Control

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265HX paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Mobile presents a compelling dataset for analyzing game performance in Control. This combination of a 20-core Arrow Lake-HX processor and an Ada Lovelace mobile GPU yields results that shift in character depending on the resolution and settings applied. The measured frames per second (FPS) reveal the intricate balance between CPU and GPU demands in this action-adventure title. The following analysis dissects the measured FPS, the roles of the core components, and the ranking of this specific combo within the broader benchmark database.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 shows a clear and expected trend of decreasing performance as pixel count increases. At the "Low" settings preset, the average FPS at 1080p is 140, which drops to 106 at 1440p, and finally to 71 at 4K. This represents a 24% decrease from 1080p to 1440p, followed by a further 33% decrease from 1440p to 4K. The scaling here is nearly linear with the number of pixels, which strongly suggests that at "Low" settings, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Mobile is the primary limiting component.

Moving to the "Ultra" settings preset, the same resolution progression yields average FPS of 77 at 1080p, 58 at 1440p, and 39 at 4K. The relative drop from 1080p to 1440p is 24.7%, and from 1440p to 4K is 32.8%. The similarity in these percentage drops across "Low" and "Ultra" presets indicates that the GPU is the dominant performance limiter throughout the tested range. However, notably, the gap between the 1080p and 1440p is slightly smaller at "Ultra" compared to "Low". This may hint that at lower resolutions with maximum settings, the Intel Core Ultra 7 265HX begins to play a more significant role in maintaining frame delivery. Yet, the overall pattern is one of a GPU-bound scenario.

The scaling behavior at "Medium" settings provides another data point. Here, the average FPS at 1080p is 99, which falls to 75 at 1440p, and then to 51 at 4K. The percentage drops are 24.2% and 32%, respectively, which is a similar pattern to the other presets. This consistency across all settings levels reinforces the conclusion that the GeForce RTX 4070 Mobile's rendering capabilities are the primary bottleneck in this game. The data suggests that for a user seeking a high refresh rate experience at 1080p, the "Low" preset, with an average of 140 FPS, is the only one capable of exceeding the 120 Hz threshold. All other presets at 1080p fall below this mark.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Mobile is a key player in these results. Its specifications include an 8 GB GDDR6 memory buffer on a 128-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 256.0 GB/s. This memory configuration is a crucial factor in the game's performance at higher resolutions. With a 4K resolution, the game demands a substantial amount of video memory and bandwidth. The data shows that at 4K "Ultra," the average FPS falls to 39. While the "Low" preset at 4K achieves 71 FPS, this indicates that the game is heavily dependent on the GPU's ability to process the increased pixel load.

The GPU's clock speeds are listed with a base of 1395 MHz and a boost clock of 1695 MHz. These clocks, along with the 4608 shading units, define its raw compute power. The chip is based on the Ada Lovelace architecture and is built on a 5 nm process from TSMC, which contributes to its efficiency and performance characteristics. In the benchmark results, the GPU's Passmark G3D score is 19587. This places it in the 73rd percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival in the database is the AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT, with a delta of 0%, indicating that these two GPUs have essentially equivalent average benchmark scores. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090, a previous generation flagship, is a 0.5% behind, and the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 20 is 1.5% behind. This context is essential for understanding the GPU's tier, positioning it as a high-end mobile part that can match or exceed some previous desktop models in specific workloads.

The 8 GB VRAM capacity may be a concern at the highest settings, but it is sufficient to run all the measured configurations in this dataset. The performance drop from "High" to "Ultra" at 4K is from 45 FPS to 39 FPS, a 13% reduction. This shows the cost of the highest quality assets. The GPU's performance in this game is also reflected in its 73rd percentile ranking, which indicates that for a majority of other GPUs, it provides a superior level of performance. The measured data confirms that this GPU is a strong performer in this game, but the 4K "Ultra" preset is still a demanding challenge.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 7 265HX and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Mobile has a measured combo rank of 2008 out of 3720 combos in the database for this game, Control. This rank places it in the 46th percentile of all tested combos. This means that 54% of the other tested CPU-GPU combinations in this game perform better than this one. This is a surprising ranking, given the individual components. The CPU's average benchmark score is 63173, which puts it in the 93rd percentile of all CPUs, and the GPU is in the 73rd percentile.

The disparity between the component percentiles and the combo ranking suggests a potential bottleneck. The CPU is a high-end mobile chip, and the GPU is also a high-end mobile part. However, this ranking indicates that there are many other combinations of components that can achieve higher average FPS in Control. This could be due to a number of factors, including the specific game's optimization for certain hardware, the drivers used, or the thermal characteristics of the laptop in which this combo is installed. The rank is a relative measure, but it shows that this specific pairing is not the optimal choice for maximizing performance in this title.

The CPU's nearest rivals in terms of average benchmark score are the Intel Core i7-13790F, the AMD Ryzen AI 7 450G, the AMD Ryzen AI Embedded P185, and the Intel Core Ultra 7 255HX. All of these have average scores within 0.7% of each other, showing that the 265HX is part of a tight cluster of high-performing CPUs. The GPU's rivals are similarly close in average score. The discrepancy between the performance of the individual components and the final combo rank of 2008/3720 points to the importance of the whole system's behavior. A lower ranking such as this suggests that while the parts are individually powerful, their combined performance in this game is mid-pack.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 1080p with the "Ultra" settings preset?

