Control

Control, the 2019 action-adventure from Remedy, presents a demanding workload that clearly separates CPU and GPU responsibilities. This analysis examines the measured performance of the Intel Core i7-14700K paired with the AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT, using only the provided benchmark data to understand how this combination handles the game’s shifting visual load across resolutions and settings.

Resolution Scaling

The measured frame rates show a steep performance curve as resolution increases, which is typical for a GPU-bound title. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the system achieves an average of 114.6 FPS. This high frame rate indicates that the Core i7-14700K, with its 20 cores and 28 threads, has ample headroom to feed the Radeon RX 5700 XT. However, the data reveals that the GPU becomes the primary limiting factor very quickly. Moving from 1080p Low to 1440p Low, the average drops by 28.1 FPS to 86.5, a 24.5% reduction. This substantial decrease demonstrates that the GPU’s rendering capabilities are being saturated as pixel count increases.

The trend accelerates at 4K. At 3840x2160 with Low settings, the average frame rate falls to 61.4 FPS. This is a further 25.1 FPS drop from the 1440p result, showing that the RX 5700 XT’s 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are struggling to keep pace with the massive pixel throughput required. The pattern across all settings is consistent: the gap between 1080p and 4K is significant. For instance, at High settings, the system delivers 75.8 FPS at 1080p but only 37.2 FPS at 4K. This 38.6 FPS difference highlights that the GPU is the definitive bottleneck at higher resolutions. The CPU’s role is diminished; its strong single-threaded performance, evidenced by a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 6287, is sufficient to avoid being the limiting factor even at 1080p, where the GPU still manages 114.6 FPS on Low. The data indicates that to maintain a playable experience, users must prioritize reducing resolution over other settings, as the GPU’s performance ceiling is reached quickly.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT is the central component in this performance analysis. Its benchmark results place it in the 68th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 24731. This places it competitively against its nearest rivals, such as the NVIDIA RTX A5000 Mobile, which scores 24763 and has a deltaPct of -0.1, indicating a virtual tie in synthetic tests. The GPU’s architecture, RDNA 1.0, and its specifications, including a boost clock of 1905 MHz and 2560 shading units, define its raw compute power of 9.754 TFLOPS. In Control, this translates to a measurable performance tier. At 1080p High, the card produces 75.8 FPS, which is respectable, but the data shows it is far from a high-refresh-rate performer at higher settings.

The VRAM configuration is a key factor. With 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, the RX 5700 XT has sufficient capacity for 1080p and 1440p, but the 4K results suggest it is nearing its limits. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS drops to 35.3, and at 4K High it is only 37.2 FPS. This indicates that the combination of high resolution and demanding settings overwhelms the GPU’s memory bandwidth and processing power. The data shows a clear correlation between the GPU’s workload and frame rate. For example, the difference between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 37.9 FPS (86.5 vs. 48.6), demonstrating the significant impact of settings on the GPU. The card’s end-of-life production status and its performance metrics suggest that while it remains a capable 1080p card, it is not suited for 4K gaming in this title without substantial compromises. Its Passmark G3D score of 16277 reflects its mid-range standing, and the measured results in Control align with this, showing it can deliver 60+ FPS only on Low settings at 1080p and 1440p.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700K serves as a high-end foundation for this system, but the benchmark data indicates that its role in Control is secondary to the GPU. The CPU’s specifications are formidable: 20 cores, 28 threads, and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz. Its synthetic performance is excellent, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 44534 and a single-core score of 6287, placing it in the 96th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals, such as the Intel Core i7-14700KF with an average score of 70104 and a deltaPct of 0, show that the 14700K is at the top of its class. However, these strengths are not fully utilized in Control’s measured FPS data.

The evidence for the CPU’s secondary role is that frame rates scale almost entirely with resolution and GPU settings. If the CPU were a bottleneck, we would expect to see frame rates plateau at lower resolutions, as the CPU’s maximum draw call throughput would be reached. This does not occur. At 1080p Low, the system reaches 114.6 FPS, which is a high number but still likely GPU-limited, given that the RX 5700 XT is a mid-range card. The CPU’s high single-thread performance ensures that it can process game logic and physics without stalling the GPU. The data shows that even at 1080p Ultra, where the GPU is heavily loaded, the average is 62.8 FPS, which is a 51.8 FPS drop from Low. This drop is entirely attributable to the GPU’s increased workload, not a CPU limitation. The CPU’s 33 MB of shared L3 cache and support for DDR4 and DDR5 memory provide ample bandwidth for game data, but Control does not appear to be a title that stresses the 14700K’s multi-core capabilities. The measured results suggest that in this pairing, the 14700K is never the limiting factor; it provides a stable platform that allows the GPU to operate at its full potential.

