Control

Control, the 2019 action-adventure title, presents a demanding environment that clearly separates system components. The combination of an Intel Core i7-14700K with a NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 produces a dataset that highlights a significant bottleneck at higher resolutions, while still offering playable performance at standard settings. The measured frames per second (FPS) reveal a system where the GPU is the primary limiting factor, a conclusion drawn directly from the scaling behavior across the three tested resolutions.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate progression from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 is steep and consistent, which strongly indicates a GPU-bound workload. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the system delivers 107 FPS, a figure that drops to 81 FPS at 2560x1440 and further to 55 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 49% reduction in performance from 1080p to 4K at the Low preset. The scaling at High settings follows a similar pattern, with 68 FPS at 1080p decreasing to 51 FPS at 1440p and finally to 35 FPS at 4K, a 49% drop as well. This consistent halving of performance across the resolution spectrum is a classic indicator that the graphics card, not the processor, is the component being saturated.

The diminishing returns are further illustrated by the gap between resolutions. Moving from 1080p to 1440p at High settings costs 17 FPS, while moving from 1440p to 4K costs an additional 16 FPS. The pixel count increase from 1440p to 4K is significantly larger than from 1080p to 1440p, so the similar absolute FPS loss suggests the GPU is running out of raw throughput near its limits. The 4K results are particularly telling, with the Ultra preset producing just 30 FPS and High only reaching 35 FPS. These figures sit below the threshold for a consistently smooth experience, indicating that 4K is not a practical target for this combination in Control. The data clearly points to a system where the RTX 2060's processing power is the ceiling, with the CPU having ample headroom to feed frames at lower resolutions.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060, based on the Turing architecture and fabricated on a 12 nm process, is the central figure in these results. Its specifications, including 1920 shading units, 120 texture mapping units, and 48 render output units, define its capacity to handle the game's rendering tasks. The GPU operates at a base clock of 1365 MHz with a boost clock of 1680 MHz, and its 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus provides a memory bandwidth of 336.0 GB/s. The benchmark indicates that this configuration is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p gaming but is overwhelmed by the demands of 4K in Control.

The measured results show the GPU's performance ceiling is reached at the 4K resolution. At 3840x2160, the difference between the Low and Ultra presets is a mere 25 FPS (55 FPS to 30 FPS), which is a relatively narrow range compared to the spread at lower resolutions. At 1920x1080, the spread between Low and Ultra is 48 FPS (107 FPS to 59 FPS). This compression of the FPS range at 4K suggests that the GPU is hitting a hard computational limit where even reducing graphical quality cannot provide a proportional frame rate increase. The 6 GB VRAM capacity also becomes a likely factor at 4K, as higher resolution textures and effects demand more memory, potentially causing the card to run out of dedicated storage for frame data. The data suggests the card is a solid performer for its class, but its role in this pairing is to be the definitive bottleneck, a fact supported by its 58th percentile ranking among all GPUs.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this specific combination prioritize a balance between visual fidelity and playable frame rates. For a smooth experience at 1920x1080, the High preset is the clear recommendation, as it achieves 68 FPS, which is comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold for most displays. Pushing to Ultra at 1080p yields 59 FPS, a marginal drop that may not justify the potential increase in graphical load. The Medium preset at 1080p produces 76 FPS, but the High preset offers a better visual experience with minimal performance cost.

At 2560x1440, the High preset delivers 51 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for fast-paced action. The Low preset at 1440p produces 81 FPS, ensuring high fluidity, but this requires a significant reduction in visual quality. For users who prioritize a consistent 60 FPS or higher at 1440p, the Low preset is the only measured option that achieves this. The Medium preset at 58 FPS is a close alternative, offering a better visual balance at the cost of a slight frame rate hit. At 3840x2160, no preset reaches 60 FPS, with the Low preset being the highest performer at 55 FPS. For 4K, reducing settings to Low is the only way to approach a playable frame rate, but the experience will still be suboptimal compared to lower resolutions. In summary, the data suggests that High at 1080p is the best overall experience, while Medium at 1440p offers a reasonable compromise for higher resolution.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i7-14700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 ranks at position 2950 out of 3720 tested combos for Control. This places the system in the lower 21st percentile of all tested configurations, indicating that it is not a high-performing combination for this specific game. The rank is heavily influenced by the GPU, as the RTX 2060 is an older, end-of-life product. The GPU's own benchmark score is 15290, with a percentile rank of 58 among all GPUs, but its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 and the AMD Radeon 680M, which have similar average scores. This suggests the GPU is performing at a level consistent with its historical position, but it is simply outclassed by more modern hardware in the context of this demanding game.

