Control

# Control with Intel Core i7-13700K + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070

Control, the 2019 Action Adventure title, presents an interesting test case for this pairing. The Intel Core i7-13700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 combo delivers playable frame rates across all tested resolutions, but the scaling patterns reveal where the bottleneck shifts. At 1080p, the system pushes well past 100 FPS on every preset, while 4K Ultra drops to 56.5 FPS — indicating that the GPU becomes the primary constraint at higher resolutions. The measured data shows a 16-core, 24-thread CPU paired with a 12 GB GDDR6X GPU, and the performance curve suggests this game rewards both strong single-threaded execution and substantial graphics memory bandwidth.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent across all settings. At High settings, the average FPS falls from 124.4 at 1920x1080 to 92 at 2560x1440, then to 65 at 3840x2160. That represents a 47.7% reduction from 1080p to 4K. The pattern repeats across the other presets: Low goes from 191.1 to 143.9 to 95.7, Medium from 135.8 to 106 to 68.8, and Ultra from 107.7 to 77.7 to 56.5. The scaling is roughly linear, with each resolution step costing about 25-30% performance.

This behavior strongly suggests a GPU-limited scenario at higher resolutions. The RTX 4070's 504.2 GB/s memory bandwidth and 29.15 TFLOPS of FP32 compute are being taxed as pixel count quadruples from 1080p to 4K. The CPU, with its 5.40 GHz boost clock and 30 MB of shared L3 cache, has ample headroom to feed the GPU at lower resolutions. The fact that 1080p Low hits 191.1 FPS while 4K Ultra manages only 56.5 FPS tells a clear story: the GPU is the limiting component once resolution climbs. However, the 4K Ultra result of 56.5 FPS is still above the 50 FPS threshold, so the combo remains viable for 4K gaming, just not at maximum settings.

GPU Role

The RTX 4070's specifications directly influence these results. With 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus, the card provides 504.2 GB/s of bandwidth — sufficient for Control's textures at 4K, though the framerate dip at Ultra settings suggests the game's higher-detail assets are memory-hungry. The GPU's boost clock of 2475 MHz and base clock of 1920 MHz help maintain consistent throughput, but the 64 ROPs and 184 TMUs are modest for a card in this class.

The 81st percentile ranking among all GPUs (based on average benchmark score of 37283) places it above the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 by 0.6% and the NVIDIA GeForce MX570 A by 1.9%, but below the RTX 4080 Mobile by 2.2%. In Control specifically, the GPU's 46 RT cores and 184 tensor cores support the game's real-time ray tracing and DLSS features, though the measured FPS data does not isolate these effects. The 35,800 million transistors on a 5 nm TSMC process give the card efficiency headroom, but the 200 W TDP and 550 W suggested PSU indicate it draws meaningful power under load.

The VRAM situation is worth noting: 12 GB is comfortable for Control at 1080p and 1440p, but the 4K Ultra preset may be pushing against the memory ceiling. The drop from High (65 FPS) to Ultra (56.5 FPS) at 4K is 13.1%, which is larger than the 1440p drop from High (92) to Ultra (77.7) at 15.5% — suggesting diminishing returns from the Ultra preset's extra memory usage at higher resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo ranks 425th out of 1636 tested configurations in Control, placing it in the 74th percentile of all combos. This is a solid mid-to-upper tier position, though not elite. The ranking reflects that while the RTX 4070 is strong, it is not a top-tier card — the GPU's 81st percentile among all GPUs and the CPU's 93rd percentile among all CPUs mean the CPU is relatively stronger than the GPU in this pairing.

The CPU's nearest rivals help contextualize this. The Intel Core i7-13700KF scores 47334 on average, just 0.1% higher than the 13700K's 47282 — essentially identical. The AMD EPYC 4364P and Intel Core i9-12900F are within 0.4% of this CPU's score, while the AMD Ryzen 9 PRO 5945 is 0.5% higher. This tight clustering indicates that CPU performance is not a differentiator in this combo's ranking; the GPU is the binding constraint.

For the GPU, the nearest rivals show a similar story. The RTX 4070's average benchmark score of 37283 is within 2.5% of all four listed competitors, with the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 0.6% higher and the AMD Radeon RX 5300M 2.5% lower. This suggests that in Control, the RTX 4070's performance is competitive with a range of GPUs, but the combo's specific rank is driven by how this GPU handles the game's rendering demands rather than raw compute superiority.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo shows its strength. Low settings produce 191.1 FPS, Medium 135.8, High 124.4, and Ultra 107.7. The gap between Low and Medium is 55.3 FPS, indicating that Medium's additional effects cost significant throughput. From Medium to High, the drop is only 11.4 FPS, while High to Ultra costs 16.7 FPS. This suggests that the Ultra preset adds expensive post-processing or shadow effects that are not fully justified by visual gains.

