Control

The Intel Core i5-14600K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti delivers a balanced Control experience, with benchmark results showing the CPU’s 14 cores and 20 threads handling the game’s physics and logic while the GPU’s 8 GB of GDDR6X memory and 608.3 GB/s bandwidth drive visual fidelity. Measured frame rates range from 166 FPS at 1080p Low to 47 FPS at 4K Ultra, indicating a system that scales predictably with resolution and settings, though the combo’s rank of 1339 out of 3720 tested combinations places it in the upper-middle tier of the database.

FAQ

Q: What is the average frame rate for this combo at 1080p with High settings?

A: The measured average FPS is 105 at 1920x1080 with High settings. This represents a solid baseline for high-refresh-rate gaming, as the data shows a 13 FPS jump when dropping to Medium (118 FPS) and a 61 FPS increase when switching to Low (166 FPS).

Q: How does the CPU’s benchmark score compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Intel Core i5-14600K has an average benchmark score of 48618, which is 0.2% below the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H (48698) and 0.3% above the AMD EPYC 4345P (48470). It also sits 0.7% above the Intel Core Ultra 5 245HX (48287) and 0.8% below the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 (48995).

Q: What is the GPU’s VRAM capacity and how does it affect Control?

A: The RTX 3070 Ti features 8 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus. In Control, this capacity proves sufficient across all tested settings, with the lowest average FPS of 47 occurring at 4K Ultra, indicating that memory bandwidth (608.3 GB/s) rather than capacity is the limiting factor at extreme resolutions.

Q: What is the measured FPS difference between 1080p Ultra and 4K Ultra?

A: At 1920x1080 Ultra, the average FPS is 91, while at 3840x2160 Ultra, it drops to 47. This 48.4% reduction in frame rate demonstrates that the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck as pixel count increases, a typical pattern for this class of hardware.

Q: How does the GPU rank among all tested GPUs?

A: The RTX 3070 Ti falls in the 75th percentile of all GPUs in the database, with an average benchmark score of 29945. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Mobile, scores 29928 (0.1% lower), while the AMD Radeon RX 6800 scores 30095 (0.5% higher).

Q: What is the CPU’s launch MSRP?

A: The Intel Core i5-14600K has a launch MSRP of $319. This information is provided for reference, and the CPU’s benchmark percentile of 90 indicates it outperforms the vast majority of processors in the database.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14600K is a 14-core, 20-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, manufactured on Intel’s 10 nm process node. It features a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz, with 24 MB of shared L3 cache and 2 MB of L2 cache per core. The CPU supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory via a dual-channel memory bus, and its PCIe Gen 5 interface provides 16 lanes for the GPU.

In Control, the CPU’s role is evident from the benchmark data. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 166 FPS, which is the highest measured result across all settings and resolutions. This suggests that at lower graphical loads, the CPU can feed frames quickly enough to saturate the GPU’s capabilities. The processor’s single-thread performance, measured at 2064 in Cinebench R23 single-core and 2491 in Geekbench single-core, supports this, as Control’s gameplay logic and physics calculations often rely on strong single-core throughput.

The multicore performance is equally impressive, with Cinebench R23 multi-core scoring 24491 and Geekbench multi-core at 16673. These scores place the CPU in the 90th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 48618. The nearest rivals include the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H (48698, -0.2%), AMD EPYC 4345P (48470, +0.3%), Intel Core Ultra 5 245HX (48287, +0.7%), and Intel Core Ultra 5 245 (48995, -0.8%). This narrow performance band means that in CPU-bound scenarios, the i5-14600K trades blows with server and workstation parts, though its gaming relevance is better captured by the measured FPS data.

At higher resolutions like 1440p and 4K, the CPU’s influence diminishes. The FPS drop from 1080p High (105 FPS) to 1440p High (79 FPS) is 24.8%, while the drop from 1440p High to 4K High (54 FPS) is 31.6%. These reductions are larger than what pure CPU limitations would cause, indicating that the GPU takes over as the bottleneck. However, the CPU’s 14 cores ensure that background tasks and game logic do not introduce stutters, as evidenced by the minimum FPS values at Medium settings: 101 FPS at 1080p, 76 FPS at 1440p, and 51 FPS at 4K.

The CPU’s integrated UHD Graphics 770 is present but irrelevant for gaming, as the discrete RTX 3070 Ti handles all rendering. The processor’s 125 W TDP and unlocked multiplier suggest overclocking potential, though the measured FPS data reflects stock settings. In summary, the i5-14600K provides ample headroom for Control at all tested resolutions, with its single-thread strength proving sufficient for the game’s demands.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti is built on the Ampere architecture with a GA104 chip, manufactured on Samsung’s 8 nm process. It packs 6144 shading units, 192 TMUs, and 96 ROPs, along with 48 RT cores and 192 tensor cores. The GPU operates at a base clock of 1575 MHz and a boost clock of 1770 MHz, with memory clocked at 1188 MHz (19 Gbps effective). Its 8 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus delivers 608.3 GB/s of bandwidth, which is crucial for texture-heavy scenes in Control.

