Control

Control pairs a 20-core Intel Core i7-14700F with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090, producing a combination that ranks 40th out of 1,636 tested combos for this game. That placement puts it in the top 2.4% of all configurations, though the data reveals that this pairing is far more GPU-bound than CPU-bound at most settings. The benchmark results show a system that can push well past 200 FPS at 1080p on low settings, yet the gap between the CPU's strong synthetic scores and the measured frame rates suggests the RTX 4090 is the primary driver of performance in Control. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS across resolutions and settings, examines what the GPU and CPU each contribute, and answers common questions about how this combo behaves in practice.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i7-14700F + RTX 4090 combination sits at rank 40 out of 1,636 tested combos for Control, placing it in the 97th percentile of all configurations tested. This is an elite tier, but it is not the absolute top — and the data shows why. The RTX 4090 alone holds a percentile rank of 91 against all GPUs, while the i7-14700F sits at percentile 94 against all CPUs. When combined, the pair outperforms either component's individual percentile, indicating that the synergy works well for this title. However, the rank of 40 suggests there are 39 combos that achieve higher average FPS, likely using newer or more specialized hardware.

Looking at the CPU's nearest rivals helps contextualize the processor's role. The i7-14700F scores an average benchmark of 54,097, which is 0.6% behind the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X (54,450) and 1.1% behind the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D (54,681). Conversely, it is 1.2% ahead of the Intel Xeon Phi 7290 and 1.7% ahead of the AMD EPYC 7313P. These deltas are small, meaning the CPU is not a differentiator at this performance level. The GPU's nearest rivals tell a similar story: the RTX 4090's average score of 66,473 is 0.4% behind the Tesla T4, 0.5% ahead of the Tesla P40, 0.9% behind the Radeon Pro Vega 56, and 1.3% behind the Quadro P6000. These are workstation cards, not gaming GPUs, which highlights that the RTX 4090's gaming-specific strengths are not fully captured by raw compute benchmarks.

The rank data implies that Control's performance ceiling with this combo is high but not unlimited. At 1080p Low, the system hits 272.2 FPS, which is likely near the engine's frame rate cap or the point where CPU overhead becomes a factor. At 4K Ultra, it drops to 74.3 FPS, still very playable but far from the low-setting peak. The 40th rank suggests that while this combo is exceptional, there are configurations that push higher average FPS, likely by combining the RTX 4090 with a CPU that has even higher single-thread performance.

GPU Role

The RTX 4090 is the dominant component in this pairing, and its specifications explain why. It packs 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus, delivering 1.01 TB/s of bandwidth. The GPU runs at a base clock of 2235 MHz and boosts to 2520 MHz, with memory clocked at 1313 MHz (21 Gbps effective). This memory configuration is critical for Control, which uses high-resolution textures and complex particle effects that can saturate bandwidth at higher settings.

The GPU's raw compute capabilities are staggering: 16,384 shading units, 512 TMUs, 176 ROPs, 128 RT cores, and 512 tensor cores. Its FP32 performance is 82.58 TFLOPS, with a pixel rate of 443.5 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 1,290.2 GTexel/s. These numbers translate directly to Control's measured performance. At 1080p Low, the GPU pushes 272.2 FPS, which is more than double the 4K High result of 90.5 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra at any resolution shows the GPU's workload growing significantly: at 1440p, Low yields 208.1 FPS while Ultra drops to 114.3 FPS.

The RTX 4090's 76,300 million transistors on a 609 mm² die, built on TSMC's 5 nm process, explain its efficiency. It supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, all of which Control can leverage. The card's 450 W TDP and triple-slot design indicate it is a power-hungry flagship, but the benchmark data shows it handles Control without breaking a sweat at most settings. The fact that the GPU's percentile rank (91) is lower than its raw performance suggests that other GPUs in the database may have higher average scores due to different test conditions, but in Control specifically, this card leads to rank 40 overall.

FAQ

Q: Does the RTX 4090 bottleneck the i7-14700F in Control?

