Control

The Intel Core i5-14400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 delivers a wide range of performance in Control, depending entirely on resolution and quality preset. At 1920x1080, the combo is overwhelmingly fast, with average framerates spanning from 156.5 FPS at Low settings down to 90.2 FPS at Ultra. Stepping up to 2560x1440, the averages tighten to a band between 118.1 FPS at Low and 67.9 FPS at Ultra. At 3840x2160, the load shifts heavily to the GPU, and the averages drop to between 80.5 FPS at Low and 44 FPS at Ultra, with High settings landing at 48.7 FPS and Medium at 55.9 FPS.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured data for this combination provides a clear picture of scaling across three resolutions and four presets. All figures are average FPS; no minimum or maximum framerate data is available in the fact pack.

At 1920x1080, the Low preset produces the highest average at 156.5 FPS. Medium settings reduce the average to 116.1 FPS, which is a 40.4 FPS drop. High settings yield 102.3 FPS, a further 13.8 FPS reduction. The Ultra preset delivers 90.2 FPS, which is 12.1 FPS lower than High. Every preset at this resolution clears the 60 FPS playability threshold by a substantial margin, with the gap ranging from 30.2 FPS at Ultra to 96.5 FPS at Low.

At 2560x1440, the pattern remains consistent but with lower headroom. Low settings average 118.1 FPS, which is 38.4 FPS below the same preset at 1080p. Medium averages 85.9 FPS, a 30.2 FPS reduction from 1080p Medium. High averages 78 FPS, representing a 24.3 FPS decrease from 1080p High. The Ultra preset averages 67.9 FPS, which is 22.3 FPS lower than 1080p Ultra. All four presets remain above 60 FPS at 1440p, but Ultra is the only one with a margin smaller than 10 FPS.

At 3840x2160, performance drops significantly. The Low preset averages 80.5 FPS, which is 37.6 FPS below 1440p Low and 76 FPS below 1080p Low. Medium averages 55.9 FPS, falling below the 60 FPS threshold by 4.1 FPS. High averages 48.7 FPS, which is 29.3 FPS below 1440p High. The Ultra preset averages 44 FPS, the lowest figure in the entire dataset, and sits 23.9 FPS below 1440p Ultra. Only the Low preset at 4K maintains an average above 60 FPS.

The data shows a consistent drop-off as resolution increases. The delta between 1080p and 1440p averages ranges from 22.3 FPS at Ultra to 38.4 FPS at Low. The delta between 1440p and 4K is larger, ranging from 23.9 FPS at Ultra to 37.6 FPS at Low, indicating that the scaling penalty grows with resolution.

CPU and GPU Roles

The measured FPS scaling reveals how the division of labor shifts between the CPU and GPU as resolution changes. At 1920x1080, the Intel Core i5-14400F has ample headroom to feed the RTX 3070, as evidenced by the high averages across all presets. The difference between Low at 156.5 FPS and Ultra at 90.2 FPS is 66.3 FPS, showing that graphics settings have a major impact even at this resolution. Since the CPU is not likely to be the limiting factor at 1080p, the GPU bears most of the load for each preset change.

Moving to 2560x1440, the GPU begins to take on more work. The gap between Low (118.1 FPS) and Ultra (67.9 FPS) narrows to 50.2 FPS compared to the 1080p gap. This suggests that the GPU is becoming the primary bottleneck, as the relative cost of each higher preset increases with pixel count. The CPU still contributes to the overall framerate, but its influence diminishes as the GPU saturates.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is the dominant factor. The spread between Low (80.5 FPS) and Ultra (44 FPS) is 36.5 FPS, which is a smaller absolute range than at 1080p. This compression indicates that the RTX 3070 is heavily constrained at 4K, and even dropping to Low settings cannot fully relieve the GPU pressure. The CPU's role at 4K is reduced to ensuring the GPU receives data fast enough, but the framerate ceiling is set almost entirely by the graphics card.

The resolution scaling data supports this interpretation. From 1080p to 1440p, the average FPS drops by roughly 20-30% across presets. From 1440p to 4K, the drops are more severe, ranging from 23.9 FPS at Ultra to 37.6 FPS at Low. This nonlinear scaling is typical of a GPU-bound scenario where pixel throughput becomes the limiting factor. For this combo, the CPU is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p, while the GPU dictates performance at 4K.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Benchmark data places the Intel Core i5-14400F in a specific performance tier based on its average score of 32279. Its nearest rivals show very small deltas. The AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840U scores 32233, which is 0.1% lower. The Intel Core i9-11900 scores 32226, also 0.2% lower. The AMD Ryzen 7 6800HS scores 32354, which is 0.2% higher. The Intel Core i7-12800H scores 32121, coming in 0.5% lower. These four CPUs would likely produce nearly identical frame pacing in Control, given that their average benchmark scores are within 0.5% of each other.

For the GPU, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 has an average benchmark score of 17208. The closest rival is the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT with a score of 17083, a delta of 0.7%. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690 scores 17037, which is 1% lower. The AMD Radeon HD 7970M scores 17019, a 1.1% deficit. On the higher side, the NVIDIA Tesla K40c scores 17468, which is 1.5% above the RTX 3070. These GPUs would deliver similar framerates in Control, with differences in average FPS likely within a few frames.

