Control

Control is an action-adventure title that stresses both CPU and GPU, but this particular pairing produces a heavily GPU-bound experience. The Intel Core i7-14700K is a high-end 20-core processor with a boost clock of 5.60 GHz, while the Intel Arc B390 is an integrated graphics solution with a 9th percentile ranking among all GPUs. The benchmark data shows that this combination falls to the bottom of the tested combos for this game, ranking 2551 out of 2888 total configurations. The core issue is clear: the CPU provides ample headroom, but the integrated GPU simply cannot translate that processing power into playable frame rates at higher settings.

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

The Intel Core i7-14700K is a Raptor Lake Refresh part with 20 cores and 28 threads, operating at a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz. It features a large 33 MB shared L3 cache and supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory. This processor is designed for heavy multi-threaded workloads, with multi-core scores of 18544 in Cinebench R20 and 33440.5 in Cinebench R23. Its single-thread performance is equally strong, with a Geekbench single-core score of 2569 and a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2160. The processor sits in the 94th percentile of all CPUs, making it a top-tier part for gaming.

However, the data suggests that the CPU’s role in Control is largely secondary to the GPU. In this benchmark set, the measured FPS values are consistently low across all resolutions, even at Low settings. For example, at 1080p Low, the average FPS is 65, which is the highest recorded average for this combo. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see similar FPS numbers regardless of resolution, as the processor would be the limiting factor. Instead, the FPS scales significantly with resolution and settings, indicating that the integrated GPU is the dominant constraint. The CPU is likely idle for much of the time, waiting for the GPU to render each frame.

This is not a case of a weak CPU holding back a strong GPU. The i7-14700K has enough raw compute to handle Control’s physics and AI systems easily, even with its 20 cores and 28 threads. The processor’s nearest rivals, such as the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X, have average scores within 0.2% of the Intel part, confirming that the i7-14700K is in the top tier of consumer processors. The bottleneck is not the CPU’s ability to feed the GPU with draw calls; it is the GPU’s inability to process those frames fast enough to take advantage of the CPU’s speed.

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

The Intel Arc B390 is the clear limiting factor in this combination. It is an integrated graphics processor based on the Xe3-LPG architecture with a 3 nm process node. It has 1536 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 24 raster operations pipelines, along with 12 ray tracing cores. The GPU operates at a base clock of 300 MHz and can boost up to 2500 MHz. Its memory configuration is "System Shared," meaning it relies on the host system’s RAM, which creates a significant performance constraint in a game like Control that benefits from dedicated video memory.

The GPU’s benchmark results are stark. It scores 1482 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, which places it in the 9th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX, which has a score of 1463, and the NVIDIA GeForce GT 710, with a score of 1443. The Arc B390 is only 1.3% faster than the GT 520MX, a GPU that is over a decade old and not designed for modern gaming. This comparison underscores the severity of the GPU bottleneck. The FP32 performance is 7.680 TFLOPS, which is theoretically decent, but the memory bandwidth is listed as "System Dependent," meaning the GPU’s performance is tied to the speed of the shared system memory, which is rarely sufficient for gaming.

In Control, the GPU’s limitations are visible across all measured settings. At 1080p Ultra, the average FPS is 36, which is borderline playable but far from smooth. At 4K Ultra, the average drops to 18 FPS, making the game effectively unplayable. The GPU’s 24 ROPs and 48 TMUs are insufficient for the high-resolution textures and effects that Control demands. The shared memory architecture means that the GPU is competing with the CPU for bandwidth, further reducing performance. This is not a GPU that can handle a modern action-adventure game at high settings; it is designed for basic display output, not intensive 3D rendering.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the Intel Core i7-14700K and Intel Arc B390 ranks 2551 out of 2888 tested combos in Control. This places it in the bottom 12% of all configurations tested, a poor result for a system with a top-tier CPU. The ranking reflects the GPU’s severe performance deficit, which drags down the entire system. For context, the i7-14700K alone ranks in the 94th percentile of all CPUs, but the Arc B390 ranks in the 9th percentile of all GPUs. The combo rank is a weighted average of these two components, and the GPU’s low percentile dominates the result.

The data shows that this combo is closer to the bottom of the list than the top. With 2888 total combos, being at rank 2551 means there are only 337 configurations that perform worse. Most of those worse-performing combos likely feature even older or weaker integrated GPUs. The deltaPct values from the GPU’s nearest rivals show that the Arc B390 is only 1.3% faster than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX, which is a legacy part. This means that the combo’s performance is more comparable to systems from a decade ago than to modern gaming rigs.

The CPU’s nearest rivals, such as the AMD EPYC 9115 and AMD Ryzen 9 7950X, have average scores that are nearly identical to the i7-14700K, with deltas of 0.1% and -0.2% respectively. This indicates that swapping the CPU for another high-end part would not change the combo’s ranking significantly, as the GPU is the limiting factor. The ranking would only improve if the GPU were replaced with a dedicated graphics card. This is a case where the CPU’s potential is completely wasted due to the GPU’s inability to keep up.

