Control

The Intel Core i7-14700K paired with the AMD Radeon RX 9060 delivers a playable experience in Control at 1080p and 1440p, with the data indicating that 4K requires a settings reduction to maintain smooth gameplay. Benchmark results position this combo at rank 2152 out of 3720 tested configurations, placing it in the 58th percentile of all tested pairings for this title. The measured frame rates show a clear hierarchy across resolutions and presets, with the CPU and GPU roles shifting depending on the workload.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest preset that maintains an average FPS above 60 at 1920x1080?

A: At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset achieves an average of 71 FPS, which is the most demanding setting that clears the 60 FPS playable threshold. High and Medium presets also exceed 60 FPS with averages of 82 and 92 FPS respectively.

Q: Can this system run Control at 2560x1440 with maximum settings?

A: No, at 2560x1440 the Ultra preset delivers only 54 FPS on average, which falls below the 60 FPS playable threshold. The highest playable preset at this resolution is High, which averages 62 FPS.

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

A: The RX 9060 has an average benchmark score of 16014, while the RTX 3060 Ti scores 16129, a delta of -0.7%. This indicates nearly identical overall GPU performance between the two cards.

Q: What is the performance difference between the i7-14700K and the Ryzen 9 7950X?

A: The i7-14700K has an average benchmark score of 69355, while the Ryzen 9 7950X scores 69515, representing a delta of -0.2%. The two CPUs are effectively tied in synthetic benchmarks.

Q: At 3840x2160, what are the average FPS values for Low, Medium, and High settings?

A: At 4K, the Low preset averages 66 FPS, Medium averages 47 FPS (with a minimum of 40 and maximum of 54), and High averages 42 FPS. The Ultra preset drops to 36 FPS.

Q: What is the frame rate range for the Medium preset at 1920x1080?

A: At 1080p Medium, the average FPS is 92, with a minimum of 78 FPS and a maximum of 106 FPS, indicating a stable frame delivery with no drops below the playable threshold.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark data reveals a shifting balance between CPU and GPU workload depending on resolution and preset. At 1920x1080, the system shows strong scaling from Low to Ultra: 130 FPS at Low, 92 FPS at Medium, 82 FPS at High, and 71 FPS at Ultra. The performance gap between Low and Ultra is 59 FPS, representing a 45% reduction in frame rate as visual demands increase. This scaling pattern indicates that the GPU is the primary bottleneck even at lower resolutions, as the i7-14700K's 20 cores and 28 threads provide ample headroom for the game's physics and logic systems.

Moving to 2560x1440, the scaling becomes more pronounced: 98 FPS at Low, 70 FPS at Medium, 62 FPS at High, and 54 FPS at Ultra. The difference between Low and Ultra here is 44 FPS, or a 45% drop, which mirrors the 1080p pattern. However, the absolute frame rates are lower across all presets, suggesting that pixel throughput is increasingly taxing the RX 9060. The 1440p Medium preset shows a minimum of 59 FPS, just below the 60 FPS threshold, while High maintains an average of 62 FPS with headroom.

At 3840x2160, the GPU becomes unequivocally the limiting factor. The average FPS drops to 66 at Low, 47 at Medium, 42 at High, and 36 at Ultra. The scaling from Low to Ultra represents a 45% reduction in performance, consistent with the other resolutions. The 4K data shows that only the Low preset clears 60 FPS, and even that is marginal at 66 FPS. The CPU's role at 4K is minimal, as the RX 9060's 8 GB GDDR6 memory and 128-bit bus interface struggle to feed the pixel pipeline at higher settings.

The data suggests that the CPU matters most at lower resolutions and settings where frame rates are higher. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 130 FPS, a rate that would stress any CPU's ability to submit draw calls. The i7-14700K's 5.60 GHz boost clock and 33 MB L3 cache keep this workload manageable. As resolution increases, the GPU's pixel fill rate and memory bandwidth become the dominant factors, which is why the frame rates compress across presets at 4K.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i7-14700K + AMD Radeon RX 9060 combination ranks 2152 out of 3720 tested combos for Control, placing it in the 58th percentile of all configurations. This mid-pack ranking reflects the balanced nature of the pairing: the CPU is a high-end part, but the GPU sits in the lower-mid range relative to other tested cards. The combo's ranking suggests that while the system can run the game, it does not deliver class-leading performance.

The i7-14700K itself ranks in the 94th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 69355. Its nearest rivals include the AMD EPYC 9115 (score 69288, delta 0.1%), AMD Ryzen 9 7950X (score 69515, delta -0.2%), AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX (score 69875, delta -0.7%), and AMD Ryzen 7 9700F (score 69996, delta -0.9%). These deltas are all within 1% of the i7-14700K, indicating that CPU performance is not a differentiator in this pairing.

The RX 9060, in contrast, ranks in the 59th percentile of all GPUs with an average benchmark score of 16014. Its nearest rivals show a wider spread: the RTX 3060 Ti scores 16129 (delta -0.7%), the R9 370X scores 15862 (delta 1%), the RX 7700 scores 15852 (delta 1%), and the Radeon Pro W5500 scores 15679 (delta 2.1%). The RX 9060's performance relative to these rivals means that the GPU is the limiting factor in most scenarios, particularly at higher resolutions and presets.

