Control

Control is an Action Adventure title from 2019 that stresses both the GPU and CPU depending on the scene and settings. The benchmark data for the Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile shows a system that is consistently capable of high frame rates, though the gap between settings at 4K reveals where the graphics card begins to limit performance. This analysis walks through the measured numbers, the role of the components, and what they mean for playing this game.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 1440p with High settings?

A: At 2560x1440 with High settings, the combo achieves an average of 84 FPS. This is a solid result for a demanding resolution and preset, indicating the system can handle competitive play or a smooth single-player experience.

Q: How does the Ultra preset compare to High at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset averages 97 FPS, while High averages 112 FPS. The difference is 15 FPS, which shows that the Ultra preset is more demanding but still remains above 60 FPS, making it a viable choice for high-refresh-rate monitors.

Q: What is the lowest average FPS recorded in the benchmark?

A: The lowest average FPS is 50, observed at 3840x2160 with the Ultra preset. This is the only configuration where the average dips below 60 FPS, indicating that 4K Ultra is the most challenging scenario for this hardware.

Q: Is the minimum FPS data available for all settings?

A: No, minimum FPS is only recorded for the Medium settings at each resolution. At 1080p Medium, the minimum is 107 FPS; at 1440p Medium, it is 81 FPS; and at 4K Medium, it is 55 FPS. Other presets only have average FPS data.

Q: Does the CPU have a high percentile ranking among all processors?

A: Yes, the Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX ranks in the 94th percentile of all CPUs. This indicates it is a high-end mobile processor, with an average benchmark score of 67469, placing it above most other chips in the database.

Q: How does the GPU's average score compare to its nearest rival?

A: The RTX 4080 Mobile has an average benchmark score of 38135, which is 0.4% lower than the NVIDIA GeForce MX570's score of 38299. This places them very close in overall synthetic performance, though gaming results can vary by title.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture and uses the AD104 chip, manufactured on a 5 nm process by TSMC. It has 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 432.0 GB/s. The memory clock is listed as 2250 MHz, with an effective speed of 18 Gbps. The GPU's base clock is 1290 MHz, with a boost clock of 1665 MHz. These specifications are directly relevant to Control, a game that uses heavy real-time ray tracing and high-resolution textures.

In the measured data, the GPU's capability is evident in the frame rate scaling across settings. At 1080p, going from Low (177 FPS) to High (112 FPS) shows a 37% drop, while Ultra (97 FPS) is another 13% drop from High. This suggests the GPU is the primary driver of performance at these settings, as the CPU is likely not the bottleneck at lower resolutions. At 4K, the GPU's load increases significantly, with the average FPS dropping to 57 on High and 50 on Ultra, indicating that the RTX 4080 Mobile is pushed to its limits with the higher pixel count.

The GPU's 58 RT cores and 232 tensor cores are relevant for Control's ray-traced reflections and DLSS support, though the measured FPS data does not specify whether these features are enabled. The 12 GB VRAM is ample for this game at all tested settings, as no stutter or memory-related frame drops are evident in the minimum FPS numbers for Medium settings. The 80 ROPs and 232 TMUs contribute to the pixel and texture fill rates, which are crucial for the game's particle effects and environmental detail.

How This Combo Ranks

In Control, this specific combination of the Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX and the RTX 4080 Mobile ranks 1234 out of 3720 tested combos. This places it in the top third of all systems benchmarked for this game, which is a strong showing given the diversity of hardware configurations in the database. The rank reflects the balance between the CPU's high multi-threaded performance and the GPU's strong rasterization and ray-tracing capabilities.

The CPU's percentile of 94 versus the GPU's percentile of 81 suggests that the processor is relatively stronger than the graphics card in synthetic benchmarks. However, in Control, the frame rates at 4K Ultra (50 FPS) show that the GPU is the limiting factor, as the CPU has more headroom. This is typical for a game like Control, which can be GPU-bound at high resolutions with intensive effects.

Compared to other combos, this system's rank is likely influenced by the mobile nature of the components. The RTX 4080 Mobile has an average score of 38135, which is close to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 (score 37648, delta 1.3%), but the Core Ultra 9 275HX provides a significant CPU advantage over many desktop rivals, helping the combo in CPU-intensive scenes. The data shows that while the GPU is not top-tier, the CPU boosts the overall ranking for this game.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data covers three resolutions (1920x1080, 2560x1440, and 3840x2160) and four settings (Low, Medium, High, Ultra). At 1080p, the system delivers excellent performance across all presets. Low settings average 177 FPS, Medium averages 126 FPS with a minimum of 107 FPS and maximum of 144 FPS, High averages 112 FPS, and Ultra averages 97 FPS. This range shows that even at Ultra, the frame rate is well above 60 FPS, making it suitable for high-refresh-rate displays.

