Control

The Intel Core i9-14900K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 delivers a dominant performance profile for Control, with all tested settings and resolutions exceeding the 60 FPS playable threshold. The data indicates this combination ranks in the 94.5th percentile of all tested combos for this game, placing it at position 204 out of 3720. Benchmark results show the system can handle the game's most demanding Ultra preset at 4K resolution while maintaining an average of 72 FPS, and at 1080p the same preset reaches 140 FPS, demonstrating substantial headroom for high refresh rate displays.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The CPU component of this combo, the Intel Core i9-14900K, has a benchmark average score of 79097, placing it in the 95th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks include the Intel Core i9-14900KF, which scores 79371, representing a performance delta of -0.3% compared to the 14900K. This means the 14900KF is statistically almost identical in performance, differing by less than one percent. Another close alternative is the Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus, scoring 79574 with a -0.6% delta, again showing near-parity in compute capability. On the AMD side, the EPYC 7413 scores 80041, which is -1.2% relative to the 14900K, while the Ryzen AI Max+ 395 scores 77740, representing a +1.7% delta, meaning the 14900K is slightly ahead of that AMD part. For gaming scenarios where the CPU is a limiting factor, any of these chips would produce virtually indistinguishable frame rates in Control.

For the GPU, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 has an average benchmark score of 56083, placing it in the 87th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival is the AMD Radeon 8060S, which scores 55757, a delta of 0.6%, indicating the RTX 5080 is only marginally faster. Similarly, the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB scores 55698 with a 0.7% delta, putting it within one percent of the RTX 5080's average benchmark performance. The AMD Radeon Pro W5700X trails slightly with a score of 54828, a 2.3% delta. Conversely, the AMD Radeon RX 9070 GRE scores 57367, which is -2.2% relative to the RTX 5080, meaning that AMD card is approximately 2.2% faster in synthetic benchmarks. In real-world Control gameplay, these small benchmark deltas translate to single-digit FPS differences at most resolutions, so users with any of these rival GPUs would experience similar playability characteristics.

CPU and GPU Roles

The measured FPS data reveals how the balance between CPU and GPU load shifts across resolutions. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo achieves 255 FPS, which suggests the GPU is not fully saturated and the CPU is doing significant work to feed frames. When moving from 1080p Low to 1440p Low, the average FPS drops from 255 to 193, a 24.3% reduction, and then to 130 at 4K Low, another 32.6% reduction from 1440p. This pattern indicates that at Low settings, the GPU becomes increasingly the bottleneck as resolution rises, since the CPU workload remains roughly constant while pixel throughput demands more GPU resources.

At Ultra settings, the scaling tells a different story. The average FPS at 1080p Ultra is 140, dropping to 106 at 1440p Ultra (a 24.3% reduction) and then to 72 at 4K Ultra (another 32.1% reduction). These percentage drops are very similar to those seen at Low settings, which indicates that the RTX 5080 is the primary performance limiter across all settings at each resolution. The CPU, with its 24 cores and 32 threads and a boost clock of 6.00 GHz, provides enough headroom that even at 1080p Low (255 FPS), the frame rate is not CPU-capped. The data shows that the i9-14900K is never the constraining component in this pairing; instead, the GPU's rendering throughput dictates the final FPS numbers regardless of preset.

