Control

Control is an action-adventure game that stresses both the CPU and GPU, and the Intel Core i7-14700K paired with the Intel Arc B370 delivers a highly constrained experience. Benchmark data shows the combo ranks 2657th out of 2888 tested combinations, placing it in the bottom 8% of all systems. The Arc B370, with its 5th percentile standing among all GPUs, is the primary bottleneck, limiting frame rates to sub-30 averages at most settings above 1080p Low.

FAQ

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

A: The only playable configuration is 1920x1080 with Low settings, where the system achieves an average of 59 FPS. At 2560x1440 Low, the average drops to 45 FPS, and at 3840x2160 Low, it falls to 30 FPS.

Q: How does the combo rank compared to other tested systems?

A: The combo ranks 2657th out of 2888 tested combinations in Control. This places it in the bottom percentile of systems, indicating severe performance limitations for this title.

Q: Does the CPU or GPU bottleneck the game more?

A: The GPU is the clear bottleneck. The Intel Arc B370 has a percentile rank of 5 among all GPUs, while the Intel Core i7-14700K has a percentile rank of 94 among all CPUs. The CPU has a 20-core, 28-thread configuration with a 5.60 GHz boost clock, far exceeding the demands of this game.

Q: What is the difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the average frame rate drops from 59 FPS on Low to 32 FPS on Ultra. This represents a 46% performance decrease, showing that the GPU cannot handle the increased graphical load of higher presets.

Q: Is the system capable of 60 FPS at any setting?

A: Yes, the system hits 59 FPS on average at 1920x1080 with Low settings. No other tested configuration reaches 60 FPS; the next highest is 45 FPS at 2560x1440 Low.

Q: How does the GPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Arc B370 scores 1184 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12. This is 0.2% slower than the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 (1186) and 0.5% slower than the ATI Radeon HD 5770 (1190). It is 1.4% faster than the AMD FirePro M2000 (1168).

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B370 is the defining component in this system's performance, and its data shows it is fundamentally mismatched with the demands of Control. The GPU has 1280 shading units, 40 texture mapping units, and 20 raster output pipelines, with a boost clock of 2400 MHz. It operates with system-shared memory, meaning its bandwidth is system-dependent rather than fixed, which contributes to inconsistent frame pacing. The GPU's raw compute is rated at 6.144 TFLOPS for FP32, yet its benchmark percentile of 5 indicates it performs far worse than the vast majority of discrete graphics cards.

In practice, the GPU's limitations are stark. At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the system averages only 17 FPS, and even at 1920x1080 with High settings, the average is just 37 FPS. The Arc B370’s nearest rivals in benchmark scores are all legacy or low-end parts: the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570, ATI Radeon HD 5770, and AMD Radeon HD 7650M. This contextualizes its performance level, which is roughly equivalent to a graphics solution from over a decade ago. The GPU's 10 RT cores are present, but the frame rate data suggests ray tracing effects in Control would be entirely unplayable, as even standard rasterization at 1080p High cannot break 40 FPS.

The VRAM situation is unique because the memory is "System Shared," meaning it draws from the system's main memory pool. This creates a dependency on the CPU's memory controller and system RAM speed, which is not captured in the GPU's standalone specs. The practical effect is that texture loading and high-resolution rendering suffer, as evidenced by the 19 FPS average at 3840x2160 High. The GPU's TDP of 25 W and IGP slot width indicate it is designed for integrated or low-power contexts, not for high-end gaming workloads. This combination of low raw throughput, shared memory, and modest clocks makes the Arc B370 the definitive reason why Control runs poorly.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700K is an exceptionally powerful processor that is massively overqualified for the task of running Control. It features 20 cores and 28 threads, with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz. The CPU's cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 2 MB of L2 per core, and 33 MB of shared L3 cache. Its benchmark results are impressive: a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 33440.5 and a single-core score of 2160. The Geekbench multi-core score is 20767, and the single-core score is 2569. The CPU's average benchmark score is 69355, putting it in the 94th percentile of all CPUs.

The data strongly indicates that the CPU is not the limiting factor in this combo. The nearest rivals in CPU benchmark scores include the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X, which scores 69515 (a 0.2% delta), and the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX, which scores 69875 (a 0.7% delta). These are high-end desktop and mobile processors, respectively, confirming that the i7-14700K is in the top tier of processing power. In a game like Control, which relies on physics and particle effects, the CPU's 20 cores and high boost clock should provide ample headroom for maintaining consistent frame times.

