Control

Control, Remedy’s 2019 action-adventure, remains a demanding showcase for hardware due to its physics-heavy environments and real-time ray tracing options. This analysis focuses on a mobile configuration pairing the Intel Core Ultra 9 185H with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 Mobile. The data provided measures average FPS across three resolutions and four quality presets, offering a clear picture of how this laptop combo handles the game’s escalating visual loads. The benchmark results indicate a system that is firmly capable at 1080p, competitive at 1440p with adjustments, and struggling to maintain playable rates at 4K, revealing a distinct performance hierarchy tied directly to resolution and settings.

Resolution Scaling

The transition from 1080p to 4K produces a dramatic and predictable drop in frame rates across every quality setting, underscoring the GPU's central role in this game's performance envelope. At the High preset, average FPS falls from 65 at 1920x1080 to 49 at 2560x1440, a decline of roughly 25%. Moving to 3840x2160, the average plummets to 33 FPS, which is a further 33% reduction from the 1440p figure. This scaling pattern is typical of a game that becomes increasingly pixel-bound at higher resolutions, with the RTX 5050 Mobile’s 8 GB of GDDR7 memory and 128-bit bus being tested at 4K.

The Low preset shows a similar trajectory but with higher absolute numbers. At 1080p, Low settings yield 103 FPS, which drops to 78 FPS at 1440p and then to 52 FPS at 4K. The percentage drop from 1080p to 4K here is about 50%, which is slightly less severe than the High preset’s 49% drop (from 65 to 33). This suggests that at lower settings, the CPU has more headroom, but the GPU still becomes the limiting factor as resolution climbs. The Medium preset offers a middle ground, with 73 FPS at 1080p, 55 FPS at 1440p, and 37 FPS at 4K, showing a consistent reduction of about 25% per step up in resolution.

At 4K, the Ultra preset delivers only 29 FPS, making it essentially unplayable for smooth action. The difference between Low and Ultra at 4K is 23 FPS (52 vs. 29), which highlights the massive cost of the highest visual fidelity. What this data reveals is that the RTX 5050 Mobile is not a 4K card for Control; even at Low settings, it barely exceeds the 60 FPS threshold at 1440p, and at 4K, it falls well below. The limiting component at 4K is unequivocally the GPU, as the CPU’s role diminishes when the render resolution overwhelms the graphics processor.

How This Combo Ranks

Within the database of tested configurations for Control, this specific combo holds a rank of 2983 out of 3720 total combinations. This places it in the bottom 20% of all tested systems, which is a sobering statistic when considering the hardware’s individual capabilities. The Intel Core Ultra 9 185H sits in the 85th percentile among all CPUs in the database, and the RTX 5050 Mobile is in the 83rd percentile among GPUs, yet their combined performance in Control is relatively low. This discrepancy suggests that the game’s engine may be particularly sensitive to certain aspects of this mobile platform, or that the GPU’s modest 50 W TDP limits sustained performance in a way that the average benchmark scores do not fully capture.

The comboRankInGame field provides a direct comparison point: this system outperforms roughly 20% of the tested combos but is beaten by nearly 80% of them. This is a significant data point for potential buyers, as it indicates that while the individual components are mid-to-high tier in isolation, their synergy in Control is not exceptional. The nearest rivals for the CPU include the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 350 and the Intel Core 7 250H, both of which have average benchmark scores within 0.2% of the Ultra 9 185H. For the GPU, the nearest rivals are the NVIDIA Quadro M6000 and the GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER, with the RTX 5050 Mobile’s average score being virtually identical to those. However, these rival scores do not translate into frame rates in Control, as the measured FPS data is specific to this combo.

