Control

The Intel Core Ultra X7 368H paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 Mobile delivers a robust Control experience, with measured frame rates indicating a system that is well-suited for high-refresh-rate gaming at 1440p and capable of 4K at high settings. The data shows a clear performance hierarchy across resolutions and presets, with the GPU acting as the primary scaling factor as resolution increases. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS, the role of each component, and how this specific combo ranks against other tested configurations.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 Mobile is the dominant component in this pairing, and its specifications align directly with the measured frame rates in Control. The GPU features 16 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 896.0 GB/s. This is a substantial amount of bandwidth and capacity, which is crucial for a game like Control that features heavy visual effects, detailed textures, and complex physics simulations. The high memory bandwidth ensures that texture streaming and geometry data are fed to the GPU without bottlenecking, which is reflected in the strong performance at 1440p and 4K resolutions.

The GPU's clock speeds, with a base of 975 MHz and a boost of 1500 MHz, are relatively modest for a high-end mobile part, yet the architecture's efficiency compensates. The RTX 5080 Mobile is built on a 5 nm process from TSMC, containing 45,600 million transistors on a 378 mm² die. This density allows for 7680 shading units, 240 texture mapping units, and 96 raster output units. In practical terms, these specifications translate into the raw computational power needed to push Control's demanding scenes. The data shows that at 4K Ultra settings, the combo averages 53 FPS, which is playable but not optimal. At 4K High, the average jumps to 61 FPS, indicating that the GPU has headroom to spare when settings are adjusted.

The GPU's percentile rank is 81 among all GPUs, placing it in the upper tier of mobile graphics solutions. Its average benchmark score of 38349 is nearly identical to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile, which scores 38135 with a deltaPct of 0.6%. This means the RTX 5080 Mobile is effectively on par with its predecessor in synthetic benchmarks, but the measured FPS in Control shows where the architectural improvements matter. The GPU's support for DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) is particularly relevant, as Control leverages DX12 features for ray tracing and asynchronous compute, which can impact frame pacing and overall smoothness.

The 16 GB VRAM capacity is a key asset for Control at high resolutions. At 4K, the game's detailed textures and effects can easily consume more than 8 GB of VRAM, and the 16 GB buffer prevents any potential stuttering from memory swapping. The 896.0 GB/s bandwidth ensures that the GPU can quickly access this memory, which is evident in the measured FPS. For instance, at 2560x1440 High settings, the combo achieves 91 FPS, and at 4K High, it maintains 61 FPS, showing that the memory subsystem is not a constraining factor.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured FPS data reveals a clear scaling pattern across resolutions, which helps identify the limiting component. Starting at 1920x1080, the combo is heavily CPU-bound at lower settings but becomes GPU-bound as settings increase. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 190 FPS, which is likely near the CPU's maximum frame rate capability in this game. At 1080p Medium, the average drops to 135 FPS, and at High, it is 120 FPS. The drop from Low to Medium is 55 FPS, while the drop from Medium to High is only 15 FPS, indicating that the GPU is starting to take over as the primary bottleneck.

At 2560x1440, the GPU becomes the clear limiting factor. At 1440p Low, the average FPS is 144, which is a 24% drop from 1080p Low. This is a significant reduction, showing that the GPU is now the constraining component. At 1440p Medium, the average is 102 FPS, and at High, it is 91 FPS. The scaling from Low to Medium is a 42 FPS drop, while Medium to High is an 11 FPS drop. This pattern suggests that the GPU's compute units are being taxed more heavily as resolution increases, and the CPU has more headroom to keep up.

The most telling data comes at 3840x2160. At 4K Low, the average FPS is 97, which is a 33% drop from 1440p Low. At 4K Medium, the average is 69 FPS, and at High, it is 61 FPS. At 4K Ultra, the average falls to 53 FPS. The scaling from 1440p to 4K is dramatic: High settings drop from 91 FPS to 61 FPS, a 33% reduction. This indicates that the GPU is the sole limiting factor at 4K, as the CPU's role is diminished due to the increased pixel workload. The data shows that the RTX 5080 Mobile is capable of delivering playable frame rates at 4K, but only if settings are tuned down from Ultra.

