Control

Control is a 2019 Action Adventure title that stresses both the CPU and GPU heavily, and the measured results for the Intel Core Ultra 7 265HX paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Mobile show a configuration that is overwhelmingly GPU-bound at higher resolutions but with enough headroom to push very high refresh rates at 1080p. The data indicates a system capable of delivering a fluid experience across the board, though the specific frame rates vary significantly depending on how the user balances resolution and graphical fidelity.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals a classic GPU-limited scenario, where the demand on the rendering hardware increases faster than the resolution itself. At High settings, the average frame rate drops from 128 FPS at 1920x1080 to 97 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of 31 FPS, and then further to 65 FPS at 3840x2160, another 32 FPS drop. This consistent decrement of roughly 30 FPS per resolution step highlights that the RTX 5090 Mobile is the primary bottleneck, as the CPU has ample headroom to feed the GPU at lower resolutions.

The scaling pattern becomes even more pronounced when examining the Low preset, where the frame rates are at their highest. At 1080p Low, the system produces 203 FPS, which drops to 153 FPS at 1440p and then to 103 FPS at 4K. The percentage reduction from 1080p to 4K is about 49%, indicating that even when the graphical load is minimized, the GPU's rendering capabilities are still the limiting factor. The CPU, with its 20 cores and 20 threads, is not the constraint here; the data suggests it can process game logic and draw calls far faster than the GPU can render the frames.

Interestingly, the scaling from Medium to High settings at the same resolution is relatively modest, suggesting that the incremental cost of High over Medium is not linear. For instance, at 1440p, Medium yields 109 FPS while High yields 97 FPS, a 12 FPS difference. This indicates that the GPU has enough spare capacity to handle the extra visual effects without a catastrophic performance hit. However, the jump from High to Ultra is more severe, with a 13 FPS drop at 1440p (from 97 to 84 FPS) and an 8 FPS drop at 4K (from 65 to 57 FPS), showing that Ultra settings carry a premium that may not be worth the visual gain on this hardware.

How This Combo Ranks

Within the benchmark database, this specific combination of the Intel Core Ultra 7 265HX and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Mobile ranks 812th out of 3720 tested combos for Control. This places it in the top 22% of all configurations, which is a solid position for a mobile platform. The percentile rank indicates that the combination outperforms the vast majority of other systems tested, though it is not in the absolute top tier, which likely includes desktop-class hardware with higher power limits and more aggressive cooling.

The ranking reflects the balance between the CPU and GPU. While the RTX 5090 Mobile is a flagship mobile GPU, its performance is constrained by its 95 W TDP, which is significantly lower than its desktop counterparts. The CPU, however, is a high-end mobile part that scores in the 93rd percentile against all CPUs, meaning it is faster than 93% of processors in the database. This combination of a top-tier CPU and a high-end but power-limited GPU results in a system that excels in CPU-light scenarios but is still bound by the GPU's thermal and power envelope in a demanding title like Control.

The measured FPS data confirms this ranking. At 4K Ultra, the system averages 57 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for competitive gaming. At 1080p Low, it hits 203 FPS, which is excellent for high-refresh-rate displays. This range of performance across the resolution and settings spectrum demonstrates that the combo is versatile, but its rank is pulled down by the 4K results, where the GPU's limitations are most apparent. The system is clearly capable of delivering high frame rates, but it requires the user to make sacrifices in resolution or settings to achieve them.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Mobile is built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture and features 24 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 896.0 GB/s. This massive memory pool is more than sufficient for Control at any resolution, ensuring that texture streaming and high-resolution assets do not cause stuttering or frame drops. The GPU also has 10496 shading units and 112 ROPs, which contribute to its raw rasterization power, though its boost clock is a modest 1515 MHz, reflecting the power constraints of a mobile form factor.

The GPU's performance in synthetic benchmarks is strong, with a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 5871 and a Passmark G3D score of 30034. These numbers place it in the 84th percentile against all GPUs, indicating that it is faster than 84% of graphics cards in the database. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti, which it beats by 0.8%, and the AMD Radeon Pro 5500 XT, which it trails by 0.5%. This suggests that the mobile 5090 is roughly on par with a previous-generation desktop mid-range card, which is impressive given the power constraints.

