Control

Control, Remedy’s 2019 action-adventure, exhibits a pronounced dependency on the graphics subsystem when paired with the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT. The measured frame rates across the matrix of resolutions and presets reveal a configuration where the CPU’s substantial headroom is rarely the limiting factor, leaving the GPU to dictate the experience. This analysis interprets the benchmark data to characterize the scaling behavior, optimal settings, and component roles for this specific combination.

Resolution Scaling

The transition from 1080p to 4K produces a dramatic and consistent drop in frame rates across all settings, clearly identifying the AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT as the performance bottleneck. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 74 FPS at 1920x1080 to 56 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of 24.3%. Moving to 3840x2160, the average further declines to 38 FPS, representing a 48.6% decrease from the 1080p baseline. This scaling pattern is indicative of a pixel-bound workload where the GPU’s fill rate and memory bandwidth are saturated.

The Low preset demonstrates the same trend, albeit from a higher starting point. The average FPS drops from 118 at 1080p to 89 at 1440p, then to 60 at 4K. This 49.2% reduction from 1080p to 4K mirrors the High preset’s relative loss, suggesting that the scaling penalty is proportional to the resolution increase rather than the specific settings. The Medium preset shows a similar trajectory: 84 FPS at 1080p, 63 FPS at 1440p, and 43 FPS at 4K. The Ultra preset, the most demanding, yields 65 FPS at 1080p, 49 FPS at 1440p, and 33 FPS at 4K.

The data indicates that 4K resolution is only viable at the Low preset, where the 60 FPS average is achieved. At High, Medium, and Ultra settings, 4K averages fall below 45 FPS, with Ultra dipping to 33 FPS. This suggests that the RX 6600 XT, with its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, is not equipped to handle the pixel throughput demands of 4K at higher quality levels. The 1440p resolution provides a more balanced compromise, with High and Medium settings delivering 56 and 63 FPS respectively. The scaling behavior confirms that the GPU is the limiting component, as the CPU’s performance remains constant across resolutions.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the Medium preset at 2560x1440 offers the most balanced experience, delivering an average of 63 FPS with a minimum of 54 FPS and a maximum of 73 FPS. This combination provides smooth gameplay while maintaining visual fidelity above the Low preset. The High preset at 1440p yields 56 FPS, which is playable but with less headroom for demanding scenes. The data shows that Medium at 1440p is superior to High at 4K, which only achieves 38 FPS.

For users prioritizing frame rate, the Low preset at 1920x1080 delivers 118 FPS, far exceeding the 60 FPS threshold. However, this comes at the cost of visual quality. At 1080p, the Medium preset provides 84 FPS with a minimum of 71 FPS, making it a strong choice for high-refresh-rate displays without sacrificing too much detail. The Ultra preset at 1080p yields 65 FPS, which is acceptable but offers diminishing returns over Medium given the performance cost.

At 4K, the only playable option is Low, which achieves 60 FPS. The Medium preset at 4K falls to 43 FPS with a minimum of 36 FPS, which may cause noticeable stuttering. The data suggests that users should avoid Ultra at all resolutions, as it provides the lowest frame rates without a proportional visual gain. The best experience per the measured rows is Medium at 1440p, offering a 63 FPS average and a minimum above 50 FPS. This recommendation prioritizes stability and visual quality, aligning with the GPU’s capabilities.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is a 24-core, 24-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake Refresh architecture, with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.80 GHz. Its benchmark scores are exceptionally high, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 51,731 and a single-core score of 7,303. The PassMark multi-thread score of 60,860 and single-thread score of 4,823 further underscore its capabilities. The CPU’s 96th percentile ranking among all CPUs indicates that it is among the top performers in the database.

In the context of Control, the CPU’s role is largely secondary to the GPU. The measured frame rates show no indication of CPU bottlenecking, as the FPS scales consistently with resolution. At 1080p Low, the 118 FPS average is likely near the engine’s frame rate ceiling for this GPU, but the CPU’s high single-thread performance ensures that draw calls and physics calculations are handled without issue. The 24 cores and 24 threads provide ample parallelism for the game’s background tasks, though Control is not known to utilize more than a few cores effectively.

The CPU’s benchmarks relative to its nearest rivals reinforce its strength. It scores 0.2% higher than the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, 1.1% higher than the AMD EPYC 4584PX, and 1.2% higher than the AMD EPYC 9135. It is 1.3% lower than the AMD EPYC 7F72. These deltas are minimal, indicating that the 290K Plus is at the top of the desktop performance hierarchy. For this game, such CPU performance is more than sufficient, ensuring that frame rates are dictated by the GPU rather than the processor.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT ranks 2054 out of 2888 tested combos in Control. This places it in the lower-middle tier of all configurations, which is expected given the GPU’s mid-range positioning. The rank reflects the GPU’s performance constraints, as the CPU is one of the fastest available. The combo rank of 2054 indicates that many other pairings, particularly those with higher-end GPUs, achieve better frame rates.

