Control

Control, a 2019 Action Adventure title, demonstrates a clear GPU-bound workload for the Intel Core i7-14700K and AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT combination, with benchmark results showing that frame rates scale almost entirely with resolution and graphics settings. The data indicates that this pairing is exceptionally well-suited for high-refresh-rate 1440p gaming, while 4K Ultra remains a challenging target that requires settings adjustments to maintain smooth gameplay. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS data across three resolutions and four quality presets, comparing the results against the combo's rank among 3720 tested configurations.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a predictable and steep performance curve as resolution increases, firmly establishing the AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT as the primary performance limiter. At 1080p with Low settings, the system achieves 174 FPS, but this drops to 132 FPS at 1440p and further to 89 FPS at 4K. This represents a 49% reduction in frame rate from 1080p to 4K at the Low preset, a scaling pattern that is characteristic of a GPU that is being pushed to its limits by pixel count rather than a CPU that is struggling to feed it frames.

The transition from 1440p to 4K is particularly punishing across all settings. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 83 FPS at 1440p to 56 FPS at 4K, a 33% drop. At Medium settings, the decline is from 94 FPS to 63 FPS, a 33% reduction as well. Ultra settings show the same trend, dropping from 72 FPS at 1440p to 49 FPS at 4K, a 32% loss. This consistent ~33% penalty for moving from 1440p to 4K across all presets suggests that the RX 7800 XT's memory bandwidth of 624.1 GB/s and its 256-bit memory bus are being saturated by the higher pixel throughput, regardless of the graphical complexity.

Examining the 1080p to 1440p transition provides further insight into the system's balance. At Low settings, the frame rate drops from 174 FPS to 132 FPS, a 24% reduction. At High settings, it falls from 110 FPS to 83 FPS, a 25% reduction. These percentages are slightly lower than the 1440p-to-4K drop, indicating that at 1080p, the Intel Core i7-14700K's 20 cores and 28 threads are starting to play a more significant role, though the GPU still dominates the bottleneck. The CPU's high boost clock of 5.60 GHz and strong single-threaded performance, evidenced by a Geekbench single-core score of 2569, ensure that it can keep up with the GPU's demands at lower resolutions.

The data strongly suggests that the RX 7800 XT is the limiting component at all tested resolutions. The fact that the 4K Ultra preset yields only 49 FPS, while 4K Low yields 89 FPS, shows a 45% performance swing based purely on settings. This indicates that the GPU's raw compute power, rated at 37.32 TFLOPS, is not sufficient to maintain high frame rates at 4K with maximum visual fidelity. The system is instead reliant on the game's engine and the GPU's 60 ray accelerators to handle the load, which at Ultra settings proves too demanding for a consistent 60 FPS experience.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700K plays a supporting role in this configuration, providing sufficient computational headroom so that it never becomes the primary constraint in Control. The CPU's 20 cores (comprising 8 performance cores and 12 efficiency cores) and 28 threads are far more than this game requires, as evidenced by the FPS scaling patterns. The benchmark results show that even at 1080p Low, where CPU load is typically highest, the system delivers 174 FPS, which is a strong indicator that the processor is not holding back the GPU.

The processor's architecture, based on Raptor Lake and manufactured on Intel's 10 nm process, provides a robust foundation. The base clock of 3.40 GHz and boost clock of 5.60 GHz allow for excellent single-threaded performance, which is crucial for game logic and draw call submission. This is reflected in the Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2160 and the PassMark single-thread score of 4472. These scores place the i7-14700K in the 94th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 69355, showing it is a top-tier processor that can easily handle the demands of a 2019 title like Control.

The fact that the FPS drops by roughly a third when moving from 1440p to 4K, regardless of the settings preset, confirms that the GPU is the sole bottleneck. If the CPU were the limiting factor, we would expect to see a smaller performance gap between resolutions, particularly at lower settings where the GPU load is reduced. Instead, the consistent scaling indicates that the i7-14700K is delivering frames to the GPU faster than the RX 7800 XT can render them.

Comparing the CPU to its nearest rivals further underscores its capability. The i7-14700K's average benchmark score of 69355 is nearly identical to the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X, which scores 69515, a delta of -0.2%. It also closely matches the AMD EPYC 9115, which scores 69288, a delta of 0.1%. This parity with other high-end processors in synthetic benchmarks confirms that the i7-14700K is not a weak link in this gaming system. Its 33 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel memory support for DDR4 and DDR5 provide ample bandwidth for game data, ensuring smooth frame pacing even in complex scenes.

FAQ

Q: What is the maximum average FPS this combo can achieve in Control?

A: The highest measured average frame rate is 174 FPS, which is achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with the Low settings preset.

Q: Can this system maintain a 60 FPS average at 4K resolution?

A: Yes, but not on all presets. At 4K with Medium settings, the system averages 63 FPS (with a min of 54 FPS and max of 73 FPS). However, at 4K High, the average drops to 56 FPS, and at 4K Ultra, it falls to 49 FPS, both below the 60 FPS threshold.

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

A: The Intel Core i7-14700K has an average benchmark score of 69355. This is 0.2% higher than the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X (69515), 0.1% higher than the AMD EPYC 9115 (69288), and 0.7% higher than the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX (69875). It is also 0.9% higher than the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F (69996).

