Control

Control’s benchmark data for the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus paired with the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT shows a system that is clearly capable of delivering smooth gameplay at 1080p and 1440p, but which begins to strain at 4K Ultra settings. The measured FPS rows reveal a consistent scaling pattern across resolutions and presets, with the most balanced experience found at Medium settings for higher resolutions and High settings for 1080p. This analysis breaks down the settings recommendations, the distinct roles of the CPU and GPU, the combo’s standing among 2888 tested configurations, and provides a detailed FPS breakdown for each resolution.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data for this combo in Control provides a clear hierarchy of playable settings based on resolution. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers an average of 124 FPS, which is the highest recorded for this configuration. However, for a more visually rich experience without sacrificing smoothness, the High preset at 1080p returns an average of 78 FPS, which remains well above the 60 FPS threshold for comfortable gameplay. The Ultra preset at 1080p drops to 68 FPS average, which is still playable but represents a significant visual cost for only a modest frame rate difference compared to High. The Medium preset at 1080p offers an average of 88 FPS, with a minimum of 75 FPS and a maximum of 101 FPS, making it the most robust choice for those who want a blend of visual fidelity and performance headroom.

Moving to 2560x1440, the situation changes. The Low preset averages 94 FPS, which is excellent for competitive or high-refresh-rate play. The High preset at 1440p produces an average of 59 FPS, which is just below the 60 FPS target, making it a marginal choice for those seeking perfect smoothness. The Medium preset at 1440p, however, delivers an average of 67 FPS with a minimum of 57 FPS and a maximum of 76 FPS, indicating that it is the sweet spot for this resolution—it provides a stable experience above 60 FPS in most scenes while retaining better visual quality than Low. The Ultra preset at 1440p falls to 51 FPS average, which is noticeable for action-oriented gameplay. For 1440p, the recommendation is clearly Medium, as it offers the best balance of frame rate stability and visual detail.

At 3840x2160, the data shows that this combo is not suited for the highest settings. The Low preset averages 63 FPS, which is the only 4K setting that reaches the 60 FPS mark. The Medium preset at 4K averages 45 FPS, with a minimum of 38 FPS and a maximum of 52 FPS, indicating a playable but inconsistent experience. The High preset at 4K drops to 40 FPS average, and Ultra falls to 35 FPS average. For 4K, the only reasonable recommendation is Low, as it is the sole preset that maintains a smooth frame rate. Alternatively, users with 4K displays should consider lowering the resolution to 1440p to use Medium or High settings for a better visual experience overall. The data suggests that this pairing is best utilized at 1080p or 1440p, with 4K reserved for Low settings or upscaling techniques not covered in these measurements.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is a 24-core, 24-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake Refresh architecture, built on a 3 nm process by TSMC. Its base clock is 3.70 GHz, with a boost clock of 5.80 GHz, and it carries a TDP of 125 W. The processor’s cache hierarchy includes 192 KB of L1 per core, 3 MB of L2 per core, and 36 MB of shared L3 cache. In Control, a game that is primarily GPU-bound at higher resolutions, the CPU’s role is to ensure that frame times remain consistent, particularly at lower resolutions and higher frame rates.

Benchmark results for the CPU show strong single-threaded and multi-threaded performance. In Cinebench R23, the processor scores 51731 in multi-core and 7303 in single-core. The single-core score is particularly relevant for gaming, as Control’s engine relies on a few main threads for physics and game logic. The PassMark single-thread score of 4823 and the multi-thread score of 60860 further illustrate the CPU’s capability. The CPU’s percentile versus all CPUs is 96, meaning it outperforms 96% of tested processors. Compared to its nearest rivals, the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K has an average score of 83807, which is only 0.2% lower than the 290K Plus’s average of 84003. The AMD EPYC 4584PX scores 83090, a 1.1% deficit, and the AMD EPYC 9135 scores 82980, a 1.2% deficit. The AMD EPYC 7F72 scores 85072, which is 1.3% higher than the 290K Plus. These deltas are minimal, indicating that the 290K Plus is among the top-tier processors for this workload.

