Control

The Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus paired with the AMD Radeon RX 6600 delivers a playable 1080p experience in Control, but the data shows significant limitations at higher resolutions. This combo ranks 2248 out of 2888 tested combinations, placing it in the lower-middle tier of system pairings. At 1920x1080, the combo achieves 59 FPS on Ultra settings, which is the baseline for smooth gameplay, while 2560x1440 and 3840x2160 resolutions see average frame rates drop to 45 FPS and 30 FPS respectively on the same preset. The measured data indicates that this pairing is best suited for 1080p gaming, where it can maintain playable frame rates across all settings, with the Low preset reaching 108 FPS average.

FAQ

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

A: Based on measured FPS data, 1920x1080 is the optimal resolution. The combo achieves 108 FPS average on Low, 77 FPS on Medium, 68 FPS on High, and 59 FPS on Ultra settings at this resolution. All presets remain above the 30 FPS minimum threshold, with Ultra being the lowest at 59 FPS average.

Q: How does the combo perform at 2560x1440 resolution?

A: At 2560x1440, the combo delivers 82 FPS average on Low, 58 FPS on Medium, 52 FPS on High, and 45 FPS on Ultra settings. The Medium preset shows a minimum FPS of 49 and maximum of 67. These results indicate that 1440p is viable for lower settings but becomes less consistent at higher presets.

Q: Is 3840x2160 resolution playable with this hardware?

A: 4K results show 55 FPS average on Low, 39 FPS on Medium, 35 FPS on High, and 30 FPS on Ultra settings. The Medium preset has a minimum FPS of 33 and maximum of 45. Only the Low preset exceeds 50 FPS average, making 4K challenging for smooth gameplay on most settings.

Q: What is the combo's ranking among all tested combinations?

A: The combo ranks 2248 out of 2888 total combinations tested in Control. This places it in the 78th percentile of tested combos, meaning it outperforms roughly 640 combinations but falls behind the majority of tested pairings.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals in benchmark scores?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus has an average benchmark score of 93785, with a percentile of 96 among all CPUs. Its nearest rival, the Intel Xeon 6520P, scores 93786 with 0% delta. The AMD EPYC 4564P scores 95183 (-1.5% delta), the AMD EPYC 9175F scores 95615 (-1.9% delta), and the AMD EPYC 4565P scores 95764 (-2.1% delta).

Q: What are the GPU's benchmark scores compared to its rivals?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 6600 has an average benchmark score of 19036, placing it in the 63rd percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA Quadro K6000, scores 19030 with 0% delta. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 Mobile scores 19049 (-0.1% delta), the NVIDIA Tesla K20m scores 19089 (-0.3% delta), and the NVIDIA RTX 2000 Ada Generation scores 18954 (0.4% delta).

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 2248 out of 2888 tested combinations places it in a specific context within the benchmark database. This ranking indicates that while the pairing is functional, it does not represent a high-performance configuration for Control. The rank position suggests that most tested combos achieve better performance metrics, likely due to stronger GPU configurations or more balanced pairings.

Examining the individual components provides context for this ranking. The CPU's percentile of 96 among all CPUs demonstrates that the Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus is a high-performing processor in synthetic benchmarks. Its average benchmark score of 93785 places it within 2.1% of its nearest rivals, showing competitive performance. However, the GPU's percentile of 63 among all GPUs reveals that the Radeon RX 6600 is a mid-range graphics card, with an average benchmark score of 19036.

The combination of a top-tier CPU with a mid-range GPU explains the overall ranking. The CPU has substantial headroom, but the GPU becomes the limiting factor in Control's measured performance. This is particularly evident at higher resolutions, where the GPU's 8 GB of VRAM and 224.0 GB/s memory bandwidth constrain performance. The combo's rank reflects this imbalance — the CPU operates well within its capabilities while the GPU struggles at demanding settings.

