Control

# Control: Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080

Control, Remedy Entertainment's 2019 Action Adventure title, remains a demanding showcase for hardware due to its physics-heavy environments and real-time ray tracing options. This analysis examines the measured performance of the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 across three resolutions and four quality presets. The dataset contains 12 measured FPS data points, all captured with this exact CPU-GPU combination, ranking 171st out of 2,888 tested combos in this game — placing it in the top 6% of all configurations tested.

FAQ

Q: What is the combo's overall rank in Control?

A: This configuration ranks 171st out of 2,888 tested combos, placing it in the top 5.9% of all tested CPU-GPU pairings for this game. That rank reflects a system that delivers strong frame rates even at the most demanding settings, though it is not the absolute fastest combination in the database.

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

A: The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus has an average benchmark score of 84,003, which is 0.2% higher than the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K (83,807) and 1.1% higher than the AMD EPYC 4584PX (83,090). It trails the AMD EPYC 7F72 (85,072) by 1.3%. The CPU sits at the 96th percentile among all tested processors.

Q: What are the GPU's key specifications?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 features 16 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 960.0 GB/s of bandwidth. It has 10,752 shading units, 84 RT cores, and 336 tensor cores, with a boost clock of 2617 MHz. The GPU's average benchmark score is 56,083, placing it at the 87th percentile among all GPUs.

Q: What is the best performance jump between settings at 1080p?

A: Moving from Ultra to Low at 1920x1080 increases average FPS from 140 to 255, a gain of 115 FPS or roughly 82%. The largest single-step jump is from High (161 FPS) to Low (255 FPS), which represents a 58% improvement in average frame rate.

Q: How does the 4K Medium preset compare to 1440p High?

A: At 3840x2160 Medium, the system averages 93 FPS with a minimum of 79 FPS. At 2560x1440 High, the average rises to 122 FPS. This means 1440p High delivers 31% more FPS than 4K Medium, while 4K Medium remains playable at 93 FPS average with a 79 FPS minimum.

Q: Does the GPU's memory bandwidth matter for this game?

A: The RTX 5080's 960.0 GB/s of memory bandwidth is substantial, and Control's asset streaming benefits from it. At 4K Ultra, the system delivers 72 FPS average, which suggests the game is not bottlenecked by memory throughput at this setting, as the GPU's compute resources remain the primary constraint.

GPU Role

The RTX 5080 is the dominant performance driver in this configuration for Control. With 16 GB of GDDR7 memory and a 256-bit bus, the card provides 960.0 GB/s of bandwidth — more than sufficient for the game's texture streaming and particle effects at all tested resolutions. The GPU's 10,752 shading units and 84 RT cores handle Control's physics-based combat and visual effects, while the 336 tensor cores support DLSS and ray tracing workloads if enabled.

The GPU's clock behavior matters significantly in this title. The base clock of 2295 MHz and boost clock of 2617 MHz allow the card to sustain high throughput during extended play sessions. In Control, which features destructible environments and rapid camera movement, the GPU's ability to maintain boost clocks directly affects frame time consistency. The measured data shows that at 1080p Low, the system reaches 255 FPS average, which is close to the ceiling of what the CPU can feed the GPU. At higher resolutions, the GPU becomes the clear bottleneck, with 4K Ultra dropping to 72 FPS average.

The 16 GB VRAM capacity is never a limiting factor in this game. Even at 3840x2160 Ultra, the game's texture budgets remain well within the card's memory allocation. The GDDR7 memory running at 1875 MHz (30 Gbps effective) provides the bandwidth needed for the high-resolution textures and particle effects that Control uses during combat sequences. The GPU's 56.28 TFLOPS of FP32 compute power is the key resource that determines performance at 4K, where the frame rate drops by roughly 44% compared to 1080p at the same Ultra preset.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings balance depends on the target resolution and refresh rate. At 1920x1080, every preset delivers playable frame rates: Low averages 255 FPS, Medium 181 FPS, High 161 FPS, and Ultra 140 FPS. For competitive play or high-refresh monitors, the High preset at 161 FPS is the sweet spot — it retains most visual quality while keeping frame rates above 144 Hz. The Ultra preset at 140 FPS is still smooth for most displays, but the 21 FPS gap between High and Ultra suggests diminishing returns at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset stands out as the best balance. It averages 137 FPS with a minimum of 117 FPS and a maximum of 158 FPS, making it the only 1440p preset that stays above 114 FPS at all times. High averages 122 FPS, which is playable but the minimum frame pacing is unknown. Ultra drops to 106 FPS average, which is adequate for 60 Hz displays but marginal for 120 Hz panels. Low at 193 FPS is unnecessary for most users, as the visual quality loss outweighs the frame rate gain.

