Control

The Intel Core i5-14400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 delivers a robust experience in Control, with benchmark data showing playable frame rates across all tested resolutions. At 3840x2160, the combination averages 72 FPS on High settings, while the Ultra preset drops to 51 FPS, below the 60 FPS playable threshold. At 2560x1440, the system maintains an average of 98 FPS on Ultra, and at 1920x1080, it reaches 156 FPS on Ultra. The measured FPS data indicates that this combo is well-suited for high-refresh-rate gaming at 1080p and 1440p, with 4K requiring a settings reduction to stay fluid.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data covers three resolutions—1920x1080, 2560x1440, and 3840x2160—across four settings presets: Low, Medium, High, and Ultra. For each configuration, the average FPS is provided, with minimum and maximum values available only for the Medium preset at each resolution.

At 1920x1080, the lowest preset yields an average of 340 FPS, while Medium averages 253 FPS with a minimum of 215 FPS and a maximum of 291 FPS. High settings produce an average of 217 FPS, and Ultra averages 156 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is substantial—184 FPS—indicating that the RTX 4060 has significant headroom at this resolution, even with the most demanding preset. The Medium preset's min-max range of 215 to 291 FPS shows consistent frame delivery, with no severe dips.

Moving to 2560x1440, the average FPS drops predictably but remains high. Low settings average 215 FPS, Medium averages 160 FPS with a range of 136 to 183 FPS, High averages 137 FPS, and Ultra averages 98 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p is roughly linear in terms of percentage loss: Ultra drops from 156 FPS to 98 FPS, a 37% reduction, while Low drops from 340 FPS to 215 FPS, a 37% reduction as well. This consistency suggests the GPU is the primary bottleneck, as the CPU workload does not scale significantly with resolution.

At 3840x2160, the frame rates become more modest. Low settings average 112 FPS, Medium averages 83 FPS with a range of 71 to 96 FPS, High averages 72 FPS, and Ultra averages 51 FPS. The Medium preset's minimum of 71 FPS remains above the 60 FPS playable threshold, but the Ultra preset falls short. The step from High to Ultra at 4K costs 21 FPS on average, which is a larger relative drop than at lower resolutions, indicating that Ultra settings introduce a disproportionate load at 4K.

Across all resolutions, the Medium preset is the only one with reported min/max values, showing that frame pacing is stable. At 1080p, the min is 215 FPS and max is 291 FPS; at 1440p, the min is 136 FPS and max is 183 FPS; at 4K, the min is 71 FPS and max is 96 FPS. The spread between min and max is roughly 30% of the average in each case, which is typical for a GPU-bound scenario.

Best Settings per Resolution

The playable threshold is defined as 60 FPS average. For each resolution, the most demanding preset that stays at or above this threshold is the "best settings" choice.

At 1920x1080, all four presets clear 60 FPS, but the best settings are Ultra, which averages 156 FPS. This is more than double the playable threshold, providing ample headroom for demanding scenes or future patches.

At 2560x1440, Ultra is also the best settings, averaging 98 FPS. This is 38 FPS above the threshold, ensuring smooth gameplay even during intense combat sequences with multiple enemies and particle effects.

At 3840x2160, Ultra falls below the threshold at 51 FPS, so the best settings are High, which averages 72 FPS. This is 12 FPS above the threshold, leaving some margin but not as much as at lower resolutions. The data shows that High at 4K is the most demanding preset that remains playable, with Medium at 83 FPS and Low at 112 FPS as safer alternatives.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 3840x2160 on Ultra settings?

A: The average FPS is 51, which is below the 60 FPS playable threshold. The High preset at this resolution averages 72 FPS, making it the best playable option.

Q: How does the 2560x1440 Ultra preset compare to 1920x1080 Ultra?

A: At 2560x1440, Ultra averages 98 FPS, while at 1920x1080, Ultra averages 156 FPS. The difference is 58 FPS, or a 37% reduction when moving from 1080p to 1440p.

Q: Are there any settings at 3840x2160 that exceed 100 FPS?

A: Yes, the Low preset at 3840x2160 averages 112 FPS. Medium averages 83 FPS, and High averages 72 FPS, but only Low exceeds 100 FPS.

Q: What is the minimum FPS reported for the Medium preset at 1920x1080?

A: The minimum FPS is 215, with a maximum of 291 and an average of 253. This indicates stable frame delivery without significant dips.

Q: Does the Ultra preset at 2560x1440 stay above 60 FPS?

