Control

The Intel Core i9-14900K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 is an extreme combination, and the measured frame rates in Control reflect that. Across all tested resolutions and settings, this system never dips below an average of 79.3 FPS, meaning it clears the 60 FPS playable threshold in every configuration tested. The data shows a system that is not just capable of running the game, but is dramatically overqualified for it, delivering performance that far exceeds the needs of standard displays at every setting from Low to Ultra.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the i9-14900K and RTX 5090 combination produces staggering results. With Low settings, the average frame rate reaches 283.9 FPS, which is more than 4.7 times the 60 FPS playable threshold. Moving to Medium settings, the average drops to 199.9 FPS, still a massive margin. High settings yield an average of 181.4 FPS, while the most demanding Ultra preset still maintains an average of 156.9 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra at this resolution shows a total performance reduction of 127 FPS, indicating that while the settings have a significant impact, the hardware has ample headroom to absorb it.

Stepping up to 2560x1440, the performance remains exceptionally high. The Low preset averages 215 FPS, which is a 68.9 FPS drop from the 1080p Low result, showing the increased pixel count's effect. Medium settings follow at 152.3 FPS, and High at 135.5 FPS. The Ultra preset at this resolution still delivers an average of 121 FPS, which is more than double the playable threshold. The performance gap between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 94 FPS, a similar pattern to 1080p but with lower absolute numbers across the board.

At 3840x2160, the ultimate stress test for any system, the results are still impressive. The Low preset achieves an average of 144 FPS, which is exactly 2.4 times the 60 FPS threshold. Medium settings drop to 102.7 FPS, High settings to 89 FPS, and the Ultra preset, which is the most demanding scenario in the data, still averages 79.3 FPS. This is the only resolution where the Ultra preset falls below the 100 FPS mark, but it remains comfortably above the playable threshold. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 4K represents a 64.7 FPS reduction, showing that the game's settings have a consistent impact regardless of resolution.

FAQ

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

A: Yes. The measured data for 3840x2160 resolution with Ultra settings shows an average frame rate of 79.3 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Q: What is the highest average frame rate recorded for this combination?

A: The highest average frame rate is 283.9 FPS, which occurs at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from 1080p to 4K at the same settings?

A: At Low settings, the average frame rate drops from 283.9 FPS at 1920x1080 to 144 FPS at 3840x2160, a reduction of 139.9 FPS. At Ultra settings, the drop is from 156.9 FPS to 79.3 FPS, a reduction of 77.6 FPS.

Q: Is the Ultra preset playable at 1440p?

A: Yes, the 2560x1440 Ultra preset averages 121 FPS, which is more than double the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Q: Which resolution shows the smallest performance difference between Low and Ultra settings?

A: The data shows that at 3840x2160, the difference between Low (144 FPS) and Ultra (79.3 FPS) is 64.7 FPS. At 2560x1440, the difference is 94 FPS, and at 1920x1080, the difference is 127 FPS. Therefore, 4K shows the smallest absolute difference.

Q: Does the system ever drop below 60 FPS at any tested setting?

A: No. The lowest average frame rate recorded across all resolutions and settings is 79.3 FPS, which occurs at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings. Every other configuration is higher.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data reveals a system where the GPU is the primary driver of performance at higher resolutions, while the CPU's headroom becomes more apparent at lower resolutions. The scaling from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440 at Low settings shows a reduction from 283.9 FPS to 215 FPS, a 24.3% decrease. This indicates that the GPU is beginning to take on more work as the pixel count increases, but the CPU is still capable of feeding it enough data to maintain high frame rates.

The transition from 2560x1440 to 3840x2160 at Low settings shows a further drop from 215 FPS to 144 FPS, a 33% reduction. This pattern is consistent with the GPU becoming the limiting factor, as the workload shifts from CPU-bound scenarios at lower resolutions to GPU-bound scenarios at 4K. The i9-14900K, with its 24 cores and 32 threads, provides more than enough processing power to avoid becoming a bottleneck even at 1080p, where frame rates exceed 280 FPS.

