Control

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i7-14700KF paired with the Intel Arc B370 lands at rank 3436 out of 3720 tested combos in the database for Control. That places this pairing in the bottom 8% of all tested configurations, a direct consequence of the GPU's position in the overall graphics hierarchy. The Arc B370 sits at the 5th percentile among all GPUs, which means roughly 95% of graphics cards in the database deliver better raw performance.

The CPU, by contrast, is a high-end part. The i7-14700KF sits at the 94th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 70163. The gap between the CPU's standing and the GPU's standing explains the overall combo rank: the processor is capable of feeding frames at a much higher rate than the Arc B370 can render them. In practical terms, this is a system where the graphics card is the overwhelming bottleneck in every scenario measured.

The recorded data shows no resolution or settings combination reaches the 60 FPS playable threshold. The best result in the entire measurement set is 59 FPS average at 1920x1080 with Low settings, just one frame short of the playability line. Every other configuration falls further behind, with 4K Ultra hitting only 17 FPS average. The database's verdict fields for all three resolutions list no playable settings, confirming that this combo cannot sustain a smooth experience in Control under any of the tested conditions.

CPU and GPU Roles

The division of labor here is lopsided. The i7-14700KF is a 20-core, 28-thread Raptor Lake part with a boost clock of 5.60 GHz, and its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 44167 places it among the fastest desktop processors in the database. The Arc B370, meanwhile, is a 25 W integrated graphics solution with 1280 shading units and a 6.144 TFLOPS FP32 throughput. These are fundamentally different classes of hardware.

The scaling between resolutions confirms the GPU is the constraint. At 1920x1080 Low, the combo averages 59 FPS. Dropping to 2560x1440 Low reduces that to 45 FPS, a 24% decline. Moving to 3840x2160 Low yields 30 FPS, another 33% drop. This steep resolution scaling is characteristic of a GPU that is running out of fillrate and shading resources long before the CPU becomes relevant.

Settings scaling tells the same story. At 1080p, moving from Low to Medium costs 17 FPS (59 to 42), and Medium to High costs another 5 FPS (42 to 37). The CPU's performance headroom is irrelevant here; the Arc B370's 20 ROPs and 40 TMUs are the limiting factors. The i7-14700KF could easily drive a much faster GPU in this game, but with the Arc B370, the processor spends most of its time waiting on the graphics pipeline.

The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1184 for the Arc B370 puts it in the same performance class as GPUs from over a decade ago, such as the ATI Radeon HD 5770 and AMD Radeon HD 7650M. This is not a GPU designed for modern action-adventure titles at high settings, and Control's demanding rendering techniques expose that limitation clearly.

Best Settings per Resolution

Because no configuration reaches 60 FPS average, the database records no "best settings" for any resolution. The verdict fields for 3840x2160, 2560x1440, and 1920x1080 all return empty playable settings lists. The closest any setting comes to the playable threshold is 1080p Low at 59 FPS average, which is technically below the 60 FPS line but within one frame of it.

For users who must run this game on this hardware, the data suggests the following hierarchy of compromises. At 3840x2160, Low settings produce 30 FPS average, which is the only 4K configuration that stays in the low-30s range; Medium drops to 21 FPS, High to 19 FPS, and Ultra to 17 FPS. At 2560x1440, Low yields 45 FPS average, Medium 32 FPS, High 28 FPS, and Ultra 25 FPS. At 1920x1080, Low is the only setting that approaches playability at 59 FPS, followed by Medium at 42 FPS, High at 37 FPS, and Ultra at 32 FPS.

The pattern is consistent: Low settings are the only viable option, and even then, only 1080p comes close to the 60 FPS target. The 1440p Low result of 45 FPS average is playable in a relaxed sense, but it falls well short of the database's strict threshold. The 4K Low result of 30 FPS average is borderline for slow-paced scenes but will struggle during Control's combat sequences.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The CPU's nearest rivals in the database are all within a 1% performance delta. The AMD Ryzen 7 9700F scores 69996 on average, which is 0.2% slower than the i7-14700KF's 70163. The AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX scores 69875, 0.4% slower. The AMD Ryzen 9 7950X scores 69515, 0.9% slower. The Intel Core Ultra 7 265K scores 70879, which is 1% faster. In practical terms, swapping the i7-14700KF for any of these processors would produce indistinguishable frame rates in Control, since the GPU bottleneck is so severe.

