Control

The Intel Core Ultra X9 388H paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 delivers a mid-pack performance tier for Control, ranking 1738th out of 2888 tested combos. This places the combo in the 60th percentile of all systems evaluated, indicating it outperforms a majority of configurations while still leaving headroom above more powerful desktop setups. The ranking suggests a balanced pairing where neither component is severely bottlenecking the other, though the data reveals the RTX 4060 is the more limiting factor at higher resolutions. Relative to other mobile-first combos, this system sits comfortably in the upper-middle range, offering a playable experience across most settings but requiring compromises at 4K Ultra.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 1738 out of 2888 tested combinations puts it just above the median, with roughly 40% of tested systems delivering higher frame rates in Control. This is a meaningful context point: while the RTX 4060 is a capable mobile GPU, its 61st percentile standing among all GPUs (based on average benchmark score) shows it is not a top-tier part. The CPU, by contrast, ranks in the 88th percentile among all processors, suggesting the processor has more headroom than the graphics card in this pairing. The delta between these percentiles indicates the GPU is the primary constraint on overall performance, especially when pushing resolution and detail settings upward.

Examining the nearest rivals for each component clarifies the picture. The CPU's average benchmark score of 44466 is nearly identical to the AMD Ryzen 5 7500X3D (44573, -0.2% delta) and slightly ahead of the Intel Core i9-13950HX (44342, +0.3% delta). This means the 388H trades blows with well-known desktop and high-end mobile chips, delivering comparable compute throughput. On the GPU side, the RTX 4060's average score of 17639 is within 0.5% of the AMD Radeon 780M (17588) and AMD Radeon Pro 560 (17551), which are integrated and older discrete parts respectively. This proximity is surprising for a dedicated 40-series card, but it reflects the RTX 4060's mobile-oriented design with its 115W TDP and 8GB VRAM. The GPU's percentile rank of 61 versus the CPU's 88 makes it clear that upgrading the graphics card would yield larger gains in Control than swapping the processor.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 brings 8GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, delivering 272.0 GB/s of bandwidth. This memory configuration is adequate for Control at 1080p and 1440p, but the measured FPS data shows it becomes a limiting factor at 4K. The GPU's base clock of 1830 MHz and boost clock of 2460 MHz, combined with 3072 shading units, produce a peak FP32 throughput of 15.11 TFLOPS. These specs place the 4060 in a performance class that handles Control's physics-heavy combat and destructible environments competently, but the 8GB frame buffer is the first constraint when resolution climbs.

At 4K Ultra, the combo averages 35 FPS, which is below the 40 FPS High preset and 45 FPS Medium preset. This 10 FPS drop from Medium to Ultra at 4K indicates the GPU is running out of both compute and memory bandwidth. The 64 FPS at 4K Low versus 35 FPS at 4K Ultra shows a 29 FPS swing purely from settings, reinforcing that the GPU is the bottleneck. In contrast, at 1080p Low the combo hits 124 FPS, demonstrating the 4060 can fully stretch its legs when pixel count is reduced. The GPU's 24 ray tracing cores and 96 tensor cores are present but underutilized in this title's standard rendering paths, as Control's high-contrast lighting and particle effects stress rasterization more than RT acceleration.

The RTX 4060's 96 texture mapping units and 48 render output units provide a texture fill rate of 236.2 GTexel/s and pixel rate of 118.1 GPixel/s. These figures translate to smooth texture streaming and post-processing at 1440p, where the combo achieves 59 FPS on High. Interestingly, the GPU's performance relative to its nearest rivals (all within 0.7% in average score) suggests the 4060 is not unlocking any special advantage in Control; it simply delivers expected 40-series behavior. The 17 Gbps effective memory speed is respectable, but the 128-bit bus width caps bandwidth at 272 GB/s, which is why 4K Medium (45 FPS) is only 10 FPS above 4K Ultra (35 FPS) — the memory subsystem cannot feed the shaders fast enough at high pixel counts.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Control?*

A: The data shows 2560x1440 as the sweet spot. At High settings, it delivers 59 FPS average, which is playable. 1920x1080 High reaches 79 FPS for smoother motion, while 4K High only manages 40 FPS, making 1440p the highest resolution that maintains a consistent 60 FPS-class experience.

Q: How much performance is lost when going from Low to Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: At 1080p, Low averages 124 FPS while Ultra averages 68 FPS, a drop of 56 FPS or roughly 45%. This indicates the settings presets have a substantial impact on frame rate, with Medium (88 FPS) and High (79 FPS) sitting between the extremes.

*Q: Does the CPU or GPU limit performance in Control?*

A: The GPU is the primary limiter. The CPU ranks in the 88th percentile among all processors, while the GPU ranks in the 61st percentile. At 4K Ultra, the combo only hits 35 FPS, but at 1080p Low it reaches 124 FPS, showing that frame rates scale more with resolution (GPU load) than with processor load.

*Q: Is the RTX 4060's 8GB VRAM sufficient for Control?*

A: The FPS data suggests yes for most settings, but marginal at 4K. At 4K Medium the combo averages 45 FPS with a minimum of 38 FPS, which indicates the GPU is not stalling due to VRAM exhaustion. However, the 35 FPS at 4K Ultra shows the GPU is compute-bound, not necessarily memory-bound, as reducing settings yields linear gains.

Q: How does this combo compare to systems using the AMD Ryzen 5 7500X3D CPU?

A: The CPU's average benchmark score (44466) is 0.2% lower than the 7500X3D (44573), meaning the processors are statistically equivalent. In Control, the CPU difference would be negligible, reinforcing that the RTX 4060's performance tier (61st percentile) dictates the overall frame rates.

Q: What frame rate can players expect at 1440p Ultra?

