Control

The Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus paired with the Intel Arc B580 presents a fascinating case study in Control, a game known for its demanding physics and visual effects. The benchmark data reveals a configuration that is highly capable at mainstream resolutions but begins to show its limits as the pixel count climbs. This analysis breaks down the measured performance, the role of each component, and what the numbers imply for the overall experience.

FAQ

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

A: Based on the measured data, 1920x1080 is the only resolution where all four settings presets achieve an average FPS above 60. At 2560x1440, only the Low preset breaks the 60 FPS barrier, while at 3840x2160, no preset reaches 60 FPS.

Q: How does the Ultra preset compare to High at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset yields an average of 62 FPS, which is 10 FPS lower than the High preset's 72 FPS. This represents a 13.9% performance cost for the additional visual fidelity of the Ultra settings.

Q: What is the frame time consistency like for this combo?

A: The dataset provides minimum and maximum FPS only for the Medium preset. At 1920x1080, the frame rate fluctuates between 69 and 93 FPS, while at 2560x1440 it ranges from 52 to 70 FPS. At 3840x2160, the range narrows to 35 to 48 FPS.

Q: Does the CPU or GPU appear to be the limiting factor at 4K?

A: The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is significant, with the High preset falling from 72 FPS to 37 FPS. This substantial scaling loss indicates that the Intel Arc B580's rendering throughput is the primary constraint at higher resolutions, rather than the CPU.

*Q: How does this combo rank against other tested configurations in Control?*

A: The combo ranks 2173rd out of 2888 tested combos, placing it in the 25th percentile of all configurations. This suggests that while it's not an entry-level setup, it also doesn't sit in the top tier for this specific game.

Q: What is the performance difference between the Low and Ultra presets at 1440p?

A: The Low preset at 2560x1440 averages 86 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 47 FPS. This is a difference of 39 FPS, or a 45.3% reduction in performance when moving from the lowest to the highest quality settings.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B580, with its 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, provides a memory bandwidth of 456.0 GB/s. This is a substantial amount of bandwidth, which is crucial for a game like Control that heavily utilizes textures and particle effects. The GPU's 2560 shading units and 20 ray tracing cores are the primary drivers of its rendering capabilities. The boost clock is listed at 2670 MHz, and the pixel rate is 213.6 GPixel/s, indicating a strong foundation for rasterization.

However, the measured FPS data suggests the GPU is the dominant bottleneck as resolution increases. At 1080p, the GPU is able to push frame rates from 62 FPS on Ultra to 114 FPS on Low. This shows a wide performance envelope where the GPU is the clear limiting factor. When moving to 1440p, the average FPS on the High preset drops to 54, and at 4K it falls further to 37. This scaling pattern is typical of a GPU that has a finite amount of compute and memory throughput. The GPU's average benchmark score is 23021, placing it in the 68th percentile of all GPUs. Interestingly, its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080, which has a deltaPct of 0.6, meaning the Arc B580 performs within 1% of that card's average score. This contextualizes its performance tier, but in Control, the specific workload determines the outcome.

The 12 GB VRAM capacity is unlikely to be a limiting factor at the tested settings, given the game's release date. The data shows a clear pattern: the Arc B580 is capable of delivering smooth frame rates at 1080p, but the demands of 4K resolution outpace its capabilities, resulting in sub-60 FPS averages across all presets. The GPU's compute power, measured at 13.67 TFLOPS FP32, is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p gaming but is stretched thin at 4K. The frame time data for the Medium preset at 4K (35-48 FPS) also shows that the GPU is working at its limit, as the variance between min and max frames is tighter than at lower resolutions, indicating consistent but low throughput.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus is a formidable processor, featuring 24 cores and 24 threads. Its base clock of 3.70 GHz and boost clock of 5.50 GHz, coupled with 36 MB of shared L3 cache, make it a high-end desktop part. The CPU's benchmark scores are impressive, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 44253 and a single-core score of 2439. Its average benchmark score of 93785 places it in the 96th percentile of all CPUs, highlighting its top-tier status.

In the context of Control, the CPU's role is to handle game logic, physics calculations, and draw calls. The data suggests that the CPU is not the primary bottleneck in this configuration. The FPS scaling between resolutions is more consistent with a GPU limitation. For example, at 1080p High, the combo achieves 72 FPS, and at 1440p High, it drops to 54 FPS. If the CPU were the limiting factor, we would expect to see similar FPS numbers across these resolutions, as the CPU workload wouldn't change significantly. Instead, the frame rate drops noticeably with each increase in resolution, indicating that the GPU is the constraining component.