Q: What is the performance difference between the Low and Ultra presets at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440 resolution, the Low preset achieves an average of 132 FPS, while the Ultra preset achieves an average of 72 FPS. This represents a 45% reduction in frame rate when moving from Low to Ultra settings.

Q: Is the GPU or CPU the main bottleneck in this configuration?

A: The benchmark data indicates the AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT is the primary limiting factor. The FPS scales significantly with resolution and settings, which is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario. The CPU's high single-threaded and multi-threaded scores suggest it has ample headroom.

Q: What is the frame rate range for the Medium preset at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080 with Medium settings, the system reports a minimum FPS of 105, a maximum FPS of 142, and an average FPS of 124.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i7-14700K and AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT combination ranks 1254th out of 3720 tested combos in Control, placing it in the upper third of all configurations tested in this benchmark database. This rank is a holistic measure of the pairing's ability to run the game, and it reflects the system's strong performance at mainstream resolutions but its limitations at the extreme high end.

A rank of 1254 out of 3720 means that approximately 66% of all tested combinations perform better than this specific pairing in Control. This might seem surprising given the strong individual components, but it is important to consider that the rank includes configurations with much more powerful GPUs, such as those with higher-end RDNA 3 or Ada Lovelace architecture cards, which are better suited for 4K Ultra gaming. The RX 7800 XT, while a capable card, sits in the 51st percentile of all GPUs based on its average benchmark score of 11627, which is a key factor in this ranking.

Looking at the GPU's nearest rivals further contextualizes the ranking. The RX 7800 XT's average benchmark score is 11627, which is 0.5% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 (11680) and 0.9% higher than the AMD Radeon Pro 5500M (11528). However, it is 1.3% lower than the NVIDIA Tesla K20c (11479) and 1.8% lower than the AMD Radeon RX 6500 XT (11842). These deltas are all very small, indicating that the RX 7800 XT's raw compute performance is comparable to a range of other cards, some of which are significantly older. This suggests that while the RX 7800 XT has modern features like 16 GB of GDDR6 memory and 60 RT cores, its raw rasterization performance is not exceptionally high, which impacts its standing in this game's ranking.

In practical terms, this ranking means that for a user with a 1080p or 1440p monitor, this combo delivers an excellent experience, with frame rates well above 60 FPS on most presets. For a 4K user, however, the system would require compromises in settings to achieve playable frame rates, which is a typical trade-off for a GPU in this performance class. The data shows that the combo is balanced for high-refresh-rate esports and mainstream gaming but is not optimized for 4K enthusiast-level play.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal experience for this combo is achieved at 2560x1440 resolution with the High settings preset. This configuration delivers an average of 83 FPS, which is smooth and responsive for a fast-paced action-adventure game. The High preset provides a significant visual upgrade over Medium without a proportionally large performance cost, as the average FPS only drops from 94 at Medium to 83 at High, a 12% reduction for notably better visual fidelity.

For users prioritizing maximum graphical quality, the Ultra preset at 1440p is a viable option, yielding an average of 72 FPS. This is still above the 60 FPS target and provides the best image quality available in the game. However, the 1440p Ultra setting is the highest configuration that maintains a comfortable margin above 60 FPS. At 4K, the Ultra preset falls to 49 FPS, which is not ideal for a game requiring precise timing and reactions.

At 1080p, the Ultra preset is the recommended choice, as it provides an average of 96 FPS. This is an excellent experience for users with high-refresh-rate 1080p monitors, and the High preset at 110 FPS is also a strong option. The 1080p Medium and Low presets are less necessary given the system's capability, as they offer diminishing returns in performance for a significant reduction in visual quality.

For 4K users, the Medium preset is the only setting that maintains an average above 60 FPS, at 63 FPS. This should be the recommended preset for 4K gaming, as the High preset's 56 FPS average may introduce noticeable stutter or frame pacing issues on standard 60 Hz displays. Pushing to Ultra at 4K is not recommended, as the 49 FPS average will result in a sub-optimal experience. The data clearly indicates that this combo is best utilized at 1440p, where it can balance high frame rates with high visual fidelity.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following table and analysis provide a complete breakdown of the measured FPS data for the Intel Core i7-14700K and AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT combination in Control.

At 1920x1080 resolution, the system demonstrates its highest performance ceiling. The Low preset achieves an average of 174 FPS. Moving to Medium, the average drops to 124 FPS, with a minimum of 105 FPS and a maximum of 142 FPS. The High preset produces an average of 110 FPS, while the Ultra preset yields an average of 96 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 78 FPS, a 45% reduction, showing the substantial impact of settings on performance.

At 2560x1440 resolution, the frame rates remain high but begin to show the GPU's workload. The Low preset averages 132 FPS. The Medium preset averages 94 FPS, with a minimum of 80 FPS and a maximum of 108 FPS. The High preset delivers an average of 83 FPS, and the Ultra preset brings the average down to 72 FPS. This resolution provides a balanced experience, with all presets staying above the 60 FPS threshold.

At 3840x2160 (4K) resolution, the GPU is heavily taxed. The Low preset averages 89 FPS, which is the only 4K setting that provides a truly smooth experience. The Medium preset averages 63 FPS, with a minimum of 54 FPS and a maximum of 73 FPS, offering a playable but not flawless experience. The High preset drops to an average of 56 FPS, and the Ultra preset falls to an average of 49 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 4K is a 45% reduction, consistent with the 1080p scaling, but the absolute frame rates are much lower due to the increased pixel count.