Control

The Intel Core i5-11400F paired with the AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT represents a balanced mid-range desktop combination. In Control, the recorded data shows this pairing delivers a wide range of performance depending on resolution and quality preset, from a demanding 4K experience to high-refresh-rate 1080p gameplay. The measurements reveal a system that scales predictably with load, but the playable envelope narrows significantly at higher resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The benchmark data for this combination covers three resolutions and four quality presets. At 1920x1080, the system performs strongly across the board. Low settings produce an average of 141.2 FPS, Medium yields 98.7 FPS, High reaches 87.7 FPS, and Ultra drops to 80.3 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 60.9 FPS, indicating that the CPU and GPU have ample headroom at this resolution.

Moving to 2560x1440, the averages compress somewhat. Low settings deliver 107 FPS, Medium records 75 FPS, High achieves 70.2 FPS, and Ultra settles at 61 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra here is 46 FPS, a smaller spread than at 1080p. Notably, the 1440p Ultra result of 61 FPS sits just above the 60 FPS playability threshold, making it a borderline but viable setting.

At 3840x2160, the performance picture changes dramatically. Low settings manage 73.7 FPS, Medium drops to 53.5 FPS, High falls to 44.9 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 43.2 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 30.5 FPS. Only the Low preset clears the 60 FPS mark at this resolution; the other three presets fall below playable territory according to the database's 60 FPS threshold.

CPU and GPU Roles

The scaling between resolutions and presets indicates where the bottleneck shifts. At 1080p, the delta between Low and Ultra is significant, suggesting the GPU is fully utilized while the i5-11400F has enough headroom to keep feeding frames. The 6-core, 12-thread processor, with a boost clock of 4.40 GHz, shows strong single-thread performance in synthetic tests, scoring 2981 in Passmark single-thread and 2024 in Cinebench R23 single-core. These scores support the idea that CPU limitations are minimal at 1080p.

At 1440p, the frame rates drop proportionally more from Low to Ultra, indicating the GPU begins to take on a larger role. The RX 6700 XT, with 12 GB of GDDR6 memory and a 384.0 GB/s bandwidth, starts to become the limiting factor as pixel count increases. The 2560x1440 High preset at 70.2 FPS versus the 1080p High at 87.7 FPS shows a 17.5 FPS reduction, a moderate penalty that reflects increased GPU workload.

At 4K, the GPU is clearly the dominant constraint. The RX 6700 XT's 13.21 TFLOPS FP32 performance and 165.2 GPixel/s pixel rate are simply not enough to sustain high frame rates at 3840x2160 with demanding settings. The CPU's role diminishes further, as evidenced by the fact that even the Low preset at 4K (73.7 FPS) is lower than the 1080p Ultra result (80.3 FPS). The data shows that resolution scaling impacts the GPU far more than the CPU in Control.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database's collection of tested hardware combinations, this pairing achieves a rank of 1900 out of 3720 combos for Control. This places it in the 51st percentile, meaning roughly half of all tested systems perform better and half perform worse. The rank reflects a mid-pack position, consistent with the hardware's specifications: the CPU sits in the 71st percentile among all processors, and the GPU is in the 72nd percentile among all graphics cards.

The rank suggests that while this system is capable of playing Control at multiple resolutions, it is not a top-tier performer. The 4K results, where only Low settings clear 60 FPS, likely drag the overall rank down. At 1440p and 1080p, the system is more competitive, but the 4K weakness prevents it from climbing higher in the rankings.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Looking at the nearest rivals for the CPU, the Intel Core i5-11400F's average benchmark score of 17177 is nearly identical to several other processors. The AMD EPYC 7H12 scores 17120, a 0.3% difference, meaning it would behave essentially the same in CPU-bound scenarios. The Intel Core i5-12450H scores 17239, a 0.4% advantage, while the AMD Ryzen 3 PRO 8300G scores 17278, 0.6% higher. The Intel Core Ultra 7 164U scores 17074, 0.6% lower. Any of these CPUs paired with the same GPU would produce nearly identical frame rates in Control.

For the GPU, the AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT's average benchmark score of 27425 is closely matched by several alternatives. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Mobile scores 27435, a 0% difference, indicating virtually identical performance. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 scores 27565, 0.5% higher, while the NVIDIA RTX PRO 4000 Blackwell scores 27135, 1.1% lower. The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 20 scores 27839, 1.5% higher. These small deltas mean that swapping the GPU for any of these alternatives would result in frame rates within a few percent of the recorded values.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Control at 4K with high settings?

A: No. At 3840x2160 with High settings, the average FPS is 44.9, which falls below the 60 FPS playability threshold. Only the Low preset at 4K achieves a playable 73.7 FPS.

Q: What is the best setting at 1440p for 60 FPS?

A: The Ultra preset at 2560x1440 delivers an average of 61 FPS, just above the threshold. All four presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra) at this resolution clear 60 FPS.

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

A: The Intel Core i5-11400F has an average benchmark score of 17177. The AMD EPYC 7H12 scores 0.3% higher, the Intel Core i5-12450H scores 0.4% higher, the AMD Ryzen 3 PRO 8300G scores 0.6% higher, and the Intel Core Ultra 7 164U scores 0.6% lower. All are within a fraction of a percent.

Q: What GPU alternatives perform similarly to the RX 6700 XT?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Mobile matches the RX 6700 XT's 27425 average score exactly. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 is 0.5% faster, the NVIDIA RTX PRO 4000 Blackwell is 1.1% slower, and the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 20 is 1.5% faster.

Q: Is the 1080p Ultra preset playable?

A: Yes. At 1920x1080 with Ultra settings, the system achieves an average of 80.3 FPS, well above the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: What is the performance gap between 1080p and 4K at Medium settings?

A: At 1080p Medium, the average is 98.7 FPS. At 4K Medium, it drops to 53.5 FPS, a reduction of 45.2 FPS. This indicates the GPU becomes significantly more stressed at higher resolutions.

The Verdict

This PC can run Control, but the experience depends heavily on the chosen resolution and settings. At 1920x1080, all four presets clear the 60 FPS threshold, with Ultra averaging 80.3 FPS. This makes 1080p the most comfortable resolution for this hardware, offering smooth gameplay across the board.

At 2560x1440, the system remains fully playable at every preset. The Ultra setting averages 61 FPS, which is technically above the threshold but leaves little margin for demanding scenes. The High preset at 70.2 FPS provides more headroom, while Medium at 75 FPS and Low at 107 FPS offer progressively smoother experiences.

At 3840x2160, only the Low preset achieves playable performance at 73.7 FPS. Medium (53.5 FPS), High (44.9 FPS), and Ultra (43.2 FPS) all fall short of 60 FPS. Players targeting 4K will need to accept significant visual compromises or consider lowering the resolution.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Low, with an average of 73.7 FPS. This is the only playable option at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset achieves 61 FPS on average, making it the best playable setting. All lower presets also clear the threshold, but Ultra offers the highest visual quality while still maintaining playability.

At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset delivers 80.3 FPS on average. This is the optimal choice, providing the highest quality settings while staying comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold. The margin of 20.3 FPS over the threshold ensures a stable experience even during intense action sequences.