Control

Control is a demanding Action Adventure title from 2019, and the measured results for the Intel Core Ultra 7 265 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER combination reveal a system that is heavily constrained by the graphics card at higher resolutions. The data shows a clear narrative: this combo is capable of excellent performance at 1080p, but struggles to maintain playable frame rates at 4K with higher presets. The analysis focuses on how the CPU's substantial processing power is largely left untapped as the GPU becomes the definitive bottleneck.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 7 265 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER ranks 2054th out of 2888 tested combos for this specific game. This percentile placement, roughly in the 29th percentile, indicates that while this is not a bottom-tier setup, it sits firmly in the lower half of all tested configurations for Control. The ranking is a direct consequence of the significant imbalance between the two components; the CPU is a top-tier performer, but the GPU is a mid-range part from a previous generation.

This ranking is particularly telling when you consider the individual component standings. The CPU alone sits in the 93rd percentile of all CPUs, proof of its high multi-threaded and single-threaded capabilities. In contrast, the GPU only reaches the 62nd percentile among all GPUs. The combo's rank is dragged down by the GPU's relative weakness. Benchmark results indicate that the system's overall capability for this game is defined by the lower-performing component, which is the graphics card. The measured FPS data confirms this, showing that the CPU is rarely the limiting factor, even at lower resolutions where frame rates are high.

The GPU's average benchmark score is 18,093, placing it within a tight cluster of rivals. It trails the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Mobile by 0.4%, the AMD Radeon Pro 5700 by 0.5%, the AMD Radeon RX 460 by 1.5%, and the Intel Arc A770M by 1.6%. These minuscule deltas in synthetic benchmarks suggest that in many scenarios, the RTX 2060 SUPER is functionally equivalent to these other cards. However, in the context of Control, the specific architectural strengths and weaknesses of the Turing-based GPU will determine its real-world performance.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Control at 4K resolution?

A: Yes, but only at lower settings. The data shows an average of 60 FPS at 4K with Low settings, which drops to 38 FPS at High and 33 FPS at Ultra. For a smooth 60 FPS experience at 4K, you must use the Low preset.

Q: What is the best resolution for this CPU and GPU pairing?

A: 1920x1080 is where this combo delivers the most comfortable performance. At 1080p, every settings preset from Low to Ultra achieves an average frame rate above 60 FPS, making it the only resolution where all presets are playable.

Q: How much of a performance difference is there between the Low and Ultra presets?

A: The difference is substantial and scales with resolution. At 1080p, the Ultra preset is 45% slower than Low (65 FPS vs 118 FPS). At 1440p, it is 45% slower as well (49 FPS vs 89 FPS). At 4K, the gap widens to 45% as well (33 FPS vs 60 FPS), showing a consistent cost for the highest visual quality settings.

Q: Is the Intel Core Ultra 7 265 a bottleneck for the RTX 2060 SUPER in this game?

A: The data does not support this. The CPU benchmarks place it in the 93rd percentile overall, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 42,216. The FPS figures suggest the GPU is the primary limit, especially at higher resolutions where the frame rate drops significantly, indicating the GPU is saturated.

Q: What is the highest average FPS this system can achieve?

A: The highest measured average frame rate is 118 FPS, which is achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with the Low settings preset. This indicates the system can deliver a high-refresh-rate experience, but only by sacrificing most visual quality settings.

Q: How does the RTX 2060 SUPER compare to its closest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The average benchmark score of 18,093 places it in a very tight competitive group. It is within 1.6% of the Intel Arc A770M and the AMD Radeon RX 460, and within 0.5% of the AMD Radeon Pro 5700, according to the deltaPct values.

Settings Recommendations

The optimal settings preset is entirely dependent on the target resolution and desired frame rate. The measured data provides a clear guide for each scenario.

At 1920x1080, the system is capable of running the Ultra preset with an average of 65 FPS, which is a playable and visually impressive experience. For gamers prioritizing a higher refresh rate, the High preset offers 74 FPS, and the Medium preset jumps to 84 FPS. The Low preset provides a staggering 118 FPS, ideal for maximum fluidity, but with significant visual compromises. The data suggests that the High preset at 1080p offers the best balance of visual fidelity and performance, providing a smooth experience while retaining most of the game's graphical features.

At 2560x1440, the High preset becomes the sweet spot, delivering an average of 56 FPS. While not a locked 60 FPS, this is a solid experience for a game like Control. The Medium preset is also viable at 63 FPS, offering a more stable frame rate. The Ultra preset dips to 49 FPS, which may be acceptable for some, but the drop below 60 FPS is noticeable. The Low preset performs well at 89 FPS, but at this resolution, the visual downgrade is more apparent than at 1080p.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset is the only viable option for a consistent 60 FPS experience, averaging exactly 60 FPS. The Medium preset provides an average of 43 FPS, which is playable but not smooth. The High and Ultra presets are not recommended for a good experience, with averages of 38 FPS and 33 FPS respectively. The data clearly indicates that 4K gaming with this combo requires significant compromises in graphical settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The FPS data reveals a consistent pattern across all resolutions: performance scales inversely with both resolution and graphical fidelity.

