Control

Control is a 2019 Action Adventure title that stresses both the CPU and GPU, and this pairing of the Intel Core i7-14700K with the AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT delivers a compelling, though not flawless, experience. The benchmark data places this combo at rank 688 out of 1636 tested configurations, which puts it in the upper-middle tier of all systems measured. This rank suggests a balanced platform that can handle the game's demands, but the measured frame rates reveal that the experience is heavily dependent on the chosen resolution and quality preset.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's position at 688 out of 1636 tested combos indicates that while it is not at the very top of the performance hierarchy, it sits comfortably ahead of the majority of systems. This ranking is a product of the synergy between the 20-core, 28-thread processor and the Radeon RX 7700 XT's 12 GB of GDDR6 memory. The data suggests that for a 1440p gaming setup, this pairing is particularly well-suited, as it avoids the severe bottlenecks seen in lower-end configurations while not yet hitting the wall of diminishing returns that occurs at 4K with this specific GPU.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT is the primary driver of visual fidelity here, featuring a base clock of 1435 MHz and a boost clock of 2544 MHz. Its 12 GB of VRAM is a significant asset for Control, as the game's dense particle effects and destructible environments can be memory-hungry at higher settings. The GPU's 432.0 GB/s memory bandwidth and 192-bit bus width provide the necessary throughput for the game's texture streaming. Benchmark results show the GPU holds a 73rd percentile ranking against all GPUs, which aligns with the overall combo performance. Its average benchmark score of 30097 places it nearly identical to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 with a 0% delta, showing they are performance equivalents in synthetic tests, though the AMD card's specific architecture handles this title's workloads in a way that yields the frame rates seen in the measured data.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data strongly suggests that the Ultra preset is the most demanding, and on this hardware, it leads to a noticeable performance hit. At 1440p, the High preset delivers an average of 75.2 FPS, which is a smooth experience for most players. However, the data indicates that the Medium preset provides a more comfortable margin, with an 85.8 FPS average at the same resolution. For players prioritizing a high refresh rate experience at 1080p, the High preset at 102.4 FPS is an excellent choice, but the Low preset at 161.7 FPS unlocks the full potential of a 144Hz+ monitor. The sweet spot for this combo appears to be the High preset, which balances visual quality with performance that remains well above the 60 FPS threshold at both 1080p and 1440p.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the scaling is linear and predictable. The Low preset yields a very high 161.7 FPS average, which drops to 113.4 FPS on Medium and 102.4 FPS on High. The Ultra preset brings the average down to 90.8 FPS, a 29% decrease from the High preset. Moving to 2560x1440, the averages are 122 FPS on Low, 85.8 FPS on Medium, 75.2 FPS on High, and 69.7 FPS on Ultra. The step from High to Ultra at 1440p results in a 5.5 FPS drop, which is less severe than the 11.6 FPS drop seen at 1080p, indicating a growing GPU limitation. At 3840x2160, the GPU becomes the definitive limiting factor. The Low preset still manages 82.5 FPS, but Medium drops to 60.9 FPS, High falls to 52.8 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 45.3 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at 4K is a significant 37.2 FPS, highlighting the immense pressure on the GPU at this resolution.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is stark and reveals the workload distribution. On the Low preset, the average FPS goes from 161.7 at 1080p down to 82.5 at 4K, a 49% reduction. This indicates that even at low settings, the higher pixel count is a major challenge. On the High preset, the drop is from 102.4 to 52.8, a 48% reduction, showing a similar relative decline. However, on the Ultra preset, the drop is from 90.8 to 45.3, a 50% reduction. The consistency of this ~50% drop across all presets suggests that the limiting component is primarily the GPU's raw rendering throughput. The CPU, with its strong single-thread performance (a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 6287), is not the bottleneck here, as it can feed the GPU with draw calls even at 1080p. The data implies that the RX 7700 XT's compute units are saturated as resolution increases, making 4K a territory where compromises are necessary.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700K plays a supporting, yet crucial, role. Its 20 cores and 28 threads, based on the Raptor Lake architecture, ensure that the game's physics and AI calculations never starve the GPU. The processor's high boost clock of 5.60 GHz and a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 44534 provide ample headroom for background tasks while gaming. The data shows that this CPU is not a limiting factor in Control, as the FPS scales primarily with resolution and GPU load. The processor's 96th percentile ranking against all CPUs means it is more than capable of keeping up with the GPU in this scenario. If a weaker CPU were paired with this GPU, the 1080p Low preset results would likely show a smaller advantage over 1440p, but here, the 161.7 FPS at 1080p Low confirms the CPU's ability to push high frame rates.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Control at 4K with playable frame rates?

A: Yes, but only on lower settings. The data shows an average of 82.5 FPS on Low, 60.9 FPS on Medium, and 52.8 FPS on High at 3840x2160. The Ultra preset drops to 45.3 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target.

Q: What is the best settings preset for a 1440p monitor?

A: The High preset at 2560x1440 yields an average of 75.2 FPS, which is a good balance. The Medium preset provides a higher 85.8 FPS average if a smoother experience is preferred over maximum visual detail.

Q: How much of a performance gain is there from 1440p to 1080p?

A: On the High preset, moving from 2560x1440 (75.2 FPS) to 1920x1080 (102.4 FPS) results in a 27.2 FPS increase, which is a 36% performance uplift.

Q: Is the Intel Core i7-14700K holding back the GPU in this game?

A: No, the benchmark data does not indicate a CPU bottleneck. The FPS scales consistently with resolution changes, suggesting the GPU is the primary performance limiter in most scenarios.

Q: How does this GPU compare to its nearest rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT has an average benchmark score of 30097, which is nearly identical to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060's score of 30109, showing a 0% delta in performance.

Q: Is the Ultra preset worth the performance cost?

A: At 1080p, the Ultra preset (90.8 FPS) is only 11.6 FPS lower than High (102.4 FPS). At 1440p, the difference is smaller, with Ultra at 69.7 FPS and High at 75.2 FPS, a 5.5 FPS drop. The cost is more significant at 4K, where Ultra is 7.5 FPS lower than High.