Control

Control is a 2019 Action Adventure title that stresses both the CPU and GPU depending on the settings and resolution chosen. The data for this analysis comes from a measured configuration pairing the Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050, and the results show a system that can handle the game comfortably at 1080p but struggles to maintain playable framerates at 4K. The following sections break down the CPU's role, the optimal settings, the resolution scaling behavior, the combo's rank, the GPU's contribution, and the exact measured FPS figures.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX is a 24-core, 24-thread mobile processor based on the Arrow Lake-HX architecture, built on TSMC's 3 nm process. It has a base clock of 2.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz, with a TDP of 55 W. This is a high-end mobile part, evidenced by its 94th percentile ranking against all CPUs in the benchmark database. Its synthetic benchmark scores are strong: a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 35589 and a single-core score of 2204, plus a Geekbench multi-core score of 20795 and a single-core score of 2458. For a game like Control, which relies on both single-threaded performance for game logic and physics, and multi-threaded performance for streaming and background tasks, this CPU provides ample headroom.

In the context of this specific game, the CPU's role is less about pushing raw framerates and more about ensuring the GPU is fed with data. The measured FPS data shows that at 1080p Low settings, the combo achieves 103 FPS average, which suggests the CPU is not the primary bottleneck at lower resolutions. However, as resolution increases, the GPU becomes the limiting factor, and the CPU's high single-core score (2204 in R23) ensures it doesn't drag down performance. Comparing to its nearest rivals, the Core Ultra 9 275HX has an average benchmark score of 67469, which is 0.3% lower than the Intel Xeon w5-3525 (67673), 0.5% lower than the AMD EPYC 4484PX (67822), and 0.6% lower than the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 5955WX (67868). It is, however, 0.7% higher than the Intel Xeon 6515P (67006). These deltas are minuscule, indicating that in CPU-bound scenarios, this chip trades blows with those workstation-class parts.

For Control specifically, the 24 cores and 24 threads are more than sufficient. The game was released in 2019 and is not known for being exceptionally demanding on CPU cores. The L3 cache is 36 MB shared, which is generous and helps with game asset streaming. The memory support is DDR5 with a dual-channel bus and a bandwidth of 102.4 GB/s, which is adequate for feeding the GPU. The benchmark results indicate that the CPU is never the deciding factor in the FPS drops seen at higher resolutions; instead, the GPU's limitations take over. The CPU's PassMark single-thread score of 4713 and multi-thread score of 55759 further confirm its capability to handle the game's logic without breaking a sweat, leaving the RTX 5050 to be the bottleneck in most scenarios.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend heavily on the target resolution. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers an average of 103 FPS, which is exceptionally smooth for a fast-paced action game. The Medium preset drops to 73 FPS average, still very playable, while the High preset yields 65 FPS. The Ultra preset at 1080p brings the average down to 56 FPS, which is on the lower edge of what most players would consider smooth. Given that the game's genre is Action Adventure, where precise timing and reaction are important, the data suggests that the Medium preset at 1080p offers the best balance of visual quality and performance, with 73 FPS average and a minimum of 62 FPS, ensuring no significant stutters.

Moving to 2560x1440, the picture changes. The Low preset delivers 78 FPS average, which is still good, but the Medium preset drops to 55 FPS with a minimum of 47 FPS. The High preset at 1440p yields 49 FPS, and Ultra drops to 43 FPS. At this resolution, the recommendation shifts to the Low preset if the player prioritizes framerate, as 78 FPS is noticeably smoother than the 55 FPS from Medium. However, if visual fidelity is more important, Medium at 55 FPS is acceptable, but the minimum of 47 FPS indicates potential dips during intense scenes. For a consistent experience, the data points to Low at 1440p as the safest choice.

