Control

Control, Remedy’s 2019 action-adventure, presents a demanding mix of physics-based combat and destructible environments. This analysis examines the performance of the Intel Core i5-14600KF paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti across four quality presets and three resolutions, using measured FPS data. The combination ranks 1209 out of 1636 tested hardware combos for this title, placing it in the lower-middle tier of the database. The data reveals a configuration that is consistently capable but requires careful settings management to achieve smooth frame rates at higher resolutions.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent across all settings, indicating a GPU-bound scenario. At High settings, the average FPS falls from 78 at 1920x1080 to 54.6 at 2560x1440, a reduction of 30%. Moving to 3840x2160, the average drops further to 36 FPS, which is 53.8% below the 1080p result. This scaling pattern is typical for a title where the graphics card is the primary bottleneck; the CPU has ample headroom, but the RTX 3060 Ti cannot maintain performance as pixel count quadruples.

The trend holds across other presets. At Medium settings, the transition from 1080p to 1440p sees a decline from 85.3 to 63.6 FPS, and then to 41.6 at 4K. Even at Low settings, where the load on the GPU is reduced, the frame rate still drops from 116 at 1080p to 86.4 at 1440p and finally to 61.4 at 4K. The 4K Low result is only 5.4 FPS higher than the 1440p High result, showing that resolution has a more significant impact on this GPU than the quality preset. The data strongly suggests that 4K gaming is only viable at the Low preset, and even then, it barely maintains a 60 FPS average.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is the decisive factor in these results. Its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus provides a bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s. The GPU is based on the Ampere architecture and features 4864 shading units, 152 texture mapping units, and 80 raster output pipelines. Clock speeds are listed with a base of 1410 MHz and a boost of 1665 MHz. The 3060 Ti sits at the 69th percentile of all GPUs in the database, with an average benchmark score of 25120. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 6700M, which is 0.2% faster, and the AMD Radeon RX 6600, which is 0.5% faster, indicating the 3060 Ti is positioned at the edge of its performance class.

The benchmark results show this GPU’s limitations in Control. The PassMark G3D score of 20349 and the DirectX 12 score of 78 reflect a mid-range part. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2626 is a more modern indicator of rasterization performance. In game, these numbers translate to an inability to sustain high frame rates at 4K with higher presets, as the Ultra preset at 3840x2160 yields only 33.1 FPS. The GPU's 16.20 TFLOPS of FP32 compute is not enough to handle the game’s complex lighting and particle effects at that resolution without significant compromises.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides a clear hierarchy of performance. For a standard 60 FPS target, the 1080p resolution is the only one that can achieve it across most presets. At 1920x1080, the High preset averages 78 FPS, while the Medium preset averages 85.3 FPS. The Low preset reaches 116 FPS, which is more than sufficient for high-refresh-rate displays. The Ultra preset at 1080p, with an average of 66 FPS, is still playable, but the 12 FPS gain from dropping to High suggests that High is the optimal balance for visual fidelity and smoothness at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the situation changes. The High preset averages 54.6 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold. Dropping to Medium yields 63.6 FPS, making it the recommended choice for a 60 FPS experience at this resolution. The Low preset offers 86.4 FPS, but the visual cost is substantial. For 4K, no preset achieves a 60 FPS average; the Low preset’s 61.4 FPS is the only option near that mark, but it is still below. The data suggests that users with a 4K display should use the Low preset and accept a frame rate in the low 60s, or consider lowering the resolution.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for a stable 60 FPS experience with this hardware?

A: The 1920x1080 resolution is the only one where all presets meet or exceed a 60 FPS average. The High preset averages 78 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 66 FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 3060 Ti perform at 1440p in Control?

A: At 2560x1440, the Medium preset is required to stay above 60 FPS, averaging 63.6 FPS. The High preset dips to 54.6 FPS, and the Ultra preset falls to 50.5 FPS.

Q: Is 4K gaming feasible with the RTX 3060 Ti?

A: It is only marginally feasible. The Low preset at 3840x2160 averages 61.4 FPS, but all other presets fall below 42 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 33.1 FPS, which is not a smooth experience.

Q: What is the performance difference between the High and Ultra presets at 1080p?

A: The High preset averages 78 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 66 FPS. This represents a 12 FPS drop for the higher visual quality settings.

Q: How does the GPU's benchmark percentile relate to its in-game performance?

A: The RTX 3060 Ti is at the 69th percentile of all GPUs. In Control, this translates to a card that can handle 1080p and 1440p with settings adjustments, but it is not positioned for high-refresh 4K gaming.

Q: Which preset offers the largest frame rate jump?

A: Moving from High to Low at 1920x1080 increases the average from 78 to 116 FPS, a gain of 38 FPS. This is a larger jump than the 7.3 FPS gain from Medium to High at the same resolution.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14600KF is a 14-core, 20-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, running at a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz. It has 24 MB of shared L3 cache and a 125 W TDP. Its benchmark scores are strong, with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 32889 and a single-core score of 4643. The CPU sits at the 93rd percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 49367. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core i5-14600K, is only 0.4% faster, while the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X is 0.6% slower. This processor is clearly not the limiting factor in these Control results.

The FPS scaling data confirms this. If the CPU were a bottleneck, we would expect frame rates to plateau or show minimal improvement when lowering resolution. Instead, the FPS increases significantly at 1080p. For instance, at Low settings, the average FPS jumps from 61.4 at 4K to 116 at 1080p, a 54.6 FPS increase. This indicates the GPU is being relieved of work, not that the CPU is unable to feed it. The PassMark multithread score of 38697 and single-thread score of 4273 demonstrate the processor’s capability to handle game logic and draw calls without issue. The data consistently points to the RTX 3060 Ti as the performance ceiling for this pairing.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete set of measured average frame rates is as follows:

At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers the highest average at 116 FPS. The Medium preset averages 85.3 FPS. The High preset averages 78 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 66 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 86.4 FPS. The Medium preset averages 63.6 FPS. The High preset averages 54.6 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 50.5 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 61.4 FPS. The Medium preset averages 41.6 FPS. The High preset averages 36 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 33.1 FPS.

These numbers show a clear pattern. The performance drop from Low to Ultra is consistent at each resolution, with the most pronounced absolute difference at 1080p (a 50 FPS gap between Low and Ultra). The relative drop is more severe at higher resolutions; at 4K, the Ultra preset is only 53.9% of the Low preset’s performance. The data also shows that the gap between Medium and High is smaller than the gap between High and Ultra, suggesting the Ultra preset includes particularly demanding effects. Overall, the Intel Core i5-14600KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti combo is best suited for 1080p gaming with high settings or 1440p gaming with medium settings.