The GPU’s benchmark results show a 75th percentile ranking among all GPUs, with an average score of 29945. Its nearest rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Mobile (29928, +0.1%), AMD Radeon RX 6800 (30095, -0.5%), NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti (29783, +0.5%), and AMD Radeon RX 6700 (30433, -1.6%). This places the RTX 3070 Ti in a competitive mid-to-high tier, though its end-of-life production status and 290 W TDP indicate it is a previous-generation part.

In Control, the GPU’s role is dominant, particularly at higher resolutions. The measured FPS at 4K settings illustrates this: High yields 54 FPS, Medium 60 FPS, Low 85 FPS, and Ultra drops to 47 FPS. The 38 FPS spread between Low and Ultra at 4K highlights how sensitive the GPU is to settings changes, with Ultra’s additional effects (likely ray tracing and high-res textures) taxing the 8 GB VRAM and bandwidth. The 4K Medium result of 60 FPS with a minimum of 51 FPS suggests that the GPU can maintain playable frame rates when settings are moderated.

At 1440p, the GPU demonstrates more headroom: High averages 79 FPS, Medium 89 FPS, Low 126 FPS, and Ultra 69 FPS. The 57 FPS difference between Low and Ultra at 1440p is larger than the 38 FPS difference at 4K, indicating that at lower resolutions, the GPU has more spare capacity to render additional effects. At 1080p, the GPU is rarely the bottleneck, as evidenced by the 166 FPS Low result and 118 FPS Medium, with Ultra still achieving 91 FPS.

The GPU’s memory configuration deserves scrutiny. With 8 GB of VRAM, Control at 4K Ultra could theoretically exceed this capacity, but the measured 47 FPS suggests the game is still running, albeit with reduced performance. The 608.3 GB/s bandwidth is a key asset, as it allows the GPU to stream textures efficiently. The FP32 performance of 21.75 TFLOPS and pixel rate of 169.9 GPixel/s provide raw computational power, while the 48 RT cores enable hardware-accelerated ray tracing, which likely contributes to the performance gap between High and Ultra settings.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-14600K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti ranks 1339 out of 3720 tested combos in Control, placing it in the 64th percentile of all system configurations. This rank reflects a balanced pairing where neither component severely bottlenecks the other, though the GPU’s 75th percentile (versus the CPU’s 90th) suggests the graphics card is the more limiting factor.

In the context of the database, this rank means the combo outperforms approximately 64% of tested systems. The CPU’s strong benchmark position (90th percentile) and the GPU’s solid but lower ranking (75th percentile) combine to produce a system that excels in CPU-bound scenarios but falls short of top-tier GPU performance. The measured FPS data supports this: at 1080p, the combo achieves frame rates above 90 FPS even at Ultra, which is competitive with many higher-ranked systems. At 4K, however, the 47 FPS Ultra result reveals the GPU’s limitations, pulling the overall rank down.

The nearest rival GPUs provide context. The RTX 3070 Ti’s average score of 29945 is nearly identical to the RTX 5070 Mobile (29928) and the RTX 2080 Ti (29783), yet in Control, the combo’s rank suggests that driver optimizations and game-specific quirks matter. The AMD Radeon RX 6800, with a score of 30095, is only 0.5% faster in synthetic benchmarks, but its 16 GB VRAM could offer an advantage in texture-heavy titles, potentially explaining why the combo does not rank higher.

The combo’s rank of 1339 also reflects the CPU’s contribution. The i5-14600K’s 14 cores and 20 threads are overkill for Control, which likely uses fewer threads, but the high single-thread performance (2064 in Cinebench R23) ensures that frame pacing remains smooth. This is evident in the minimum FPS values at Medium settings, which show only a 25 FPS drop from 1080p to 4K (101 to 76 to 51), indicating that CPU-side stuttering is not an issue.

Compared to other combos in the database, this system sits in a sweet spot for 1080p and 1440p gaming. The 166 FPS at 1080p Low and 126 FPS at 1440p Low place it among the higher-performing configurations for esports-style play, while the 91 FPS at 1080p Ultra and 69 FPS at 1440p Ultra make it viable for high-refresh-rate gaming at those resolutions. The 4K results, ranging from 47 to 85 FPS, are playable but not exceptional, explaining why the rank does not break into the top 1000.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data across resolutions reveals a clear scaling pattern that highlights the GPU as the primary bottleneck at higher pixel counts. From 1080p High (105 FPS) to 1440p High (79 FPS), the frame rate drops by 24.8%, and from 1440p High to 4K High (54 FPS), it drops by 31.6%. This accelerating decline is characteristic of a GPU-limited system, as the number of pixels increases by 77.8% from 1080p to 1440p and by 125% from 1440p to 4K, yet the FPS drops are proportionally smaller, indicating some CPU involvement at lower resolutions.