The rank of 2983 suggests that many other systems, likely those with desktop-grade GPUs or higher-TGP mobile variants, achieve significantly better performance. It is important to note that this rank is not a verdict on the hardware’s quality, but rather a measure of how this particular pairing handles Control’s specific demands. The data indicates that for a game like Control, which can be graphically intensive at higher settings, this combo is better suited for 1080p play than for high-resolution, high-fidelity experiences.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal balance between visual quality and playability for this combo is the Medium preset at 2560x1440. At this setting, the average FPS is 55, with a minimum of 47 and a maximum of 63, providing a smooth experience that stays above the 45 FPS threshold for most action sequences. The jump from Medium at 1440p to High at 1440p is only a 6 FPS drop (from 55 to 49), but the visual improvements from Medium to High are substantial in Control, which uses complex lighting and particle effects. However, for players who prioritize a locked 60 FPS, the High preset at 1920x1080, which averages 65 FPS, is the recommended choice.

At 1080p, the Low preset achieves 103 FPS, which is excellent for high-refresh-rate displays, but the visual compromise is severe, with reduced textures and effects. The Medium preset at 1080p, averaging 73 FPS, offers a better experience for most users, as it maintains fluid gameplay while preserving more of the game’s atmosphere. The Ultra preset at 1080p drops to 56 FPS, which is playable but not ideal, and the visual gains over High are marginal in many scenes. For 4K, none of the presets deliver a comfortable experience; even Low averages only 52 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target, and the minimum FPS is not recorded for this preset, suggesting potential stutters.

The data suggests that the best overall experience is achieved by staying at 1080p with High settings, which balances the game’s core strengths—like the destructible environments and detailed character models—with a stable frame rate. For those with 1440p displays, the Medium preset is the sweet spot, as it keeps the average above 50 FPS while allowing for a resolution that significantly improves image clarity over 1080p. The Ultra preset should be avoided at all resolutions due to its substantial performance cost, which yields only a modest visual uplift in comparison.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured FPS data shows a clear progression from Low to Ultra. The Low preset averages 103 FPS, which is the highest figure in the entire dataset, indicating that the CPU is not a bottleneck at this resolution when the GPU is lightly loaded. The Medium preset averages 73 FPS, with a minimum of 62 and a maximum of 84, providing a solid range that handles most in-game events without significant dips. The High preset averages 65 FPS, which is just above the 60 FPS target, but the absence of minimum and maximum values for this preset leaves some uncertainty about stability. The Ultra preset averages 56 FPS, which is the lowest at 1080p, and while it is technically playable, it is close to the edge of what most players would consider smooth.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance drops are consistent with the increased pixel count. The Low preset averages 78 FPS, which is still quite high and suggests that the game is well-optimized for lower settings at this resolution. The Medium preset averages 55 FPS, with a minimum of 47 and a maximum of 63, which is a tighter range than at 1080p, indicating that the GPU is becoming more of a limiting factor. The High preset averages 49 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target but still playable for slower-paced sections. The Ultra preset averages 43 FPS, which is starting to feel sluggish, especially during combat with multiple enemies and particle effects.

At 3840x2160, the data reveals the GPU’s limits. The Low preset averages 52 FPS, which is the only 4K setting above 50 FPS, but it is still not ideal for a fast-paced action game. The Medium preset averages 37 FPS, with a minimum of 32 and a maximum of 43, which is a significant drop and will likely result in noticeable stuttering during intense scenes. The High preset averages 33 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 29 FPS, both of which are below the threshold for comfortable play. The minimum FPS values for the High and Ultra presets at 4K are not recorded, which suggests that these settings are so demanding that the frame rate may be inconsistent.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 Mobile is the primary driver of performance in Control, as evidenced by the sharp resolution scaling. With 8 GB of GDDR7 memory and a 128-bit bus, the GPU has a memory bandwidth of 384.0 GB/s, which is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p play but becomes a bottleneck at 4K. The GPU’s base clock is 1020 MHz, with a boost clock of 1500 MHz, and while these clocks are relatively modest, the 2560 shading units and 80 texture mapping units handle the game’s DirectX 12 workload efficiently at lower resolutions. The GPU’s 32 ROPs are likely a limiting factor at 4K, where pixel fill rate becomes critical, and the 48.00 GPixel/s pixel rate is not enough to maintain high FPS at such a high resolution.

