Control

The Intel Core i5-14400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 combination delivers exceptional performance in Control, placing this pairing at rank 142 out of 3720 tested combos. The data shows a system capable of high-refresh-rate 1440p gaming and fully playable 4K, with the RTX 4090 serving as the dominant performance driver across most tested configurations.

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, built on Intel's 10 nm process. Its base clock of 2.50 GHz can boost up to 4.70 GHz, with a 65 W TDP and 20 MB of shared L3 cache. In synthetic benchmarks, this CPU posts a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 21645 and a single-core score of 3055, alongside a Geekbench multi-core score of 11268 and single-core score of 2058. These figures place the i5-14400F in the 83rd percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 32279.

The CPU's nearest rivals in the benchmark database include the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840U (average score 32233, 0.1% behind), Intel Core i9-11900 (32226, 0.2% behind), AMD Ryzen 7 6800HS (32354, 0.2% ahead), and Intel Core i7-12800H (32121, 0.5% behind). The data indicates the i5-14400F sits squarely in a competitive mid-range tier, trading blows with mobile and older desktop parts within a 0.5% margin.

For Control, the CPU's role becomes evident when examining frame rates at lower resolutions. At 1080p Low settings, the system achieves 248 FPS average; at 1440p Low, it reaches 206 FPS. These high frame rates suggest the CPU is capable of feeding the RTX 4090 effectively, even in less GPU-bound scenarios. The boost clock of 4.70 GHz and 16 threads provide ample headroom for the game's physics and AI workloads, though the data shows that scaling from Low to Ultra settings at any resolution yields predictable FPS drops, indicating the GPU takes over as the primary bottleneck once graphical load increases. The PassMark multi-thread score of 25470 and single-thread score of 3701 further corroborate that this processor handles both lightly-threaded game logic and more demanding background tasks without becoming a limiting factor in the measured results.

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

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with a 5 nm process from TSMC, featuring 76,300 million transistors on a 609 mm² die. Its 24 GB of GDDR6X memory runs across a 384-bit bus, delivering 1.01 TB/s of bandwidth. The GPU's base clock is 2235 MHz with a boost clock of 2520 MHz, and memory operates at 1313 MHz (21 Gbps effective). With 16384 shading units, 512 TMUs, and 176 ROPs, the RTX 4090 posts a PassMark G3D score of 38194 and a Geekbench Vulkan score of 271631, placing it in the 88th percentile among all GPUs with an average benchmark score of 60347.

The nearest GPU rivals in the database are the Intel Arc Pro A60 (average score 60326, 0% delta), AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48 (60140, 0.3% ahead), AMD Radeon Pro W6600M (61896, 2.5% ahead), and AMD Radeon PRO V710 (58657, 2.9% behind). These comparisons reveal that the RTX 4090's raw compute performance is closely matched by professional workstation-class GPUs in aggregate benchmarks, though the gaming-specific metrics in Control tell a different story.

In Control, the RTX 4090's massive memory bandwidth and 24 GB VRAM prove decisive. At 4K Ultra, the system still manages 76 FPS average, demonstrating that even the most demanding preset cannot saturate this GPU's capabilities. The 1.01 TB/s bandwidth eliminates any memory-bound stuttering at high resolutions, while the boost clock of 2520 MHz ensures sustained performance across extended sessions. The GPU's DirectX 12 Ultimate support (12_2) aligns with the game's modern rendering features, and the benchmark results show the RTX 4090 scaling gracefully from 1080p to 4K, with the 24 GB frame buffer providing ample room for high-resolution textures without performance degradation.

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

Examining the measured FPS data across resolutions reveals a clear scaling pattern that identifies the GPU as the primary limiting component. At High settings, the average frame rate drops from 172 FPS at 1080p to 130 FPS at 1440p (a 24.4% decrease), then to 88 FPS at 4K (a 32.3% decrease from 1440p). This consistent ~25-32% reduction per resolution step is classic GPU-bound behavior, where the CPU maintains sufficient headroom while the GPU works progressively harder to render more pixels.

The Low settings data reinforces this interpretation. At 1080p Low, the system hits 248 FPS average; at 1440p Low, it drops to 206 FPS (a 16.9% decrease); and at 4K Low, it falls to 139 FPS (a 32.5% decrease from 1440p). The steeper drop from 1440p to 4K compared to 1080p to 1440p indicates that even at Low settings, the GPU's pixel throughput becomes the constraining factor at higher resolutions. The Medium settings show the same trend: 194 FPS at 1080p, 146 FPS at 1440p (24.7% drop), and 99 FPS at 4K (32.2% drop).

