Control

The Intel Core i7-14700F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 delivers a commanding performance in Control, with benchmark data showing this combination clearing the 60 FPS threshold at every resolution and preset tested. The measured results place this combo at rank 170 out of 3720 tested configurations, positioning it in the top 5% of all systems evaluated for this title. Across all three resolutions—1920x1080, 2560x1440, and 3840x2160—the average frame rates range from a low of 73 FPS at 4K Ultra to a high of 262 FPS at 1080p Low, indicating substantial headroom for high-refresh-rate displays and demanding visual settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the RTX 5080 produces exceptional frame rates that scale predictably with settings. The Low preset delivers an average of 262 FPS, while Medium reaches 186.4 FPS. High settings yield 167.6 FPS, and Ultra—the most demanding preset—still maintains an average of 141.5 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 120.5 FPS, representing a 46% performance drop from the lowest to the highest quality setting, which is typical for a GPU-bound scenario at this resolution.

Moving to 2560x1440 introduces a noticeable but manageable reduction in performance. The Low preset averages 199.8 FPS, a 62.2 FPS decrease from 1080p Low. Medium settles at 144.1 FPS, High at 127.8 FPS, and Ultra at 107.5 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p shows an average reduction of approximately 30-35% across all presets, consistent with the increased pixel count of 78% more pixels. The Ultra preset at 1440p still exceeds 100 FPS, demonstrating that the combination handles high-refresh-rate 1440p gaming without compromise.

At 3840x2160, the performance remains robust but shows the expected impact of 4K rendering. The Low preset averages 132.2 FPS, Medium drops to 92.7 FPS, and High maintains 86 FPS. The Ultra preset, which imposes the heaviest load, still achieves an average of 73 FPS—comfortably above the 60 FPS playability threshold. The transition from 1440p to 4K reduces frame rates by 34-40% depending on the preset, with the largest absolute drop occurring at Low settings (67.6 FPS decrease) and the smallest at Ultra (34.5 FPS decrease).

The data reveals that the RTX 5080 scales efficiently with resolution changes. At 1080p, the CPU becomes more relevant in determining maximum frame rates, as evidenced by the 262 FPS Low result. At 4K, the GPU's rendering workload dominates, yet the card still delivers 132 FPS at Low and 73 FPS at Ultra, showing no signs of bottlenecking in either direction.

CPU and GPU Roles

The Intel Core i7-14700F, with its 20 cores and 28 threads, provides ample processing power to feed the RTX 5080 at lower resolutions. The benchmark results indicate that at 1920x1080, the CPU's influence is more pronounced, as frame rates reach 262 FPS at Low settings—a value that approaches the practical ceiling for many games. The 20-core design, featuring a boost clock of 5.40 GHz, ensures that even the highest frame rates are not constrained by processor limitations, though the gap between Low (262 FPS) and Medium (186.4 FPS) at 1080p suggests some CPU involvement at the lowest preset.

As resolution increases, the GPU's role becomes dominant. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p shows a 24% reduction in frame rates at Low settings (262 to 199.8 FPS) and a 24% reduction at Ultra (141.5 to 107.5 FPS). This consistent scaling indicates that the RTX 5080 is the primary performance driver at these resolutions, with the CPU maintaining sufficient headroom to avoid becoming a bottleneck.

At 3840x2160, the GPU workload increases dramatically, yet the frame rate drops from 1440p are relatively uniform across presets—around 34% at Low, 36% at Medium, 33% at High, and 32% at Ultra. This pattern confirms that the RTX 5080's rendering capabilities, including its 16 GB of GDDR7 memory and 960.0 GB/s bandwidth, are the limiting factor at 4K, not the processor. The i7-14700F's 33 MB of shared L3 cache and high single-thread performance (4958 in Cinebench R23) ensure that even at 4K Ultra, the GPU receives enough draw calls and physics data to maintain 73 FPS.

The benchmark data supports a clear division of labor: the CPU excels at maintaining high frame rates at 1080p and 1440p, while the GPU determines performance at 4K. The i7-14700F's passmark multithread score of 41317 and single-thread score of 4257 indicate strong balanced performance, which allows the RTX 5080 to operate at full capacity without starvation at any resolution.

FAQ

Q: Can this PC run Control at 4K Ultra settings above 60 FPS?

A: Yes. The measured average FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings is 73 FPS, which exceeds the 60 FPS playability threshold by 13 FPS. This is the most demanding preset tested, and it still delivers smooth performance.

Q: What is the best settings preset for 1440p gaming?

A: At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset achieves 107.5 FPS average, which is the highest quality setting tested and remains well above 60 FPS. This makes Ultra the recommended choice for 1440p displays, providing both visual fidelity and high frame rates.

Q: How does the performance scale between 1080p and 4K?

A: The average frame rate drops by approximately 50-55% when moving from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 across all presets. For example, High settings go from 167.6 FPS at 1080p to 86 FPS at 4K, a 48.7% reduction. This scaling is consistent with the 4x increase in pixel count.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the CPU's role is more significant, as evidenced by the 262 FPS result at Low settings. The i7-14700F's 20 cores and 5.40 GHz boost clock are sufficient to drive frame rates beyond typical display refresh rates, but the GPU still handles the majority of rendering work.

