction.

At 3840x2160, the combo struggles to maintain playable frame rates. Low settings achieve 59 FPS average, just above the 60 FPS threshold. Medium settings drop to 42 FPS average (36 min, 48 max), which is noticeably less smooth. High settings manage 37 FPS, and Ultra falls to 32 FPS. The range from Low to Ultra spans 27 FPS, and even the Low setting barely holds 60 FPS.

The pattern across all resolutions is consistent: the combo loses roughly 45-46% of its performance going from Low to Ultra settings. The minimum FPS data, available only for Medium settings, shows that frame dips are present but not severe — at 1080p Medium, the minimum of 70 FPS is well above playable thresholds, and even at 4K Medium, the 36 FPS minimum is tolerable for slower-paced scenes.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 165H is a 16-core, 22-thread processor based on the Meteor Lake architecture, manufactured on Intel's 7 nm process. It has a base clock of 3.80 GHz and boost clock of 5.00 GHz, with a TDP of 28W. The cache hierarchy includes 112 KB L1 per core, 2 MB L2 per core, and 24 MB shared L3. Memory support is DDR5 with dual-channel configuration and 89.6 GB/s bandwidth.

In Control, the CPU's role is less critical than the GPU, but the 165H's strong single-thread performance helps maintain consistent frame pacing. Its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1759 and multi-core score of 14551 indicate capable processing power. The PassMark single-thread score of 3509 and multi-thread score of 25933 further confirm this. The CPU's 84th percentile ranking among all processors means it outperforms the majority of CPUs on the market.

The 16-core/22-thread configuration is particularly well-suited for Control's background processes and physics calculations. The game's action-adventure nature benefits from the CPU's ability to handle multiple simultaneous tasks, though the measured FPS data shows the GPU is the primary bottleneck in most scenarios. At 1080p Low, the CPU can feed the GPU enough data to reach 116 FPS, indicating no significant CPU limitation at that level.

The CPU's nearest rivals are all within 0.5% of its average benchmark score, making it competitive with the Intel Core Ultra 5 338H (0.3% slower), AMD EPYC 4244P (0.4% faster), AMD Ryzen AI 7 350 (0.4% faster), and AMD Ryzen 7 3700X (0.5% faster). This tight competition suggests the 165H offers mid-range CPU performance that pairs well with the Radeon 8050S for 1080p gaming. At higher resolutions, the CPU's performance becomes less relevant as the GPU becomes the limiting factor.