Control

The Intel Core i7-14700KF paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is an exceptionally high-performing combination for Control, ranking 116th out of 3,720 tested combos. This places it in the top 3.1% of all configurations tested, indicating that this pairing delivers near-top-tier performance for this title. The data confirms that this combo handles Control with significant headroom, achieving playable frame rates at every setting preset across all tested resolutions, with the lowest average FPS being 74.9 at 4K Ultra settings.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 116 out of 3,720 tested combinations places it firmly in the upper echelon of systems for running Control. This percentile position indicates that the combination of the Core i7-14700KF and the RTX 4090 is not merely sufficient but overwhelmingly capable for this game. The data shows this pairing is positioned to deliver a premium experience, as the overwhelming majority of tested combos (over 96%) rank below it. The ranking reflects a balanced, high-end pairing where the GPU's raw power is complemented by a CPU that can keep pace at high frame rates.

The performance ceiling is demonstrated by the FPS data at 1080p, where the combo reaches an average of 272.9 FPS on Low settings. Even at the most demanding preset tested, 4K Ultra, the system maintains an average of 74.9 FPS, which is comfortably above the 60 FPS playability threshold. This suggests that the combo's rank is limited more by the game's engine or the test methodology's maximum settings than by any hardware bottleneck. The system’s performance is so robust that the primary differentiator between it and higher-ranked combos would likely be marginal gains at extreme refresh rates or with specific overclocking scenarios, rather than a fundamental shift in playability.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Based on the nearestRivals data, the hardware closest to this combo's components would yield very similar benchmark results. For the CPU, the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F is the nearest rival, with an average benchmark score of 69,996 compared to the i7-14700KF's 70,163, a negligible 0.2% difference. This indicates that a system using the Ryzen 7 9700F would likely produce almost identical frame rates in Control, provided the GPU remains the same. Similarly, the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX and the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X are close contenders, with scores of 69,875 and 69,515 respectively, showing deltas of 0.4% and 0.9%. These CPUs would offer a nearly indistinguishable gameplay experience in this title.

On the GPU side, the nearest rival to the RTX 4090 is the Intel Arc Pro A60, which has an identical average benchmark score of 60,326 versus the RTX 4090's 60,347, a delta of 0%. This is a remarkable statistical tie in synthetic benchmarks; however, it is crucial to note that this similarity is in aggregate benchmark score, not necessarily in gaming-specific scenarios like Control. The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48 and the AMD Radeon Pro W6600M are also listed as rivals, with deltas of 0.3% and -2.5% respectively, suggesting that professional-grade GPUs from AMD fall within a similar performance envelope in these tests. A system swapping the RTX 4090 for one of these rivals would see nearly identical benchmark results, though real-world gaming performance could vary based on driver optimizations and specific game engines.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of the combo's scaling across resolutions and presets. At 1920x1080, the system is exceptionally fast, with an average of 272.9 FPS on Low, 196.5 FPS on Medium, 175.2 FPS on High, and 147.4 FPS on Ultra. The progression shows a steep drop from Low to Medium (a 76.4 FPS difference), followed by a more gradual decline as settings increase. This indicates that the CPU and GPU are both highly capable at this resolution, and the frame rate is likely limited by the game's draw call overhead and single-threaded performance.

Moving to 2560x1440, the averages are 206.2 FPS (Low), 144.4 FPS (Medium), 128.6 FPS (High), and 113.9 FPS (Ultra). The scaling from 1080p to 1440p shows a reduction of roughly 24% to 26% across all presets, which is a typical GPU-bound scaling pattern. The system remains far above the 60 FPS threshold even at the heaviest setting. At 3840x2160, the averages are 140.5 FPS (Low), 97.3 FPS (Medium), 91.2 FPS (High), and 74.9 FPS (Ultra). The resolution jump from 1440p to 4K imposes a larger performance penalty, with the Ultra preset dropping by 39 FPS, a 34% reduction. This confirms that the RTX 4090's memory bandwidth and compute power are being heavily utilized at 4K, yet the combo still delivers a smooth experience.

