Control

Control with the Intel Core i7-13700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER demonstrates a clear performance hierarchy across resolutions. The data indicates that the combination is highly capable, but the scaling behavior reveals distinct bottlenecks that shift depending on the target resolution and quality preset.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a predictable decline as resolution increases, but the magnitude of that decline is heavily influenced by the graphics preset. At Low settings, the frame rate drops from 214 FPS at 1920x1080 to 162 FPS at 2560x1440, representing a 24% reduction. Moving to 3840x2160 at Low settings yields 110 FPS, which is another 32% drop from the 1440p result. This steep scaling at Low settings suggests that the CPU is capable of pushing very high frame rates at lower resolutions, but the GPU becomes the limiting factor as pixel count rises.

At High settings, the scaling is more moderate. The transition from 1920x1080 (135 FPS) to 2560x1440 (102 FPS) is a 24% decrease, while the jump to 3840x2160 (69 FPS) is another 32% reduction. This pattern indicates that the RTX 4070 SUPER has sufficient headroom at 1080p to keep the CPU from being the primary constraint, but at 4K the GPU workload dominates.

The Medium preset shows a slightly different behavior. From 1920x1080 (152 FPS) to 2560x1440 (115 FPS) the drop is 24%, and from 1440p to 4K (78 FPS) it is 32%. The Ultra preset follows a similar trajectory: 118 FPS at 1080p, 89 FPS at 1440p (25% drop), and 60 FPS at 4K (33% drop). The consistent ~25% and ~32% drops across presets suggest that the limiting component transitions smoothly from CPU-bound at 1080p to GPU-bound at 4K, with the crossover point occurring somewhere between 1440p and 2160p.

At 1080p, the difference between Low (214 FPS) and Ultra (118 FPS) is 96 FPS, indicating that the CPU has enough single-thread performance to feed the GPU even at high frame rates. At 4K, the difference between Low (110 FPS) and Ultra (60 FPS) is 50 FPS, showing that the GPU's pixel throughput becomes the dominant factor. The data suggests that for this game, the RTX 4070 SUPER is the primary limiter at 4K, while the i7-13700K provides ample headroom at lower resolutions.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to achieve 60 FPS or higher?

A: All four tested resolutions can reach or exceed 60 FPS. At 3840x2160, the Ultra preset averages 60 FPS, while High averages 69 FPS. At 2560x1440, even the Ultra preset averages 89 FPS, and at 1920x1080, all presets exceed 118 FPS.

Q: How much performance does the Ultra preset cost compared to Low at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers 214 FPS, while Ultra delivers 118 FPS. This represents a 45% reduction in average frame rate when moving from the lowest to the highest quality settings.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor at 1440p?

A: The data indicates a balanced scenario. At 2560x1440, Low settings hit 162 FPS, suggesting CPU headroom, while Ultra settings drop to 89 FPS, indicating GPU load. The 73 FPS gap between Low and Ultra at this resolution shows that both components contribute to the final result.

Q: What are the minimum FPS figures available in the data?

A: Minimum FPS values are only provided for Medium settings. At 3840x2160, the minimum is 66 FPS, at 2560x1440 it is 98 FPS, and at 1920x1080 it is 130 FPS.

Q: How does the combo rank among all tested combinations for this game?

A: The combo rank is 639 out of 3720 tested configurations, placing it in the top 17% of all combinations for Control.

Q: Does the RTX 4070 SUPER have enough VRAM for 4K Ultra?

A: The GPU has 12 GB of GDDR6X memory with a 192-bit bus width and 504.2 GB/s bandwidth. The measured 60 FPS average at 4K Ultra indicates that the memory configuration is sufficient for this game at that setting.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with a 5 nm process from TSMC. The GPU features 7168 shading units, 224 texture mapping units, and 80 raster output units, along with 56 ray tracing cores and 224 tensor cores. The boost clock is rated at 2475 MHz, with a base clock of 1980 MHz. The memory subsystem consists of 12 GB of GDDR6X on a 192-bit bus, yielding a bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s.

In Control, the GPU's role becomes more pronounced as resolution increases. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the 214 FPS result shows that the GPU is not the bottleneck, as the CPU can feed frames faster than the GPU can render them. However, at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the 60 FPS average indicates that the GPU is fully saturated. The pixel rate of 198.0 GPixel/s and texture rate of 554.4 GTexel/s are relevant to this title's rendering demands.

The GPU's benchmark scores place it in the 83rd percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 43223. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA Quadro M6000 24 GB (deltaPct -0.1), the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 Mobile (deltaPct -0.1), and the NVIDIA Quadro M6000 (deltaPct -0.2). The RTX 4090 Mobile is 1% slower in average score, according to the deltaPct values. The 35.48 TFLOPS FP32 performance and 224 tensor cores suggest that the GPU has substantial compute capability for this game's physics and effects.

The 12 GB VRAM capacity is adequate for the 4K Ultra preset, as evidenced by the 60 FPS average. The GDDR6X memory at 21 Gbps effective speed provides the bandwidth necessary to maintain frame pacing at higher resolutions. The GPU's 220 W TDP and dual-slot design indicate that power delivery is not constraining performance in this title.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the RTX 4070 SUPER paired with the i7-13700K delivers substantial frame rates across all presets. Low settings average 214 FPS, Medium averages 152 FPS with a minimum of 130 FPS and a maximum of 175 FPS, High averages 135 FPS, and Ultra averages 118 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 96 FPS, showing that the GPU has significant headroom at this resolution even with demanding settings.

