Control

# Control with Intel Core i5-11400F + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti

The pairing of Intel's Core i5-11400F with NVIDIA's GeForce RTX 4070 Ti produces a fascinating dataset in Control, a 2019 Action Adventure title. The measured frame rates across resolutions and settings reveal a system that is clearly GPU-bound at higher quality presets, yet shows signs of CPU influence at lower settings. This combination ranks 241st out of 1,636 tested combos in Control, placing it in the top 15% of all pairings measured. The data suggests a well-balanced duo, though the scaling patterns expose where each component's strengths and limitations manifest.

Resolution Scaling

The progression from 1080p to 4K provides clear evidence of where the bottleneck shifts. At High settings, the average FPS drops from 144.4 at 1920x1080 to 107.9 at 2560x1440, then further to 71.1 at 3840x2160. This represents a 26% reduction from 1080p to 1440p, and a 51% reduction from 1080p to 4K. The scaling is steep but consistent, indicating the GPU is doing the heavy lifting at High settings.

At Low settings, the pattern changes dramatically. The 1080p result of 197 FPS drops to 171 at 1440p (a 13% reduction) and then to 115.4 at 4K (a 41% reduction from 1080p). The smaller drop between 1080p and 1440p at Low settings suggests the CPU is beginning to limit performance at lower resolutions. The Core i5-11400F's 6 cores and 12 threads, with a boost clock of 4.40 GHz, appear sufficient to feed the RTX 4070 Ti at 1080p Low, but the gap widens as resolution increases and GPU load grows.

Ultra settings show the most significant 4K impact, with 127.7 FPS at 1080p dropping to 96.6 at 1440p and 63.6 at 4K. The 50% reduction from 1080p to 4K at Ultra mirrors the High setting pattern, reinforcing that the RTX 4070 Ti's 12 GB of GDDR6X memory and 504.2 GB/s bandwidth are being taxed heavily at 4K. The data indicates that resolution scaling in Control is primarily GPU-driven, with the CPU stepping in as a secondary constraint only at lower settings and resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

With a rank of 241 out of 1,636 tested combinations, this pairing sits comfortably above the median performance in Control. The combo's position suggests it outperforms roughly 85% of all tested CPU-GPU pairings in this specific game. This is notable given the CPU's overall percentile of 75 among all processors, meaning the i5-11400F is slightly above average, while the GPU's percentile of 85 places it well above most graphics cards.

The combination's ranking relative to its components' individual standings implies that Control responds favorably to the RTX 4070 Ti's strengths. The GPU's 7680 shading units, 240 TMUs, and 80 ROPs, combined with a boost clock of 2610 MHz, deliver the raw throughput Control demands. The CPU's contribution, while not exceptional, is sufficient to avoid crippling the GPU's potential. The data shows a pairing that extracts more from the GPU than the CPU's modest benchmark scores might suggest, indicating Control is not heavily dependent on multi-threaded CPU performance.

GPU Role

The RTX 4070 Ti's specifications directly correlate with the measured frame rates. Its 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus provides 504.2 GB/s of bandwidth, which proves adequate for Control's environments at 4K, though the 63.6 FPS at Ultra 4K shows the memory subsystem is being worked hard. The GPU's 40.09 TFLOPS FP32 performance and 208.8 GPixel/s pixel rate explain why 1080p results exceed 144 FPS at High settings and approach 200 FPS at Low.

The Ada Lovelace architecture, built on TSMC's 5 nm process with 35,800 million transistors, delivers efficiency that keeps the 285 W TDP in check while maintaining high clock speeds. The 60 RT cores and 240 tensor cores provide headroom for ray-traced workloads, though the measured data here uses standard rasterization. The GPU's benchmark scores reinforce its positioning: a PassMark G3D score of 31,624 and a 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 5,024 place it well above the median GPU, consistent with its 85th percentile ranking.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the RTX 4070 Ti delivers exceptional results across all settings. Low settings produce 197 FPS, Medium 163 FPS, High 144.4 FPS, and Ultra 127.7 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 69.3 FPS, showing that quality presets have a substantial impact even at 1080p. The gap between Medium and High (18.6 FPS) is larger than between High and Ultra (16.7 FPS), suggesting diminishing returns at the highest preset.

