Control

The Intel Core i5-14400F and Intel Arc B580 pairing presents a specific profile in Control, a 2019 Action Adventure title. The benchmark data, measured across three resolutions and four settings, reveals a system where the graphics card is the primary constraint in most scenarios, but the CPU's capabilities set a firm ceiling for peak performance. This analysis breaks down the measured results to understand the role of each component, how the combination scales, and what settings deliver the optimal experience.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core i5-14400F is a 10-core, 16-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.70 GHz. Its cache configuration includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 1.25 MB of L2 per core, and a shared 20 MB L3 cache. In synthetic benchmarks, this CPU demonstrates strong multi-threaded and single-threaded performance, scoring 21,645 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 3,055 in the single-core test. Its overall percentile versus all CPUs is 83, indicating it sits in the top 17% of all tested processors.

The data from Control suggests that the CPU is not the bottleneck at the lower resolution. At 1080p with Low settings, the system achieves 114 FPS, which is the highest average frame rate recorded in the entire dataset. This peak suggests that the i5-14400F is capable of driving the game engine to frame rates well above 100 FPS when the GPU load is minimized. The processor's nearest rivals, such as the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840U and the Intel Core i9-11900, have average benchmark scores of 32,233 and 32,226 respectively, with a delta of 0.1% and 0.2% from the i5-14400F. This indicates that the CPU's raw processing power is competitive with other high-end desktop parts, which is sufficient for the physics and AI workloads in Control.

However, the CPU’s role is more about enabling high frame rates than limiting them. The measured data shows that as resolution increases, frame rates drop significantly, which is a classic sign of a GPU-bound scenario. The fact that the 1080p Low setting reaches 114 FPS, while the 4K Ultra setting falls to 32 FPS, points to the GPU being the limiting factor in higher resolution and quality settings. The i5-14400F’s architecture, with its 10 cores and 16 threads, ensures that it can feed the Arc B580 with enough data to reach its potential, but it does not appear to be the reason for frame rate drops at higher graphical loads. The CPU's performance in Control is best understood as a stable foundation; it provides the headroom for the system to achieve playable frame rates at 1080p, but its influence wanes as the GPU becomes more saturated.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Arc B580 is built on the Xe2-HPG architecture and is part of the Battlemage generation. It features 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 456.0 GB/s. The GPU’s base and boost clocks are both 2670 MHz, with memory running at an effective 2375 MHz. It has 2,560 shading units, 160 texture mapping units, and 80 render output units. Its FP32 performance is rated at 13.67 TFLOPS, and its percentile versus all GPUs is 68.

The GPU's specifications are directly reflected in the measured frame rates. At 1080p, the Arc B580 delivers an average of 72 FPS on High settings, 81 FPS on Medium, and 114 FPS on Low. The jump from Low to Medium (33 FPS) and from Medium to High (9 FPS) shows the GPU's scaling with graphical complexity. The 12 GB VRAM is a substantial allocation for a game from 2019, and the data shows that the card can handle 1080p and 1440p resolutions with ease, as even at 1440p High, it maintains an average of 54 FPS. The GPU’s nearest rivals, including the AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080, have average scores of 23,061 and 22,895, with a delta of -0.2% and 0.6%, respectively. This places the Arc B580 in a performance tier that is comparable to older, high-end cards.

The primary limitation of the GPU appears at 4K resolution. The performance drops sharply: at 4K High, the average FPS is 37, and at 4K Ultra, it falls to 32 FPS. This indicates that the Arc B580’s compute power and memory bandwidth are not sufficient to maintain high frame rates at the demanding 3840x2160 resolution. The difference between 1080p High (72 FPS) and 1440p High (54 FPS) is a 25% drop, while the drop from 1440p High to 4K High is a 31% reduction. This pattern confirms that the GPU is the key component determining performance in Control, especially as resolution increases. The card's architecture, with its 20 ray tracing cores, is not heavily utilized in this game’s standard settings, but the raw pixel throughput becomes a limiting factor at 4K.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The resolution scaling data provides a clear picture of where the system's bottleneck lies. Moving from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440, the average FPS drops by approximately 24-25% across all settings. For instance, at High settings, the frame rate goes from 72 FPS at 1080p to 54 FPS at 1440p. This is a consistent and expected scaling pattern, indicating that the GPU is managing the increased pixel count without any major architectural inefficiencies.

However, the drop from 1440p to 3840x2160 is more severe. At High settings, the frame rate falls from 54 FPS to 37 FPS, a reduction of 31%. At Ultra settings, the drop is from 47 FPS to 32 FPS, a 32% reduction. This steeper decline at 4K suggests that the Arc B580 is hitting a hard limit in terms of fill rate and memory bandwidth. The 456.0 GB/s bandwidth, while respectable, is insufficient to feed the massive number of pixels at 4K with high-quality textures and effects.

The data strongly indicates that the GPU is the limiting component in this pairing. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see similar frame rates across different resolutions, with the CPU’s performance ceiling capping the FPS. Instead, we see a consistent scaling pattern where frame rates drop as resolution increases, which is a classic symptom of a GPU-bound workload. The only scenario where the CPU might be a factor is at 1080p Low, where the 114 FPS average could be approaching the CPU’s limit for this game engine, but even that is not definitively proven by the data. The overall trend is clear: the Intel Arc B580 is the primary driver of performance, and its capabilities are best utilized at 1080p and 1440p resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

In the database of tested hardware combinations for Control, this specific pairing of the Intel Core i5-14400F and Intel Arc B580 holds a rank of 2,816 out of 3,720 combos. This places it in the bottom 25% of all tested systems. This ranking is somewhat surprising given the individual component specifications, but it is a direct result of the measured frame rates. The combo’s percentile is not high because, while the CPU is powerful, the GPU’s performance at 4K is poor, and the ranking likely reflects an aggregate score across all tested resolutions and settings.

