Control

The pairing of the Intel Core i5-14400F with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 in Control presents a compelling study in system balance, where the data reveals a component that shifts its influence depending on the resolution selected. The measured frames per second across the four presets and three resolutions indicate that this is a configuration capable of solid performance at 1080p, yet it progressively encounters limitations as pixel count rises, clearly identifying the GPU as the primary constraint in most scenarios.

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

The transition from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 produces a dramatic and predictable decline in frame rates, but the shape of that decline tells a specific story about where the bottleneck lies. At the High preset, the average FPS drops from 69.8 at 1080p to 49.2 at 1440p, a reduction of roughly 30%, and then further falls to 34.1 at 4K, another 31% drop from the 1440p figure. This consistent scaling suggests that the rendering pipeline is being stressed uniformly as pixel count increases, which is a classic signature of GPU-bound performance.

The Low preset data reinforces this conclusion. At 1080p Low, the system produces 105.4 FPS, which is a very high frame rate that would indicate the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU at high speed. However, this figure plummets to 80.4 at 1440p and then to 55.4 at 4K. If the CPU were the limiting factor, we would expect the frame rate to remain relatively flat as resolution increases, since the CPU's workload (draw calls, physics, game logic) would not change. Instead, the steep decline in FPS across all presets as resolution rises points directly at the RTX 2060's fill rate and memory bandwidth as the constraining elements.

Further evidence comes from the scaling between Medium and Ultra at 4K. The gap between Low (55.4 FPS) and Ultra (30.2 FPS) at 4K is nearly a 2x difference, showing that the GPU is extremely sensitive to settings changes at this resolution. At 1080p, that same Low-to-Ultra gap is much narrower (105.4 to 60.4), implying that at lower resolutions the CPU and GPU are more balanced, but at 4K the GPU is overwhelmed, making every setting change an enormous lever on frame rate. The data strongly suggests that the RTX 2060 is the hard limit at 1440p and above, while the i5-14400F has ample headroom.

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 with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.70 GHz, built on the Raptor Lake architecture. In the context of Control, which is an action-adventure title with complex physics and destruction systems, the CPU's role is to manage the game's world simulation and ensure a steady stream of frames for the GPU to render. The processor's benchmark scores are respectable, with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 21914 and a single-core score of 3093, indicating strong per-thread performance that is critical for game logic.

The key observation from the game's measured FPS is that the CPU does not appear to be the primary constraint until the resolution is dropped to 1080p and the settings are lowered to Low. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 105.4 FPS, a figure that is likely approaching the point where the CPU's frame generation limit becomes relevant. However, the fact that it still achieves over 100 FPS suggests that the 10-core, 16-thread configuration is more than sufficient for this game's threading model. The processor sits in the 88th percentile of all CPUs, and its nearest rival, the Intel Core i7-12800H, has a nearly identical average score (32513 vs 32508 for the i5-14400F), showing that this desktop chip is performing at a level comparable to a high-end mobile processor.

The data implies that the i5-14400F is never the bottleneck in this pairing, even at 4K Ultra where the FPS drops to 30.2. At that setting, the CPU is likely idle waiting for the GPU to finish rendering each frame. The processor's 20 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel memory support (DDR4/DDR5) provide a solid platform for the game's data streaming, but the benchmark results indicate that the GPU's limits are hit long before the CPU's capabilities are exhausted. The single-core performance, evidenced by a Geekbench single-core score of 2333, is strong enough to handle the game's primary thread without introducing stutter or frame pacing issues.

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

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 is the defining component in this configuration, and its specifications explain the performance patterns observed in the data. With 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, the card offers a memory bandwidth of 336.0 GB/s. The GPU is based on the Turing architecture with a base clock of 1365 MHz and a boost clock of 1680 MHz. These specifications place the card in the 58th percentile of all GPUs, and its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 7600S, scores nearly identically (15996 vs 16074 average benchmark score for the RTX 2060).

The 6 GB VRAM capacity is a critical factor in Control at higher resolutions. The game is known for its detailed environments and particle effects, which can consume significant video memory. The data shows that at 4K Ultra, the average FPS drops to 30.2, which is likely a combination of the GPU's compute throughput being insufficient and the 6 GB VRAM potentially causing texture swapping or reduced caching. The drop from 1440p High (49.2 FPS) to 4K High (34.1 FPS) is a 31% reduction, which aligns with the 2.25x increase in pixel count, suggesting the GPU's pixel fill rate is the limiting factor rather than a specific VRAM overflow.

The RTX 2060's FP32 performance of 6.451 TFLOPS and its 1920 shading units are modest by modern standards, but they are sufficient for 1080p gaming. At 1080p High, the card produces 69.8 FPS, which is a comfortable experience, and at 1080p Low it reaches 105.4 FPS, showing that when the CPU has enough headroom, the GPU can push high refresh rates at lower settings. The card's 30 RT cores and 240 tensor cores are present, but Control's ray tracing options are not reflected in the measured data, so their impact is speculative. The GPU's 160 W TDP and 229 mm length indicate a standard dual-slot card, and its production status is end-of-life, but the benchmark results confirm it remains a capable 1080p performer.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

In the database of tested combinations, the Intel Core i5-14400F + RTX 2060 pairing ranks 1341 out of 1636 combos for Control. This rank places the configuration in the lower half of all tested systems, which is a direct reflection of the GPU's age and position in the performance hierarchy. The 82nd percentile rank (calculated from 1341/1636) indicates that a majority of other CPU-GPU pairings are capable of higher frame rates in this specific game.

