Control

Control on this mobile platform—the Intel Core Ultra 9 185H paired with the AMD Radeon RX 7900M—delivers a demanding experience that scales predictably with resolution and settings. The benchmark data shows a system that is overwhelmingly GPU-bound at higher resolutions, yet the CPU's strong multi-core performance ensures that even at 1080p, frame rates remain exceptionally high. The measured results place this combination in the 1192nd position out of 2888 tested combos for this game, indicating a solidly above-average performer that prioritizes visual fidelity at high frame rates.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent across all settings, revealing a classic GPU-limited scenario. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 100 FPS at 1920x1080 to 76 FPS at 2560x1440, a 24% reduction, and then to 51 FPS at 3840x2160, a further 33% drop from the 1440p figure. This demonstrates that the Radeon RX 7900M's rendering pipeline is the primary bottleneck as pixel count increases, a common trait for a mobile GPU with a 256-bit memory interface.

The scaling pattern holds true even at the lowest settings. At Low, the system produces 158 FPS at 1080p, which drops to 120 FPS at 1440p and 81 FPS at 4K. The fact that the 4K Low setting (81 FPS) is still higher than the 1440p High setting (76 FPS) is particularly telling. It confirms that the GPU is doing the heavy lifting; reducing the graphical load at a higher resolution yields more performance than increasing settings at a lower resolution. This is a strong indicator that the limiting component is the GPU, not the CPU, in virtually all scenarios.

The most significant relative drop occurs between 1440p and 4K. For example, at Medium settings, the average frame rate goes from 85 FPS at 2560x1440 to 57 FPS at 3840x2160, a 33% performance hit. This is a more substantial decline than the 24% reduction seen when moving from 1080p to 1440p at the same settings. This non-linear scaling is typical of GPUs hitting memory bandwidth or fill-rate limits as the number of pixels quadruples from 1440p to 4K, while the increase from 1080p to 1440p is less demanding on the same resources.

Interestingly, the frame time consistency, as shown by the min and max FPS for Medium settings, also degrades with resolution. At 1080p, the frame rate ranges from 96 FPS to 129 FPS, a 33 FPS spread. At 1440p, the spread narrows slightly to 26 FPS (72-98 FPS). However, at 4K, the spread expands again to 17 FPS (49-66 FPS), but the average is so low that the minimum of 49 FPS is perilously close to the threshold where stutter becomes noticeable. The data suggests that 4K is only viable for those who prioritize resolution over fluidity, while 1440p offers a much more stable experience.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 9 185H is a 16-core, 22-thread processor based on the Meteor Lake architecture, with a base clock of 3.90 GHz and a boost clock of 5.10 GHz. Its benchmark scores are robust, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 17984.5 and a single-core score of 1810.5. In this game, the CPU's role appears to be providing a high enough ceiling that it never becomes the primary constraint, even when the GPU is outputting 158 FPS at 1080p Low.

The CPU's performance percentile versus all CPUs is 85, placing it in the top 15% of all processors. Its nearest rivals, such as the AMD Ryzen 7 7700X, have an average benchmark score that is only 0.7% higher, showing that the Ultra 9 185H is competitively positioned for multi-threaded tasks. While Control is not typically a CPU-heavy title, the high single-core performance of 1810.5 in Cinebench R23 ensures that game logic and physics calculations are handled without bottlenecking the frame rate.

The fact that the frame rate scales so heavily with resolution and settings changes is evidence that the CPU is not the limiting factor. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see a plateau in performance at lower resolutions. Instead, the data shows a linear increase in FPS as resolution drops, from 44 FPS at 4K Ultra to 158 FPS at 1080p Low. This indicates the CPU has ample headroom to feed the GPU with draw calls and game state updates.

The processor's 24 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel memory bandwidth of 89.6 GB/s are sufficient for the game's data streaming needs. Even with the high thread count, the measured frame times at 1080p, where CPU load is relatively higher, show no signs of stutter or inconsistency that would point to a CPU limitation. The 100 FPS average at 1080p High is a strong indicator that the Core Ultra 9 185H is more than capable of handling Control's demands without breaking a sweat.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7900M is the clear star of this show, and the data shows it is the definitive limiting component in this configuration. With a 94th percentile ranking among all GPUs, it is a high-end mobile part. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA Quadro RTX 6000, which it trails by 4.3% in average benchmark score, and the AMD Radeon Instinct MI60, which it leads by 5.4%. This places it firmly in the upper echelon of graphics hardware.

