Control

The Intel Core i9-14900K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER delivers a commanding performance in Control, placing this combo at rank 281 out of 3,720 tested configurations. This top-tier position reflects a system that handles the game with substantial headroom across all resolutions, with the data showing that every preset from Low to Ultra clears the 60 FPS playable threshold at 4K, 1440p, and 1080p.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo’s rank of 281 out of 3,720 tested combinations places it within the top 7.6% of all systems evaluated for Control. This high standing is consistent with the component-level benchmarks: the Core i9-14900K sits in the 95th percentile among all CPUs, while the RTX 4080 SUPER ranks in the 86th percentile among all GPUs. The measured frame rates confirm this elite positioning, as even the most demanding preset at the highest resolution produces an average of 68.9 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS playable threshold.

What makes this ranking particularly notable is the consistency across resolutions. Many high-end combos show a sharp drop-off at 4K, but this pairing maintains playability at every setting tier. The spread from Low to Ultra at 4K is 54 FPS (from 122.9 down to 68.9), which indicates that the GPU has enough reserve to handle the game’s most intensive visual features without falling below the playable line. At 1440p, the Ultra preset averages 102.2 FPS, and at 1080p it reaches 133.9 FPS, demonstrating that this combo is not merely playable but exceptionally smooth at lower resolutions.

FAQ

Q: Can this PC run Control at 4K with maximum settings?

A: Yes. At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the measured average FPS is 68.9, which clears the 60 FPS playable threshold.

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

A: Ultra settings at 2560x1440 produce an average of 102.2 FPS, making it the most demanding preset that remains comfortably above 60 FPS.

Q: How much performance headroom exists at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, even the Ultra preset averages 133.9 FPS, while Low settings reach 244.9 FPS. This leaves significant margin for future game updates or background tasks.

Q: How does this combo compare to the closest CPU rival?

A: The Intel Core i9-14900K scores 79,097 on average benchmarks, while the Intel Core i9-14900KF scores 79,371, a delta of -0.3%. The AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 is 1.7% slower with a score of 77,740.

Q: What is the closest GPU alternative to the RTX 4080 SUPER?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 has an average score of 54,247, which is -0.1% relative to the RTX 4080 SUPER’s 54,209. The AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB is 2.7% slower with a score of 55,698.

Q: Is this combo more CPU-limited or GPU-limited at 4K?

A: The data indicates the GPU becomes the limiting factor at 4K. The FPS drop from Low (122.9) to Ultra (68.9) at 3840x2160 is 54 FPS, whereas at 1080p the same preset change only reduces FPS from 244.9 to 133.9, a 111 FPS difference that shows the CPU can still feed the GPU at lower resolutions.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, the most demanding preset that maintains at least 60 FPS is Ultra, with a measured average of 68.9 FPS. This is the highest quality setting available, and the 8.9 FPS margin above the playable threshold means there is some buffer for demanding scenes, though it is the tightest margin of any resolution.

For 2560x1440, Ultra settings also qualify as the best playable preset, delivering 102.2 FPS on average. This provides a substantial 42.2 FPS cushion over the 60 FPS threshold, making it the sweet spot for high-refresh-rate monitors in the 120-144 Hz range, though it will not fully saturate a 144 Hz display.

At 1920x1080, Ultra settings achieve 133.9 FPS on average. This is the most demanding preset that stays above 60 FPS, and it comes close to satisfying 144 Hz displays. For users targeting 240 Hz, the High preset at 156.4 FPS or Medium at 177.7 FPS would be necessary, but Ultra remains the best quality option that clears the playable line.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For the CPU side, the Intel Core i9-14900KF is the closest rival with an average benchmark score of 79,371, which is -0.3% relative to the Core i9-14900K’s 79,097. This means users with the KF variant would see virtually identical performance in Control. The Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus scores 79,574 (-0.6%), and the AMD EPYC 7413 scores 80,041 (-1.2%), both of which would produce similar frame rates. The AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 is 1.7% slower at 77,740, which is still close enough that gameplay differences would be minimal.

