Control

The Intel Core i5-14600K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 achieves a rank of 28 out of 1,636 tested combos in Control, placing it in the top 1.7% of all configurations. This is a formidable position, though the gap between this combo and the absolute top is more about CPU headroom than GPU capability. The data indicates that while the RTX 4090 is the dominant component, the i5-14600K’s performance percentile of 93 versus all CPUs ensures it does not bottleneck the GPU at most settings, though the ultra preset reveals some strain. The combo’s ranking suggests it is a high-end pairing that excels in this title, but the measured frame rates show that even a top-tier GPU has limits when pushing maximum settings at 4K.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo’s position at 28th out of 1,636 tested configurations is a strong result, but the data suggests it is not the absolute ceiling for Control. The RTX 4090 alone holds a percentile of 91 against all GPUs, which is slightly lower than the combo’s overall rank, indicating that the CPU is pulling its weight. The i5-14600K’s average benchmark score of 49,166 puts it within 0.2% of the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X and 0.4% behind the Intel Core i5-14600KF, meaning the CPU is a known quantity with consistent performance. In practice, this translates to the combo being able to deliver high frame rates, but the ranking reveals that other combinations—likely with even faster CPUs—are capturing the top spots. The data implies that at lower resolutions like 1080p, the CPU becomes more relevant, and while the i5-14600K is strong, it is not the absolute fastest, which explains why the combo does not rank higher. At 4K, however, the GPU is the primary driver, and the RTX 4090’s massive memory bandwidth and core count ensure the combo remains highly competitive.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is the clear workhorse here, equipped with 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus, delivering a bandwidth of 1.01 TB/s. This memory configuration is critical for Control at high resolutions, as the game’s textures and effects can consume significant VRAM, and the data shows the GPU handling 4K Ultra at an average of 78.9 FPS. The GPU’s boost clock of 2520 MHz, combined with 16,384 shading units and 128 RT cores, is what allows it to push such high frame rates. The card’s FP32 performance of 82.58 TFLOPS is a strong indicator of its raw compute capability, which directly translates to the measured results. Notably, the GPU’s transistor count of 76,300 million on a 5 nm process from TSMC underscores its efficiency, allowing it to maintain high clocks without thermal throttling in most cases. The data shows a clear trend: moving from Low to Ultra at any resolution incurs a performance penalty, but the RTX 4090’s architecture absorbs this better than most, as evidenced by the 4K Low result of 139.7 FPS versus 78.9 FPS at Ultra. This suggests that the GPU’s memory bandwidth and core count are the limiting factors only at the highest settings, where the game’s rendering demands outpace even this hardware.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the optimal balance between visual quality and performance is the High preset. At 1080p, High delivers 175.7 FPS, which is a 19.2% improvement over Ultra’s 147.4 FPS, while still offering most of the visual fidelity. At 1440p, High achieves 130 FPS, which is above the typical 120 Hz refresh rate target, and it is only 11.3% slower than Medium’s 145 FPS, making it the best choice for smooth gameplay. At 4K, High yields 90.6 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for high-refresh-rate monitors; however, it is a 14.8% improvement over Ultra’s 78.9 FPS. The data suggests that Ultra is only worth it for players who prioritize visual detail over frame rate, as the drop from High to Ultra is significant across all resolutions—ranging from 16.1% at 1080p to 12.9% at 4K. Medium is a viable fallback for 4K users who want higher frame rates, delivering 98.7 FPS, but the visual downgrade from High is noticeable. Low is not recommended for this hardware, as it leaves performance on the table, with 4K Low hitting 139.7 FPS, which is overkill for most displays.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers exceptional performance across all settings. Low runs at 272 FPS, Medium at 197.8 FPS, High at 175.7 FPS, and Ultra at 147.4 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 124.6 FPS, showing that the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU at this resolution, but the GPU is not fully utilized at Low, where the frame rate is likely CPU-bound. Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates drop but remain high: Low at 209 FPS, Medium at 145 FPS, High at 130 FPS, and Ultra at 116.9 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is consistent—around 23% for Low and 21% for High—indicating that the GPU is becoming more of a limiting factor. At 3840x2160, the results are more telling: Low at 139.7 FPS, Medium at 98.7 FPS, High at 90.6 FPS, and Ultra at 78.9 FPS. The 4K Low result is still above 120 FPS, but the Ultra result drops below 80 FPS, which is a significant reduction. The data shows that the RTX 4090 can handle 4K, but only at lower settings for high-refresh-rate gameplay. The scaling from 1440p to 4K is steeper, with High dropping from 130 FPS to 90.6 FPS, a 30.3% reduction, which aligns with the 2.25x pixel increase.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to maintain over 100 FPS?

