Control

The Intel Core Ultra 9 185H and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Mobile combination delivers a robust performance profile in Control, with measured data indicating a clear hierarchy across settings and resolutions. This analysis examines the benchmark results, focusing on how to optimize the experience, the distinct roles of the CPU and GPU, and the overall standing of this combo in the database.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of which presets offer the best balance between visual fidelity and performance. At 1080p, the Ultra preset achieves an average of 89 FPS, which is fully playable, but the jump to High yields a significant increase to 102 FPS. The Medium preset sits at 115 FPS, while Low reaches 162 FPS. For a game like Control, which features intense physics and particle effects, the High preset at 1080p is the recommended starting point, as it delivers a substantial frame rate improvement over Ultra with minimal perceived visual difference in most scenes.

Moving to 1440p, the data shows a more pronounced impact of settings. The High preset averages 77 FPS, which is comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. The Ultra preset drops to 67 FPS, still playable, but the High preset offers a more consistent margin. Medium at 87 FPS and Low at 123 FPS are also viable, but High represents the sweet spot for visual quality without sacrificing responsiveness. The 1440p High setting is recommended for users with high-refresh-rate monitors, as it provides a solid foundation for a fluid experience.

At 4K, the performance curve steepens considerably. The High preset averages 52 FPS, which is borderline for a smooth experience, and the Ultra preset falls to 45 FPS. The Medium preset averages 59 FPS with a minimum of 50 FPS, making it the most consistent option at this resolution. Low at 83 FPS is the only preset that provides a truly comfortable margin above 60 FPS. For 4K gaming, the Medium preset is the recommended choice, as it balances visual quality with playable frame rates, avoiding the dips below 50 FPS seen with High and Ultra.

The data indicates a clear pattern: the High preset is the best experience at 1080p and 1440p, while Medium is the safest choice for 4K. The Low preset, while offering the highest frame rates, sacrifices too much visual detail for a title that relies heavily on atmosphere and lighting. The Ultra preset, while visually impressive, does not provide a sufficient performance advantage to justify its frame rate cost outside of 1080p.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Mobile is the primary driver of performance in Control, as evidenced by the significant FPS variations across different settings. The GPU features 12 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 192-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 672.0 GB/s. This bandwidth is crucial for handling the game’s high-resolution textures and complex shader effects, particularly at 1440p and 4K where memory pressure is higher. The benchmark data shows that at 4K, the difference between Low and High settings is 31 FPS (83 vs 52), a clear indication of the GPU’s workload scaling with graphical complexity.

The GPU’s clock speeds, with a base of 847 MHz and a boost of 1447 MHz, contribute to its compute capabilities. The card’s 5888 shading units and 184 texture mapping units allow it to process the game’s geometry and lighting efficiently. The measured scores from synthetic benchmarks, such as a Passmark G3D score of 24004, position this GPU in the 80th percentile of all GPUs, indicating strong performance relative to the broader market. The nearest rivals, including the NVIDIA Quadro GV100 with a deltaPct of -0.2, show that the RTX 5070 Ti Mobile sits in a competitive performance tier, though the differences are marginal.

In Control, the GPU’s role is most evident in the frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K. At 1080p High, the average FPS is 102, which drops to 77 at 1440p and 52 at 4K. This scaling pattern—roughly a 25% drop from 1080p to 1440p and a further 32% drop from 1440p to 4K—indicates that the GPU is the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions. The 12 GB VRAM is sufficient for the game’s demands, as no memory-related stutters or crashes are indicated in the data. The RTX 5070 Ti Mobile’s architecture, Blackwell 2.0, supports DirectX 12 Ultimate, which Control can leverage for advanced effects like ray tracing, though the measured data does not specify ray tracing performance.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 9 185H plays a supporting role in Control, providing the processing power needed to handle the game’s physics and AI systems. The CPU features 16 cores and 22 threads, with a base clock of 3.90 GHz and a boost clock of 5.10 GHz. This high core count and clock speed ensure that the game’s simulation logic does not bottleneck the GPU. The CPU’s L3 cache of 24 MB shared helps reduce memory latency, which is beneficial for the game’s dynamic world.

Synthetic benchmarks for the CPU show strong performance, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 17984.5 and a single-core score of 1810.5. The CPU’s 85th percentile ranking among all CPUs indicates that it is a high-end mobile processor. Its nearest rivals, such as the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 350 with a deltaPct of -0.1, demonstrate that the Core Ultra 9 185H is competitive with other top-tier mobile chips. However, in Control, the CPU’s impact on frame rates is less pronounced than the GPU’s, as the game is primarily GPU-bound at the tested settings.

The data shows that at 1080p Low, the average FPS reaches 162, which is significantly higher than at 4K Low (83 FPS). This suggests that at lower resolutions and settings, the CPU can feed the GPU with enough frames to reach high frame rates, but the GPU becomes the limiting factor as resolution increases. The CPU’s 45 W TDP indicates it is designed for mobile performance, and its Meteor Lake architecture with a 7 nm process node provides efficient power delivery. For Control, the CPU’s role is to maintain a stable frame delivery, particularly in scenes with many interactive objects, which the measured data confirms it does effectively.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations, this specific pairing of the Intel Core Ultra 9 185H and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Mobile ranks 1422 out of 3720 combos for Control. This places it in the 38th percentile of all tested configurations, indicating that while it is not a top-tier performer, it sits comfortably above the median. The rank reflects the combined capabilities of the CPU and GPU, with the GPU’s strong performance being the primary contributor to the frame rates observed.

