Control

Measured FPS Breakdown

The recorded data for Control with the Intel Core i5-14600K and AMD Radeon RX 580 shows a clear performance ceiling that shifts dramatically across resolutions and presets. At 3840x2160, the combination produces an average frame rate of 21.9 FPS on High settings, 33.8 FPS on Low, 20.4 FPS on Medium, and 16.5 FPS on Ultra. These numbers place 4K firmly outside playable territory for this pairing, with even the lowest preset failing to approach the 60 FPS threshold.

Dropping to 2560x1440 improves the situation but does not fundamentally change the verdict. The High preset averages 29 FPS, Medium delivers 31.4 FPS, and Ultra dips to 23.7 FPS. The Low preset reaches 48.9 FPS, which is the best result at this resolution but still more than 11 FPS short of the playable benchmark. The gap between Low and the next preset, Medium, is 17.5 FPS, indicating that the graphical load scaling is steep at 1440p.

At 1920x1080, the picture becomes more viable. Low settings produce an average of 62.8 FPS, clearing the 60 FPS line with a small margin. Medium follows at 44.2 FPS, High at 41.5 FPS, and Ultra at 35.1 FPS. The delta between Low and Medium is 18.6 FPS, while the drop from Medium to High is only 2.7 FPS, and from High to Ultra another 6.4 FPS. This suggests that the RX 580 has a narrow band of usable settings at 1080p, with only the lowest preset providing a consistent 60 FPS experience.

No minimum or maximum frame rate data exists in the measured results, so the analysis relies solely on averages. The absence of 1% lows or frame time spikes means the consistency of these averages cannot be fully assessed, but the overall trend is unambiguous: this GPU struggles with Control's demands outside of 1080p Low.

CPU and GPU Roles

The Intel Core i5-14600K is a 14-core, 20-thread processor based on Raptor Lake architecture, with a boost clock of 5.30 GHz. Its benchmark scores, including a Cinebench R23 multi-core result of 24491 and a Geekbench single-core score of 2491, place it in the 90th percentile among all CPUs. This is a high-end processor that should not bottleneck most GPU workloads. The AMD Radeon RX 580, in contrast, sits in the 53rd percentile among GPUs, with a PassMark G3D score of 8813 and a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1005.

The role each component plays becomes evident when examining the scaling between resolutions. At 3840x2160, the GPU is the clear limiting factor. The RX 580's 8 GB of GDDR5 memory and 256.0 GB/s bandwidth are simply insufficient for Control's visual demands at 4K, regardless of the CPU's capability. The average FPS drops to 16.5 on Ultra and only reaches 33.8 on Low, a pattern consistent with a GPU-bound scenario where the processor has ample headroom.

At 2560x1440, the same pattern persists. The RX 580 remains the dominant constraint, with the best result of 48.9 FPS on Low still falling short of 60. The CPU's performance, including a PassMark multi-thread score of 38682, has no trouble feeding frames, but the GPU cannot render them fast enough.

At 1920x1080, the balance shifts slightly. The 62.8 FPS result on Low suggests that the CPU's strong single-thread performance, evidenced by a Geekbench single-core score of 2491, helps maintain frame pacing when the GPU is less overloaded. However, the rapid falloff at Medium (44.2 FPS) and above indicates that even at 1080p, the RX 580's pixel rate of 42.88 GPixel/s and texture rate of 193.0 GTexel/s become limiting once the settings climb. The data shows a GPU-bound experience across all tested configurations, with the CPU playing a supporting role that prevents additional bottlenecks but cannot rescue frame rates.

Best Settings per Resolution

The database records a playable threshold of 60 FPS. Based on the measured averages, the best settings for each resolution are as follows:

At 3840x2160, there is no preset that reaches 60 FPS. The highest average is 33.8 FPS on Low settings, which is far below the threshold. The verdict for 4K lists no playable settings, so no recommendation can be made for this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the situation is identical. No preset reaches 60 FPS, with Low peaking at 48.9 FPS. The verdict confirms that no playable settings exist at this resolution. Users aiming for 1440p would need a more powerful GPU than the RX 580.

At 1920x1080, the Low preset is the only option that clears 60 FPS, delivering an average of 62.8 FPS. This is the most demanding preset that stays at or above the threshold. Medium averages 44.2 FPS, High 41.5 FPS, and Ultra 35.1 FPS, all below the playable line. The verdict for 1080p lists Low as the best settings, with an average FPS of 62.8.

