Control

The Intel Core i5-14600KF paired with the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT delivers a widely varied performance profile in Control, depending entirely on the resolution and quality preset selected. The measured data shows a clear pattern: this combination is fully capable of smooth gameplay at 1080p across all settings, becomes playable at 1440p with medium settings or lower, and only manages to stay above the 60 FPS threshold at 4K when the preset is dropped to Low. The benchmark results indicate that the system’s performance headroom shrinks rapidly as resolution increases, with the average frame rate dropping by roughly half when moving from 1080p Low to 4K High.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combination performs strongly across the board. With Low settings, the average frame rate reaches 121.7 FPS, which is the highest recorded value for this configuration. Moving up to Medium yields an average of 86.5 FPS, while High settings produce 76.9 FPS. The most demanding Ultra preset still maintains an average of 68.4 FPS, comfortably above the 60 FPS playability threshold. The scaling from Low to Ultra at this resolution represents a drop of 53.3 FPS, or roughly 44% of the Low-setting performance, indicating that the GPU is the primary constraint as settings are increased.

At 2560x1440, the average frame rates decline substantially. Low settings produce 93.2 FPS, which is still well above the playable mark. Medium settings average 64.4 FPS, just clearing the 60 FPS line. High settings fall to 59.6 FPS, barely missing the threshold, while Ultra drops further to 51.6 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra at this resolution is 41.6 FPS, a reduction of about 45%. The data shows that the transition from Medium to High is where the system crosses below the playable threshold, making Medium the highest playable preset at 1440p.

At 3840x2160, performance diminishes significantly. Low settings average 62.6 FPS, which is the only preset that remains playable. Medium settings average 43.3 FPS, High settings drop to 39 FPS, and Ultra falls to 35.9 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium at 4K is 19.3 FPS, which is a much larger relative jump than at lower resolutions. From Low to Ultra, the average frame rate declines by 26.7 FPS, or about 43%. These numbers indicate that the RX 7600 XT is heavily taxed at 4K, and only the least demanding settings allow for acceptable performance.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark results reveal how the balance between the Intel Core i5-14600KF and the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT shifts across resolutions. At 1920x1080, the CPU has more influence relative to the GPU, as the lower pixel count allows the graphics card to work at higher frame rates. The 121.7 FPS average at Low settings suggests that the CPU can feed frames quickly enough, but the drop to 68.4 FPS at Ultra shows that the GPU becomes the limiting factor as graphical load increases. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 1080p is steep, indicating that the GPU’s compute resources are the primary bottleneck at higher presets.

At 2560x1440, the GPU’s role becomes more pronounced. The frame rates at all settings are lower than at 1080p, with the gap between Low and Ultra remaining similar in percentage terms. The fact that High settings average 59.6 FPS while Medium averages 64.4 FPS suggests that the GPU is nearing its capacity at this resolution, and the CPU is no longer the main constraint. The data implies that the RX 7600 XT’s 16 GB of memory and 288.0 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for 1440p, but the shader and texture processing rates limit performance at higher quality settings.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is overwhelmingly the dominant factor. The average frame rates at all presets are well below those at lower resolutions, and even Low settings only produce 62.6 FPS. The 4K resolution demands significantly more pixel throughput, and the RX 7600 XT’s 176.3 GPixel/s pixel rate is insufficient to maintain high frame rates with quality settings above Low. The CPU’s performance, which ranks in the 90th percentile among all CPUs, is largely irrelevant here; the data shows that no amount of CPU headroom can compensate for the GPU’s limitations at 4K.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-14600KF and the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT ranks 2432 out of 3720 tested combinations in Control. This places the combo in the lower third of all configurations, which is consistent with the measured frame rates at higher resolutions. The rank reflects the GPU’s mid-tier standing; the RX 7600 XT sits in the 60th percentile among all GPUs, while the CPU is in the 90th percentile. The disparity between the two components’ percentile rankings suggests that the GPU is the limiting factor for this pairing in Control.