In the context of Control’s measured FPS, the CPU’s influence is most apparent at 1080p Low, where the average FPS reaches 124. At this setting, the GPU is less stressed, and the CPU’s high boost clock of 5.80 GHz helps maintain high frame rates. The 24 threads ensure that background tasks and game threads do not create bottlenecks, even when the frame rate is high. At 1440p and 4K, the GPU becomes the limiting factor, and the CPU’s performance headroom means it does not negatively impact the average FPS numbers. The data shows that the CPU is not a constraint in any of the measured configurations, as the FPS scales consistently with resolution and settings changes, which is typical of a GPU-bound title. The processor’s 125 W TDP and 3 nm process node also indicate efficient operation, though power consumption is not directly measured in these FPS results.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT is the primary driver of Control’s frame rates, as evidenced by the FPS scaling across resolutions. This GPU features the Navi 33 chip on the RDNA 3.0 architecture, built on a 6 nm process. It has 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, with a memory bandwidth of 288.0 GB/s. The GPU’s base clock is 1980 MHz, with a boost clock of 2755 MHz and a game clock of 2470 MHz. The memory operates at 2250 MHz, or 18 Gbps effective. The GPU includes 2048 shading units, 128 TMUs, 64 ROPs, and 32 RT cores, providing a peak FP32 performance of 22.57 TFLOPS.

The GPU’s benchmark scores place it in the 60th percentile versus all GPUs. Its average benchmark score is 17083, with the nearest rival being the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 at 17208, which is 0.7% higher. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690 scores 17037, a 0.3% deficit, and the AMD Radeon HD 7970M scores 17019, a 0.4% deficit. The NVIDIA Tesla M4 scores 16932, a 0.9% deficit. These comparisons show that the RX 7600 XT is positioned close to the RTX 3070 in overall GPU compute, though the RTX 3070 has a slight edge. In Control, this translates to the RX 7600 XT being capable of handling 1080p and 1440p well, but struggling at 4K with higher presets.

The 16 GB VRAM is a notable asset for Control, as the game’s textures and effects can consume significant memory at higher settings. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS is 35, which is likely due to the GPU’s compute limits rather than VRAM capacity, given that 16 GB is ample for this title. The memory bandwidth of 288.0 GB/s is adequate for 1080p and 1440p, but at 4K, the 128-bit bus may become a bottleneck. The measured FPS at 4K Low is 63, which is playable, but the drop to 45 FPS at Medium and 40 FPS at High shows that the GPU’s shading units and ROPs are the limiting factors. The boost clock of 2755 MHz helps at lower resolutions, where the GPU can push higher frame rates, as seen in the 124 FPS at 1080p Low. The GPU’s 190 W TDP and PCIe 4.0 x8 interface are consistent with a mid-range card that is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combos for Control, this specific pairing of the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT ranks 1817 out of 2888 total combinations. This places it in the lower half of all tested configurations, which is notable given the high-end CPU. The rank is primarily determined by the GPU’s performance, as the RX 7600 XT is a mid-range card in the current market. The combo’s percentile position is not explicitly stated, but the rank of 1817 out of 2888 indicates that roughly 63% of tested combos perform better in this game.

This ranking is consistent with the measured FPS data. At 1080p, the combo achieves respectable frame rates, with the Low preset reaching 124 FPS and High reaching 78 FPS. However, many other combos with higher-end GPUs will surpass these numbers. At 1440p, the 67 FPS average on Medium is competitive, but again, stronger GPUs will produce higher scores. At 4K, the combo’s performance is below average, with only the Low preset hitting 63 FPS. The rank of 1817 reflects that this pairing is not optimized for Control’s most demanding settings, but it is still viable for mainstream gaming at lower resolutions.

