Control

Control on the Intel Core i7-14700F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 delivers a smooth, high-refresh experience across most settings, but the data reveals a clear shift from CPU dominance at 1080p to GPU limitation at 4K. This combo ranks in the top 20% of all tested configurations (323rd out of 1636), indicating strong overall performance for this 2019 title. The benchmark results show that the RTX 5070 is the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions, while the i7-14700F provides ample headroom to push frame rates at 1080p.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700F is a 20-core, 28-thread processor from the Raptor Lake Refresh generation, running on the Intel Socket 1700 platform. Its architecture combines 8 performance cores with 12 efficiency cores, and it boosts to 5.40 GHz from a 2.10 GHz base clock. In synthetic benchmarks, the CPU achieves a multi-core score of 35,443 in Cinebench R23 and 14,886 in Cinebench R20, placing it in the 94th percentile of all CPUs tested. This processing power directly supports Control's physics-heavy combat and destructible environments, ensuring that the game's simulation logic does not become a frame-rate limiter in most scenarios.

The i7-14700F sits within 1.7% of its nearest rivals in aggregate benchmark scores. It trails the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X by 0.6% and the Ryzen 9 9900X3D by 1.1%, while leading the Intel Xeon Phi 7290 by 1.2% and the AMD EPYC 7313P by 1.7%. This tight grouping means that in CPU-bound situations, the i7-14700F is effectively on par with top-tier alternatives. The processor's 33 MB of shared L3 cache and per-core L2 cache of 2 MB provide low-latency access to game data, which is critical for maintaining consistent frame times in Control's fast-paced action.

At 1080p with Low settings, this combo reaches 207.5 FPS average, demonstrating that the CPU can feed the GPU well beyond typical monitor refresh rates. The single-thread performance, scoring 5,003 in Cinebench R23 and 2,711 in Geekbench, ensures that the game's primary render thread is never starved. The data indicates that Control is not heavily multi-threaded, as the jump from Low to Ultra at 1080p shows only a 43% FPS reduction, suggesting the GPU becomes the limiting factor even at this resolution once visual effects are maxed out.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070, based on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture, is the clear performance driver in this pairing. It features 12 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 192-bit bus, delivering 672.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU's boost clock of 2512 MHz (base 2325 MHz) enables a peak FP32 throughput of 30.87 TFLOPS. In synthetic testing, the card scores 29,137 in Passmark G3D and 5,077 in 3DMark Steel Nomad, ranking in the 83rd percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals in aggregate score include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090, which it leads by 0.6%, and the AMD Radeon Pro 580X, which trails it by 0.7%.

The RTX 5070's 12 GB VRAM is sufficient for Control's texture-heavy environments at all tested presets, as the measured FPS does not show any anomalous drops that would indicate memory swapping. The 48 RT cores and 192 tensor cores provide hardware acceleration for Control's ray-traced reflections and DLSS features, though the benchmark data does not isolate these effects. The GPU's 80 ROPs and 192 TMUs deliver a pixel rate of 201.0 GPixel/s and texture rate of 482.3 GTexel/s, which directly translate to the high fill rates needed for Control's particle effects and volumetric lighting.

The GPU's performance scaling is most evident when moving from Low to Ultra at 1440p. At Low, the combo hits 157.6 FPS, but Ultra drops to 88.6 FPS — a 44% reduction. This shows that the RTX 5070's compute resources are heavily taxed by the game's advanced rendering features. At 4K Ultra, the average falls to 56.1 FPS, indicating that the GPU is the definitive bottleneck at this resolution, as the CPU is unlikely to be the constraint given its strong 1080p performance.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals a predictable pattern of GPU-bound behavior. At High settings, the average frame rate drops from 131.4 FPS at 1080p to 100.3 FPS at 1440p, then to 67 FPS at 4K. This represents a 24% reduction from 1080p to 1440p, and a 49% reduction from 1440p to 4K. The scaling is consistent with the pixel count increase, confirming that the RTX 5070's rendering throughput is the limiting factor at higher resolutions.

At Low settings, the scaling is steeper percentage-wise: 207.5 FPS at 1080p drops to 157.6 FPS at 1440p and 103.9 FPS at 4K. The 4K figure represents a 50% drop from 1440p, which is more severe than the 33% drop seen at High settings. This suggests that at Low settings, the CPU begins to play a larger role at 1080p (where 207.5 FPS approaches the processor's practical limit), but the GPU still dominates the scaling curve.

