Control

Control, the 2019 action-adventure from Remedy, is a demanding title that stresses both GPU and CPU depending on the settings chosen. For the Intel Core i5-14600KF paired with the AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT, the benchmark data reveals a configuration that scales predictably with resolution, ultimately positioning this combo in the upper-middle tier of tested systems. The data indicates that while the CPU provides a robust foundation, the GPU becomes the definitive bottleneck at higher resolutions, with the frame rate dropping sharply as pixel count increases.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is substantial and tells a clear story about the limiting component. At 1080p with High settings, the combo achieves 104.3 FPS, but moving to 1440p reduces that to 75.4 FPS, and at 4K it falls to 49.4 FPS. This represents a 52.6% reduction in frame rate from 1080p to 4K, which is a significant scaling penalty. The pattern is consistent across all settings presets, indicating that the GPU is the primary constraint at higher resolutions.

The data shows that the gap between Low and Ultra settings widens as resolution increases. At 1080p, the difference between Low (162.1 FPS) and Ultra (89.5 FPS) is 72.6 FPS. At 1440p, that gap narrows to 52.8 FPS (119.5 vs 66.7), and at 4K it tightens further to 37.7 FPS (84.3 vs 46.6). This compression of the settings range at higher resolutions suggests that the GPU is becoming saturated, leaving less headroom for graphical fidelity adjustments. The fact that 4K Ultra still manages 46.6 FPS indicates the RX 7700 XT can handle the game, but not with high refresh rates in mind.

Interestingly, the scaling from 1440p to 4K is harsher than from 1080p to 1440p. For High settings, the drop from 104.3 to 75.4 FPS is a 27.7% reduction, while the drop from 75.4 to 49.4 FPS is a 34.5% reduction. This nonlinear scaling is typical of memory bandwidth limitations, and the RX 7700 XT’s 432.0 GB/s bandwidth appears to be a factor at 4K. The data suggests that this combo is best suited for 1080p or 1440p gaming, where it can deliver smooth frame rates, rather than 4K, where it falls below the 60 FPS threshold on higher presets.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT is the dominant factor in this game’s performance, particularly as resolution increases. The GPU’s 12 GB of GDDR6 memory is sufficient for Control’s demands, but the 192-bit bus width and the resulting 432.0 GB/s bandwidth appear to be the limiting factor at 4K. The memory clock runs at 2250 MHz, translating to 18 Gbps effective, which is competitive but not exceptional for the class. The boost clock of 2544 MHz and game clock of 2171 MHz provide ample compute power, as evidenced by the 35.17 TFLOPS FP32 throughput.

The GPU’s benchmark scores place it in the 73rd percentile among all GPUs, with a Passmark G3D score of 22547. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060, scores nearly identically at 30109 in average benchmark score, with a delta of 0%. This near parity suggests that in synthetic tests, the two cards are interchangeable, but the measured FPS in Control shows the RX 7700 XT holding its own. The GPU’s Passmark DirectX 12 score of 79 is notably lower than its DirectX 11 score of 232, which might indicate driver overhead in newer APIs, but the in-game results do not reflect a severe penalty.

The data shows that the GPU’s performance ceiling is reached at 4K Ultra, where it produces 46.6 FPS. This is a playable frame rate for a story-driven game, but it is far from ideal for fast-paced action. At 1080p, the GPU has ample headroom, with Low settings reaching 162.1 FPS, suggesting that the CPU is not a bottleneck at that resolution. The 14-core, 20-thread CPU with a 5.30 GHz boost clock is more than capable of feeding the GPU at lower resolutions, but the GPU becomes the clear limiting factor as pixel count rises.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Control?

A: The data shows that 1440p High offers a strong balance, delivering 75.4 FPS, while 1080p High reaches 104.3 FPS. 4K High drops to 49.4 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: How does the RX 7700 XT compare to its nearest rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The GPU’s average benchmark score is 30097, which is essentially identical to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060’s 30109, showing a delta of 0%. This indicates near-parity in synthetic workloads.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck at 1080p?

A: At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 162.1 FPS, which is high enough to suggest the CPU is not the primary constraint. The GPU still has headroom, as evidenced by the 72.6 FPS drop from Low to Ultra settings.

Q: What is the performance penalty for enabling Ultra settings at 4K?

A: Moving from 4K High (49.4 FPS) to 4K Ultra (46.6 FPS) results in a 2.8 FPS drop, a minimal penalty of 5.7%. This suggests Ultra settings are viable if the resolution is fixed.

Q: How does this combo’s CPU rank among all tested CPUs?

A: The Intel Core i5-14600KF is in the 93rd percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 49367. It trails the AMD EPYC 4345P by 0.5% but leads the Intel Core i5-14600K by 0.4%.

Q: Does the combo’s rank in Control reflect its overall hardware strength?

