Control

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D delivers the top-tier performance in Control, ranking first out of 2,888 tested combinations. This is a definitive, no-compromise setup for this title, offering playable 4K Ultra at 83 FPS and exceptional headroom for high-refresh-rate 1440p gaming.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K reveals a clear and predictable scaling pattern, driven by the immense power of the RTX 5090 D. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo produces an average of 298 FPS. Moving to 1440p Low reduces this to 225 FPS, a 24.5% decrease. At 4K Low, the average falls to 152 FPS, which is a 49% drop from the 1080p baseline. This scaling indicates that even at lower settings, the GPU is still the primary bottleneck, as the CPU has ample headroom to feed it.

With High settings, the pattern is similar but less steep. The 1080p High average is 188 FPS, which drops to 142 FPS at 1440p (a 24.5% decrease) and then to 96 FPS at 4K (a 48.9% decrease from 1080p). The consistency in these percentage drops across Low and High settings suggests that the game's rendering load scales uniformly with resolution, and the RTX 5090 D's 32 GB of GDDR7 memory and 1.79 TB/s bandwidth are more than sufficient to handle the increased data at higher resolutions without introducing a memory bottleneck.

The most demanding preset, Ultra, shows the largest absolute difference. At 1080p Ultra, the average is 163 FPS, which is still very high. At 1440p Ultra, it drops to 124 FPS (a 23.9% decrease), and at 4K Ultra, it reaches 83 FPS (a 49.1% decrease from 1080p). This consistent ~50% reduction from 1080p to 4K across all settings indicates that the performance penalty is almost entirely due to the increased pixel count, not a sudden limitation in the GPU's compute or memory subsystems.

The data strongly suggests that the limiting component is the GPU, even though it is one of the most powerful available. The CPU, with its 24 cores and 24 threads and a boost clock of 5.80 GHz, is not a limiting factor in this title. The smooth scaling pattern, where each resolution step yields a predictable drop, is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario. The RTX 5090 D's raw compute power, 104.8 TFLOPS FP32, is the defining factor in this game's performance.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average frame rate achievable with this combo?

A: The highest measured average frame rate is 298 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. This indicates the extreme upper limit of the setup's capability when graphical fidelity is minimized.

Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming with maximum settings?

A: Yes, it can. At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the combo produces an average of 83 FPS. This is comfortably above the standard 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay, making 4K Ultra a viable option.

Q: How much of a performance gain is there from High to Low settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, switching from High to Low settings increases the average frame rate from 142 FPS to 225 FPS. This is a significant 58.5% performance uplift, demonstrating that Low settings can be used to prioritize refresh rate over visual detail.

Q: Is there a significant difference between Medium and High settings?

A: The data shows a modest difference. At 2560x1440, Medium settings yield an average of 160 FPS, while High settings yield 142 FPS. The 18 FPS difference is noticeable but not massive, making Medium a good balance for those seeking higher frame rates with better visuals than Low.

Q: What are the minimum frame rates recorded for this combo?

A: Minimum frame rates were only recorded for Medium settings. The lowest minimum recorded was 92 FPS at 3840x2160, and the highest minimum was 180 FPS at 1920x1080. These figures suggest that even in demanding scenes, the frame rate remains high and stable.

Q: How does this combo rank against other CPU-GPU pairings in Control?

A: This combination of the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D ranks first overall, out of 2,888 tested combos. This makes it the best-performing configuration for this game in the database.

How This Combo Ranks

The data confirms this pairing is the absolute pinnacle for Control. With a combo rank of 1 out of 2,888 tested configurations, it outperforms every other CPU and GPU combination in the database for this specific title. This is a top-of-the-line result that leaves no room for improvement within the tested pool.

This ranking is a product of both components being at the top of their respective classes. The CPU, the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus, is a dominant processor in synthetic benchmarks, sitting in the 96th percentile of all CPUs. Its average benchmark score of 84,003 is 0.2% higher than its nearest rival, the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, and 1.1% higher than the AMD EPYC 4584PX. This raw processing power ensures that the GPU is never starved of data.

The GPU, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D, is similarly powerful. It sits in the 92nd percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 77,712. While its nearest rivals in the database are mobile and professional parts like the AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT (1.1% slower) and the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT (1.6% faster), these are not direct competitors in the desktop gaming space. The RTX 5090 D's combination of 21,760 shading units and 32 GB of GDDR7 memory makes it uniquely suited for high-resolution gaming.

The synergy between these two top-tier components results in a #1 ranking. The CPU's high single-thread performance, evidenced by a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 7,303, and its massive multi-thread capability (Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 51,731), ensure it can handle any game logic or physics calculations without issue. The GPU's immense fill rate of 423.6 GPixel/s and texture rate of 1,636.8 GTexel/s allow it to process the complex scenes in Control with ease. This is a pairing where neither component is a bottleneck, leading to class-leading performance.

