Control

Control, Remedy’s 2019 action-adventure, responds predictably to hardware scaling in the measured data, but the shape of that response reveals a system that is heavily GPU-bound at higher resolutions and surprisingly CPU-tolerant at 1080p. The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus and AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT produces a frame-rate curve that is steep between settings presets but comparatively shallow between resolutions, indicating that the Radeon RX 7900 XT is the primary limiter once pixel count rises. The data shows a 67 FPS average at 4K High, which climbs to 99 FPS at 1440p High and 131 FPS at 1080p High, a progression that is nearly linear with pixel count — a hallmark of GPU saturation. At Low settings, the same resolution ladder yields 106, 157, and 208 FPS respectively, suggesting that even when the render load is reduced, the GPU remains the dominant constraint. The 7900 XT’s 20 GB of GDDR6 memory and 800.0 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient to avoid any capacity-related stutters in this title, as evidenced by the consistent scaling across presets.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data for Control shows a clear and consistent drop as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160, but the magnitude of that drop varies with the settings preset, which is the key analytical takeaway. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 131 FPS at 1080p to 99 FPS at 1440p — a 24.4% reduction — and then to 67 FPS at 4K, a further 32.3% reduction from 1440p. This compounding decline is typical of a GPU-bound scenario where each pixel quadruples the shading work; the RX 7900 XT’s 51.48 TFLOPS FP32 throughput and 459.6 GPixel/s pixel rate are being fully utilized. At Low settings, the scaling is steeper in absolute terms: 208 FPS at 1080p drops to 157 FPS at 1440p (down 24.5%) and then to 106 FPS at 4K (down 32.5% from 1440p). The consistency of these percentage drops across presets is revealing — it suggests that the CPU is not the bottleneck even at Low settings, because if it were, the 4K-to-1080p ratio would compress as the GPU load lightens. Instead, the data shows a near-constant ratio of roughly 0.51 between 4K and 1080p across all four presets, which is precisely what a pure pixel-throughput limit looks like.

The Medium preset provides the only complete min/max data in the pack, offering a window into frame-time stability. At 4K Medium, the average is 75 FPS with a minimum of 64 and maximum of 87, a spread of 23 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the average rises to 112 FPS with a min of 95 and max of 128, a similar 33 FPS spread. At 1080p Medium, the average is 148 FPS with a min of 125 and max of 170, a 45 FPS spread. The widening of the min-to-max range as resolution drops is a classic sign that the CPU begins to assert some influence at lower resolutions, but the fact that the average still scales almost perfectly with pixel count means the GPU is never fully idle. The Ultra preset at 4K produces the lowest average in the entire dataset at 58 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold many users target, while 1080p Ultra hits 114 FPS — a comfortable margin. The data strongly suggests that the limiting component at 4K is the GPU’s raw shading capacity, not its memory subsystem or the CPU’s ability to feed it.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus brings 24 cores and 24 threads to the table, with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.50 GHz, and its benchmark results place it in the 96th percentile of all CPUs with an average benchmark score of 93785. In Control, the CPU’s role is secondary but not negligible, as the measured FPS at 1080p Low (208 FPS) versus 4K Low (106 FPS) demonstrates that even a very powerful CPU cannot overcome the GPU’s resolution limit. The CPU’s single-thread performance, as measured by Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2439, is strong enough to keep up with the game’s physics and scripting at high frame rates; the PassMark single-thread score of 5068 corroborates this. However, the data shows that Control does not heavily tax the CPU’s multithreaded capabilities — the 24-core configuration’s Cinebench R23 multicore score of 44253 is far beyond what a 2019 title would demand, and the game’s frame rate does not improve when moving from 4K to 1080p by the factor that CPU-bound scaling would imply.

The CPU’s 36 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR5 memory support with 115.2 GB/s bandwidth provide ample headroom for game asset streaming, which matters in Control’s shifting environments. The nearest rivals for the CPU — Intel Xeon 6520P (0% delta), AMD EPYC 4564P (-1.5%), AMD EPYC 9175F (-1.9%), and AMD EPYC 4565P (-2.1%) — are all server-grade parts, which underscores that the 270K Plus is positioned at the top of consumer desktop performance. In practical terms for Control, the CPU’s role is to ensure that the GPU is never starved of draw calls; at 1080p Low, the 208 FPS average indicates the CPU can sustain frame rates well above what most displays can show, meaning the bottleneck has definitively shifted to the GPU. The fact that the 1080p-to-1440p FPS drop at Low settings (208 to 157, a 24.5% reduction) is nearly identical to the drop at High settings (131 to 99, a 24.4% reduction) confirms that the CPU is not introducing variability — it is delivering a stable platform for the GPU to do its work.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus and AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT ranks 518th out of 2888 tested combos in Control, placing it in the top 18% of all configurations in this database. This rank is respectable but not elite, which is somewhat surprising given the CPU’s 96th percentile standing and the GPU’s specifications. The rank reflects the game’s age and optimization: Control was released in 2019 and does not leverage the latest hardware features to the same degree as newer titles, so the 7900 XT’s RDNA 3.0 architecture with 84 ray accelerators may not be fully utilized. The GPU’s own percentile rank is only 55th among all GPUs in the database, which drags the combo down despite the CPU’s strength. In the context of the 2888 combos, being at 518 means there are 2370 configurations that perform worse in this specific game, but also 517 that perform better — likely combos pairing higher-end GPUs like the RX 9070 XT, which is a nearest rival with a 1.5% higher average benchmark score.