The Ultra preset shows the most dramatic decline: 117.7 FPS at 1080p, 88.6 FPS at 1440p, and 56.1 FPS at 4K. The 4K result is below the 60 FPS threshold, indicating that players targeting 4K must compromise on settings. The Medium preset offers a middle ground, with 150.2 FPS at 1080p, 112.4 FPS at 1440p, and 73.5 FPS at 4K. This resolution scaling analysis confirms that the RTX 5070 is the primary constraint for high-resolution play, while the i7-14700F provides sufficient headroom for 1080p esports-style frame rates.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data supports High settings as the optimal balance for this combo across most resolutions. At 1080p High, the combo delivers 131.4 FPS, which is well above the 117.7 FPS achieved at Ultra — a 12% performance gain for a modest visual step down. At 1440p, High produces 100.3 FPS, comfortably above the 88.6 FPS at Ultra, making it the recommended preset for high-refresh 1440p monitors. Even at 4K, High yields 67 FPS, which is playable and significantly smoother than the 56.1 FPS at Ultra.

For players prioritizing maximum smoothness, Low settings at 1080p deliver 207.5 FPS, which exceeds the refresh rates of most gaming monitors. However, the visual sacrifice is substantial, and the data shows that Medium at 1440p (112.4 FPS) offers a better experience than Low at 4K (103.9 FPS) when considering both resolution and visual quality. The Ultra preset is only viable at 1080p (117.7 FPS) and 1440p (88.6 FPS) for players who prioritize visual fidelity over frame rate, but it falls below 60 FPS at 4K.

The Medium preset at 4K (73.5 FPS) is the recommended path for 4K displays, as it provides a 31% improvement over Ultra while retaining most visual features. The data indicates that the RTX 5070's 12 GB VRAM and 672.0 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for Medium settings at 4K, making this the sweet spot for high-resolution gaming on this hardware.

How This Combo Ranks

This configuration ranks 323rd out of 1,636 tested combos for Control, placing it in the top 19.7% of all systems in the database. This ranking reflects the strong synergy between the i7-14700F and RTX 5070, which together deliver consistent frame rates across all tested presets. The CPU's 94th percentile standing and the GPU's 83rd percentile standing combine to produce a system that excels in this game's CPU-light but GPU-demanding rendering workloads.

The combo's ranking is particularly impressive given that Control is a 2019 title with mature driver optimizations. The 20-core processor and 12 GB GPU memory provide ample resources for the game's maximum settings, and the measured FPS data shows no signs of stuttering or frame drops. The rank indicates that this combo outperforms the majority of tested systems, many of which likely feature newer or more expensive hardware. The deltaPct comparisons show that the CPU is within 1.7% of its nearest rivals, meaning any performance differences in game are almost entirely attributable to the GPU.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Control at 4K 60 FPS?

A: Yes, but only at High settings (67 FPS) or Medium settings (73.5 FPS). Ultra drops to 56.1 FPS, below the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: What is the best resolution for maximum frame rate?

A: At 1080p Low, this combo achieves 207.5 FPS. At 1080p High, it still delivers 131.4 FPS, making 1080p the ideal resolution for high-refresh gaming.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The i7-14700F trails the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X by 0.6% and the Ryzen 9 9900X3D by 1.1%, while leading the Intel Xeon Phi 7290 by 1.2% and the AMD EPYC 7313P by 1.7% in aggregate benchmark scores.

Q: How much VRAM does the RTX 5070 have, and is it enough?

A: The GPU has 12 GB of GDDR7 memory. The measured FPS data shows no performance anomalies, confirming this is sufficient for Control at all tested settings and resolutions.

Q: What settings should I use for 1440p gaming?

A: High settings provide 100.3 FPS, which is recommend for smooth gameplay. Ultra drops to 88.6 FPS but remains playable for those prioritizing visual quality.

Q: Is the RTX 5070 comparable to the RTX 3090 in this game?

A: In aggregate GPU benchmarks, the RTX 5070 scores 0.6% higher than the RTX 3090, suggesting comparable performance in GPU-bound scenarios like Control at 4K.

Measured FPS Breakdown

1920x1080:

• Low: 207.5 FPS average
• Medium: 150.2 FPS average
• High: 131.4 FPS average
• Ultra: 117.7 FPS average

2560x1440:

• Low: 157.6 FPS average
• Medium: 112.4 FPS average
• High: 100.3 FPS average
• Ultra: 88.6 FPS average

3840x2160:

• Low: 103.9 FPS average
• Medium: 73.5 FPS average
• High: 67 FPS average
• Ultra: 56.1 FPS average

The data shows a consistent 30-40% performance drop when moving from Low to Ultra at any given resolution, with the gap narrowing slightly at 4K. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 89.8 FPS (43% reduction), while at 4K the same comparison shows a 47.8 FPS difference (46% reduction). This indicates that the RTX 5070's architecture handles the additional pixel workload of 4K with proportional efficiency, while the CPU's contribution remains relatively constant. For players seeking the highest frame rates, 1080p Low (207.5 FPS) is the clear choice, while 1440p High (100.3 FPS) offers the best balance of visual quality and performance for most users.