A: The measured data shows 52 FPS average at 2560x1440 Ultra. This is a playable but not fully smooth experience, as it falls below the 60 FPS threshold. Dropping to High at the same resolution yields 59 FPS, a marginal improvement that may be preferable.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its highest frame rates. Low settings produce an average of 124 FPS, which is smooth for fast-paced combat. Medium averages 88 FPS with a minimum of 75 FPS and maximum of 102 FPS, showing stable performance. High drops to 79 FPS average, and Ultra falls to 68 FPS. The 1080p data reveals a consistent step-down of roughly 10-15 FPS per preset tier, with no anomalies suggesting thermal or driver issues.

Moving to 2560x1440, the averages decline predictably. Low hits 94 FPS, still very playable. Medium averages 67 FPS with a range of 57 to 77 FPS, which is adequate for most players. High settles at 59 FPS, just under the 60 FPS target. Ultra averages 52 FPS, a noticeable drop but still above the 30 FPS minimum for playability. The 1440p results show the combo can handle the resolution well on lower presets but struggles to maintain 60 FPS on High and above.

At 3840x2160, performance becomes marginal. Low averages 64 FPS, which is surprising for 4K and indicates the GPU can produce playable results when settings are minimized. Medium averages 45 FPS with a minimum of 38 FPS and maximum of 52 FPS, placing it in the "playable but not ideal" category. High averages 40 FPS, and Ultra drops to 35 FPS. The 4K data shows a clear pattern: the RTX 4060 cannot sustain 60 FPS at this resolution under any preset, and even Medium with a 45 FPS average requires a tolerance for frame drops.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS data from 1080p to 4K reveals a linear scaling pattern that points to the GPU as the limiting component. At High settings, the combo goes from 79 FPS at 1080p to 59 FPS at 1440p to 40 FPS at 4K. This represents a 25% drop from 1080p to 1440p, then a 32% drop from 1440p to 4K. The total 1080p-to-4K reduction is 49%, which is consistent with a GPU that is filling more pixels without a corresponding increase in compute efficiency.

For Low settings, the scaling is steeper in absolute terms: 124 FPS at 1080p, 94 FPS at 1440p, and 64 FPS at 4K. The 4K Low result is 48% lower than 1080p Low, showing that even with minimal graphics work, the 4060's bandwidth and shading capacity are strained at 4K. Medium settings tell a similar story: 88 FPS at 1080p, 67 FPS at 1440p, and 45 FPS at 4K, a 49% drop across the resolution range.

This scaling behavior indicates that the CPU is not the bottleneck. If the processor were limiting, frame rates would plateau or drop more sharply at lower resolutions where the GPU has spare capacity. Instead, the consistent 50% reduction from 1080p to 4K across all presets suggests the GPU's 272 GB/s bandwidth and 8GB frame buffer are the hard limits. The 4K Ultra result of 35 FPS, which is exactly half of the 1080p Ultra 68 FPS, is a textbook example of a GPU-bound scenario where pixel count dictates performance.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra X9 388H features 16 cores and 16 threads, a configuration that prioritizes multi-threaded throughput over simultaneous multithreading. Its base clock of 2.10 GHz and boost clock of 5.10 GHz provide a wide operating range for both sustained loads and burst tasks. The processor's 18MB of shared L3 cache and 3MB L2 cache per core deliver solid memory locality for Control's physics calculations. In CPU benchmarks, the 388H scores 18911 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 2200.5 in single-core, placing it in the 88th percentile among all CPUs.

In Control, the CPU's role is to manage the game's asynchronous physics and AI routines, which can be demanding on multi-core systems. The measured FPS data shows no instances where the CPU appears to limit performance. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 124 FPS, which is well above typical CPU-bound thresholds for this title. Even at 1080p Ultra with 68 FPS, the frame rate is high enough that the 388H's single-core performance (Cinebench R20 single-core score of 1849) is not a constraint.

The CPU's 153.6 GB/s memory bandwidth and dual-channel LPDDR5X support ensure that data can flow to the GPU without starving it. The processor's 25W TDP is remarkably low for a 16-core chip, indicating efficient power management that avoids thermal throttling in sustained gaming sessions. Compared to its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 5 7500X3D, the 388H has a 0.2% lower average benchmark score, meaning the two CPUs would produce nearly identical frame rates in Control. The data strongly suggests that players looking to improve this combo's FPS would gain more from a GPU upgrade than a CPU swap, as the 388H's percentile ranking (88) far exceeds the RTX 4060's (61).

Settings Recommendations

For players targeting 60 FPS as a baseline, the data points to 1080p or 1440p with Medium or High settings. At 1080p Medium, the combo averages 88 FPS with a minimum of 75 FPS, providing a comfortable margin above the 60 FPS target. 1080p High at 79 FPS is also viable and offers better visual fidelity. For 1440p, Medium at 67 FPS is the only preset that consistently exceeds 60 FPS, while High at 59 FPS is borderline but usable.

At 4K, none of the presets achieve 60 FPS, so players should choose based on visual priority. Low at 64 FPS is the only 4K option above 60 FPS, but it sacrifices most of the game's atmospheric lighting and texture detail. Medium at 45 FPS is the recommended compromise, offering a moderate visual upgrade over Low while maintaining a playable frame rate. Ultra at 35 FPS is not recommended for action sequences, as the minimum frame rate would likely dip below 30 FPS during fights.

The optimal experience per the measured rows is 1440p High at 59 FPS, which balances resolution and visual quality while staying close to the 60 FPS target. If smoothness is paramount, 1080p High at 79 FPS provides a 33% higher frame rate with the same settings tier. The data indicates that the combo's best performance-to-quality ratio occurs at 1440p Medium, where the 67 FPS average with a 57 FPS minimum ensures consistent gameplay without major frame drops.