Control

Control, the 2019 action-adventure title, runs well on this pairing of an Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti, but the experience is heavily dictated by the graphics settings you choose. The data shows a clear hierarchy where the game is almost always GPU-bound, with the processor providing more than enough headroom. The sweet spot for this combination is 1440p with Medium settings, which delivers a smooth 78 FPS average, but for the highest fidelity, 1080p Ultra at 80 FPS is the way to go. This configuration ranks 1384 out of 2888 tested combos for this game, placing it in the upper half of all possible pairings.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data makes it clear that the Ultra preset, while visually demanding, is only viable at 1080p. At that resolution, it achieves an average of 80 FPS, which is perfectly playable for a title like this. However, moving up to 1440p with Ultra settings drops the average to exactly 60 FPS, which is the bare minimum for smooth gameplay on many displays. The 4K Ultra result of 41 FPS is not recommended for a consistently fluid experience.

The best experience per the measured rows is found at 1440p with Medium settings. This configuration produces a 78 FPS average, which is only 9 FPS lower than the 1440p High preset, but it offers a substantial performance buffer. The data for Medium settings also includes min and max FPS figures of 66 and 90 respectively, indicating a stable frame time delivery with no severe dips. This is a more consistent experience than the High preset, which only lists an average without variance data.

For those who prioritize frame rate above all else, the Low preset at 1080p delivers a massive 145 FPS average. This is the highest performance level recorded in the entire dataset and is ideal for high-refresh-rate monitors. The performance scaling from Ultra to Low at 1080p is significant, with a 65 FPS difference (145 vs 80). This suggests that the game's visual settings have a major impact on the GPU load, making the Low preset a powerful tool for achieving maximum responsiveness.

At 4K, the situation is more challenging. The Low preset is the only one that provides a playable experience, hitting a 74 FPS average. The Medium preset at 4K manages a 53 FPS average with a min of 45 FPS, which could lead to noticeable stuttering in combat-heavy scenes. The High and Ultra presets at 4K fall below the 50 FPS threshold, making them unsuitable for a smooth experience. Given the data, the recommendation is to prioritize resolution and settings that keep the average FPS above 60, with 1440p Medium being the most balanced choice.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is the primary performance limiter in this configuration for Control. The GPU's 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus provides 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is sufficient for the game's textures at 1080p and 1440p. However, the data suggests that the memory capacity might become a constraint at 4K, where the High and Ultra presets see average FPS drop to 47 and 41, respectively. This is a common indicator of the GPU being pushed to its limits, either through pixel fill rate or memory pressure.

The GPU's compute power, rated at 16.20 TFLOPS for FP32, is a solid mid-range figure. In the broader benchmark landscape, this GPU scores 20349 in Passmark G3D and has a percentile of 59 against all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT, is 1.4% ahead in average score, while the AMD Radeon RX 9060 is 0.7% behind. These close margins indicate that the RTX 3060 Ti is a well-positioned competitor in its class, but it is not a high-end part.

The clock speeds of 1410 MHz base and 1665 MHz boost are standard for the Ampere architecture. The performance in Control shows a clear pattern: the GPU's workload scales directly with the settings preset. The jump from Low to Medium at 1080p results in a 42 FPS drop (145 to 103), and from Medium to High a further 11 FPS drop (103 to 92). This linear scaling is typical for a game that is heavily reliant on the GPU's shading and rasterization capabilities.

The GPU's 80 ROPs and 152 TMUs handle the game's post-processing effects and texture filtering without issue at lower settings. The RTX 3060 Ti's 38 RT cores and 152 tensor cores are present, but the measured data does not isolate ray-tracing performance. The overall benchmark shows a GPU that is capable of delivering high frame rates in this title when settings are managed, but it is clearly the bottleneck in this system, as the CPU data will further confirm.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS data shows a clear and predictable drop as resolution increases, confirming the GPU-bound nature of this setup. At High settings, the average FPS falls from 92 at 1080p to 69 at 1440p, a 25% reduction. Moving from 1440p to 4K, the average drops again from 69 to 47, a 32% reduction. This pattern indicates that the rendering resolution has a direct and significant impact on the GPU's workload.

At Low settings, the scaling is even more pronounced. The 1080p average of 145 FPS drops to 110 at 1440p, a 24% decrease. The jump to 4K sees a further drop to 74 FPS, which is a 33% decrease from 1440p. This shows that even at the lowest visual quality, the GPU is still the primary limiting factor, as the CPU is not preventing the frame rate from scaling proportionally with the pixel count.

The difference between 1080p and 4K at Ultra settings is stark. The frame rate plummets from 80 FPS to 41 FPS, a 49% reduction. This massive drop highlights the immense load placed on the GPU by 4K resolution, even with the game running at its highest visual fidelity. The data suggests that to maintain a playable frame rate at 4K, users must sacrifice settings, as the Low preset is the only one that stays comfortably above 60 FPS.

