Control

Control, a 2019 action-adventure title, places unique demands on a system, and the data for the Intel Core i5-14400F paired with the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT reveals a component relationship that shifts dramatically depending on the resolution and settings. The measured FPS across the board indicates a configuration that can handle the game's supernatural physics and destructible environments with considerable ease, but the margins between presets offer a clear picture of where the bottlenecks lie. This analysis breaks down the measured results to understand how this specific CPU and GPU combination performs in the Oldest House.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is substantial, and the pattern tells a clear story about the limiting component. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo produces 193.3 FPS, but at 4K Low, it falls to 95.9 FPS—a reduction of roughly 50%. This halving of performance as pixel count quadruples strongly suggests the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT is becoming the primary constraint at higher resolutions, as the workload increasingly shifts to the GPU's shading and rasterization units.

The trend is consistent across all settings. At High settings, the drop from 122.1 FPS at 1080p to 64.4 FPS at 4K represents a 47% decrease, while Ultra settings see a similar dip from 105.4 FPS down to 54.8 FPS. What is more telling is the gap between Low and Ultra at each resolution. At 1080p, the difference is 87.9 FPS (193.3 vs 105.4), but at 4K, that gap narrows to 41.1 FPS (95.9 vs 54.8). This compression of the performance envelope at 4K indicates that the GPU's compute resources are saturated, making the graphical preset less impactful than the raw pixel throughput.

The data implies that at 1080p, the Intel Core i5-14400F is likely still feeding the GPU adequately, as the high frame rates suggest the CPU is not the primary limiter. However, the scaling from 1440p to 4K shows a steeper relative decline in performance, which reinforces the GPU-bound nature of the workload at higher resolutions. The 1440p data points—143 FPS on Low, 94.9 on High, and 79.5 on Ultra—show a smoother degradation curve, suggesting a more balanced load where neither component is completely overwhelmed, allowing for a more predictable scaling pattern.

Settings Recommendations

The measured rows offer a clear hierarchy for the best experience, balancing frame rate against visual fidelity. For players targeting the highest refresh rates, the Low preset at 1080p delivers 193.3 FPS, which is far beyond what most displays can show, making this setting more about pushing maximum frames than practical gaming. The Medium preset at 1080p, at 134.8 FPS, still provides an exceptionally smooth experience while presumably offering a more visually rich environment than Low.

The most compelling data point for a quality experience lies in the High preset at 1440p. At 94.9 FPS, this combination of resolution and settings provides a high level of detail while staying above the 60 FPS threshold that is often considered the baseline for smooth gameplay. This is a more balanced choice than the Ultra preset at the same resolution, which drops to 79.5 FPS, a 16% reduction for what may be marginal visual gains in a game with Control's art style. At 4K, the data suggests that High settings, yielding 64.4 FPS, are the practical ceiling for a fluid experience, as the Ultra preset dips to 54.8 FPS, which can introduce noticeable judder in fast-paced combat scenarios. The Medium preset at 1440p, with 104.4 FPS, stands out as a strong alternative for those who prioritize frame rate over ultimate detail, offering a significant 10% improvement over High with likely minor visual compromises.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14400F, with its 10 cores and 16 threads, has a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.70 GHz, and its benchmark scores suggest it is more than adequate for Control's engine. The Cinebench R23 multicore score of 21914 and single-core score of 3093 indicate a processor that can handle both the game's physics calculations and its draw call overhead. The data from the measured FPS, particularly the high numbers at 1080p, suggests that the CPU is not the bottleneck in this pairing, as the GPU is able to reach its performance limits without being held back.

The CPU's position relative to its nearest rivals, such as the Intel Core i7-12800H (with a deltaPct of 0) and the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 7645 (with a deltaPct of 0.2), shows that it is statistically on par with those parts in general processing power. This parity means that any performance differences in Control are more likely attributable to the GPU or game optimization rather than a CPU deficiency. The 65 W TDP and the Raptor Lake architecture, with its 20 MB of shared L3 cache, provide a solid foundation for gaming, but the benchmark results indicate that the processor's role here is to keep up with the GPU's output, which it does effectively at all tested resolutions. The fact that the FPS scales down as resolution increases, rather than collapsing due to CPU limitations, confirms that the i5-14400F is a capable partner for the RX 9070 XT in this title.

FAQ

Q: Can this system achieve a stable 60 FPS at 4K resolution?