The data shows a consistent pattern: the delta between Low and Ultra settings is substantial at every resolution, but the absolute frame rates are always high. For instance, at 1080p, the gap between Low and Ultra is 125.5 FPS, while at 4K, it is 65.6 FPS. This suggests that the GPU is the primary scaling factor as settings increase, while the CPU becomes more relevant at lower resolutions where the frame rate ceiling is higher.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Control at 4K with all settings maxed out?

A: Yes. The measured data shows an average of 74.9 FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, which is above the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Q: What is the highest average FPS recorded for this combo?

A: The highest average FPS recorded is 272.9, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings.

Q: Is the RTX 4090's performance significantly different from its closest rival in benchmarks?

A: No. The RTX 4090 has an average benchmark score of 60,347, while its nearest rival, the Intel Arc Pro A60, scores 60,326, a delta of 0%.

Q: How does the CPU's benchmark score compare to its nearest rival?

A: The Intel Core i7-14700KF scores 70,163, which is only 0.2% higher than the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F's score of 69,996.

Q: At which resolution does the combo show the largest performance drop between presets?

A: The largest absolute drop between Low and Ultra is at 1920x1080, where the average FPS falls from 272.9 to 147.4, a difference of 125.5 FPS.

Q: Does the combo maintain playable frame rates at all tested settings?

A: Yes. The verdictByResolution data lists all settings (Low, Medium, High, Ultra) as playable at every resolution, with the lowest average being 74.9 FPS at 4K Ultra.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data reveals a clear shift in bottleneck behavior depending on resolution. At 1920x1080, the CPU plays a more significant role. The frame rates are exceptionally high, and the scaling from Low to Ultra shows a 125.5 FPS drop, suggesting that the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU enough data to reach these high numbers, but the game's engine limits the maximum frame rate. The fact that the 1080p Low preset (272.9 FPS) is nearly double the 4K Low preset (140.5 FPS) indicates that the CPU is not the limiting factor at lower resolutions; instead, the GPU is still processing frames as fast as the CPU can issue draw calls.

As resolution increases to 2560x1440 and then to 3840x2160, the GPU becomes the dominant constraint. The performance scaling between 1440p and 4K is more pronounced. For example, at Ultra settings, the frame rate drops from 113.9 FPS at 1440p to 74.9 FPS at 4K, a 34% reduction. This is a classic GPU-bound scenario, where the increased pixel count demands more shading and rasterization work from the RTX 4090. The CPU's role diminishes because the frame rate is lower, giving the CPU more time to prepare frames.

The settings preset also influences the balance. At 4K, the difference between Low (140.5 FPS) and Ultra (74.9 FPS) is 65.6 FPS, showing that the GPU's workload scales heavily with graphical fidelity. In contrast, at 1080p, the same preset change results in a 125.5 FPS difference, implying that while the GPU is still working harder, the CPU's ability to maintain high frame rates is also being tested. The data suggests that for this combo, the i7-14700KF provides sufficient headroom to avoid bottlenecking the RTX 4090 at any resolution, making the GPU the primary driver of performance differences across settings.

Best Settings per Resolution

For players targeting 60 FPS as the playability threshold, the data shows that the most demanding preset that stays at or above this mark is Ultra at all resolutions. The measured FPS at Ultra settings is 147.4 at 1920x1080, 113.9 at 2560x1440, and 74.9 at 3840x2160. This means that at every resolution, the combo can run the game at its highest visual quality without dropping below the playable threshold.

The verdictByResolution data confirms that all settings (Low, Medium, High, Ultra) are playable at each resolution, but the "best" setting, defined as the highest quality preset that maintains at least 60 FPS, is Ultra. At 1080p, the 147.4 FPS average on Ultra provides a massive margin over the threshold, making it ideal for high-refresh-rate monitors. At 1440p, the 113.9 FPS average still offers a smooth experience, even on a 120Hz display. At 4K, the 74.9 FPS average is sufficient for a 60Hz or even a 75Hz monitor, but players with a 120Hz+ 4K display might consider High settings (91.2 FPS) to better utilize the display's capabilities, though Ultra remains technically playable. Given the data, the optimal configuration for visual fidelity is to select Ultra at any resolution, as the combo's performance headroom ensures a fluid experience without compromising on image quality.