Control

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus paired with the AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT delivers a robust Control experience, with performance scaling predictably as resolution and settings increase. The data indicates that this combination is well-balanced for high-refresh-rate 1440p gaming, while 4K Ultra demands compromises to maintain smooth framerates.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a clear and consistent pattern of performance degradation as resolution climbs from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At the High preset, the average frame rate drops from 110 FPS at 1080p, to 83 FPS at 1440p, and finally to 56 FPS at 4K. This represents a 24.5% performance hit when moving from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 32.5% reduction when stepping up to 4K. The scaling suggests that the Radeon RX 7800 XT becomes the limiting factor at higher resolutions, as the pixel throughput demands increase significantly.

The pattern is even more pronounced at the Low preset, where the average FPS falls from 174 at 1080p, to 132 at 1440p, and 89 at 4K. The percentage drops here are 24.1% and 32.6% respectively, indicating that the GPU's raw fillrate and memory bandwidth are the primary constraints. The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus, with its 24 cores and 24 threads, shows no signs of bottlenecking at any resolution, as the frame rate deltas between resolutions remain consistent regardless of the CPU load.

At the Medium preset, the measured data includes minimum and maximum FPS values, providing insight into frame pacing. At 1080p, the average is 124 FPS with a minimum of 105 and maximum of 142, showing a relatively tight frame time distribution. At 1440p, the average drops to 94 FPS with a range of 80 to 108, while at 4K the average is 63 FPS with a range of 54 to 73. The variance between minimum and maximum FPS remains proportionally similar across resolutions, suggesting stable performance without severe stuttering.

The Ultra preset shows the steepest scaling curve. The average FPS goes from 96 at 1080p, to 72 at 1440p, and 49 at 4K. The 4K Ultra result falls below the 60 FPS threshold, indicating that this setting combination is not viable for a consistently smooth experience at that resolution. The scaling pattern across all presets points to the RX 7800 XT's 16 GB of GDDR6 memory and 624.1 GB/s bandwidth being sufficient for the game's demands, but the GPU's compute throughput limits performance as resolution increases.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT is the dominant component in this pairing for Control. The GPU's boost clock of 2430 MHz and game clock of 2124 MHz provide the computational horsepower, while the 3840 shading units and 96 ROPs handle the rasterization workload. The 16 GB of VRAM is ample for Control's texture and geometry data, even at 4K with Ultra settings, preventing any memory capacity-related stuttering.

The GPU's memory configuration plays a critical role in the measured results. The 256-bit bus width and 624.1 GB/s bandwidth allow for efficient data transfer between the VRAM and the GPU cores. This is particularly important at 4K resolution, where the frame buffer requirements are substantially higher. The data shows that the RX 7800 XT maintains playable framerates at 4K High (56 FPS), but falls below 60 FPS at Ultra (49 FPS), indicating that the GPU's shading and texture units are saturated.

The RDNA 3.0 architecture, built on a 5 nm process, delivers a measured FP32 performance of 37.32 TFLOPS. This compute capability directly translates to the frame rates seen in the benchmark data. At 1080p Low, the GPU achieves 174 FPS, demonstrating its ability to handle simple shading workloads with ease. However, as settings increase to Ultra, the additional pixel and texture processing demands reduce performance proportionally.

The GPU's percentile ranking of 51 among all tested GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 11627, places it in the mid-range tier. In the context of Control specifically, the RX 7800 XT performs admirably, with the combo ranking in the 68.9th percentile (899 out of 2888 combos). This suggests that while the GPU is not a top-tier performer in synthetic benchmarks, it is well-suited to Control's specific rendering requirements.

The closest rival in synthetic benchmarks is the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660, with a delta of -0.5%, indicating nearly identical average scores. However, in real-world gaming performance for Control, the RX 7800 XT's modern architecture and larger memory pool provide a clear advantage, as evidenced by the high frame rates achieved even at demanding settings.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to achieve 60+ FPS at High settings?

A: At 2560x1440 with High settings, the combo averages 83 FPS, well above the 60 FPS threshold. At 3840x2160 with High settings, the average drops to 56 FPS, which is below 60 FPS.

Q: How much performance is lost when switching from Low to Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the average FPS drops from 174 at Low to 96 at Ultra, representing a 44.8% reduction in frame rate when enabling the highest quality settings.

Q: Does the CPU bottleneck the GPU at any resolution tested?

A: No. The frame rate drops between resolutions are consistent across all settings, indicating the GPU is the limiting factor at all tested resolutions. The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus has sufficient headroom.

Q: Is 4K gaming viable with this combination?

A: It depends on settings. At 4K Low, the average is 89 FPS, and at Medium it's 63 FPS. However, at High it drops to 56 FPS, and at Ultra it falls to 49 FPS, both below the 60 FPS target.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded across all tests?

A: The lowest minimum FPS recorded is 54 FPS, which occurs at 3840x2160 with Medium settings. This is the only test where the minimum falls below 60 FPS.

