Control

The Intel Core i5-14600K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 combination ranks in the 55th percentile of all tested combos for Control, placing 910th out of 1636 systems. This is a solidly mid-pack result, indicating that while this pairing can deliver playable framerates, it is not optimized for pushing the game’s highest visual ceilings at demanding resolutions. The data shows a system that is well-balanced for 1080p and 1440p gaming, but one that will require settings adjustments to maintain smooth performance at 4K.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo’s rank of 910 out of 1636 tested configurations places it just past the halfway point of the database. This suggests that the i5-14600K and RTX 4060 together provide a predictable, mainstream performance tier rather than an exceptional one. The CPU itself is a strong contributor, holding a 93rd percentile ranking among all processors, with an average benchmark score of 49166. This places it in close competition with the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X, which scores 49062 (a 0.2% delta), and the Intel Core i5-14600KF at 49367 (-0.4%). The GPU, however, sits at the 66th percentile among all graphics cards, with an average score of 23181, making it the limiting factor in this pairing. The nearest GPU rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 6600M at 23321 (-0.6%) and the Intel Arc B580 at 23021 (0.7%), showing the RTX 4060 is firmly in a competitive but not dominant GPU tier. Consequently, the overall combo rank reflects a CPU that is overqualified relative to its GPU partner, a dynamic that becomes evident when examining resolution scaling.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with a 5 nm process and features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing 272.0 GB/s of bandwidth. Its base clock is 1830 MHz with a boost clock of 2460 MHz, and it houses 3072 shading units, 24 RT cores, and 96 tensor cores. These specifications translate to a peak FP32 performance of 15.11 TFLOPS, which is the raw compute headroom available for rendering Control’s physics-heavy environments. The GPU’s 8 GB VRAM is a crucial factor; at 4K Ultra settings, the average framerate drops to 38.4 FPS, suggesting that memory capacity and bandwidth are stressed by the game’s higher-resolution textures. The card’s PassMark G3D score of 19545 and 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 2302 place it in a performance band where it can handle 1080p and 1440p with ease, but the data indicates that the 128-bit memory interface becomes a bottleneck as pixel count rises. The RTX 4060’s 66th percentile GPU ranking, with an average benchmark score of 23181, confirms that it is a capable mid-range part, but not one designed for 4K enthusiast-level play without compromising settings.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of diminishing returns as resolution increases, pointing to the GPU as the primary bottleneck. At 1080p High, the combo achieves 90.3 FPS, which drops to 66.8 FPS at 1440p High (a 26% reduction) and further to 45.1 FPS at 4K High (a 50% reduction from 1080p). This scaling is typical of a GPU-limited scenario; the i5-14600K’s strong single-thread performance (Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4642) ensures the CPU is not the constraint at lower resolutions. The gap between settings widens at 4K, where Low produces 68.9 FPS and Ultra only 38.4 FPS, a 44% performance swing. At 1080p, the same settings spread shows 139.9 FPS on Low versus 79.4 FPS on Ultra, a 43% difference. This indicates that the RTX 4060’s compute and memory bandwidth are being saturated at higher resolutions, while the CPU’s headroom remains untapped. For players targeting 1440p, Medium at 73.3 FPS and High at 66.8 FPS represent the sweet spot, as the jump to Ultra costs 9.8% performance (to 59.4 FPS) without a proportional visual gain.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the optimal experience prioritizes Medium or High settings depending on resolution. At 1080p, Medium delivers 102.8 FPS, which is 13.8% faster than High and 29.5% faster than Ultra, making it the best balance for high-refresh-rate monitors. For 1440p, Medium at 73.3 FPS is the recommended choice, as it stays above the 60 FPS threshold while providing a 9.7% improvement over High’s 66.8 FPS. At 4K, the data shows that Low is necessary for playability, yielding 68.9 FPS, while Medium drops to 53.3 FPS and High falls to 45.1 FPS. Ultra at 4K is not viable at 38.4 FPS. The pattern is consistent: the RTX 4060’s 8 GB VRAM and 272.0 GB/s bandwidth favor lower presets as resolution climbs. Players with 1080p panels can comfortably run Ultra at 79.4 FPS, but the performance cost of Ultra over Medium is steep enough that Medium is the pragmatic default.