At 3840x2160, the situation becomes critical. The Low preset is the only one that comes close to playable, with an average of 52 FPS. The Medium preset drops to 37 FPS, High to 33 FPS, and Ultra to 29 FPS. None of these higher presets reach the 60 FPS threshold, and even the 52 FPS from Low is marginal. The recommendation for 4K is to stick with the Low preset and accept the 52 FPS average, or consider lowering the resolution. The data does not support any preset above Low at 4K for a smooth experience, as the framerate falls below 40 FPS, which is generally considered too choppy for an action game. The measured rows clearly indicate that this combo is not designed for 4K gaming in Control, and the best experience is found at 1080p with Medium or High settings.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The FPS data shows a clear and predictable scaling pattern as resolution increases. At the Low preset, the average FPS drops from 103 at 1080p to 78 at 1440p, and then to 52 at 4K. This represents a 24.3% drop from 1080p to 1440p, and a 33.3% drop from 1440p to 4K. For the Medium preset, the averages are 73 FPS at 1080p, 55 FPS at 1440p, and 37 FPS at 4K, with corresponding drops of 24.7% and 32.7%. The High preset shows 65 FPS at 1080p, 49 FPS at 1440p, and 33 FPS at 4K, with drops of 24.6% and 32.7%. The Ultra preset follows the same trend: 56 FPS at 1080p, 43 FPS at 1440p, and 29 FPS at 4K, with drops of 23.2% and 32.6%.

These consistent percentage drops across all settings are a classic indicator of a GPU-bound scenario. If the CPU were the limiting factor, the FPS would not scale so linearly with resolution; instead, it would plateau or drop more sharply at lower resolutions. The fact that the FPS drops by roughly 25% when moving from 1080p to 1440p, and another 33% when moving to 4K, points directly to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 as the bottleneck. The GPU has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus with a bandwidth of 320.0 GB/s. At 4K, the pixel count is over four times that of 1080p, which dramatically increases the demand on the GPU's shading units, TMUs, and ROPs. The RTX 5050 has 2560 shading units, 80 TMUs, and 32 ROPs, which are simply insufficient for the pixel throughput required at 4K in Control.

The data also shows that the gap between Low and Ultra settings narrows as resolution increases. At 1080p, the difference between Low (103 FPS) and Ultra (56 FPS) is 47 FPS, a 45.6% reduction. At 4K, the difference between Low (52 FPS) and Ultra (29 FPS) is only 23 FPS, a 44.2% reduction. This relative consistency further confirms that the GPU is the primary limiter, as the increased resolution saturates the GPU regardless of the settings. The CPU's role is to prepare the frame data, and with its high single-thread performance, it does not become a hindrance until much higher framerates. The conclusion from the resolution scaling is that this combo is best suited for 1080p or 1440p gaming, and 4K should be avoided unless the player accepts significant compromises on both settings and framerate.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 ranks 2295 out of 2888 tested combos in Control. This rank places it in the bottom 20% of all configurations tested for this game. This is a surprisingly low rank given the CPU's high percentile (94th) and the GPU's reasonable performance, but it reflects the fact that the GPU is the weak link in this pairing for this specific game. The rank is determined by the measured FPS across all settings and resolutions, and the low scores at 4K and the relatively modest scores at 1080p drag the overall ranking down.

To put this rank in perspective, the RTX 5050's nearest rivals in the GPU benchmark database include the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL (with an average score of 21153, which is 0.6% higher than the RTX 5050's 21035), the AMD Radeon HD 8970M (21237, 1% higher), the AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT (20713, 1.6% lower), and the NVIDIA RTX A4000 Mobile (21379, 1.6% higher). These deltas are small, indicating that the RTX 5050 is a mid-range GPU. In Control, which is a graphics-intensive game with heavy use of particles and physics, this mid-range GPU is not enough to push the combo into a higher rank, especially when paired with a top-tier CPU that cannot compensate for the GPU's limitations.

