Control

Control’s benchmark results for the Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti combination show a system that scales predictably with resolution, but the relationship between settings and frame rate reveals important nuances about where the bottleneck lies. The data indicates a build that can handle high refresh rates at 1440p, yet demands careful settings management to maintain smooth performance at 4K.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a clear and consistent drop as resolution increases, which is typical for a title like Control that relies heavily on visual effects and pixel fill rate. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 226 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 at Low drops that to 171 FPS, a 24.3% reduction. At 4K with Low settings, the average falls to 115 FPS, which is 49.1% lower than the 1080p result. This scaling pattern strongly suggests that the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti becomes the limiting component as resolution climbs, since the CPU has more headroom to feed frames at lower pixel counts.

The gap between resolutions narrows when settings are increased. At Ultra settings, the average FPS at 1080p is 124, at 1440p it is 94, and at 4K it is 63. The percentage drop from 1080p to 4K at Ultra is 49.2%, nearly identical to the Low setting drop. However, the absolute differences are smaller because the GPU is already under heavy load. At High settings, 1080p yields 143 FPS, 1440p yields 108 FPS, and 4K yields 73 FPS. The 1440p to 4K drop at High is 32.4%, while the 1080p to 1440p drop is 24.5%. This indicates that the GPU is stretched thinner at higher resolutions, and the CPU’s role diminishes.

The Medium preset provides the only rows with min and max FPS data, which allows for a more detailed look at frame pacing. At 1080p Medium, the average is 161 FPS with a min of 136 and max of 185. At 1440p Medium, the average is 121 FPS with a min of 103 and max of 140. At 4K Medium, the average is 82 FPS with a min of 70 and max of 94. The min-to-max spread at 4K is 24 FPS, which is a relatively tight band, suggesting that the frame time consistency holds up even when the GPU is working hardest. The 1080p Medium spread is 49 FPS, which is wider but still indicates no severe stuttering.

The fact that 4K Low (115 FPS) outperforms 1440p Ultra (94 FPS) by 22.3% highlights how much headroom the GPU has when visual effects are reduced. Conversely, 1080p Ultra (124 FPS) is only 7.8% faster than 1440p High (108 FPS), showing that the GPU is the primary limiter once the resolution and settings demand more shading and rasterization work. For a game like Control, which uses complex physics and particle effects, the CPU still matters at lower resolutions, but the data clearly points to the RTX 4070 Ti being the deciding factor for 4K performance.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations, this pairing of the Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti holds a combo rank of 339 out of 2888 combos for Control. That places it in the top 11.7% of all tested configurations, which is a strong result for a game that can be demanding on both CPU and GPU depending on the scene. The rank reflects the balanced nature of the pairing, where the 24-core CPU prevents bottlenecking at high frame rates while the GPU delivers solid 1440p and playable 4K performance.

The CPU’s individual benchmark scores help contextualize its role in this rank. The Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus achieves a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 44253 and a single-core score of 2439. Its Passmark multi-thread score is 68574, and its percentile versus all CPUs is 96, meaning it outperforms 96% of tested processors. When compared to its nearest rivals in the CPU benchmark database, the Intel Xeon 6520P scores 93786 (a 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). This puts the Ultra 7 270K Plus in the same performance tier as high-end server and workstation chips, which is notable for a desktop part.

On the GPU side, the RTX 4070 Ti has a Passmark G3D score of 31624 and a percentile of 84 versus all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Mobile (-0.8% delta), the AMD Radeon Pro 5500 XT (-1.3% delta), the NVIDIA RTX A6000 (1.6% delta), and the Intel Arc A730M (-1.7% delta). These deltas are all within a couple of percentage points, indicating that the RTX 4070 Ti sits in a crowded performance band where small architectural differences matter more than raw compute. The GPU’s average benchmark score is 44795, which is lower than the CPU’s average of 93785, but this is expected given that GPUs and CPUs are scored on different scales.

The combo rank of 339 suggests that, for Control specifically, the system performs better than many other pairings that might have stronger individual components but suffer from imbalances. For instance, a CPU with fewer cores might hold back the GPU at 1080p, while a weaker GPU would struggle to maintain the 4K Medium average of 82 FPS. The data shows that this pairing hits a sweet spot where the 24-core CPU can push high frame rates at 1080p and the GPU can still deliver playable 4K performance without requiring the user to drop to Low settings, which would compromise visual fidelity.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to play Control with this hardware for a balance of visual quality and performance?