The RTX 5050 Mobile’s 20 RT cores and 80 tensor cores are present but not heavily utilized in Control unless ray tracing is enabled, which is not part of the measured data. The GPU’s FP32 performance of 7.680 TFLOPS is adequate for the game’s non-ray-traced rendering, but the 50 W TDP suggests that thermal throttling may occur under sustained load, which could explain why the 4K performance is lower than expected. The GPU’s percentile rank of 83 among all GPUs is respectable, but the nearest rivals include the RTX 4070 SUPER, which has a similar average benchmark score but likely a higher TGP in desktop form, leading to better sustained performance in games like Control. The data shows that the GPU is the clear bottleneck at 4K, as the frame rates drop disproportionately compared to the CPU’s capabilities.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Control at 60 FPS on a 1080p monitor?

A: Yes, at 1080p with High settings, the average FPS is 65, which exceeds the 60 FPS target. The Low preset achieves 103 FPS, and Medium achieves 73 FPS, so there is headroom for different preferences.

Q: What is the best setting for 1440p gaming?

A: The Medium preset at 2560x1440 averages 55 FPS, with a minimum of 47 FPS, making it the most playable option. High drops to 49 FPS, and Low is 78 FPS, but the visual trade-off for Low is significant.

Q: Is 4K gaming viable with this laptop?

A: No, 4K is not viable for smooth play. The highest average FPS at 3840x2160 is 52 on Low settings, which is below the 60 FPS target. Medium, High, and Ultra presets average 37, 33, and 29 FPS, respectively, all of which are too low for a responsive experience.

Q: How does the RTX 5050 Mobile compare to its rivals in terms of GPU benchmark scores?

A: The GPU’s average benchmark score of 43268 is nearly identical to the NVIDIA Quadro M6000 24 GB, which scores 43262, and the RTX 4070 SUPER, which scores 43223. It is 0.9% below the RTX 4090 Mobile’s score of 43667.

Q: What is the role of the CPU in this game’s performance?

A: The CPU’s impact is most noticeable at lower resolutions and settings. At 1080p Low, the CPU allows for 103 FPS, but as resolution increases, the GPU becomes the limiting factor. The CPU’s 16 cores and 22 threads provide ample processing power for the game’s physics and AI.

Q: Should I use the Ultra preset at any resolution?

A: The Ultra preset only averages 56 FPS at 1080p, 43 FPS at 1440p, and 29 FPS at 4K. Given the minimal visual improvement over High in most scenes, it is not recommended for this combo, as the performance cost is too high.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 9 185H is a 16-core, 22-thread processor from the Meteor Lake architecture, with a base clock of 3.90 GHz and a boost clock of 5.10 GHz. In Control, the CPU’s role is secondary to the GPU, but it is not negligible, particularly at lower resolutions. At 1080p with Low settings, the CPU’s capabilities allow the GPU to reach 103 FPS, indicating that there is no significant CPU bottleneck at this level. The CPU’s 24 MB of L3 cache and dual-channel memory support (with a bandwidth of 89.6 GB/s) are sufficient for the game’s data streaming requirements, which involve loading large environments and tracking numerous objects.

The CPU’s benchmark scores, such as a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 17984.5 and a single-core score of 1810.5, place it in the 85th percentile of all CPUs, which is a strong showing. However, in Control, the game’s engine appears to be more GPU-dependent, as evidenced by the fact that the combo’s rank in the game is in the bottom 20% of all tested combos, despite the CPU’s high percentile. This suggests that the CPU’s performance is not the limiting factor in most scenarios, and that the GPU’s 50 W TDP is the primary constraint. The CPU’s nearest rivals, such as the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 350 and Intel Core 7 250H, have nearly identical average benchmark scores, which implies that swapping the CPU would have minimal impact on Control’s frame rates.

The CPU’s 16 cores are likely underutilized in Control, as the game’s engine may not scale perfectly across all of them. However, the high single-core performance of 1810.5 in Cinebench R23 is beneficial for the game’s main thread, which handles game logic and physics. The data shows that at 4K, the CPU is not a bottleneck at all, as the GPU is clearly overwhelmed. For players who want to maximize performance, lowering the resolution and relying on the CPU’s strength is the best approach, as the GPU cannot keep up at higher resolutions.