Control

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER delivers a top-tier experience in Control, but the data reveals a nuanced performance profile where the GPU consistently sets the pace. This combination ranks 203rd out of 2,888 tested combos in this game, placing it in the 93rd percentile of all configurations tested by our database. That ranking reflects a system that is heavily weighted toward the graphics card, with the RTX 4080 SUPER's 86th percentile standing among all GPUs being the primary driver of the excellent frame rates observed. The CPU, while ranking in the 96th percentile among all processors, contributes more to ensuring consistent frame delivery than to pushing raw FPS higher, as the measured results show a clear GPU-bound pattern at higher resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's 203rd-place finish out of 2,888 configurations is a strong result, but it is not at the very top of the table. The data suggests that the RTX 4080 SUPER is the limiting factor in most scenarios, and its performance relative to its direct rivals is telling. The GPU's average benchmark score of 54,209 places it within 0.1% of the standard RTX 4080 (54,247), meaning the SUPER variant offers effectively the same raw compute headroom in synthetic tests. Interestingly, the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB scores higher on average (55,698), a 2.7% delta that does not translate to better real-world results in this specific title, given the measured FPS figures we have.

The CPU's position among its peers further contextualizes the combo's rank. The Core Ultra 9 290K Plus posts an average benchmark score of 84,003, which is 0.2% ahead of the Core Ultra 9 285K (83,807) and 1.1% ahead of the AMD EPYC 4584PX (83,090). However, these are synthetic averages; in Control, the difference between these high-end processors is unlikely to manifest as a measurable FPS advantage because the game's engine does not appear to be heavily multi-threaded. The 1.2% lead over the EPYC 9135 (82,980) and the 1.3% deficit to the EPYC 7F72 (85,072) further illustrate that this CPU is operating in a performance tier where minor score differences do not dictate gaming outcomes. The rank of 203 is therefore a product of the GPU's class-leading performance being slightly held back by a CPU that, while excellent, is not the absolute fastest in the database for this workload.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best resolution to play Control with this hardware?*

A: The data shows that 2560x1440 at High settings offers a balanced experience at 117 FPS average, while 1920x1080 at High reaches 155 FPS. For maximum visual fidelity, 3840x2160 at Ultra still produces a playable 69 FPS average.

Q: How does the RTX 4080 SUPER compare to the standard RTX 4080 in this game?

A: Based on synthetic benchmarks, the RTX 4080 SUPER scores 54,209, which is a 0.1% deficit compared to the RTX 4080's 54,247. In practice, the measured FPS for this combo should be nearly identical to what a standard RTX 4080 would produce, given the negligible performance delta.

Q: Is the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus a bottleneck for the RTX 4080 SUPER?

A: The evidence suggests no. At 1080p High, the combo achieves 155 FPS, and at 1440p High it hits 117 FPS. The frame rate scales predictably with resolution, indicating the GPU is the primary limiter. The CPU's 96th percentile rank and high single-thread performance support this conclusion.

Q: What is the expected FPS drop when moving from 1080p to 4K at High settings?

A: At 1080p High, the average FPS is 155. At 1440p High, it drops to 117, and at 4K High, it falls to 79. This represents a 49% reduction from 1080p to 4K, a typical scaling curve for a GPU-bound title.

Q: Does the game benefit more from the CPU's 24 cores or the GPU's 16 GB of VRAM?

A: The measured FPS indicates the GPU is the dominant factor. The CPU's 24 cores and 24 threads are ample, but the game's performance scales more with GPU load. The 16 GB VRAM capacity is sufficient for all tested settings, including 4K Ultra, without causing a performance cliff.

Q: Which preset provides the most consistent frame pacing?

A: The Medium preset is the only one with recorded minimum and maximum FPS figures. At 1080p, it ranges from 148 to 200 FPS (174 average), at 1440p from 112 to 152 (132 average), and at 4K from 76 to 102 (89 average), suggesting a stable frame delivery.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a textbook GPU-bound scaling pattern. Moving from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440 at High settings, the average frame rate drops from 155 FPS to 117 FPS, a 24.5% reduction. Further scaling to 3840x2160 at High yields 79 FPS, another 32.5% drop from the 1440p figure. This consistent decline in performance as pixel count increases points directly to the RTX 4080 SUPER as the bottleneck; the CPU is not introducing frame rate limitations at any resolution.

The Low preset tells the same story with higher absolute numbers. At 1080p Low, the combo produces 245 FPS, which falls to 185 FPS at 1440p and 125 FPS at 4K. The percentage drops are 24.5% and 32.4%, respectively, nearly identical to the High preset's scaling. This uniformity across presets confirms that the rendering resolution, not the quality settings, is the primary driver of performance change. The CPU's role is to feed frames fast enough, and its 5.80 GHz boost clock and 24 threads ensure it never becomes the limiting factor, even at 1080p where the GPU is less taxed.

At the Ultra preset, the scaling continues but with a steeper curve. The 4K Ultra result of 69 FPS is only 12.7% lower than the 1440p Ultra result of 102 FPS, which itself is 23.9% lower than the 1080p Ultra result of 134 FPS. The diminishing returns at 4K Ultra suggest the game's most demanding settings create a heavier load on the GPU's 52.22 TFLOPS of FP32 compute, pushing it closer to its limits. The data indicates that this combination is best suited for high-refresh-rate 1440p gaming, with the 4K experience being viable but requiring a compromise on settings for smoother gameplay.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combination shows exceptional headroom. The Low preset achieves 245 FPS average, which is the highest measured figure in the entire dataset. Medium settings produce 174 FPS average, with a recorded range of 148 to 200 FPS, indicating tight frame pacing. High settings yield 155 FPS average, a 10.9% drop from Medium. Ultra settings reduce performance to 134 FPS average, still well above the 144 Hz refresh rate threshold. The spread between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 111 FPS, showing that the RTX 4080 SUPER has ample compute power to handle even the most demanding settings at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the performance remains strong but the gap between presets narrows. Low settings produce 185 FPS, Medium hits 132 FPS (with a range of 112 to 152 FPS), High delivers 117 FPS, and Ultra drops to 102 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra is now 83 FPS, a tighter spread than at 1080p. The 1440p High result of 117 FPS is notable because it represents a sweet spot for high-refresh-rate monitors, offering a 45% improvement over the 4K High result while maintaining the same visual quality presets.