The GPU's nearest rivals paint a more revealing picture. The ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 scores 1186 on the same benchmark, which is 0.2% faster than the Arc B370's 1184. The ATI Radeon HD 5770 scores 1190, 0.5% faster. The AMD Radeon HD 7650M scores 1192, 0.7% faster. The AMD FirePro M2000 scores 1168, 1.4% slower. These are all GPUs from the early 2010s, and their performance parity with the Arc B370 explains why Control runs so poorly. Users coming from any of these older cards would see virtually the same frame rates in this game.

The takeaway from the rival data is that the CPU choice is nearly irrelevant for this game at these performance levels. Any of the four rival CPUs would deliver the same experience. The GPU, however, is locked into a performance class that predates Control's release by several years, and no CPU upgrade can fix that.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The full measurement set reveals a consistent pattern of performance degradation as resolution and settings increase.

At 3840x2160, the results are as follows. Low settings produce 30 FPS average with no min or max recorded. Medium settings produce 21 FPS average, with a min of 18 FPS and a max of 25 FPS. High settings produce 19 FPS average. Ultra settings produce 17 FPS average. The spread between the best and worst 4K results is only 13 FPS, indicating that the GPU is saturated even at Low settings.

At 2560x1440, the results improve but remain sub-60. Low settings produce 45 FPS average. Medium settings produce 32 FPS average, with a min of 27 FPS and a max of 37 FPS. High settings produce 28 FPS average. Ultra settings produce 25 FPS average. The step from Low to Medium costs 13 FPS, while the step from Medium to Ultra costs only 7 FPS, suggesting diminishing returns as the GPU approaches its limits.

At 1920x1080, the results are the best in the set. Low settings produce 59 FPS average, which is the only measurement within one frame of the 60 FPS playable threshold. Medium settings produce 42 FPS average, with a min of 36 FPS and a max of 48 FPS. High settings produce 37 FPS average. Ultra settings produce 32 FPS average. The 1080p Low result is the only configuration where the combo feels responsive, and even that has no recorded min or max to confirm frame time stability.

The min/max data that does exist shows notable frame time variance. At 1080p Medium, the spread between min and max is 12 FPS, which can manifest as stutter during scene transitions. At 1440p Medium, the spread is 10 FPS. At 4K Medium, the spread is 7 FPS. These ranges indicate that the Arc B370 struggles to maintain consistent frame delivery, even in the settings where average FPS looks tolerable.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Control at 60 FPS at any resolution?

A: No. The database records no playable settings for any resolution. The best result is 59 FPS average at 1920x1080 with Low settings, which is one frame below the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Q: What is the best settings combination for 1080p gameplay?

A: At 1920x1080, Low settings produce 59 FPS average, which is the highest recorded result for this combo. Medium settings drop to 42 FPS average, and High settings drop to 37 FPS average.

Q: How does the Arc B370 compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The Arc B370 scores 1184 on the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 benchmark. The ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 scores 1186 (0.2% faster), the ATI Radeon HD 5770 scores 1190 (0.5% faster), and the AMD Radeon HD 7650M scores 1192 (0.7% faster). The AMD FirePro M2000 scores 1168 (1.4% slower).

Q: Is the i7-14700KF the bottleneck in this system?

A: No. The CPU sits at the 94th percentile among all CPUs with an average benchmark score of 70163. The GPU sits at the 5th percentile with a score of 1184. The resolution scaling in the measured FPS data shows the GPU is the limiting factor.

Q: What frame rates can I expect at 1440p with Medium settings?

A: At 2560x1440 with Medium settings, the combo produces 32 FPS average, with a minimum of 27 FPS and a maximum of 37 FPS. This is well below the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested configurations?

A: The combo ranks 3436 out of 3720 tested combos for Control, placing it in the bottom 8% of all configurations in the database.