At higher settings, the GPU's role becomes even more pronounced. At Ultra settings, the frame rate drops from 156.9 FPS at 1080p to 121 FPS at 1440p, then to 79.3 FPS at 4K. The percentage drops are 22.9% and 34.5% respectively, showing that the GPU's rendering load scales more steeply with resolution when the visual fidelity is maxed out. The RTX 5090's 32 GB of GDDR7 memory and 1.79 TB/s bandwidth are clearly sufficient for the demands of Control at 4K Ultra, as the system still achieves nearly 80 FPS in the most demanding scenario tested. The data suggests that the CPU's influence is minimal in this pairing, with the GPU dictating performance across all resolutions and presets.

The Verdict

This PC can absolutely run Control, and the data shows it does so with exceptional ease. At 1920x1080, all four settings presets—Low, Medium, High, and Ultra—are playable, with the Ultra preset averaging 156.9 FPS. This is more than 2.6 times the 60 FPS playable threshold. The verdict for 1080p is clear: this system is vastly overqualified, delivering performance that would benefit a high refresh rate monitor.

At 2560x1440, the results are similarly impressive. All four presets are playable, and the Ultra preset averages 121 FPS, which is just over double the playable threshold. The system maintains high frame rates even at this demanding resolution, indicating that users can max out the game settings without any concerns about playability.

At 3840x2160, the system still clears the 60 FPS threshold with every preset. The Ultra preset averages 79.3 FPS, which is 19.3 FPS above the playable threshold. While this is the lowest average frame rate recorded, it is still a strong result for 4K gaming. The verdict across all resolutions is unanimous: this combination runs Control at playable frame rates, even at the highest settings and resolution tested.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, which achieves an average of 156.9 FPS. Since every preset from Low to Ultra is playable, the best settings are simply the highest quality available, and the system delivers a massive margin above the playable threshold.

At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset is again the best choice, averaging 121 FPS. This is the most demanding settings configuration, and it still provides more than double the frame rate needed for smooth gameplay. The data indicates that there is no need to compromise on visual quality at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the Ultra preset remains the best option, averaging 79.3 FPS. This is the only scenario where the system's performance is closer to the 60 FPS threshold, but it still clears it by a comfortable margin. The data shows that users can run the game at maximum settings at 4K without sacrificing playability, although the frame rate headroom is smaller than at lower resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations for Control, this pairing of the Intel Core i9-14900K and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 ranks 55th out of 3720 combos. This places it in the top 1.5% of all tested systems, indicating that it is one of the higher-performing combinations for this game. The rank reflects the high average frame rates achieved across all resolutions and settings, particularly the ability to maintain over 79 FPS even at 4K Ultra.

The percentile data for the individual components supports this ranking. The CPU is in the 95th percentile among all CPUs, and the GPU is in the 92nd percentile among all GPUs. This high placement for both components contributes to the overall strong rank in the game-specific data. It is importantly the combo rank is not the absolute top, which suggests that there are a few other combinations that deliver even higher frame rates in Control, but this system is clearly in the upper echelon of performance.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Looking at the nearest rivals for the CPU, the Intel Core i9-14900KF is the closest match, with an average benchmark score that is 0.3% lower than the i9-14900K. This means that swapping to the KF variant, which lacks integrated graphics, would result in nearly identical performance in Control. The Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus is 0.6% slower, and the AMD EPYC 7413 is 1.2% slower, both of which would produce very similar frame rates in the game. On the other side, the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 is 1.7% faster, which would provide a slight performance edge, though likely imperceptible in real-world gameplay.

For the GPU, the nearest rivals show a similar pattern. The NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB has an average score that is 0.3% higher than the RTX 5090, indicating it would deliver nearly identical performance. The Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB is 0.6% higher, and the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT is 1.1% higher. The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64X is 1.4% lower, which would result in slightly lower frame rates. In practical terms, these alternatives would all behave very similarly to the RTX 5090 in Control, with differences that are unlikely to be noticeable in the average FPS numbers shown in the data. Users with any of these alternative components could expect comparable playability and performance characteristics.