Ultra settings follow the pattern with 149 FPS at 1080p, 113 FPS at 1440p (24.2% drop), and 76 FPS at 4K (32.7% drop). This consistent scaling across all four presets — with the 4K penalty being roughly 8 percentage points larger than the 1440p penalty — strongly suggests that the RTX 4090's rendering pipeline, rather than the i5-14400F's processing capability, governs the frame rate at higher resolutions. The CPU's performance at 1080p (up to 248 FPS) demonstrates it can push well beyond what the GPU can render at 4K, making the GPU the definitive bottleneck for this game at any resolution above 1080p.

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

Based on the measured FPS data, the Medium preset offers the best balance of visual fidelity and performance across all resolutions. At 1080p Medium, the system delivers 194 FPS average with a minimum of 165 FPS and maximum of 223 FPS, providing a smooth experience well above the 144 Hz refresh rate common on modern monitors. The jump to High at 1080p yields 172 FPS, a modest 11.3% reduction, while Ultra drops to 149 FPS — still highly playable but with diminishing visual returns.

At 1440p, Medium produces 146 FPS average with a 124 FPS minimum and 168 FPS maximum, which comfortably exceeds 120 Hz displays. High at 1440p delivers 130 FPS, and Ultra maintains 113 FPS, both remaining smooth, but Medium's 146 FPS average offers the best combination of settings headroom. The Medium preset's minimum frame rate of 124 FPS at 1440p ensures no perceptible stuttering, whereas the Ultra preset's lack of a reported minimum suggests it may dip lower under stress.

For 4K gaming, Medium is the recommended choice, delivering 99 FPS average with a 84 FPS minimum and 114 FPS maximum. This keeps the experience above 60 FPS with headroom for VRR displays. High at 4K produces 88 FPS, and Ultra drops to 76 FPS — both playable, but Medium's 99 FPS average provides a more consistent experience. Low settings at any resolution yield the highest frame rates (248 FPS at 1080p, 206 FPS at 1440p, 139 FPS at 4K) but sacrifice too much visual quality for the marginal gains over Medium. The data clearly shows Medium as the sweet spot, offering a 24% FPS increase over High at 4K while maintaining visual fidelity that is imperceptible to most players in fast-paced action.

FAQ

Q: What is the average frame rate at 1080p Ultra settings?

A: The system achieves an average of 149 FPS at 1920x1080 with Ultra settings, demonstrating that this combination can easily drive high-refresh-rate monitors at the highest preset.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals in overall benchmarks?

A: The i5-14400F scores 32279 on average, placing it 0.1% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840U (32233) and 0.2% ahead of the Intel Core i9-11900 (32226), while trailing the AMD Ryzen 7 6800HS by 0.2% (32354).

*Q: Is the RTX 4090's 24 GB VRAM sufficient for 4K gaming in Control?*

A: Yes, the measured data shows 76 FPS average at 4K Ultra and 88 FPS at 4K High, indicating the 24 GB frame buffer and 1.01 TB/s bandwidth handle the game's texture demands without becoming a limiting factor.

Q: What is the largest FPS drop when moving from 1440p to 4K?

A: At Low settings, the drop is 32.5% (from 206 FPS to 139 FPS), which is the steepest reduction across all presets, highlighting the GPU's pixel throughput constraints at higher resolutions.

*Q: How does this combo rank among all tested configurations for Control?*

A: This pairing ranks 142 out of 3720 tested combos, placing it in the top 3.8% of all systems tested for this game.

Q: What are the minimum and maximum FPS at 1440p Medium settings?

A: The minimum observed frame rate is 124 FPS, with a maximum of 168 FPS and an average of 146 FPS, indicating consistent performance without significant frame-time spikes.

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

1920x1080 (1080p):

• Low: 248 FPS average
• Medium: 194 FPS average, 165 FPS minimum, 223 FPS maximum
• High: 172 FPS average
• Ultra: 149 FPS average

2560x1440 (1440p):

• Low: 206 FPS average
• Medium: 146 FPS average, 124 FPS minimum, 168 FPS maximum
• High: 130 FPS average
• Ultra: 113 FPS average

3840x2160 (4K):

• Low: 139 FPS average
• Medium: 99 FPS average, 84 FPS minimum, 114 FPS maximum
• High: 88 FPS average
• Ultra: 76 FPS average

The data reveals that at 1080p, the system exceeds 149 FPS even at Ultra, making it ideal for 144 Hz or 165 Hz monitors. At 1440p, all presets remain above 113 FPS, ensuring smooth gameplay on high-refresh-rate displays. At 4K, the Medium preset's 99 FPS average with a 84 FPS minimum provides the most consistent experience, while Ultra still maintains a playable 76 FPS. The Medium preset is the only configuration across all resolutions that reports both minimum and maximum frame rates, indicating the most stable frame pacing. Low settings at 4K (139 FPS) approach the 1440p High performance (130 FPS), demonstrating the RTX 4090's raw power even when unconstrained by visual effects.