Control

Control is an Action Adventure title from 2019 that stresses both CPU and GPU, and the measured data for the Intel Core Ultra 9 185H paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 reveals a combination that is often GPU-limited at higher resolutions but capable of strong performance at 1080p. The benchmark results indicate a system that can handle the game's demanding physics and visual effects, though the frame pacing at 4K Ultra suggests users will need to make deliberate settings choices. The data shows a clear scaling pattern across resolutions, with the most significant performance gains appearing when moving from 1440p to 1080p, particularly at lower quality presets.

FAQ

Q: What is the best average FPS this combo achieves in Control at 1080p?

A: The highest measured average FPS for this combination is 121 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This is the only preset in the data that breaks the 120 FPS barrier, indicating that low settings are required for maximum refresh rate gaming.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 9 185H has an average benchmark score of 35670, which is nearly identical to its closest rivals. It is 0.1% behind the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 350, 0.2% behind the Intel Core 7 250H, 0.4% behind the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845, and 0.7% behind the AMD Ryzen 7 7700X. These deltaPct values are all within a single percentage point, showing a tightly contested performance tier.

Q: What is the GPU's performance percentile relative to all other GPUs?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 sits in the 72nd percentile when compared to all GPUs in the database. This places it above the majority of graphics cards, though its average benchmark score of 26331 is only 1.2% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT, which is its nearest rival with a higher score.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more likely to be the bottleneck at 4K resolution?

A: The data suggests the GPU is the primary limiting factor at 3840x2160. The measured FPS at 4K High is 39 FPS, while at 4K Low it rises to 62 FPS, a difference of 23 FPS. This large swing from settings changes indicates the graphics card is saturated, as the CPU would show less variation across quality presets if it were the bottleneck.

Q: What is the combo's rank among all tested system combinations for Control?

A: This specific CPU and GPU pairing ranks 1894 out of 2888 total tested combos for Control. This places it in the lower-middle portion of the database, which aligns with the GPU's 72nd percentile standing but is pulled down by the demanding nature of the game at higher settings.

Q: How much VRAM does the RTX 5060 have and what memory type does it use?

A: The RTX 5060 features 8 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s. This configuration is sufficient for the measured 1080p and 1440p results, but the 4K Ultra average of 34 FPS may be influenced by the 8 GB capacity limit in this title.

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 24 MB of shared L3 cache and 89.6 GB/s memory bandwidth provide ample headroom for Control's physics-heavy gameplay, which often relies on multiple threads for object interactions and particle effects. In synthetic benchmarks, the CPU achieves a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 17984.5 and a single-core score of 1810.5, demonstrating strong multi-threaded capability that is relevant for a game that can utilize additional cores for background simulation.

The CPU's 85th percentile ranking among all processors indicates it is a high-end mobile part, though its nearest rivals in the database show how close the competition is. The AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 350, Intel Core 7 250H, AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845, and AMD Ryzen 7 7700X all score within 0.7% of the Core Ultra 9 185H's average benchmark score of 35670. This clustering suggests that for a game like Control, the choice between these processors is unlikely to produce meaningful differences in frame rates, as the performance ceiling is similar across the board.

Looking at the measured FPS data, the CPU's role becomes clearer when examining the 1080p Low preset, which achieves 121 FPS. At this setting, the GPU is not the primary constraint, so the CPU's ability to feed frames at this rate is a positive indicator. The single-core performance, evidenced by a Geekbench single-core score of 1794 and a Passmark single-thread score of 3697, is adequate for the game's main thread, though the data does not show a scenario where the CPU becomes a hard bottleneck. The 16-core configuration with 22 threads is more than sufficient for Control, as the game was released in 2019 and does not typically scale linearly beyond 8 threads, but the headroom ensures consistent frame delivery in complex scenes.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 9 185H and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 ranks 1894 out of 2888 tested combos for Control, placing it in the 65th percentile of tested systems. This rank is somewhat surprising given the individual component performance, as the CPU is in the 85th percentile and the GPU is in the 72nd percentile. The discrepancy suggests that Control is particularly demanding on the GPU, and the RTX 5060's mid-range positioning drags the overall combo rank down relative to what the CPU alone might achieve.

The rank of 1894 indicates that there are 994 other tested combinations that outperform this pairing in Control. Given that the RTX 5060's nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT, which scores 1.2% higher in average benchmark score, it is reasonable to infer that many of the higher-ranked combos pair stronger GPUs with similar or weaker CPUs. The data does not provide specific combo details for comparison, but the GPU's 72nd percentile standing is the likely primary factor in the combo's overall rank, as the CPU's 85th percentile standing is clearly not the limiting factor in most scenarios.

The measured FPS data supports this interpretation. At 4K Ultra, the combo achieves only 34 FPS, which is below the playable threshold for most users, while at 1080p Low it reaches 121 FPS. This wide range of performance across settings shows that the combo's rank is highly dependent on the chosen quality preset and resolution, with the system being more competitive at lower settings where the GPU has less work to do. The rank of 1894 out of 2888 is a composite measure that likely weights performance across common configurations, and the data indicates that users prioritizing high settings at 1440p or above will find this combo struggling compared to other tested systems.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its strongest results. The Low preset achieves an average of 121 FPS, which is the only triple-digit average in the entire dataset. The Medium preset follows at 86 FPS with a minimum of 73 FPS and a maximum of 99 FPS, showing consistent frame delivery. High settings produce 76 FPS, while Ultra drops to 66 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 55 FPS, indicating that the GPU is still the primary contributor to performance differences, but the CPU can maintain high frame rates when the GPU load is reduced.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance scales downward as expected. Low settings yield 91 FPS, which is a drop of 30 FPS from the 1080p Low result. Medium averages 65 FPS with a minimum of 55 FPS and a maximum of 75 FPS, while High produces 58 FPS and Ultra falls to 50 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 41 FPS, slightly less than the 55 FPS gap at 1080p, suggesting that the GPU is becoming more of a limiting factor at this resolution. The 1440p Medium result of 65 FPS is notable because it represents a playable experience for most users, with the minimum of 55 FPS staying above common stutter thresholds.