The combo rank of 2295 out of 2888 suggests that there are many other configurations that perform better in this game. This is not a reflection of the CPU, which is clearly capable, but rather a sign that the RTX 5050 is the bottleneck. In the database, a rank in the bottom 20% typically indicates a system that can handle the game at lower settings, but struggles with higher settings and resolutions. For a player looking at this combo, the data implies that they should not expect to max out Control at high resolutions. The rank is a quantitative measure of the overall experience, and the measured FPS data supports the conclusion that this combo is a 1080p machine for this game, with acceptable performance at 1440p only on lower presets.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 is a Blackwell 2.0 architecture GPU built on TSMC's 5 nm process, with a die size of 149 mm² and 16,900 million transistors. It has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 320.0 GB/s. The base clock is 2317 MHz, and the boost clock is 2572 MHz. The GPU has 2560 shading units, 80 TMUs, and 32 ROPs, along with 20 RT cores and 80 tensor cores. Its FP32 performance is 13.17 TFLOPS, and the pixel rate is 82.30 GPixel/s with a texture rate of 205.8 GTexel/s. The GPU's TDP is 130 W, and it was launched with an MSRP of 249 USD.

In the context of Control, the GPU's 8 GB of VRAM is a critical factor. Control is known for its high-resolution textures and complex lighting effects, and at 4K, the VRAM can become a limiting factor. The measured FPS at 4K Ultra is only 29 FPS, which is likely due to both the GPU's compute limitations and potential VRAM pressure. However, at 1080p and 1440p, the 8 GB of VRAM is sufficient, and the performance is more dependent on the GPU's raw compute power. The RTX 5050's boost clock of 2572 MHz is decent, but the modest number of shading units (2560) and the narrow 128-bit memory bus are the primary reasons for the performance drops at higher resolutions.

The GPU's benchmark scores show it ranks in the 66th percentile against all GPUs, with an average score of 21035. Its nearest rivals are all within a 1.6% delta, confirming it is a mid-range part. In Control, the GPU's role is to handle the rendering of the game's physics-based destruction and particle effects. The data shows that at 1080p Medium, the GPU can maintain 73 FPS average, which is a good experience. At 1440p Medium, it drops to 55 FPS, and at 4K Medium, it falls to 37 FPS. This scaling is consistent with a GPU that is being increasingly saturated as resolution increases. The RTX 5050 is not a high-end part, and the measured results reflect that, with the GPU being the clear bottleneck in this combo, especially above 1080p.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

The following is the exact measured FPS data for the Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 in Control.

At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers an average of 103 FPS. The Medium preset averages 73 FPS, with a minimum of 62 FPS and a maximum of 84 FPS. The High preset averages 65 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 56 FPS. This is the only resolution where all presets are playable, with even the Ultra preset staying above 50 FPS. The data shows a clear step-down from Low to Medium (a 30 FPS drop), but the difference between Medium and High (8 FPS) and High and Ultra (9 FPS) is smaller, suggesting diminishing returns on visual quality at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 78 FPS. The Medium preset averages 55 FPS, with a minimum of 47 FPS and a maximum of 63 FPS. The High preset averages 49 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 43 FPS. Here, the Low preset is the only one that maintains a comfortable framerate above 60 FPS. The Medium preset is borderline, with a minimum of 47 FPS indicating potential stutters in heavy scenes. The High and Ultra presets are below 50 FPS, which for an action game may feel sluggish. The data suggests that at 1440p, the player should choose between Low (78 FPS) for smoothness or Medium (55 FPS) for better visuals, accepting the lower minimum.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 52 FPS. The Medium preset averages 37 FPS, with a minimum of 32 FPS and a maximum of 43 FPS. The High preset averages 33 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 29 FPS. This resolution is clearly beyond the capabilities of this combo for a smooth experience. Only the Low preset manages to stay above 50 FPS, and even that is marginal. The Medium, High, and Ultra presets all fall below 40 FPS, which is generally considered unplayable for a game that requires fast reflexes. The 4K data confirms that this combo is not suited for 4K gaming in Control, and the FPS drops are severe, with the Ultra preset nearly halving the framerate of the Low preset.

In summary, the measured FPS breakdown shows that the Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 combo is best utilized at 1080p, where it can handle all settings with playable framerates. At 1440p, it is limited to Low or Medium settings for acceptable performance. At 4K, only the Low preset is marginally playable, and the higher presets should be avoided. The data is clear: this combo is a 1080p gaming solution for Control, with the GPU being the limiting factor at higher resolutions.