Given that the combo ranks in the 58th percentile, there are 1568 tested configurations that perform better in Control. This suggests that users seeking higher frame rates at 4K Ultra would need a more powerful GPU, while the CPU's headroom is sufficient for even the most demanding CPU-bound scenarios.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For the Intel Core i7-14700K, the nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks are all within a 1% performance delta. The AMD EPYC 9115 scores 69288 (0.1% higher), the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X scores 69515 (-0.2% lower), the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX scores 69875 (-0.7% lower), and the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F scores 69996 (-0.9% lower). Any of these CPUs would deliver nearly identical frame rates in Control when paired with the RX 9060, as the game is not heavily CPU-bound at the tested resolutions.

For the AMD Radeon RX 9060, the nearest GPU rival is the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti, which scores 16129 versus 16014 for the RX 9060, a delta of -0.7%. This means the RTX 3060 Ti would produce roughly the same frame rates in Control. The AMD Radeon R9 370X (score 15862, delta 1%) and AMD Radeon RX 7700 (score 15852, delta 1%) are also close, with the RX 9060 being about 1% faster than both. The AMD Radeon Pro W5500 (score 15679, delta 2.1%) is the slowest of the group, trailing the RX 9060 by just over 2%.

In practical terms, swapping the i7-14700K for any of its nearest CPU rivals would yield no measurable difference in Control's frame rates, as the game's GPU demands dominate at all resolutions above 1080p Low. Similarly, choosing an RTX 3060 Ti instead of the RX 9060 would maintain the same playable settings and average FPS within a margin of error. The R9 370X and RX 7700 would also behave similarly, though the RX 9060 holds a slight edge.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the benchmark data shows a full range of playable settings. Low preset averages 130 FPS, which is the highest frame rate recorded across all resolutions and settings. Medium averages 92 FPS with a minimum of 78 FPS and maximum of 106 FPS, indicating smooth frame delivery. High averages 82 FPS, while Ultra averages 71 FPS. All four presets at 1080p clear the 60 FPS threshold, with even the most demanding Ultra setting maintaining a comfortable margin.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates drop meaningfully. Low averages 98 FPS, which remains well above the playable threshold. Medium averages 70 FPS with a minimum of 59 FPS and maximum of 80 FPS, showing occasional dips just below 60 FPS. High averages 62 FPS, which is above the threshold but with no recorded minimum data to gauge stability. Ultra averages 54 FPS, which fails to meet the 60 FPS playable standard. The transition from 1080p to 1440p costs between 20% and 25% of average FPS depending on the preset.

At 3840x2160, only the Low preset remains playable, averaging 66 FPS. Medium averages 47 FPS with a minimum of 40 FPS and maximum of 54 FPS, indicating significant frame drops during demanding scenes. High averages 42 FPS, and Ultra averages 36 FPS. The 4K resolution places substantial pressure on the RX 9060, and the data shows a consistent decline from Low to Ultra with no preset other than Low achieving 60 FPS. The gap between 1440p and 4K is larger than the gap between 1080p and 1440p, confirming that the GPU's 8 GB memory and 288.0 GB/s bandwidth are exhausted at this resolution.

The Verdict

Based on the verdictByResolution data, this system can run Control at playable frame rates across multiple configurations. At 1920x1080, all four presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra) are playable, with Ultra averaging 71 FPS. This makes 1080p the only resolution where maximum settings are viable. At 2560x1440, the playable settings include Low, Medium, and High, with High averaging 62 FPS as the best option. Medium's minimum of 59 FPS suggests occasional stutters, but the average of 70 FPS provides sufficient headroom.

At 3840x2160, only the Low preset is playable, averaging 66 FPS. This is a marginal pass, as the minimum FPS is not recorded, and the Medium preset's minimum of 40 FPS indicates that frame pacing can be erratic. The verdict for 4K is that the system can run Control, but only with significantly reduced visual fidelity. For users prioritizing 4K, the data suggests that the RX 9060's performance ceiling is reached at Low settings, and any increase in preset quality will push the game below the playable threshold.

The overall verdict is that this PC is capable of running Control smoothly at 1080p and 1440p, with 1080p Ultra being the recommended configuration for the best visual experience without sacrificing playability. At 1440p, High is the best choice, offering a balance between image quality and frame rate. 4K is technically playable only at Low, and users should consider whether the visual trade-off is acceptable.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, which achieves an average of 71 FPS. This is the recommended setting for 1080p, as it provides the highest visual quality without dropping below the playable threshold. The 71 FPS average leaves an 11 FPS margin over the 60 FPS minimum, which should accommodate most in-game scenes.

At 2560x1440, the best preset is High, averaging 62 FPS. This is the only preset above Medium that clears 60 FPS, and the 2 FPS margin over the threshold is slim. Medium averages 70 FPS but has a recorded minimum of 59 FPS, which could cause perceptible stutters. High is the safer choice for consistent playability, despite the smaller average margin.

At 3840x2160, the best preset is Low, averaging 66 FPS. This is the only setting at 4K that meets the 60 FPS requirement, and the 6 FPS margin provides some buffer. Medium and above all fall below 60 FPS, with Medium averaging 47 FPS and Ultra averaging 36 FPS. For 4K users, Low is the only viable option, and even then, the system operates close to the boundary of playable performance.