Control

# Control: Intel Core Ultra 7 165H + AMD Radeon RX 7800M

The Intel Core Ultra 7 165H paired with the AMD Radeon RX 7800M produces a mixed performance picture in Control, with the combo ranking 1927th out of 2888 tested combinations. This places it in the lower-middle portion of the database, though the measured frame rates reveal a system that is heavily influenced by resolution and settings choices. The data indicates a mobile platform that can deliver smooth 1080p gameplay at high settings but struggles to maintain playable frame rates at 4K with maximum quality presets.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a steep performance drop as resolution increases, which is typical for a GPU-bound title like Control. At 1080p with High settings, the system delivers 76 FPS average. Moving to 1440p drops this to 57 FPS, a 25% reduction. At 4K, the average falls to 39 FPS, which is nearly half of the 1080p result. This scaling pattern indicates that the AMD Radeon RX 7800M is the primary limiting component at higher resolutions.

The gap between Low and Ultra settings widens dramatically with resolution. At 1080p, Low produces 120 FPS while Ultra yields 66 FPS—a 54 FPS spread. At 1440p, the spread is 41 FPS (91 vs 50). At 4K, the spread narrows to 27 FPS (61 vs 34), suggesting that at 4K the GPU is so saturated that even dropping to Low settings cannot fully compensate for the pixel count. The 4K Medium preset shows 43 FPS with a minimum of 37 FPS, indicating that frame pacing becomes inconsistent at this resolution.

The transition from 1440p to 4K at High settings shows a 32% drop (57 to 39 FPS), which is more severe than the 25% drop from 1080p to 1440p (76 to 57 FPS). This nonlinear scaling suggests that the RX 7800M's 12 GB of VRAM and 192-bit memory bus are adequate for 1440p but begin to bottleneck at 4K, particularly with higher quality settings that increase texture and buffer demands.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 165H is a 16-core, 22-thread Meteor Lake processor with a base clock of 3.80 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 14,551 and single-core score of 1,759 indicate strong computational capability. In Control, which is not traditionally CPU-intensive, this processor appears sufficient to avoid bottlenecking the GPU at lower resolutions.

At 1080p Low settings, the system achieves 120 FPS, which suggests the CPU can feed the GPU adequately even at high frame rates. The 84th percentile ranking among all CPUs indicates this processor outperforms the majority of tested CPUs. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core Ultra 5 338H (0.3% higher average score) and the AMD Ryzen 7 3700X (0.5% lower average score), placing it in a competitive mid-range tier.

However, the 28W TDP of the Core Ultra 7 165H is a notable constraint for sustained performance in a laptop form factor. The 24 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR5 memory support with 89.6 GB/s bandwidth provide adequate data throughput for Control's physics-based gameplay. The processor's PassMark multi-thread score of 25,933 and single-thread score of 3,509 suggest balanced performance that should not create a bottleneck in this title, as evidenced by the frame rate scaling pattern that closely follows GPU expectations.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides clear guidance for optimal settings at each resolution. At 1080p, the High preset delivers 76 FPS average, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. The Medium preset offers 85 FPS, and even Ultra maintains 66 FPS. For players prioritizing frame rate, Low at 120 FPS provides a significant margin, but High offers the best balance of visual quality and performance at this resolution.

At 1440p, High settings produce 57 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for competitive or fast-paced action. Medium settings improve this to 64 FPS, making it the recommended choice for 1440p gaming. The Ultra preset drops to 50 FPS, which may be acceptable for slower-paced exploration but risks noticeable stutter during combat sequences. Low settings at 91 FPS provide a smooth experience but sacrifice significant visual fidelity.

At 4K, the data shows that only Low settings (61 FPS) achieve a playable frame rate. Medium drops to 43 FPS, High to 39 FPS, and Ultra to 34 FPS. The 4K Medium minimum of 37 FPS suggests inconsistent frame delivery, making it risky for gameplay. The recommendation is clear: 4K gaming should be limited to Low settings, or players should consider reducing resolution to 1440p for a better experience.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo ranks 1927th out of 2888 tested combinations in Control, placing it in the 33rd percentile of all tested systems. This ranking reflects the mobile nature of both components—the Core Ultra 7 165H and RX 7800M are designed for laptops rather than desktop systems, which typically dominate the upper ranks. The percentile ranking of 73 for the GPU and 84 for the CPU indicate that both components are above average individually, but the combination does not synergize as strongly in this title as some other pairings.

