Control

The combination of the Intel Core i7-14700F and the AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT delivers a highly capable 1080p experience in Control, with performance scaling predictably as resolution increases. Benchmark data indicates that this pairing is firmly positioned for high-refresh-rate gaming at 1920x1080, remains comfortably playable at 2560x1440 with adjusted settings, and struggles to maintain smooth frame rates at 3840x2160 except on the lowest preset. The analysis below breaks down the measured performance, contextualizes the hardware within its peer group, and provides clear guidance on the optimal settings for each resolution tier.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The Intel Core i7-14700F holds an average benchmark score of 53,620, placing it in the 91st percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest performance rivals, based on aggregate benchmark scores, include the Intel Xeon 6505P, which scores 53,701 and is effectively tied with a delta of -0.2%, and the Intel Xeon Phi 7290, which scores 53,469 with a delta of 0.3%. The AMD Ryzen 9 7900X is also a close competitor, scoring 53,288 with a delta of 0.6%, followed by the AMD EPYC 7313P at 53,206 with a delta of 0.8%. These results show that the i7-14700F sits in a tightly contested performance band where differences of less than 1% separate it from its nearest rivals, meaning users upgrading from any of these processors would see virtually identical CPU-bound performance in Control.

On the graphics side, the AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT achieves an average benchmark score of 19,765, placing it in the 65th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals are the NVIDIA Tesla K40m, which scores 19,885 with a delta of -0.6%, and the AMD FirePro W7000, which scores 19,905 with a delta of -0.7%. The AMD FirePro D300 scores 19,637 with a delta of 0.7%, while the NVIDIA Quadro K5200 scores 19,602 with a delta of 0.8%. These professional-grade workstation cards exhibit nearly identical rasterization performance to the RX 6650 XT, though they lack the modern feature set and driver optimizations for gaming. The data suggests that in raw compute terms, the RX 6650 XT is surrounded by older workstation hardware, but its architectural advantages in gaming workloads make it the more practical choice for Control.

CPU and GPU Roles

Understanding which component limits performance in Control requires examining the scaling of frame rates across resolutions and presets. At 1920x1080, the difference between Low and Ultra settings is substantial, with average FPS dropping from 125.9 to 71.0. This 54.9 FPS gap indicates that the GPU is the primary bottleneck at this resolution, as the CPU has ample headroom to feed frames quickly. The i7-14700F, with its 20 cores and 28 threads, provides more than enough processing power to avoid becoming a limiting factor at 1080p, even at high frame rates.

As resolution increases to 2560x1440, the GPU's role becomes more pronounced. The average FPS at High settings drops to 61.3, while Ultra falls to 53.4. The scaling from 1080p High (79.8 FPS) to 1440p High (61.3 FPS) represents a 23.2% reduction in frame rate, which is consistent with the increased pixel count demanding more from the GPU. At 3840x2160, the GPU is clearly the dominant constraint. The average FPS at High settings plummets to 40.4, and Ultra yields only 35.7 FPS. The CPU's influence diminishes further at 4K, as the RX 6650 XT's 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 128-bit bus width struggle to keep up with the rendering load.

The data shows that the i7-14700F is never the limiting factor in this pairing for Control. Even at the lowest preset and highest frame rate (125.9 FPS at 1080p Low), the CPU's performance headroom is sufficient. The RX 6650 XT dictates the playable settings at each resolution, with its 10.79 TFLOPS of FP32 compute and 64 ROPs determining the ceiling for visual fidelity.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured frame rates for this combination in Control are as follows:

3840x2160 (4K):

• Low: 62.2 average FPS
• Medium: 46.0 average FPS
• High: 40.4 average FPS
• Ultra: 35.7 average FPS

2560x1440 (1440p):

• Low: 93.3 average FPS
• Medium: 68.1 average FPS
• High: 61.3 average FPS
• Ultra: 53.4 average FPS

1920x1080 (1080p):

• Low: 125.9 average FPS
• Medium: 85.8 average FPS
• High: 79.8 average FPS
• Ultra: 71.0 average FPS

The performance degradation from Low to Ultra is consistent across all resolutions. At 1080p, the drop from Low to Ultra is 43.6%, while at 1440p it is 42.8%, and at 4K it is 42.6%. This uniformity indicates that the game's preset scaling affects the GPU workload in a linear fashion, without any unexpected bottlenecks. The largest single-step drop occurs between Low and Medium at 1080p, where average FPS falls by 40.1 FPS, suggesting that the Medium preset introduces significant rendering features that heavily tax the GPU.

