Control

Control, Remedy’s 2019 action-adventure, presents a demanding environment for the Intel Core i5-14600KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER combination. The measured data reveals a system that is decisively GPU-bound at higher resolutions, while still delivering exceptionally high frame rates at 1080p. This analysis walks through the benchmark results step by step, examining how the CPU and GPU each contribute to the final FPS figures across different settings and resolutions.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent, clearly identifying the GPU as the primary limiting component at higher resolutions. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 135 FPS at 1920x1080 to 102 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of 33 FPS, and then further down to 69 FPS at 3840x2160. The scaling from 1440p to 4K represents a 32% performance loss, which is substantial and directly attributable to the increased pixel count demanding more from the RTX 4070 SUPER's 12 GB of GDDR6X memory and 504.2 GB/s of bandwidth.

The pattern holds across all settings. At Low settings, the system drops from 214 FPS at 1080p to 162 FPS at 1440p, and finally to 110 FPS at 4K. The 4K Low result being just 110 FPS suggests that even with minimal graphical load, the sheer number of pixels at 3840x2160 keeps the GPU fully occupied. Conversely, the 1080p Low result of 214 FPS is so high that it hints at a potential CPU ceiling, as the frame rate likely approaches what the 14-core, 20-thread Intel Core i5-14600KF can physically feed.

The most telling evidence for GPU limitation is the performance delta between Low and Ultra settings at each resolution. At 1080p, moving from Low to Ultra drops the average FPS from 214 to 118, a 96 FPS swing. At 4K, the same settings change yields a swing from 110 FPS to 60 FPS, a 50 FPS swing. The smaller absolute drop at 4K indicates that the GPU is already saturated by pixel throughput, leaving less headroom for the settings to further impact performance. The data shows a classic GPU-bound scenario: as resolution increases, the performance gap between settings narrows, and the frame rate scales almost entirely with the GPU's fill rate and shading power.

FAQ

Q: What is the maximum average FPS achievable with this combo at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the system achieves an average of 214 FPS, which is the highest recorded frame rate in the measured data. This indicates the CPU and GPU combination has significant headroom for high-refresh-rate gaming at 1080p.

Q: Is this combination capable of 4K gaming in Control?

A: Yes, but with a caveat. At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average FPS is 60, which is exactly at the threshold for smooth gameplay. Lowering to High settings raises the average to 69 FPS, providing a more comfortable margin above the 60 FPS target.

Q: How does the RTX 4070 SUPER compare to its closest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The GPU's average benchmark score is 43223, placing it in the 83rd percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA Quadro M6000 24 GB, scores 43262, a difference of just -0.1%. The RTX 4090 Mobile scores 43667, putting it 1% ahead of the RTX 4070 SUPER.

Q: What is the performance difference between Medium and High settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, Medium settings produce an average of 115 FPS, while High settings produce 102 FPS. The 13 FPS difference shows that High settings offer a modest visual upgrade for a 11% reduction in frame rate.

Q: Does the CPU become a bottleneck at any resolution?

A: The data suggests the CPU is not a significant bottleneck at 1440p or 4K, as FPS scales inversely with resolution. However, at 1080p Low with 214 FPS, the frame rate may start to approach the CPU's limit, given the i5-14600KF's 14 cores and 20 threads.

Q: What is the combo's overall ranking among all tested combinations?

A: This specific CPU-GPU pairing ranks 639th out of 3720 total combinations tested for Control, placing it in the top 17% of all systems in the database.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER is the workhorse of this configuration, and its specifications directly explain the observed frame rates. Built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with a 5 nm process and 35,800 million transistors, the GPU boosts up to 2475 MHz and features 7168 shading units. This raw compute power translates into the high average FPS figures seen across all resolutions. The 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus provides a bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s, which is sufficient for the 4K Ultra settings that demand 60 FPS without dropping below that threshold.

The GPU's role becomes more pronounced as resolution increases. At 4K, the pixel rate of 198.0 GPixel/s is heavily taxed, and the 35.48 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is fully utilized. The measured FPS at 4K Ultra (60 FPS) versus 4K Low (110 FPS) shows a 50 FPS spread, demonstrating that the GPU's shading units and texture rate of 554.4 GTexel/s are the primary determinants of performance. The synthetic benchmark scores reinforce this: a Passmark G3D score of 29995 and a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 4627 place the GPU in the 83rd percentile, confirming its high-end positioning.

The RTX 4070 SUPER's memory configuration is particularly relevant for Control. The 12 GB capacity ensures that even at 3840x2160 with Ultra textures, the game does not spill into system memory, which would cause stuttering. The 504.2 GB/s bandwidth supports the high frame rates at 1440p (102 FPS High) without becoming a limiting factor. The GPU's 80 ROPs handle the final pixel output, and the data shows they are sufficient for 4K at 60 FPS, but not for much more, as evidenced by the 69 FPS average at 4K High.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal balance of visual quality and performance is achieved at High settings for most resolutions. At 1920x1080, High settings deliver 135 FPS, which is well above the 144 Hz refresh rate that many monitors support, while Ultra only drops to 118 FPS, still very playable. For 1080p users, Ultra is viable if they prioritize visual fidelity, as the 118 FPS average remains smooth.

