Control

The Intel Core i5-14600KF paired with the Intel Arc B580 delivers a playable but demanding 1080p experience in Control, with diminishing returns as resolution climbs. This combo sits at rank 2816 out of 3720 tested combinations, placing it in the lower-middle tier of the database for this title. The data indicates a system that can handle the game’s action sequences at high settings on 1080p, but struggles to maintain smooth framerates at 4K, where the GPU becomes the clear bottleneck.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core i5-14600KF is a 14-core, 20-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, built on Intel’s 10 nm process. It has a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz, with a 125 W TDP. The cache layout includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 2 MB of L2 per core, and 24 MB of shared L3 cache. This processor supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory in a dual-channel configuration, and it uses the Intel Socket 1700.

In Control, the CPU’s role is primarily to feed the GPU with draw calls and manage the game’s physics and AI systems. The measured FPS data shows that at 1080p Low, the combo reaches 114 FPS average, which suggests the CPU is not the limiting factor at lower resolutions. Even at 1080p Ultra, the average drops to 62 FPS, but the gap between Low and Ultra is 52 FPS, indicating that the GPU is taking on more of the load as settings increase. The processor’s single-thread performance is strong, as evidenced by its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4594, which is useful for a game like Control that relies on a main thread for many game logic tasks.

The CPU’s multi-core capability is also substantial, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32544 and a Geekbench multi-core score of 17085. However, Control is not a heavily multi-threaded title in the same way as a strategy game or a renderer, so the 14 cores and 20 threads are more headroom than necessity. The benchmark results show that the CPU is unlikely to bottleneck the GPU at 1080p, given that the FPS scales predictably with resolution and settings. The data suggests that the i5-14600KF provides ample processing power for this game, and its 90th percentile ranking among all CPUs confirms that it is a high-end part for this workload.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Arc B580 is built on the Xe2-HPG architecture, codenamed Battlemage, and fabricated on TSMC’s 5 nm process. It features 19,600 million transistors on a 272 mm² die, with a base and boost clock of 2670 MHz. The GPU has 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, providing 456.0 GB/s of bandwidth. It has 2560 shading units, 160 TMUs, and 80 ROPs, along with 20 ray tracing cores. The FP32 performance is 13.67 TFLOPS, and the texture rate is 427.2 GTexel/s.

In Control, the GPU is the dominant factor in determining performance, especially at higher resolutions and settings. The measured data shows that at 1080p Low, the average FPS is 114, which is excellent. At 1080p Medium, the average drops to 81 FPS, and at High, it falls to 72 FPS. The Ultra preset yields 62 FPS on average. This scaling indicates that the B580 has enough raw compute to handle the game’s visual effects but that the higher presets increase the load significantly. The 12 GB VRAM is more than sufficient for Control at 1080p, and even at 4K, the memory capacity is not a concern based on the data.

The GPU’s benchmark scores show a passmark G3D score of 15748 and a Geekbench Vulkan score of 109672, which places it in the 68th percentile among all GPUs. The nearest rivals in the database include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080, which has an average score 0.6% higher, and the RTX 3080, which is 0.7% lower. This suggests the B580 performs in a similar band to those older high-end cards, but the measured FPS in Control tells a more specific story. The GPU’s ray tracing cores are present, but the game’s implementation may not fully utilize them, as the performance drop from High to Ultra at 4K is steep, from 37 to 32 FPS.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured FPS data across resolutions clearly shows a GPU-bound scenario as resolution increases. At 1080p Low, the average FPS is 114, which drops to 86 at 1440p Low and then to 58 at 4K Low. That is a 49% reduction from 1080p to 1440p and a 33% further drop to 4K. For High settings, the progression is 72 FPS at 1080p, 54 at 1440p, and 37 at 4K. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p is a 25% loss, and from 1440p to 4K is a 31% loss.

This pattern indicates that the GPU is the primary limiting component at all resolutions above 1080p. The CPU is capable of driving higher framerates, as seen at 1080p Low where the system reaches 114 FPS, but the B580 cannot sustain that performance as the pixel count increases. The 4K results are particularly telling: even at Low settings, the average FPS is 58, which is borderline playable, but at Ultra, it falls to 32 FPS, which is not smooth for an action game. The data suggests that 1440p is the practical ceiling for this combo, with High settings yielding 54 FPS and Medium at 61 FPS.

