Control

The Intel Core i5-14600KF paired with the AMD Radeon RX 7600 is a mainstream combination that lands in the middle of the pack for Control. With a combo rank of 1102 out of 1636 tested configurations, this pairing sits in the 67th percentile. The data indicates a system capable of solid 1080p performance but one that will require settings adjustments to handle higher resolutions.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is steep, revealing a classic GPU-bound scenario. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 76.6 fps at 1920x1080 to 56.4 fps at 2560x1440, a 26% reduction. Moving to 3840x2160, the average drops further to 39.9 fps, which is 48% below the 1080p result. This scaling pattern shows that the RX 7600 is the limiting component as pixel count rises.

The gap between Low and Ultra settings widens dramatically at higher resolutions. At 1080p, the spread between Low (120.8 fps) and Ultra (64.5 fps) is 56.3 fps. At 1440p, that spread narrows to 40.4 fps (88.0 vs 47.6). By 4K, the difference shrinks to 25.3 fps (61.1 vs 35.8), indicating that resolution is dominating the performance ceiling regardless of quality preset.

Interestingly, the 4K Low result of 61.1 fps is nearly identical to the 1440p High result of 56.4 fps. This suggests that for players targeting 60 fps, dropping resolution is a more effective lever than reducing settings. The data shows that the RX 7600’s 8 GB frame buffer and 128-bit memory interface struggle to maintain fluidity as the pixel workload increases.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of 1636 tested CPU-GPU combinations for Control, this pairing ranks 1102nd. That places it in the lower third of all configurations, though the absolute frame rates are far from unplayable. The rank reflects that many higher-tier GPUs, such as the RX 7600 XT and RTX 3070 Mobile, outperform this combo by a small margin.

The GPU’s nearest rivals show a tight cluster: the RX 7600 XT scores 0.6% higher, while the RTX 3070 Mobile is 1.3% lower. The Intel Arc B570 trails by 1.5%. This means the RX 7600 is competitively positioned within its immediate tier, but the CPU pairing with the 14600KF does little to boost the overall rank. The CPU itself ranks at the 93rd percentile among all processors, yet the combo rank lags, confirming that Control is heavily GPU-limited here.

The 14600KF’s nearest CPU rivals include the 14600K (0.4% higher score) and the Ryzen 9 5950X (0.6% higher), both of which would not meaningfully change the game’s frame rates. The bottleneck is clearly the graphics card, and the data suggests that investing in a stronger GPU would yield a larger rank improvement than swapping the CPU.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14600KF brings 14 cores and 20 threads, with a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz. This Raptor Lake Refresh chip, built on Intel’s 10 nm process, shows strong synthetic results: a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32889 and a single-core score of 4643. These figures place it at the 93rd percentile among all CPUs, indicating ample headroom for gaming workloads.

In Control, the CPU’s role is largely to feed the GPU with enough data. The benchmark data shows that at 1080p Low, the combo achieves 120.8 fps, which is a high enough frame rate to suggest the CPU is not the primary limiter. However, the 20 threads and 24 MB of shared L3 cache provide consistent frame pacing, as evidenced by the smooth scaling from Low to Ultra at each resolution.

The processor’s 125 W TDP and dual-channel memory support (DDR4 or DDR5) make it a flexible choice, but the game itself does not appear to tax the CPU heavily. The deltaPct against the 14600K is just 0.4%, and against the EPYC 4345P it is -0.5%, showing that the 14600KF performs essentially identically to its direct sibling. For Control, the CPU is a non-factor; the measured FPS differences across resolutions are far more attributable to the GPU.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers playable to excellent results. Low settings produce 120.8 fps, Medium hits 87.5 fps, and High reaches 76.6 fps. Ultra drops to 64.5 fps, which remains above the 60 fps threshold for smooth gameplay. This makes 1080p the sweet spot for this pairing, with all presets offering a viable experience.

Moving to 2560x1440, performance becomes more demanding. Low settings yield 88.0 fps, Medium manages 64.1 fps, and High falls to 56.4 fps. Ultra dips to 47.6 fps, which is noticeably less fluid. Players at 1440p will need to choose between Medium for a locked 60 fps or accept a lower frame rate on High.

At 3840x2160, the RX 7600 struggles. Low settings average 61.1 fps, which is right at the edge of playability, while Medium drops to 44.4 fps, High to 39.9 fps, and Ultra to 35.8 fps. The 4K results indicate that this combo is not suited for high-quality 4K gaming, and even Low settings may produce stutter during intense scenes.

The overall pattern shows that the RX 7600 has a performance ceiling around 120 fps at 1080p Low and falls to roughly one-third of that at 4K Ultra. The 35.8 fps Ultra 4K result is the weakest measured, highlighting the GPU’s memory bandwidth constraints.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7600 is built on the RDNA 3.0 architecture with the Navi 33 chip, manufactured on TSMC’s 6 nm process. It features 2048 shading units, 128 texture mapping units, and 64 render output units, with 32 ray tracing cores. The boost clock is 2655 MHz, and the game clock is 2250 MHz, providing a solid foundation for 1080p gaming.

The 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus delivers 288.0 GB/s of bandwidth. This is the primary constraint in Control, as the game’s high-resolution textures and particle effects appear to exceed the memory subsystem’s capacity at 1440p and 4K. The GPU’s 21.75 TFLOPS of FP32 compute is adequate, but the bandwidth limitation shows in the steep FPS drops.

The GPU’s passmark G3D score of 16634 places it at the 63rd percentile among all GPUs. Its nearest rivals are the RX 7600 XT (0.6% higher) and the RX 460 (0.8% higher), which is an odd pairing given the generational gap. The RTX 3070 Mobile and Arc B570 are 1.3% and 1.5% lower, respectively. These tight deltas confirm that the RX 7600 sits in a crowded mid-range segment, and the Control results reflect that positioning.

Settings Recommendations

For 1080p, the High preset is the best balance of visual fidelity and performance. The measured 76.6 fps average is well above the 60 fps target, and the gap to Ultra (64.5 fps) is only 12.1 fps, meaning High offers most of the visual benefits without the frame rate penalty. Players with high refresh rate monitors can use Low for 120.8 fps, but the visual trade-off is significant.

At 1440p, Medium is the recommended preset. The 64.1 fps average is close to the 60 fps threshold, and it provides a 12.3% improvement over High’s 56.4 fps. Ultra at 47.6 fps is too choppy for fast-paced action, while Low at 88.0 fps sacrifices too much detail. Medium offers the best compromise between smoothness and image quality.

For 4K, the data suggests avoiding this combo unless playing on Low settings. The 61.1 fps average on Low is barely playable, and any higher preset drops below 45 fps. The 35.8 fps Ultra result is not recommended for a game like Control, which relies on atmospheric lighting and reflective surfaces. If 4K is a requirement, the RX 7600’s 8 GB memory and 288.0 GB/s bandwidth are insufficient, and a higher-tier GPU would be necessary.

The overall recommendation is to target 1080p High or 1440p Medium. These settings deliver the best experience per the measured rows, keeping frame rates above 60 fps while maintaining the game’s visual strengths. The combo is a capable 1080p machine and a passable 1440p option with settings management, but it is not suited for 4K gaming.