Control

The Intel Core i5-14600KF paired with the AMD Radeon RX 9060 presents a compelling mid-range combination for Control, a 2019 Action Adventure title. Benchmark data shows this system is capable of delivering smooth gameplay at 1080p and 1440p, but it encounters significant challenges at 4K resolution. The CPU is a high-performance desktop part with a 90th percentile ranking against all processors, while the GPU sits at the 59th percentile against all graphics cards, indicating a substantial performance gap between the two components. This analysis breaks down the measured performance, component roles, and overall viability of this combo for running the game.

FAQ

Q: What is the overall performance ranking of this CPU and GPU combo for Control?

A: The combo ranks 2152nd out of 3720 tested combinations for this game, placing it in the lower-middle portion of the database. This rank reflects the significant bottleneck created by the GPU, which is far less powerful than the CPU.

Q: Can this system achieve 60 FPS at 2560x1440 resolution?

A: Yes, the data shows that at 1440p, the High, Medium, and Low presets all average above the 60 FPS playable threshold. The High preset achieves an average of 62 FPS, while the Medium preset averages 70 FPS, making them viable options for a 60Hz display.

Q: Is the Ultra preset playable at 1920x1080?

A: Yes, at 1080p, the Ultra preset is the best playable setting, delivering an average of 71 FPS. This is the only resolution where the Ultra preset clears the 60 FPS threshold, as it falls to 54 FPS at 1440p and 36 FPS at 4K.

Q: How does the Radeon RX 9060 compare to its nearest rival, the RTX 3060 Ti?

A: The RX 9060's average benchmark score is 16014, while the RTX 3060 Ti scores 16129. This makes the RX 9060 approximately 0.7% slower than the RTX 3060 Ti, indicating nearly identical performance levels in synthetic benchmarks.

Q: What is the best playable setting at 3840x2160 resolution?

A: At 4K, the only playable setting is Low, which achieves an average of 66 FPS. All other presets—Medium, High, and Ultra—fall below the 60 FPS threshold, with averages of 47, 42, and 36 FPS respectively.

Q: Does the Core i5-14600KF have a performance advantage over the Ryzen 9 7900?

A: The Core i5-14600KF has an average benchmark score of 49394, which is 0.3% higher than the Ryzen 9 7900's score of 49228. This indicates the two CPUs perform nearly identically in overall processing tasks.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark results clearly indicate that the AMD Radeon RX 9060 is the primary limiting factor in this system for Control. The Intel Core i5-14600KF is a high-end processor with a 90th percentile ranking among all CPUs, while the GPU's 59th percentile ranking shows it is a decidedly mid-range part. This imbalance becomes evident when examining the frame rate scaling across resolutions. At 1920x1080, the GPU can push an average of 130 FPS on Low settings, but this drops to 82 FPS on High and 71 FPS on Ultra, showing a clear dependence on graphics load.

As resolution increases, the GPU's workload intensifies, and the performance gap between presets widens. At 2560x1440, the Low preset still manages 98 FPS, but High and Ultra drop to 62 and 54 FPS respectively. The trend culminates at 3840x2160, where even the Medium preset can only muster 47 FPS, and the High and Ultra presets fall to 42 and 36 FPS. This scaling pattern demonstrates that the GPU is saturated at higher resolutions, and the CPU's substantial headroom—evidenced by its 32544 Cinebench R23 multi-core score—is not being utilized to its full potential in this scenario.

The data suggests that at 1080p, the CPU and GPU work in better balance, allowing the system to hit high frame rates. However, the GPU becomes the clear bottleneck at 1440p and especially at 4K, where its 8 GB of VRAM and 288.0 GB/s of memory bandwidth are insufficient to maintain high preset performance. The CPU's role is largely static across resolutions, as its processing power is more than adequate for the game's physics and logic; the GPU's rendering capabilities are what determine playability at each setting.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Core i5-14600KF and Radeon RX 9060 achieves a rank of 2152 out of 3720 tested combos for Control, placing it in the 58th percentile of all tested systems. This ranking is heavily influenced by the GPU's mid-range standing, as the CPU is in the top 10% of all processors. The substantial gap between the CPU's 90th percentile and the GPU's 59th percentile creates a system that is unbalanced for this title, as the GPU's performance ceiling prevents the combo from climbing higher in the rankings.