The CPU, in contrast, is a top-tier performer. The Intel Core i7-14700K has a percentile rank of 94 among all CPUs, and its average benchmark score of 69355 puts it on par with rivals like the AMD EPYC 9115 and AMD Ryzen 9 7950X, with delta percentages of 0.1% and -0.2%, respectively. This large disparity in percentile ranks between the CPU (94th) and GPU (58th) confirms that the combo's low overall ranking is a direct result of the graphics card's inability to keep pace with the processor's capabilities. The data shows that if the GPU were upgraded, this system's rank would improve substantially, as the CPU is not the limiting factor in this pairing.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700K, a 20-core, 28-thread processor from the Core 14th Gen series, plays a supporting role in the benchmark results. Its architecture, Raptor Lake-R, is built on a 10 nm process, and it features a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz. The CPU's substantial compute power, evidenced by a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 33440.5 and a Geekbench multi-core score of 20767, means it is more than capable of handling the game's physics and AI calculations. The benchmark results show that as resolution increases, the frame rate drops, which indicates that the CPU is not a bottleneck; otherwise, the frame rate would remain more constant as the GPU's load increases.

The CPU's role is to prepare frames for the GPU, and its high single-thread performance, shown by a Passmark single-thread score of 4472, ensures it can process the game's main thread efficiently. The data does not show any instances where the CPU's performance would limit the frame rate, as the FPS scales directly with the GPU's workload. Even at 1080p with Low settings, where the CPU would be more likely to become a factor, the system achieves 107 FPS, which is a high frame rate that suggests the CPU has headroom to spare. The CPU's 33 MB of shared L3 cache and support for both DDR4 and DDR5 memory also contribute to its ability to feed data quickly to the GPU. In this specific game, the i7-14700K is a silent partner, providing ample processing power without becoming the limiting factor.

FAQ

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

A: Based on the measured data, 1920x1080 is the best resolution. The High preset at 1080p produces 68 FPS, which is the highest frame rate achieved at a visually demanding setting. 4K is not viable, as even the Low preset only reaches 55 FPS.

Q: How does the GPU perform relative to its peers?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 has an average benchmark score of 15290 and sits in the 58th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals, such as the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 and AMD Radeon 680M, have nearly identical average scores, indicating it is performing at a level consistent with its expected class.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in this system?

A: The GPU is the limiting factor. The frame rates decrease significantly as resolution increases, which is a sign of a GPU bottleneck. The CPU is a high-end part with a 94th percentile ranking, while the GPU is in the 58th percentile, showing a clear capability gap.

Q: What settings should be used for a 1440p monitor?

A: For a 1440p monitor, the Low preset is the only option that achieves a high frame rate, at 81 FPS. The Medium preset is a reasonable alternative, offering 58 FPS, while the High preset drops to 51 FPS. Users must choose between higher visual fidelity and a smoother frame rate.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming in Control?

A: No, the measured data shows that 4K is not a practical target. The highest frame rate at 3840x2160 is 55 FPS on the Low preset, and the Ultra preset only produces 30 FPS. These frame rates are below the threshold for a consistently smooth experience.

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

A: The Intel Core i7-14700K has an average benchmark score of 69355. Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X, has a score of 69515, which is a delta of -0.2%, indicating they are essentially equal in performance.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following table details the exact average frame rates measured for the Intel Core i7-14700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 combination in Control.

| Resolution | Settings | Average FPS | Minimum FPS | Maximum FPS |

|---|---|---|---|---|

| 3840x2160 | High | 35 | N/A | N/A |

| 3840x2160 | Low | 55 | N/A | N/A |

| 3840x2160 | Medium | 39 | 33 | 45 |

| 3840x2160 | Ultra | 30 | N/A | N/A |

| 2560x1440 | High | 51 | N/A | N/A |

| 2560x1440 | Low | 81 | N/A | N/A |

| 2560x1440 | Medium | 58 | 49 | 66 |

| 2560x1440 | Ultra | 45 | N/A | N/A |

| 1920x1080 | High | 68 | N/A | N/A |

| 1920x1080 | Low | 107 | N/A | N/A |

| 1920x1080 | Medium | 76 | 65 | 88 |

| 1920x1080 | Ultra | 59 | N/A | N/A |

The data shows a clear and consistent decline in performance as resolution increases. The only settings with measured minimum and maximum FPS values are the Medium presets, which provide a frame time variance that can be used to gauge stability. The absence of these values for other presets indicates that only the average was recorded, but the overall trend is unambiguous: this system is best suited for 1080p gaming, with acceptable performance at 1440p on lower settings, and is not capable of a smooth 4K experience.