The measured FPS data supports this interpretation. At 1920x1080, the combo performs reasonably well, with the Ultra preset achieving 59 FPS average. This represents the GPU's ability to handle Control at standard resolutions. At 2560x1440, performance drops to 45 FPS on Ultra, and at 3840x2160, it falls to 30 FPS on the same settings. This degradation pattern is consistent with a GPU-bound scenario, where the RX 6600's 1792 shading units and 64 ROPs become insufficient for higher pixel counts.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6600 plays the critical role in determining Control's performance in this combo. The GPU features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing 224.0 GB/s of bandwidth. Its clocks include a base of 1626 MHz, a game clock of 2044 MHz, and a boost clock of 2491 MHz. These specifications, combined with 1792 shading units, 112 texture mapping units, and 64 raster operation units, define its processing capabilities.

In Control, the GPU's VRAM capacity and bandwidth directly impact performance at different resolutions. At 1920x1080, the 8 GB VRAM is sufficient for all settings, as evidenced by the FPS range of 59 to 108 across presets. At 2560x1440, the VRAM remains adequate, with FPS ranging from 45 on Ultra to 82 on Low. However, at 3840x2160, the combination of higher pixel count and texture demands begins to strain the GPU, resulting in 30 FPS on Ultra and 55 FPS on Low.

The GPU's architectural features also influence performance. With RDNA 2.0 architecture and 28 ray tracing cores, the RX 6600 supports DirectX 12 Ultimate, OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4 APIs. Control utilizes DirectX 11 or 12 depending on settings, and the GPU's passmark DirectX 11 score of 152 and DirectX 12 score of 51 provide context for its API-specific performance. The GPU's pixel rate of 159.4 GPixel/s and texture rate of 279.0 GTexel/s determine its fill rate capabilities, which are more stressed at higher resolutions.

The GPU's benchmark scores show its mid-range positioning. Its passmark G3D score of 15096 and passmark GPU compute score of 6554 indicate solid but not exceptional performance. The Geekbench scores — 88398 for Metal, 28850 for OpenCL, and 67623 for Vulkan — provide additional context. These scores place the GPU in the 63rd percentile, with its nearest rivals being the NVIDIA Quadro K6000, GeForce RTX 4050 Mobile, Tesla K20m, and RTX 2000 Ada Generation, all within 0.4% of its average score.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend on the target resolution and desired frame rate. At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset achieves 59 FPS average, which is the minimum for smooth gameplay. The High preset provides 68 FPS average, Medium delivers 77 FPS, and Low reaches 108 FPS. For players prioritizing visual quality while maintaining playability, the High preset at 1080p offers the best balance, with 68 FPS average and no minimum FPS data indicating potential dips.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset appears to be the sweet spot. It achieves 58 FPS average with a minimum of 49 FPS and maximum of 67 FPS, providing a consistent experience. The High preset at 52 FPS average is also viable, though it lacks the minimum FPS data to confirm stability. The Low preset at 82 FPS offers the highest performance, while Ultra at 45 FPS may feel less smooth during intense scenes.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset is the only setting that consistently delivers playable performance, with 55 FPS average. The Medium preset at 39 FPS average, with a minimum of 33 FPS, may be acceptable for less demanding players but risks noticeable stuttering. The High preset at 35 FPS and Ultra at 30 FPS are borderline, with the latter sitting right at the edge of playability.

The data suggests that for the best overall experience, players should use the High preset at 1920x1080, the Medium preset at 2560x1440, and the Low preset at 3840x2160. These settings provide the highest frame rates while maintaining reasonable visual quality. The Medium preset at 1080p (77 FPS average) is also a strong choice if higher frame rates are preferred over visual fidelity.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for this combo in Control shows a clear pattern across resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the performance ranges from 108 FPS average on Low to 59 FPS average on Ultra. The Medium preset achieves 77 FPS average with a minimum of 65 FPS and maximum of 88 FPS. The High preset delivers 68 FPS average, and the Ultra preset rounds out the options at 59 FPS average.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates decrease noticeably. The Low preset achieves 82 FPS average, representing the highest performance at this resolution. The Medium preset delivers 58 FPS average with a minimum of 49 FPS and maximum of 67 FPS, showing a wider variance. The High preset achieves 52 FPS average, and the Ultra preset drops to 45 FPS average.

