Control

The data for this specific hardware pairing—an Intel Core i5-14400F with an AMD Radeon RX 7600—presents a clear picture of a system that is highly capable for Control at mainstream resolutions, but which hits a definitive wall at 4K. The measured results show a predictable scaling pattern where the GPU becomes the limiting factor as pixel count rises. This analysis breaks down the exact frame rates, the best settings for a smooth experience, and how this combination compares to other hardware in the database.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The benchmark results for this combo in Control show a wide spread of performance across resolutions and presets. At 1920x1080, the system is never caught off guard. With Low settings, the average frame rate hits 117.8 FPS, providing a massive headroom. Moving up to Medium produces an average of 86.4 FPS, while High settings still yield a comfortable 72.9 FPS. The most demanding preset at this resolution, Ultra, still manages an average of 67 FPS, which is a strong result for a fully maxed-out experience.

Stepping up to 2560x1440, the performance curve becomes steeper. Low settings deliver a very playable 91.6 FPS, and Medium settings remain fluid at 67.1 FPS. However, the jump to High causes a significant drop to 55 FPS, and Ultra falls further to 48.8 FPS. This indicates that the RX 7600's 8 GB of memory and 128-bit bus begin to strain under the increased load of higher fidelity at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the system struggles to maintain playable frame rates. The Low preset averages 59.5 FPS, which is just shy of the 60 FPS threshold. Medium drops to 45 FPS, High to 38.3 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 32.4 FPS. The data suggests that 4K is beyond the comfortable reach of this GPU for this title, as even the lowest settings cannot consistently clear the playability bar.

Best Settings per Resolution

The data provides a clear verdict on which settings to use for a 60 FPS experience at each resolution. At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset is the best choice, as it maintains an average of 67 FPS. This allows the user to experience the game at its maximum visual fidelity without dropping below the playable threshold.

For 2560x1440, the best playable setting is Medium, which achieves an average of 67.1 FPS. Pushing to High would result in a 55 FPS average, which falls short of the 60 FPS target. Therefore, Medium is the sweet spot for a smooth 1440p experience.

At 3840x2160, the verdict is less favorable. The data shows that no settings preset is able to maintain an average of 60 FPS. Even the Low preset falls short at 59.5 FPS. Consequently, the system cannot provide a locked 60 FPS experience at 4K, and users would need to accept lower frame rates or reduce the resolution.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark data reveals a clear division of labor between the CPU and GPU in this pairing. At 1920x1080, the CPU, with its 10 cores and 16 threads, appears to be feeding the GPU sufficiently. This is evidenced by the high frame rates across all presets, from 117.8 FPS on Low to 67 FPS on Ultra. The performance scaling from Low to Ultra is significant (a drop of roughly 43%), indicating that the GPU is the primary driver of performance even at this resolution.

The situation shifts more decisively towards a GPU bottleneck at 2560x1440. The frame rate drops sharply when moving from Medium (67.1 FPS) to High (55 FPS), a reduction of about 18%. This steep decline suggests that the RX 7600's memory bandwidth and compute resources are being saturated by the increased resolution, while the Core i5-14400F has ample headroom to keep up.

At 3840x2160, the GPU's limitations are fully exposed. The average frame rate at Low (59.5 FPS) is barely half of what the system achieves at 1080p Low (117.8 FPS). This scaling pattern—an 80% performance drop when quadrupling the pixel count—is a classic sign of a severe GPU bottleneck. The CPU is no longer the relevant factor; the RX 7600's 8 GB frame buffer and 288.0 GB/s of bandwidth are insufficient to handle the data throughput required at 4K, making the GPU the definitive performance limiter at this resolution.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Looking at the nearest rivals for both components provides context for how this system might compare to others. The Intel Core i5-14400F has an average benchmark score of 32279. Its closest competitor is the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840U, which scores 32233, a negligible 0.1% difference. Other close matches include the Intel Core i9-11900 (score 32226, 0.2% faster) and the AMD Ryzen 7 6800HS (score 32354, 0.2% slower). The Intel Core i7-12800H trails slightly with a score of 32121, which is 0.5% behind the i5-14400F. In practice, a system with any of these CPUs would likely produce very similar frame rates in Control, as the differences in synthetic benchmarks are minor.

For the GPU, the AMD Radeon RX 7600 has an average benchmark score of 15171. Its nearest rival is the AMD Radeon Pro 560X, which scores 15082, a 0.6% difference. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660 Ti is also close at 15063 (0.7% slower), while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 OEM scores 15199 (0.2% faster). The AMD Radeon 680M integrated graphics scores 15270, which is 0.7% higher than the RX 7600. These results indicate that the RX 7600 sits in a performance tier where users could expect similar gaming behavior from these other cards, though the modern architecture of the RX 7600 may offer other feature advantages not reflected in these raw scores.

FAQ

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

A: The highest average frame rate recorded is 117.8 FPS, which occurs at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: Can this system run Control at 1440p with High settings?

A: No. At 2560x1440 with High settings, the average frame rate is 55 FPS, which falls below the 60 FPS playable threshold. The best playable setting at this resolution is Medium, which averages 67.1 FPS.

Q: Is 4K gaming possible with this hardware configuration?

A: The data indicates that no settings preset at 3840x2160 reaches an average of 60 FPS. The closest is Low at 59.5 FPS, meaning a locked 60 FPS experience is not achievable at 4K.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its closest rival, the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840U?

A: The Intel Core i5-14400F has an average score of 32279, which is a 0.1% difference from the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840U's score of 32233. They are effectively equal in performance.

Q: Which component is the main bottleneck at 4K resolution?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 7600 GPU. The frame rate drops by 80% from 1080p Low to 4K Low, a scaling pattern that indicates the GPU's memory bandwidth and processing power are insufficient for the high pixel count.

Q: What is the best overall settings preset for a 1080p experience?

A: The Ultra preset is the best option, as it provides an average of 67 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS playable threshold while delivering maximum visual quality.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested hardware combinations for Control, this specific pairing of the Intel Core i5-14400F and AMD Radeon RX 7600 holds a rank of 2540 out of 3720 total combinations. This places it in the lower third of all tested systems for this particular game. The ranking suggests that while this combo is perfectly capable for 1080p and 1440p gaming, its performance at 4K and the overall average frame rates across all resolutions pull its standing down relative to more powerful setups featuring higher-end GPUs.

The Verdict

The question is whether this PC can run Control. The answer is a qualified yes. At 1920x1080, the system is fully capable, with the Ultra preset averaging 67 FPS, clearing the 60 FPS threshold. At 2560x1440, it remains playable, with Medium settings providing 67.1 FPS, but users must be willing to compromise on visual fidelity. At 3840x2160, the system does not meet the 60 FPS standard for any preset, making 4K gaming impractical for a smooth experience. Therefore, this combo is a solid choice for 1080p and a good option for 1440p, but it is not a 4K-capable machine for this title.