Control

The Intel Core i5-14600KF paired with the Intel Arc B570 presents a specific performance profile in Control, a game that is now several years old but still demanding at higher resolutions. The measured data provides a clear picture of where this combination excels and where it falls short of the 60 FPS target. This analysis breaks down the exact frame rates, optimal settings, and how this combo compares to other hardware configurations in the database.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The benchmark results for this CPU-GPU pairing show a clear progression of performance as resolution decreases and settings are lowered. At 3840x2160, the system struggles to maintain playable frame rates across all presets. The Low preset delivers an average of 51 FPS, which is the only configuration at 4K that approaches the playable threshold. The Medium preset averages 36 FPS, with a minimum of 31 FPS and a maximum of 42 FPS, indicating significant frame pacing issues. High settings drop the average to 32 FPS, while Ultra is the most demanding, yielding just 28 FPS on average. These numbers suggest the Arc B570 is heavily taxed at 4K, likely due to the combination of high pixel count and the game's rendering demands.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance improves considerably, though it remains inconsistent across presets. The Low preset achieves an average of 76 FPS, comfortably clearing the 60 FPS threshold. Medium settings produce an average of 54 FPS, with a minimum of 46 FPS and a maximum of 62 FPS, placing it just below the playable mark. High settings average 48 FPS, and Ultra drops to 42 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium is substantial—22 FPS—which indicates that the medium preset introduces significant additional GPU load, likely through increased texture quality and post-processing effects.

At 1920x1080, the combo finally shows its strengths. The Low preset delivers an impressive 101 FPS average, demonstrating that the Arc B570 has ample headroom at this resolution. Medium settings average 71 FPS, with a minimum of 61 FPS and a maximum of 82 FPS, which keeps the experience smooth even during intense combat sequences. High settings maintain an average of 63 FPS, just above the playable threshold. Ultra settings, however, drop to 55 FPS, falling short of the 60 FPS target. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p is notable: at High settings, the average drops from 63 FPS to 48 FPS, a 24% reduction, while at Low settings, the drop is from 101 FPS to 76 FPS, a 25% reduction. This consistent scaling suggests the GPU is the primary bottleneck at these resolutions, rather than the CPU.

Best Settings per Resolution

For each resolution, the most demanding preset that maintains an average of at least 60 FPS is the recommended choice. The data shows that this is achievable only at two of the three tested resolutions.

At 3840x2160, no preset clears the 60 FPS threshold. The best option is Low settings, which yields an average of 51 FPS. This falls short of the playable mark, meaning 4K gaming is not viable with this hardware combination in Control.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset is the only playable option, delivering an average of 76 FPS. This is the best settings choice, as Medium drops to 54 FPS, which is below the target. The 76 FPS average provides a 16 FPS cushion over the threshold, which should absorb most frame-time spikes during gameplay.

At 1920x1080, the High preset is the most demanding option that stays above 60 FPS, averaging 63 FPS. This provides a slim 3 FPS margin, so players may experience occasional dips below 60 FPS in heavy scenes. The Medium preset offers a more comfortable experience at 71 FPS, while Low reaches 101 FPS. For a balance of visual quality and performance, High is the recommended setting, but Medium is a safer choice if frame pacing is a concern.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The nearest rival data for both the CPU and GPU provides context for what other hardware would behave similarly in this game. The Core i5-14600KF has an average benchmark score of 49,394, placing it in the 90th percentile of all CPUs. Its closest competitor is the AMD Ryzen 9 7900, which scores 49,228, a difference of just 0.3%. This indicates that swapping the Intel chip for the Ryzen 9 7900 would result in nearly identical CPU-bound performance in Control. The AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G scores 49,196, just 0.4% behind, and the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 scores 48,995, 0.8% behind. The AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 388 scores 49,796, which is 0.8% ahead of the i5-14600KF, making it a marginally faster alternative.

On the GPU side, the Intel Arc B570 has an average benchmark score of 20,556, placing it in the 65th percentile of all GPUs. Its closest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile, which scores 20,534, a mere 0.1% difference. This means that a system with the RTX 3070 Mobile would produce nearly identical frame rates in Control. The Intel Arc A750 scores 20,582, just 0.1% ahead of the B570, making it a direct equivalent in terms of raw performance. The NVIDIA Quadro M4000M scores 20,480, 0.4% behind, and the AMD Radeon R9 M390X scores 20,662, 0.5% ahead. For practical purposes, all of these GPUs would deliver the same playable settings and FPS ranges as the Arc B570, assuming the CPU remains the same.

FAQ

Q: Can this PC run Control at 60 FPS on 1080p with High settings?

A: Yes, the measured data shows an average of 63 FPS at 1920x1080 with High settings. This clears the 60 FPS threshold, though the margin is slim at 3 FPS, so some scenes may dip slightly below.