At 2560x1440, the pattern shifts. Low delivers 143.9 FPS, Medium 106, High 92, and Ultra 77.7. The Low-to-Medium gap shrinks to 37.9 FPS, but High-to-Ultra now costs 14.3 FPS. The 1440p results show the GPU starting to feel the load, with all presets dropping by roughly 25-30% compared to 1080p.

At 3840x2160, the combo's limits become apparent. Low yields 95.7 FPS, Medium 68.8, High 65, and Ultra 56.5. Interestingly, the Medium and High results are only 3.8 FPS apart, while Low-to-Medium costs 26.9 FPS. This clustering suggests that at 4K, the GPU's memory bandwidth becomes the limiting factor, and the difference between Medium and High settings is less impactful than at lower resolutions. The 4K Ultra result of 56.5 FPS is just above playable thresholds, but for a smooth experience, High or Medium at 4K is more realistic.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-13700K is a 16-core, 24-thread processor based on Raptor Lake architecture, built on a 10 nm process. Its base clock of 3.40 GHz and boost clock of 5.40 GHz provide strong single-threaded performance, which is crucial for Control's game logic and physics. The 3DMark benchmarks illustrate this: the single-thread score of 1136 and 2-thread score of 2262 indicate excellent low-thread performance, while the max-thread score of 12412 shows the multi-core capability.

The CPU's 93rd percentile ranking among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 47282, places it above the Intel Core i9-12900F (47081, 0.4% lower) and AMD EPYC 4364P (47131, 0.3% lower), but slightly below the AMD Ryzen 9 PRO 5945 (47527, 0.5% higher). In Cinebench R23, the multicore score of 39000 and single-core score of 5505 demonstrate that this CPU can handle both lightly-threaded game logic and heavily-threaded background tasks without bottlenecking the GPU.

The L3 cache of 30 MB shared and 2 MB L2 per core provide fast access to game data, which is important in Control's destructible environments and particle effects. The 125 W TDP suggests the CPU can sustain high clocks under load, but the data shows that even at 1080p Low (191.1 FPS), the CPU is not the limiting factor — the GPU is still delivering frames faster than the CPU's game thread can process them, but the CPU has headroom.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution. At 1920x1080, High settings (124.4 FPS) provide an excellent balance — the jump to Ultra costs 16.7 FPS for presumably marginal visual gains, while dropping to Medium only gains 11.4 FPS. For competitive play or high-refresh monitors, Low at 191.1 FPS is viable, but the visual fidelity loss is significant.

At 2560x1440, High (92 FPS) is the sweet spot. It maintains smooth frame rates above 90 FPS while retaining most visual quality. Medium (106 FPS) is a good alternative for those prioritizing frame rate, but the 14 FPS gain over High may not justify the visual downgrade. Ultra at 77.7 FPS is playable but pushes the GPU harder.

At 3840x2160, Medium (68.8 FPS) and High (65 FPS) are nearly identical, making High the better choice since the cost is only 3.8 FPS. Low (95.7 FPS) is surprisingly playable at 4K and may be the best option for smooth gameplay, while Ultra (56.5 FPS) is borderline and should be avoided for action-heavy sequences. Overall, the data suggests that High settings at 1080p or 1440p, and High or Low at 4K, provide the best experience per the measured rows.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Control at 4K Ultra settings?

A: Yes, but barely. The measured average FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings is 56.5, which is playable but below the 60 FPS threshold many players prefer. For a smoother experience, Medium (68.8 FPS) or High (65 FPS) at 4K are better choices.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from 1080p to 4K at High settings?

A: The average FPS drops from 124.4 at 1920x1080 to 65 at 3840x2160, a 47.7% reduction. This indicates the GPU becomes the limiting factor at higher resolutions.

Q: Is the Intel Core i7-13700K or the RTX 4070 the bottleneck in this game?

A: The data shows the GPU is the bottleneck at higher resolutions. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 191.1 FPS, but at 4K Ultra it drops to 56.5 FPS — a GPU-bound pattern. The CPU's 93rd percentile ranking and strong single-thread scores (1136 in 3DMark) suggest it has ample headroom.

Q: What is the best settings preset for 1440p gaming?

A: High settings at 2560x1440 deliver 92 FPS, which is the best balance of visual quality and performance. Medium (106 FPS) is an option for higher frame rates, but the 14 FPS gain over High may not be worth the visual downgrade.

Q: How does this GPU compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RTX 4070's average benchmark score is 37283, which is 0.6% lower than the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 (37507), 1.9% lower than the NVIDIA GeForce MX570 A (38008), and 2.2% lower than the RTX 4080 Mobile (38135). It is 2.5% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 5300M (36371).

Q: Is the 12 GB VRAM sufficient for Control at 4K?

A: The measured data indicates it is sufficient, as the combo achieves 56.5 FPS at 4K Ultra. However, the large drop from High (65 FPS) to Ultra (56.5 FPS) at 4K suggests the Ultra preset may be pushing against memory limits, so High is recommended for 4K play.