Control

Control, the 2019 action-adventure from Remedy Entertainment, is a demanding title that stresses both the CPU and GPU, but the data for this specific combination—the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060—reveals a system that is heavily skewed toward processor performance. The benchmark results show a configuration that can deliver playable frame rates at 1080p and 1440p with adjusted settings, but which clearly hits a graphics processing wall at higher resolutions and extreme presets. The following analysis breaks down the measured data to explain how this combo ranks, where its strengths and weaknesses lie, and what settings will yield the best playable experience.

How This Combo Ranks

Within the database of tested hardware combinations for Control, this pairing of the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 holds a rank of 1515 out of 2888 tested combos. This places it in the 48th percentile of all tested systems, indicating that while it is not a top-tier performer for this specific game, it sits almost exactly in the middle of the pack. The ranking suggests that the combination of a flagship-class CPU with a mid-range GPU creates a bottleneck that prevents the system from achieving the highest frame rates possible in Control. Benchmark results indicate that the CPU is far more capable than the GPU for this workload, meaning the graphics card is the limiting factor in most scenarios. This is a classic pairing where the processor's potential is left untapped, as the GPU cannot keep pace with the data it is being fed, particularly at higher resolutions and graphics settings.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 is the primary determinant of frame rates in this configuration. Its specifications, including 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, provide a bandwidth of 272.0 GB/s. The card's boost clock is rated at 2460 MHz, and its 3072 shading units deliver a FP32 performance of 15.11 TFLOPS. While these figures are respectable for 1080p gaming, the data shows that the 8 GB VRAM and the 128-bit memory interface become significant constraints in Control at higher resolutions. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 benchmark score of 2302 and a Passmark G3D score of 19545 place the GPU in the 61st percentile among all GPUs, showing it is a competent but not high-end part. Its nearest rivals in the database include the AMD Radeon HD 7790, which scores slightly higher (17666 vs 19545 for the 4060 is not correct, the 4060 is 19545, the HD 7790 is 17666), with a delta of -0.2%, and the AMD Radeon 780M, which scores lower, with a delta of 0.3%. This indicates that the RTX 4060's performance is closely clustered with these other cards, and its capabilities are the hard ceiling for this combo in Control.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data for this combo reveals a clear and predictable pattern of scaling across resolutions. At 1080p, the system produces its highest frame rates, but these drop significantly as the resolution increases. For instance, at High settings, the average FPS falls from 88 at 1920x1080 to 67 at 2560x1440, a reduction of 21 FPS. Moving to 3840x2160, the average FPS drops further to 45, a 43 FPS decline from the 1080p result. This steep decline is indicative of a GPU-bound system. The RTX 4060 is working progressively harder to render more pixels, and its performance ceiling is being reached. The scaling pattern shows that the CPU is not a limiting factor in this game; if it were, the frame rates would remain more constant across resolutions. Instead, the consistent drop-off with each resolution increase points directly to the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth as the primary bottlenecks. The difference between Low and Ultra settings also grows with resolution, further confirming that the graphics card is being saturated.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive look at the combo's performance across all settings and resolutions.

At 1920x1080: The system is most comfortable here. At Low settings, it achieves an average of 140 FPS. Medium settings yield an average of 99 FPS, with a min of 84 and a max of 114 FPS. High settings produce an average of 88 FPS, and Ultra settings drop to an average of 77 FPS. This is the only resolution where the combo can approach high refresh-rate gaming, but only at lower presets.

At 2560x1440: Performance begins to strain. Low settings still deliver a playable average of 106 FPS. Medium settings average 75 FPS, with a min of 64 and a max of 86 FPS. High settings drop to an average of 67 FPS, and Ultra settings fall to an average of 58 FPS. The frame rates at this resolution are still playable, but the gap between Low and Ultra is substantial.

At 3840x2160: The GPU becomes the definitive bottleneck. Low settings yield an average of 71 FPS. Medium settings average 51 FPS, with a min of 43 and a max of 58 FPS. High settings drop to an average of 45 FPS, and Ultra settings produce an average of just 39 FPS. At this resolution, the RTX 4060's 8 GB VRAM and 128-bit bus are insufficient to maintain high frame rates, even at lower presets.

