Control

Control is a 2019 Action Adventure title that stresses both the CPU and GPU heavily, and data for the Intel Core i5-14400F + AMD Radeon RX 7700 combo shows a system that is consistently GPU-bound at higher resolutions, with a clear ceiling revealed at 1080p. The measured frame rates indicate a strong pairing for 1440p gaming, while 4K Ultra remains a challenge. This analysis breaks down the performance data, focusing on how the resolution, GPU, and CPU characteristics influence the final scores.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is substantial and reveals the GPU as the primary limiting factor. At Low settings, the average frame rate falls from 148 FPS at 1920x1080 to 76 FPS at 3840x2160, a decrease of 72 FPS. This steep decline is a classic indicator that the AMD Radeon RX 7700 is being pushed to its limits as pixel count increases. The scaling is not linear; the jump from 1440p to 4K is particularly punishing, with High settings dropping from 71 FPS to 48 FPS.

The data suggests that the CPU has ample headroom at higher resolutions. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 148 FPS, which is high enough to suggest the game is still demanding on the GPU. However, the gap between 1080p and 1440p at Low settings is 36 FPS (148 to 112), which is a significant reduction. This indicates that while the CPU is capable, the GPU's rendering workload is the dominant factor in frame rate scaling.

At 4K, the system struggles to maintain smooth gameplay on higher presets. The average frame rate at 4K Medium is 54 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for a fast-paced action game. Moving to 4K Ultra drops the average to 41 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold that many players consider the target. The scaling pattern across all settings at 4K shows a consistent hit, confirming that the Radeon RX 7700's compute and memory bandwidth are the bottlenecks.

The frame time consistency, where provided, also degrades with resolution. At 1920x1080 Medium, the minimum FPS is 89 with a maximum of 121, showing a 32 FPS variance. At 2560x1440 Medium, the variance is 24 FPS (68 to 92), and at 3840x2160 Medium, it is 16 FPS (46 to 62). While the absolute FPS drops, the variance shrinks, which suggests that at higher resolutions, the GPU is consistently saturated, reducing the impact of transient load spikes.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7700 features 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 624.1 GB/s of bandwidth. While Control is not typically a VRAM-heavy title at these settings, the 16 GB capacity ensures that memory capacity is not a limiting factor. The data shows that the GPU's raw compute performance, rated at 25.18 TFLOPS FP32, is the main driver of the frame rates observed. The boost clock of 2459 MHz and game clock of 2041 MHz are relevant, but the overall architecture and memory bandwidth determine the 4K performance ceiling.

The GPU's benchmark scores place it in a specific performance tier. Its PassMark G3D score is 20974, and its average benchmark score is 15852. This aligns with the measured FPS in Control, showing it is a mid-to-high-range card. The nearest rivals in the database include the AMD Radeon RX 9060, which has an average score of 16014 (deltaPct -1), and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti, with an average score of 16129 (deltaPct -1.7). The RX 7700's score is 1% lower than the RX 9060 and 1.7% lower than the RTX 3060 Ti, indicating that in synthetic benchmarks, it sits just below these cards.

In Control, the GPU's performance at 1440p is the sweet spot. At 2560x1440 High, the average FPS is 71, which is a good experience for a game of this genre. The card's 96 ROPs and 160 TMUs help with fill-rate and texture processing, but the 2560 shading units are the primary workhorses. The data shows that at 1080p, the card can push past 100 FPS on Medium (105 FPS) and Low (148 FPS), but the CPU starts to become more relevant at these lower resolutions.

The GPU's DirectX 12 Ultimate support (12_2) is fully utilized by Control. The 40 RT cores are present, but the measured data does not specify if ray tracing is enabled. The performance at 4K Ultra (41 FPS) suggests that if ray tracing were active, the frame rates would be even lower. The 16 GB VRAM is a future-proofing feature, but for this specific game, the memory bandwidth of 624.1 GB/s is more critical for the 4K results.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14400F has 10 cores and 16 threads, with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.70 GHz. Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 21645 and single-core score of 3055 indicate a strong processor for gaming. The data suggests that at 1080p, the CPU is still capable of feeding the GPU, as the frame rates reach 148 FPS on Low settings. However, the lack of an even higher frame rate at 1080p Low, compared to what a top-tier CPU might achieve, hints that the game engine is still demanding on the processor.

The CPU's benchmark percentile is 83, meaning it outperforms 83% of all CPUs in the database. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840U (deltaPct 0.1) and the Intel Core i9-11900 (deltaPct 0.2), showing that it performs nearly identically to these chips in synthetic tests. The Intel Core i7-12800H is 0.5% behind, while the AMD Ryzen 7 6800HS is 0.2% ahead. This places the i5-14400F in a competitive mid-range segment.