The combo’s ranking is influenced by the fact that Control is a demanding title, and many higher-ranked combos likely feature desktop-grade GPUs or more powerful mobile variants. However, within the context of mobile gaming, this combo delivers respectable performance. The CPU’s high percentile ranking (85th) does not fully offset the GPU’s relatively lower percentile (80th), but together they form a balanced system. The deltaPct values for the GPU’s nearest rivals, such as the NVIDIA A2 with a deltaPct of 2.1, show that the RTX 5070 Ti Mobile is slightly ahead of some competing parts, while being marginally behind others like the NVIDIA T1000 (deltaPct -2.4).

The rank of 1422 suggests that users of this combo will experience good performance in Control, but there is room for improvement if higher frame rates are desired, particularly at 4K. The combination’s strengths are evident in the 1080p and 1440p results, where it achieves high average FPS, but it struggles to maintain 60 FPS at 4K on higher settings. This ranking is a useful reference point for potential buyers, indicating that this combo is a solid mid-to-high-tier option for gaming.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear scaling pattern as resolution increases from 1080p to 4K. At the High settings, the average FPS drops from 102 at 1080p to 77 at 1440p, and then to 52 at 4K. This represents a 24.5% decrease from 1080p to 1440p, and a 32.5% decrease from 1440p to 4K. The scaling is not linear, with the 4K resolution imposing a disproportionately larger penalty, which is typical for GPU-bound scenarios.

This scaling pattern indicates that the GPU is the primary limiting component. The CPU’s performance, as measured by its high single-core and multi-core scores, is sufficient to maintain high frame rates at lower resolutions, as evidenced by the 162 FPS at 1080p Low. However, as the resolution increases, the GPU’s workload grows, and its performance becomes the bottleneck. The 12 GB VRAM and 672.0 GB/s bandwidth are adequate for the game, but the raw compute power of the RTX 5070 Ti Mobile is not enough to maintain high frame rates at 4K with higher settings.

The scaling also varies by settings. At Low settings, the FPS drops from 162 at 1080p to 123 at 1440p (a 24% decrease) and then to 83 at 4K (a 32.5% decrease from 1440p). This pattern is consistent across settings, confirming that the GPU’s performance is the dominant factor. For users aiming for a consistent 60 FPS experience, the data suggests that 1440p with High settings is the maximum configuration that reliably hits this target, while 4K requires dropping to Medium settings to avoid dips below 50 FPS.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following breakdown details the exact average FPS, and where available, minimum and maximum FPS, for each resolution and settings combination.

1080p (1920x1080)

• Low: Average 162 FPS. No min/max reported. This is the highest frame rate recorded in the dataset, indicating the system’s peak capability.
• Medium: Average 115 FPS, with a minimum of 98 FPS and a maximum of 132 FPS. The minimum frame rate shows a stable experience without significant drops.
• High: Average 102 FPS. No min/max reported. This is a strong performance level for high-refresh-rate displays.
• Ultra: Average 89 FPS. No min/max reported. The lowest frame rate at this resolution but still playable.

1440p (2560x1440)

• Low: Average 123 FPS. No min/max reported. A significant drop from 1080p but still very smooth.
• Medium: Average 87 FPS, with a minimum of 74 FPS and a maximum of 100 FPS. The minimum indicates some frame dips but remains above 60 FPS.
• High: Average 77 FPS. No min/max reported. A good balance for this resolution.
• Ultra: Average 67 FPS. No min/max reported. Close to the 60 FPS target, but the lack of min/max data means stability is unknown.

4K (3840x2160)

• Low: Average 83 FPS. No min/max reported. The only 4K setting that comfortably exceeds 60 FPS.
• Medium: Average 59 FPS, with a minimum of 50 FPS and a maximum of 68 FPS. The minimum frame rate is below 60 FPS, indicating occasional stutters.
• High: Average 52 FPS. No min/max reported. This is below the 60 FPS target, making it less ideal for fast-paced action.
• Ultra: Average 45 FPS. No min/max reported. The lowest recorded average, suitable only for less demanding scenes.

The data shows a consistent pattern where Medium settings provide the most stable frame times, as indicated by the reported min and max values. This makes Medium the recommended setting for users who prioritize consistency over absolute visual fidelity, especially at 4K.

FAQ

Q: What is the best settings preset for 1080p gaming?

A: At 1080p, the High preset delivers an average of 102 FPS, which is a strong balance between visual quality and performance. The Ultra preset averages 89 FPS, offering slightly better visuals but with a 13% performance penalty.

Q: Can this combo maintain 60 FPS at 4K?

A: Yes, but only with the Medium preset, which averages 59 FPS with a minimum of 50 FPS. The High preset averages 52 FPS and the Ultra preset averages 45 FPS, both below the 60 FPS target.

Q: How does the GPU’s performance compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The RTX 5070 Ti Mobile has a Passmark G3D score of 24004, with its closest rival being the NVIDIA Quadro GV100 with a deltaPct of -0.2, indicating a negligible performance difference. The NVIDIA A2 is 2.1% ahead, while the AMD Radeon Pro Duo is 1.2% behind.

Q: Is the CPU a bottleneck in this game?

A: The data suggests the CPU is not a bottleneck. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 162 FPS, showing the CPU can feed the GPU effectively. The GPU becomes the limiting factor at higher resolutions, as seen in the FPS drops from 1080p to 4K.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between High and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 1440p, the High preset averages 77 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 67 FPS. This is a 10 FPS difference, representing a 15% performance decrease for the Ultra preset.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested systems for Control?

A: This combination ranks 1422 out of 3720 tested combos for Control, placing it in the 38th percentile. This indicates it performs better than the majority of systems but is not in the top tier.