A: Yes, the Ultra preset at 2560x1440 averages 98 FPS, which is 38 FPS above the playable threshold. All presets at this resolution are playable.

Q: What is the average FPS at 1920x1080 on Low settings?

A: The average FPS is 340, which is the highest recorded value across all tested configurations. This suggests the combo is heavily GPU-limited at lower settings and resolutions.

The Verdict

The Intel Core i5-14400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 combination can run Control at all three tested resolutions, but the playable settings vary. At 1920x1080, every preset—Low, Medium, High, and Ultra—clears 60 FPS, with Ultra averaging 156 FPS. At 2560x1440, all presets also clear 60 FPS, with Ultra averaging 98 FPS. At 3840x2160, the Ultra preset falls below the threshold at 51 FPS, but High, Medium, and Low all remain playable, with High averaging 72 FPS.

The verdict by resolution confirms this: at 3840x2160, the playable settings are High, Low, and Medium, with High being the best at 72 FPS. At 2560x1440, all four settings are playable, with Ultra at 98 FPS. At 1920x1080, all four settings are playable, with Ultra at 156 FPS. The data indicates that this combo is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, where it can max out settings with high frame rates, while 4K requires dropping to High or below for a smooth experience.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The nearest rivals for the CPU and GPU provide context for how this combo compares to other hardware. The Intel Core i5-14400F has an average benchmark score of 32279, placing it in the 83rd percentile among all CPUs. Its closest rivals are the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840U with an average score of 32233 (0.1% lower), the Intel Core i9-11900 with 32226 (0.2% lower), the AMD Ryzen 7 6800HS with 32354 (0.2% higher), and the Intel Core i7-12800H with 32121 (0.5% lower). These deltas are negligible, meaning any of these CPUs would deliver nearly identical performance in Control, assuming the GPU remains the same.

For the GPU, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 has an average benchmark score of 17639, placing it in the 61st percentile among all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon HD 7790 with 17666 (0.2% higher), the AMD Radeon 780M with 17588 (0.3% lower), the AMD Radeon Pro 560 with 17551 (0.5% lower), and the AMD Radeon Pro 460 with 17509 (0.7% lower). These differences are within 1%, so swapping the RTX 4060 for any of these GPUs would yield similar frame rates in Control, though the RTX 4060's modern feature set (e.g., ray tracing cores) is not reflected in the benchmark scores.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations, this specific pairing of Intel Core i5-14400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 ranks 40th out of 3720 combos for Control. This places it in the top 1.1% of all tested configurations, indicating that it is a high-performing setup for this game. The rank is based on measured FPS data across all resolutions and settings, and the combo's ability to maintain 60+ FPS at 4K High and 1440p Ultra contributes to its strong position. The high rank also reflects the CPU's 83rd percentile score and the GPU's 61st percentile score, which together produce a balanced system that avoids severe bottlenecks.

CPU and GPU Roles

The measured FPS data across resolutions reveals how the CPU and GPU each contribute to performance in Control. At 1920x1080, the average FPS ranges from 340 on Low to 156 on Ultra, a 184 FPS spread. This wide gap indicates that the GPU is the primary limiter, as lowering settings reduces GPU load significantly. The CPU, with its 10 cores and 16 threads, is capable of feeding the GPU at high frame rates; the 340 FPS on Low suggests the CPU can handle over 300 FPS without becoming a bottleneck.

At 2560x1440, the FPS drops by roughly 37% across all settings compared to 1080p. This consistent percentage loss points to the GPU being the bottleneck, as the CPU workload remains unchanged while the GPU renders more pixels. The CPU's role is less prominent here, but it still needs to keep up with the GPU's frame output, which at Ultra averages 98 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the FPS drops further, with Ultra averaging 51 FPS and High averaging 72 FPS. The GPU is clearly the limiting factor at 4K, as the CPU has ample headroom—the Low preset at 112 FPS is still far below the CPU's maximum capability. The scaling from 1440p to 4K is steeper for Ultra (from 98 to 51 FPS, a 48% drop) than for Low (from 215 to 112 FPS, a 48% drop), reinforcing that the GPU's pixel throughput is the dominant constraint.

The data shows that the CPU's role is most significant at lower resolutions and settings, where high frame rates demand rapid draw-call processing. At 1080p Low, the CPU must sustain 340 FPS, which it does without issue. As resolution increases, the GPU becomes the sole bottleneck, and the CPU's influence diminishes. For this game, the RTX 4060 is the limiting component at 4K Ultra, while the i5-14400F provides sufficient performance at all tested settings and resolutions.