Control

Control is an action-adventure title that stresses both the CPU and GPU heavily, and the measured data for the Intel Core i5-14400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti combination reveals a system that is exceptionally well-balanced for high-refresh-rate play at 1440p, while still delivering a smooth 4K experience. The benchmark results show a clear hierarchy across resolutions and settings, with the RTX 4070 Ti's 12 GB of GDDR6X memory and the i5-14400F's 10 cores working in tandem to keep frame rates high. The data indicates that this pairing is overkill for 1080p, ideal for 2560x1440, and perfectly capable at 3840x2160 with minor settings adjustments, making it a versatile choice for a wide range of display configurations.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is substantial, but the pattern reveals where the bottleneck lies. At 1920x1080 with Ultra settings, the system averages 123.1 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 on Ultra, that number falls to 94.2 FPS, a reduction of 28.9 FPS. Pushing further to 3840x2160 on Ultra, the average drops to 62.6 FPS, which is a 60.5 FPS decline from the 1080p baseline. This steep decline indicates that the GPU is the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions, as the pixel count increases dramatically and the RTX 4070 Ti has to work harder to fill those frames.

The scaling is not linear, however. The gap between 1080p and 1440p is 28.9 FPS on Ultra, while the gap between 1440p and 4K is 31.6 FPS on the same settings. This suggests that the CPU, with its 16 threads and 4.70 GHz boost clock, is still able to feed the GPU adequately even at 1440p, but the GPU starts to run out of headroom at 4K. The data shows that on Low settings, the 1080p result of 223.8 FPS drops to 171.1 FPS at 1440p and then to 113.6 FPS at 4K. The relative drop is consistent, but the absolute numbers remain high, confirming that the RTX 4070 Ti is a strong 4K performer when settings are moderated.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14400F plays a supporting role that becomes more critical at lower resolutions. With 10 cores and 16 threads, the CPU has ample parallel processing power for Control's physics and AI systems. The benchmark data shows that at 1080p Low settings, the system hits 223.8 FPS, which is a high enough frame rate that the CPU's single-thread performance, evidenced by a Geekbench single-core score of 2333, is the likely ceiling. The Raptor Lake architecture, running at a base clock of 2.50 GHz and boosting to 4.70 GHz, provides the responsiveness needed to maintain high minimum frame rates in chaotic combat scenarios.

The CPU's Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 21914 and single-core score of 3093 further illustrate its capability. In Control, this translates to a system that does not hold back the GPU at 1080p, as the 223.8 FPS Low result reflects the CPU's ability to process game logic quickly. However, the data shows that the CPU is not the primary bottleneck at 1440p and 4K. The gap between Low and Ultra settings at 1440p is 76.9 FPS (171.1 vs 94.2), which is much larger than the gap between resolutions, indicating that GPU load is the dominant factor. The i5-14400F's performance is effectively neutralized by the GPU's workload at higher resolutions, making it a solid match that won't cause stuttering or frame drops in standard gameplay.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS rows provide a clear guide for optimizing the experience. For 3840x2160, the High preset delivers an average of 72.3 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth play, while the Ultra preset drops to 62.6 FPS, which is still playable but leaves less margin for demanding scenes. The data suggests that High is the sweet spot for 4K, as it offers a 9.7 FPS improvement over Ultra with a visual quality difference that is often negligible in fast-paced action. The Medium preset at 83.6 FPS is also viable, but High offers a better balance of fidelity and performance.

At 2560x1440, the High preset hits 109 FPS, which is ideal for high-refresh-rate monitors. The Ultra preset at 94.2 FPS is also excellent, and the data shows that users with 144 Hz displays can comfortably run Ultra settings without dropping below the refresh rate in most situations. For 1920x1080, the system is so powerful that even Ultra settings at 123.1 FPS will satisfy most players. However, for competitive play where frame rate is king, the Low preset at 223.8 FPS provides a massive advantage, though the Medium preset at 159.9 FPS offers a better compromise between visual clarity and speed. The data indicates that High at 142 FPS is the best all-around choice for 1080p, as it maintains high fidelity while staying well above 120 FPS.