At Low settings, the scaling is more revealing. 1080p Low yields 166 FPS, 1440p Low drops to 126 FPS (a 24.1% reduction), and 4K Low falls to 85 FPS (a 32.5% reduction from 1440p). The fact that even at Low settings the FPS drops significantly with resolution indicates that the GPU is still the limiting factor, as a CPU-bound system would show minimal FPS changes across resolutions. However, the 166 FPS at 1080p Low suggests that the CPU is capable of driving the GPU to its maximum output at that resolution, and the 126 FPS at 1440p Low shows the GPU’s fill rate limits are approached.

Medium settings provide the most complete data, with minimum and maximum FPS values recorded. At 1080p Medium, the average is 118 FPS with a range of 101-136 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the average drops to 89 FPS (a 24.6% reduction) with a range of 76-103 FPS. At 4K Medium, the average is 60 FPS (a 32.6% reduction from 1440p) with a range of 51-69 FPS. The consistent 24-33% FPS drops between resolutions across all settings confirm that the GPU is the dominant bottleneck, as the CPU’s performance is unchanged by resolution.

Ultra settings show the steepest scaling. 1080p Ultra averages 91 FPS, 1440p Ultra drops to 69 FPS (a 24.2% reduction), and 4K Ultra falls to 47 FPS (a 31.9% reduction from 1440p). The 4K Ultra result of 47 FPS is the lowest measured value, and the 44 FPS difference between 1080p Ultra and 4K Ultra underscores the GPU’s limitations when all effects are enabled. The data indicates that for this combo, 1440p is the sweet spot for Ultra settings, as 69 FPS is playable, while 4K Ultra requires settings reduction to achieve smoother frame rates.

The scaling analysis also reveals that the CPU does not become a bottleneck even at 1080p Low, where the 166 FPS result is likely near the GPU’s maximum output. If the CPU were limiting, we would expect to see similar FPS values across different resolutions at Low settings, but the data shows substantial drops. This confirms that the i5-14600K provides sufficient headroom for the RTX 3070 Ti in Control, and that resolution scaling is governed almost entirely by the GPU’s rendering capabilities.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its highest frame rates across all settings. Low settings produce an average of 166 FPS, which is the maximum measured result in the entire dataset. Medium settings average 118 FPS, with minimum and maximum values of 101 and 136 FPS, respectively. High settings reduce the average to 105 FPS, and Ultra settings bring it down to 91 FPS. The 75 FPS spread between Low and Ultra at 1080p indicates that the GPU has significant headroom at this resolution, allowing players to prioritize visual quality without sacrificing playability.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates drop noticeably but remain solid for most settings. Low settings average 126 FPS, which is a 24.1% reduction from 1080p Low. Medium settings average 89 FPS, with a range of 76-103 FPS. High settings produce 79 FPS, and Ultra settings fall to 69 FPS. The 57 FPS difference between Low and Ultra at 1440p is larger than at 1080p, suggesting that the GPU’s resources are more constrained as resolution increases, but even the Ultra result of 69 FPS is suitable for smooth gameplay on a 60 Hz or 144 Hz display.

At 3840x2160, the combo struggles to maintain high frame rates, particularly at higher settings. Low settings average 85 FPS, which is a 32.5% drop from 1440p Low. Medium settings average 60 FPS, with a minimum of 51 FPS and a maximum of 69 FPS. High settings produce 54 FPS, and Ultra settings drop to 47 FPS. The 4K results show that the RTX 3070 Ti’s 8 GB VRAM and 608.3 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for Low and Medium settings, but High and Ultra push the GPU to its limits, resulting in frame rates that dip below 60 FPS.

The data reveals a consistent pattern: the combo is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, where it can achieve high frame rates even at Ultra settings. At 4K, players must choose between lowering settings to Medium (60 FPS) or accepting sub-60 FPS performance at High (54 FPS) or Ultra (47 FPS). The minimum FPS values at Medium settings (101 FPS at 1080p, 76 FPS at 1440p, 51 FPS at 4K) show that frame pacing remains stable, with no sudden drops that would indicate CPU or memory bottlenecks.

Overall, the measured FPS breakdown demonstrates that this combo delivers a playable experience across all resolutions, but the optimal configuration depends on the target frame rate. For 144 Hz gaming, 1080p Medium or High is recommended, while 1440p Medium or High provides a balance of visual fidelity and performance. At 4K, Medium settings are the practical ceiling, as High and Ultra result in average FPS below 60. The data does not include ray tracing-specific measurements, but the Ultra settings likely incorporate such effects, explaining the significant performance penalty compared to High.