Control

The Intel Core i5-14400F paired with the Intel Arc B580 presents a mid-range combination that delivers playable frame rates in Control at 1080p and 1440p, but falls short of the 60 FPS threshold at 4K. Benchmark data shows this combo ranks 2816 out of 3720 tested combinations in this game, placing it in the 76th percentile of all tested systems. The measured performance varies significantly with both resolution and quality preset, with the most demanding settings at 4K producing an average of only 32 FPS, while the least demanding configuration at 1080p reaches 114 FPS.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combination demonstrates solid performance across all presets. Low settings produce an average of 114 FPS, while Medium settings deliver 81 FPS with a minimum of 69 FPS and a maximum of 93 FPS. High settings yield 72 FPS on average, and Ultra settings maintain 62 FPS. All four presets at 1080p clear the 60 FPS playable threshold, with even the most demanding Ultra preset holding above the line.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance drops noticeably but remains viable at lower presets. Low settings produce 86 FPS on average. Medium settings achieve 61 FPS with a minimum of 52 FPS and a maximum of 70 FPS, just barely clearing the 60 FPS average threshold. High settings fall to 54 FPS on average, and Ultra settings drop further to 47 FPS — both below the playable threshold.

At 3840x2160, the combination struggles to maintain playable frame rates regardless of settings. Low settings produce 58 FPS on average, just short of the 60 FPS threshold. Medium settings deliver 41 FPS with a minimum of 35 FPS and a maximum of 48 FPS. High settings manage 37 FPS, and Ultra settings drop to 32 FPS. No preset at 4K reaches the playable threshold.

The scaling pattern across resolutions shows the expected trend: higher resolutions reduce average frame rates across all settings. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 52 FPS, while at 4K the same preset gap is only 26 FPS — indicating that at 4K, the GPU is the primary bottleneck regardless of quality settings.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, Ultra settings are the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS, achieving an average of 62 FPS. This allows users to run the game at maximum quality while maintaining playable performance.

At 2560x1440, Medium settings represent the best playable option, delivering 61 FPS on average. While Low settings produce higher frame rates at 86 FPS, Medium offers the best visual quality that still clears the 60 FPS threshold. High and Ultra presets both fall below the playable line at 54 FPS and 47 FPS respectively.

At 3840x2160, no preset achieves the 60 FPS threshold. The closest is Low settings at 58 FPS, which falls just short. Medium settings drop to 41 FPS, High to 37 FPS, and Ultra to 32 FPS. Users targeting 4K would need to accept sub-60 FPS performance or reduce resolution.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-14400F and Intel Arc B580 ranks 2816 out of 3720 tested combos in Control. This places the system in the lower-middle portion of the ranking distribution — approximately the 76th percentile of all tested configurations. The ranking reflects that while this combo handles 1080p gaming well, it lacks the headroom for high-refresh or 4K gaming in this title.

The CPU component, the Intel Core i5-14400F, ranks in the 83rd percentile against all CPUs in the database, indicating strong processing capability. The GPU, the Intel Arc B580, ranks in the 68th percentile against all GPUs. The disparity between CPU percentile and GPU percentile suggests that the graphics card is the limiting factor in this pairing for Control.

The average benchmark scores reinforce this interpretation. The CPU achieves an average benchmark score of 32279, while the GPU achieves 23021. This gap in benchmark performance aligns with the observed gaming results, where GPU-bound scenarios at higher resolutions show the most significant frame rate drops.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The nearest CPU rivals to the Intel Core i5-14400F include the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840U with an average benchmark score of 32233, representing a 0.1 percent delta. The Intel Core i9-11900 scores 32226, a 0.2 percent difference. The AMD Ryzen 7 6800HS scores 32354, with a -0.2 percent delta. The Intel Core i7-12800H scores 32121, a 0.5 percent difference. These CPUs would behave nearly identically in Control when paired with the same GPU.