FAQ

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

A: Based on the data, 1920x1080 is the most effective resolution. The system achieves over 60 FPS on all settings at this resolution, with a peak of 114.6 FPS on Low, making it the only resolution where all presets are playable.

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

A: The GPU is the limiting factor at 2560x1440. The average FPS ranges from 86.5 on Low to 48.6 on Ultra, showing a 37.9 FPS swing based on settings, which is characteristic of GPU-bound performance.

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

A: No, not with acceptable performance. At 3840x2160, the highest average FPS is 61.4 on Low, but this drops to 35.3 on Ultra. These results indicate that the RX 5700 XT is too weak for consistent 4K play.

Q: How does the GPU's performance compare to its closest competitors?

A: The Radeon RX 5700 XT has an average benchmark score of 24731, which is nearly identical to the NVIDIA RTX A5000 Mobile's score of 24763 (deltaPct -0.1) and slightly higher than the Intel Arc A350M's score of 24647 (deltaPct 0.3).

Q: What is the impact of switching from Medium to Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, switching from Medium (82.3 FPS) to Ultra (62.8 FPS) results in a 19.5 FPS loss. This is a significant drop, suggesting that the Ultra preset's extra visual effects are very demanding on the GPU.

Q: Does the CPU's high core count help in this game?

A: The benchmark data suggests it has minimal impact. The CPU's strong single-thread score of 6287 in Cinebench R23 is more relevant, as frame rates scale with GPU load rather than showing signs of a multi-threading bottleneck.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides a clear hierarchy for optimizing the experience. For users prioritizing a high refresh rate, the Low preset at 1920x1080 is the only configuration that exceeds the 100 FPS threshold, delivering 114.6 FPS. This is the definitive choice for competitive or fast-paced play. For a balanced experience, the Medium preset at 1080p offers a solid 82.3 FPS, which is a 32.3 FPS improvement over High and a 19.5 FPS improvement over Ultra, making it the optimal choice for most users seeking a smooth visual experience without sacrificing too much detail. The High preset at 1080p (75.8 FPS) is also viable, but the marginal visual gain over Medium is not worth the 6.5 FPS loss.

At 2560x1440, the options are more constrained. The Low preset (86.5 FPS) is the only one that provides a consistently smooth experience above 60 FPS. The Medium preset (62.6 FPS) is playable but leaves little headroom for demanding scenes. High (55.3 FPS) and Ultra (48.6 FPS) are below the 60 FPS threshold and should be avoided for a consistent experience. For 4K gaming, the data suggests it is not a viable option. The Low preset at 3840x2160 (61.4 FPS) is the only one that approaches playability, but even it is marginal. Overall, the data indicates that the best experience is found at 1080p with the Medium preset, as it provides a high frame rate while retaining a degree of visual fidelity. For 1440p, users should stick to Low or Medium to maintain performance.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following is a complete listing of the measured average FPS for the Intel Core i7-14700K and AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT combination in Control.

1920x1080:

• Low: 114.6 FPS
• Medium: 82.3 FPS
• High: 75.8 FPS
• Ultra: 62.8 FPS

2560x1440:

• Low: 86.5 FPS
• Medium: 62.6 FPS
• High: 55.3 FPS
• Ultra: 48.6 FPS

3840x2160:

• Low: 61.4 FPS
• Medium: 39.6 FPS
• High: 37.2 FPS
• Ultra: 35.3 FPS

The data shows a consistent pattern: frame rates diminish uniformly as resolution and settings increase. The largest single drop is from 1080p Medium to 1440p Medium, a 19.7 FPS reduction. The smallest drop is from 1440p High to 4K High, which is an 18.1 FPS reduction. At 4K, the differences between settings are compressed, with only a 2.1 FPS difference between Medium and High, and a 2.3 FPS difference between High and Ultra. This compression indicates that the GPU is so heavily saturated at 4K that changes in settings have a minimal impact. Conversely, at 1080p, the spread between Low and Ultra is 51.8 FPS, showing that the GPU has more headroom to respond to settings changes. The overall ranking of this combo in the game is 1254 out of 1636 combos, which places it in the lower-middle tier, consistent with the GPU’s 68th percentile standing and the demanding nature of the title. The system’s performance is ultimately defined by the RX 5700 XT, and the data suggests that users should play at 1080p to get the most out of this hardware.