Control

# Control: Intel Core i7-14700K + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti — Benchmark Analysis

The Intel Core i7-14700K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti delivers a fundamentally GPU-bound experience in Control, with the CPU's 20 cores and 28 threads providing ample headroom across all tested settings. The RTX 3080 Ti, with its 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus, becomes the primary constraint as resolution climbs, yet the combo still maintains playable frame rates at 4K Ultra. Benchmark data shows this pairing ranks 981st out of 3,720 tested combinations, placing it in the upper quartile of systems evaluated for this title. The measured FPS across twelve distinct resolution/settings configurations reveals a clear pattern: the GPU's 34.10 TFLOPS of FP32 compute and 912.4 GB/s memory bandwidth dictate performance, while the i7-14700K's 5.6 GHz boost clock ensures the CPU never becomes a bottleneck, even at 1080p Low where frame rates exceed 190 FPS.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is dramatic and consistent across all settings, confirming that the RTX 3080 Ti is the limiting component. At High settings, average FPS falls from 121 at 1920x1080 to 92 at 2560x1440, then to 62 at 3840x2160 — a cumulative reduction of approximately 48.8% from 1080p to 4K. The scaling pattern is nearly linear with pixel count, which is the hallmark of a GPU-bound workload. The i7-14700K's single-thread performance, evidenced by its 2,160 Cinebench R23 single-core score and 4,472 Passmark single-thread score, is more than sufficient to feed frames at even the lowest resolution tested.

At Low settings, the resolution scaling becomes even more pronounced. The RTX 3080 Ti produces 192 FPS at 1080p, 145 FPS at 1440p, and 98 FPS at 4K — a 49% drop from 1080p to 4K. Critically, even at 1080p Low, the combo does not exceed 200 FPS, suggesting the GPU's raw rasterization throughput, not the CPU, caps performance. The RTX 3080 Ti's 186.5 GPixel/s pixel rate and 532.8 GTexel/s texture rate are the relevant metrics here; at 1080p Low, the GPU is still the ceiling. This is a game that rewards GPU headroom, and the i7-14700K's 33 MB of shared L3 cache and 125 W TDP are effectively irrelevant to the frame rate story.

The Medium preset shows the tightest scaling behavior, with only 3 FPS separating the 4K minimum (59 FPS) from the average (62 FPS at High 4K). At 1440p Medium, the combo delivers 103 FPS average with a minimum of 88 FPS and maximum of 118 FPS, while 1080p Medium reaches 136 FPS average. The spread between resolutions at Medium settings — 136 to 70 FPS from 1080p to 4K — indicates that Control's visual effects, including its signature physics-based destruction and ray-traced reflections, scale heavily with both resolution and preset. The RTX 3080 Ti's 80 RT cores are engaged more aggressively at higher settings, but the data shows resolution alone accounts for the majority of the performance variance.

Ultra settings at 4K produce 54 FPS average, which is the only configuration that dips below the 60 FPS threshold. The scaling from 1440p Ultra (80 FPS) to 4K Ultra (54 FPS) represents a 32.5% drop, while 1080p Ultra (105 FPS) to 4K Ultra is a 48.6% decline. This pattern suggests that at Ultra, the GPU is saturated at every resolution, and the i7-14700K's 28 threads have zero impact on the outcome. For players targeting high refresh rates, the CPU is not the obstacle; the RTX 3080 Ti's Ampere architecture, built on Samsung's 8 nm process with 28,300 million transistors, is the sole arbiter of performance.

FAQ

*Q: Does the Intel Core i7-14700K bottleneck the RTX 3080 Ti in Control?*

A: No. The data shows GPU-bound behavior at every resolution and settings combination. The i7-14700K's 3.40 GHz base and 5.60 GHz boost clocks, combined with its 94th percentile ranking among all CPUs, provide far more compute than Control requires. Even at 1080p Low (192 FPS average), the scaling pattern indicates the GPU, not the CPU, is the limiting factor.

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

A: 4K High (62 FPS) and 4K Medium (70 FPS) both exceed 60 FPS, while 4K Ultra falls to 54 FPS. At 1440p, all settings including Ultra (80 FPS) comfortably clear 60 FPS. The data shows 4K is viable for this pairing, but Ultra settings at 4K require dropping to High or Medium to maintain smooth frame rates.

*Q: How does the RTX 3080 Ti's 12 GB VRAM affect Control at 4K?*

A: The 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus (912.4 GB/s bandwidth) is sufficient for all tested configurations, including 4K Ultra. The game's texture streaming and physics calculations fit within this capacity. The GPU's 83rd percentile ranking among all GPUs and its 26,896 Passmark G3D score indicate it handles the memory demands without spilling to system RAM.