On the GPU side, the Intel Arc B580's nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP with an average score of 23061, representing a -0.2 percent delta. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 scores 22895, a 0.6 percent difference. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 scores 23172, with a -0.7 percent delta. The NVIDIA P106-100 scores 23249, a -1 percent difference. These GPUs would produce nearly identical frame rates in Control when paired with the same CPU.

The close benchmark scores among these alternatives indicate that swapping the CPU or GPU for any of these near-equivalents would result in statistically indistinguishable performance in this game. The variance between the closest alternatives is under one percent in all cases.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark data reveals how the CPU and GPU contributions shift across resolutions in Control. At 1920x1080, the frame rate differences between presets are substantial — from 114 FPS at Low to 62 FPS at Ultra — indicating that the GPU has significant headroom at this resolution and settings changes produce large performance swings. The CPU is likely not the primary constraint at 1080p, as even the most demanding preset maintains playable frame rates.

At 2560x1440, the preset spread narrows. Low settings produce 86 FPS, while Ultra drops to 47 FPS — a 39 FPS range. The Medium preset at 61 FPS sits just above the playable threshold, while High falls below at 54 FPS. This narrowing suggests the GPU is becoming more of a limiting factor as pixel count increases, but the CPU still provides enough headroom for playable performance at lower presets.

At 3840x2160, the preset spread narrows further: Low produces 58 FPS and Ultra produces 32 FPS, a 26 FPS range. No setting reaches the 60 FPS threshold. The GPU is clearly the dominant constraint at 4K, as even the lowest quality settings cannot push the average above 60 FPS. The scaling between resolutions shows a consistent pattern: as resolution increases, the performance cost of higher presets diminishes in absolute terms because the GPU is already saturated.

The data indicates that the Intel Core i5-14400F provides sufficient processing power for this game across all tested resolutions, and the Intel Arc B580 is the component that determines playability. At 1080p, the GPU handles all presets comfortably. At 1440p, the GPU manages Medium settings at playable rates. At 4K, the GPU falls short of the threshold at every preset.

The Verdict

This PC can run Control at playable frame rates at 1920x1080 and 2560x1440, but not at 3840x2160. At 1920x1080, all four presets — Low, Medium, High, and Ultra — clear the 60 FPS threshold. The Ultra preset achieves 62 FPS on average, making it the recommended configuration for 1080p users.

At 2560x1440, two presets are playable: Low at 86 FPS and Medium at 61 FPS. The Medium preset is the best playable option, though its minimum frame rate of 52 FPS indicates some dips below the threshold. High and Ultra presets fall short at 54 FPS and 47 FPS respectively.

At 3840x2160, the system cannot maintain 60 FPS at any preset. The closest is Low at 58 FPS, which still falls below the playable threshold. The verdictByResolution data confirms no playable settings exist at 4K for this combination. Users with 4K displays would need to reduce resolution to 1440p or accept sub-60 FPS performance.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Control at 1080p with Ultra settings?

A: Yes. At 1920x1080 with Ultra settings, the combination achieves 62 FPS on average, which clears the 60 FPS playable threshold.

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

A: Medium settings at 2560x1440 produce 61 FPS on average, making it the highest quality preset that maintains playable performance at that resolution. Low settings produce 86 FPS, but Medium offers better visual quality while still clearing the threshold.

Q: Does this system support 4K gaming in Control?

A: No. At 3840x2160, the highest average frame rate is 58 FPS at Low settings, which falls short of the 60 FPS threshold. No preset at 4K is playable per the benchmark data.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested systems in Control?

A: The combination ranks 2816 out of 3720 tested combos, placing it in approximately the 76th percentile of all tested configurations in this game.

Q: Which component limits performance at 4K?

A: The GPU is the limiting factor at 3840x2160. Even at Low settings, the average frame rate is 58 FPS, and the performance spread between presets narrows to just 26 FPS, indicating the Intel Arc B580 is saturated at this resolution.

Q: What is the minimum frame rate at 1080p Medium settings?

A: At 1920x1080 with Medium settings, the minimum frame rate is 69 FPS, with a maximum of 93 FPS and an average of 81 FPS. This preset maintains frame rates well above the 60 FPS threshold throughout.