The CPU’s high percentile (96th) does not boost the combo’s rank because Control is GPU-bound in most scenarios. The data shows that the CPU has a negligible effect on the FPS numbers, as evidenced by the consistent scaling with settings changes. The nearest rival CPUs, such as the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K with a 0.2% performance difference, would likely produce nearly identical FPS results when paired with the same GPU. The combo’s rank is thus a reflection of the GPU’s mid-range positioning, not a deficiency in the CPU. For users with this pairing, the expectation should be solid 1080p and 1440p performance, with 4K reserved for Low settings or a future GPU upgrade.

FAQ

Q: What is the best settings preset for this combo at 1440p?

A: The Medium preset at 2560x1440 delivers an average of 67 FPS, with a minimum of 57 FPS and a maximum of 76 FPS. This is the only 1440p setting that consistently stays above 60 FPS, making it the recommended choice for this resolution.

Q: How does the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus compare to its closest rival in CPU benchmarks?

A: The 290K Plus has an average benchmark score of 84003. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, scores 83807, which is 0.2% lower. The AMD EPYC 7F72 scores 85072, which is 1.3% higher than the 290K Plus.

Q: Is the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT capable of running Control at 4K?

A: Yes, but only at Low settings, which produces an average FPS of 63. Higher settings at 4K result in averages of 45 FPS at Medium, 40 FPS at High, and 35 FPS at Ultra, which are not ideal for smooth gameplay.

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

A: The combo ranks 1817 out of 2888 total tested combinations. This places it in the lower half of all combos, primarily due to the GPU’s mid-range performance.

Q: Does the CPU bottleneck the GPU in this game?

A: No. The data shows consistent FPS scaling across resolutions and settings, indicating the GPU is the limiting factor. The CPU’s high single-thread score of 7303 in Cinebench R23 ensures it can keep up with the GPU’s frame output.

Q: What is the highest average FPS recorded for this combo?

A: The highest average FPS is 124, achieved at 1920x1080 with the Low settings preset. The next highest is 94 FPS at 2560x1440 on Low settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for Control with the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT is presented below, organized by resolution and settings preset.

At 1920x1080, the Low preset achieves an average of 124 FPS, with no minimum or maximum values provided. The Medium preset averages 88 FPS, with a minimum of 75 FPS and a maximum of 101 FPS. The High preset averages 78 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 68 FPS. These numbers show that 1080p is the strongest resolution for this combo, with all presets exceeding 60 FPS average. The spread from Low to Ultra is 56 FPS, indicating that the GPU has sufficient headroom at this resolution to handle the most demanding settings.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 94 FPS. The Medium preset averages 67 FPS, with a minimum of 57 FPS and a maximum of 76 FPS. The High preset averages 59 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 51 FPS. The 1440p results show a clear step down from 1080p, with only Low and Medium presets maintaining an average above 60 FPS. The minimum FPS of 57 at Medium indicates that some scenes may dip below 60 FPS, but the overall experience remains smooth. The Ultra preset at 51 FPS is below the ideal threshold, making it less desirable for fast-paced action.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 63 FPS. The Medium preset averages 45 FPS, with a minimum of 38 FPS and a maximum of 52 FPS. The High preset averages 40 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 35 FPS. The 4K data reveals a significant performance drop, with only Low achieving a playable average. The Medium preset’s minimum of 38 FPS suggests noticeable stuttering during intense scenes. The High and Ultra presets are largely unplayable for a smooth experience, as their averages fall well below 60 FPS.

Across all resolutions, the Medium preset consistently provides the most balanced frame rates, with 1440p Medium offering the best combination of visual quality and performance for this game. The 1080p Low preset is the fastest overall, but it sacrifices visual fidelity. For users with a 4K monitor, the Low preset is the only viable option, while 1440p users should stick to Medium. The data confirms that this combo is best suited for 1080p gaming, where it can deliver high frame rates across all settings, and 1440p gaming, where Medium is the recommended preset.