On the GPU side, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is the nearest match with an average score of 54,247, representing a -0.1% delta from the RTX 4080 SUPER’s 54,209. This effectively means the non-SUPER variant would deliver nearly identical FPS in Control. The AMD Radeon Pro W5700X (-1.1%) and the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB (-2.7%) are progressively slower, while the AMD Radeon 8060S at -2.8% is the furthest rival listed. All of these GPUs would likely keep the game playable, but the RTX 4080 is the only one that matches the SUPER’s performance within a rounding error.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 3840x2160, the measured averages are: Low 122.9 FPS, Medium 89.0 FPS, High 79.4 FPS, and Ultra 68.9 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra shows a 44% reduction in frame rate, which is typical for a game with heavy ray tracing and particle effects at 4K. The step between Low and Medium is the largest (33.9 FPS), while the step from High to Ultra is the smallest (10.5 FPS), suggesting that the final quality tier is less demanding than the initial jump from Low to Medium.

At 2560x1440, the results are: Low 186.5 FPS, Medium 130.1 FPS, High 115.8 FPS, and Ultra 102.2 FPS. The drop from Low to Medium is 56.4 FPS, which is the largest single-step decrease at this resolution. From Medium to High the drop is 14.3 FPS, and from High to Ultra it is 13.6 FPS, indicating a more gradual scaling at higher settings.

At 1920x1080, the numbers are: Low 244.9 FPS, Medium 177.7 FPS, High 156.4 FPS, and Ultra 133.9 FPS. The Low to Medium reduction is 67.2 FPS, which is the largest absolute drop across all resolutions and settings. The remaining steps are 21.3 FPS (Medium to High) and 22.5 FPS (High to Ultra), showing a consistent cost for each additional quality tier.

The Verdict

This PC can run Control with maximum settings at every tested resolution. The verdict by resolution confirms that all four presets—Low, Medium, High, and Ultra—are playable at 3840x2160, 2560x1440, and 1920x1080. At 4K, the Ultra preset averages 68.9 FPS, which clears the 60 FPS threshold by 8.9 FPS. At 1440p, Ultra averages 102.2 FPS, and at 1080p, Ultra averages 133.9 FPS. The system never falls below the playable line at any setting tier, making it a universal recommendation for Control at high refresh rates.

The weakest point in the data is the 4K Ultra result at 68.9 FPS, which is above the threshold but leaves less headroom for intense combat sequences with multiple physics objects. For users with a 60 Hz 4K display, this is perfectly adequate. For those with a 120 Hz 4K panel, dropping to High settings (79.4 FPS) or Medium (89.0 FPS) would provide a smoother experience, though it is not strictly necessary for playability.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data reveals that the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck as resolution increases, while the CPU retains more headroom at lower resolutions. At 1080p, the spread from Low to Ultra is 111 FPS (244.9 down to 133.9), which is a 45% reduction. This large spread indicates that the GPU is doing the heavy lifting even at 1080p, but the CPU is still able to feed it enough frames to reach 244.9 FPS on Low settings. The Core i9-14900K’s 32 threads and high single-core performance are sufficient to avoid limiting the RTX 4080 SUPER at this resolution.

At 1440p, the Low to Ultra spread narrows to 84.3 FPS (186.5 down to 102.2), a 45% reduction from Low. This is proportionally similar to 1080p, suggesting that the scaling is consistent and the GPU remains the dominant factor. At 4K, the spread is 54 FPS (122.9 down to 68.9), which is a 44% reduction. The absolute numbers drop significantly, but the percentage reduction is nearly identical across resolutions, indicating that the game’s settings scaling is resolution-independent.

The CPU’s role is most visible when comparing the Low settings FPS across resolutions: 244.9 at 1080p, 186.5 at 1440p, and 122.9 at 4K. The 122.9 FPS at 4K Low is still far above the 60 FPS threshold, which means the CPU is not a limiting factor even at the highest resolution. The RTX 4080 SUPER’s 16 GB of GDDR6X memory and 736.3 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for Control’s textures at 4K, as evidenced by the playable Ultra result. In summary, the GPU dictates the overall performance ceiling, while the CPU provides ample headroom that prevents any processor-related frame drops across all tested configurations.