The GPU's 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus provides a bandwidth of 576.0 GB/s. This is a significant asset for a game like Control, which features high-resolution textures and complex visual effects. The 4K High setting produces 51 FPS, which suggests that the GPU is utilizing its memory effectively, but the significant drop to 44 FPS at 4K Ultra indicates that the 192 ROPs and 288 TMUs are being saturated by the increased shading and texture work.

The architecture, RDNA 3.0 on a 5 nm process, features 4608 shading units and 72 RT cores. While Control does not heavily utilize ray tracing in this test, the raw compute power of 38.52 TFLOPS FP32 is what drives the high frame rates at lower resolutions. The boost clock of 2090 MHz ensures that the GPU can sustain high performance under load, but the pixel rate of 401.3 GPixel/s is what ultimately limits 4K performance. The 4K resolution demands 8.3 million pixels per frame, and the GPU's fill rate becomes the bottleneck.

The scaling from Low to Ultra at each resolution highlights the GPU's workload. At 1080p, the difference between Low (158 FPS) and Ultra (87 FPS) is a 45% reduction, showing that the GPU has the headroom to absorb the extra graphical load. At 4K, the difference between Low (81 FPS) and Ultra (44 FPS) is a 46% reduction, but the absolute numbers are much lower. This confirms that the GPU's processing power is being consumed by pixel throughput, leaving less room for complex shading effects at higher resolutions.

FAQ

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the primary bottleneck for Control on this platform?

A: The benchmark data shows the GPU is the clear limiting factor. Frame rates drop significantly with resolution increases, indicating the Radeon RX 7900M is saturated. The CPU's high single-core score of 1810.5 in Cinebench R23 and the linear FPS scaling with resolution strongly suggest it is not the constraint.

Q: What is the best resolution to play Control with this hardware?

A: The data indicates that 2560x1440 is the sweet spot. It offers a high average frame rate of 85 FPS at Medium settings, with a minimum of 72 FPS, which is a much more stable experience than the 51 FPS average at 4K High.

Q: How big is the performance gap between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the difference is substantial. The Low preset achieves an average of 158 FPS, while the Ultra preset drops to 87 FPS. This represents a 45% reduction in frame rate for maximum visual fidelity.

Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming in Control?

A: Yes, but not at the highest settings. The data shows 4K Low averages 81 FPS, which is playable, but 4K High drops to 51 FPS, and 4K Ultra falls to 44 FPS. The 4K Medium setting has a minimum FPS of 49, which may result in occasional stutter.

Q: How does the GPU compare to its direct competitors in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Radeon RX 7900M has an average benchmark score of 97487. This places it 4.3% behind the NVIDIA Quadro RTX 6000 (101872 avg score) and 6.3% ahead of the NVIDIA RTX A4500 (91671 avg score), showing it is a competitive high-end mobile GPU.

Q: Is the frame rate stable at 1440p Medium settings?

A: The measured data shows a minimum of 72 FPS and a maximum of 98 FPS for this setting. The 26 FPS variance indicates a generally smooth experience, but not perfectly locked, making it a good target for a high refresh rate display.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal experience for this hardware is found at 2560x1440 with Medium settings. This setting yields an average of 85 FPS with a minimum of 72 FPS, providing a smooth and responsive experience that is well-suited for action-adventure gameplay. The 4K resolution is only recommended for Low settings if the user insists on maximum pixel density, but the 81 FPS average is less stable than the 1440p Medium option.

For users with a 1080p display, the High preset is the best choice. It delivers an average of 100 FPS, which is a substantial improvement over the 87 FPS of Ultra, and the visual difference between High and Ultra is often imperceptible in fast-paced scenes. The Low preset at 1080p (158 FPS) is only useful for competitive play or if the user has a very high refresh rate monitor, but it sacrifices too much visual quality for a nominal gain over High.

At 4K, the data suggests that Medium settings are the most balanced option, providing an average of 57 FPS. However, the minimum of 49 FPS is a risk for stutter. If a stable 60 FPS is the goal, dropping to Low settings at 4K is necessary, as it provides an 81 FPS average. The Ultra preset is not recommended at any resolution due to the significant performance cost, especially at 1440p where it drops to 66 FPS, making Medium or High the better value for smooth gameplay.

Measured FPS Breakdown

1920x1080 (Full HD)

• Low: 158 FPS average.
• Medium: 112 FPS average (96 min, 129 max).
• High: 100 FPS average.
• Ultra: 87 FPS average.

2560x1440 (Quad HD)

• Low: 120 FPS average.
• Medium: 85 FPS average (72 min, 98 max).
• High: 76 FPS average.
• Ultra: 66 FPS average.

3840x2160 (4K UHD)

• Low: 81 FPS average.
• Medium: 57 FPS average (49 min, 66 max).
• High: 51 FPS average.
• Ultra: 44 FPS average.