Control

The Intel Core i7-14700K paired with the AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT 8 GB delivers a performance profile in Control that is heavily dictated by resolution and graphics preset. The measured data shows a clear progression from a CPU-bound state at 1080p to a GPU-bound state at 4K, with the frame rate dropping by more than half between the lowest and highest stress points. This combination ranks 831st out of 1636 tested combos, placing it in the middle of the database, which is consistent with a system that can handle the game comfortably at lower resolutions but struggles to maintain high refresh rates at 4K with maximum settings.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 reveals the shifting bottleneck. At 1080p with Low settings, the system produces 146.9 FPS, which is a strong indicator that the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU well beyond standard display refresh rates. As resolution increases to 2560x1440, the same Low preset yields 108.6 FPS, a 26% reduction, showing that the GPU is starting to take on more work. Moving to 3840x2160 at Low settings drops the average to 75.1 FPS, which is still playable but represents a further 31% decline from the 1440p figure.

The scaling behavior changes dramatically when the preset is set to Ultra. At 1080p Ultra, the system averages 79.7 FPS. At 1440p Ultra, that number falls to 61.5 FPS, and at 4K Ultra, it bottoms out at 41 FPS. The delta between 1080p and 4K at Ultra is 48.5%, which is a much steeper drop than the 48.9% drop seen at Low settings, but the absolute numbers tell a different story. The fact that 4K Ultra produces only 41 FPS, while 4K Low produces 75.1 FPS, indicates that the GPU’s 8 GB memory and 128-bit bus are being saturated by the higher fidelity textures and effects. The data suggests that at 1080p and even 1440p, the CPU still has headroom, but at 4K, the RX 9060 XT becomes the primary limiting component, particularly when the game’s more demanding visual features are enabled.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700K is a 20-core, 28-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz. Its benchmark scores are substantial, including a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 44534 and a single-core score of 6287. In the context of Control, which is an action-adventure title that relies on physics and particle effects, the CPU’s role is to maintain a consistent frame pacing. The data shows that at 1080p Low, the system hits 146.9 FPS, which is likely near the CPU’s practical limit for this game engine, as further increases would require more single-thread performance.

The 14700K’s performance relative to its peers is telling. It sits within 0.5% of the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X in average benchmark score, and it is 1.4% ahead of the Intel Xeon Platinum 8270. This places it in the 96th percentile of all CPUs tested, meaning it is significantly more capable than the average processor in the database. For Control, this means that at 1080p and 1440p, the CPU is unlikely to be the cause of any frame rate dips. The measured FPS at 1440p High (68 FPS) versus 1080p High (93.3 FPS) shows a 27% reduction, which is consistent with the GPU handling the extra pixel load rather than the CPU being maxed out. The CPU’s 33 MB of shared L3 cache and 2 MB per-core L2 cache also help in keeping the game’s streaming assets readily accessible, though this is not directly measurable in the FPS data.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for achieving 60 FPS with this combo?

A: The data shows that 2560x1440 with High settings produces 68 FPS, and 1920x1080 with Ultra settings produces 79.7 FPS. For a solid 60 FPS target, 1440p High is the highest resolution that comfortably exceeds it, while 4K at any preset except Low falls short of 60 FPS.

Q: How does lowering the preset affect performance at 4K?

A: At 3840x2160, the average frame rate jumps from 41 FPS at Ultra to 46.3 FPS at High, then to 54.5 FPS at Medium, and finally to 75.1 FPS at Low. This shows a 83% improvement from Ultra to Low, indicating that the GPU’s fill rate and memory bandwidth are the limiting factors at this resolution.

Q: Is the CPU holding back performance at 1080p?

A: The 14700K’s benchmark scores, such as a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 6287, suggest it is not a bottleneck. At 1080p Low, the system reaches 146.9 FPS, which is a high frame rate, but the game may be limited by engine physics or draw call overhead beyond that point.

Q: What is the most efficient settings combination for high refresh rate monitors?

