Control

The Intel Core i5-14400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 combination delivers a remarkably consistent experience in Control, with the data showing that the Ultra preset at 1440p is the optimal balance of visual fidelity and performance. At 2560x1440 Ultra, the combo produces 76.4 FPS, which is comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay, while the 1080p Ultra setting reaches 103.5 FPS. The measured results indicate that this pairing is strong enough to prioritize visual quality over raw frame rates, especially when compared to the 4K Ultra result of 55.2 FPS, which dips below the ideal playable range.

Settings Recommendations

The benchmark data clearly identifies the Ultra preset at 2560x1440 as the best experience for this hardware configuration. The 76.4 FPS average at this setting is 21.2% higher than the 4K Ultra result, and it remains well above the 60 FPS target that most action-adventure titles require for responsive gameplay. While the High preset at 1440p offers a higher 88.3 FPS, the visual jump to Ultra is significant in Control, given its atmospheric environments and physics-heavy combat sequences. The data supports choosing Ultra at 1440p over High, as the 11.9 FPS sacrifice is a reasonable trade for the enhanced lighting and particle effects.

For users with 1080p displays, the Ultra preset is equally viable, delivering 103.5 FPS. This is 31.8% higher than the 4K Ultra result, making it the most visually rich option that still maintains triple-digit frame rates. The Medium preset at 1080p produces 132.2 FPS, but the performance gain over Ultra is unnecessary when the latter already clears 100 FPS. At 4K, the data recommends against Ultra, as the 55.2 FPS result falls short of the 60 FPS target. The High preset at 4K, at 58.5 FPS, is marginally better but still below ideal; the Medium preset at 65.1 FPS is the only 4K option that crosses the threshold. Given the measured results, the best experience is unequivocally 1440p Ultra.

GPU Role

The RTX 3080's memory configuration plays a critical role in Control's performance. The GPU features 10 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 320-bit bus, providing 760.3 GB/s of bandwidth. This is substantial for a 2019 title, and the data reflects that memory bandwidth is not a bottleneck at any resolution tested. The GPU's base clock of 1440 MHz and boost clock of 1710 MHz, combined with 8704 shading units, drive the frame rates seen across all settings. The FP32 compute power of 29.77 TFLOPS is leveraged heavily in Control's physics simulations, which involve destructible environments and telekinetic object manipulation.

The RTX 3080's 68 RT cores and 272 tensor cores are relevant for Control's ray-traced reflections and DLSS support, though the measured FPS data appears to be from rasterized rendering. The 4K Ultra result of 55.2 FPS suggests the GPU is the limiting factor at this resolution, as the CPU has ample headroom. The 10 GB VRAM allocation is sufficient for the game's textures at all presets, as evidenced by the consistent scaling from Low to Ultra without any anomalous drops that would indicate memory swapping. The GPU's 80th percentile ranking among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 35787, places it in the upper tier for this title.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals a predictable GPU-bound pattern. At Ultra settings, the transition from 1080p (103.5 FPS) to 1440p (76.4 FPS) represents a 26.2% drop, and further to 4K (55.2 FPS) is another 27.7% drop from the 1440p figure. This scaling is characteristic of a GPU-limited scenario, where the RTX 3080's compute and memory bandwidth are increasingly taxed as pixel count rises. The Low preset shows a similar trend: 185.8 FPS at 1080p drops to 139 FPS at 1440p (a 25.2% decrease), then to 92 FPS at 4K (a 33.8% decrease from 1440p).

The data indicates that the CPU is not the limiting factor in this title. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 185.8 FPS, which is a very high frame rate that would expose CPU bottlenecks if they existed; the fact that it scales cleanly across resolutions confirms the GPU is the primary constraint. The RTX 3080's 760.3 GB/s memory bandwidth and 465.1 GTexel/s texture rate are sufficient to handle Control's asset streaming, even at 4K. The 4K Medium result of 65.1 FPS versus the 4K High result of 58.5 FPS shows a 10.1% performance difference, reinforcing that resolution is the dominant factor in this combo's output.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the data shows a full range of playable options. The Low preset delivers 185.8 FPS, which is exceptionally high and suggests the CPU can push far beyond typical display refresh rates. Medium produces 132.2 FPS, High reaches 115.7 FPS, and Ultra dips to 103.5 FPS. All four presets at 1080p exceed 100 FPS, making this resolution the most flexible for users prioritizing refresh rate. The gap between Low and Ultra is 82.3 FPS, indicating that the GPU has significant headroom even at the highest settings.

At 2560x1440, the results remain strong. Low yields 139 FPS, Medium drops to 100.3 FPS, High settles at 88.3 FPS, and Ultra lands at 76.4 FPS. The 1440p Ultra result is the key finding: it is 21.2 FPS higher than the 4K Ultra result, yet still 27.1 FPS lower than the 1080p Ultra figure. This positions 1440p Ultra as the sweet spot for visual quality without sacrificing fluidity.