The combo’s rank is more a function of the GPU than the CPU, as evidenced by the fact that the CPU’s nearest rivals (Xeon 6520P, EPYC 4564P, etc.) all have similar average scores within 2.1% of the 270K Plus, yet the GPU’s nearest rivals include the RX 9070 XT (1.5% delta), which is a newer part. In Control specifically, the measured FPS at 4K Ultra (58 FPS) and 4K High (67 FPS) are the data points that define the combo’s rank; if the GPU were faster, the rank would improve significantly. The rank of 518 out of 2888 means the combo sits just below the top 17.9% threshold, and the data suggests that users seeking higher placement would need a GPU with more raw throughput than the 7900 XT’s 51.48 TFLOPS, as the CPU is clearly not the limiter. For a game like Control, which is visually demanding but not overly CPU-intensive, the CPU’s 24 cores are effectively overkill, and the combo’s rank is capped by the GPU’s ability to rasterize at high resolutions.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to maintain 60+ FPS in Control?

A: All four measured presets at 1440p and 1080p exceed 60 FPS, with the lowest being 86 FPS at 1440p Ultra. At 4K, only Low (106 FPS) and Medium (75 FPS) stay above 60 FPS, while High (67 FPS) barely does and Ultra (58 FPS) falls below.

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

A: The Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus has an average benchmark score of 93785, which is essentially identical to the Intel Xeon 6520P (93786, 0% delta). It is 1.5% ahead of the AMD EPYC 4564P, 1.9% ahead of the AMD EPYC 9175F, and 2.1% ahead of the AMD EPYC 4565P.

Q: Does the 20 GB of VRAM on the RX 7900 XT cause any issues at 4K in Control?

A: No. The measured data shows no min-FPS anomalies or stutter patterns at 4K; the minimum FPS recorded at 4K Medium is 64, which is consistent with the 75 FPS average. The 800.0 GB/s memory bandwidth is sufficient for the game’s texture streaming.

Q: What is the largest FPS gap between settings at a single resolution?

A: At 1080p, the gap between Low (208 FPS) and Ultra (114 FPS) is 94 FPS, the largest absolute difference in the dataset. At 4K, the gap between Low (106 FPS) and Ultra (58 FPS) is 48 FPS.

Q: How does the combo rank globally among all tested configurations?

A: The combo ranks 518th out of 2888 total combos in Control, placing it in the top 17.9% of all tested setups. This rank is driven more by GPU performance than CPU, given the GPU’s 55th percentile standing.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor at 1440p High settings?

A: The GPU is the limiting factor. The 99 FPS average at 1440p High is almost exactly proportional to the 131 FPS at 1080p High (a 24.4% drop), indicating the GPU’s pixel throughput is the constraint, not the CPU’s 24 cores.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT, built on the RDNA 3.0 architecture with the Navi 31 chip, is the dominant component in this combo for Control, and the measured data makes this unambiguous. Its 20 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 320-bit bus provides 800.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is more than adequate for a 2019 title that was designed around 8 GB consoles. The GPU’s boost clock of 2394 MHz and game clock of 2025 MHz drive 5376 shading units, 336 texture mapping units, and 192 ROPs, yielding a texture rate of 804.4 GTexel/s and a pixel rate of 459.6 GPixel/s. In Control, these specifications translate to the resolution scaling observed: the GPU’s FP32 throughput of 51.48 TFLOPS is the ceiling at 4K, where the average FPS across all presets ranges from 58 to 106. The GPU’s percentile rank of 55th among all GPUs is modest, and its average benchmark score of 13745 places it near the AMD Radeon 660M (-0.5% delta) and NVIDIA RTX A2000 Mobile (-0.5% delta), though these are synthetic benchmarks that do not fully capture gaming performance.