At 3840x2160, the GPU's limits become apparent. Low settings still produce a very playable 125 FPS, but Medium drops to 89 FPS (with a range of 76 to 102 FPS), High falls to 79 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 69 FPS. The 4K Ultra figure is the only measured result below 70 FPS, indicating that this is the most demanding configuration in the dataset. The data shows a 56 FPS spread between Low and Ultra at 4K, the smallest of any resolution, confirming that the GPU is the limiting factor at this pixel count. The Medium preset's min FPS of 76 at 4K suggests that even in demanding scenes, the combo maintains playable frame rates.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is a 24-core, 24-thread processor with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.80 GHz. Its synthetic benchmarks are impressive: a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 51,731 and a single-core score of 7,303. In PassMark, it posts a multi-thread score of 60,860 and a single-thread score of 4,823. These figures place it in the 96th percentile of all CPUs, but Control does not appear to be a multi-threaded workload that scales with core count.

The game's performance data shows no evidence of CPU bottlenecking. At 1080p Low, the combo produces 245 FPS, which is a high enough frame rate to stress many processors, yet the CPU keeps up. The fact that 4K Ultra still achieves 69 FPS, while being a GPU-heavy workload, reinforces that the CPU is not holding the system back. The 24 cores and 24 threads provide ample parallel processing capability, but the game likely relies more on the 5.80 GHz boost clock to handle the game's physics and AI calculations. The L3 cache of 36 MB shared and the L2 cache of 3 MB per core provide fast access to frequently used data, which helps maintain consistent frame delivery.

The CPU's nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks are other high-end parts, but these differences are not reflected in gaming performance. The Core Ultra 9 285K is only 0.2% slower in average benchmark score, yet no FPS data exists to suggest a playable difference in Control. The EPYC processors, while scoring similarly in multi-threaded tests, are server-class parts not typically associated with gaming. The data shows that this Intel CPU, with its high clock speeds and 24 threads, is more than sufficient for this game, and its role is to ensure the GPU is never starved of data.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS, the High preset at 2560x1440 appears to be the optimal configuration for this hardware. It delivers 117 FPS average, which is above the 100 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay on high-refresh-rate displays, while still maintaining substantial visual quality. The 4K High preset at 79 FPS is also viable for 60 Hz displays, offering a 14.5% improvement over the 69 FPS Ultra preset. The data suggests that for 4K gaming, the High preset provides a better balance of visual fidelity and performance than Ultra, which drops to 69 FPS and may cause noticeable stuttering on 120 Hz panels.

For players prioritizing maximum frame rates, the Medium preset at 1080p offers 174 FPS average with a recorded range of 148 to 200 FPS, ensuring consistent performance even in action-heavy scenes. The Medium preset at 1440p produces 132 FPS with a range of 112 to 152 FPS, which is also an excellent choice for competitive play. The Low preset at 1080p achieves 245 FPS, but the visual quality trade-off is substantial, and the data shows that High at 1440p is a more balanced choice for most users.

The Ultra preset is only recommended for 1080p gaming, where it achieves 134 FPS, or for 1440p gaming if the user has a 100 Hz monitor, as it produces 102 FPS. At 4K, the Ultra preset's 69 FPS is below the 70 FPS threshold that many consider the minimum for a smooth experience. The data clearly shows that the High preset offers the best compromise between visual quality and performance across all resolutions, with the 1440p High result of 117 FPS being the standout figure.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER is the dominant component in this combination. Its 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus provides 736.3 GB/s of bandwidth, which is sufficient for all tested settings, including 4K Ultra. The GPU's 10,240 shading units and 80 RT cores are heavily utilized in Control, given the game's action-adventure genre and its use of physics-based destruction. The 52.22 TFLOPS of FP32 compute is a significant resource that the game's engine can leverage for particle effects and environmental interactions.

The GPU's boost clock of 2550 MHz and base clock of 2295 MHz are relatively high, and the measured FPS suggests the card is running at or near its boost clock under load. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 6,600 is a strong indicator of DirectX 12 performance, which is the API used by Control. The PassMark G3D score of 34,245 places the GPU in the 86th percentile of all GPUs, but its nearest rivals show that it is not the absolute fastest. The standard RTX 4080 is only 0.1% slower, and the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X is 1.1% faster in synthetic tests, yet these differences are imperceptible in real-world gameplay.

The GPU's 16 GB VRAM is a key asset at 4K Ultra, where memory capacity can become a bottleneck on lesser cards. The data shows that 4K Ultra still achieves 69 FPS, indicating that the VRAM is not being exhausted. The 320 W TDP and 700 W suggested PSU are not directly relevant to performance, but they indicate the power envelope required to sustain these clock speeds. The GPU's production status is end-of-life, but that does not diminish its performance in this title. The RTX 4080 SUPER's role is clear: it is the primary driver of FPS in Control, and the CPU's job is simply to keep it fed with frames.