At 3840x2160, the performance becomes more constrained. Low produces 92 FPS, Medium drops to 65.1 FPS, High falls to 58.5 FPS, and Ultra reaches just 55.2 FPS. Only the Low and Medium presets at 4K exceed 60 FPS. The step from Medium to High at 4K costs 6.6 FPS, and from High to Ultra another 3.3 FPS, showing diminishing returns as settings increase. The 4K Ultra result is 48.3 FPS lower than the 1080p Low result, highlighting the GPU's workload at this resolution.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of the Intel Core i5-14400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 ranks 498th out of 1636 tested combos in Control, placing it in the 69.6th percentile of all configurations. This is a strong showing, indicating that the pairing outperforms roughly 70% of other hardware combinations tested in this game. The CPU's 88th percentile ranking among all processors, with an average benchmark score of 32508, pairs well with the GPU's 80th percentile ranking, suggesting a balanced system.

The CPU's nearest rivals include the Intel Core i7-12800H, which scores 32513 (a 0% delta), and the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 7645 at 32446 (a 0.2% delta). The GPU's nearest rivals are the AMD Radeon Pro Duo at 35860 (a -0.2% delta) and the AMD Radeon 880M at 35646 (a 0.4% delta). These close performance deltas indicate that the combo sits in a competitive tier, but the measured FPS data in Control shows the RTX 3080 is well-suited to this title's demands. The rank of 498 out of 1636 is respectable, and the data suggests that this combo is in the upper third of all tested systems for this game.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best resolution and settings combo for this system in Control?*

A: The data shows that 2560x1440 Ultra, at 76.4 FPS, is the best experience, as it exceeds the 60 FPS target while offering maximum visual quality. The 1080p Ultra result of 103.5 FPS is also excellent for high-refresh displays.

*Q: Can this system handle 4K in Control?*

A: Yes, but with caveats. The 4K Medium preset achieves 65.1 FPS, which is playable, while 4K High (58.5 FPS) and 4K Ultra (55.2 FPS) fall below 60 FPS. Users wanting 4K should use Medium settings for a smooth experience.

Q: How does the RTX 3080's memory configuration affect performance?

A: The 10 GB GDDR6X memory with 760.3 GB/s bandwidth is sufficient for all tested presets. The consistent frame rate scaling from Low to Ultra indicates no VRAM-related stutters or drops.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in this configuration?

A: The GPU is the limiting factor. The 1080p Low result of 185.8 FPS shows the CPU can handle high frame rates, and the significant frame rate drops when moving to 4K (e.g., Ultra drops from 103.5 to 55.2 FPS) confirm GPU-bound performance.

Q: How does this combo rank against other tested systems?

A: It ranks 498th out of 1636 combos, placing it in the upper 30% of configurations. The CPU's 88th percentile and GPU's 80th percentile rankings indicate a well-matched pair.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and Ultra at 1080p?

A: The difference is 82.3 FPS, with Low at 185.8 FPS and Ultra at 103.5 FPS. This shows the GPU has substantial headroom even at the highest settings in this resolution.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14400F provides a solid foundation for Control, with 10 cores and 16 threads based on the Raptor Lake architecture. The base clock of 2.50 GHz and boost clock of 4.70 GHz are sufficient to avoid bottlenecking the RTX 3080. This is evidenced by the 1080p Low result of 185.8 FPS, which is a demanding scenario for CPU-bound frame rates. The 20 MB of shared L3 cache and 1.25 MB L2 cache per core help maintain stable frame pacing in the game's physics-heavy combat encounters.

The CPU's benchmark scores corroborate its capability. The Cinebench R23 multicore score of 21914 and single-core score of 3093 indicate strong multi-threaded and single-threaded performance, which is relevant for Control's engine that uses multiple threads for rendering and simulation. The Passmark multithread score of 25783 and single-thread score of 3723 further confirm the CPU's ability to keep up with the GPU. The 65 W TDP and dual-channel DDR4/DDR5 memory support mean the CPU operates within standard power envelopes.

The data shows that the CPU does not hinder the GPU at any resolution. At 1440p Ultra, the 76.4 FPS result is within the expected range for the RTX 3080, and the scaling to 4K (55.2 FPS) follows a GPU-bound curve. The CPU's 88th percentile ranking among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 32508, places it just behind the Intel Core i7-12800H (32513) and slightly ahead of the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 7645 (32446). This level of performance ensures that the RTX 3080 is fully utilized in Control, making the CPU a non-factor in the measured results. The 14400F's 10-core, 16-thread configuration is more than adequate for this 2019 title, and the data confirms that the GPU is the primary driver of frame rates across all settings and resolutions.