At 3840x2160, the performance becomes more limited. The Low preset achieves 55 FPS average, which is the only setting above 50 FPS at this resolution. The Medium preset delivers 39 FPS average with a minimum of 33 FPS and maximum of 45 FPS, indicating potential dips below smooth frame rates. The High preset achieves 35 FPS average, and the Ultra preset drops to 30 FPS average.

Comparing across resolutions, the performance scaling is consistent with GPU-bound behavior. At each settings tier, the FPS decreases as resolution increases, with the most significant drops occurring between 2560x1440 and 3840x2160. For example, on Ultra settings, the FPS goes from 59 at 1080p to 45 at 1440p to 30 at 4K, representing a 24% drop from 1080p to 1440p and a 33% drop from 1440p to 4K.

The Medium presets at each resolution show the most detailed data, with minimum and maximum FPS values recorded. At 1080p, the Medium preset ranges from 65 to 88 FPS, a spread of 23 FPS. At 1440p, it ranges from 49 to 67 FPS, a spread of 18 FPS. At 4K, it ranges from 33 to 45 FPS, a spread of 12 FPS. This narrowing range at higher resolutions suggests that the GPU's performance becomes more consistent as it reaches its limits.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus serves as the processing foundation for this combo, though its role in Control's performance is secondary to the GPU. The CPU features 24 cores and 24 threads, with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.50 GHz. Its cache hierarchy includes 192 KB of L1 cache per core, 3 MB of L2 cache per core, and 36 MB of shared L3 cache. This configuration provides substantial processing power for game logic and physics calculations.

The CPU's benchmark scores demonstrate its high performance. In Cinebench tests, it scores 6656 in R15 multicore, 354 in R15 singlecore, 24461 in R20 multicore, 3453 in R20 singlecore, 44253 in R23 multicore, and 2439 in R23 singlecore. PassMark tests show scores of 804322 for data compression, 59097 for data encryption, 63506 for extended instructions, 615 for find prime numbers, 229491 for floating point math, 175986 for integer math, 68574 for multithread, 4064 for physics, 96945 for random string sorting, and 5068 for single thread.

These scores place the CPU in the 96th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 93785. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Xeon 6520P (93786, 0% delta), AMD EPYC 4564P (95183, -1.5% delta), AMD EPYC 9175F (95615, -1.9% delta), and AMD EPYC 4565P (95764, -2.1% delta). This positioning indicates that the CPU performs competitively with high-end server and workstation processors.

In Control, the CPU's role is primarily to feed the GPU with data and handle game logic. With 24 cores and 24 threads, the CPU has ample processing capacity for the game's demands. The high boost clock of 5.50 GHz ensures responsive single-threaded performance, which is important for games that rely on a few primary threads. The 36 MB of L3 cache helps reduce memory latency and improve data access patterns.

However, the measured FPS data shows that the CPU is not the limiting factor in this combo. At all resolutions and settings, the performance scales with GPU load rather than CPU load. For example, at 1920x1080, the FPS difference between Low (108 FPS) and Ultra (59 FPS) is primarily due to GPU rendering demands, not CPU processing. The CPU's 24 threads ensure that even at 4K resolution with Ultra settings, there is no CPU bottleneck, as the GPU's 30 FPS average at 3840x2160 Ultra is clearly GPU-limited.

The CPU's memory support includes DDR5 with dual-channel configuration, providing 115.2 GB/s of memory bandwidth. This bandwidth is sufficient for feeding the GPU with texture and geometry data at all tested settings. The CPU's PCIe Gen 5 support with 20 lanes (CPU only) provides a high-bandwidth connection to the GPU, though the RX 6600 uses PCIe 4.0 x8, which is adequate for its performance level.

The CPU's launch MSRP is $299, and it was released on 2026-03-10. Its production status is Active, and it uses the Intel Socket 1851. The CPU is manufactured on a 3 nm process node by TSMC, with 17,800 million transistors on a 243 mm² die. This manufacturing process contributes to its power efficiency, though the 125 W TDP indicates a high-power design. The integrated Arc Xe-LPG Graphics 64EU provides basic display output but is not used for gaming performance in this combo.