At 4K, only the Low preset manages to stay above the 60 FPS threshold, while Medium and above fall well below playable levels. At 1440p, Low, Medium, and High all exceed 60 FPS, with Ultra being the only setting that dips below. At 1080p, all four presets clear 60 FPS, with even Ultra maintaining a healthy 71.0 FPS average.

FAQ

*Q: Can this PC run Control at 60 FPS on High settings at 1920x1080?*

A: Yes. The measured average FPS at 1080p High is 79.8, which is comfortably above the 60 FPS playability threshold. The system has sufficient headroom to handle demanding scenes without dropping below playable levels.

Q: What is the best preset for 2560x1440 gaming?

A: High is the most demanding preset that remains playable at 1440p, delivering an average of 61.3 FPS. Ultra falls below the threshold at 53.4 FPS, while Medium and Low provide higher frame rates of 68.1 and 93.3 FPS respectively.

Q: Is 4K gaming viable with this hardware?

A: Only at the Low preset, which achieves an average of 62.2 FPS. Medium (46.0 FPS), High (40.4 FPS), and Ultra (35.7 FPS) all fall short of the 60 FPS target, making them unsuitable for smooth gameplay at 3840x2160.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from 1080p to 1440p at the same settings?

A: At High settings, the average FPS drops from 79.8 at 1080p to 61.3 at 1440p, a reduction of 18.5 FPS. At Ultra, the drop is from 71.0 to 53.4, a reduction of 17.6 FPS. This scaling indicates that the GPU is the primary bottleneck as resolution increases.

Q: Does the CPU limit performance in any scenario?

A: The data does not indicate CPU limitation. The i7-14700F's high multi-threaded performance, evidenced by its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 35,122 and Geekbench multi-core score of 19,620, ensures that frame rates are consistently GPU-bound across all tested resolutions and presets.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Medium and High at 1440p?

A: Medium delivers 68.1 FPS, while High delivers 61.3 FPS, a difference of 6.8 FPS. This small gap suggests that High offers a meaningful visual upgrade for a modest performance cost at this resolution.

The Verdict

This PC configuration can run Control at playable frame rates across most resolution and preset combinations, with clear limitations at 4K. At 1920x1080, all presets—Low, Medium, High, and Ultra—exceed the 60 FPS threshold, with Ultra achieving 71.0 FPS and Low reaching 125.9 FPS. This makes 1080p the ideal resolution for this hardware, offering smooth gameplay even at maximum visual quality.

At 2560x1440, the system remains highly capable, with Low (93.3 FPS), Medium (68.1 FPS), and High (61.3 FPS) all clearing the 60 FPS bar. Ultra falls short at 53.4 FPS, making it unsuitable for those who demand a locked 60 FPS experience. At 3840x2160, only the Low preset is playable, with an average of 62.2 FPS. Medium, High, and Ultra all fall below 60 FPS, meaning 4K gaming requires significant compromises in visual fidelity.

The overall verdict is that this combination is a strong 1080p and capable 1440p gaming system for Control, but it is not a 4K solution except at the lowest settings.

Best Settings per Resolution

For each resolution, the most demanding preset that maintains an average of at least 60 FPS is as follows:

3840x2160 (4K): Low is the only playable preset, achieving an average of 62.2 FPS. Medium falls to 46.0 FPS, so Low is the recommended setting for 4K.

2560x1440 (1440p): High is the best playable preset, with an average of 61.3 FPS. Ultra drops to 53.4 FPS, so High provides the best balance of visual quality and performance at this resolution.

1920x1080 (1080p): Ultra is the best playable preset, delivering an average of 71.0 FPS. This is the recommended setting for 1080p, as it offers maximum visual quality while maintaining a comfortable margin above the 60 FPS threshold.

These settings represent the highest fidelity options that keep the average frame rate at or above 60 FPS, ensuring smooth gameplay without dropping below the playability threshold.

How This Combo Ranks

In the benchmark database for Control, this specific combination of the Intel Core i7-14700F and AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT ranks 2,267th out of 3,720 tested combinations. This places the system in the upper half of all tested hardware configurations, specifically in the 60.9th percentile of all combos. The ranking reflects the GPU's 65th percentile standing among all GPUs and the CPU's 91st percentile among all CPUs, with the overall system performance being constrained primarily by the graphics card.

The rank indicates that while the CPU is exceptionally capable, the RX 6650 XT holds the system back from higher positions in the database. Many combinations with more powerful GPUs will outperform this setup, but the data shows that this pairing still delivers a solid experience in Control at 1080p and 1440p. The 2,267th rank out of 3,720 means that roughly 39% of tested combinations perform better, while 61% perform worse, confirming that this is a mid-to-upper-tier configuration for this game.