Q: Does the RTX 5080 support all DirectX 12 features needed for Control?

A: Yes. The GPU supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), which includes all features required by Control. The benchmark results confirm full compatibility across all presets and resolutions.

Q: What frame rate can I expect at 4K with Low settings?

A: At 3840x2160 with Low settings, the average FPS is 132.2. This is more than double the playability threshold, making it suitable for high-refresh-rate 4K monitors if you prioritize performance over visual quality.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i7-14700F + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 combination holds rank 170 out of 3720 tested combos for Control, placing it in the 95.4 percentile of all configurations. This ranking reflects the strong synergy between the 20-core processor and the Blackwell-architecture GPU. The CPU's average benchmark score of 53620 places it in the 91st percentile among all CPUs, while the GPU's average score of 56083 places it in the 87th percentile among all GPUs. The combination of two high-performing components results in a system that ranks significantly higher than the individual percentiles might suggest, indicating efficient pairing without notable bottlenecks.

In practical terms, this rank means the combo outperforms 3550 other tested configurations. The data shows that this system is better suited for high-resolution gaming than many alternatives, as the 4K Ultra result of 73 FPS is substantially above the 60 FPS threshold. The ranking also reflects the GPU's capability to handle the game's physics-based destruction and particle effects, which are computationally intensive. The i7-14700F's Cinebench R23 multicore score of 35122 ensures that CPU-bound scenarios, such as large-scale environmental interactions, do not drag down overall performance.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For the CPU side, the nearest rivals to the Intel Core i7-14700F include the Intel Xeon 6505P with an average score of 53701 (0.2% lower), the Intel Xeon Phi 7290 at 53469 (0.3% higher), the AMD Ryzen 9 7900X at 53288 (0.6% higher), and the AMD EPYC 7313P at 53206 (0.8% higher). These processors would deliver nearly identical gaming performance in Control, with differences well within margin of error. The AMD Ryzen 9 7900X is particularly relevant for gaming builds, offering similar multicore performance while potentially drawing less power in some workloads.

For the GPU side, the RTX 5080's nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon 8060S with an average score of 55757 (0.6% lower), the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB at 55698 (0.7% lower), the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X at 54828 (2.3% lower), and the AMD Radeon RX 9070 GRE at 57367 (2.2% higher). The Radeon RX 9070 GRE offers slightly higher benchmark scores, which could translate to marginally better frame rates in Control, though the difference is unlikely to exceed a few FPS at any resolution. The Radeon 8060S and RX 6750 GRE 12 GB are close enough that users would not notice a practical difference in gameplay.

When considering alternative combinations, pairing the i7-14700F with the Radeon RX 9070 GRE would likely yield nearly identical results, as the GPU's 2.2% higher average score suggests a potential improvement of 1-2 FPS at 4K Ultra. Conversely, using the Xeon 6505P with the RTX 5080 would produce essentially the same performance, as the CPU difference is negligible for this title.

The Verdict

This system can run Control at all tested resolutions and presets, with every configuration exceeding the 60 FPS playability threshold. At 1920x1080, the lowest average FPS is 141.5 (Ultra), which is 2.4x the threshold, making it ideal for 240Hz monitors. At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset achieves 107.5 FPS, comfortably above 60 FPS and suitable for 144Hz displays. At 3840x2160, even the most demanding Ultra settings maintain 73 FPS, clearing the threshold with 13 FPS of headroom. The 4K Low preset reaches 132.2 FPS, which is competitive with many high-refresh-rate 4K gaming scenarios.

The verdict by resolution confirms full playability: all four presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra) are playable at every resolution. The best settings for each resolution are Ultra, as the GPU has sufficient headroom to run the highest quality preset while staying above 60 FPS. The data shows no scenario where this combo dips below the playability threshold, making it a definitive recommendation for Control at any display resolution up to 4K.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the best settings are Ultra with an average FPS of 141.5. This is the most demanding preset and still provides frame rates suitable for high-refresh-rate gaming, with 81.5 FPS of headroom above the 60 FPS threshold.

At 2560x1440, the best settings are Ultra with an average FPS of 107.5. This configuration delivers a 47.5 FPS margin above the threshold, ensuring smooth gameplay while maximizing visual quality. The jump from High (127.8 FPS) to Ultra (107.5 FPS) costs 20.3 FPS but provides the full range of graphical enhancements.

At 3840x2160, the best settings are Ultra with an average FPS of 73. This is the only resolution where the margin above 60 FPS narrows to 13 FPS, but it remains fully playable. For users who prefer additional headroom, High settings at 86 FPS or Medium at 92.7 FPS offer alternative options, but Ultra is confirmed as the optimal choice for visual fidelity. The 4K Ultra result of 73 FPS demonstrates that the RTX 5080's 16 GB VRAM and 960.0 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient to handle the game's highest quality textures and effects without compromising performance.