Control

The Intel Core i5-14400F paired with the Intel Arc B570 delivers a workable, if not spectacular, experience in Control. At 1080p, the combo clears the 60 FPS threshold on High settings, but the demands of higher resolutions quickly expose the GPU's limits. The data indicates a system where the processor has ample headroom, leaving the graphics card as the definitive bottleneck for demanding configurations.

FAQ

*Q: Can this system run Control at 4K?*

A: No. The measured data shows the system cannot maintain 60 FPS at 3840x2160 on any preset. The best result at this resolution is 51 FPS on Low settings, with High, Medium, and Ultra producing 32, 36, and 28 FPS respectively, all below the playable threshold.

Q: What is the best playable setting at 1440p?

A: The only preset at 2560x1440 that stays at or above 60 FPS is Low, which delivers an average of 76 FPS. Medium and High fall to 54 and 48 FPS, while Ultra drops to 42 FPS.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the main bottleneck for this game?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the limiting factor. While the Core i5-14400F has a strong multi-core score of 21,645 in Cinebench R23, the Arc B570's performance drops significantly as resolution increases. For instance, the average FPS at High settings falls from 63 at 1080p to 48 at 1440p, a 24% reduction, which is a classic sign of GPU-bound performance.

Q: How does the Arc B570 compare to other GPUs in its performance class?

A: The Arc B570’s average benchmark score of 20,556 places it within a tight group of rivals. It is essentially neck-and-neck with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile, which scores 20,534, and sits just 0.1% behind the Intel Arc A750, which scores 20,582.

Q: What is the CPU's relative standing compared to other processors?

A: The Intel Core i5-14400F performs very well, sitting in the 83rd percentile of all CPUs. Its average benchmark score of 32,279 is slightly higher than the Intel Core i9-11900 (32,226), and it also edges out the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840U, which scores 32,233.

Q: What is the best overall playable experience for this combo?

A: The best playable experience is at 1920x1080 with High settings, which yields an average of 63 FPS. While this is just above the 60 FPS threshold, it offers a significant visual upgrade over the 101 FPS Low preset while still remaining smooth.

Best Settings per Resolution

The data identifies the most demanding preset that maintains an average frame rate at or above 60 FPS for each resolution.

At 1920x1080, the best setting is High, which produces an average of 63 FPS. This is the optimal balance for this resolution, as the Ultra preset drops to 55 FPS, while the Medium and Low presets are less demanding but offer lower visual fidelity.

For 2560x1440, the only playable option is Low, which delivers an average of 76 FPS. The step up to Medium is significant, but it costs 22 FPS, dropping the average to 54, which is below the playable threshold.

At 3840x2160, no settings achieve a playable frame rate. The best result is 51 FPS on Low, which is still below the 60 FPS target, making 4K unplayable with this hardware configuration.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data from the benchmark results clearly separates the responsibilities of the processor and graphics card. The i5-14400F is a high-performance CPU, ranking in the 83rd percentile, and its performance is not the primary constraint here. The GPU, however, shows a steep performance curve as resolution increases.

At 1080p, the GPU has enough headroom to handle the workload, and the system achieves 63 FPS on High. The performance drop from High to Medium is 8 FPS, and from Medium to Low is 30 FPS, indicating that the GPU is still the primary driver of frame rate, but the CPU is sufficient to keep it fed.

When moving to 1440p, the GPU's workload increases by 78% in pixel count. This is reflected in the 24% performance drop at the High preset, from 63 FPS to 48 FPS. This sharp decline confirms that the Arc B570 is becoming saturated. The CPU's role is consistent; it's not a limiting factor at this resolution, as evidenced by the fact that the 76 FPS Low preset is still well above the 60 FPS target.

At 4K, the GPU is overwhelmed. The pixel count quadruples from 1080p. The GPU's performance drops to 51 FPS on Low, and only 28 FPS on Ultra. This is a clear indication that the GPU is the absolute bottleneck, and the CPU's performance is irrelevant to achieving higher frame rates at this resolution. The system's inability to hit 60 FPS at 4K is entirely a graphics card limitation.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Based on the average benchmark scores, several other components would deliver very similar performance in Control.

The Intel Core i5-14400F (avg score 32,279) is closely matched by the AMD Ryzen 7 6800HS (32,354, 0.2% higher). A system with this AMD CPU would not show a meaningful difference in frame rates. Other near neighbors include the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840U (32,233, 0.1% lower) and the Intel Core i7-12800H (32,121, 0.5% lower). The Intel Core i9-11900 (32,226, 0.2% lower) is also a near-identical performer.

For the Intel Arc B570 (avg score 20,556), the closest GPU alternative is the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile (20,534, 0.1% lower). This means a laptop with that GPU would deliver nearly identical frame rates. The Intel Arc A750 (20,582, 0.1% higher) is another direct competitor. The AMD Radeon R9 M390X (20,662, 0.5% higher) and the NVIDIA Quadro M4000M (20,480, 0.4% lower) are also within a very tight performance band. The performance differences between these alternatives are so small that they would not be noticeable in gameplay.

The Verdict

This PC can run Control at a playable level, but with significant caveats.

The benchmark data confirms that the system is playable at 1920x1080, where it can clear the 60 FPS threshold on High settings, achieving an average of 63 FPS. This is the best experience you can get, as the Ultra preset drops to 55 FPS, which is just below the playable line.

At 2560x1440, the system is playable only on Low settings, which yields an average of 76 FPS. While this is a smooth experience, it requires sacrificing the game's visual quality.

At 3840x2160, the combination is not playable. All settings, from Low to Ultra, fail to achieve an average of 60 FPS, with the best result being 51 FPS on Low.

In summary, this is a solid 1080p gaming combo, but it is not suited for 4K gaming. For 1440p, users must be willing to dial down the settings to Low to maintain playability.

How This Combo Ranks

Out of 3,720 combinations tested in the database, this particular pairing of the Intel Core i5-14400F and Intel Arc B570 ranks at 2,995. This places it in the lower portion of tested systems, specifically in the 19.5th percentile.

This ranking is likely due to the balance of the parts. While the CPU is in the 83rd percentile of all CPUs, the GPU is only in the 65th percentile. The GPU's lower relative standing pulls the overall ranking down, as it is the bottleneck for gaming performance at higher resolutions. The high percentile of the CPU is not enough to push the combo into the top tier, because the GPU is the deciding factor for gaming in most scenarios. This ranking is a good indicator that for a more balanced system, a more powerful GPU would be needed to match the capabilities of the i5-14400F.