A: No. The measured FPS scales consistently across resolutions, indicating the GPU is the limiting factor at high settings. At 1080p Low, the CPU can feed 272.2 FPS, which is near the practical limit.

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

A: The data shows 1440p High delivers 133.3 FPS, which balances visual quality and frame rate. 4K Ultra is still playable at 74.3 FPS, but the higher refresh rate at 1440p is more beneficial for this action-adventure game.

Q: How does the RTX 4090 compare to its nearest rival GPUs?

A: The RTX 4090's average benchmark score of 66,473 is 0.4% behind the Tesla T4, 0.5% ahead of the Tesla P40, 0.9% behind the Radeon Pro Vega 56, and 1.3% behind the Quadro P6000. These are compute-focused cards, so the 4090's gaming advantage is not reflected in these raw scores.

Q: Is the i7-14700F a good match for the RTX 4090?

A: Yes. The CPU's multi-thread score of 35,443 in Cinebench R23 and single-thread score of 5,003 indicate it can keep up. The combo ranks 40th out of 1,636, suggesting the pairing is well-balanced for Control.

Q: What settings provide the smoothest experience?

A: At 1080p, Medium yields 192.9 FPS, which is a good balance. At 1440p, High at 133.3 FPS is recommended. At 4K, Medium at 97 FPS is the sweet spot, as Ultra drops to 74.3 FPS.

Q: Why does the combo rank 40th despite the high-end components?

A: The rank reflects average FPS across all settings. The RTX 4090's 91st percentile and the i7-14700F's 94th percentile combine to place this duo in the top 2.4%, but 39 other combos achieve higher frame rates, likely due to newer CPU architectures.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides clear guidance on which settings offer the best experience. At 1080p, Low settings hit 272.2 FPS, which is excessive for most displays, while Medium at 192.9 FPS offers a better balance of visual fidelity and speed. High at 171.8 FPS is also viable, but the jump from Medium to High only costs 21.1 FPS, making High a strong choice for 1080p. Ultra at 152.9 FPS is the most demanding, and the 19 FPS drop from High to Ultra may not be worth the visual gain for competitive play.

At 1440p, the data suggests High is the optimal preset. It delivers 133.3 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. Medium at 146.8 FPS is slightly faster, but High's improved textures and effects make it worth the 13.5 FPS sacrifice. Ultra at 114.3 FPS is still excellent, but the 19 FPS drop from High to Ultra indicates diminishing returns. Low at 208.1 FPS is unnecessary at this resolution unless the user has a 240 Hz monitor and prioritizes frame rate over visuals.

At 4K, the recommendations shift. Medium at 97 FPS is the best balance, as it stays above 90 FPS while delivering acceptable visual quality. High at 90.5 FPS is nearly identical in performance, and the choice between Medium and High comes down to personal preference. Ultra at 74.3 FPS is playable but noticeably slower, and the 16.2 FPS drop from High to Ultra makes it the least efficient preset. Low at 136.6 FPS is surprisingly strong at 4K, but the visual compromises are severe for a game like Control, which relies on atmospheric lighting and particle effects. For the best experience, 1440p High or 4K Medium are the recommended starting points.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data covers 12 combinations of resolution and settings, revealing a consistent pattern of performance scaling. At 1080p, the average FPS ranges from 272.2 (Low) to 152.9 (Ultra). The spread is 119.3 FPS, showing that settings have a significant impact at this resolution. Medium (192.9 FPS) and High (171.8 FPS) sit between these extremes, with each step up in quality costing roughly 20 FPS.

At 1440p, the range narrows slightly: Low hits 208.1 FPS, Medium 146.8 FPS, High 133.3 FPS, and Ultra 114.3 FPS. The drop from Low to Medium is 61.3 FPS, which is the largest single-step decline across all resolutions. This suggests that Medium settings at 1440p introduce a significant GPU workload increase. From Medium to High, the loss is 13.5 FPS, and from High to Ultra, it is 19 FPS.