This scaling behavior strongly indicates that the limiting component is the GPU. If the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus were the bottleneck, we would expect the frame rates at 1080p to be more similar across different settings, as the CPU would max out before the GPU. Instead, the frame rates scale consistently with resolution and settings, which is the classic signature of a GPU-limited scenario. The CPU is providing a stable platform, but the RTX 3060 Ti is determining the final performance output.

Measured FPS Breakdown

1080p (1920x1080):

• Ultra: 80 FPS average. This is the highest quality setting that remains playable at this resolution, offering a solid experience for most users.
• High: 92 FPS average. A 12 FPS improvement over Ultra, making it a good choice for those who want slightly higher frame rates without a major visual downgrade.
• Medium: 103 FPS average, with a min of 88 FPS and a max of 119 FPS. This preset provides a smooth and consistent experience, ideal for high-refresh-rate displays.
• Low: 145 FPS average. The maximum performance level recorded, perfect for competitive play or when aiming for the highest possible FPS.

1440p (2560x1440):

• Ultra: 60 FPS average. This is the baseline for smooth gameplay, but it leaves no headroom for demanding scenes.
• High: 69 FPS average. A comfortable margin above 60 FPS, making it a more reliable choice for 1440p gaming.
• Medium: 78 FPS average, with a min of 66 FPS and a max of 90 FPS. This is the recommended preset for 1440p, offering a great balance of visual quality and performance.
• Low: 110 FPS average. A very high frame rate that provides a highly responsive feel, even at this resolution.

4K (3840x2160):

• Ultra: 41 FPS average. This is not recommended for a playable experience, as it falls well below the 60 FPS target.
• High: 47 FPS average. Still below the smooth threshold, indicating the GPU is struggling at this resolution.
• Medium: 53 FPS average, with a min of 45 FPS and a max of 61 FPS. The minimum FPS is concerning, as it may result in noticeable stutters.
• Low: 74 FPS average. The only playable option at 4K, providing a stable and enjoyable frame rate.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution and settings combination for this system?

A: The data indicates that 1440p with Medium settings is the most balanced option, delivering a 78 FPS average with a stable frame time range of 66 to 90 FPS.

Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming in Control?

A: Yes, but only with the Low preset, which achieves a 74 FPS average. All other presets at 4K fall below 54 FPS, with Ultra at 41 FPS, making them unsuitable for smooth gameplay.

Q: Is the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus or the RTX 3060 Ti the limiting factor?

A: The GPU is the limiting factor. The FPS scales consistently with resolution and settings, a clear sign of GPU limitation. The CPU's high benchmark scores, such as a 51731 in Cinebench R23 multi-core, suggest it has ample headroom.

Q: How does the RTX 3060 Ti compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The GPU's average benchmark score is 16129. It is 1.4% behind the AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT, which has an average score of 16361, and 0.7% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 9060, which scores 16014.

Q: What is the performance difference between the Low and Ultra presets at 1080p?

A: The difference is 65 FPS. The Low preset achieves 145 FPS, while the Ultra preset achieves 80 FPS. This shows the significant impact of the game's visual settings on the GPU.

Q: Does the system maintain a consistent frame rate?

A: The data for Medium settings shows a stable frame time. At 1440p, the average is 78 FPS with a minimum of 66 FPS and a maximum of 90 FPS. This suggests good frame pacing without severe dips.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus plays a supporting role in this configuration, providing more than enough processing power to avoid being a bottleneck. The CPU features 24 cores and 24 threads, with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.80 GHz. This high core count and clock speed ensure that the game's logic, physics, and AI routines are handled without issue, allowing the GPU to work at its full potential.

The CPU's benchmark scores are impressive, with a 96th percentile ranking against all CPUs. Its average benchmark score is 84003, which is 0.2% ahead of the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K and 1.1% ahead of the AMD EPYC 4584PX. These results show that the processor is a top-tier performer, far exceeding the requirements of a game like Control. The Passmark multithread score of 60860 and the single-thread score of 4823 further confirm its capability.

In this specific game, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with data. The measured FPS data shows that the frame rate is directly tied to the GPU's workload, which only happens when the CPU is not the limiting factor. The high single-thread performance, evidenced by a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 7303, is particularly important for game logic, which often relies on a few fast cores.

The CPU's 36 MB of shared L3 cache and 3 MB per-core L2 cache provide fast access to frequently used data, reducing latency. Its memory bandwidth of 115.2 GB/s with dual-channel DDR5 support ensures that data can be transferred quickly to the GPU. While the CPU's performance is more than adequate for this title, the data suggests that upgrading the GPU would yield a greater performance increase in Control, as the current setup is clearly GPU-bound.