A: At 1440p, the Ultra preset delivers 116.9 FPS, and High delivers 130 FPS, both above 100 FPS. At 4K, only Low and Medium exceed 100 FPS, with 139.7 FPS and 98.7 FPS respectively, so 1440p is the sweet spot for high settings.

Q: How does the i5-14600K compare to its closest rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The i5-14600K has an average benchmark score of 49,166, which is 0.2% higher than the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X’s score of 49,062, and 0.4% lower than the Intel Core i5-14600KF’s score of 49,367.

Q: Does the RTX 4090’s memory bandwidth affect 4K performance?

A: Yes, the 1.01 TB/s bandwidth on a 384-bit bus is critical for 4K. The data shows that 4K Ultra averages 78.9 FPS, which is lower than 1440p Ultra’s 116.9 FPS, indicating the GPU’s memory subsystem is under heavy load at higher resolutions.

Q: Is the Ultra preset worth the performance cost at 1080p?

A: The drop from High to Ultra at 1080p is 28.3 FPS, from 175.7 FPS to 147.4 FPS, which is a 16.1% reduction. For most users, the visual difference is minor, so High is the better choice unless absolute fidelity is required.

Q: What is the combo’s rank among all tested configurations?

A: The combo ranks 28th out of 1,636 tested combos in Control, placing it in the top 2% of all configurations.

Q: How does the CPU’s core count influence the game’s performance?

A: The i5-14600K has 14 cores and 20 threads, which is ample for Control. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 272 FPS, suggesting the CPU is capable of driving high frame rates, but at 4K Ultra, the GPU becomes the bottleneck, as the FPS drops to 78.9.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14600K, with 14 cores and 20 threads, is a strong match for the RTX 4090 in Control. Its boost clock of 5.30 GHz and base clock of 3.50 GHz, combined with a 24 MB L3 cache, ensure that the CPU can keep up with the GPU’s demands at most settings. The data shows that at 1080p Low, the combo achieves 272 FPS, which is likely near the CPU’s limit, as the GPU is not fully stressed. The CPU’s Cinebench R23 multicore score of 32,881 and single-core score of 4,642 indicate that it has both the multi-threaded and single-threaded performance needed for modern games. However, the CPU’s percentile of 93 versus all CPUs suggests it is not the absolute fastest, which is why the combo ranks 28th rather than higher. In Control, which is not heavily CPU-bound at higher resolutions, the i5-14600K’s performance is sufficient, but at 1080p, it can become a limiting factor, as evidenced by the diminishing returns when moving from Low to Medium at that resolution. The CPU’s 125 W TDP and support for DDR4 and DDR5 memory give it flexibility, but the data does not show any memory-related bottlenecks in this game.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of scaling across resolutions. From 1080p to 1440p, the drop in frame rates is moderate: High goes from 175.7 FPS to 130 FPS, a 26% reduction, while Ultra goes from 147.4 FPS to 116.9 FPS, a 20.7% reduction. This suggests that the GPU is becoming more of a bottleneck as pixel count increases, but the CPU is still contributing. From 1440p to 4K, the drop is more pronounced: High falls from 130 FPS to 90.6 FPS, a 30.3% reduction, and Ultra falls from 116.9 FPS to 78.9 FPS, a 32.5% reduction. This steeper decline indicates that at 4K, the RTX 4090 is the dominant limiting component, as the pixel count quadruples from 1080p, but the frame rate does not drop proportionally—it drops by roughly half. The data shows that the combo is well-balanced at 1440p, where the CPU and GPU work in tandem, but at 4K, the GPU’s raw power is the primary factor. The fact that 4K Low still achieves 139.7 FPS, which is higher than 1440p High’s 130 FPS, highlights how much headroom the GPU has when settings are lowered, but also shows that the CPU is not the main constraint at higher resolutions.