The GPU's nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon Pro W5500X (0.3% lower average score) and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti (0.5% lower), which provides context for its performance tier. The RX 7800M's 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 2,994 and PassMark G3D score of 17,613 are respectable for a mobile part. The combo's rank suggests that Control's demanding physics and particle effects place significant stress on the GPU, and the 12 GB VRAM capacity is adequate but not excessive for this title.

Compared to the CPU's rivals, the Core Ultra 7 165H's performance relative to the AMD Ryzen 7 3700X (0.5% lower) indicates that the processor is capable, but the overall combo ranking is dragged down by the GPU's mobile constraints rather than CPU limitations.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7800M is built on the Navi 32 chip with RDNA 3.0 architecture and a 5 nm process from TSMC. It features 3,840 shading units, 240 TMUs, and 96 ROPs, with 60 ray tracing cores. The GPU has a base clock of 1295 MHz, a game clock of 2145 MHz, and a boost clock of 2335 MHz. Its 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus provides 432.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is substantial for a mobile part.

In Control, the GPU's performance is clearly the limiting factor at higher resolutions. The 4K Ultra preset delivers only 34 FPS, which is below the playable threshold. The GPU's 35.87 TFLOPS of FP32 compute is respectable, but Control's heavy use of physics-based destruction and particle effects appears to stress the ROP and texture units. The 96 ROPs and 224.2 GPixel/s pixel rate are adequate for 1080p and 1440p but struggle at 4K.

The RX 7800M's 180W TDP is high for a mobile GPU, and the "IGP" slot width suggests it is integrated into a laptop motherboard rather than a removable module. Its 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 2,994 and PassMark G3D score of 17,613 confirm its mid-range positioning. The GPU's nearest rival, the AMD Radeon Pro W5500X, has a 0.3% lower average score, indicating the RX 7800M performs similarly to professional workstation parts.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers 120 FPS on Low settings, 85 FPS on Medium (with a minimum of 72 and maximum of 98), 76 FPS on High, and 66 FPS on Ultra. The 1080p results show a consistent scaling pattern where each settings tier costs approximately 10-20% performance.

At 2560x1440, Low settings produce 91 FPS, Medium delivers 64 FPS (minimum 55, maximum 74), High achieves 57 FPS, and Ultra drops to 50 FPS. The 1440p results show a more pronounced drop from Low to Medium (30% decrease) compared to 1080p, indicating that the GPU is becoming more stressed.

At 3840x2160, Low settings yield 61 FPS, Medium produces 43 FPS (minimum 37, maximum 50), High achieves 39 FPS, and Ultra drops to 34 FPS. The 4K results reveal that only Low settings maintain an average above 60 FPS, and even then, the margin is slim. The Medium preset's minimum of 37 FPS indicates significant frame time variability, which could cause noticeable stuttering during intense gameplay sequences.

The data shows a consistent pattern: at every resolution, the step from Medium to High costs approximately 10-15% performance, while the step from High to Ultra costs an additional 10-15%. This suggests that the Ultra preset's additional visual effects (likely improved reflections and shadow quality) are particularly demanding on the RX 7800M.

FAQ

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

A: No. The only 4K setting that achieves an average above 60 FPS is Low at 61 FPS. Medium produces 43 FPS, High 39 FPS, and Ultra 34 FPS.

Q: What is the best settings preset for 1440p gaming?

A: Medium settings provide 64 FPS average with a minimum of 55 FPS, making it the most reliable choice. High settings at 57 FPS are playable but offer less headroom for demanding scenes.

Q: How does the RX 7800M compare to the GTX 980 Ti in this context?

A: The RX 7800M has a 0.5% higher average benchmark score than the GTX 980 Ti, indicating similar overall performance, though the RX 7800M benefits from newer architecture and more VRAM.

Q: Is the Core Ultra 7 165H a bottleneck in Control?

A: The data does not indicate a CPU bottleneck. At 1080p Low, the system reaches 120 FPS, and the frame rate scaling closely follows GPU expectations, suggesting the CPU is not limiting performance.

Q: What frame rate can I expect at 1080p Ultra settings?

A: The measured average is 66 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS threshold but leaves limited margin for demanding scenes. The GPU's percentile ranking of 73 suggests this is consistent with its expected performance.

Q: Does the 12 GB VRAM cause issues at 4K?

A: The 4K results show significant performance drops at higher settings, but the data does not explicitly indicate VRAM capacity as the cause. The GPU's computational limits at 4K are the more likely constraint, as even Low settings (which use less VRAM) only reach 61 FPS.