FAQ

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

A: Yes, the data shows an average of 72.3 FPS at 3840x2160 on High settings and 62.6 FPS on Ultra. Both are above the 60 FPS threshold, so the RTX 4070 Ti is capable of delivering a smooth 4K experience.

Q: What is the best resolution for this CPU and GPU combo?

A: The 2560x1440 results are the most balanced, with High settings at 109 FPS and Ultra at 94.2 FPS. This resolution leverages the GPU's power without pushing it to its limits, making it the optimal choice for high-refresh-rate gaming.

Q: How much of a performance gain does Low settings provide over Ultra?

A: At 1080p, Low settings yield 223.8 FPS compared to Ultra's 123.1 FPS, a 100.7 FPS difference. At 4K, the gap is 51 FPS (113.6 vs 62.6), showing that Low settings have a larger impact at lower resolutions.

Q: Is the CPU a bottleneck at any resolution?

A: The data suggests the CPU is not a bottleneck at 1440p or 4K, as the FPS scales with GPU load. At 1080p Low, the 223.8 FPS result indicates the CPU is reaching its limit, but this is still an extremely high frame rate.

Q: How does the RTX 4070 Ti rank against other GPUs?

A: The GPU has a percentile rank of 85 against all GPUs, and its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Mobile, scores 45152 in average benchmark, which is only 0.6% higher than the RTX 4070 Ti's 44900, indicating very close performance.

Q: What is the performance difference between High and Medium settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, High settings average 109 FPS, while Medium settings average 124.7 FPS. The 15.7 FPS difference makes Medium a good choice for pushing higher refresh rates if needed.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti is the dominant component in this pairing, and its specifications directly influence the measured results. With 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus, the GPU has a bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s, which is sufficient for Control's texture-heavy environments at 4K. The GPU's boost clock of 2610 MHz and 7680 shading units allow it to maintain high fill rates, as evidenced by the 4K High average of 72.3 FPS. The Ada Lovelace architecture, built on a 5 nm process, delivers the efficiency needed to sustain these frame rates without excessive power draw, though the 285 W TDP does require a robust power supply.

The GPU's performance percentile of 85 indicates it sits well above the median, but its nearest rivals show that it is not the absolute fastest. The Intel Arc A730M has an average score of 45592, which is 1.5% higher, and the AMD Radeon Pro 580 is 1.6% lower. This places the RTX 4070 Ti in a competitive tier where it excels in rasterization tasks like those in Control. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 5024 and the Passmark G3D score of 31624 confirm its strong DirectX 12 performance, which Control leverages. The GPU's memory capacity is not a limiting factor in these tests, as the FPS scales consistently with resolution, indicating that the 12 GB frame buffer is sufficient for the game's assets.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete set of measured data provides a detailed picture of performance. At 1920x1080, the system achieves 142 FPS on High, 223.8 FPS on Low, 159.9 FPS on Medium, and 123.1 FPS on Ultra. The spread of 100.7 FPS between Low and Ultra shows that settings have a massive impact at this resolution, with the GPU having enough headroom to render frames quickly. At 2560x1440, the results are 109 FPS on High, 171.1 FPS on Low, 124.7 FPS on Medium, and 94.2 FPS on Ultra. The gap narrows to 76.9 FPS, as the GPU starts to work harder. At 3840x2160, the numbers are 72.3 FPS on High, 113.6 FPS on Low, 83.6 FPS on Medium, and 62.6 FPS on Ultra. The gap between Low and Ultra shrinks to 51 FPS, confirming that the GPU is the primary bottleneck at 4K.

The data reveals a consistent pattern: Low settings always provide the highest frame rate, but the relative benefit diminishes as resolution increases. At 1080p, Low is 81.8% faster than Ultra (223.8 vs 123.1). At 1440p, Low is 81.6% faster (171.1 vs 94.2). At 4K, Low is 81.5% faster (113.6 vs 62.6). This consistency suggests that the settings affect the GPU workload proportionally across resolutions. The High settings, which are often the recommended preset, provide a solid middle ground: 142 FPS at 1080p, 109 FPS at 1440p, and 72.3 FPS at 4K. These numbers indicate that the system is well-suited for a 1440p 144 Hz monitor, as it can maintain frame rates above 100 FPS on High settings, while 4K users should stick to High or Medium for a smooth experience.