At 1920x1080, the frame rates are as follows: Low averages 118 FPS, Medium averages 84 FPS with a minimum of 71 FPS and maximum of 96 FPS, High averages 74 FPS, and Ultra averages 65 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 53 FPS, demonstrating the high cost of the game's advanced lighting and particle effects. The minimum FPS recorded at Medium (71 FPS) suggests that even in demanding scenes, the system holds up well at this resolution.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance drops as expected. The Low preset averages 89 FPS, a significant decrease from 1080p. Medium averages 63 FPS (min 54, max 73), High averages 56 FPS, and Ultra drops to 49 FPS. The frame rate deficit between 1080p and 1440p is roughly 24% for Low, 25% for Medium, 24% for High, and 24% for Ultra, indicating a fairly uniform scaling cost.

At 3840x2160, the system is clearly overburdened. The Low preset manages an average of 60 FPS. The Medium preset averages 43 FPS (min 36, max 49), showing noticeable dips. The High preset falls to 38 FPS, and the Ultra preset is the most demanding, averaging only 33 FPS. The performance drop from 1440p to 4K is steep, around 33% for Low, 32% for Medium, 32% for High, and 33% for Ultra, highlighting the massive increase in pixel count and shading work.

Resolution Scaling

The scaling from 1080p to 4K provides critical insight into the system's bottleneck. The average FPS drops from 118 to 60 at Low settings, a reduction of 49%. At High settings, the drop is from 74 to 38 FPS, a reduction of 49%. This near-constant percentage decrease across all presets indicates a purely resolution-bound scenario.

This pattern is the classic signature of a GPU-limited system. When the resolution increases, the number of pixels the GPU must render increases exponentially, directly impacting its workload. The CPU's workload, which involves game logic and draw calls, does not scale anywhere near as dramatically with resolution. Since the frame rate drops by nearly half when going from 1080p to 4K, it is clear the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER is being pushed to its absolute limit at the higher resolution.

If the CPU were the limiting factor, we would expect to see a much smaller difference between 1080p and 1440p, and perhaps a plateau at higher resolutions where the CPU becomes the bottleneck. Instead, the FPS continues to fall steadily, confirming that the GPU's rendering throughput is the sole constraint. The Intel Core Ultra 7 265 has ample headroom to feed frames, but the RTX 2060 SUPER simply cannot render them fast enough at 4K.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265 is a formidable processor, built on the Arrow Lake architecture. It features 20 cores and 20 threads, a configuration that is heavily weighted toward multi-threaded performance. Its base clock of 2.40 GHz can boost up to 5.30 GHz, ensuring high single-threaded performance when needed. The CPU's benchmark scores are impressive, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 42,216 and a single-core score of 5,960.

In the context of Control, the CPU's role is to handle the game's physics, AI, and overall game logic. The data indicates that at all tested resolutions and settings, the CPU is more than capable of keeping up with the GPU. The FPS scaling with resolution is a clear indicator that the CPU is not the bottleneck. Even at 1080p Low with 118 FPS, the CPU is able to maintain this high frame rate, suggesting that its single-thread performance (a Passmark single-thread score of 4,689) is sufficient for the game's demands.

The architecture of the Ultra 7 265, with its 30 MB of shared L3 cache, is well-suited for gaming. The high core count and thread count are not fully utilized by most games, including Control, but they ensure that background tasks and system overhead do not interfere with the game's performance. The CPU's 93rd percentile ranking underscores its capability, but the measured FPS in this combo shows that it is a supporting player, not the primary driver of performance in this particular title.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER is the definitive limiting factor in this configuration. Based on the Turing architecture, it has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s. Its base clock is 1470 MHz with a boost of 1650 MHz. The GPU's performance is reflected in its 62nd percentile ranking and its average benchmark score of 18,093.

The GPU's capabilities are directly correlated with the measured FPS. At 4K Ultra, the game's most demanding settings, the GPU is overwhelmed, producing an average of only 33 FPS. This is due to the massive computational load of rendering at 3840x2160, which requires the GPU to process over 8 million pixels per frame. The GPU's 7.181 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is insufficient for this task at high settings.

The VRAM capacity of 8 GB is not a bottleneck at the tested settings, as Control's texture requirements are within this limit. The issue is raw compute and fill rate. The drop from 60 FPS at 4K Low to 38 FPS at 4K High highlights how sensitive this GPU is to the more advanced rendering techniques like volumetric lighting and ray-traced effects (the GPU has 34 RT cores). The data clearly shows that the RTX 2060 SUPER is a capable 1080p card that can handle 1440p with some compromises, but it is not suited for 4K gaming with high visual quality settings.