The GPU’s percentile ranking of 70 among all GPUs aligns with this rank, showing that the RX 6600 XT is above average but not in the top tier. The combo’s rank is likely dragged down by the GPU’s limitations at higher resolutions and settings. For comparison, the GPU’s nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1630 (0.7% higher score), Intel Arc A350M (0.8% lower), NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Ti (0.8% higher), and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER (1.1% higher). These rival scores are all within a narrow band, but the RX 6600 XT’s actual gaming performance in Control may vary due to driver optimizations and architectural differences.

The combo rank of 2054 suggests that users with this configuration should temper expectations for high-end 4K gaming. However, the rank also indicates that the CPU is not the bottleneck, as pairing the 290K Plus with a more powerful GPU would likely move the combo significantly higher in the rankings. The data implies that the limiting factor is the GPU, and the CPU has headroom to support future upgrades.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT is built on the RDNA 2.0 architecture, featuring the Navi 23 chip with 2048 shading units, 128 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. It has a base clock of 1968 MHz, a boost clock of 2589 MHz, and a game clock of 2359 MHz. The 8 GB of GDDR6 memory operates at 2000 MHz with a 128-bit bus, providing 256.0 GB/s of bandwidth. These specifications place it as a mid-range GPU, with a PassMark G3D score of 16,461 and a 70th percentile ranking among all GPUs.

In Control, the GPU’s role is dominant, as evidenced by the resolution scaling. The 8 GB VRAM is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p at most settings, but at 4K, the memory bandwidth and capacity become strained. The 256.0 GB/s bandwidth is a limiting factor for 4K textures, as the data shows a significant drop in frame rates. The GPU’s FP32 performance of 10.60 TFLOPS is moderate, and the 32 ray tracing cores are not heavily utilized in Control unless the feature is enabled, which is not represented in the measured data.

The GPU’s benchmark scores show strong performance in legacy APIs, with a PassMark DirectX 11 score of 163 and a DirectX 12 score of 61. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1,804 reflects modern gaming performance. The GPU’s nearest rivals, such as the RTX 2080 SUPER with a 1.1% higher average score, are older or lower-tier cards, indicating that the RX 6600 XT holds its own in synthetic benchmarks. In Control, the GPU’s performance is consistent with its mid-range positioning, delivering playable frame rates at 1080p and 1440p but struggling at 4K.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of the combo’s performance across three resolutions and four settings. At 1920x1080, the Low preset achieves an average of 118 FPS, the highest of any configuration. The Medium preset averages 84 FPS, with a minimum of 71 FPS and a maximum of 96 FPS. The High preset averages 74 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 65 FPS. All 1080p settings are playable, with even Ultra exceeding 60 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 89 FPS, maintaining high responsiveness. The Medium preset averages 63 FPS, with a minimum of 54 FPS and a maximum of 73 FPS. The High preset averages 56 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 49 FPS. The 1440p resolution shows a clear drop-off from 1080p, but Medium and High settings remain viable for most users.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 60 FPS, barely hitting the 60 FPS target. The Medium preset averages 43 FPS, with a minimum of 36 FPS and a maximum of 49 FPS. The High preset averages 38 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 33 FPS. The 4K data reveals that only Low settings are practical for a smooth experience, and even then, the frame rate is marginal.

The data shows a consistent pattern: each resolution step down from 1080p to 4K reduces frame rates by roughly 25-50%, depending on the preset. The Medium preset at 1440p provides the best balance of frame rate and visual quality, while the Low preset at 1080p is the best for competitive play. The Ultra preset is uniformly the worst performer, offering no advantage over High in terms of playability.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Control?

A: The data shows that 2560x1440 at Medium settings provides the most balanced experience, with an average of 63 FPS and a minimum of 54 FPS. This resolution avoids the frame rate collapse seen at 4K while offering better visuals than 1080p.

Q: Can this combo run Control at 4K with playable frame rates?

A: Only at the Low preset, which achieves an average of 60 FPS. All other settings at 4K fall below 45 FPS, with Ultra averaging 33 FPS, making them unsuitable for smooth gameplay.

Q: How does the CPU affect frame rates in Control?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is not a bottleneck in this game. The frame rates scale consistently with resolution, indicating that the GPU is the limiting factor. The CPU’s high single-thread score of 7,303 in Cinebench R23 ensures it can handle the game’s logic without issue.

Q: Which settings preset delivers the highest frame rate at 1080p?

A: The Low preset at 1920x1080 achieves an average of 118 FPS, the highest of any measured configuration. The Medium preset follows with 84 FPS, and the Ultra preset yields 65 FPS.

Q: How does the RX 6600 XT compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The GPU’s average benchmark score is 24,442, which is 0.7% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1630 and 0.8% higher than the GTX 780 Ti. It is 0.8% lower than the Intel Arc A350M and 1.1% lower than the RTX 2080 SUPER.

Q: What is the combo’s rank among all tested configurations in Control?

A: The combo ranks 2054 out of 2888 tested combos. This places it in the lower-middle tier, reflecting the GPU’s mid-range performance limitations despite the CPU’s top-tier status.