A: The data shows that 2560x1440 with High settings delivers an average of 108 FPS, which is above the 100 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. At 4K, the High preset drops to 73 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for fast-paced action. The 1440p Medium preset averages 121 FPS with a min of 103 FPS, offering a safer margin for frame drops.

Q: Does the CPU or GPU limit performance in Control at 4K?

A: The benchmark results indicate that the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti is the limiting component at 4K. Evidence for this is the 49.1% drop from 1080p Low (226 FPS) to 4K Low (115 FPS), which shows the GPU struggling with pixel fill rate. The CPU, with its 24 cores and high boost clock of 5.50 GHz, has enough headroom to feed frames at these resolutions.

Q: How does the Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus compare to other CPUs in its benchmark tier?

A: The CPU’s average benchmark score of 93785 places it within 2.1% of the AMD EPYC 4565P (95764) and 1.5% of the AMD EPYC 4564P (95183). It is effectively tied with the Intel Xeon 6520P at 93786. This shows that, for gaming workloads, the Ultra 7 270K Plus competes with server-class processors without requiring a different platform.

Q: Is the RTX 4070 Ti a good match for the Ultra 7 270K Plus in Control?

A: Yes, the combo rank of 339 out of 2888 combos (top 11.7%) demonstrates a good match. The GPU’s Passmark G3D score of 31624 is sufficient to push 1440p High to 108 FPS, while the CPU can handle the game’s physics and AI at 1080p Low with 226 FPS without bottlenecking.

Q: What settings should I use for 4K gaming with this system?

A: The data shows that 4K Medium offers an average of 82 FPS with a min of 70 FPS, which is the lowest playable threshold. Dropping to 4K Low increases the average to 115 FPS, but this sacrifices visual quality. For a smoother experience, 4K High averages 73 FPS, which is borderline for competitive play.

Q: How does the frame time consistency vary across settings?

A: The only rows with min and max FPS data are the Medium presets. At 1080p Medium, the range is 136 to 185 FPS (spread of 49). At 1440p Medium, the range is 103 to 140 FPS (spread of 37). At 4K Medium, the range is 70 to 94 FPS (spread of 24). The narrower spread at higher resolutions indicates more consistent frame pacing when the GPU is fully loaded.

Settings Recommendations

For 1080p gaming, the Ultra preset yields an average of 124 FPS, which is excellent for high refresh rate monitors. Even the Medium preset at 161 FPS is overkill for most displays. The data shows that the CPU has enough headroom to run Ultra settings without dipping below 120 FPS, making this the recommended preset for 1080p users who want maximum visual fidelity. The Low preset at 226 FPS is only useful for competitive play where frame rate trumps visuals.

At 1440p, the High preset provides the best balance, with an average of 108 FPS. This is above the 100 FPS mark that most gamers consider smooth, and it maintains higher visual quality than Medium. The Ultra preset drops to 94 FPS, which is still playable but may show occasional dips in demanding scenes. The Medium preset at 121 FPS is a safer choice if you prefer a higher frame rate buffer, but the min of 103 FPS suggests it can still hold above 100 FPS. For 1440p, High is the recommended starting point, with Medium as a fallback if you experience stutters.

For 4K, the situation is more delicate. The Ultra preset averages 63 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay and may feel sluggish. The High preset averages 73 FPS, which is playable but leaves little margin for error. The Medium preset averages 82 FPS with a min of 70 FPS, making it the only 4K preset that consistently stays above 70 FPS. The Low preset at 115 FPS is the best for performance, but it strips away many of the visual effects that make Control unique. The recommendation for 4K is to use Medium settings, which deliver an 82 FPS average and a 70 FPS minimum, ensuring that the game remains responsive even during intense particle effects.

