Control

# Control with Intel Core Ultra 7 265K + AMD Radeon RX 9070

This combo ranks in the 69th percentile of all tested GPU configurations and sits at position 1,134 out of 3,720 tested combos for Control, placing it firmly in the upper tier of systems capable of running this 2019 action-adventure title at high visual fidelity. The pairing of Intel's Arrow Lake desktop processor with AMD's RDNA 4.0 graphics card produces a balanced platform where neither component consistently bottlenecks the other across the tested resolution and settings matrix.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 1,134 out of 3,720 tested combinations places it in the top 30% of all systems evaluated for Control. This positioning reflects a hardware pairing that delivers solid frame rates across all tested configurations, though it does not threaten the upper echelon of elite gaming rigs. The GPU's individual percentile rank of 69 versus all GPUs aligns closely with the combo's overall standing, suggesting that the graphics card is the primary determinant of performance in this title.

The CPU component holds a stronger relative position, ranking in the 94th percentile against all CPUs. This discrepancy indicates that the Core Ultra 7 265K has substantial headroom for more demanding GPU configurations, while the RX 9070's 69th percentile standing is the more binding constraint in this pairing. When examining the CPU's nearest rivals, the data shows it sits within 1.3% of the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F and within 1% of the Intel Core i7-14700KF, while trailing the Intel Xeon 6511P by only 0.2%. This clustering suggests the processor's performance is well-established within a tight competitive band.

For the GPU, the nearest rival comparisons reveal an interesting pattern. The RX 9070's average benchmark score of 23,877 places it 0.6% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN Z and 1.2% ahead of the RTX 2080 SUPER, while sitting 0.8% behind the AMD Radeon RX 6800S and 1.1% behind the RTX 3080 Mobile. These margins are narrow, indicating that the RX 9070 competes in a dense performance tier where small architectural differences determine ranking positions.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 9070 brings 16 GB of GDDR6 memory across a 256-bit bus, delivering 644.6 GB/s of memory bandwidth. This capacity proves adequate for Control's demands at 4K resolution, where the card maintains playable frame rates even at Ultra settings. The memory clock runs at 2518 MHz with 20.1 Gbps effective throughput, while the GPU boost clock reaches 2520 MHz with a game clock of 2070 MHz. These clock speeds, combined with 3,584 shading units and 128 ROPs, produce a pixel rate of 322.6 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 564.5 GTexel/s.

The GPU's 36.13 TFLOPS of FP32 performance positions it as a capable mid-to-high-range contender, though its 69th percentile ranking against all GPUs suggests it faces stiff competition from both newer and older flagship cards. The RDNA 4.0 architecture implements 56 ray tracing cores, though Control's implementation of ray tracing is not specifically measured in this dataset. The card's 220 W TDP and dual-slot design with 2x 8-pin power connectors indicate a power envelope that requires a 550 W suggested PSU.

In Control specifically, the GPU demonstrates scaling behavior consistent with a balanced system. At 1080p Low, the card produces 182 FPS, but this drops to 100 FPS at Ultra, a 45% reduction that reflects the game's increasing geometry and texture demands. The 4K results show similar scaling, with 93 FPS at Low dropping to 51 FPS at Ultra. The GPU's 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 6,290 and Passmark G3D score of 25,381 provide synthetic benchmarks that corroborate the measured gaming performance.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265K employs 20 cores and 20 threads running at a base clock of 3.90 GHz with a boost clock of 5.50 GHz. This Arrow Lake-S architecture, built on a 3 nm process by TSMC, contains 17,800 million transistors across a 243 mm² die. The cache hierarchy includes 192 KB of L1 per core, 3 MB of L2 per core, and 30 MB of shared L3 cache. Memory support extends to DDR5 with dual-channel configuration, providing 102.4 GB/s of memory bandwidth.

The processor's benchmark results demonstrate strong multi-threaded capability, with Cinebench R23 multi-core scoring 35,850 and single-core scoring 2,020. Geekbench results show 23,085 multi-core and 2,713 single-core scores, while Passmark multi-thread reaches 58,594 and single-thread 4,928. These figures place the CPU in the 94th percentile against all processors, indicating it provides ample compute headroom for gaming workloads.