A: For a 144 Hz monitor, 1080p Low at 146.9 FPS is the only measured setting that reaches that threshold. At 1440p Low, the system hits 108.6 FPS, which is suitable for a 100 Hz display but not a 144 Hz one.

Q: How does the combo’s ranking compare to its raw component scores?

A: The combo ranks 831st out of 1636, which is just above the median. The CPU is in the 96th percentile of all CPUs, but the GPU is in the 50th percentile of all GPUs, meaning the overall ranking is dragged down by the graphics card’s mid-range standing.

Q: Does the game scale well with higher settings at 1080p?

A: The FPS drops from 146.9 at Low to 105.2 at Medium, then to 93.3 at High, and finally to 79.7 at Ultra. This represents a 46% reduction from Low to Ultra, which is a moderate scaling curve, indicating that the GPU is handling the extra load without crashing the frame rate.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank of 831 out of 1636 places this system in the 51st percentile of all tested combinations. This is a slightly below-average position, which is expected given the GPU’s 50th percentile standing. The CPU is a top-tier part, ranking in the 96th percentile of all CPUs, but the overall result is determined by the weakest link in the rendering pipeline. In Control, the GPU is clearly that link at higher resolutions, but at 1080p, the combo performs well above its median rank would suggest, delivering frame rates that are competitive with systems using more powerful graphics cards.

The delta between this combo’s performance and the top-ranked systems is not directly available, but the data shows that the 14700K’s nearest rivals, such as the 14700KF with a 0% delta, would perform identically. The AMD Ryzen 9 9950X, which is 0.5% faster in average CPU score, would not produce a meaningful difference in Control’s frame rates, as the game is not heavily CPU-bound at the tested settings. This suggests that the combo’s rank is primarily a function of the GPU’s 8 GB memory capacity and 322.3 GB/s bandwidth, which are modest for a game like Control that uses high-resolution textures.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers 146.9 FPS at Low, 105.2 FPS at Medium, 93.3 FPS at High, and 79.7 FPS at Ultra. The step from Low to Medium is a 28.4% drop, while the step from High to Ultra is only 14.6%, suggesting that the Ultra preset adds diminishing graphical fidelity for the performance cost. At 2560x1440, the averages are 108.6 FPS at Low, 79.1 FPS at Medium, 68 FPS at High, and 61.5 FPS at Ultra. The scaling between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 43.4%, which is shallower than at 1080p, indicating that the GPU is becoming more constrained.

At 3840x2160, the numbers are 75.1 FPS at Low, 54.5 FPS at Medium, 46.3 FPS at High, and 41 FPS at Ultra. The drop from Low to Medium is 27.4%, and from Medium to High is 15.1%. The Ultra preset at 4K is the only measured scenario where the average falls below 45 FPS, which is a critical threshold for smooth gameplay in a fast-paced action title. The data shows that the combo is capable of a playable experience at 4K only when the preset is set to Low, and even then, the 75.1 FPS average is below the 90 FPS that would be ideal for a high-refresh-rate 4K monitor.

Settings Recommendations

For a balanced experience, the 2560x1440 High preset is the sweet spot, delivering 68 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS standard for smooth gameplay. This setting provides a good visual quality boost over Medium (79.1 FPS) while maintaining a comfortable frame rate. For users with a 1080p monitor, the Medium preset at 105.2 FPS is recommended, as it offers a significant improvement over Low (146.9 FPS) without the 25% performance penalty of High (93.3 FPS).

At 4K, the data strongly suggests avoiding Ultra and High presets, as they produce 41 FPS and 46.3 FPS respectively, which are below the 60 FPS target. The Medium preset at 54.5 FPS is marginal, but the Low preset at 75.1 FPS provides the only 4K experience that is comfortably above 60 FPS. Given that the GPU has 8 GB of memory, the Ultra preset likely uses more than the available VRAM, causing texture streaming stalls that are not captured in the average FPS figures. Therefore, the recommendation is to use Low settings at 4K for a playable frame rate, or to drop to 1440p High for a much better visual experience with a 68 FPS average.