The measured data suggests that the RTX 4070 Ti is best utilized at 1440p, where it can push High settings above 100 FPS. At 4K, users should accept Medium settings to maintain a playable frame rate, or they should consider dropping to 1080p if they want to run Ultra. The CPU is not the limiting factor in any of these scenarios, as even the 4K Ultra average of 63 FPS is more likely constrained by the GPU’s pixel throughput.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers an average of 226 FPS on Low settings. The Medium preset averages 161 FPS, with a minimum of 136 and a maximum of 185. High settings average 143 FPS, and Ultra settings average 124 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a 45.1% reduction in frame rate, which is a significant but manageable trade-off for visual quality. The 1080p results indicate that the CPU can easily push beyond 200 FPS when the GPU is not stressed, making this resolution ideal for high refresh rate displays.

At 2560x1440, Low settings average 171 FPS, which is still very high. Medium settings average 121 FPS, with a minimum of 103 and a maximum of 140. High settings average 108 FPS, and Ultra settings average 94 FPS. The drop from Low to Ultra at 1440p is 45.0%, similar to 1080p, but the absolute frame rates are lower because the GPU is working harder. The 1440p Medium preset has a min of 103 FPS, which is just above the 100 FPS mark, suggesting that frame drops are rare.

At 3840x2160, Low settings average 115 FPS, which is surprisingly high for 4K. Medium settings average 82 FPS, with a minimum of 70 and a maximum of 94. High settings average 73 FPS, and Ultra settings average 63 FPS. The drop from Low to Ultra at 4K is 45.2%, consistent with the other resolutions. However, the 4K Medium preset’s minimum of 70 FPS is the lowest measured value across all settings and resolutions, indicating that this is the threshold for smooth gameplay. The 4K High and Ultra presets both average below 75 FPS, which may cause noticeable judder in fast-moving scenes.

The measured FPS data shows a consistent pattern across all resolutions: Low settings are always the fastest, Medium offers a balance, High is a step down, and Ultra is the most demanding. The RTX 4070 Ti’s 12 GB of GDDR6X memory and 192-bit bus width are sufficient for Control’s textures at 4K, as evidenced by the 115 FPS average at Low settings. The GPU’s 7680 shading units and 60 RT cores contribute to the high frame rates, but the data shows that the bottleneck shifts to the GPU at higher resolutions and settings.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus is a 24-core, 24-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake Refresh architecture. It has a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.50 GHz, which provides ample single-thread performance for gaming. The CPU’s L3 cache is 36 MB shared, and it supports DDR5 memory with a dual-channel bus and a bandwidth of 115.2 GB/s. These specifications are more than sufficient for Control, a game from 2019 that does not require the latest CPU features but benefits from high clock speeds.

In the benchmark data, the CPU’s Cinebench R23 multi-core score is 44253, and its single-core score is 2439. The Passmark single-thread score is 5068, which is high for a desktop processor. The CPU’s percentile versus all CPUs is 96, meaning it ranks in the top 4% of all tested processors. This performance is reflected in the game’s frame rates at 1080p, where the CPU can feed the GPU enough data to achieve 226 FPS at Low settings. Even at 4K, where the GPU is the primary limiter, the CPU does not become a bottleneck, as evidenced by the 115 FPS average at Low settings.

The nearest CPU rivals include server processors like the AMD EPYC 4564P and EPYC 9175F, which have similar average benchmark scores. This indicates that the Ultra 7 270K Plus is a high-end desktop part that can compete with workstation silicon in multi-threaded workloads. For Control, the CPU’s role is to handle the game’s physics simulation and AI logic, while the GPU renders the graphics. The 24 cores ensure that no background processes can interfere with gaming performance, and the 5.50 GHz boost clock provides the single-thread speed needed for the game’s main loop.

The CPU’s TDP of 125 W is reasonable for a desktop processor, and its support for ECC memory adds a level of reliability that is uncommon in gaming PCs. The integrated Arc Xe-LPG Graphics with 64 EU is present but not used when the RTX 4070 Ti is installed. The CPU’s PCIe Gen 5 support with 20 lanes provides ample bandwidth for the GPU, which uses PCIe 4.0 x16. Overall, the CPU plays a supporting role in Control’s performance, but it is a capable one that allows the GPU to reach its full potential. The data shows that the CPU does not limit the RTX 4070 Ti at any resolution or setting, making it a solid foundation for this game and likely many others.