Control

The combination of the Intel Core i9-14900K and the AMD Radeon RX 7600 produces a highly inconsistent performance profile in Control, dictated almost entirely by the resolution and graphics preset. At 1920x1080, the system demonstrates clear dominance, delivering a Low preset average of 118.3 FPS and an Ultra preset average of 66.8 FPS, both well above the 60 FPS playability threshold. Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates drop significantly, with the High preset averaging 54.6 FPS and Ultra dipping to 52.7 FPS, leaving only the Low and Medium presets as viable options. At 3840x2160, the experience collapses, as even the Low preset only musters an average of 59.1 FPS, which falls just short of the 60 FPS threshold, while Ultra averages a mere 33.8 FPS. The data indicates a system that is exceptionally capable at 1080p, adequate at 1440p with settings compromises, and fundamentally unsuitable for 4K gaming in this title.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for Control reveals a clear pattern of performance scaling across the three tested resolutions. At 1920x1080, the RX 7600 paired with the i9-14900K delivers strong results across all presets. The Low preset achieves an average of 118.3 FPS, which is the highest frame rate recorded for this configuration. Stepping up to Medium yields 86.3 FPS, while High produces 77.9 FPS. The most demanding setting, Ultra, still maintains a respectable 66.8 FPS average. These figures show that at 1080p, the graphics card has ample headroom, with a 43.5% performance drop from Low to Ultra, indicating that the GPU is the primary limiting factor as settings increase.

At 2560x1440, the performance picture becomes more constrained. The Low preset averages 92 FPS, which is still comfortably above the playability threshold. Medium settings reduce this to 65.8 FPS, which just clears the 60 FPS mark. However, High settings drop to 54.6 FPS, and Ultra falls to 52.7 FPS, both below the playability threshold. The scaling from Low to Ultra at this resolution shows a 42.7% reduction in average frame rate, suggesting that the GPU is under significant load, but the CPU still has enough headroom to avoid becoming a bottleneck.

At 3840x2160, the system struggles across the board. The Low preset averages 59.1 FPS, which is just 0.9 FPS short of the 60 FPS threshold, making it technically unplayable according to the benchmark criteria. Medium drops to 41.9 FPS, High to 39.3 FPS, and Ultra to 33.8 FPS. The performance degradation from Low to Ultra at 4K is 42.8%, similar to the other resolutions, but the absolute numbers are too low for any preset to be considered playable. The data shows that the RX 7600's 8 GB memory bus and 128-bit interface are likely overwhelmed by the pixel count at 4K, even with reduced settings.

How This Combo Ranks

In the global ranking of tested hardware combinations for Control, this specific pairing of the Intel Core i9-14900K and AMD Radeon RX 7600 sits at position 2492 out of 3720 total combos. This places it in the lower third of all tested configurations, which is surprising given the high-end CPU and mid-range GPU pairing. The ranking percentile suggests that while the CPU is a top-tier performer—the i9-14900K scores in the 95th percentile against all CPUs—the GPU's 57th percentile ranking drags the overall combo down significantly.

The rank of 2492 out of 3720 indicates that the majority of tested systems outperform this combination in Control. This is likely because the game is heavily GPU-bound at higher resolutions, and the RX 7600's performance ceiling is a limiting factor. The data shows that the CPU's raw power, evidenced by a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 39399.5 and a Geekbench single-core score of 2655, cannot compensate for the GPU's mid-range capabilities in a graphically demanding title like Control. For context, the combo outperforms systems with weaker CPUs but falls behind those with more powerful GPUs, even if those systems use slower processors.

Best Settings per Resolution

For each resolution, the optimal settings are defined as the most demanding preset that maintains an average frame rate at or above 60 FPS. At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset achieves this with an average of 66.8 FPS. This is the highest quality setting available, and the system clears the threshold with a 6.8 FPS margin, making it the best choice for players with 1080p displays who want maximum visual fidelity.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset is the best playable option, delivering an average of 65.8 FPS. This preset balances visual quality with performance, providing a 5.8 FPS margin above the 60 FPS threshold. The High preset at 54.6 FPS and Ultra at 52.7 FPS are both below the threshold, so players at 1440p must accept Medium settings to maintain smooth gameplay.

At 3840x2160, no preset achieves the 60 FPS threshold. The closest is Low with an average of 59.1 FPS, which falls short by 0.9 FPS. Since none of the presets are playable, the data indicates that this resolution is not viable for this hardware combination in Control. Players with 4K displays would need to lower their expectations significantly or consider different hardware.

