Control

# Control with Intel Core i7-14700F + AMD Radeon RX 6600

The pairing of an Intel Core i7-14700F with an AMD Radeon RX 6600 targets 1080p and 1440p gaming, and the measured frame rates in Control confirm this positioning. Across the four tested presets, the combo delivers playable performance at 1080p and 1440p, while 4K remains a challenge. The data reveals a system where the GPU is the primary constraint at higher resolutions, but the CPU's substantial core and thread count provides ample headroom for the game's physics and logic, creating a balanced yet GPU-bound experience at most settings.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent across all settings, pointing directly at the GPU as the limiting factor. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 67.9 FPS at 1080p to 50.2 FPS at 1440p — a 26% reduction — and then plunges to 36.7 FPS at 4K, which is a further 27% drop from 1440p. This scaling pattern is typical of a mid-range graphics card being pushed beyond its comfortable pixel throughput range. The RX 6600's 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 128-bit memory bus, with 224.0 GB/s of bandwidth, are simply not enough to maintain high frame rates at 4K, especially when the RDNA 2 architecture's 1792 shading units must process over eight million pixels per frame.

The Low preset shows a similar trajectory but with a different starting point. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 109.8 FPS, which drops to 84.3 FPS at 1440p (a 23% decrease) and then to 55.7 FPS at 4K (a 34% decrease from 1440p). The larger percentage drop from 1440p to 4K at Low settings suggests that even with reduced shading complexity, the GPU's memory bandwidth becomes a hard ceiling. The gap between Low and High at 1080p is 41.9 FPS (109.8 vs. 67.9), but at 4K that gap narrows to just 19 FPS (55.7 vs. 36.7). This compression indicates that at 4K, the GPU is so bandwidth-limited that lowering settings yields diminishing returns.

The Medium preset behaves similarly to High, with 77.1 FPS at 1080p, 58.4 FPS at 1440p, and 38.4 FPS at 4K. The Ultra preset is the most demanding, starting at 62 FPS at 1080p and falling to 43.9 FPS at 1440p and 28.9 FPS at 4K. The data suggests that 4K is only viable on the Low preset, and even then, the 55.7 FPS average is merely borderline for smooth gameplay. For a more consistent experience, 1440p with Low or Medium settings offers the best balance of visual fidelity and frame rate.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700F is a 20-core, 28-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, with a base clock of 2.10 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz. In Control, a game known for its physics-heavy combat and destructible environments, this CPU provides substantial headroom. The measured frame rates show no signs of CPU bottlenecking — the GPU is clearly the limiting factor, as evidenced by the consistent frame rate drops when resolution increases. The CPU's 33 MB of shared L3 cache and 2 MB per-core L2 cache help keep data flowing to the GPU, but the game's engine appears to scale well with the high thread count.

The i7-14700F's benchmark scores reinforce its capability. Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 35443 and single-core score of 5003 place it in the 94th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 54097. Compared to its nearest rivals, the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X scores 54450 (just 0.6% higher), and the Ryzen 9 9900X3D scores 54681 (1.1% higher). The Intel Xeon Phi 7290 and AMD EPYC 7313P trail by 1.2% and 1.7%, respectively. This places the i7-14700F in elite company, and in Control, the CPU's PassMark multi-thread score of 41765 and single-thread score of 4261 suggest it can easily feed the RX 6600. The game's frame rate at 1080p Low (109.8 FPS) is likely near the GPU's maximum output, not a CPU limitation.

The CPU's 65 W TDP and support for both DDR4 and DDR5 memory give system builders flexibility, but the performance data shows that the processor is not the bottleneck in this pairing. Even at 1080p with the Ultra preset, the 62 FPS average is more indicative of GPU load than CPU limits. The i7-14700F's 20 cores and 28 threads are overkill for this game at these settings, but they ensure that any future game with higher CPU demands will be handled without issue.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides clear guidance for optimizing the experience in Control. For 1080p displays, the High preset at 67.9 FPS is the sweet spot — it offers a significant visual upgrade over Medium (77.1 FPS) while maintaining a smooth frame rate. The Ultra preset at 62 FPS is also playable, but the 5.9 FPS gain from Ultra to High is minimal compared to the visual cost of dropping from Ultra to High. For competitive or high-refresh-rate play, the Low preset at 109.8 FPS is the best choice, providing nearly double the frame rate of Ultra.

At 1440p, the recommendation shifts. The Low preset delivers 84.3 FPS, which is excellent for fast-paced action, but the Medium preset at 58.4 FPS is the best balance of visual quality and responsiveness. High at 50.2 FPS is borderline, and Ultra at 43.9 FPS should be avoided for anything requiring precise aiming. The data suggests that 1440p Medium is the default choice for this combo, with Low as an option for smoother gameplay.

At 4K, the options are limited. The Low preset at 55.7 FPS is the only setting that approaches playability, but even this is below the 60 FPS target many players prefer. Medium at 38.4 FPS and High at 36.7 FPS are both too low for comfortable play, and Ultra at 28.9 FPS is effectively unplayable. The recommendation for 4K is to either lower the resolution to 1440p or accept the Low preset with its reduced visual fidelity. The RX 6600 simply lacks the memory bandwidth and shading power for 4K gaming in this title.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations for Control, this pairing ranks 1319 out of 1636 total combos, placing it in the bottom 20% of all tested systems. This ranking reflects the RX 6600's position as a mid-range GPU — the GPU's percentile vs. all GPUs is 69, meaning it outperforms 69% of graphics cards, but in Control, the demanding rendering and physics load pushes it down. The combo rank of 1319 suggests that many other CPU-GPU pairings deliver higher frame rates, likely due to more powerful GPUs.