In the context of Control, the GPU's role is dominant. The frame rate scaling shows that the GPU is the limiting factor at all resolutions, as the CPU cannot compensate for the GPU's inability to render frames faster. The 24 GB VRAM is never a constraint, but the GPU's compute throughput is. The low boost clock of 1515 MHz, compared to desktop variants, means that the GPU's peak performance is capped, which is why the 4K Ultra setting only achieves 57 FPS. The GPU's architecture does support DirectX 12 Ultimate, which is relevant for a game like Control that utilizes modern rendering techniques, but the hardware's power budget ultimately dictates its performance ceiling.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers exceptional performance across all settings. The Low preset produces an average of 203 FPS, which is more than enough for any high-refresh-rate monitor. Medium reduces this to 144 FPS, with a minimum of 122 FPS and a maximum of 165 FPS, showing a stable frame time distribution. High drops further to 128 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 111 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 92 FPS, indicating that the GPU has significant headroom at this resolution, and the CPU is not a bottleneck even at the lowest settings.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance remains strong but begins to show the GPU's limitations. Low produces 153 FPS, which is still excellent, while Medium averages 109 FPS with a minimum of 93 FPS and a maximum of 125 FPS. High hits 97 FPS, and Ultra falls to 84 FPS. The delta between Low and Ultra at this resolution is 69 FPS, which is smaller than at 1080p, indicating that the GPU is becoming more of a constraint. The frame rates are still playable, but users with 144Hz monitors will need to compromise on settings to hit the refresh rate cap.

At 3840x2160, the system struggles to maintain high frame rates. Low produces 103 FPS, which is respectable, but Medium drops to 73 FPS with a minimum of 62 FPS and a maximum of 85 FPS. High averages 65 FPS, and Ultra falls to 57 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra is only 46 FPS, showing that the GPU is heavily taxed at this resolution. The minimum frame rate of 62 FPS at Medium suggests that there are occasional dips that could be noticeable, but the overall experience is still smooth for a single-player action game. The data clearly shows that 4K Ultra is the most demanding configuration, and users should expect a frame rate in the mid-50s.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265HX is a 20-core, 20-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake-HX architecture, with a base clock of 2.60 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz. This is a high-end mobile CPU that scores in the 93rd percentile against all processors, with an average benchmark score of 63173. It is nearly identical in performance to the Intel Core i7-13790F, which it trails by only 0.1%, and it beats the AMD Ryzen AI 7 450G by 0.2%. The CPU's strong single-thread performance is evidenced by a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 5737, which is crucial for games that rely on a few fast cores.

In Control, the CPU's role is to handle game logic, physics, and draw calls, while the GPU renders the image. The benchmark results show that the CPU is not the bottleneck in any configuration, as the frame rates scale consistently with resolution and settings. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 203 FPS, which would require a very fast CPU to feed the GPU with enough data. The fact that the CPU can maintain this frame rate indicates that it has ample headroom, even with 20 threads, and that the game is not heavily threaded.

The CPU's memory bandwidth of 102.4 GB/s and support for DDR5 memory ensure that it can quickly access game assets, reducing load times and stuttering. The 30 MB of L3 cache is also beneficial for gaming, as it helps keep frequently accessed data close to the cores. The CPU's TDP of 55 W is relatively high for a mobile part, but it is necessary to sustain the boost clock of 5.30 GHz. In this configuration, the CPU's performance is more than adequate for Control, and the data suggests that upgrading the CPU would not yield any noticeable frame rate improvements, as the GPU is the limiting factor.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the user's display resolution and refresh rate. At 1920x1080, the High preset at 128 FPS is the best balance of visual quality and performance, as it provides a smooth experience on 120Hz or 144Hz monitors without the performance penalty of Ultra. For users with 240Hz displays, the Low preset at 203 FPS is the only way to fully utilize the refresh rate, but the visual trade-off is significant. Medium at 144 FPS is a middle ground, offering a 16 FPS improvement over High with a modest reduction in graphical fidelity.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset at 109 FPS is recommended for most users, as it provides a stable experience with a minimum of 93 FPS, which is above the 90 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. High at 97 FPS is also viable, but the 12 FPS drop from Medium may be noticeable. Ultra at 84 FPS is playable but not ideal for fast-paced action, and the visual improvements over High are minimal. For users with 144Hz monitors, the Low preset at 153 FPS is the only way to hit the refresh rate cap, but it sacrifices too much visual quality for a single-player game.

At 3840x2160, the Medium preset at 73 FPS is the best option, as it provides a playable frame rate with a minimum of 62 FPS, which is just above the 60 FPS threshold. The High preset at 65 FPS is also acceptable, but the 8 FPS drop from Medium may cause more noticeable dips. Ultra at 57 FPS is below the 60 FPS target and should be avoided unless the user prioritizes visual fidelity over smoothness. The Low preset at 103 FPS is the only way to achieve a truly fluid experience at 4K, but the visual downgrade is severe. Overall, the data suggests that Medium is the sweet spot for this configuration at 1440p and 4K, while High is the recommended setting at 1080p.