At 2560x1440, the performance remains strong but begins to show GPU limitations. Low settings average 162 FPS, Medium averages 115 FPS with a minimum of 98 FPS and a maximum of 133 FPS, High averages 102 FPS, and Ultra averages 89 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is consistent across presets, with Low losing 52 FPS, Medium losing 37 FPS, High losing 33 FPS, and Ultra losing 29 FPS. This pattern indicates that the GPU is becoming more influential.

At 3840x2160, the frame rates are still playable but the GPU is clearly the limiting factor. Low settings average 110 FPS, Medium averages 78 FPS with a minimum of 66 FPS and a maximum of 90 FPS, High averages 69 FPS, and Ultra averages 60 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra at 4K is 50 FPS, which is smaller than the 96 FPS gap at 1080p. This compression suggests that the GPU's rendering pipeline is the bottleneck, regardless of the quality preset.

The Medium preset is the only one with min/max data at all three resolutions. At 1080p, the minimum of 130 FPS and maximum of 175 FPS show a 45 FPS range. At 1440p, the range is 35 FPS (98 to 133). At 4K, the range narrows to 24 FPS (66 to 90). This narrowing range with increasing resolution further confirms that the GPU is the limiting component at higher resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i7-13700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER combination holds a rank of 639 out of 3720 tested combos for Control. This places the pairing in the top 17% of all configurations tested for this game. The rank reflects the overall capability of the system across all measured resolutions and settings.

The CPU's average benchmark score of 46881 places it in the 89th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 9 5900 (avgScore 46971, deltaPct -0.2), the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 375 (avgScore 47022, deltaPct -0.3), the AMD Ryzen 9 7845HX (avgScore 46654, deltaPct 0.5), and the Intel Xeon w3-2535 (avgScore 46653, deltaPct 0.5). The i7-13700K is effectively on par with these processors, with deltas under 1%.

The GPU's average benchmark score of 43223 places it in the 83rd percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals are the NVIDIA Quadro M6000 24 GB (avgScore 43262, deltaPct -0.1), the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 Mobile (avgScore 43268, deltaPct -0.1), the NVIDIA Quadro M6000 (avgScore 43301, deltaPct -0.2), and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Mobile (avgScore 43667, deltaPct -1). The RTX 4070 SUPER is within 1% of these GPUs in average score.

The combo's rank of 639 suggests that while the individual components are strong, other combinations with higher-performing GPUs or CPUs achieve better results in Control. The rank is likely influenced by the game's specific demands, which favor high single-thread CPU performance at lower resolutions and high GPU throughput at higher resolutions.

Settings Recommendations

For the best experience at 3840x2160, the High preset offers 69 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS threshold often considered the minimum for smooth gameplay. The Ultra preset at 4K averages exactly 60 FPS, which is playable but leaves little headroom for demanding scenes. The Medium preset at 4K averages 78 FPS with a minimum of 66 FPS, making it a more comfortable choice for 4K gaming if visual fidelity is less critical.

At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset averages 89 FPS, which is excellent for high-refresh-rate monitors. The High preset at 102 FPS and Medium at 115 FPS offer even more headroom. For gamers prioritizing frame rate, the Low preset at 162 FPS is the best option, but the visual compromise may not be worth the 73 FPS gain over Ultra.

At 1920x1080, all presets exceed 118 FPS, making this resolution ideal for competitive play. The High preset at 135 FPS balances visual quality with performance, while the Ultra preset at 118 FPS is still smooth. The Low preset at 214 FPS is excessive for most displays, as few monitors can refresh at that rate.

The data suggests that the Medium preset provides the most balanced experience across all resolutions, with minimum FPS figures available only for this setting. At 1080p, Medium delivers 152 FPS with a minimum of 130 FPS, ensuring consistent frame delivery. At 1440p, Medium averages 115 FPS with a minimum of 98 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS threshold. At 4K, Medium averages 78 FPS with a minimum of 66 FPS, providing a stable experience.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-13700K is a 16-core, 24-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz. The CPU features 80 KB of L1 cache per core, 2 MB of L2 cache per core, and 30 MB of shared L3 cache. It supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory in a dual-channel configuration, with a 125 W TDP.

In Control, the CPU's role is most evident at 1080p with Low settings, where the 214 FPS result showcases the processor's ability to feed frames quickly. The single-thread performance, as measured by the 3dmark single-thread score of 1136 and the Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2116, is crucial for this game's frame generation. The multi-thread capabilities, demonstrated by the Cinebench R23 multicore score of 30745 and the Passmark multithread score of 45887, ensure that background tasks do not interfere with gameplay.

The CPU's 89th percentile ranking and average benchmark score of 46881 indicate strong overall performance. Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 9 5900, has an average score of 46971, which is only 0.2% higher. This close margin suggests that the i7-13700K is competitive with other high-end processors for this game.

At higher resolutions, the CPU's influence diminishes as the GPU becomes the bottleneck. The frame rate difference between resolutions at the same settings is primarily due to GPU load, not CPU limitations. However, the CPU's high boost clock of 5.40 GHz ensures that it does not introduce frame pacing issues even when the GPU is fully loaded. The 16 cores and 24 threads provide sufficient parallelism for the game's physics and AI workloads, which are typically not heavily threaded but benefit from the high single-core performance.