The fact that the 1080p Ultra result is 62 FPS while 1440p Medium is 61 FPS shows that resolution has a larger impact than preset quality in this pairing. The GPU’s memory bandwidth of 456.0 GB/s and its pixel rate of 213.6 GPixel/s are likely the constraining factors at 4K, as the game’s effects and textures require more fill rate and bandwidth than the card can provide at that resolution.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend on the target resolution. At 1080p, the High preset provides an average of 72 FPS, which is smooth for gameplay, while Medium offers 81 FPS and Low reaches 114 FPS. The Ultra preset at 62 FPS is playable, but the dip from High is 10 FPS, which may not be worth the visual gains unless the player prioritizes fidelity. For a balance of visual quality and performance, High at 1080p is the recommended preset, as it stays above the 60 FPS threshold.

At 1440p, the High preset yields 54 FPS, which is below the ideal for a fast-paced action game. The Medium preset provides 61 FPS, which matches the 1080p Ultra result and is more acceptable. Low at 1440p reaches 86 FPS, which is excellent but sacrifices visual detail. For 1440p, Medium is the best choice, as it maintains a playable framerate while retaining more graphical features than Low.

At 4K, none of the presets reach a comfortable 60 FPS average. The best result is Low at 58 FPS, which is close but still under the target. Medium drops to 41 FPS, and High falls to 37 FPS, with Ultra at 32 FPS. Given these numbers, 4K is not recommended for this combo unless the player accepts Low settings and a sub-60 FPS experience. The data shows that the system is best utilized at 1080p or 1440p, with the latter requiring a compromise on preset quality to maintain frame rate.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combo rank for this pairing in Control is 2816 out of 3720 tested combinations, placing it in the 75th percentile of the database. This means that roughly a quarter of the tested combos perform worse, and three-quarters perform better. The rank is a holistic measure that accounts for the average FPS across all measured settings and resolutions, and it reflects the GPU’s limitations at higher resolutions.

Given the CPU’s 90th percentile ranking and the GPU’s 68th percentile ranking, the combo rank of 2816 suggests that the GPU drags down the overall performance. The CPU is not the bottleneck, as its benchmarks indicate it is a top-tier processor, but the B580 is a mid-range GPU by the database’s standards. The nearest rivals for the GPU include the RTX 2080 and RTX 3080, which have similar average benchmark scores, but the measured FPS in Control shows that the B580 is adequate for 1080p but not for 4K. The rank of 2816 is a data-driven verdict that the system is suited for 1080p gaming, with acceptable 1440p performance, but it is not a high-end 4K solution.

FAQ

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

A: Based on the measured FPS data, 1080p is the best resolution, as it provides 72 FPS at High settings and 114 FPS at Low. 1440p is also viable at Medium settings with 61 FPS, but 4K falls below 60 FPS on every preset.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B580 compare to its nearest rivals in the database?

A: The B580 has an average benchmark score that is 0.6% lower than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 and 0.7% higher than the RTX 3080, per the nearestRivals data. This indicates it performs in a similar band to those older GPUs in synthetic tests, though the measured FPS in Control shows specific strengths at 1080p.

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-14600KF a bottleneck for the Arc B580 in this game?

A: No, the CPU is not a bottleneck. The FPS scaling from 1080p Low (114 FPS) to 4K Low (58 FPS) shows that the GPU is the limiting factor as resolution increases. The CPU’s benchmark scores, including a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32544, indicate it has ample headroom for this game.

Q: What settings should I use for a smooth 60 FPS experience?

A: At 1080p, use High for 72 FPS. At 1440p, use Medium for 61 FPS. At 4K, no preset reaches 60 FPS; Low is the closest at 58 FPS, but it is still below the target.

Q: Does the 12 GB VRAM on the Arc B580 cause any issues in Control?

A: The data does not show any VRAM-related stutters or failures. The measured FPS at 4K Ultra is 32 FPS, which is low, but this is likely due to compute and bandwidth limits rather than memory capacity, as the game’s requirements are well within 12 GB.

Q: How does this combo’s rank of 2816 out of 3720 translate to real-world performance?

A: The rank indicates that this is a mid-to-lower-tier combo for Control. It performs well at 1080p, adequately at 1440p with reduced settings, and poorly at 4K. The rank reflects the GPU’s 68th percentile standing, which is the primary driver of the overall placement.