Control

The Intel Core i5-14600K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER is a combination that lands in the lower-middle tier of the tested database for Control. With a combo rank of 1146 out of 1636 tested configurations, this system outperforms roughly 30% of the combos in our dataset for this title. That places it in a position where it can handle the game, but it is far from a top-tier experience. The data indicates that this pairing is balanced enough to produce playable frame rates at most settings, but it will struggle to deliver high-refresh-rate performance at the highest visual quality, particularly at 4K.

How This Combo Ranks

The comboRankInGame of 1146 out of 1636 places this CPU-GPU pairing in the 70th percentile of all tested systems for Control, meaning it is beaten by a significant majority of the combinations we have measured. This is not a surprising result given the components involved. The RTX 2060 SUPER, while a competent card, is an older Turing-generation part that sits in the lower half of the GPU performance spectrum in our database, with a percentileVsAllGpus of 63. The CPU, however, is a strong modern part, sitting in the 93rd percentile among all CPUs tested. This suggests that the GPU is the primary factor dragging the combo's rank down, as the processor has ample headroom to feed the graphics card in most scenarios.

Benchmark results confirm this dynamic. In synthetic testing, the i5-14600K posts an avgBenchmarkScore of 49166, which puts it within 0.2% of the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X and only 0.4% behind the Intel Core i5-14600KF. This shows that the CPU is performing exactly as expected for its class. Meanwhile, the RTX 2060 SUPER's avgBenchmarkScore of 19774 places it just 0.3% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN and 0.5% ahead of the RTX 2070, indicating that it is a solid, if unremarkable, performer. In Control, this translates to a system that can achieve smooth gameplay at 1080p, but the margin for error shrinks as resolution increases.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER is built on the TU106 chip using a 12 nm process at TSMC, with 10,800 million transistors. It features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s. The memory clock runs at 1750 MHz, which translates to 14 Gbps effective. These specifications are directly relevant to Control, a game known for its heavy use of real-time ray tracing and demanding texture loads. The 8 GB VRAM is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p gameplay, but at 4K with High or Ultra settings, the card's memory bandwidth and capacity can become limiting factors.

The GPU's base clock is 1470 MHz with a boost clock of 1650 MHz, and it has 2176 shading units, 136 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. The pixel rate is 105.6 GPixel/s, and the texture rate is 224.4 GTexel/s, with FP32 performance rated at 7.181 TFLOPS. The presence of 34 RT cores and 272 tensor cores is notable, as Control is one of the early titles that showcased real-time ray tracing. However, the measured FPS data suggests that enabling the highest settings, which likely include ray tracing effects, takes a heavy toll on this card's performance. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS drops to 31.2, which is below the threshold for smooth gameplay. The GPU's percentileVsAllGpus of 63 indicates it is outclassed by newer and more powerful options, but it remains a capable card for older titles or when settings are dialed back.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a clear and predictable scaling pattern as resolution increases from 1080p to 4K. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 119.5 FPS, which is excellent for competitive or fast-paced play. Moving to 1440p Low drops the average to 90.5 FPS, a reduction of approximately 24%. At 4K Low, the average falls to 58.6 FPS, which is still playable but indicates the GPU is working much harder.

The scaling becomes more pronounced at higher settings. At 1080p High, the average FPS is 75.8, while at 1440p High it drops to 58.1, and at 4K High it falls to 40.6. The delta between 1080p and 4K at High settings is a 46% reduction in frame rate. At Ultra settings, the drop is even steeper: 63.7 FPS at 1080p, 48.7 FPS at 1440p, and 31.2 FPS at 4K. This pattern strongly suggests that the RTX 2060 SUPER becomes the limiting component as resolution increases. The CPU, with its 14 cores and 20 threads, is unlikely to be a bottleneck at any resolution in this game, given its high single-thread and multi-thread scores in synthetic benchmarks like Cinebench R23 (4642 single-core, 32881 multi-core). The data indicates that the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth are the primary constraints at higher resolutions.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the best experience for this combo depends on the target resolution. At 1080p, the High preset offers a solid 75.8 FPS average, which is smooth for most players. Pushing to Ultra yields 63.7 FPS, which is still acceptable, but the visual gains over High may not justify the performance hit. For those prioritizing frame rate, Low at 1080p delivers 119.5 FPS, which is ideal for fast reflex-based gameplay.

At 1440p, the Medium preset provides an average of 62 FPS, which is the sweet spot for maintaining fluid motion without sacrificing too much visual fidelity. High at 1440p drops to 58.1 FPS, which is borderline for some players. Low at 1440p offers 90.5 FPS, but the visual downgrade is substantial. For 4K, the data is less encouraging. Low settings yield 58.6 FPS, which is playable, but Medium drops to 44.8 FPS, and High falls to 40.6 FPS. Ultra at 4K is not recommended, as the 31.2 FPS average is below the playable threshold for most users. The recommendation is to stick with High at 1080p, Medium at 1440p, and Low at 4K to maintain a consistent experience.

FAQ

*Q: Is this combo capable of running Control at 4K?*

A: Yes, at Low settings the average FPS is 58.6, which is playable. However, at High settings the average drops to 40.6 FPS, and at Ultra it falls to 31.2 FPS. For a smoother 4K experience, Low settings are the practical choice.

Q: What is the best resolution for this pairing?

A: The data shows that 1080p provides the most headroom. At High settings, the combo achieves 75.8 FPS, and at Low it reaches 119.5 FPS. This resolution allows for the widest range of settings while maintaining high frame rates.

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

A: The i5-14600K has an avgBenchmarkScore of 49166, which is 0.2% higher than the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X and 0.4% lower than the Intel Core i5-14600KF. This puts it in the 93rd percentile of all CPUs tested.

Q: Does the GPU bottleneck the system in this game?

A: At higher resolutions, yes. The FPS drops from 75.8 at 1080p High to 40.6 at 4K High, indicating that the RTX 2060 SUPER is the limiting factor. The CPU's strong benchmarks suggest it is not the constraint.

*Q: Is 8 GB of VRAM enough for Control?*

A: The measured data indicates that 8 GB is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p, as frame rates remain playable. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS drops to 31.2, which suggests the memory capacity and bandwidth are stressed at that resolution.

Q: What settings should I use for a competitive edge?

A: At 1080p, Low settings provide the highest average FPS at 119.5, which is ideal for reducing input lag. At 1440p, Low offers 90.5 FPS, which is also a strong choice for competitive play.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14600K is a 14-core, 20-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, manufactured on a 10 nm process. It has a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz, with a TDP of 125 W. The cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 2 MB of L2 per core, and 24 MB of shared L3 cache. This is a powerful modern chip, and its benchmark scores reflect that. In Cinebench R23, it scores 4642 in single-core and 32881 in multi-core, while in Geekbench it scores 2803 single-core and 15846 multi-core. These numbers place it in the 93rd percentile of all CPUs tested.

In Control, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and physics calculations. The game is not particularly CPU-intensive compared to some other titles, and the data supports this. The FPS scaling from 1440p to 4K shows a consistent drop that aligns with GPU load, rather than a plateau that would indicate a CPU bottleneck. For example, at High settings, the FPS drops from 58.1 at 1440p to 40.6 at 4K, a linear progression that suggests the GPU is the limiting factor. The i5-14600K's nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X, which it edges out by 0.2%, and the Intel Core i5-14600KF, which is 0.4% faster. This indicates that the CPU is performing at the expected level for its class and is not holding back the RTX 2060 SUPER in this game. The processor's strong multi-threaded performance also ensures that background tasks or streaming will not impact frame rates, making it a solid foundation for this GPU pairing.