At 3840x2160, the Medium preset is the recommended choice. It averages 93 FPS with a minimum of 79 FPS and a maximum of 107 FPS, providing a smooth experience on 60-90 Hz displays. The High preset at 82 FPS average is also acceptable, but the Medium preset's 11 FPS advantage with a known 79 FPS minimum makes it the safer option. The Ultra preset at 72 FPS average is playable but pushes the system to its limits, and the Low preset at 130 FPS sacrifices too much visual quality for a 4K experience. For the best experience at 4K, Medium offers the best compromise between visual fidelity and performance.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 ranks 171st out of 2,888 tested combos in Control. This places the system in the 94th percentile of all tested configurations, meaning it outperforms roughly 94% of the systems in the database. The rank reflects a high-end pairing that delivers excellent frame rates across all tested settings, though it is not the absolute top-tier configuration.

The CPU's contribution to this rank is notable. The Core Ultra 9 290K Plus sits at the 96th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 84,003. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, scores 83,807 — a 0.2% difference that is within measurement noise. The AMD EPYC 7F72 scores 85,072, which is 1.3% higher, but that processor is a server-class part not typically paired with gaming GPUs. The CPU's 24 cores and 24 threads, with a boost clock of 5.80 GHz, provide ample headroom for Control's game logic and physics simulation, though the game rarely scales beyond 8 threads.

The GPU ranks at the 87th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 56,083. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon 8060S (55,757, 0.6% lower) and the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB (55,698, 0.7% lower). The RTX 5080's 16 GB of GDDR7 memory and 960.0 GB/s bandwidth give it a clear advantage in memory-intensive scenarios, which Control's high-resolution textures demand. The combo's 171st rank out of 2,888 indicates that while the GPU is strong, there are faster configurations in the database — likely those pairing the RTX 5080 with even higher-clocked CPUs or using multi-GPU setups.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals a clear GPU-bound pattern. At the High preset, the system delivers 161 FPS at 1080p, 122 FPS at 1440p, and 82 FPS at 4K. This represents a 24% drop from 1080p to 1440p and a further 33% drop from 1440p to 4K. The cumulative drop from 1080p to 4K is 49%, which is more than the 25% pixel count increase would suggest if the system were perfectly CPU-bound — indicating the GPU is the limiting component at higher resolutions.

The Medium preset shows similar scaling: 181 FPS at 1080p, 137 FPS at 1440p, and 93 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 24%, and from 1440p to 4K is 32%. The Low preset scales even more dramatically: 255 FPS at 1080p, 193 FPS at 1440p, and 130 FPS at 4K. The 1080p to 1440p drop is 24%, while the 1440p to 4K drop is 33%. This consistent scaling pattern across presets confirms that the GPU's fill rate and shading capacity are the primary constraints, not the CPU.

The Ultra preset shows the steepest scaling: 140 FPS at 1080p, 106 FPS at 1440p, and 72 FPS at 4K. The 1080p to 1440p drop is 24%, and the 1440p to 4K drop is 32%. At 4K Ultra, the system is clearly GPU-limited, as the 72 FPS average is well below what the CPU's 5.80 GHz boost clock can feed. The data suggests that at 1080p, the CPU begins to become more relevant, as the 255 FPS Low preset result approaches the practical limit for game engine frame pacing.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its highest frame rates across all presets. The Low preset averages 255 FPS, which is the fastest measured result in the entire dataset. Medium averages 181 FPS with a minimum of 154 FPS and a maximum of 209 FPS, providing the most complete frame time data. High averages 161 FPS, and Ultra averages 140 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 115 FPS, or 82%, indicating that Control's graphics settings have a substantial impact on performance at 1080p.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates remain high but show the expected reduction. Low averages 193 FPS, Medium averages 137 FPS with a minimum of 117 FPS and a maximum of 158 FPS, High averages 122 FPS, and Ultra averages 106 FPS. The Medium preset's minimum of 117 FPS ensures that frame pacing stays above 117 FPS at all times, which is critical for smooth gameplay on 120 Hz monitors. The Ultra preset at 106 FPS average is still playable, but the lack of minimum FPS data means users should expect occasional dips below 100 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the system remains playable across all presets. Low averages 130 FPS, Medium averages 93 FPS with a minimum of 79 FPS and a maximum of 107 FPS, High averages 82 FPS, and Ultra averages 72 FPS. The Medium preset is the only 4K setting with complete frame time data, showing a 28 FPS spread between minimum and maximum. The Ultra preset at 72 FPS average is the most demanding configuration tested, and while it is above the 60 FPS threshold, it leaves little headroom for demanding scenes with heavy particle effects.

The complete dataset shows a consistent pattern: the GPU is the limiting factor at 1440p and 4K, while the CPU becomes more relevant at 1080p Low, where the 255 FPS result approaches the engine's practical limits. The Medium preset at each resolution provides the best balance of visual quality and frame time consistency, with known minimum FPS values of 154 (1080p), 117 (1440p), and 79 (4K). For users with high-refresh displays, the High preset at 1080p (161 FPS) and Medium at 1440p (137 FPS) are the recommended configurations. At 4K, the Medium preset's 93 FPS average with a 79 FPS minimum offers the smoothest experience while maintaining acceptable visual fidelity.