Control

The pairing of the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K with the AMD Radeon RX 570 in Control presents a benchmark profile dominated by the graphics card’s 2017-era architecture. The measured frame rates across resolutions and settings consistently place this configuration in the lower percentile of tested combos, with the CPU’s substantial headroom left largely untapped by the GPU’s output limits. The data reveals a system where visual fidelity is the primary constraint, and playable performance is only achievable through significant reductions in both resolution and graphical detail.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a steep and consistent performance penalty as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At the Low preset, the average frame rate drops from 59.1 FPS at 1080p to 45.5 FPS at 1440p, a reduction of 13.6 FPS, and then further to 29.8 FPS at 4K. This pattern indicates that the RX 570’s 4 GB GDDR5 memory buffer and 224.0 GB/s bandwidth are being saturated, as the pixel throughput demand outpaces the GPU’s capabilities.

The scaling becomes more punishing at higher settings. Moving from 1080p to 4K on the High preset yields a drop from 36.0 FPS to 19.8 FPS, while the Ultra preset falls from 33.7 FPS to 17.2 FPS across the same resolution span. The relative performance loss is larger at higher presets, suggesting that the combination of increased resolution and richer effects compounds the load on the Polaris 20 chip. The data indicates a GPU-bound scenario at all tested points; the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K, with its 20 cores and 20 threads, is not the limiting factor in any configuration.

The gap between 1440p and 4K is particularly telling. At Medium settings, the 1440p result of 29.3 FPS drops to 22.7 FPS at 4K, a decline of 6.6 FPS. This is a smaller absolute drop than the 1080p to 1440p transition at the same preset, which loses 12.3 FPS. This nonlinear scaling suggests that at 4K, the GPU is already operating near its effective ceiling, and additional resolution scaling yields diminishing returns in frame rate reduction because the renderer is bottlenecked by raw shader throughput rather than memory bandwidth alone.

Settings Recommendations

For a playable experience, the benchmark data points decisively toward the Low preset as the only viable option for most users. At 1920x1080, Low produces 59.1 FPS average, which is the only measured configuration that approaches a standard 60 FPS target. The Medium preset at 1080p drops to 41.6 FPS, which may be acceptable for slower-paced action but fails to maintain smooth motion during combat sequences typical of the genre.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset delivers 45.5 FPS, which is borderline playable but requires the user to accept significant visual compromises. The High and Ultra presets at this resolution fall to 25.6 FPS and 22.1 FPS respectively, making them unsuitable for real-time gameplay. The 4K resolution is effectively non-viable for this combination; even the Low preset only achieves 29.8 FPS, which is below the threshold for responsive action.

The data suggests a strict hierarchy: Low at 1080p is the only configuration that provides a consistently smooth experience. Medium at 1080p offers a 17.5 FPS penalty over Low, which is a substantial sacrifice for modest visual gains. Given that the Ultra preset at 1080p only reaches 33.7 FPS, there is no scenario where high-fidelity settings yield acceptable performance. Users should prioritize frame rate stability over graphical detail with this hardware pairing.

How This Combo Ranks

The benchmark database places this specific CPU-GPU combination at rank 1544 out of 1636 tested combos in Control. This places the configuration in the bottom 6% of all tested systems, indicating that it is among the least capable pairings for this title. The rank reflects the RX 570’s age and limited feature set relative to modern graphics cards.

The GPU’s standalone benchmark percentile is 74, meaning it outperforms 74% of all GPUs in the database’s aggregate tests. However, this percentile is skewed by the inclusion of older and less powerful cards. The nearest rivals in the GPU benchmark data are the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060, which scores 0.2% higher, and the AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT, also 0.2% higher. These modern cards, despite similar aggregate scores, would likely perform far better in Control due to architectural advantages in geometry processing and texture filtering that are not captured by the generic benchmark.

The CPU, by contrast, ranks at the 97th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 79102. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core Ultra 7 265KF, scores 0.2% higher, while the Intel Core i9-14900K scores 0.9% higher. This indicates the processor is a top-tier component that is entirely wasted in this pairing. The combination rank of 1544 is thus a direct consequence of the GPU’s limitations, not the CPU’s capabilities.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete measured FPS dataset for Control with the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K and AMD Radeon RX 570 is as follows:

At 1920x1080, the Low preset achieves an average of 59.1 FPS. Medium drops to 41.6 FPS, High to 36.0 FPS, and Ultra to 33.7 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 25.4 FPS, demonstrating that the GPU’s performance is highly sensitive to settings changes at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, Low produces 45.5 FPS, Medium 29.3 FPS, High 25.6 FPS, and Ultra 22.1 FPS. The resolution increase from 1080p costs roughly 13-15 FPS at each preset level, maintaining a consistent penalty across the settings spectrum. The Ultra preset at 1440p is only 2.4 FPS higher than the 4K Low preset, indicating that the GPU’s performance floor is being approached.

At 3840x2160, Low yields 29.8 FPS, Medium 22.7 FPS, High 19.8 FPS, and Ultra 17.2 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra at 4K is 12.6 FPS, which is the smallest absolute spread across all resolutions. This compression of frame rates at 4K suggests that the GPU is fully saturated and that settings adjustments have diminishing impact on the final output.

The data shows no min or max FPS values were recorded, so the analysis relies solely on average frame rates. The consistent pattern across all resolutions indicates that the RX 570 is the sole performance limiter, with no evidence of CPU-induced stuttering or frame pacing issues.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best resolution for this CPU-GPU combination in Control?*

A: The measured data indicates 1920x1080 is the only resolution where playable frame rates are achievable. At this resolution, the Low preset reaches 59.1 FPS, while the Medium preset falls to 41.6 FPS. Higher resolutions result in average frame rates below 45.5 FPS even at the lowest settings.

*Q: Can the RX 570 handle Ultra settings in Control?*

A: No. The Ultra preset produces 33.7 FPS at 1080p, 22.1 FPS at 1440p, and 17.2 FPS at 4K. None of these values approach a smooth gameplay experience, and the 4K result is particularly poor.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals in aggregate benchmarks?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 7 265K has an average benchmark score of 79102, which is 0.2% lower than the Intel Core Ultra 7 265KF and 0.9% lower than the Intel Core i9-14900K. This places it at the 97th percentile among all CPUs.

*Q: Is the system CPU-bound or GPU-bound in Control?*

A: The data indicates the system is entirely GPU-bound. The RX 570’s performance drops consistently across all resolution and settings combinations, while the CPU’s 20 cores and 20 threads provide far more processing capability than the GPU can utilize.

Q: What is the performance difference between Low and Ultra at 1080p?

A: The Low preset achieves 59.1 FPS, while Ultra achieves 33.7 FPS, a difference of 25.4 FPS. This represents a 43% reduction in frame rate for the higher visual quality settings.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to other tested systems?

A: This combination ranks 1544 out of 1636 tested combos in Control, placing it in the bottom 6% of all configurations. This rank is primarily due to the GPU’s limitations rather than the CPU’s performance.