This is not to say the CPU is irrelevant. Its high single-threaded performance, evidenced by a Passmark single-thread score of 5068, is essential for maintaining high frame rates. A weaker CPU might bottleneck the Arc B580 at 1080p, preventing it from reaching its full potential. However, with this processor, the GPU is free to work as hard as it can. The CPU's nearest rivals are server-class parts like the Intel Xeon 6520P and AMD EPYC 4564P, which have negligible deltaPct values. This shows that the 270K Plus is a high-performance enthusiast chip, and its capabilities are more than sufficient to feed the Arc B580 in this game.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo of the Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus and the Intel Arc B580 ranks 2173rd out of 2888 tested combos in Control. This places it in the bottom quarter of all configurations tested, which is a surprising result given the high performance of the CPU. The CPU itself ranks in the 96th percentile, and the GPU in the 68th percentile. Yet, when combined, the system's rank is lower than either component's individual percentile.

This discrepancy can be explained by the nature of the game and the GPU's performance. The CPU's raw power is not fully utilized if the GPU cannot keep up. In Control, the Arc B580 appears to be the limiting factor, especially at higher resolutions. The combo's rank of 2173 out of 2888 means that 715 other combinations performed better. This suggests that while the CPU is top-tier, the GPU holds the system back from achieving higher overall performance in this specific title. The data implies that pairing this high-end CPU with a more powerful GPU would likely yield a much higher rank. The GPU's average benchmark score of 23021 is close to that of the RTX 2080 and RTX 3080, but in Control, the specific workload may favor those NVIDIA architectures or have better driver optimizations, leading to a lower relative ranking for the Arc B580.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of the combo's performance across three resolutions and four settings presets.

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers playable frame rates across the board. The Low preset averages 114 FPS, which is excellent for high-refresh-rate monitors. The Medium preset averages 81 FPS, with a minimum of 69 and a maximum of 93. The High preset averages 72 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 62 FPS. All presets at this resolution are above 60 FPS, indicating a smooth experience.

At 2560x1440, the performance impact is significant. The Low preset still manages an average of 86 FPS. The Medium preset drops to 61 FPS, with a range of 52 to 70 FPS. The High preset averages 54 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 47 FPS. This resolution is where the GPU starts to struggle, with only the Low preset providing a comfortable margin above 60 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the combo is clearly out of its depth. The Low preset averages 58 FPS, which is just below the 60 FPS target. The Medium preset averages 41 FPS, with a minimum of 35 and a maximum of 48. The High preset averages 37 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 32 FPS. None of the presets at this resolution provide a consistently smooth experience.

The data shows a clear trend: the combo is best suited for 1080p gaming, can handle 1440p with some settings compromises, and is not suitable for 4K gaming at high settings.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS, the optimal experience for this combo in Control depends on the user's resolution target.

For 1920x1080, the High preset is the best choice. It delivers an average of 72 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS target, and it offers significantly better visual quality than the Medium preset. The Ultra preset is also viable at 62 FPS, but the 10 FPS drop from High may not be worth the marginal visual gain.

For 2560x1440, the Medium preset is the sweet spot. It averages 61 FPS, which is right at the 60 FPS target, and the visual quality is a step up from Low. The High preset, at 54 FPS, is playable but may exhibit more noticeable frame drops. The Low preset, at 86 FPS, is the only option that provides a high frame rate, but it sacrifices visual fidelity.

For 3840x2160, the data suggests that the combo is not well-suited for this resolution. The Low preset is the only one that approaches playability at 58 FPS, but it's below the 60 FPS target. Any preset higher than Low will result in an average FPS in the 30s or 40s, which is not a smooth experience for an action game like Control. Users with a 4K display would likely need to lower the resolution to a lower internal scale or accept a significant performance hit.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K clearly indicates that the GPU is the limiting component in this configuration. Looking at the High preset, the average FPS drops from 72 at 1080p to 54 at 1440p, a 25% decrease. Moving from 1440p to 4K, the FPS drops from 54 to 37, a 31.5% decrease. This pattern of performance degradation with increasing resolution is a classic sign of a GPU bottleneck.

If the CPU were the limiting factor, we would expect the FPS to remain relatively flat across resolutions, as the CPU workload is largely independent of resolution. The fact that the FPS drops so significantly with each resolution increase proves that the Arc B580's rendering capabilities are being exhausted. The GPU's memory bandwidth of 456.0 GB/s and its 13.67 TFLOPS of compute power are simply not enough to maintain high frame rates at 4K with high-quality settings. The data shows that the combo is best utilized at 1080p, where the GPU has enough headroom to deliver high frame rates. At 1440p, the GPU is still capable of a decent experience, but at 4K, the performance drops to levels that are not ideal for a fast-paced action game. The scaling behavior suggests that users should prioritize resolution over settings for this combo, as lowering settings at 4K does not bring the frame rate to a fully playable level.