Control

The pairing of the Intel Core Ultra X7 368H with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 in Control produces a dataset that clearly separates CPU-bound and GPU-bound operating points. At 1080p, the average frame rates are exceptionally high, ranging from 106 FPS on Ultra to 194 FPS on Low, which indicates that the processor is capable of feeding the graphics card without creating a bottleneck at lower resolutions. Moving to 1440p, the averages remain very strong—80 FPS at Ultra and 147 FPS at Low—before settling into a 4K performance envelope where the GPU becomes the definitive limiting factor, with averages between 54 FPS and 99 FPS depending on the preset. This is a laptop-class CPU paired with a flagship desktop GPU, and the measured results reflect a system that is heavily skewed toward graphics throughput.

Resolution Scaling

The resolution scaling pattern in Control is textbook GPU-bound behavior, but with a steep drop-off that highlights just how demanding the game is at 4K. At Low settings, the average frame rate falls from 194 FPS at 1080p to 147 FPS at 1440p, a 24% reduction, and then to 99 FPS at 4K, a further 33% reduction from the 1440p figure. This progressive decline indicates that even the RTX 4090, with its 24 GB of GDDR6X memory and 1.01 TB/s of bandwidth, is being pushed hard by the game’s rendering workload at higher resolutions.

The High settings row shows a similar but less dramatic scaling curve. The average drops from 122 FPS at 1080p to 93 FPS at 1440p (a 24% decrease) and then to 62 FPS at 4K (a 33% decrease from 1440p). Ultra settings present the most challenging scenario, with averages of 106 FPS at 1080p, 80 FPS at 1440p, and just 54 FPS at 4K. The fact that 4K Ultra yields an average below 60 FPS is significant; it suggests that this combination, while powerful, does not guarantee a locked 60 FPS experience at maximum settings in this title.

The data points to the GPU as the limiting component at 4K. The CPU’s performance, as measured by its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 28,221 and single-core score of 3,984, is more than sufficient to drive frame rates well above 100 FPS at 1080p. Since the 4K averages are consistently lower than the 1080p averages across all settings, the bottleneck is clearly the graphics card’s ability to process pixels, not the processor’s ability to issue draw calls. This is a healthy sign for a system designed for high-resolution gaming, as it indicates the CPU has headroom to spare.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows that 1440p offers the best balance of performance and visual fidelity. At High settings, the average frame rate is 93 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. At 4K, the average drops to 62 FPS on High, which is playable but leaves less margin for demanding scenes.

Q: How does the RTX 4090 perform relative to its closest rivals in this game?

A: The GPU’s nearest rivals, based on average benchmark scores, include the Intel Arc Pro A60 and the AMD Radeon Pro W6600M. The RTX 4090’s average benchmark score is 60,347, which is effectively tied with the Arc Pro A60 (60,326, a 0% delta) and 2.5% lower than the Radeon Pro W6600M (61,896). Its percentile rank of 88 indicates it outperforms 88% of all GPUs in the database.

Q: Is the CPU a bottleneck in this game?

A: At 1080p, the average frame rates are very high (122 FPS on High, 194 FPS on Low), which indicates the CPU is not a limiting factor at lower resolutions. However, the data does not show a scenario where the CPU is clearly the bottleneck, as the frame rates scale down consistently with resolution.

Q: What is the performance difference between Low and Ultra settings at 4K?

A: At 4K, the average frame rate on Low settings is 99 FPS, while on Ultra it is 54 FPS. This represents a 45% reduction in average frame rate when moving from the lowest to the highest preset. The 4K Medium preset averages 70 FPS, which is a middle ground.

Q: Does the CPU’s single-core performance matter for this game?

A: The Core Ultra X7 368H has a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3,984 and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. Given that the game achieves 194 FPS at 1080p Low, the single-core performance is sufficient to avoid becoming a limiting factor at standard refresh rates.

Q: How many combinations does this setup rank against?

A: The combination of the Core Ultra X7 368H and RTX 4090 ranks 612 out of 2,888 tested combos in Control. This places it in the top 21% of all tested systems.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is the dominant component in this pairing, and its specifications align perfectly with the observed performance scaling. The GPU features 16,384 shading units, 512 texture mapping units, and 176 render output units, which provide the raw compute throughput necessary for high-resolution rendering. Its 128 ray tracing cores and 512 tensor cores are present, though the measured FPS data does not isolate ray tracing effects. The 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus delivers 1.01 TB/s of bandwidth, which is a critical asset for a game like Control that features detailed textures and complex visual effects.

