Control

Control, the 2019 action-adventure title from Remedy Entertainment, presents a unique stress profile that blends heavy GPU load with significant CPU overhead for physics and object interactions. The pairing of the Intel Core Ultra 7 265 with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 produces a system that is exceptionally well-balanced for this title, capable of delivering high refresh rate experiences at 1440p and solid 4K performance. The benchmark data indicates that this combination sits in the 93rd percentile for CPU performance and the 86th percentile for GPU performance, making it a top-tier configuration by any standard metricamer. The measured frame rates across all resolutions and settings presets demonstrate a system that rarely bottlenecks, though the scaling patterns reveal the expected shift from CPU to GPU limitation as resolution increases.

How This Combo Ranks

Within the comprehensive database of tested hardware combinations, this specific pairing achieves a rank of 241 out of 3,720 tested combos for Control. This places it firmly in the top 6.5% of all systems tested, a strong indicator of its capability for this specific game. The rank reflects the synergy between the processor and graphics card, where neither component severely limits the other in the way that would cause a significant drop in ranking.

The CPU itself holds an average benchmark score of 64,640, placing it in the 93rd percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals in terms of average score are the AMD EPYC 4464P, which scores 64,823 (a -0.3% delta), and the Intel Core Ultra 7 265F, which scores 64,438 (a +0.3% delta). This shows that the 265 is performing almost identically to its closest competitors, with performance deltas of under one percent. The GPU also performs as expected, with an average benchmark score of 54,247, placing it in the 86th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER, scores 54,209, a mere 0.1% delta, indicating that the base 4080 and the SUPER variant are effectively interchangeable in performance.

The combination's high rank suggests that in Control, the system is capable of delivering a consistent experience without a single obvious bottleneck. The data shows that while the GPU is very powerful, it is not so powerful that it makes the CPU a limiting factor at lower resolutions, nor is the CPU so strong that it is wasted at higher resolutions. This balance is the primary reason for its impressive standing among the thousands of other combinations.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture and utilizes the AD103 chip, manufactured on a 5 nm process by TSMC. It features 9,728 shading units, 304 texture mapping units, and 112 render output units. The card's raw compute capability is substantial, with a FP32 performance of 48.74 TFLOPS. Memory is a significant strength, with 16 GB of GDDR6X on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 716.8 GB/s. The memory clock runs at 1400 MHz, which translates to 22.4 Gbps effective. This high bandwidth is critical for Control's detailed textures and particle effects, especially at 4K resolution where the memory bus is heavily utilized.

The GPU's clock speeds are set at a base of 2205 MHz and a boost of 2505 MHz. In the context of Control, these clocks allow the GPU to sustain high frame rates, but the data suggests that the card is not always running at its absolute limit. The benchmark results show that at 1080p, the frame rates are extremely high, reaching 246 FPS on Low settings Ranger. This indicates that the GPU has significant headroom at lower resolutions, and the limiting factor is more likely the CPU's ability to feed the GPU with draw calls and physics calculations. As the resolution increases, the GPU's role becomes more dominant, with the frame rates dropping in a predictable pattern that aligns with the increase in pixel count and shading work.

The RTX 4080's position relative to its rivals reinforces its high-end status. It performs within 0.1% of the RTX 4080 SUPER, and is 1.1% faster than the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X, and 2.6% faster than the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB. These deltas are small, confirming that the 4080 is a top-tier performer. For Control, the data shows that the GPU is more than sufficient for a smooth experience, with the 16 GB VRAM ensuring that even at 4K Ultra settings, there is no indication of memory capacity being a limitation.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data across the three resolutions provides a clear picture of the system's scaling behavior. At High settings, the average frame rate drops from 156 FPS at 1080p, to 118 FPS at 1440p, and finally to 79 FPS at 4K. This represents a 24.4% decrease from 1080p to 1440p, and a 33.1% decrease from 1440p to 4K. This pattern is typical for a system where the GPU becomes progressively more stressed as the resolution increases Mendes. The frame rate does not scale linearly with pixel count, which indicates that other factors, such as memory bandwidth and fill rate, are also coming into play.

A similar pattern is observed at Low settings. The average FPS is 246 at 1080p, which drops to 186 FPS at 1440p (a 24.4% decrease) and then to 126 FPS at 4K (a 32.3% decrease). The fact that the percentage drops are nearly identical between the High and Low settings suggests that the scaling is resolution-bound, not settings-bound. The GPU is the primary driver of these performance changes. The difference between 1080p and 4K is a 4x increase in pixel count, but the frame rate only drops by roughly half, which highlights the GPU's efficiency in handling the increased load.

This scaling analysis strongly implies that at 1080p, the system is heavily CPU-limited. The 246 FPS at Low settings is a very high number, and it is likely that the CPU's single-threaded performance is preventing the GPU from pushing even higher. However, as the resolution climbs, the GPU's workload increases, and the system shifts to being GPU-limited. The 4K results, particularly the 79 FPS at High and 69 FPS at Ultra, show the GPU is being pushed to its limits, which is expected for a demanding title like Control at that resolution.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured data provides a comprehensive view of performance across all settings and resolutions. At 4K (3840x2160), the Ultra preset yields an average of 69 FPS. High settings provide a significant boost to 79 FPS, while Medium settings average 89 FPS with a minimum of 76 and a maximum of 103 FPS. Low settings are the fastest in this resolution, achieving an average of 126 FPS. This range shows that even at 4K, the system is capable of high refresh rate gaming, provided the user is willing to lower the graphical presets.