Similar Performance Alternatives

When examining the nearest rivals for the CPU and GPU, several alternative components would produce similar performance in Control. For the Intel Core i9-14900K, the closest competitor is the Intel Core i9-14900KF, which has an average benchmark score of 79371 compared to the i9-14900K's 79097, a difference of -0.3%. This means the 14900KF would perform nearly identically, making it a direct substitute. The Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus scores 79574 (-0.6% delta) and the AMD EPYC 7413 scores 80041 (-1.2% delta), both also within a narrow performance band. The AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 scores 77740 (1.7% delta), indicating it is slightly slower but still in the same performance class.

For the AMD Radeon RX 7600, the nearest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 OEM, which has an average score of 15199 versus the RX 7600's 15171, a delta of -0.2%. This means the RTX 3050 OEM would deliver nearly identical frame rates in Control. The AMD Radeon Pro 560X scores 15082 (0.6% delta) and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660 Ti scores 15063 (0.7% delta), both slightly slower. The AMD Radeon 680M scores 15270 (-0.7% delta), making it marginally faster in synthetic benchmarks, though its integrated nature would likely affect real-world gaming performance differently.

CPU and GPU Roles

The performance scaling between resolutions and presets reveals which component dominates in Control for this configuration. At 1920x1080, the CPU plays a more significant role, as the GPU has enough headroom to push high frame rates. The jump from Low (118.3 FPS) to Ultra (66.8 FPS) shows a 51.5 FPS difference, indicating that the GPU is still the primary factor, but the i9-14900K's strong single-core performance—evidenced by a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2262.5—ensures that CPU-side bottlenecks do not limit the frame rate.

At 2560x1440, the GPU becomes more dominant. The frame rates drop across all presets, with the gap between Low (92 FPS) and Ultra (52.7 FPS) expanding to 39.3 FPS. This suggests that the RX 7600 is working much harder to fill the additional pixels, while the CPU still has ample capacity. The i9-14900K's multi-core performance, with a PassMark multithread score of 58674, is rarely taxed in this scenario, as Control does not utilize all 24 cores effectively.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is overwhelmingly the limiting factor. The frame rates are consistently low, with even Low settings failing to hit 60 FPS. The CPU's performance becomes nearly irrelevant, as the RX 7600's 8 GB memory capacity and 128-bit bus width are insufficient for 4K rendering. The data shows that the GPU's FP32 throughput of 21.75 TFLOPS is not enough to handle the pixel workload, and no amount of CPU power can overcome this hardware limitation.

The Verdict

Based on the benchmark data, this PC can definitively run Control at 1920x1080 with all presets, including Ultra at 66.8 FPS average, which is comfortably above the 60 FPS playability threshold. At 2560x1440, the system is playable only at Low (92 FPS) and Medium (65.8 FPS) settings, with Medium being the highest quality option that clears the threshold. The High and Ultra presets at 54.6 FPS and 52.7 FPS respectively are not playable.

At 3840x2160, the verdict is clear: this system cannot run Control at any preset with playable performance. The best result is Low at 59.1 FPS, which falls 0.9 FPS short of the threshold. The data indicates that the RX 7600 is the primary bottleneck, and the i9-14900K's considerable processing power cannot compensate for the GPU's limitations at this resolution. For players seeking 4K gameplay, this hardware combination would require substantial GPU upgrades to achieve even Low preset playability.

FAQ

*Q: Can this PC run Control at 4K resolution?*

A: No. At 3840x2160, the highest average FPS achieved is 59.1 on Low settings, which is below the 60 FPS playability threshold. All other presets are significantly lower, with Ultra averaging only 33.8 FPS.

Q: What is the best setting for 1440p gaming with this hardware?

A: The Medium preset is the best playable option at 2560x1440, delivering an average of 65.8 FPS. High (54.6 FPS) and Ultra (52.7 FPS) both fall below the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: How does the i9-14900K compare to its closest rival, the i9-14900KF?

A: The i9-14900K has an average benchmark score of 79097, while the i9-14900KF scores 79371, a difference of -0.3%. This means the 14900KF is essentially identical in performance, making it a direct substitute.

Q: Is the RX 7600's performance close to the RTX 3050 OEM?

A: Yes, the RX 7600 scores 15171 in average benchmarks, while the RTX 3050 OEM scores 15199, a delta of -0.2%. Both cards would deliver nearly identical frame rates in Control.

Q: What is the performance difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, Low settings average 118.3 FPS, while Ultra averages 66.8 FPS, representing a 43.5% reduction in frame rate when moving to the highest quality preset.

Q: Does the CPU or GPU limit performance more at 4K resolution?

A: The GPU is the overwhelming bottleneck at 3840x2160. The RX 7600's 8 GB memory and 128-bit bus are insufficient for this resolution, as evidenced by the fact that even Low settings fail to reach 60 FPS, while the CPU's performance becomes irrelevant.