In Control, the CPU's role diminishes as resolution increases. The frame rate drop from 1080p to 1440p is significant, but this is primarily due to the GPU workload. The CPU's 20 MB of shared L3 cache and high boost clock help maintain consistent frame pacing, as seen in the medium settings variance. The processor's 65W TDP and dual-channel memory support (DDR4/DDR5) are standard for the platform, but the exact memory configuration is not specified in the data.

The data shows that the CPU is not the bottleneck at 1440p and 4K. For instance, at 4K Low, the system achieves 76 FPS, which is a solid result. If the CPU were the primary limiter, we would expect to see similar frame rates across all resolutions when the GPU load is low. Instead, the frame rates scale significantly with resolution, confirming that the GPU is the limiting component. The CPU's single-core performance, as measured by Cinebench R23 (3055), is sufficient to handle the game's physics and AI logic without dragging down the GPU.

FAQ

Q: What is the average frame rate at 1080p with High settings?

A: The average frame rate is 93 FPS at 1920x1080 with High settings.

Q: How does the GPU perform at 4K Ultra settings?

A: At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average frame rate drops to 41 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target for smooth gameplay.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck at 1440p?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the primary bottleneck at 1440p. The average FPS drops from 112 at Low to 61 at Ultra, showing a clear GPU-bound scaling pattern.

Q: What is the performance difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the average frame rate goes from 112 FPS on Low to 61 FPS on Ultra, a difference of 51 FPS.

Q: Does the i5-14400F hold back the RX 7700 in this game?

A: At 1080p, the CPU is sufficient, as the frame rates are high (148 FPS on Low). At higher resolutions, the GPU is clearly the limiting factor, so the CPU does not hold back the system.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded at 4K Medium settings?

A: The minimum FPS recorded at 3840x2160 with Medium settings is 46 FPS.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-14400F and AMD Radeon RX 7700 combination ranks 1294 out of 2888 tested combos in Control. This places it in the 45th percentile of all tested systems, indicating a solidly mid-range performance tier. Given the GPU's average benchmark score of 15852, which is 1.7% lower than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti, this ranking is consistent with expectations. The combo is not at the top of the charts, but it is far from the bottom.

The ranking suggests that while this pairing is capable of handling the game, there are many other combos that deliver higher frame rates. The CPU's percentile of 83 is higher than the GPU's percentile of 58, which implies that the CPU is a stronger component relative to the rest of the market. This is reflected in the game data, where the GPU is the limiting factor. The combo's performance is likely held back by the GPU's inability to maintain high frame rates at 4K Ultra, which limits its overall ranking.

The rank of 1294 also suggests that the system is well-balanced for 1440p gaming, where it achieves 71 FPS on High. For players targeting 1080p, the system is more than adequate, with frame rates exceeding 80 FPS on Ultra. However, for 4K enthusiasts, the combo will require settings adjustments to maintain playable frame rates. The ranking is a reflection of the system's overall capability across all tested resolutions and settings, and it indicates that this is a dependable but not exceptional performer for Control.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following table details the exact measured average frame rates for the Intel Core i5-14400F and AMD Radeon RX 7700 combo in Control. The data is split by resolution and settings preset.

| Resolution | Settings | Average FPS | Minimum FPS | Maximum FPS |

|---|---|---|---|---|

| 3840x2160 | High | 48 | N/A | N/A |

| 3840x2160 | Low | 76 | N/A | N/A |

| 3840x2160 | Medium | 54 | 46 | 62 |

| 3840x2160 | Ultra | 41 | N/A | N/A |

| 2560x1440 | High | 71 | N/A | N/A |

| 2560x1440 | Low | 112 | N/A | N/A |

| 2560x1440 | Medium | 80 | 68 | 92 |

| 2560x1440 | Ultra | 61 | N/A | N/A |

| 1920x1080 | High | 93 | N/A | N/A |

| 1920x1080 | Low | 148 | N/A | N/A |

| 1920x1080 | Medium | 105 | 89 | 121 |

| 1920x1080 | Ultra | 81 | N/A | N/A |

The data shows a clear progression: at 1080p, the system is highly capable, with all settings producing average frame rates above 80 FPS. At 1440p, the system remains playable, with Ultra settings still achieving 61 FPS. At 4K, the system becomes less consistent, with only Low settings (76 FPS) providing a smooth experience, while Ultra drops to 41 FPS. The minimum and maximum FPS values for Medium settings show that frame pacing is stable, with a consistent range across all resolutions. The 1080p Medium range (89-121 FPS) is wider than the 1440p Medium range (68-92 FPS), which is narrower than the 4K Medium range (46-62 FPS). This pattern indicates that as resolution increases, the GPU becomes more consistently loaded, reducing variance but also reducing overall performance.