FAQ

Q: Does this combo maintain 60 FPS at 1440p?

A: Yes, but only on Medium (73.3 FPS) and High (66.8 FPS) presets. Ultra drops to 59.4 FPS, which falls just short of the 60 FPS mark.

Q: What is the best resolution for this pairing?

A: 1080p is the strongest resolution, with all settings from Low (139.9 FPS) to Ultra (79.4 FPS) delivering playable framerates. 1440p is viable with settings at Medium or lower.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in this game?

A: The GPU is the limiting factor. The i5-14600K ranks in the 93rd percentile among CPUs, while the RTX 4060 ranks in the 66th percentile among GPUs, and FPS scaling with resolution confirms GPU-bound behavior.

Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming?

A: Only at Low settings, where it averages 68.9 FPS. Medium (53.3 FPS) and High (45.1 FPS) are below 60 FPS, and Ultra (38.4 FPS) is not recommended.

Q: How does the RTX 4060 compare to its closest rivals?

A: The RTX 4060’s average benchmark score of 23181 is 0.7% ahead of the Intel Arc B580 (23021) and 0.8% ahead of the AMD Radeon 760M (22999), but 0.6% behind the AMD Radeon RX 6600M (23321).

Q: What are the key GPU specs affecting performance?

A: The RTX 4060 features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus with 272.0 GB/s bandwidth, a boost clock of 2460 MHz, and 3072 shading units, which together define its mid-range capability.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14600K is a 14-core, 20-thread processor from the Raptor Lake-R architecture, with a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz. Its benchmark scores are exceptional for gaming, including a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32881 and a single-core score of 4642, alongside a Geekbench single-core score of 2803. In Control, this CPU provides ample headroom, as evidenced by the fact that framerates scale almost entirely with GPU settings rather than resolution changes. The CPU’s 93rd percentile ranking and average score of 49166 place it just 0.2% behind the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X (49062) and 1% ahead of the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H (48698), demonstrating that it is not a source of bottleneck. The L3 cache of 24 MB and 125W TDP further support sustained gaming workloads. Given that the combo rank (910th of 1636) is below the CPU’s individual standing, the data indicates that upgrading the GPU would yield far greater performance gains in Control than any CPU change.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its highest framerates: Low averages 139.9 FPS, Medium 102.8 FPS, High 90.3 FPS, and Ultra 79.4 FPS. These results show a 43.2% drop from Low to Ultra, with Medium providing a 13.8% advantage over High. Moving to 2560x1440, Low averages 108.5 FPS, Medium 73.3 FPS, High 66.8 FPS, and Ultra 59.4 FPS. The transition from 1080p to 1440p at High settings reduces performance by 26.0% (from 90.3 to 66.8 FPS), while at Ultra the drop is 25.2% (from 79.4 to 59.4 FPS). At 3840x2160, the data shows Low averaging 68.9 FPS, Medium 53.3 FPS, High 45.1 FPS, and Ultra 38.4 FPS. The scaling from 1440p to 4K at Medium settings is a 27.3% decrease (from 73.3 to 53.3 FPS), and at High it is 32.5% (from 66.8 to 45.1 FPS). Across all resolutions, the consistent pattern is that Ultra settings incur a disproportionate penalty, while Medium offers the most balanced trade-off between visual fidelity and framerate. The 4K Low result of 68.9 FPS is notable, as it demonstrates that the RTX 4060 can still push high framerates when texture and shading loads are reduced, but the 8 GB VRAM and 128-bit bus limit headroom for higher presets.