The GPU’s clock speeds are equally important. With a base clock of 2,235 MHz and a boost clock of 2,520 MHz, the RTX 4090 operates at a high frequency, and the data suggests this contributes to the strong performance at 1080p and 1440p. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 9,223 and the Passmark G3D score of 38,194 provide context for the GPU’s raw capability, but the measured FPS in Control is the most relevant metric. The GPU’s percentile rank of 88 indicates it is better than 88% of all GPUs in the database, which is consistent with its position as a high-end part.

The VRAM capacity is not a limiting factor in this game. The 24 GB allocation is far more than what Control requires at any of the tested settings, and the data shows no anomalies that would suggest memory pressure, such as severe frame rate drops or stuttering. The GPU’s role in the system is to provide a performance ceiling at 4K, and the data shows that ceiling is around 54 FPS at Ultra and 99 FPS at Low. This is a clear indication that the GPU is the primary driver of frame rate at high resolutions, while the CPU provides the necessary support at lower resolutions.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides a clear hierarchy for settings presets. At 4K, the Low preset averages 99 FPS, which is the highest frame rate available at that resolution, but it sacrifices visual quality. The Medium preset averages 70 FPS, with a minimum of 60 FPS and a maximum of 81 FPS, which provides a smoother experience than Ultra while maintaining a playable frame rate. The High preset averages 62 FPS, which is just above the 60 FPS threshold, while the Ultra preset averages 54 FPS, which may result in noticeable dips below 60 FPS during intense scenes.

For a balanced experience at 4K, the Medium preset is the recommended choice. The average of 70 FPS is comfortably above the 60 FPS target, and the reported minimum of 60 FPS suggests that frame pacing is stable. The High preset is also viable, but the 62 FPS average leaves less headroom. At 1440p, the High preset averages 93 FPS and the Ultra preset averages 80 FPS, both of which are excellent for high-refresh-rate displays. The 1440p Medium preset averages 104 FPS, which is the highest average among the non-Low presets at that resolution.

At 1080p, the Ultra preset averages 106 FPS, which is more than sufficient for most monitors, while the High preset averages 122 FPS and the Medium preset averages 138 FPS. The Low preset at 1080p reaches 194 FPS, but it is unlikely that users would choose this preset given the visual trade-offs. The optimal choice depends on the display’s refresh rate, but the data suggests that 1440p Medium or High provides the best combination of visual quality and performance, while 4K Medium is the best option for users prioritizing a stable 60 FPS experience.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra X7 368H and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 ranks 612 out of 2,888 tested combinations in Control. This places the system in the 79th percentile of all tested combos, meaning it outperforms roughly 79% of the systems in the database. This is a strong result, but it is not at the very top of the rankings, which suggests that there are other combinations with higher measured performance in this specific game.

The CPU’s own ranking provides context for this result. The Core Ultra X7 368H has a percentile rank of 87 against all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 40,518. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core 7 253PE (average score 40,557, a -0.1% delta) and the AMD Ryzen 9 7940H (average score 40,431, a +0.2% delta). This indicates that the CPU is well-matched with its peers, but it is not an outlier in terms of raw processing power. The GPU, on the other hand, has a percentile rank of 88, but its nearest rivals are workstation-class parts like the AMD Radeon Pro W6600M, which has a higher average benchmark score.

The combo’s rank of 612 suggests that while the individual components are capable, the pairing does not produce top-tier results in Control. This could be due to the game’s specific engine characteristics or the fact that the CPU’s 16 cores and 16 threads, while powerful, are not optimized for this title in the same way as other combinations. The data shows that the system is capable of high frame rates, but it is not the absolute fastest configuration tested.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of performance across resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the averages are as follows: Low settings produce 194 FPS, Medium settings produce 138 FPS with a minimum of 117 FPS and a maximum of 158 FPS, High settings produce 122 FPS, and Ultra settings produce 106 FPS. These figures demonstrate that the system can comfortably handle 1080p at any preset, with even the most demanding Ultra preset remaining above 100 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the averages are 147 FPS on Low, 104 FPS on Medium (minimum 89 FPS, maximum 120 FPS), 93 FPS on High, and 80 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset’s minimum of 89 FPS is noteworthy, as it indicates that the system does not dip below 60 FPS under typical load. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p is consistent, with an average reduction of roughly 24% across all presets.

At 3840x2160, the averages are 99 FPS on Low, 70 FPS on Medium (minimum 60 FPS, maximum 81 FPS), 62 FPS on High, and 54 FPS on Ultra. The 4K Medium preset is the only one with reported minimum and maximum values, and the minimum of 60 FPS is exactly at the playability threshold. The 4K Ultra preset falls below this threshold, with an average of 54 FPS. This data shows that 4K gaming is possible with this hardware, but it requires a compromise on settings to maintain a consistent frame rate.