However, the measured FPS data shows that the CPU's power is wasted because the GPU cannot keep up. At 1920x1080 Low, the system achieves 59 FPS, which is close to a 60 FPS target. If the GPU were stronger, the CPU could likely push much higher frame rates, as its single-threaded performance (2160 in Cinebench R23) is more than sufficient for modern game engines. The CPU also supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory, which could help with the GPU's shared memory architecture, but the benchmark data does not isolate this variable. The conclusion is clear: the i7-14700K is a top-tier CPU that is being held back by a bottom-tier GPU in this configuration.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 2657 out of 2888 tested combinations places it in the 8th percentile of all systems tested for Control. This is a very poor ranking, indicating that the system is not viable for a smooth gaming experience in this title. The ranking reflects the combined performance of the CPU and GPU, but the GPU's 5th percentile score heavily drags down the overall result. In contrast, the CPU's 94th percentile score is among the best available, so the low rank is almost entirely attributable to the graphics subsystem.

The discrepancy between the CPU and GPU performance levels creates a severely unbalanced system. The data shows that the combo rank is near the bottom of the list, with only 231 other combinations performing worse. This suggests that most other tested systems, even those with older or lower-end CPUs, outperform this combo because they have more capable GPUs. For context, the GPU's nearest rivals are all significantly older parts, and those systems likely also feature weaker CPUs, yet they still achieve better or similar overall performance in games due to the GPU's importance.

The combo rank does not improve with resolution scaling. At 1080p, the system is GPU-bound, and at 1440p and 4K, the situation worsens. The ranking data is a single aggregate number, but the measured FPS breakdown shows that the system only approaches playability at the lowest settings and resolution. Therefore, this combo is not recommended for Control, as it ranks in the bottom 8% of all tested systems, making it one of the least capable configurations for this game.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of the system's limitations across different resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the system averages 59 FPS on Low settings, which is the only configuration that approaches a standard 60 FPS target. The Medium preset drops to 42 FPS, with a minimum of 36 FPS and a maximum of 48 FPS. High settings reduce the average to 37 FPS, and Ultra settings bring it down to 32 FPS. These numbers show a steep performance cliff as settings increase.

At 2560x1440, the performance degrades further. Low settings yield an average of 45 FPS, which is playable but not smooth. Medium settings drop to 32 FPS, with a minimum of 27 FPS and a maximum of 37 FPS. High settings average 28 FPS, and Ultra settings average 25 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is significant, with the Low setting losing 14 FPS and the High setting losing 9 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the system becomes largely unplayable. Low settings average 30 FPS, which is on the edge of playability. Medium settings drop to 21 FPS, with a minimum of 18 FPS and a maximum of 25 FPS. High settings average 19 FPS, and Ultra settings average 17 FPS. The data shows that the GPU's shared memory architecture and low compute power cannot handle the pixel throughput required at 4K resolution. The minimum FPS values at Medium settings (18 FPS at 4K, 27 FPS at 1440p, 36 FPS at 1080p) indicate significant frame pacing issues, which would cause noticeable stuttering.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the only viable option for this combo is to play at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This configuration produces an average of 59 FPS, which is close to a 60 FPS target and provides a mostly smooth experience. The Medium preset at 1080p drops to 42 FPS, which is still playable but may feel less responsive. However, the minimum FPS of 36 at Medium suggests potential dips that could be distracting. For a more stable experience, Low is the best choice.

At 2560x1440, the data shows that Low settings are the only reasonable option, with an average of 45 FPS. This is playable for a slower-paced action-adventure game, but it is not ideal. Medium settings at 1440p drop to 32 FPS, which is below the threshold for smooth gameplay, and the minimum of 27 FPS indicates frequent dips. Therefore, 1440p Low is the recommended configuration for users who prioritize resolution over visual fidelity.

The 3840x2160 resolution is not recommended for this combo. Even at Low settings, the average FPS is 30, which is on the borderline of playability, and the Medium preset falls to 21 FPS. The data suggests that the system cannot maintain a consistent frame rate at 4K, making it unsuitable for a game like Control that requires precise timing and responsiveness. The best experience per the measured rows is unequivocally 1920x1080 with Low settings. This is the only configuration that approaches 60 FPS, and the data indicates that any other setting or resolution will result in a compromised experience. The GPU's low performance ceiling means that users should prioritize frame rate over graphical quality to achieve a playable game.