The GPU’s role in Control is best illustrated by the 4K Low result of 106 FPS, which is only 20% lower than the 4K Medium result of 75 FPS — wait, the data shows 106 FPS at Low and 75 FPS at Medium, a 29% drop that is entirely attributable to increased shading and texture work. The GPU’s 84 ray accelerators are relevant to Control’s optional ray tracing features, but the measured data does not include RT-specific tests, so their impact is not quantified here. What is clear is that the GPU’s 300 W TDP and dual-slot cooler are justified by the sustained load at 4K, where even at Ultra settings the card maintains a playable 58 FPS average. The GPU’s nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT, scores 1.5% higher on average benchmark scores, but in Control the 7900 XT’s 20 GB VRAM provides headroom that newer cards with less memory might lack, though the data does not directly compare them in-game.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data for Control suggests that the Optimal preset for this combo depends on the target resolution, but a clear pattern emerges: Medium settings offer the best balance of visual fidelity and frame rate stability, particularly because it is the only preset with complete min/max data. At 4K, Medium yields 75 FPS average with a 64 FPS minimum, which is smooth enough for most displays, while High drops to 67 FPS and Ultra falls to 58 FPS — below the 60 FPS threshold. At 1440p, Medium produces 112 FPS average with a 95 FPS minimum, which is excellent for high-refresh-rate monitors, while High (99 FPS) and Ultra (86 FPS) are also viable but with lower headroom. At 1080p, Medium’s 148 FPS average with a 125 FPS minimum is ideal for 144Hz displays, and it provides a 34 FPS buffer over High (131 FPS) and a 34 FPS buffer over Ultra (114 FPS) — the data shows Medium is consistently 17 FPS faster than High and 34 FPS faster than Ultra at 1080p.

For users prioritizing frame rate over visuals, Low settings at 1440p (157 FPS) or 1080p (208 FPS) are the clear choices, as they push the system to its maximum output without any measurable instability in the averages. However, the data suggests that Medium is the sweet spot because it offers a substantial improvement over Low (75 vs 106 FPS at 4K, 112 vs 157 FPS at 1440p, 148 vs 208 FPS at 1080p) while maintaining a minimum FPS that is within 11-23 FPS of the average, indicating consistent frame pacing. The Ultra preset, while visually maxed, is only recommended for 1080p or 1440p use, as 4K Ultra at 58 FPS average is the only sub-60 result in the entire dataset. Given that the Medium preset is the only one with min/max data across all three resolutions, it is the most thoroughly validated choice, and the numbers support it as the best experience-per-frame-rate tradeoff.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete measured FPS table for the Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus and AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT in Control is as follows, organized by resolution and settings preset. At 3840x2160 (4K), the Low preset averages 106 FPS, Medium averages 75 FPS with a minimum of 64 and maximum of 87, High averages 67 FPS, and Ultra averages 58 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra at 4K shows a 45% reduction in average FPS (106 to 58), which is a steep penalty for maxed settings. At 2560x1440, Low averages 157 FPS, Medium averages 112 FPS with a minimum of 95 and maximum of 128, High averages 99 FPS, and Ultra averages 86 FPS. The 1440p data shows a 45% drop from Low to Ultra (157 to 86), mirroring the 4K pattern, but every preset here clears 60 FPS comfortably. At 1920x1080, Low averages 208 FPS, Medium averages 148 FPS with a minimum of 125 and maximum of 170, High averages 131 FPS, and Ultra averages 114 FPS. The 1080p results show a 45% drop from Low to Ultra (208 to 114), consistent with the other resolutions, confirming that the settings scaling is resolution-independent.

The Medium preset’s min/max data provides the only frame-time variance measurements in the pack. At 4K Medium, the min of 64 FPS is 14.7% below the 75 FPS average, while the max of 87 FPS is 16% above. At 1440p Medium, the min of 95 FPS is 15.2% below the 112 FPS average, and the max of 128 FPS is 14.3% above. At 1080p Medium, the min of 125 FPS is 15.5% below the 148 FPS average, and the max of 170 FPS is 14.9% above. The consistency of these variance percentages (roughly ±15% around the average) across all three resolutions indicates that the frame pacing is stable regardless of pixel count, which is a positive sign for the combo’s overall consistency. The absolute FPS deltas between settings are largest at 1080p (208 Low vs 114 Ultra, a 94 FPS gap) and smallest at 4K (106 Low vs 58 Ultra, a 48 FPS gap), but the percentage deltas remain nearly constant at approximately 45% between Low and Ultra across all resolutions. This uniformity is the defining characteristic of the measured data: the RX 7900 XT scales linearly with both resolution and settings, and the CPU never emerges as a bottleneck at any point in the tested matrix.