A: The combo ranks 707th out of 1636 tested combinations, which places it in the 56.8th percentile. This is lower than the individual hardware percentiles, indicating that Control is a demanding game that stresses the GPU more than typical workloads.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of performance across resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the combo delivers 162.1 FPS on Low, 116.5 FPS on Medium, 104.3 FPS on High, and 89.5 FPS on Ultra. These numbers indicate that at 1080p, the system is capable of high refresh rate gaming even on Ultra settings, though the 89.5 FPS figure is just shy of the 90 FPS mark.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance drops but remains solid: 119.5 FPS on Low, 85.3 FPS on Medium, 75.4 FPS on High, and 66.7 FPS on Ultra. The 1440p Ultra result is notably above the 60 FPS threshold, making this a viable resolution for demanding settings. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 1440p shows a 52.8 FPS range, which is a 44.2% reduction in performance when maxing out settings.

At 3840x2160, the GPU begins to struggle: 84.3 FPS on Low, 57.3 FPS on Medium, 49.4 FPS on High, and 46.6 FPS on Ultra. The 4K Low result is surprisingly strong, but the Medium and above presets all fall below 60 FPS. The data shows that 4K gaming is possible but requires significant settings compromises to maintain smoothness. The difference between Medium and Ultra at 4K is only 10.7 FPS, suggesting that the GPU is bandwidth-limited rather than compute-limited in this range.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo’s rank in Control is 707th out of 1636 tested combinations, placing it in the 56.8th percentile of all systems. This is a mid-pack result, which is surprising given the strength of the individual components. The CPU is in the 93rd percentile and the GPU is in the 73rd percentile, but the combination only manages a 56.8th percentile rank in this specific game. This discrepancy highlights Control’s demanding nature, particularly its heavy reliance on GPU memory bandwidth and shading performance.

The CPU’s nearest rivals show that the i5-14600KF is competitive: it scores 0.4% higher than the i5-14600K and 0.6% higher than the Ryzen 9 5950X, but 0.5% lower than the EPYC 4345P. These deltas are minimal, indicating that the CPU choice is not the deciding factor in this game’s performance. The GPU’s rivals show a similar pattern, with the RX 7700 XT matching the RTX 5060 exactly in average benchmark score.

The rank of 707 suggests that there are many combinations that perform better in Control, likely those with higher-end GPUs. The data implies that the RX 7700 XT, while capable, is the limiting factor in this combo, and that upgrading the GPU would yield a more significant improvement in Control than upgrading the CPU. The combination’s overall percentile is respectable, but not elite, making it a solid mid-range gaming system for this title.

Settings Recommendations

For the best experience, the data suggests prioritizing resolution over settings. At 1080p, the Ultra preset delivers 89.5 FPS, which is smooth and visually rich. This is the recommended configuration for players with 1080p monitors, as it provides a high frame rate without sacrificing visual fidelity. If a higher refresh rate is desired, the High preset at 104.3 FPS offers a 16.5% improvement with a minimal visual compromise.

At 1440p, the High preset at 75.4 FPS is the sweet spot, providing a good balance of quality and performance. The Ultra preset at 66.7 FPS is also viable, but the 11.5% drop from High to Ultra may not justify the visual gains. The Medium preset at 85.3 FPS is the best choice for players who prioritize frame rate over detail, as it stays well above 60 FPS.

For 4K, the Low preset at 84.3 FPS is the only configuration that consistently exceeds 60 FPS. The Medium preset at 57.3 FPS is playable but not ideal, while High and Ultra dip below 50 FPS. Given the minimal difference between High and Ultra at 4K (49.4 vs 46.6 FPS), players should choose Ultra if they can tolerate the lower frame rate, as the visual improvement is nearly free. However, for a smooth experience at 4K, Low settings are the recommended choice.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14600KF plays a supporting role in Control, providing a strong foundation that prevents CPU bottlenecks at lower resolutions. With 14 cores, 20 threads, and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz, the CPU is more than capable of handling the game’s physics and AI workloads. The Raptor Lake architecture, built on a 10 nm process, delivers strong single-threaded performance, as evidenced by its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4643.

The CPU’s benchmark scores are impressive, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32889 and a Geekbench multi-core score of 15636. These figures place it in the 93rd percentile, with an average benchmark score of 49367. The CPU’s nearest rival, the i5-14600K, scores 49166, a delta of 0.4%, indicating that the KF variant is marginally faster in synthetic tests. The 24 MB of shared L3 cache and 2 MB per-core L2 cache provide ample bandwidth for game data.

In Control, the CPU’s role becomes more apparent at 1080p, where the frame rates are high enough to expose any CPU limitations. The fact that 1080p Low reaches 162.1 FPS suggests that the CPU is not a bottleneck at this resolution, as the GPU is still able to push high frame rates. However, the data shows that the CPU’s performance is not fully utilized at higher resolutions, where the GPU becomes the limiting factor. The 125 W TDP and dual-channel memory support are adequate for this workload, and the CPU’s 93rd percentile ranking confirms it is a high-end part that will not hold back the GPU in most scenarios.