Moving to 1440p, the performance remains strong but sees a noticeable step down. Low settings average 134 FPS, which is a 24% drop from 1080p Low. Medium averages 95 FPS (minimum 81, maximum 109), High averages 84 FPS, and Ultra averages 73 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 61 FPS, indicating that the settings have a significant impact on GPU load. The minimum FPS of 81 at Medium shows that the system maintains smooth gameplay even in demanding scenes.

At 4K, the performance becomes more demanding. Low settings still average 90 FPS, which is impressive, but Medium drops to 64 FPS (minimum 55, maximum 74), High falls to 57 FPS, and Ultra drops to 50 FPS. This is the only resolution where Ultra preset dips below 60 FPS, making it less ideal for a consistent experience. The drop from Low to Ultra at 4K is 40 FPS, which is a 44% reduction, highlighting the GPU's workload at higher pixel counts.

Settings Recommendations

For the best experience, the data suggests that 1080p and 1440p offer the most flexibility. At 1080p, Ultra settings provide an average of 97 FPS, which is smooth and visually rich, making it the recommended preset for players with 1080p monitors who prioritize image quality. High settings at 1080p (112 FPS) are also excellent if a higher frame rate is preferred over maximum detail.

At 1440p, High settings at 84 FPS offer a good balance between visual fidelity and performance, while Ultra at 73 FPS is still playable but may show occasional dips in heavy scenes. Medium at 1440p (95 FPS) is a solid choice for competitive play, as it maintains a high frame rate with a minimum of 81 FPS. For 4K, Low settings at 90 FPS are the only preset that provides a consistently high frame rate; Medium at 64 FPS is acceptable for most players, but High (57 FPS) and Ultra (50 FPS) are better suited for players who prioritize graphics over frame rate or have a VRR display.

The data indicates that the best overall experience is at 1440p with High or Ultra settings, as the system delivers both high average FPS and good minimums. At 1080p, Ultra is the clear winner for visual quality without sacrificing performance. For 4K, players should stick to Medium or lower to maintain a smooth experience, unless they are willing to accept frame rates below 60 FPS.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX is a 24-core, 24-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture, with a base clock of 2.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz. It has a 36 MB shared L3 cache and supports DDR5 memory with a dual-channel bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 102.4 GB/s. This CPU is part of the Core Ultra Series 2, released in January 2025, and ranks in the 94th percentile of all CPUs.

In Control, the CPU's role is less critical than the GPU at higher resolutions, but it still matters for maintaining high frame rates at 1080p. The benchmark data shows that at 1080p Low, the system achieves 177 FPS, which is likely near the CPU's limit for this game, as the GPU is not fully saturated at such a low preset. The CPU's strong single-thread performance (Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2204) helps with the game's physics and AI, which are often single-threaded.

The multi-threaded performance is also relevant, as Control can use multiple cores for rendering tasks. The CPU's Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 35589 indicates it can handle heavy workloads, but in this game, the frame rates at 4K Ultra (50 FPS) suggest the GPU is the bottleneck, not the CPU. The CPU's 24 threads and high boost clock ensure it does not hold back the RTX 4080 Mobile, even at high settings. The data shows that the CPU is a strong partner for this GPU, providing enough headroom for the graphics card to be the limiting factor.

Resolution Scaling

The resolution scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals how the workload shifts between components. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 177 at 1080p to 134 at 1440p (a 24% decrease) and then to 90 at 4K (a 33% decrease from 1440p). This indicates that the GPU becomes more stressed as resolution increases, but the CPU still has enough power to feed it frames.

At Ultra settings, the scaling is more pronounced. The average FPS drops from 97 at 1080p to 73 at 1440p (a 25% decrease) and then to 50 at 4K (a 31% decrease from 1440p). This shows that the GPU's load increases significantly with resolution, especially at higher settings, where effects like ray tracing and high-quality textures demand more from the graphics card.

The data suggests that the limiting component changes with resolution. At 1080p, the CPU is more likely to be the bottleneck, as the GPU can render frames faster than the CPU can process game logic. At 4K, the GPU is clearly the limiting factor, as the frame rates drop below 60 FPS at High and Ultra settings. This is typical for a game like Control, which is graphically intensive. The resolution scaling shows that this combo is best suited for 1440p gaming, where it can maintain high frame rates with good settings, while 4K requires lower presets to stay smooth.