The data shows that the step from Medium to High at 4K (51 to 45 FPS) is a 6 FPS drop, while the step from High to Ultra (45 to 39 FPS) is another 6 FPS drop, showing diminishing returns and a hard performance wall.

FAQ

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

A: Based on the measured data, 1920x1080 is the best resolution. It is the only resolution where the combo can achieve frame rates above 77 FPS on the Ultra preset, and it reaches 140 FPS on Low settings, providing the most headroom for a smooth experience.

Q: How does the CPU's performance compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus has an average benchmark score of 84003, which is 0.2% higher than the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K (83807) and 1.1% higher than the AMD EPYC 4584PX (83090). It is 1.2% higher than the AMD EPYC 9135 (82980) but 1.3% lower than the AMD EPYC 7F72 (85072).

Q: Is this CPU or GPU better for this game?

A: The benchmark results indicate that the GPU is the limiting factor. The CPU is a top-tier processor with a 96th percentile ranking, while the GPU is in the 61st percentile. The FPS drops significantly with resolution increases, a clear sign of a GPU bottleneck.

Q: What is the impact of changing from Medium to High settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, changing from Medium to High settings results in an average FPS drop from 75 to 67, a decrease of 8 FPS. This is a moderate performance cost for the visual improvement.

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

A: The data shows that at 3840x2160, the combo can only achieve an average of 45 FPS on High settings and 39 FPS on Ultra. While these are technically playable, they are below the 60 FPS target that is generally considered smooth. It would require Low or Medium settings to get closer to a playable experience, but the performance is not ideal.

Q: What does the combo's rank of 1515 out of 2888 tell us?

A: This rank places the combo in the middle of the pack for all tested systems in Control. It signifies that while the system is capable of playing the game, it does so with less performance than a majority of other configurations, likely due to the significant imbalance between the high-end CPU and the mid-range GPU.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is a powerhouse processor, but its role in this specific combo is mostly to avoid being a bottleneck. With 24 cores and 24 threads, a boost clock of 5.80 GHz, and a large 36 MB of shared L3 cache, its multi-threaded capabilities are immense. This is reflected in its benchmark scores, such as a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 51731 and a Passmark multithread score of 60860. The processor's Passmark single-thread score of 4823 and Cinebench R23 single-core score of 7303 also indicate strong per-core performance, which is important for gaming. The CPU holds a 96th percentile ranking among all CPUs and an average benchmark score of 84003. Its nearest rivals, such as the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, are only 0.2% behind in average score, showing that it is at the very top of the performance stack. However, in Control, the measured FPS data shows that this CPU power is not the determining factor. The frame rates scale down heavily with resolution, which is a classic sign of a GPU limitation. The CPU is more than capable of feeding the GPU with draw calls and game logic data, but the RTX 4060 cannot process the frames fast enough to take advantage of it. In this case, the CPU’s role is to ensure that performance never dips due to processor limitations, allowing the GPU to be the sole performance boundary.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data suggests that the optimal experience for this combo is found at 1920x1080 with High settings. This preset provides an average of 88 FPS, which is well within the smooth range and offers a significant visual upgrade over Medium or Low. While Ultra is playable at 77 FPS, the 11 FPS drop from High may not justify the marginal visual gains for most users. At 2560x1440, the best balance is achieved with Medium settings, delivering an average of 75 FPS. This is the highest preset that maintains an average above the 60 FPS threshold at this resolution. High settings at 1440p (67 FPS) are also playable, but the step down to Medium provides a more comfortable performance margin. For 3840x2160, the data shows that this combo is not ideal. If 4K is a requirement, Low settings are the only option that provides a near-playable average of 71 FPS, while Medium (51 FPS) and High (45 FPS) are too demanding for consistent smoothness. The Ultra preset should be avoided at 4K, as the 39 FPS average is a poor experience. Overall, the data suggests that users should prioritize resolution over preset. A 1080p High or 1440p Medium experience will be far more enjoyable than a 4K Low experience, as the lower resolutions allow the GPU to render more effects and details without compromising frame rate.