This rank is primarily driven by the GPU's limitations. The CPU itself is highly ranked (88th percentile), but the GPU's 58th percentile score drags the overall combo down. The data shows that the combo is not competitive at 4K, where even the Ultra preset only achieves 30.2 FPS, which is borderline playable. At 1440p, the combo ranks better, but the frame rates (47.1 to 80.4) are not exceptional. The rank of 1341 suggests that for a game like Control, which is demanding on both CPU and GPU, this configuration is positioned for 1080p play.

The comparison to rivals is telling. The GPU's nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 7600S, has a deltaPct of 0.5%, meaning it is essentially identical in average benchmark score. This implies that swapping the RTX 2060 for an RX 7600S would not change the game's performance in any meaningful way. Similarly, the CPU's rivals, such as the Intel Core i7-12800H, are within 0.2% of the i5-14400F's score, so the CPU is not a differentiator. The combo's rank is therefore a function of the GPU's absolute performance level, not an imbalance in the pairing.

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

The measured data provides a complete picture of performance across all settings and resolutions. At 1920x1080, the system delivers 105.4 FPS on Low, 80 FPS on Medium, 69.8 FPS on High, and 60.4 FPS on Ultra. This is a well-behaved scaling pattern, with each step up in settings costing a predictable amount of performance. The 1080p results are all playable, with even Ultra exceeding 60 FPS.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates drop significantly. Low produces 80.4 FPS, Medium 59.3 FPS, High 49.2 FPS, and Ultra 47.1 FPS. The drop from Low to Medium at 1440p is notable (80.4 to 59.3), showing that the Medium preset introduces substantial rendering load. The High and Ultra presets are nearly identical (49.2 vs 47.1), suggesting that the Ultra preset's additional effects are minor or that the game's engine is hitting a bottleneck at these settings.

At 3840x2160, the system struggles to maintain playable frame rates. Low achieves 55.4 FPS, which is playable, but Medium drops to 37.3 FPS, High to 34.1 FPS, and Ultra to 30.2 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium at 4K is massive (55.4 to 37.3), indicating that the Medium preset introduces effects that are disproportionately expensive at this resolution. The 4K Ultra result of 30.2 FPS is right at the edge of what might be considered playable, and the data suggests that the RTX 2060's 6 GB VRAM and memory bandwidth are being stressed to their limits.

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

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend heavily on the target resolution. At 1920x1080, the High preset at 69.8 FPS offers an excellent balance of visual fidelity and smoothness, while Ultra at 60.4 FPS is also viable for players who prioritize image quality over a higher refresh rate. The Low preset at 105.4 FPS is unnecessary at this resolution unless the user has a 144Hz monitor and wants to maximize frame rate.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset at 59.3 FPS is the recommended starting point, as it provides a near-60 FPS experience without the significant visual downgrade of Low. The High preset at 49.2 FPS is acceptable for players who prefer higher quality, but the drop below 50 FPS may introduce noticeable input latency. The Ultra preset at 47.1 FPS offers diminishing returns over High, so High is the better choice if visual quality is the goal.

At 3840x2160, the situation is more challenging. The Low preset at 55.4 FPS is the only setting that approaches a smooth experience. The Medium preset at 37.3 FPS is playable but will feel less fluid, and the High and Ultra presets (34.1 and 30.2 FPS) are only suitable for slower-paced exploration or if the user can tolerate sub-30 FPS in action sequences. For 4K, the data clearly recommends Low settings to maintain playability.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to use with this CPU-GPU combo?

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 is the sweet spot, with the High preset achieving 69.8 FPS and Ultra at 60.4 FPS. At 1440p, the Medium preset at 59.3 FPS is the highest playable option, while 4K is limited to Low settings for a playable 55.4 FPS.

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-14400F or the RTX 2060 the bottleneck in this game?

A: The benchmark results indicate the RTX 2060 is the primary bottleneck at resolutions above 1080p. The CPU's strong scores, including a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 21914, mean it has ample headroom, as evidenced by the 105.4 FPS at 1080p Low.

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

A: This pairing ranks 1341 out of 1636 tested combos for Control, placing it in the lower half of all systems. The rank is heavily influenced by the GPU's 58th percentile score, while the CPU's 88th percentile ranking shows it is not the limiting factor.

Q: What is the difference in performance between the High and Ultra presets at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the High preset averages 49.2 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 47.1 FPS, a difference of only 2.1 FPS. This small gap suggests the Ultra preset adds little visual benefit for the performance cost at this resolution.

Q: Does the 6 GB VRAM on the RTX 2060 affect performance at 4K?

A: The data shows a steep drop from Low (55.4 FPS) to Medium (37.3 FPS) at 4K, which suggests that the Medium preset's texture and effect loads may be exceeding the card's 6 GB GDDR6 memory capacity, causing a significant performance penalty.

Q: How does the RTX 2060 compare to its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 7600S?

A: The RTX 2060 has an average benchmark score of 16074, while the RX 7600S scores 15996, a deltaPct of 0.5%. This indicates the two GPUs deliver nearly identical performance in synthetic benchmarks, so game performance would be expected to be very similar.