In Control, the CPU's role becomes more apparent at lower resolutions where the GPU is less stressed. At 1080p Low, the system reaches 182 FPS, suggesting the combination of CPU and GPU can push well beyond typical display refresh rates. The processor's 125 W TDP and unlocked multiplier allow for overclocking potential, though the tested configuration appears to run at stock settings. The integrated Arc Xe-LPG Graphics 64EU provides a fallback display output, but the discrete RX 9070 handles all gaming workloads in this analysis.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers 182 FPS on Low settings, 129 FPS on Medium, 115 FPS on High, and 100 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset shows a minimum of 110 FPS and maximum of 148 FPS, indicating frame time consistency within a 38 FPS band. These 1080p results demonstrate that the combo can comfortably drive high-refresh-rate monitors at this resolution, with even Ultra settings exceeding 100 FPS.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance scales down proportionally: 137 FPS at Low, 98 FPS at Medium, 87 FPS at High, and 75 FPS at Ultra. The Medium preset here shows a minimum of 83 FPS and maximum of 112 FPS, maintaining smooth gameplay throughout. At 1440p, the system remains above 60 FPS for all settings, making this resolution the sweet spot for high-quality visuals with the Ultra preset still delivering 75 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the frame rates become more demanding: 93 FPS at Low, 66 FPS at Medium, 59 FPS at High, and 51 FPS at Ultra. The Medium preset at 4K shows a minimum of 56 FPS and maximum of 76 FPS, placing it at the edge of smooth 60 FPS gameplay. High and Ultra settings at 4K dip below the 60 FPS threshold, though the 51 FPS Ultra result remains playable for less competitive titles.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K reveals the GPU-bound nature of Control at higher resolutions. At Low settings, the system delivers 182 FPS at 1080p and 93 FPS at 4K, a 49% reduction. Medium settings show a similar pattern, dropping from 129 FPS to 66 FPS, a 49% decrease. High settings fall from 115 FPS to 59 FPS, a 49% reduction, while Ultra settings drop from 100 FPS to 51 FPS, a 49% decline.

This consistent 49% reduction across all settings indicates that resolution scaling is primarily limited by the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth. The RX 9070's 644.6 GB/s bandwidth and 322.6 GPixel/s pixel rate become the binding constraints as pixel count quadruples from 1080p to 4K. The CPU's role diminishes at higher resolutions, as the 20-core processor provides sufficient frame generation to keep up with the GPU's rendering capabilities.

The scaling pattern also shows that Control's engine responds linearly to resolution changes, with no unexpected bottlenecks emerging at any tested setting. This predictable scaling suggests that users can estimate performance at intermediate resolutions by interpolating between the measured points, though the lack of 1440p-to-4K data points for all settings limits precise extrapolation.

Settings Recommendations

For 1080p gaming, the Ultra preset at 100 FPS provides the best visual experience without sacrificing smoothness, as even the minimum frame rate stays well above 60 FPS. Players prioritizing competitive responsiveness might prefer the Low preset at 182 FPS, but the visual quality trade-off is substantial. The Medium preset at 129 FPS offers a balanced compromise for users with high-refresh-rate displays.

At 1440p, the Ultra preset at 75 FPS delivers the most visually impressive experience while maintaining smooth gameplay. The High preset at 87 FPS provides additional headroom for demanding scenes, and the Medium preset at 98 FPS offers a comfortable margin above 60 FPS. Users with 60 Hz monitors can confidently select Ultra, while those with 144 Hz displays should consider High or Medium to maximize fluidity.

For 4K, the Medium preset at 66 FPS represents the optimal balance, providing a 60 FPS experience with reasonable visual fidelity. The High preset at 59 FPS sits just below the 60 FPS threshold, making it a viable alternative for users who prioritize image quality over absolute smoothness. The Ultra preset at 51 FPS remains playable but may exhibit noticeable frame pacing issues in fast-paced action sequences. The Low preset at 93 FPS offers a high-frame-rate option, but the visual downgrade from Medium is significant.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Control?

A: The data shows 2560x1440 as the optimal resolution, where the Ultra preset delivers 75 FPS and all settings exceed 60 FPS. At 1080p, Ultra reaches 100 FPS, while 4K Ultra drops to 51 FPS.

Q: How does the RX 9070 compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The GPU's average benchmark score of 23,877 places it 0.6% ahead of the GTX TITAN Z and 1.2% ahead of the RTX 2080 SUPER, while sitting 0.8% behind the RX 6800S and 1.1% behind the RTX 3080 Mobile.

Q: Is the Core Ultra 7 265K sufficient for this GPU?

A: The CPU ranks in the 94th percentile overall, and its nearest rivals are within 1.3% of its average score. The 20-core processor provides substantial headroom, as evidenced by the consistent 49% FPS drop from 1080p to 4K, indicating GPU-bound scaling.

Q: What frame rates can I expect at 1080p with High settings?

A: The measured data shows 115 FPS average at 1920x1080 with High settings. The CPU's high single-thread score of 2,020 in Cinebench R23 supports this strong performance at lower resolutions.

Q: Does the combo maintain 60 FPS at 4K?

A: Only at Medium settings, where the average is 66 FPS with a minimum of 56 FPS. High settings average 59 FPS, and Ultra averages 51 FPS, both falling below the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: How much performance is lost from 1080p to 4K?

A: The FPS reduction is consistent at approximately 49% across all settings. Low drops from 182 to 93 FPS, Medium from 129 to 66 FPS, High from 115 to 59 FPS, and Ultra from 100 to 51 FPS.