At 2560x1440, High settings produce 102 FPS, which is excellent for a high-refresh-rate QHD panel. Medium settings at 115 FPS offer a slight bump for those who prefer higher frame rates, but the visual difference between Medium and High is often less noticeable than the 13 FPS gap. Ultra at 89 FPS is still playable but sacrifices 13% of the High setting's frame rate for marginal gains in shadow and reflection quality.

For 4K gaming, High settings are strongly recommended. The 69 FPS average at 3840x2160 with High settings is the sweet spot, providing a solid frame rate above the 60 FPS target. Ultra settings at 60 FPS are technically playable, but the lack of headroom means any demanding scene could cause a dip below 60 FPS. Medium at 4K offers 78 FPS, but the reduction in texture quality and draw distance may be noticeable on a large display. The data clearly shows that High is the best compromise for 4K, offering 69 FPS versus the 60 FPS of Ultra and the 78 FPS of Medium, with the visual gains of Ultra not justifying the 13% performance cost.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers exceptional performance across all settings. Low settings average 214 FPS, Medium 152 FPS, High 135 FPS, and Ultra 118 FPS. The Medium setting has a recorded minimum of 130 FPS and a maximum of 175 FPS, showing a tight frame time distribution. The 96 FPS difference between Low and Ultra demonstrates that the CPU can feed the GPU efficiently, as the frame rate scales almost linearly with the GPU load.

Moving to 2560x1440, the averages are 162 FPS for Low, 115 FPS for Medium, 102 FPS for High, and 89 FPS for Ultra. The Medium settings show a minimum of 98 FPS and a maximum of 133 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is consistent, with High settings losing 33 FPS, which is a 24% reduction. This is a clear sign of the GPU becoming more heavily loaded, as the pixel count increases by 78%.

At 3840x2160, the frame rates are 110 FPS for Low, 78 FPS for Medium, 69 FPS for High, and 60 FPS for Ultra. The Medium setting has a minimum of 66 FPS and a maximum of 90 FPS, indicating that even at 4K, the frame pacing is stable. The jump from 1440p to 4K is severe for High settings, dropping from 102 to 69 FPS, a 32% reduction. This is the largest percentage drop among all settings, confirming that 4K is the most demanding scenario for the RTX 4070 SUPER. The Ultra setting at 60 FPS is exactly at the threshold, while Low at 110 FPS shows that the GPU still has headroom for lower graphical loads.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14600KF provides the computational foundation for these results. With 14 cores (likely a mix of performance and efficiency cores based on its Raptor Lake architecture) and 20 threads, the CPU has substantial multi-threading capability. Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32544 and single-core score of 4594 place it in the 90th percentile of all CPUs, indicating it is a top-tier processor for gaming. The boost clock of 5.30 GHz is critical for single-threaded game logic, and the 24 MB of shared L3 cache helps keep frequently accessed data close to the cores.

In Control, the CPU's role is to handle the game's physics, AI, and rendering calls. The measured FPS at 1080p Low (214 FPS) suggests that the CPU is capable of processing frames far faster than the GPU can render them at higher resolutions. The multi-core performance, evidenced by a Passmark multi-thread score of 38697, ensures that background tasks and the game's multi-threaded workload do not bottleneck the GPU. The CPU's nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 9 7900, has an average score of 49228, a mere 0.3% difference, showing that the i5-14600KF is competitive with higher-end chips.

The data indicates that the CPU is not a limiting factor at 1440p or 4K, as the FPS scales with resolution. However, the 1080p Low result of 214 FPS may approach the CPU's practical limit for this game. The 20 threads are more than sufficient for Control, and the high boost clock ensures that the game's main thread is never starved. The CPU's 125 W TDP and support for DDR4 and DDR5 memory provide flexibility, but the benchmark results show that the GPU is the bottleneck in most scenarios, with the CPU comfortably keeping up.

How This Combo Ranks

In the overall database of tested combinations for Control, this Intel Core i5-14600KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER pairing ranks 639th out of 3720 total combinations. This places it in the top 17% of all systems, a strong showing that reflects the high performance of both components. The rank is likely driven by the GPU's 83rd percentile standing and the CPU's 90th percentile standing, making this a well-balanced high-end configuration.

The ranking suggests that while this combo is not in the top tier of all possible systems (which would include more powerful GPUs like the RTX 4090), it outperforms the vast majority of tested configurations. The data shows that the combo can handle 1440p at high refresh rates and 4K at playable frame rates, which is a hallmark of a high-end gaming PC. The 639th rank out of 3720 also indicates that there are only 638 combinations that deliver better performance, many of which likely feature more expensive or newer hardware.

The combination's strength lies in its consistency. Across all settings and resolutions, the FPS figures are solidly in the playable range, with no major drops below 60 FPS at 4K Ultra. The ranking reflects this versatility: the system is not a specialist that excels in one area but a generalist that performs admirably across the board. For a game like Control, which can be demanding at 4K, this ranking confirms that the i5-14600KF and RTX 4070 SUPER are a formidable pairing that will satisfy most gamers looking for a high-quality experience.