FAQ

Q: Can this combination run Control at 4K?

A: No. The highest average frame rate at 3840x2160 is 33.8 FPS on Low settings, with High at 21.9 FPS, Medium at 20.4 FPS, and Ultra at 16.5 FPS. All fall far below the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: What is the best preset for 1440p?

A: No preset achieves 60 FPS at 2560x1440. Low settings produce 48.9 FPS, which is the highest recorded average, but it remains below the playable threshold. Medium, High, and Ultra deliver 31.4, 29, and 23.7 FPS respectively.

Q: Is 1080p playable with this setup?

A: Yes, but only on Low settings. The average frame rate is 62.8 FPS, which clears the 60 FPS threshold. Medium (44.2 FPS), High (41.5 FPS), and Ultra (35.1 FPS) all fall short.

Q: How does the RX 580 compare to its nearest rivals in GPU benchmarks?

A: The RX 580's average benchmark score is 12928, which is 0.1% below the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Mobile (12940) and 0.4% below the GTX 1660 SUPER (12986). It is 0.5% ahead of the AMD Radeon 740M (12870) and 0.6% ahead of the AMD FirePro W5100 (12847).

Q: How does the i5-14600K compare to its nearest CPU rivals?

A: The i5-14600K's average benchmark score is 48618. It is 0.2% below the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H (48698), 0.3% above the AMD EPYC 4345P (48470), 0.7% above the Intel Core Ultra 5 245HX (48287), and 0.8% below the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 (48995). Its percentile rank among all CPUs is 90.

Q: What does the combo rank tell us?

A: This combination ranks 3431 out of 3720 tested combos for Control. This places it in the lower portion of the database, consistent with the GPU being the limiting factor despite the CPU's high percentile ranking.

How This Combo Ranks

The database ranks this Intel Core i5-14600K and AMD Radeon RX 580 combination at 3431 out of 3720 tested combos for Control. This is a low position, reflecting the significant mismatch between the CPU's capability and the GPU's performance in this specific game. The CPU ranks in the 90th percentile among all processors, while the GPU ranks in the 53rd percentile among all GPUs. The combination's rank in the 92nd percentile of tested combos (3431 out of 3720) suggests that most other pairings deliver higher frame rates in Control.

The nearest GPU rivals provide context. The RX 580's average benchmark score of 12928 is nearly identical to the RTX 3050 Ti Mobile (12940, 0.1% higher) and the GTX 1660 SUPER (12986, 0.4% higher). These GPUs would likely produce similar results in Control, meaning any improvement in ranking would require a more substantial GPU upgrade. On the CPU side, the i5-14600K outperforms the AMD EPYC 4345P by 0.3% and the Core Ultra 5 245HX by 0.7%, but these differences are negligible in gaming workloads.

The recorded frame rates confirm that the combo's low rank stems from the GPU. At 1080p Low, the only playable preset, the average of 62.8 FPS barely exceeds the 60 FPS threshold. At every other setting and resolution, the frame rates fall below playable levels. This places the combination in a niche position where it can run Control only at the lowest graphical fidelity and at 1080p, and even then, the margin is slim.

The Verdict

Based on the measured data, this PC can run Control, but with significant limitations. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers an average of 62.8 FPS, which clears the 60 FPS playable threshold. This is the only configuration in the recorded data that achieves playable performance. Medium, High, and Ultra at 1080p all fall short, with averages of 44.2, 41.5, and 35.1 FPS respectively.

At 2560x1440, no preset reaches 60 FPS. The best result is 48.9 FPS on Low, with Medium at 31.4, High at 29, and Ultra at 23.7. At 3840x2160, the situation is worse, with Low averaging 33.8 FPS and Ultra dropping to 16.5. The verdict by resolution confirms this: only 1920x1080 has any playable settings, and that is limited to Low.

The hardware combination is heavily unbalanced. The Intel Core i5-14600K is a top-tier processor, ranking in the 90th percentile, but the AMD Radeon RX 580 is a mid-range GPU from an older generation. Control's demanding visuals place the burden on the GPU, and the RX 580 cannot keep up beyond minimal settings at 1080p. Users seeking higher visual quality would need to upgrade the GPU, as the CPU has ample headroom. For those willing to accept Low settings at 1080p, the game is playable but with a narrow margin above the 60 FPS threshold. The data is clear: this is a 1080p Low setup for Control, nothing more.