Control

Control pairs a 20-core Intel Core i7-14700K with an AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT, a combination that produces a wide spread of frame rates depending on resolution and quality preset. The measured data shows this pairing handles the game comfortably at 1080p, becomes more strained at 1440p, and drops below playable thresholds at 4K on higher settings. The benchmark results indicate a system where the GPU is the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions, while the CPU’s substantial thread count and high boost clock provide ample headroom at lower settings.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core i7-14700K is a 20-core, 28-thread processor from the Raptor Lake-R architecture, running on a 10 nm Intel process. It has a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz, with 33 MB of shared L3 cache and 2 MB of L2 cache per core. The processor’s benchmark scores place it in the 94th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 69,355. In synthetic tests, it achieves 33,440.5 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 2,160 in single-core, while Geekbench results show 20,767 multi-core and 2,569 single-core scores. The PassMark multithread score is 52,392, with a single-thread score of 4,472.

For Control, the CPU’s role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and physics calculations. The game is an Action Adventure title from 2019, and the data suggests it does not heavily tax the 14700K’s capabilities. At 1080p Low, the combo reaches 122 FPS average, which is the highest measured result in the entire dataset. This indicates that the CPU is not a bottleneck at lower resolutions and settings, as the frame rate scales substantially when graphical load is reduced. The processor’s high single-core performance, evidenced by the 2,160 Cinebench R23 single-core score, helps maintain consistent frame pacing in scenes with complex geometry or particle effects. The 20-core count provides headroom for background tasks, but the game’s engine likely relies more on the boost clock of 5.60 GHz for its main thread. Compared to its nearest rivals, the 14700K sits slightly above the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X by 0.2% in average benchmark score, and it is 0.7% behind the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX and 0.9% behind the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F. The CPU’s performance is not the limiting factor in this pairing; the data shows that resolution and GPU load have a much larger impact on the final FPS numbers.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the Intel Core i7-14700K and AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT ranks 2,438 out of 3,720 tested combos for Control. This places it in the lower-middle portion of the database, indicating that while the CPU is powerful, the GPU holds the pair back from higher overall rankings. The rank reflects the measured FPS data across all resolutions and settings, which shows strong performance at 1080p but a significant drop-off at 4K. The combo’s position suggests that many other tested systems, likely with more powerful GPUs, achieve higher average frame rates in this title.

In the context of the measured FPS, the combo’s rank is driven by the GPU’s 65th percentile performance versus all GPUs. The RX 6650 XT has an average benchmark score of 19,765, and its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA Tesla K40m (0.6% higher), AMD FirePro W7000 (0.7% higher), AMD FirePro D300 (0.7% lower), and NVIDIA Quadro K5200 (0.8% lower). These rivals are professional or older workstation cards, which highlights that the RX 6650 XT’s gaming performance is modest by current standards. The combo rank of 2,438 out of 3,720 means 1,282 combos performed worse, but a substantial number of systems with better-balanced CPU-GPU pairings outperformed it. The data suggests that for Control, the GPU is the weak link; pairing the 14700K with a stronger graphics card would likely yield a significantly higher rank. The CPU’s 94th percentile standing does not compensate for the GPU’s mid-tier position in this specific game’s benchmark results.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured FPS data shows a clear pattern of performance degradation as resolution increases, which points directly to the GPU as the limiting component. At 1080p High, the combo achieves 77 FPS average, which drops to 58 FPS at 1440p High, and further to 39 FPS at 4K High. This represents a 24.7% drop from 1080p to 1440p, and a 49.4% drop from 1080p to 4K. The scaling is even more pronounced at Low settings: 122 FPS at 1080p, 93 FPS at 1440p, and 63 FPS at 4K. The percentage drops are 23.8% and 48.4% respectively, showing that the GPU’s pixel throughput is the bottleneck.

At Medium settings, the FPS goes from 87 at 1080p to 66 at 1440p and 44 at 4K, with min FPS values of 74, 56, and 38 respectively. The Ultra preset shows the steepest absolute decline: 67 FPS at 1080p, 51 FPS at 1440p, and 34 FPS at 4K. The consistent pattern across all settings—where the frame rate roughly halves when moving from 1080p to 4K—indicates that the RX 6650 XT’s 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 128-bit bus are insufficient to maintain high throughput at higher resolutions. The CPU’s performance does not degrade with resolution, as its workload remains constant, so the FPS drop is entirely attributable to the GPU’s rendering capacity. The data shows that the 14700K is capable of delivering over 120 FPS at 1080p Low, but the GPU cannot sustain that performance as pixel count increases Dropping to 63 FPS at 4K Low. This scaling behavior is typical of a GPU-bound scenario, where the CPU has ample headroom.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of performance across three resolutions and four settings presets, with average FPS and, for Medium settings, min and max values. At 3840x2160, the High preset yields an average of 39 FPS, while Low produces 63 FPS, Medium produces 44 FPS with a min of 38 and max of 51, and Ultra produces 34 FPS. These numbers indicate that 4K is only playable at Low settings, and even then, the 63 FPS average is marginal for a smooth experience. At 2560x1440, performance improves significantly: High averages 58 FPS, Low averages 93 FPS, Medium averages 66 FPS with a min of 56 and max of 76, and Ultra averages 51 FPS. This resolution offers a better balance, with Medium providing a playable 66 FPS average and Low exceeding 90 FPS.