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Control?

A: The highest resolution that allows for a playable experience is 2560x1440, but only with Low settings, which averages 76 FPS. At 1920x1080, High settings are playable at 63 FPS, and Medium settings provide a more comfortable 71 FPS.

Q: Why is 4K not viable for this system?

A: At 3840x2160, even the Low preset only achieves an average of 51 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS playable threshold. The Ultra preset drops to 28 FPS, indicating the GPU is fully saturated at this resolution.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B570 compare to the RTX 3070 Mobile in this game?

A: The two GPUs have nearly identical benchmark scores—20,556 for the Arc B570 and 20,534 for the RTX 3070 Mobile, a difference of 0.1%. In Control, expect the same FPS ranges and playable settings from both.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck at 1440p?

A: The scaling from 1080p to 1440p shows an approximate 25% drop in FPS at Low settings (from 101 to 76) and High settings (from 63 to 48). This consistent reduction indicates the GPU is the limiting factor, as the CPU would not show such uniform scaling.

Q: What is the best preset to use at 1080p for a stable experience?

A: Medium settings at 1920x1080 average 71 FPS with a minimum of 61 FPS, providing the best balance of visual fidelity and frame time stability. High settings also work but have a smaller margin above the 60 FPS threshold.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data reveals a clear division of labor between the Core i5-14600KF and the Arc B570 in Control. At 1080p, the CPU has sufficient headroom to feed the GPU, as evidenced by the high frame rates at Low settings (101 FPS). As settings increase to Medium and High, the FPS drops to 71 and 63, respectively, which is consistent with the GPU taking on more rendering work. The CPU, with its 14 cores and 20 threads, does not appear to be a limiting factor at this resolution, as even the most demanding preset (Ultra at 55 FPS) still shows GPU-bound behavior.

At 1440p, the GPU's role becomes more pronounced. The FPS at Low settings drops to 76, which is still above the playable threshold, but the jump to Medium causes a 22 FPS reduction to 54. This steep decline suggests that the Medium preset introduces effects that are particularly taxing on the Arc B570, such as higher-resolution textures or more complex lighting. The CPU's performance is sufficient to maintain the frame rate, as the i5-14600KF's high single-thread and multi-thread scores (4,594 in Cinebench R23 single-core and 32,544 in multi-core) indicate it can handle the game's logic and physics calculations without bottlenecking.

At 4K, the GPU is unequivocally the limiting factor. The difference between Low and Ultra settings is 23 FPS (51 vs 28), which is a much smaller percentage difference than at lower resolutions, implying the GPU is saturated regardless of preset. The CPU's role diminishes further, as the frame rate is entirely dependent on the Arc B570's ability to render pixels. The 10 GB of GDDR6 memory on the GPU may also be a factor at 4K, as the game's texture data could exceed this capacity, leading to the lower average FPS across all settings.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested hardware combinations for Control, this specific pairing of the Core i5-14600KF and Arc B570 ranks 2,995 out of 3,720 total combos. This places it in the bottom 20% of all tested systems, which is a surprising result given the individual component scores. The CPU ranks in the 90th percentile of all processors, while the GPU ranks in the 65th percentile, yet their combination lands in the 80th percentile of gaming performance for this title. This discrepancy highlights the GPU's dominant role in Control's performance profile. The rank suggests that while the CPU is powerful, the Arc B570's mid-range positioning limits overall frame rates, especially at higher resolutions. The measured FPS data confirms this: the system is only playable at 1080p with High or lower settings, and at 1440p with Low settings only. For a game released in 2019, this performance is below what many other combinations achieve, as evidenced by the fact that 725 other combos outperform it.

The Verdict

Based on the measured data, this PC can run Control, but with significant caveats depending on the target resolution. At 1920x1080, the system is fully playable at High settings, averaging 63 FPS, and offers even smoother performance at Medium (71 FPS) and Low (101 FPS). The Ultra preset at 1080p is not recommended, as it falls to 55 FPS, just below the 60 FPS threshold. At 2560x1440, only Low settings are playable, with an average of 76 FPS. Medium settings at 1440p drop to 54 FPS, which is below the playable mark, so players must sacrifice visual quality to maintain smooth gameplay. At 3840x2160, the system cannot achieve 60 FPS at any preset, with the best option being Low at 51 FPS, which is still below the threshold. The verdict is clear: for a consistent 60 FPS experience, 1080p with High settings is the maximum this combination can handle. For higher resolutions, the user must either lower settings significantly or accept frame rates below the playable threshold. The GPU is the primary constraint, and the CPU's considerable power is underutilized at 4K, where the Arc B570 becomes the limiting factor.