The GPU's nearest rivals provide context for its performance. The AMD Radeon 890M has an average benchmark score of 25246, essentially identical to the RX 6600's 25235 (a 0% delta). The Radeon RX 580 2048SP scores 25287 (0.2% higher), while the RX 6700M scores 25180 (0.2% lower). The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti scores 25120, which is 0.5% lower than the RX 6600. These close benchmark scores suggest that the RX 6600 is competitively positioned in its class, but the combo ranking in Control is influenced by the CPU's ability to feed the GPU, which is not a limiting factor here.

The i7-14700F's 94th percentile CPU ranking and the RX 6600's 69th percentile GPU ranking create an imbalance — the CPU is far more powerful than the GPU. This is reflected in the game's performance, where the GPU is the clear bottleneck. The combo rank of 1319 is therefore driven by the GPU's limitations, not the CPU. For a better in-game rank, a more powerful GPU would be needed, but the current pairing is well-suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6600 is built on the RDNA 2.0 architecture with a Navi 23 chip, manufactured on a 7 nm process at TSMC. It features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing 224.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU's base clock is 1626 MHz, with a boost clock of 2491 MHz and a game clock of 2044 MHz. These specifications explain the measured performance in Control: the GPU's 1792 shading units and 64 ROPs are sufficient for 1080p and 1440p, but the memory bandwidth becomes a constraint at 4K.

The GPU's benchmark scores show it is a competent mid-range card. Its PassMark G3D score of 15096 and 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1492 place it in the 69th percentile of all GPUs. The Geekbench Vulkan score of 80492 and OpenCL score of 73130 indicate solid compute performance. The nearest rival, the AMD Radeon 890M, has a nearly identical average benchmark score (25246 vs. 25235), suggesting that the RX 6600 is at the top of its performance tier.

In Control, the GPU's 8 GB VRAM is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p at all settings, but the 4K Ultra preset (28.9 FPS) likely stresses both the memory capacity and bandwidth. The GPU's 132 W TDP and suggested 300 W PSU make it an efficient choice, and its PCIe 4.0 x8 interface provides adequate bandwidth for this game. The GPU's role in this pairing is clear: it is the primary determinant of frame rates, and the data shows that its performance is consistent with its mid-range positioning.

FAQ

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

A: 1440p with Medium settings delivers 58.4 FPS, which is the best balance of visual quality and performance. 1080p High at 67.9 FPS is also excellent, while 4K is only marginally playable at Low settings (55.7 FPS).

Q: How does the i7-14700F compare to its closest rivals in CPU benchmarks?

A: The i7-14700F has an average benchmark score of 54097, which is 0.6% lower than the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X (54450) and 1.1% lower than the Ryzen 9 9900X3D (54681). It outperforms the Intel Xeon Phi 7290 by 1.2% and the AMD EPYC 7313P by 1.7%.

Q: Is the RX 6600 a good match for the i7-14700F?

A: The data shows the GPU is the limiting factor at all resolutions, so the CPU has significant headroom. The combo ranks 1319 out of 1636 tested, indicating that the GPU holds back the overall performance, but the pairing is well-balanced for 1080p and 1440p gaming.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: At 1080p, the Low preset achieves 109.8 FPS, while the Ultra preset achieves 62 FPS — a difference of 47.8 FPS. The High preset at 67.9 FPS is only 5.9 FPS slower than Ultra, making it a more efficient choice.

Q: How does the RX 6600 rank against its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The RX 6600's average benchmark score is 25235. The AMD Radeon 890M scores 25246 (0% delta), the RX 580 2048SP scores 25287 (0.2% higher), the RX 6700M scores 25180 (0.2% lower), and the RTX 3060 Ti scores 25120 (0.5% lower).

Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming in Control?

A: At 4K, only the Low preset is playable, with an average of 55.7 FPS. Medium (38.4 FPS), High (36.7 FPS), and Ultra (28.9 FPS) are all below playable thresholds. For 4K, a more powerful GPU would be required.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the average frame rates are: Low 109.8 FPS, Medium 77.1 FPS, High 67.9 FPS, and Ultra 62 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a 47.8 FPS drop, with the largest single-step decrease occurring from Low to Medium (32.7 FPS). The High to Ultra difference is only 5.9 FPS, indicating diminishing returns at the highest settings.

At 2560x1440, the average frame rates are: Low 84.3 FPS, Medium 58.4 FPS, High 50.2 FPS, and Ultra 43.9 FPS. The drop from Low to Medium is 25.9 FPS, while High to Ultra is 6.3 FPS. Compared to 1080p, the 1440p Low preset is 25.5 FPS slower, and the 1440p Ultra preset is 18.1 FPS slower.

At 3840x2160, the average frame rates are: Low 55.7 FPS, Medium 38.4 FPS, High 36.7 FPS, and Ultra 28.9 FPS. The Low to Medium drop is 17.3 FPS, but the Medium to High difference is only 1.7 FPS, suggesting that High offers minimal visual benefit over Medium at 4K. The Ultra preset is 9.8 FPS slower than High, making it the least efficient setting. The scaling from 1080p to 4K at Ultra settings is a 33.1 FPS drop (from 62 to 28.9 FPS), a 53% reduction that underscores the GPU's limitations at 4K.