A: Yes, the data shows that at 4K with High settings, the average FPS is 64.4, which is above the 60 FPS target. However, at Ultra settings, the average drops to 54.8 FPS, which falls below that threshold.

Q: What is the maximum frame rate recorded for this combo?

A: The highest average FPS in the measured data is 193.3, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from High to Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: The average FPS drops from 94.9 on High to 79.5 on Ultra at 2560x1440, representing a decrease of 15.4 FPS.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more likely to be the limiting factor at 1080p?

A: The data suggests the GPU is still the primary limiter, but the high frame rates (122.1 FPS on High) indicate that the Intel Core i5-14400F is not holding the system back significantly at this resolution.

Q: What is the performance difference between Low and Ultra settings at 4K?

A: At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 95.9 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 54.8 FPS, a difference of 41.1 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU's single-threaded performance relate to the game's results?

A: The CPU's Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3093 suggests strong per-core performance, which helps ensure that the game's main thread logic does not become a bottleneck, as evidenced by the high frame rates achieved across all resolutions.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT is the star of this configuration, and the measured FPS data highlights its significant role in determining the final output. With a boost clock of 2970 MHz and 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, the GPU has the raw bandwidth and compute throughput to handle Control's demanding visual effects. The 48.66 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is a key metric, as it directly correlates to the shader work required for the game's particle effects and physics-based destruction. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 7260 places it in a high-performance tier, and the data shows that its capabilities are the deciding factor between playable and unplayable frame rates at 4K.

The GPU's memory capacity of 16 GB is more than sufficient for Control, even at 4K Ultra, which typically demands significant VRAM for textures. The measured data shows that the biggest performance deltas occur when changing resolutions, which is a classic sign of GPU-bound behavior. The 644.6 GB/s of memory bandwidth ensures that the GPU's processing units are kept fed, avoiding stalls that could artificially lower frame rates. The GPU's benchmark percentile of 82 versus all other GPUs, and its proximity to rivals like the AMD Radeon Pro 575 (deltaPct of -0.1), further contextualize its standing, but in this specific game, the measured FPS is the definitive proof of its capability. The GPU's ability to scale from 193.3 FPS at 1080p Low to 54.8 FPS at 4K Ultra demonstrates a wide performance envelope, but the data clearly shows that the RX 9070 XT is the component that dictates the frame rate ceiling as resolution increases.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers high frame rates across all presets. The Low preset averages 193.3 FPS, which drops to 134.8 FPS on Medium, 122.1 FPS on High, and 105.4 FPS on Ultra. This shows that even at the highest settings, the system maintains over 100 FPS, indicating a very comfortable margin for high-refresh-rate gaming at this resolution.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain strong but begin to show the increased pixel workload. The Low preset averages 143 FPS, while Medium yields 104.4 FPS. The High preset produces 94.9 FPS, and the Ultra preset drops to 79.5 FPS. The scaling here is more linear, suggesting a balanced system where both CPU and GPU are working in concert.

At 3840x2160, the GPU takes center stage. The Low preset averages 95.9 FPS, which is still a playable number. The Medium preset drops to 68.1 FPS, and High comes in at 64.4 FPS. The Ultra preset is the most demanding, averaging 54.8 FPS. This breakdown shows that for 4K gaming, the choice of preset has a significant impact, with a 41.1 FPS difference between Low and Ultra, and that users will need to compromise on settings to maintain higher frame rates.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-14400F + AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT combination is ranked 448 out of 1636 tested combos in Control, placing it in the top 27% of all configurations. This ranking is a strong indicator of the system's overall capability in this specific game, considering the vast array of hardware combinations that have been tested. The rank suggests that this is a high-performing setup that will provide a smooth experience for most players, but it is not at the absolute top tier of performance, which is likely reserved for more expensive or more specialized components.

The combination's rank is particularly impressive when considering the CPU's position in the broader market. The Intel Core i5-14400F sits at the 88th percentile of all CPUs, and the GPU is at the 82nd percentile. The fact that this combo ranks in the 73rd percentile (448/1636) in Control suggests that the game is well-optimized for this class of hardware, or that the pairing works particularly well together. The data indicates that while neither component is in the top 1% individually, their combination is greater than the sum of its parts for this title, offering a strong price-to-performance experience without making any specific claims about cost. This rank also implies that there are many other combinations that score higher, but also a significant number that score lower, solidifying this pairing as a reliable choice for Control.