When combining these alternatives, a system with a Ryzen 7 PRO 8840U and an RX 7600 XT would be the closest match to the tested combo. The CPU delta of 0.1% and GPU delta of 0.7% suggest that measured FPS would be within 1-2 frames of the numbers reported here. Similarly, a Core i9-11900 with a GTX 690 would be marginally slower, while a Ryzen 7 6800HS with a Tesla K40c would be slightly faster in synthetic benchmarks, though real-world game performance could vary.

It is important to note that these rival comparisons are based on aggregate benchmark scores, not direct Control benchmarks. The measured FPS for the i5-14400F and RTX 3070 combination is the only game-specific data available. Users with any of these rival parts can expect broadly similar behavior, particularly at 1080p where CPU differences matter more relative to the GPU.

FAQ

Q: Can this PC run Control at 1920x1080 with Ultra settings?

A: Yes. The measured average FPS at 1080p Ultra is 90.2 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Q: What is the best settings preset for 2560x1440?

A: Ultra settings are playable at 1440p, with a measured average of 67.9 FPS. This is the highest quality preset that stays above 60 FPS at this resolution.

Q: Is 3840x2160 playable with this hardware?

A: Only at Low settings. The 4K Low preset averages 80.5 FPS. Medium (55.9 FPS), High (48.7 FPS), and Ultra (44 FPS) all fall below the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: How much faster is 1080p compared to 4K at the same settings?

A: At Low settings, 1080p averages 156.5 FPS versus 80.5 FPS at 4K, a difference of 76 FPS. At Ultra, 1080p averages 90.2 FPS versus 44 FPS at 4K, a difference of 46.2 FPS.

Q: Does the CPU or GPU limit performance in this game?

A: The data indicates the GPU becomes the limiting factor at 4K, where even Low settings produce only 80.5 FPS. At 1080p and 1440p, the CPU has enough headroom, as shown by the larger FPS spreads across presets.

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

A: This combination ranks 1585 out of 3720 tested combos for Control, placing it in the upper portion of the database.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-14400F and RTX 3070 combination holds a rank of 1585 out of 3720 total tested combos for Control. This places the system in the 42.6th percentile of all combinations in the database, meaning roughly 57% of tested systems perform better. However, this ranking is not uniform across resolutions. At 1080p and 1440p, the combo's performance is strong enough to max out the game's presets while maintaining 60 FPS. At 4K, the ranking is likely dragged down by the GPU's inability to handle Ultra settings at playable framerates.

The rank of 1585 reflects the average across all resolutions and settings. For a mid-range CPU paired with a previous-generation high-end GPU, this position is consistent with the hardware's benchmark percentiles. The CPU sits at the 83rd percentile among all CPUs, while the GPU is at the 61st percentile among all GPUs. The combination ranks lower than the CPU percentile would suggest, confirming that the GPU is the constraining component in this pairing.

Compared to the nearest rival combos, the performance delta is small. The CPU rivals are all within 0.5% of the i5-14400F, and the GPU rivals are within 1.5% of the RTX 3070. This means that swapping to any of those parts would likely shift the combo rank by only a few positions. The data suggests that this is a well-balanced pairing for 1080p and 1440p gaming, but it is not optimized for 4K Ultra.

Best Settings per Resolution

For each resolution, the best settings are defined as the most demanding preset that maintains an average FPS at or above 60.

At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset qualifies as the best settings. The measured average is 90.2 FPS, which is 30.2 FPS above the playable threshold. All lower presets also clear 60 FPS, but Ultra provides the highest visual quality without sacrificing smoothness.

At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset also qualifies. The measured average is 67.9 FPS, which is 7.9 FPS above the 60 FPS threshold. High (78 FPS), Medium (85.9 FPS), and Low (118.1 FPS) are all playable, but Ultra is the best choice for visual fidelity.

At 3840x2160, only the Low preset qualifies as playable. The measured average is 80.5 FPS, which is 20.5 FPS above the threshold. Medium (55.9 FPS), High (48.7 FPS), and Ultra (44 FPS) all fall below 60 FPS. For 4K, Low is the only option that maintains playable framerates.

The Verdict

This PC can run Control successfully at 1920x1080 and 2560x1440 with any preset, including Ultra. At 1080p, the Ultra preset averages 90.2 FPS, and at 1440p, Ultra averages 67.9 FPS. Both resolutions offer a comfortable margin above the 60 FPS playable threshold.

At 3840x2160, the system is only playable on the Low preset, which averages 80.5 FPS. Medium, High, and Ultra presets all fail to reach 60 FPS, with averages of 55.9 FPS, 48.7 FPS, and 44 FPS respectively. For 4K gaming, users must accept Low settings or reduce the resolution.

The data shows a clear verdict: this combo is excellent for 1080p and 1440p gaming, including maxed-out settings. It is not suitable for 4K gaming beyond Low settings. The RTX 3070's 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for lower resolutions but become a limiting factor at 4K. The Intel Core i5-14400F, with its 10 cores and 16 threads, provides adequate CPU performance across all tested resolutions, as evidenced by the consistent framerate behavior. For users targeting 1080p or 1440p, this system delivers a smooth experience. For 4K, a more powerful GPU would be required to enable higher presets.