Settings Recommendations

The optimal settings depend heavily on the user's display resolution and refresh rate. For 4K displays, the Ultra preset is the recommended choice. The measured 83 FPS average is well above the threshold for a smooth experience, and the min FPS data suggests it remains stable. There is no need to compromise on visual quality when the hardware can deliver a solid 4K Ultra experience.

For 1440p displays, the Ultra preset is also highly recommended, delivering an average of 124 FPS. This is ideal for users with 120Hz or 144Hz monitors. If a higher refresh rate is the priority, such as on a 240Hz monitor, the Medium preset is an excellent alternative, providing 160 FPS. This offers a significant performance boost over Ultra while still maintaining a good level of visual detail.

At 1080p, the choice is between maximum fidelity and maximum speed. The Ultra preset provides 163 FPS, which is sufficient for most high-refresh-rate displays. For competitive play or use on a 360Hz monitor, the Low preset at 298 FPS is the optimal choice, prioritizing frame rate above all else. The Medium preset at 211 FPS also offers a strong balance for those who want a competitive edge without the lowest visuals.

In summary, the hardware is powerful enough to run the Ultra preset at 4K, which is the best experience for visual quality. At 1440p, Ultra is the best balance of quality and speed, with Medium as a viable option for extreme refresh rates. At 1080p, the Low preset is best reserved for maximizing FPS, while Ultra still provides a high frame rate.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following are the exact measured average frame rates for all tested configurations.

At 1920x1080, the results are:

• Low: 298 FPS average
• Medium: 211 FPS average (minimum 180 FPS, maximum 243 FPS)
• High: 188 FPS average
• Ultra: 163 FPS average

At 2560x1440, the results are:

• Low: 225 FPS average
• Medium: 160 FPS average (minimum 136 FPS, maximum 184 FPS)
• High: 142 FPS average
• Ultra: 124 FPS average

At 3840x2160, the results are:

• Low: 152 FPS average
• Medium: 108 FPS average (minimum 92 FPS, maximum 124 FPS)
• High: 96 FPS average
• Ultra: 83 FPS average

These figures illustrate a clear hierarchy. The lowest settings at the lowest resolution produce the highest frame rate, while the highest settings at 4K produce the lowest. The performance gap between Low and Ultra is substantial at every resolution. At 1080p, there is a 135 FPS difference between the two extremes, while at 1440p, it is 101 FPS, and at 4K, it is 69 FPS. This highlights the significant graphical workload that the Ultra preset adds.

The Medium preset data provides the only recorded minimum and maximum frame rates. This data points to excellent frame time consistency. At 4K, the minimum of 92 FPS and maximum of 124 FPS show a relatively tight window around the 108 FPS average, indicating few severe frame drops. The same is true at 1440p (136-184 FPS) and 1080p (180-243 FPS), where the frame pacing remains stable.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus plays a supporting role in this configuration, providing the computational foundation for the RTX 5090 D to excel. Its primary function is to be fast enough to not bottleneck the GPU, and the data confirms it succeeds. The CPU's high boost clock of 5.80 GHz is critical for single-threaded game logic, ensuring that the main game thread is processed as quickly as possible.

This processor is a 24-core, 24-thread part based on the Arrow Lake Refresh architecture, manufactured on a 3 nm process by TSMC. It has a substantial 36 MB of shared L3 cache, which helps keep frequently accessed data close to the cores. The CPU's synthetic benchmark scores are exceptional, placing it in the 96th percentile of all CPUs. Its multi-threaded performance is particularly strong, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 51,731 and a Passmark multithread score of 60,860.

In Control, the CPU's role is to handle the game's physics, AI, and draw call submission. The 24 cores provide massive parallel processing capability, although most games do not scale perfectly across all of them. The high single-core performance, evidenced by the Cinebench R23 single-core score of 7,303, is more relevant for this title. The data shows that the CPU is not a limiting factor, as the frame rates scale predictably with resolution, which is a hallmark of a GPU-bound scenario.

The comparison with its nearest rivals further underscores its capability. It is 0.2% faster than the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K and 1.1% faster than the AMD EPYC 4584PX in average benchmark score. This marginal lead in synthetic tests translates to a negligible difference in gaming, as the RTX 5090 D is the dominant component. The CPU's 5.80 GHz boost clock and 24 threads are more than adequate for feeding this powerful GPU, ensuring that the system operates at its full potential. The 125W TDP and use of DDR5 memory with a bandwidth of 115.2 GB/s round out a platform that is built to support high-end gaming performance without being a constraining factor.