Control

The Intel Core i5-14600K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 delivers a playable experience in Control, but the margin of comfort depends heavily on resolution. At 1920x1080, the combination is thoroughly capable, with the Ultra preset averaging 68 FPS and the Low preset reaching 124 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440, the combo maintains smooth performance up to the Medium preset, which averages 67 FPS, while the High preset drops to 59 FPS, just below the 60 FPS playable threshold. At 3840x2160, the hardware struggles significantly; only the Low preset averages above 60 FPS at 63 FPS, while Medium averages 45 FPS and Ultra falls to 35 FPS. The data indicates a system that scales predictably with resolution, offering a wide range of settings at 1080p but requiring significant compromises at 4K.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the benchmark results show a clear hierarchy across presets. The Low preset delivers an average of 124 FPS, providing the highest headroom for high-refresh-rate displays. The Medium preset averages 88 FPS, with a minimum of 75 FPS and a maximum of 101 FPS, indicating consistent frame times. The High preset averages 78 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 68 FPS. All four presets at 1080p remain comfortably above the 60 FPS playable threshold, with the gap between Low and Ultra being 56 FPS, a substantial range that gives users flexibility.

At 2560x1440, the performance drops become more pronounced. The Low preset averages 94 FPS, still a strong result. The Medium preset averages 67 FPS, with a minimum of 57 FPS and a maximum of 77 FPS; the minimum dipping below 60 FPS suggests occasional stutters during intense scenes. The High preset averages 59 FPS, just missing the playable threshold, while the Ultra preset averages 52 FPS. The delta between Low and Ultra at this resolution is 42 FPS, showing that higher settings exact a heavier toll on the RTX 5050.

At 3840x2160, the results are starkly different. The Low preset averages 63 FPS, barely clearing the 60 FPS bar. The Medium preset averages 45 FPS, with a minimum of 38 FPS and a maximum of 52 FPS, indicating significant frame rate volatility. The High preset averages 40 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 35 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 28 FPS, but the absolute values are low enough that only the Low preset is genuinely playable. The minimum FPS data available only for Medium presets across all resolutions shows a consistent pattern: at 1080p Medium, the minimum is 75 FPS; at 1440p Medium, it is 57 FPS; and at 4K Medium, it is 38 FPS, illustrating how frame pacing degrades with resolution.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark data reveals that the GeForce RTX 5050 is the primary bottleneck across all resolutions, with the Intel Core i5-14600K providing ample headroom. This is evident from the scaling between presets at a fixed resolution. At 1920x1080, moving from Low to Ultra reduces the average FPS from 124 to 68, a 45% drop, which is a GPU-bound behavior; the CPU has no trouble feeding frames even at the highest settings. The same pattern holds at 2560x1440, where Low averages 94 FPS and Ultra averages 52 FPS, a 45% reduction.

The role of the CPU becomes more apparent when comparing performance between resolutions at the same preset. For the Low preset, the average FPS drops from 124 at 1080p to 94 at 1440p, a 24% reduction, and then to 63 at 4K, a further 33% reduction. This gradual decline indicates that the GPU is increasingly stressed as pixel count rises, while the CPU remains underutilized. At the Ultra preset, the averages are 68, 52, and 35 FPS for 1080p, 1440p, and 4K respectively, showing a steeper relative drop at higher resolutions, which confirms the GPU-bound nature of the workload.

Notably, the i5-14600K’s strong single-thread performance, evidenced by a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2064 and a Geekbench single-core score of 2491, ensures that it does not limit frame rates even at 1080p Low where the GPU is less taxed. The CPU’s 14 cores and 20 threads, with a boost clock of 5.30 GHz, provide far more compute capacity than Control requires at these settings. In summary, the data shows that users should focus GPU settings adjustments to improve FPS; CPU upgrades would yield negligible gains for this title.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset is the best choice, delivering an average of 68 FPS. This stays above the 60 FPS threshold while providing the highest visual fidelity. The High preset averages 78 FPS and the Medium preset averages 88 FPS, but since Ultra remains playable, it is the recommended setting for this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset is the most demanding option that maintains playability, averaging 67 FPS. The High preset falls to 59 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold, so it should be avoided for a consistent experience. The Low preset averages 94 FPS, but the Medium preset offers a better balance of visual quality and performance.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset is the only playable option, averaging 63 FPS. The Medium preset drops to 45 FPS, which is not smooth enough for most players. Even with the Low preset, the average FPS is only 3 FPS above the threshold, so users may experience occasional dips below 60 FPS during demanding scenes. For 4K gaming, this combo requires significant setting compromises.

FAQ

*Q: Can this combo run Control at 60 FPS on Ultra settings?*

A: Only at 1920x1080, where the Ultra preset averages 68 FPS. At 2560x1440, Ultra averages 52 FPS, and at 3840x2160, it averages 35 FPS, both below the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: What is the best preset at 2560x1440?

A: The Medium preset is the best playable option, averaging 67 FPS. The High preset averages 59 FPS, which is just below the playable threshold of 60 FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 5050 perform at 4K in this game?

A: The data shows limited capability. The Low preset averages 63 FPS, barely playable, while Medium averages 45 FPS, High averages 40 FPS, and Ultra averages 35 FPS.

*Q: Is the Intel Core i5-14600K a bottleneck for the RTX 5050 in Control?*

A: No. The performance scaling between resolutions and presets indicates the GPU is the limiting factor. The CPU’s strong single-core scores, such as 2064 in Cinebench R23, provide sufficient processing power.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded for the Medium preset across resolutions?

A: At 1920x1080, the minimum is 75 FPS; at 2560x1440, it is 57 FPS; and at 3840x2160, it is 38 FPS. The 1440p and 4K minimums fall below 60 FPS, indicating potential stutters.

Q: What frame rate can be expected at 1080p with Low settings?

A: The Low preset averages 124 FPS, which provides substantial headroom for high-refresh-rate monitors. The High preset still averages 78 FPS, so users have options.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For the CPU, the Intel Core i5-14600K has an average benchmark score of 48618, placing it in the 90th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks are the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H, with an average score of 48698 (0.2% higher), and the Intel Core Ultra 5 245, with an average score of 48995 (0.8% higher). The AMD EPYC 4345P scores 48470 (0.3% lower), and the Intel Core Ultra 5 245HX scores 48287 (0.7% lower). In practice, these processors would deliver nearly identical frame rates in Control, as the game is not CPU-bound with this class of hardware.

For the GPU, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 has an average benchmark score of 21035, placing it in the 66th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL, with an average score of 21153 (0.6% higher), and the AMD Radeon HD 8970M, with an average score of 21237 (1% higher). The AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT scores 20713 (1.6% lower), and the NVIDIA RTX A4000 Mobile scores 21379 (1.6% higher). Users with any of these GPUs should expect similar performance in Control, with the RTX 5050 sitting in the middle of this group. The close scores mean that the measured FPS results for the RTX 5050 are representative of what these alternatives would achieve, with minor variations of roughly 1-2%.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-14600K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 ranks 2296 out of 3720 tested combos for Control, placing it in the 38th percentile of all system configurations. This rank reflects the GPU’s mid-range positioning, as the CPU is a high-end part that does not constrain performance. The low ranking is primarily due to the RTX 5050’s performance class, which limits high-resolution and high-preset playability. The data shows that this combo is best suited for 1080p gaming with high settings or 1440p with medium settings, where it performs admirably. For 4K, the system falls short of delivering a consistently smooth experience, which drags down its overall standing relative to more powerful configurations. Users with this combo should prioritize resolution and preset selection based on the measured FPS data to achieve the best experience.