Q: How does the 4K Medium result compare to the 1440p Ultra result?

A: At 4K Medium, the average is 63 FPS, while at 1440p Ultra, the average is 72 FPS. The 1440p Ultra setting provides higher visual quality with better performance.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers excellent performance across all settings. The Low preset achieves an average of 174 FPS, which is exceptionally high and indicates that the CPU and GPU are both working efficiently at this resolution. The Medium preset averages 124 FPS with a minimum of 105 and maximum of 142, providing a smooth experience suitable for high-refresh-rate monitors. High settings yield 110 FPS, while Ultra drops to 96 FPS, still comfortably above 60 FPS for a responsive gameplay experience.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance remains strong but shows the expected decline. Low settings average 132 FPS, which is still very high and indicates that the GPU has ample headroom at this resolution. Medium settings produce 94 FPS with a minimum of 80 and maximum of 108, maintaining smooth frame pacing. High settings average 83 FPS, which is excellent for 1440p gaming. Ultra settings drop to 72 FPS, still above the 60 FPS threshold, making this a viable configuration for high-quality 1440p gameplay.

At 3840x2160, the performance becomes more constrained. Low settings average 89 FPS, which is surprising given the resolution, and indicates that the GPU's compute capabilities are sufficient for lighter workloads. Medium settings average 63 FPS with a minimum of 54 and maximum of 73, providing playable performance with occasional dips below 60 FPS. High settings average 56 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target and may be noticeable to sensitive users. Ultra settings average 49 FPS, which is the lowest result in the entire dataset and not recommended for a smooth experience.

The data reveals that the sweet spot for this combination is 1440p with High or Ultra settings, where the average FPS ranges from 72 to 83, providing a balance between visual fidelity and performance. For users prioritizing frame rate, 1080p with Ultra settings offers 96 FPS, which is ideal for high-refresh-rate displays.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT achieves a rank of 899 out of 2888 tested combos in Control, placing it in the 68.9th percentile. This is a solid mid-to-upper tier ranking, indicating that this pairing performs better than a majority of tested configurations for this specific game. The rank reflects the balance between the CPU's strong single-threaded performance and the GPU's capable rasterization throughput.

The CPU's synthetic benchmark performance provides context for this ranking. The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus has an average benchmark score of 84003, placing it in the 96th percentile among all CPUs. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, scores 83807, a mere 0.2% difference, indicating that the 290K Plus offers marginal performance gains over its direct predecessor. The AMD EPYC 4584PX and EPYC 9135 score 83090 and 82980 respectively, showing deltas of 1.1% and 1.2% slower than the 290K Plus.

The GPU's ranking is more modest, with a percentile of 51 among all GPUs and an average benchmark score of 11627. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660, scores 11680, which is 0.5% higher, making the two GPUs statistically equivalent in synthetic benchmarks. The AMD Radeon Pro 5500M and NVIDIA Tesla K20c score 11528 and 11479, representing deltas of 0.9% and 1.3% slower respectively.

The discrepancy between the CPU's high percentile (96) and the GPU's mid-range percentile (51) explains the combo's overall ranking. The CPU is not a limiting factor, allowing the GPU to perform to its full potential. The 899th rank out of 2888 combos suggests that there are many configurations with more powerful GPUs that achieve higher frame rates, but this combo provides a well-balanced experience that maximizes the GPU's capabilities.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the user's resolution and performance priorities. At 1920x1080, Ultra settings provide an average of 96 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold and offers the best visual quality. For users with high-refresh-rate monitors, the Medium preset at 124 FPS provides an excellent balance, while the Low preset at 174 FPS is ideal for competitive play where maximum frame rate is prioritized.

At 2560x1440, the High preset at 83 FPS is the recommended configuration, as it offers a significant visual improvement over Medium (94 FPS) while maintaining a frame rate well above 60 FPS. For users who prioritize visual fidelity over frame rate, Ultra at 72 FPS is still viable, providing a smooth experience with only minor performance trade-offs. The Low preset at 132 FPS is unnecessary at this resolution, as the visual quality reduction is not justified by the frame rate gain.

At 3840x2160, the Medium preset at 63 FPS is the only configuration that maintains an average above 60 FPS. The measured minimum of 54 FPS indicates occasional dips below the target, but the overall experience remains playable. The High preset at 56 FPS and Ultra at 49 FPS are not recommended, as the frame rate drops below the threshold for smooth gameplay. For 4K gaming, users should either accept Medium settings or consider lowering the resolution to 1440p for a better experience.

The data suggests that the best overall experience is achieved at 1440p with High settings, providing 83 FPS with a good balance of visual quality and performance. This configuration leverages the GPU's capabilities without pushing it to its limits, ensuring consistent frame pacing and a responsive gameplay experience. For users with 1080p displays, Ultra settings at 96 FPS offer the best visual experience without compromising on smoothness.