At 1440p (2560x1440), the performance is more than sufficient for high refresh rate monitors. The Ultra preset averages 102 FPS, High settings average 118 FPS, and Medium settings average 132 FPS, with a minimum of 113 and a maximum of 152 FPS. Low settings push the average up to 186 FPS. These numbers indicate that for a 144Hz or 165Hz monitor, the High or Ultra presets would be the ideal choice, as they provide a smooth and visually rich experience without exceeding the monitor's refresh rate.

At 1080p (1920x1080), the system is clearly CPU-bound. The Ultra preset averages 135 FPS, High settings average 156 FPS, and Medium settings average 175 FPS, with a minimum of 149 and a maximum of 201 FPS. Low settings produce an average of 246 FPS. The frame rates at this resolution are exceptionally high, but the scaling between presets is less pronounced than at higher resolutions, which is a classic sign of a CPU bottleneck. The difference between Low and Ultra is only 111 FPS, whereas at 4K, the difference is 57 FPS.

Settings Recommendations

The benchmark data suggests that the optimal experience for this system depends on the target resolution. For 4K gaming, the High preset is the best balance of visual fidelity and performance, delivering an average of 79 FPS. The Ultra preset, while visually superior, drops to 69 FPS, which may not be ideal for a smooth experience on a 60Hz panel. The Medium preset offers a significant FPS boost to 89 FPS, but the visual difference between Medium and High in Control is often subtle, making High the better choice for those who prioritize visuals.

For 1440p, the Ultra preset is the recommended choice. An average of 102 FPS is well within the range of most high refresh rate monitors, and it allows the user to experience the game with all the visual effects enabled. The High preset is also a viable option, averaging 118 FPS, but the slight drop in visual quality is not worth the extra 16 FPS unless a user has a 120Hz monitor and wants to ensure a locked frame rate.

At 1080p, the system is so powerful that it makes the choice of settings less critical. The Ultra preset, averaging 135 FPS, is the best option for maximum visual quality, as the CPU bottleneck means that dropping to High only yields a 21 FPS increase. The High preset, at 156 FPS, is a good choice for users with 144Hz monitors who want a slight performance buffer. However, the data clearly indicates that the CPU will limit the system's ability to reach the 246 FPS that the Low preset achieves, so users should stick with the highest settings possible for the best experience.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265 is a 20-core, 20-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture. It has a base clock of 2.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz. It features a hybrid cache configuration with 192 KB of L1 cache per core, 3 MB of L2 cache per core, and a 30 MB shared L3 cache. The processor is built on a 3 nm process from TSMC, which is a key factor in its power efficiency and performance. In the context of Control, the CPU's role is critical for handling the game's physics engine and AI routines.

The CPU's single-threaded performance is a strong asset for this game. Its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 5960 is indicative of excellent performance in tasks that rely on a single core, which is common in game logic. The multi-core score of 42,216 demonstrates that the CPU can also handle heavy multi-threaded workloads, though Control typically does not scale perfectly across 20 cores. The PassMark single-thread score of 4,689 corroborates the strong single-core performance.

However, the data suggests that the CPU is the limiting factor at 1080p. The fact that frame rates do not scale linearly with settings at this resolution points to a CPU bottleneck. The CPU's 20 cores and 20 threads are likely sufficient to handle the game's threading model, but the single-thread performance is what determines the maximum frame rate achievable. The benchmarks show that the CPU's average score of 64,640 is nearly identical to its rivals, with a -0.3% delta versus the AMD EPYC 4464P and a +0.3% delta versus the Intel Core Ultra 7 265F. This indicates that while its performance is strong, it is not exceptional compared to other high-end processors, which may explain why it cannot push the RTX 4080 to its absolute limit at lower resolutions.

FAQ

Q: What is the overall performance ranking of this CPU and GPU combination in Control?

A: The combo ranks 241st out of 3,720 tested combinations, placing it in the top 6.5% of all systems for this game.

Q: How does the RTX 4080's performance compare to its closest rival, the RTX 4080 SUPER?

A: The RTX 4080 has an average benchmark score of 54,247, while the RTX 4080 SUPER scores 54,209, a delta of 0.1%. They are effectively equal in performance.

Q: What is the average frame rate at 4K with the High settings preset?

A: The average frame rate is 79 FPS at 3840x2160 resolution with High settings.

Q: Is the system more CPU-limited or GPU-limited at 1080p?

A: The data indicates a CPU bottleneck at 1080p. The frame rate difference between Low (246 FPS) and Ultra (135 FPS) is relatively small, suggesting the CPU cannot feed the GPU fast enough.

Q: What is the CPU's boost clock speed and how does it relate to its performance?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 7 265 has a boost clock of 5.30 GHz. Its strong single-threaded performance, evidenced by a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 5,960, is crucial for Control's game logic.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded for the Medium settings at 1440p?

A: The minimum FPS is 113, with an average of 132 FPS and a maximum of 152 FPS at 2560x1440 resolution with Medium settings.