Looking at settings scaling within a fixed resolution reinforces this conclusion. At 4K, moving from Low (130 FPS) to Medium (93 FPS) represents a 28.5% performance cost, from Medium to High (82 FPS) another 11.8% cost, and from High to Ultra (72 FPS) a 12.2% cost. These consistent incremental drops across the preset ladder are typical of GPU-bound scenarios, where each quality tier increases pixel shading and post-processing loads. The CPU's role is therefore supportive rather than dominant, ensuring the GPU receives a steady stream of draw calls and physics updates without causing frame hitches or starvation.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo produces its highest frame rates. The Low preset averages 255 FPS, which is well beyond any 120 Hz or 144 Hz display's capabilities. Medium settings reduce the average to 181 FPS, with a minimum of 154 FPS and a maximum of 209 FPS, showing a tight frame pacing window with no dips below the 144 FPS threshold. High settings average 161 FPS, while Ultra still maintains a robust 140 FPS average, meaning even the most demanding preset at 1080p offers smooth high-refresh gameplay without compromise.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance remains comfortably above 60 FPS across all presets. Low settings yield an average of 193 FPS, while Medium delivers 137 FPS with a recorded minimum of 117 FPS and maximum of 158 FPS. The High preset averages 122 FPS, and Ultra drops to 106 FPS. These numbers indicate that at 1440p, users can run the game at Ultra while still having nearly 80% headroom above the 60 FPS playable threshold, making this resolution ideal for high refresh rate monitors.

At 3840x2160, the RTX 5080 shows its capability in a 4K environment. Low settings average 130 FPS, Medium averages 93 FPS with a minimum of 79 FPS and maximum of 107 FPS, High averages 82 FPS, and Ultra averages 72 FPS. The minimum FPS recorded at 4K Medium is 79, which is still above 60 FPS, and the Ultra average of 72 FPS ensures that even the most demanding configuration maintains a playable experience. The spread between the lowest and highest 4K presets is 58 FPS, from 72 to 130, which gives users a wide range of quality-to-performance tradeoffs.

FAQ

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

A: Yes, the data shows the Ultra preset at 3840x2160 averages 72 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Q: What is the highest frame rate this combo can achieve in Control?

A: The highest average FPS recorded is 255 at 1920x1080 with Low settings, which represents the absolute peak performance scenario.

Q: How does the RTX 5080 compare to its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 9070 GRE?

A: The RTX 5080 has an average benchmark score of 56083, while the RX 9070 GRE scores 57367, meaning the AMD card is 2.2% faster in synthetic benchmarks, which would translate to a small FPS advantage in Control.

Q: Is the Intel Core i9-14900K a bottleneck for the RTX 5080 in this game?

A: No, the FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K is consistent across all settings, indicating the GPU is the limiting factor, not the CPU.

Q: What minimum FPS can be expected at 1440p Medium settings?

A: The recorded minimum FPS at 2560x1440 with Medium settings is 117 FPS, with an average of 137 FPS and a maximum of 158 FPS.

Q: At which resolution does the combo fall below 100 FPS on High settings?

A: At 3840x2160 with High settings, the average FPS drops to 82, while at 2560x1440 High it maintains 122 FPS.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank for this CPU-GPU pairing in Control is 204 out of 3720 tested combinations, placing it in the 94.5th percentile of all systems. This high ranking reflects the balanced strength of both components, where the CPU's 95th percentile standing and the GPU's 87th percentile standing combine to produce a system that outperforms the vast majority of rivals in this specific game. The rank of 204 means that only 203 other tested combos deliver higher average frame rates in Control, and those systems likely feature higher-end GPUs paired with similarly powerful CPUs. The data shows that this combo sits firmly in the enthusiast tier, capable of handling the game's most demanding scenarios without requiring any settings compromises.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, which averages 72 FPS. This is the recommended configuration for 4K displays, as it provides the highest visual fidelity while maintaining a comfortable 20% margin above the playable threshold. The next step down, High, averages 82 FPS and is also viable, but Ultra is confirmed playable.

At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset averages 106 FPS, making it the best settings choice with substantial headroom for 100 Hz displays. The data shows that even this demanding preset stays well above 60 FPS, with a 76.7% margin over the playable threshold, so users can enable all quality options without concern.

At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset averages 140 FPS, which is the best settings selection for this resolution. This frame rate supports 120 Hz and even 144 Hz refresh rates with some margin, though not fully saturating a 165 Hz panel. The 140 FPS average gives a 133% margin above the 60 FPS threshold, confirming that this combo has far more performance than needed for standard 1080p gaming, allowing users to prioritize maximum visual quality.