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K at High settings is from 120 FPS to 61 FPS, a 49% reduction. This is a substantial decrease, but it is in line with what is expected from a high-end mobile GPU. The key takeaway is that the system is well-balanced at 1440p, where it can hit high refresh rates on a 144Hz monitor, but at 4K, the user must compromise on settings to maintain smooth gameplay.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core Ultra X7 368H is a 16-core, 16-thread processor based on the Panther Lake architecture, built on Intel's 3 nm process. Its base clock is 2.00 GHz, with a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. This combination of high core count and high boost clock is well-suited for a game like Control, which can utilize multiple threads for physics and AI, but also relies heavily on single-core performance for game logic and draw call submission.

The CPU's benchmark scores provide context for its role in this combo. In Cinebench R23, it scores 28221 in multi-core and 3984 in single-core. The single-core score is particularly relevant, as Control's engine benefits from strong single-threaded performance. The PassMark single-thread score of 4005 confirms this, indicating that the CPU can handle the game's main thread without becoming a bottleneck. The CPU's percentile rank is 87 among all CPUs, placing it in the top tier of mobile processors.

In the measured FPS data, the CPU's influence is most apparent at 1080p Low settings, where the system achieves 190 FPS. This is likely near the CPU's maximum frame rate in Control, as the GPU is underutilized at this resolution and settings. At 1080p Medium, the average drops to 135 FPS, which is a 29% reduction. This drop suggests that the GPU is becoming more involved, but the CPU is still able to keep up. At 1080p High, the average is 120 FPS, showing that the CPU can maintain high frame rates even as GPU load increases.

The CPU's 16 threads are sufficient for Control's multi-threaded workloads, but the game is not heavily threaded enough to fully utilize all cores. The L3 cache is 18 MB shared, which helps with data locality for game assets. The CPU's memory support for LPDDR5X with a bandwidth of 153.6 GB/s is adequate for feeding the GPU, but it is lower than the GPU's own memory bandwidth, which is expected. The CPU's TDP of 25 W is notably low, but the boost clock of 5.00 GHz ensures that it can deliver performance when needed.

When comparing to nearest rivals, the Core Ultra X7 368H has an average benchmark score of 40518, which is nearly identical to the Intel Core 7 253PE (40557, deltaPct -0.1%) and the AMD Ryzen 9 7940H (40431, deltaPct 0.2%). This indicates that the CPU's performance is in line with other high-end mobile processors. In practice, this means the CPU is not a limiting factor in Control, as the GPU's load scales more significantly with resolution and settings.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combo of the Intel Core Ultra X7 368H and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 Mobile ranks 1024 out of 3720 tested combinations in Control. This places it in the top 27.5% of all tested combos, which is a strong showing. The rank is based on the measured FPS across all resolutions and settings, providing a comprehensive view of the combo's performance.

This rank is particularly notable because it places the combo in the upper quartile, but not at the very top. The data suggests that there are more powerful combos, likely with desktop-grade GPUs or higher-end mobile parts, that outperform this pairing. However, for a mobile solution, this rank is impressive. The combo's performance is likely limited by the GPU's TDP of 80 W, which is lower than some other high-end mobile GPUs. The RTX 5080 Mobile's nearest rival, the RTX 4080 Mobile, has a deltaPct of 0.6% in average benchmark score, but in Control, the measured FPS shows the 5080 Mobile is slightly ahead, which contributes to the overall rank.

The rank of 1024 out of 3720 means that the combo outperforms 2696 other tested combinations. This is a significant achievement, especially considering that many of those combos may include desktop CPUs or GPUs. The data indicates that this combo is well-suited for high-refresh-rate gaming at 1440p and can handle 4K with some settings adjustments. The rank also reflects the balance between the CPU and GPU, as neither component is severely bottlenecking the other in most scenarios.

It's important to note that the rank is specific to Control, and the combo's performance may vary in other games. However, the data shows that this pairing is a capable choice for this title. The measured FPS at 1440p High (91 FPS) and 1080p High (120 FPS) are both above the 60 FPS threshold, providing a smooth experience. At 4K High (61 FPS), the combo just meets the 60 FPS target, but at Ultra (53 FPS), it falls below.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and refresh rate. For users with a 1080p 144Hz monitor, the High preset is the best choice, as it delivers 120 FPS, which is close to the refresh rate. The Ultra preset at 1080p achieves 104 FPS, which is also playable, but the difference in visual quality may not justify the 16 FPS drop. The Medium preset at 135 FPS is also viable, but High offers a better balance of visual fidelity and performance.

