Control

The Intel Core i7-14700K and AMD Radeon RX 6600 combination delivers playable frame rates in Control at 1080p and 1440p, but the GPU becomes the definitive bottleneck at 4K. Benchmark results show the pairing ranks in the 19th percentile (rank 1325 out of 1636 tested combos), indicating that while the CPU is elite, the overall gaming experience is constrained by the mid-range graphics card. The data reveals a clear pattern: the RX 6600 cannot sustain high refresh rates at maximum settings, yet it offers a surprisingly capable experience when settings are tuned correctly.

FAQ

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

A: The 1920x1080 resolution provides the most consistent performance, with the average FPS ranging from 57.0 at Ultra settings to 107.7 at Low settings. This is the only resolution where the combo achieves frame rates above 100 FPS, making it the sweet spot for smooth gameplay.

Q: How does the CPU benchmark score compare to its closest rivals?

A: The Core i7-14700K has an average benchmark score of 70074, which places it within 0.5% of the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X (70420) and 0.3% ahead of the AMD EPYC 9115 (69887). It is essentially tied with the Intel Core i7-14700KF, which scores 70104.

Q: What is the GPU's rank among all tested graphics cards?

A: The Radeon RX 6600 sits in the 69th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 25235. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon 890M, scores nearly identically at 25246, representing a 0% deltaPct.

*Q: Does the 8 GB VRAM limit performance at 4K in Control?*

A: The data suggests yes. At 3840x2160 with High settings, the average FPS drops to 36.2, and at Ultra it falls to 31.7. These figures indicate the GPU's memory bandwidth and capacity are insufficient for smooth 4K gameplay, regardless of the CPU's capabilities.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from 1080p to 4K at High settings?

A: The average FPS drops by 46% from 67.1 at 1920x1080 to 36.2 at 3840x2160. This steep decline highlights that the GPU is the limiting factor, as the CPU's performance headroom cannot compensate for the increased pixel load.

Q: Is the Ultra preset worth using at 1440p?

A: No. At 2560x1440, Ultra settings yield an average of 44.2 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold. The High preset at the same resolution delivers 53.4 FPS, while Medium reaches 60.4 FPS, making Medium the better choice for fluid gameplay.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6600 is the primary determinant of frame rates in Control for this combo. Its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus provides a bandwidth of 224.0 GB/s, which proves adequate for 1080p and 1440p but insufficient for 4K. The GPU's base clock of 1626 MHz and boost clock of 2491 MHz, alongside a game clock of 2044 MHz, allow it to handle the game's physics and particle effects at lower resolutions, but the architecture—RDNA 2.0 on a 7 nm process—shows its limits under higher pixel counts.

At 1920x1080, the GPU delivers 67.1 FPS on High settings, which is respectable for a card in the 69th percentile overall. However, the data shows that the RX 6600's performance scales poorly with resolution increases. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1492 and the Passmark G3D score of 15096 place it in the mid-range tier, and this is reflected in the measured FPS. The GPU's 1792 shading units and 64 ROPs are not enough to maintain high frame rates at 4K, where the average FPS at Ultra is just 31.7.

The GPU's memory bandwidth of 224.0 GB/s is a critical constraint. At 3840x2160, the demand on the 8 GB VRAM increases dramatically, causing the average FPS to drop below 40 on all presets except Low, which achieves 57.3. This indicates that the GPU is not just fill-rate limited but also memory-bandwidth limited, as the 128-bit bus cannot feed the GPU fast enough at higher resolutions. The core clock speeds are sufficient for 1080p gaming, but the overall package is not designed for 4K workloads.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear trend: performance degrades significantly as resolution increases, confirming the GPU is the bottleneck. From 1920x1080 to 2560x1440 at High settings, the average FPS drops from 67.1 to 53.4, a 20% reduction. Moving from 1440p to 4K at the same settings, the average FPS falls from 53.4 to 36.2, a further 32% reduction. This progressive decline is characteristic of a GPU-limited scenario, where the CPU's 20 cores and 28 threads are not fully utilized.

The scaling is more pronounced at lower settings. At Low presets, the 1080p to 1440p transition sees FPS drop from 107.7 to 81.1 (25% loss), and then to 57.3 at 4K (29% loss from 1440p). This suggests that as the graphical load decreases, the CPU has more headroom, but the GPU still cannot keep up with the increased pixel throughput. The data shows that the RX 6600's performance is heavily influenced by resolution, with the 4K Ultra preset (31.7 FPS) being less than one-third of the 1080p Low preset (107.7 FPS).