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

The measured FPS data reveals a consistent pattern: performance drops as resolution and settings increase, but the drops are severe even at low settings. At 1080p, the highest average FPS is 65 at Low settings, which is playable but not smooth. At Medium settings, the average drops to 46 FPS, with a minimum of 40 and a maximum of 53. High settings yield 41 FPS average, while Ultra settings drop to 36 FPS. These numbers indicate that the GPU can handle 1080p only at Low settings, and even then, it is not a locked 60 FPS experience.

Moving to 1440p, the performance degrades further. At Low settings, the average FPS is 50, which is a 15 FPS drop from 1080p Low. At Medium, the average is 35 FPS, with a minimum of 30 and a maximum of 40. High settings produce 31 FPS average, and Ultra drops to 27 FPS. At this resolution, the game becomes difficult to play, as even Low settings cannot maintain a consistent 60 FPS. The GPU’s limited memory bandwidth and low pixel throughput are the primary reasons for this steep decline.

At 4K, the performance is largely unplayable. The average FPS at Low settings is 33, which is below the threshold for smooth gameplay. At Medium, the average is 24 FPS, with a minimum of 20 and a maximum of 27. High settings drop to 21 FPS average, and Ultra bottoms out at 18 FPS. These numbers confirm that the Arc B390 is not capable of 4K gaming in Control. The resolution scaling is steep, with the FPS dropping by more than half from 1080p to 4K at most settings. For instance, at Low settings, the FPS drops from 65 at 1080p to 33 at 4K, a 49% reduction.

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

The resolution scaling data provides clear evidence that the GPU is the primary bottleneck. From 1080p Low to 4K Low, the average FPS drops from 65 to 33, a 49% reduction. This is a classic sign of a GPU-bound scenario, where the rendering workload increases with the number of pixels. If the CPU were the bottleneck, the FPS would remain relatively constant across resolutions, as the CPU’s workload is independent of resolution. The fact that the FPS nearly halves when moving to 4K indicates that the GPU is struggling to fill the extra pixels.

The drop from 1080p to 1440p at Low settings is 15 FPS (from 65 to 50), and from 1440p to 4K is another 17 FPS (from 50 to 33). This consistent decline suggests that the GPU’s pixel fill rate is the limiting factor. The Arc B390 has a pixel rate of 60.00 GPixel/s, which is insufficient for 4K resolution in a game like Control. The texture rate of 120.0 GTexel/s is also low, which explains the significant performance hit when increasing texture quality settings.

The scaling at higher settings is even more pronounced. At Ultra settings, the FPS drops from 36 at 1080p to 27 at 1440p, and then to 18 at 4K. This is a 50% reduction from 1080p to 4K, which is consistent with the low settings scaling. The data indicates that the GPU is the limiting component in every configuration, and the CPU’s high performance is not being utilized. The i7-14700K could easily handle 1440p or 4K gaming with a dedicated GPU, but with the Arc B390, the system is firmly limited to 1080p at Low settings for a playable experience.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution and settings for this combo to achieve a playable frame rate?

A: Based on the measured FPS data, the only configuration that exceeds 60 FPS is 1080p Low, which averages 65 FPS. At 1080p Medium, the average drops to 46 FPS, which is below 60 FPS and may not be smooth for all players. For a more stable experience, 1080p Low is the only recommended setting.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B390 compare to its nearest rivals in the GPU benchmark?

A: The Arc B390 scores 1482 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, which is 1.3% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (1463) and 2.7% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 710 (1443). These rivals are all legacy parts, indicating that the Arc B390 is in the same performance class as decade-old integrated graphics.

Q: Is the Intel Core i7-14700K a bottleneck in this system?

A: No, the CPU is not a bottleneck. The i7-14700K ranks in the 94th percentile of all CPUs, and its nearest rivals, such as the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X, have average scores within 0.2% of it. The FPS scaling with resolution shows that the GPU is the limiting factor, as the CPU’s workload does not change with resolution.

Q: What is the combo’s overall rank in Control compared to other tested systems?

A: The combo ranks 2551 out of 2888 tested combos, placing it in the bottom 12% of all configurations. This low rank is driven entirely by the GPU’s 9th percentile performance, which overrides the CPU’s strong 94th percentile ranking.

Q: How does the FPS drop from 1080p to 4K at Low settings?

A: At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 65 at 1080p to 50 at 1440p, and then to 33 at 4K. This is a 49% reduction from 1080p to 4K, which is a clear indication of GPU-bound performance, as the rendering workload increases with pixel count.

Q: Can this system handle the Medium settings in Control at any resolution?

A: At Medium settings, the only resolution that achieves an average FPS above 30 is 1080p, with an average of 46 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the average drops to 35 FPS, and at 4K Medium, it falls to 24 FPS. The minimum FPS at 4K Medium is 20, which is not playable.