The combo’s rank is influenced by the fact that many other tested configurations likely include higher-end graphics cards that perform better at 1440p and 4K. The i5-14600KF’s strong CPU benchmarks — including a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32544 and a Geekbench single-core score of 2445 — do not translate into higher frame rates in Control when paired with a GPU that has a Passmark G3D score of 17132. The data indicates that the combo’s overall standing is dragged down by the GPU’s performance ceiling, particularly at resolutions above 1080p.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Based on the nearest rivals for each component, there are several alternative configurations that would behave similarly in Control. The CPU’s closest rival is the AMD Ryzen 9 7900, which has an average benchmark score of 49228 versus the i5-14600KF’s 49394, a difference of only 0.3%. The AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G is also within 0.4%, and the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 is 0.8% behind. On the GPU side, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 has an average score of 17208, which is 0.7% higher than the RX 7600 XT’s 17083. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690 is 0.3% lower, and the AMD Radeon HD 7970M is 0.4% lower.

For a similar performance profile, swapping the CPU to a Ryzen 9 7900 or an Intel Core Ultra 5 245 would yield nearly identical results, as the deltaPct values are all under 1%. The GPU alternatives are more interesting: the RTX 3070 would provide slightly better performance, likely pushing the 1440p High preset from 59.6 FPS to just above the 60 FPS threshold, while the GTX 690 or HD 7970M would be marginally slower. The data suggests that the i5-14600KF has ample headroom, so any of these CPU substitutes would not change the frame rates in Control. The GPU choice is the critical factor, and the RTX 3070 is the closest reasonable upgrade among the listed rivals.

FAQ

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

A: Yes. The average frame rate at 1920x1080 with Ultra settings is 68.4 FPS, which exceeds the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Q: What is the best preset for 1440p that stays above 60 FPS?

A: Medium settings at 2560x1440 produce an average of 64.4 FPS, making it the highest quality preset that remains playable at this resolution.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rival?

A: The Intel Core i5-14600KF has an average benchmark score of 49394, which is 0.3% higher than the AMD Ryzen 9 7900’s score of 49228, indicating nearly identical CPU performance.

Q: Is the GPU or CPU the bottleneck at 4K?

A: The data shows the GPU is the limiting factor at 3840x2160. Even with Low settings, the average frame rate is only 62.6 FPS, and the CPU’s high percentile ranking does not compensate for the GPU’s limited pixel throughput.

Q: What GPU alternative would perform slightly better?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 has an average benchmark score of 17208, which is 0.7% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT’s score of 17083, suggesting it would provide a marginal performance increase.

Q: What is the combo’s rank among all tested configurations?

A: This CPU and GPU combination ranks 2432 out of 3720 tested combos in Control, placing it in the lower third of all configurations.

The Verdict

This PC can run Control, but the playable settings depend heavily on the target resolution. At 1920x1080, the system clears the 60 FPS threshold at all four presets, with Ultra averaging 68.4 FPS. At 2560x1440, only Low and Medium settings achieve playable frame rates, with Medium averaging 64.4 FPS and High falling just short at 59.6 FPS. At 3840x2160, only Low settings are playable, averaging 62.6 FPS; Medium drops to 43.3 FPS and Ultra to 35.9 FPS. The data clearly shows that this combination is best suited for 1080p gaming, where it offers a comfortable margin above the playability threshold at maximum quality. For 1440p, users must accept Medium settings or lower, and 4K requires significant compromises to maintain smooth gameplay.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, which achieves an average frame rate of 68.4 FPS. At 2560x1440, the best playable preset is Medium, with an average of 64.4 FPS; High settings fall below the threshold at 59.6 FPS. At 3840x2160, the only playable preset is Low, which produces an average of 62.6 FPS. These settings represent the optimal balance between visual quality and performance for this hardware combination, based on the measured data.