The individual components have competitive synthetic scores. The CPU is in the 83rd percentile, and the GPU is in the 68th percentile. However, the combined rank in Control is lower than either component's individual percentile would suggest. This indicates that the game’s specific workload is not favoring this combination. The Arc B580’s performance in this title, while adequate at lower resolutions, is not exceptional enough to push the combo higher in the rankings. The rank of 2,816 out of 3,720 means that a significant majority of other CPU-GPU pairings outperform this one in Control.

This lower rank is a critical data point. It suggests that for players targeting high frame rates at 4K, this combination is not ideal. The measured FPS at 4K High (37 FPS) and 4K Ultra (32 FPS) are below the threshold for a consistently smooth experience. The combo’s relative weakness in this title, despite having a modern GPU, could be due to the architectural differences in how the Xe2-HPG handles this specific game engine. The ranking is a stark reminder that synthetic benchmarks do not always translate to real-world gaming performance, and that this particular pairing is more suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combination depend on the target resolution and desired frame rate. For a smooth 60 FPS experience, the data shows that 1080p Medium is the best choice, delivering 81 FPS. This provides a comfortable margin above 60 FPS, ensuring minimal frame drops. At 1440p, the situation is more nuanced; the High preset yields 54 FPS, which is close to but not quite 60 FPS, while the Medium preset yields 61 FPS. This makes 1440p Medium the optimal choice for a 60 FPS target at that resolution.

For players with a 4K monitor, the data is less encouraging. The highest average FPS at 4K is achieved with the Low preset at 58 FPS, which is barely playable. The Medium preset at 4K delivers 41 FPS, and High and Ultra drop to 37 FPS and 32 FPS, respectively. Given these numbers, 4K gaming is only feasible with the Low preset, and even then, it is not a locked 60 FPS experience. The recommendation is to prioritize the Medium preset for the best balance of visual quality and performance, especially at 1080p and 1440p.

The data shows a clear pattern where the Low preset provides a significant FPS boost. At 1080p, the jump from Low to Medium is a 33 FPS reduction, while the jump from Medium to High is only a 9 FPS reduction. This suggests that the Low preset disables some heavy graphical features that disproportionately impact the Arc B580. For the best experience, users should start with the Medium preset at 1080p or 1440p, and only consider the High preset if they have a high refresh rate monitor and can tolerate frame rates in the 50-70 FPS range. The Ultra preset should be avoided at all resolutions, as it offers the lowest frame rates without a proportional visual benefit in the measured data.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to use with this CPU and GPU combo for a 60 FPS target?

A: The data shows that 1080p Medium delivers 81 FPS, and 1440p Medium delivers 61 FPS. These are the only settings and resolutions where the average FPS is at or above 60 FPS, making 1440p Medium the highest resolution that can maintain a 60 FPS average.

Q: How does the Intel Core i5-14400F compare to its nearest rival, the Intel Core i9-11900?

A: The i5-14400F has an average benchmark score of 32,279, while the i9-11900 has a score of 32,226. The delta is 0.2%, meaning the i5-14400F is roughly 0.2% faster in synthetic benchmarks.

Q: Is this GPU a bottleneck at 4K resolution?

A: Yes, the data strongly indicates this. At 4K High, the average FPS is 37, and at 4K Ultra, it drops to 32 FPS. The steep drop from 1440p to 4K suggests the Arc B580's memory bandwidth and compute power are insufficient for this resolution.

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

A: The highest measured average frame rate is 114 FPS, which is achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with the Low settings preset.

Q: How does the Arc B580's performance compare to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Arc B580 has an average benchmark score of 23,021, while the RTX 2080 has a score of 22,895. The delta is 0.6%, indicating the Arc B580 is 0.6% faster in these tests.

Q: Given the combo rank, is this a good system for playing Control?

A: The combo ranks 2,816 out of 3,720 tested combinations. While it can achieve 60 FPS at 1080p and 1440p Medium, its performance at 4K is poor, and the overall ranking is in the bottom 25%, suggesting it is not a top-tier performer for this specific game.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

Below is the complete measured FPS data for the Intel Core i5-14400F and Intel Arc B580 in Control.

1920x1080 (1080p)

• Low Settings: Average FPS of 114.
• Medium Settings: Average FPS of 81, with a minimum of 69 and a maximum of 93.
• High Settings: Average FPS of 72.
• Ultra Settings: Average FPS of 62.

2560x1440 (1440p)

• Low Settings: Average FPS of 86.
• Medium Settings: Average FPS of 61, with a minimum of 52 and a maximum of 70.
• High Settings: Average FPS of 54.
• Ultra Settings: Average FPS of 47.

3840x2160 (4K)

• Low Settings: Average FPS of 58.
• Medium Settings: Average FPS of 41, with a minimum of 35 and a maximum of 48.
• High Settings: Average FPS of 37.
• Ultra Settings: Average FPS of 32.

The data shows a consistent performance hierarchy, with the 1080p Low setting being the fastest and the 4K Ultra setting being the slowest. The 1440p Medium setting is the only one that offers a 60 FPS average at a higher resolution, while the 1080p Medium and Low settings are the only ones to exceed 80 FPS. The 4K resolution is only playable at Low settings, with a 58 FPS average.