When compared to other potential pairings, this combo's rank suggests that many systems with more balanced CPU-GPU pairings will outperform it. The data indicates that the GPU is the primary driver of this ranking, as its performance in DirectX 12 benchmarks (a score of 44 in Passmark) and its overall average score of 16014 are modest. The CPU's contribution to the ranking is likely minimal, as its high multi-threaded performance, such as a Passmark multi-thread score of 38697, is not the limiting factor in this game. The rank of 2152 implies that a user would need to significantly upgrade the GPU to see a meaningful improvement in Control performance, as the CPU is already well-positioned to support a more powerful graphics card.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For the CPU, the nearest rivals are all within a 1% performance delta, meaning users would see virtually identical frame rates in Control. The AMD Ryzen 9 7900 has an average score of 49228, which is 0.3% lower than the i5-14600KF's 49394. The AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G and Intel Core Ultra 5 245 are 0.4% and 0.8% slower respectively. The AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 388 is the only rival that is faster, with a score of 49796, representing a 0.8% advantage. Any of these CPUs would pair with the RX 9060 in a nearly identical manner, as the GPU would remain the bottleneck.

On the GPU side, the performance landscape is similarly tight. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is the closest competitor, with an average score of 16129, making it 0.7% faster than the RX 9060's 16014. This means a system with an RTX 3060 Ti would deliver essentially the same frame rates, with perhaps 1-2 FPS difference at most settings. The AMD Radeon R9 370X and RX 7700 are 1% slower, and the Radeon Pro W5500 is 2.1% slower. These alternatives would all produce playable results at 1080p and 1440p with similar preset limitations, but none would meaningfully change the 4K experience, where the GPU's 8 GB memory capacity and bandwidth constraints remain the primary obstacle.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its strongest performance. The Low preset averages 130 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold. The Medium preset averages 92 FPS, with a minimum of 78 FPS and a maximum of 106 FPS, showing consistent frame pacing. The High preset averages 82 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 71 FPS. All four settings at 1080p are playable, with the Ultra preset being the most demanding but still clearing the 60 FPS bar.

Moving to 2560x1440, performance drops noticeably. The Low preset averages 98 FPS, which remains highly playable. The Medium preset averages 70 FPS, with a minimum of 59 FPS and a maximum of 80 FPS, meaning the minimum can dip just below the 60 FPS threshold during intense scenes. The High preset averages 62 FPS, which is just above the playable mark, but the Ultra preset falls to 54 FPS, making it unplayable by the 60 FPS standard.

At 3840x2160, the GPU struggles significantly. The Low preset is the only playable option, averaging 66 FPS. The Medium preset averages 47 FPS, with a minimum of 40 FPS and a maximum of 54 FPS, indicating a challenging experience. The High preset averages 42 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 36 FPS, both of which are far from playable. The frame rate drops from Low to Ultra at 4K represent a 45% reduction, highlighting the GPU's inability to handle high graphical loads at this resolution.

The Verdict

This PC can run Control effectively, but the experience is highly dependent on resolution and settings. At 1920x1080, the system is fully capable, with all four presets—Low, Medium, High, and Ultra—clearing the 60 FPS threshold. The Ultra preset is the best choice here, providing an average of 71 FPS for the highest visual quality. At 2560x1440, the system remains viable, with the High, Medium, and Low presets all playable. The High preset is the recommended setting, averaging 62 FPS, though users may prefer the Medium preset for its higher 70 FPS average and more consistent minimum frame rate of 59 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the system is only marginally playable, with the Low preset being the sole option that averages above 60 FPS at 66 FPS. All other 4K presets fail to reach playable status, with the Medium preset averaging 47 FPS and the Ultra preset dropping to 36 FPS. The data clearly shows that the Radeon RX 9060 is the limiting factor, as its 8 GB VRAM and 288.0 GB/s bandwidth are insufficient for high-fidelity 4K gaming in Control. For users targeting 4K, this combination is not recommended; however, for 1080p and 1440p gaming, this system provides a smooth and enjoyable experience, with the CPU ensuring no processing bottlenecks.