At 1920x1080, the combo is at its strongest. High averages 77 FPS, Low averages 122 FPS, Medium averages 87 FPS with a min of 74 and max of 100, and Ultra averages 67 FPS. The 1080p Low result of 122 FPS is the highest in the dataset, demonstrating that the CPU can push high frame rates when the GPU load is minimized. The Medium preset at 1080p shows a min FPS of 74, which is above the 60 FPS threshold, indicating consistent performance without major drops. The Ultra preset at 1080p, at 67 FPS average, is still playable but shows the GPU’s limits as settings are maxed out. The data shows a clear hierarchy: 1080p is the sweet spot for this combo, 1440p is acceptable with adjustments, and 4K is only viable at Low settings)Skip to content.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT is based on the Navi 23 chip with RDNA 2.0 architecture, built on a 7 nm TSMC process. It has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, with a bandwidth of 280.3 GB/s. The GPU’s base clock is 2055 MHz, with a boost clock of 2635 MHz and a game clock of 2410 MHz. The memory runs at 2190 MHz, or 17.5 Gbps effective. The card has 2,048 shading units, 128 TMUs, and 64 ROPs, with 32 ray tracing cores. Its peak FP32 performance is 10.79 TFLOPS, and it has a TDP of 176 W, requiring a 450 W PSU. The GPU’s benchmark scores place it in the 65th percentile of all GPUs, with an average score of 19,765.

In Control, the GPU’s 8 GB VRAM and 128-bit memory bus are the key constraints at higher resolutions. At 4K Ultra, the combo drops to 34 FPS, which suggests the GPU is running out of memory bandwidth or capacity. The 280.3 GB/s bandwidth is insufficient for 4K textures and effects, leading to the steep FPS drops observed. The GPU’s 65th percentile ranking is reflected in its gaming performance; it is not a high-end card, and Control’s demanding rendering at 4K exposes its limitations. The nearest rivals, which include workstation cards like the Tesla K40m and Quadro K5200, indicate that the RX 6650 XT’s raw compute is respectable but not competitive with modern high-end gaming GPUs. The boost clock of 2635 MHz helps at lower resolutions, allowing the card to reach 122 FPS at 1080p Low, but the frame rate collapses as resolution increases. The data shows that the GPU’s memory subsystem and pixel fill rate, not its core clock, are the bottlenecks for this game at higher settings.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

Based on the measured FPS data, the best experience for this combo is at 1080p with the High preset, which averages 77 FPS. This provides a smooth, playable frame rate while maintaining visual quality above Low. The Medium preset at 1080p offers a slightly higher average of 87 FPS with a min of 74 and max of 100, which is also excellent and provides more headroom for demanding scenes. The Ultra preset at 1080p drops to 67 FPS average, which is still playable but approaches the 60 FPS threshold and may cause occasional stutters. For players prioritizing frame rate, the Low preset at 1080p delivers 122 FPS, but the visual trade-off is significant. The data suggests that High is the optimal balance for 1080p, offering a 10 FPS improvement over Ultra while retaining most visual fidelity.

At 1440p, the Medium preset averages 66 FPS with a min of 56 and max of 76, making it the only setting that stays mostly above 60 FPS. The High preset at 1440p averages 58 FPS, which is borderline, while Ultra averages 51 FPS and Low averages 93 FPS. For a consistent experience, Medium at 1440p is the recommended choice, as it provides a playable frame rate with acceptable minimums. At 4K, the Low preset averages 63 FPS, which is the only playable option; all other presets fall below 44 FPS. The data shows that 4K is only viable at Low settings, and even then, the frame rate is marginal. The overall recommendation is to run Control at 1080p High for the best balance of visuals and performance, with 1440p Medium as a viable alternative for higher resolution. The Ultra preset is not recommended unless the user accepts frame rates in the 30-50 FPS range.