At 2560x1440, the pattern shifts slightly. Low settings yield 171 FPS, Medium 124.5 FPS, High 107.9 FPS, and Ultra 96.6 FPS. The reduction from 1080p to 1440p ranges from 13% at Low to 24% at Ultra. The 1440p Ultra result of 96.6 FPS remains highly playable, while Medium at 124.5 FPS offers a smooth experience for competitive play.

At 3840x2160, the GPU's limits become apparent. Low settings produce 115.4 FPS, Medium 83.8 FPS, High 71.1 FPS, and Ultra 63.6 FPS. The 4K Ultra result dips below 64 FPS, which may be noticeable on high-refresh-rate 4K displays. However, the 4K High result of 71.1 FPS remains viable for most gaming scenarios. The scaling from 1440p to 4K is steeper than from 1080p to 1440p, with reductions of 32% at Low, 33% at Medium, 34% at High, and 34% at Ultra.

Settings Recommendations

For 1080p displays, Ultra settings at 127.7 FPS provide the best visual experience without sacrificing smoothness. The 144.4 FPS at High offers a marginal improvement in frame rate but a noticeable drop in visual fidelity. Medium at 163 FPS is suitable for competitive play where maximum frame rates matter, but the visual compromise is significant.

At 1440p, High settings at 107.9 FPS represent the sweet spot, balancing visual quality with frame rates well above 60 FPS. Ultra at 96.6 FPS remains playable, but the 11.3 FPS gain from dropping to High is worthwhile for most users. Medium at 124.5 FPS provides headroom for high-refresh-rate 1440p monitors, though visual details are reduced.

For 4K displays, High settings at 71.1 FPS are recommended for the best balance of quality and performance. Ultra at 63.6 FPS is borderline, while Medium at 83.8 FPS offers a smoother experience at the cost of some detail. Low at 115.4 FPS is overkill for visual quality and is only advisable for extreme frame rate priorities. The data suggests that High preset is the optimal choice across all resolutions, delivering at least 71 FPS even at 4K.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Control?

A: The data shows 1440p High at 107.9 FPS offers the best balance of visual quality and performance. At 4K, High settings still deliver 71.1 FPS, making it viable for 60 Hz displays.

Q: Does the CPU bottleneck the GPU in Control?

A: At 1080p Low, the 197 FPS result versus the 1440p Low of 171 FPS (a 13% drop) suggests some CPU limitation at lower resolutions. However, at higher settings and resolutions, the GPU is clearly the limiting component.

Q: How much performance is lost going from 1080p to 4K?

A: At High settings, the drop is from 144.4 FPS at 1080p to 71.1 FPS at 4K, a 51% reduction. At Low settings, the drop is from 197 FPS to 115.4 FPS, a 41% reduction.

Q: Is Ultra settings playable at 4K?

A: Yes, but barely. The 63.6 FPS average at 4K Ultra is above 60 FPS, making it playable on standard 60 Hz displays, though not ideal for high-refresh-rate monitors.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to other tested systems?

A: It ranks 241st out of 1,636 combos, placing it in the top 15% of all tested pairings in Control.

Q: What GPU memory configuration does this card use?

A: The RTX 4070 Ti has 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus, providing 504.2 GB/s of bandwidth.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-11400F's specifications provide context for its performance in Control. With 6 cores and 12 threads, base clock of 2.60 GHz, and boost clock of 4.40 GHz, this Rocket Lake processor offers solid single-threaded performance. Its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2,029 and multi-core score of 14,372 place it in the 75th percentile of all CPUs, indicating above-average performance for its generation.

The CPU's 12 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR4 memory support with 51.2 GB/s bandwidth are modest by modern standards, yet Control's engine appears to leverage the CPU's strengths adequately. The 3DMark 2-thread score of 1,691 and single-thread score of 868 suggest that Control's primary thread workload is handled competently. However, the 4K Low result of 115.4 FPS versus the 1080p Low of 197 FPS shows that at lower settings, the GPU is still the dominant factor, as the CPU maintains high frame delivery even at 4K.

The CPU's PassMark single-thread score of 2,981 and multi-thread score of 16,908 indicate balanced performance across workloads. In Control, the i5-11400F appears to provide sufficient processing power to avoid becoming a significant bottleneck, particularly at higher settings where GPU load dominates. The 65 W TDP and 14 nm process node suggest thermal efficiency that allows sustained boost clocks, which benefits frame time consistency in demanding scenes.