A: The average FPS at 1920x1080 with the "Ultra" settings preset is 77.

Q: Are there any settings presets that can achieve an average FPS above 100?

A: Yes, at 1920x1080 with the "Low" preset, the average FPS is 140, and at 2560x1440 with the "Low" preset, the average FPS is 106. These are the only two measured presets that exceed 100 FPS.

Q: What is the average FPS difference between "Medium" and "High" settings at 2560x1440?

A: At 2560x1440, the "Medium" preset has an average FPS of 75, while the "High" preset has an average FPS of 67, a difference of 8 FPS.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded for the "Medium" settings at 3840x2160?

A: The minimum FPS recorded for the "Medium" settings at 3840x2160 is 43.

Q: How does the combo of this CPU and GPU rank in the database for this game?

A: The combo ranks 2008th out of 3720 tested combinations.

Q: What is the GPU's percentile ranking among all GPUs?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Mobile is in the 73rd percentile of all GPUs.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured data, the choice of settings depends heavily on the user's target resolution and desired frame rate. For a 4K display, the "Low" preset is the most playable, offering an average of 71 FPS. The "Medium" preset at 4K yields 51 FPS, which is playable but may not be smooth enough for all users. The "High" preset is borderline at 45 FPS, and "Ultra" at 39 FPS is the most demanding. For a balance between visual quality and performance at 4K, the "Low" or "Medium" presets are the only ones that maintain an average above 40 FPS.

At 1440p, the "Low" preset is the only one that achieves a high frame rate, with an average of 106 FPS. The "Medium" preset, with 75 FPS, is the best balance for a 60 FPS experience, while "High" and "Ultra" are less prioritized. For competitive or high-refresh-rate play at 1080p, the "Low" preset is the clear winner with 140 FPS. The "Medium" preset at 1080p, averaging 99 FPS, is ideal for a standard 60-100 Hz display. The "High" preset, at 88 FPS, is a solid choice, and "Ultra" at 77 FPS still provides a smooth experience.

The data suggests that the "Low" to "Medium" settings are the sweet spot for this game with this hardware. The "Ultra" preset delivers a significant hit to the average FPS, but the visual impact may be worth it for players with a 60 Hz display at 1080p or 1440p. For a 4K experience, it is necessary to rely on the "Low" preset to get a playable frame rate. The "Medium" preset at 1440p is a particular point of interest, as it offers a 75 FPS average, which is a great balance between visual fidelity and responsiveness.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265HX is a mobile processor from the Core Ultra Series 2. It has 20 cores and 20 threads, with a base clock of 2.60 GHz and a maximum boost clock of 5.30 GHz. This is a powerful processor, as evidenced by its Cinebench R23 multicore score of 40642 and a single-core score of 5737. Its Passmark multithread score is 47985. These metrics place it in the 93rd percentile of all CPUs, indicating it is a top-tier performer. Its architecture is Arrow Lake-HX, built on a 3 nm process at TSMC, with 30 MB of shared L3 cache.

In the context of Control, the CPU's role appears to be to provide a solid foundation for the GPU. The frame rates are likely not limited by the CPU, given the high scores in synthetic tests. However, the combined rank of 2008/3720 suggests that this CPU may not be fully utilized in this game, or that the game is more sensitive to other system factors. The CPU's strong performance in single-core tasks (a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 5737) is important for game logic and physics. The 20 cores and 20 threads are a modern feature, but the game may not be able to utilize all of them effectively.

The CPU's memory support is DDR5 with a dual-channel bus, offering a theoretical memory bandwidth of 102.4 GB/s. This is another crucial factor for feeding the GPU with data. The 3 nm process node and TSMC manufacturing provide efficiency, which can impact sustained performance in a laptop. The data shows that the CPU is not the bottleneck at lower resolutions, but the slight narrowing of the FPS gap between 1080p and 1440p at "Ultra" settings hints that the CPU is more involved when the GPU is less stressed. The combination of a high core count and high boost clock makes it a very capable part for this game, even if the overall ranking is not the highest.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following is a detailed breakdown of the measured FPS data for Control, for every resolution and setting.

1920x1080 (1080p)

• Low: Average FPS of 140.
• Medium: Average FPS of 99, with a minimum of 84 and a maximum of 114.
• High: Average FPS of 88.
• Ultra: Average FPS of 77.

2560x1440 (1440p)

• Low: Average FPS of 106.
• Medium: Average FPS of 75, with a minimum of 64 and a maximum of 86.
• High: Average FPS of 67.
• Ultra: Average FPS of 58.

3840x2160 (4K)

• Low: Average FPS of 71.
• Medium: Average FPS of 51, with a minimum of 43 and a maximum of 58.
• High: Average FPS of 45.
• Ultra: Average FPS of 39.

This data is complete and shows a clear pattern. The "Medium" preset is the only one that provides min and max FPS data, indicating it was the stable test point. The progression across all resolutions is consistent, with a 30-40% drop in performance from 1080p to 4K for each setting. The data shows the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Mobile is the main driver of frame rate, with the Intel Core Ultra 7 265HX providing a robust platform. The "Low" preset at 1080p is the only configuration capable of high refresh rate, while the "Medium" preset at 1440p is a strong contender for smooth gameplay. The "Ultra" preset at 4K is not a viable option for 60 FPS, but the "Low" preset at 4K is. The measured FPS numbers provide a clear, quantitative guide for players looking to optimize their experience in Control with this hardware.