Control

The Intel Core i5-14600KF paired with the AMD Radeon RX 9070 sits at rank 527 out of 1636 tested combos in Control. This places the configuration in the upper third of all tested pairings, putting it comfortably ahead of the median system. The percentile data reinforces this positioning: the CPU ranks in the 93rd percentile against all processors, while the GPU sits in the 79th percentile against all graphics cards. This gap between component percentiles suggests the graphics card is the more limiting factor in this pairing, though both components are substantially above average. The combo's rank indicates that while this is not an elite top-tier setup, it delivers strong performance that will satisfy the vast majority of players looking to run Control at high settings.

How This Combo Ranks

The 527th position out of 1636 combos means this system outperforms roughly two-thirds of all tested configurations in Control. This places it in a solidly competitive tier, though not among the absolute fastest pairings. The CPU's 93rd percentile ranking versus all CPUs indicates the i5-14600KF is a high-end processor by any measure, while the GPU's 79th percentile shows the RX 9070 is a strong but not flagship graphics solution. The delta between these two figures suggests the GPU is the bottleneck in this pairing—the CPU has more headroom than the GPU can fully utilize in this title. In practical terms, the combo's rank means users can expect smooth gameplay at high settings across most resolutions, with the system showing particular strength at 1440p where the balance between CPU and GPU load is most favorable.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14600KF brings 14 cores and 20 threads to the table, running at a base clock of 3.50 GHz and boosting up to 5.30 GHz. This Raptor Lake Refresh chip, built on Intel's 10 nm process, offers strong single-thread performance that benefits games like Control which rely heavily on a few primary threads. The 24 MB of shared L3 cache provides ample room for game data, while the dual-channel memory support for both DDR4 and DDR5 gives builders flexibility. The CPU's benchmark scores tell a clear story: a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32889 and single-core score of 4643 demonstrate balanced performance across both heavily threaded and lightly threaded workloads. The Geekbench multi-core score of 15636 and single-core score of 2778 further confirm this balance. In Control specifically, the CPU's strong single-thread capabilities ensure that scene complexity and physics calculations are handled without becoming a limiting factor until frame rates reach very high levels. The 0.4% lead over the Intel Core i5-14600K in average benchmark score shows this chip is essentially identical to its K-suffix sibling, while the 0.6% advantage over the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X indicates it competes well with older flagship processors. The CPU's 125W TDP and unlocked multiplier make it a versatile choice for enthusiasts who want to extract additional performance.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 9070 is built on the RDNA 4.0 architecture with the Navi 48 chip, manufactured on TSMC's 4 nm process. With 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, the card offers 644.6 GB/s of memory bandwidth—a figure that proves crucial at higher resolutions where texture data demands grow substantially. The GPU's 3584 shading units, 224 texture mapping units, and 128 raster output pipelines provide the raw compute horsepower needed for modern rendering techniques. Clock speeds range from a 1330 MHz base to a 2520 MHz boost, with a game clock of 2070 MHz that reflects real-world sustained performance. The 56 ray tracing cores enable hardware-accelerated ray tracing in supported titles, though Control's implementation is modest. The GPU's FP32 throughput of 36.13 TFLOPS places it in a capable tier for rasterized rendering. Benchmark results show a Passmark G3D score of 25381 and a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 6290, indicating solid DirectX 12 performance. The GPU's average benchmark score of 34780 places it in the 79th percentile, with nearest rivals including the NVIDIA A2 (0.2% ahead) and the AMD Radeon HD 7970 (0.7% behind), though these comparisons are based on aggregate scores rather than gaming-specific workloads. In Control, the GPU's 16 GB frame buffer ensures that even at 4K with high-detail textures, memory capacity is not a constraint.

FAQ

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested systems in Control?

A: This combination ranks 527th out of 1636 tested combos, placing it in the upper third of all configurations evaluated for this game.

Q: What is the CPU's performance percentile compared to all processors?

A: The Intel Core i5-14600KF ranks in the 93rd percentile against all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 49367 across all tested workloads.

Q: How does the GPU compare to its nearest rivals in aggregate benchmark scores?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 9070 has an average benchmark score of 34780, sitting 0.2% behind the NVIDIA A2 and 0.3% ahead of the NVIDIA Quadro GV100.

Q: What memory configuration does the RX 9070 use?

A: The GPU features 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 644.6 GB/s of memory bandwidth.

Q: What are the CPU's core and thread counts?

A: The i5-14600KF provides 14 cores and 20 threads, with base and boost clocks of 3.50 GHz and 5.30 GHz respectively.

Q: Which resolution shows the highest average frame rate for this combo?

A: At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the system achieves 183.7 FPS, which is the highest average frame rate recorded in the measured data.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of performance scaling across resolutions. At 1920x1080 with High settings, the system delivers 113.3 FPS average. Moving to 2560x1440 at the same settings drops this to 86.2 FPS, a reduction of 27.1 FPS. At 3840x2160, the average falls further to 59.7 FPS, representing a 53.6 FPS decrease from 1080p. This scaling pattern shows the GPU becoming progressively more stressed as pixel count increases. The Low settings preset tells a similar story: 183.7 FPS at 1080p, 138 FPS at 1440p, and 91.6 FPS at 4K. The percentage drops between resolutions are consistent—roughly 25% going from 1080p to 1440p and another 34% going from 1440p to 4K. This consistent scaling behavior indicates that the GPU is the primary limiting component at higher resolutions, while the CPU's strong single-thread performance keeps it from becoming a bottleneck even at 1080p where frame rates exceed 180 FPS. The 4K Ultra preset at 51.8 FPS shows the system's limits, while the 4K Low preset at 91.6 FPS demonstrates that even at maximum resolution, the hardware can deliver playable frame rates when settings are reduced. The gap between Low and Ultra at each resolution—82 FPS at 1080p, 63.3 FPS at 1440p, and 39.8 FPS at 4K—shrinks as resolution increases, confirming the GPU-bound nature of higher resolution gameplay.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data shows a clear progression of frame rates across the four available presets. At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset delivers 102.3 FPS, which is already well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. The High preset at 113.3 FPS offers a modest improvement, while Medium at 128.3 FPS and Low at 183.7 FPS provide increasingly higher headroom. For users with 1080p displays, the Ultra preset is the clear recommendation—the visual quality benefits come at a relatively small cost of 11 FPS compared to High. At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset drops to 74.7 FPS, which remains playable but leaves less margin for demanding scenes. High at 86.2 FPS is a safer choice for maintaining consistent frame rates, while Medium at 100.8 FPS provides a comfortable buffer. The Low preset at 138 FPS is unnecessary at this resolution unless targeting very high refresh rate displays. At 3840x2160, the tradeoffs become more pronounced. Ultra at 51.8 FPS falls below the 60 FPS threshold, making High at 59.7 FPS the better choice for a smooth experience. Medium at 67.4 FPS offers additional headroom, while Low at 91.6 FPS allows for high refresh rate 4K gaming if visual fidelity is sacrificed. For the best balance of visual quality and performance, the High preset at 1440p provides 86.2 FPS with minimal compromises, while 4K users should select Medium at 67.4 FPS to ensure consistent frame delivery. The data indicates that this system is best suited for 1440p gaming with high-to-ultra settings, with 4K requiring a preset reduction to maintain playable frame rates.