At 3840x2160, the combo struggles to maintain high frame rates. Low settings average 62 FPS, which is the only 4K preset to break 60 FPS. Medium averages 44 FPS with a minimum of 37 FPS and a maximum of 50 FPS, High drops to 39 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 34 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 4K is a 28 FPS difference, with the GPU clearly struggling under the pixel count. The 4K Medium result of 44 FPS is playable but not smooth, and the Ultra result of 34 FPS falls below the 40 FPS threshold that many consider the minimum for an acceptable experience. The data shows that this combo is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, with 4K requiring significant settings compromises.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 is built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture with the GB206 chip, featuring 3840 shading units, 120 TMUs, and 48 ROPs. Its base clock is 2280 MHz with a boost clock of 2497 MHz, and it comes with 8 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU's transistor count of 21,900 million on a 5 nm process from TSMC gives it a die size of 181 mm², and its FP32 performance of 19.18 TFLOPS places it in the mid-range segment of the current generation.

The RTX 5060's percentile ranking of 72 among all GPUs is reflected in the Control results, where the GPU is clearly the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions. The 4K Ultra result of 34 FPS and the 4K High result of 39 FPS show that the GPU cannot handle the pixel load at maximum settings, while the 4K Low result of 62 FPS demonstrates that reducing quality can bring the game into a playable range. The memory bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s is adequate for 1080p and 1440p, but the 8 GB VRAM capacity may be a limiting factor at 4K Ultra, where texture data can exceed this amount.

Comparing the GPU to its nearest rivals, the RTX 5060's average benchmark score of 26331 is nearly identical to the AMD Radeon 860M (26401, -0.3%) and the NVIDIA GeForce MX550 (26421, -0.3%). It trails the AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary by 0.8% but leads the AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT by 1.2%. These small deltaPct values indicate that the RTX 5060 is performing as expected for its class, and the Control results align with this positioning. The GPU's 30 RT cores and 120 tensor cores do not appear to have a significant impact on this game, as Control's implementation of ray tracing is limited, and the measured FPS data does not include ray tracing-specific results.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the Medium preset provides the best balance of visual quality and performance for most users. At 1080p, Medium achieves 86 FPS with a minimum of 73 FPS, which is smooth and well above the 60 FPS threshold. At 1440p, Medium produces 65 FPS with a minimum of 55 FPS, which remains playable, though the minimum dips closer to stutter territory. The Medium preset also has the only complete min/max data in the dataset, showing a consistent frame delivery pattern that suggests fewer spikes compared to other presets.

For users with high refresh rate monitors at 1080p, the Low preset is the recommended choice, as it delivers 121 FPS and is the only preset that can take full advantage of 120 Hz displays. The jump from Medium to Low at 1080p is 35 FPS, which is a significant gain for users who prioritize frame rate over visual fidelity. However, the visual differences between Low and Medium in Control can be noticeable, particularly in terms of shadow quality and texture filtering, so users should weigh this tradeoff.

At 1440p, the High preset at 58 FPS is a marginal experience, while Medium at 65 FPS offers a more comfortable margin. The Ultra preset at 1440p drops to 50 FPS, which is below the ideal threshold for action games. For 4K users, the Low preset at 62 FPS is the only viable option, as Medium (44 FPS) and High (39 FPS) fall below playable standards, and Ultra (34 FPS) is only suitable for screenshots or cinematic viewing. The data suggests that the best overall experience is 1080p Medium or 1440p Medium, depending on the user's resolution preference, with Low reserved for competitive play or high refresh rate displays.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K shows a consistent drop across all settings, but the magnitude varies significantly. At Low settings, the average FPS falls from 121 at 1080p to 91 at 1440p to 62 at 4K, representing a 49% drop from 1080p to 4K. At Medium settings, the average falls from 86 to 65 to 44, a 49% drop as well. High settings drop from 76 to 58 to 39, a 49% decrease, and Ultra settings drop from 66 to 50 to 34, also a 49% decrease. This consistent percentage drop across all settings indicates that the GPU is the primary limiting factor, as the scaling is purely resolution-driven.

The specific FPS numbers reveal that the combo loses approximately 50% of its performance when moving from 1080p to 4K, regardless of quality preset. This is a typical pattern for a GPU-bound scenario, where the pixel count quadruples from 1080p to 4K, but the actual FPS drop is less than 75% due to other bottlenecks. The fact that the drop is exactly consistent across settings suggests that the CPU is not introducing a variable bottleneck at higher resolutions, as the CPU load remains similar while the GPU load increases.

The resolution scaling also highlights where the combo is most comfortable. At 1080p, all presets are above 60 FPS except Ultra (66 FPS, which is still above 60), meaning the combo can handle any settings at this resolution. At 1440p, only Low (91 FPS) and Medium (65 FPS) break 60 FPS, while High (58 FPS) and Ultra (50 FPS) fall short. At 4K, only Low (62 FPS) breaks 60 FPS, and all other presets are below 45 FPS. This data implies that the limiting component is the GPU, as the CPU's performance headroom is sufficient to maintain high frame rates at 1080p Low, but the GPU cannot sustain those rates as pixel count increases. The 8 GB VRAM capacity may also contribute to the 4K Ultra performance, as memory bandwidth and capacity constraints become more pronounced at higher resolutions.