For 1440p users, the High preset is the sweet spot, delivering 91 FPS. This is above the 60 FPS threshold and provides a smooth experience on most 1440p monitors. The Ultra preset at 79 FPS is also playable, but the drop from High to Ultra is 12 FPS, which may be noticeable in fast-paced action. The Medium preset at 102 FPS is a good option for those prioritizing frame rate over visual quality, but High is recommended for the best overall experience.

For 4K users, the High preset is the only viable option for a smooth experience, delivering 61 FPS. The Ultra preset at 53 FPS is borderline playable but may result in noticeable stuttering in intense scenes. The Medium preset at 69 FPS is a safer choice, but the visual downgrade from High to Medium is significant. The Low preset at 97 FPS is overkill for 4K, as the visual quality is severely compromised for a frame rate that exceeds the refresh rate of most 4K displays.

The data shows that the Low preset is not recommended for any resolution, as it sacrifices too much visual quality for a frame rate that is often higher than the display's refresh rate. The Medium preset is a good fallback for 4K if High cannot maintain a stable 60 FPS. For most users, the High preset at 1440p or 1080p offers the best balance of visual fidelity and performance, as it consistently delivers frame rates above 60 FPS.

FAQ

Q: What is the maximum average FPS this combo can achieve in Control?

A: The maximum average FPS is 190, which is achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS drops to 53.

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

A: Yes, but with compromises. At 4K High settings, the average FPS is 61, which meets the 60 FPS threshold. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS is 53, which may be less smooth.

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

A: The Intel Core Ultra X7 368H has an average benchmark score of 40518, which is nearly identical to the Intel Core 7 253PE (40557, deltaPct -0.1%) and the AMD Ryzen 9 7940H (40431, deltaPct 0.2%).

Q: What is the combo's rank among all tested combinations?

A: The combo ranks 1024 out of 3720 tested combinations in Control, placing it in the top 27.5% of all tested combos.

Q: What is the GPU's memory bandwidth?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 Mobile has a memory bandwidth of 896.0 GB/s, which is provided by 16 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 256-bit bus.

Q: What settings are recommended for a 1440p monitor?

A: The High preset at 2560x1440 is recommended, as it delivers an average FPS of 91. The Ultra preset at 79 FPS is also playable, but High offers a better balance.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of performance across all resolutions and settings. Below is a detailed breakdown of the average FPS, with minimum and maximum FPS where available.

1920x1080 (1080p)

• Low: Average 190 FPS. This is the highest frame rate recorded, indicating that the CPU is the limiting factor at these settings.
• Medium: Average 135 FPS, with a minimum of 115 FPS and a maximum of 155 FPS. This shows a significant drop from Low, indicating the GPU is becoming more involved.
• High: Average 120 FPS. The drop from Medium to High is 15 FPS, showing a diminishing return as settings increase.
• Ultra: Average 104 FPS. This is still above the 60 FPS threshold, providing a smooth experience.

2560x1440 (1440p)

• Low: Average 144 FPS. This is a 24% drop from 1080p Low, showing the GPU's increased workload.
• Medium: Average 102 FPS, with a minimum of 87 FPS and a maximum of 117 FPS. This is a 42 FPS drop from Low, indicating the GPU is now the primary bottleneck.
• High: Average 91 FPS. The drop from Medium to High is 11 FPS, showing a moderate impact of settings.
• Ultra: Average 79 FPS. This is a 12 FPS drop from High, but still maintains a playable frame rate.

3840x2160 (4K)

• Low: Average 97 FPS. This is a 33% drop from 1440p Low, showing the GPU's heavy workload at 4K.
• Medium: Average 69 FPS, with a minimum of 59 FPS and a maximum of 79 FPS. This is a 28 FPS drop from Low, indicating that Medium settings are taxing.
• High: Average 61 FPS. This just meets the 60 FPS threshold, but the minimum FPS is not recorded, so frame pacing may vary.
• Ultra: Average 53 FPS. This is below the 60 FPS threshold, making it less ideal for smooth gameplay.

The data shows that the combo's performance is consistent with its rank, offering strong performance at 1080p and 1440p, with playable 4K performance at High settings. The minimum FPS data for Medium settings at all resolutions shows that the system can maintain a relatively stable frame rate, with the gap between minimum and maximum FPS being around 20-30 FPS. This indicates that the combo is well-suited for Control, providing a smooth experience across a range of settings and resolutions.