At 4K, the numbers compress further. Low yields 136.6 FPS, Medium 97 FPS, High 90.5 FPS, and Ultra 74.3 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium is 39.6 FPS, while Medium to High is only 6.5 FPS, and High to Ultra is 16.2 FPS. This indicates that at 4K, the GPU is heavily loaded even at Medium settings, and the incremental cost of High over Medium is minimal. The data shows that 4K Ultra is the most demanding configuration, but even that remains above 60 FPS.

Comparing across resolutions, the same settings show expected scaling. At High, FPS drops from 171.8 (1080p) to 133.3 (1440p) to 90.5 (4K), a total reduction of 81.3 FPS. At Low, the drop is from 272.2 to 208.1 to 136.6, a reduction of 135.6 FPS. The percentage drop from 1080p to 4K varies: High loses 47.3%, while Low loses 49.8%. This consistency suggests the GPU is the primary bottleneck at all settings, with the CPU providing a stable foundation.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700F is a 20-core, 28-thread processor based on Raptor Lake architecture, running at a base clock of 2.10 GHz and boosting to 5.40 GHz. It has 33 MB of shared L3 cache, with 2 MB of L2 per core and 80 KB of L1 per core. The CPU supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory in dual-channel mode, and it uses the Intel Socket 1700. Its Cinebench R23 scores are 35,443 multi-core and 5,003 single-core, which place it in the 94th percentile of all CPUs.

In Control, the CPU's role is to feed the RTX 4090 with enough data to maintain high frame rates. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 272.2 FPS, which is close to the CPU's practical limit. The single-core performance of 5,003 in Cinebench R23 is critical here, as Control's game logic and physics calculations rely heavily on single-thread performance. The 5.40 GHz boost clock helps ensure that the GPU is not starved at lower resolutions.

The CPU's multi-core performance is less relevant for Control, which typically uses fewer than 8 threads. However, the 20 cores and 28 threads provide headroom for background tasks and streaming. The CPU's average benchmark score of 54,097 is within 1.7% of its nearest rivals, including the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X (-0.6%) and the Intel Xeon Phi 7290 (+1.2%). This clustering indicates that the i7-14700F is a competitive mid-range-to-high-end CPU, but it is not the top performer in its class. The 65 W TDP (though the boost clock suggests higher actual power draw) and 10 nm process node make it an efficient choice, but the data shows that the GPU is the main driver of Control's performance.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K reveals how the system scales with resolution. At High settings, the average FPS goes from 171.8 (1080p) to 133.3 (1440p) to 90.5 (4K). This represents a 22.4% drop from 1080p to 1440p, and a 47.3% drop from 1080p to 4K. At Low settings, the drop is steeper: 272.2 to 208.1 to 136.6, a 23.6% drop to 1440p and a 49.8% drop to 4K. The similar percentage drops across settings indicate that the GPU is the limiting factor at all quality levels.

The resolution scaling pattern suggests that the RTX 4090's 1.01 TB/s memory bandwidth is sufficient for 1440p but becomes a bottleneck at 4K. At 4K, the pixel count is 8.3 million, compared to 3.7 million at 1440p and 2.1 million at 1080p. The FPS does not scale linearly with pixel count, which is expected, but the data shows that the GPU's compute resources (82.58 TFLOPS FP32) are being utilized more efficiently at lower resolutions. At 4K Ultra, the system drops to 74.3 FPS, which is a 51.4% reduction from 1080p Ultra's 152.9 FPS.

The fact that the CPU's performance remains consistent across resolutions (as indicated by the similar percentage drops) confirms that the i7-14700F is not a limiting factor. If the CPU were the bottleneck, the FPS would not drop as much at 4K, because the GPU would be waiting for the CPU. Instead, the data shows a clear GPU-bound scenario, where the RTX 4090's workload increases with resolution and settings, while the CPU maintains a steady feed of frames. The 40th rank out of 1,636 combos reflects this balance: the system is powerful enough to handle 4K Ultra at playable frame rates, but it is not the absolute fastest configuration for Control.