This scaling behavior indicates that Control is not CPU-bound at any resolution tested. The Intel Core i7-14700K, with its boost clock of 5.60 GHz and 33 MB of L3 cache, provides ample processing power. The limiting factor is clearly the GPU's memory subsystem and compute throughput. For users targeting 4K, the data suggests that even Low settings only yield 57.3 FPS, which is marginal. The sweet spot for this combo is 1080p, where the GPU can maintain frame rates above 60 FPS on Medium (76.0) and High (67.1) presets.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo performs best. Low settings produce an average of 107.7 FPS, while Medium achieves 76.0 FPS and High reaches 67.1 FPS. Ultra settings drop to 57.0 FPS, which is still playable but below the 60 FPS target. These numbers show that the RX 6600 can handle Control at 1080p with medium-to-high settings without major compromises.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance drops noticeably. Low settings average 81.1 FPS, which remains smooth. Medium settings hit 60.4 FPS, just above the 60 FPS threshold. High settings fall to 53.4 FPS, which may be acceptable for some players but is not ideal. Ultra settings average 44.2 FPS, indicating a significant performance hit. The data suggests that 1440p gaming is possible, but users must choose between Medium (60.4 FPS) and High (53.4 FPS) presets.

At 3840x2160, the combo struggles. Low settings average 57.3 FPS, which is the only playable preset. Medium drops to 39.4 FPS, High to 36.2 FPS, and Ultra to 31.7 FPS. These figures are all below the 60 FPS threshold, making 4K gaming impractical with this GPU. The data clearly shows that the RX 6600 is not suited for 4K in Control, regardless of settings. The performance gap between 1080p and 4K is substantial, with the 1080p Low preset (107.7 FPS) being more than triple the 4K Ultra preset (31.7 FPS).

How This Combo Ranks

The combo ranks 1325 out of 1636 tested combinations, placing it in the 19th percentile. This low ranking is primarily due to the GPU's mid-range performance, as the CPU is in the 96th percentile of all processors. The data indicates that the Core i7-14700K is overkill for the RX 6600 in Control, as the GPU cannot utilize the CPU's full potential. The combo's rank suggests that many other pairings, particularly those with higher-end GPUs, achieve better frame rates.

The CPU's nearest rivals, such as the Core i7-14700KF and AMD Ryzen 9 9950X, have similar average scores, but the overall combo performance is dictated by the GPU. The RX 6600's nearest rival, the Radeon 890M, has a nearly identical score, but the 890M is an integrated GPU, highlighting the RX 6600's position as a budget discrete option. The combo's rank of 1325 out of 1636 is a clear signal that this pairing is not optimized for maximum performance in Control, but rather for a balanced 1080p experience.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700K provides substantial processing headroom for Control. With 20 cores and 28 threads, it can handle the game's physics and AI computations without breaking a sweat. Its base clock of 3.40 GHz and boost clock of 5.60 GHz are among the highest in the desktop market, and its Raptor Lake architecture on a 10 nm process delivers strong single-threaded performance, as evidenced by a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 6287.

The CPU's 33 MB of L3 cache is beneficial for gaming, as it reduces memory latency and improves data access. However, the benchmark data shows that this CPU is not the limiting factor in this combo. The Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 44534 and Geekbench multi-core score of 18896 place it in the top tier of processors, but the measured FPS in Control is constrained by the GPU. The CPU's 96th percentile ranking versus all CPUs indicates that it has far more capability than the RX 6600 can utilize, making the GPU the clear bottleneck. For users upgrading from a weaker CPU, this combo would show improved minimum frame rates, but the average FPS is still GPU-bound.

Settings Recommendations

For the best experience with this combo, the data points to 1920x1080 with Medium or High settings. Medium achieves an average of 76.0 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS target and provides a good balance between visual quality and performance. High settings yield 67.1 FPS, which is also smooth and offers improved visuals. Low settings at 1080p produce 107.7 FPS, but the visual fidelity is significantly reduced.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset is the recommended choice, as it delivers 60.4 FPS on average. High settings at 53.4 FPS are borderline, and Ultra at 44.2 FPS is not recommended for fluid gameplay. Users with 1440p monitors should prioritize Medium settings to maintain a consistent frame rate. The 4K resolution is not viable for this combo, as even Low settings only reach 57.3 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold. For the best experience, users should play at 1080p with Medium settings, which provides a 76.0 FPS average and avoids the performance drops seen at higher resolutions.