Q: Is the i7-14700K's 20-core/28-thread configuration overkill for this game?

A: Benchmark results suggest yes, but it provides future-proofing. Control is not a heavily threaded title, and the CPU's Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 33,440.5 is far beyond what this game can utilize. The 125 W TDP and 10 nm process node deliver this headroom efficiently, but for Control specifically, the GPU is the performance arbiter.

Q: What frame rate can I expect at 1440p with this combo?

A: Depending on settings, 80 to 145 FPS. The measured data shows 145 FPS at Low, 103 FPS at Medium, 92 FPS at High, and 80 FPS at Ultra. The Medium preset's 88 FPS minimum and 118 FPS maximum provide a stable window for high-refresh-rate monitors.

Q: How does this combo compare to other tested systems?

A: It ranks 981st out of 3,720 combinations, placing it in the top 26.4% of all tested systems. The i7-14700K performs within 0.9% of its nearest rivals, including the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F, while the RTX 3080 Ti sits within 2% of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 in average benchmark scores.

GPU Role

The RTX 3080 Ti's specifications align closely with the performance measured in Control. Its base clock of 1365 MHz and boost clock of 1665 MHz drive 10,240 shading units and 320 texture mapping units, producing the 532.8 GTexel/s texture rate that handles the game's detailed environments. The 112 ROPs deliver the 186.5 GPixel/s pixel rate necessary for the resolutions tested, and the 80 RT cores accelerate the ray-traced effects that Control is known for. The GPU's 34.10 TFLOPS of FP32 compute is the raw throughput figure that correlates with the observed frame rates.

Memory bandwidth plays a critical role at higher resolutions. The 912.4 GB/s bandwidth, achieved through 12 GB of GDDR6X on a 384-bit interface, ensures that texture streaming at 4K does not starve the GPU. The Medium preset's minimum FPS figures — 59 at 4K, 88 at 1440p, and 116 at 1080p — show that memory throughput remains consistent across resolutions, with no sudden drops indicative of VRAM capacity issues. The GPU's 8 nm process node from Samsung, containing 28,300 million transistors on a 628 mm² die, is a mature design that performs predictably under load.

The GPU's benchmark profile reinforces its role in this pairing. Its 26,896 Passmark G3D score and 15,282 Passmark GPU compute score place it in the 83rd percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070, scores within 2% higher in average benchmarks, while the AMD Radeon Pro 5300 trails by 0.8%. These scores indicate that the RTX 3080 Ti is a high-end part that, while not the newest generation, remains competitive in Control. The GPU's 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 5,077 and Geekbench Vulkan score of 192,697 suggest strong DirectX 12 and Vulkan performance, both of which Control can leverage.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its highest frame rates. Low settings produce 192 FPS average, Medium reaches 136 FPS (minimum 116, maximum 157), High hits 121 FPS, and Ultra drops to 105 FPS. The 87 FPS spread between Low and Ultra at 1080p demonstrates the GPU's capacity to handle the game's visual effects while still delivering high refresh rates. The Medium preset's 116 FPS minimum ensures that even demanding scenes maintain fluid motion.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance scales down predictably. Low settings yield 145 FPS, Medium 103 FPS (minimum 88, maximum 118), High 92 FPS, and Ultra 80 FPS. The 65 FPS spread between Low and Ultra at 1440p is slightly narrower than at 1080p, indicating that the GPU is beginning to feel the resolution increase. The Medium preset's minimum of 88 FPS remains above 60 FPS, making 1440p a sweet spot for this pairing.

At 3840x2160, the RTX 3080 Ti's limits become apparent. Low settings still manage 98 FPS, but Medium drops to 70 FPS (minimum 59, maximum 80), High falls to 62 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 54 FPS. The 44 FPS spread between Low and Ultra at 4K is the narrowest of the three resolutions, confirming that the GPU is the bottleneck. The Medium preset's 59 FPS minimum is the only sub-60 reading in the entire dataset, but the 70 FPS average keeps the experience playable. For players who prioritize visual fidelity, 4K High at 62 FPS is the highest settings configuration that stays above the 60 FPS threshold.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 981 out of 3,720 tested systems places it in the top 26.4% of all combinations evaluated for Control. This percentile ranking reflects the RTX 3080 Ti's 83rd percentile standing among all GPUs and the i7-14700K's 94th percentile among all CPUs. The CPU's nearest rivals — the AMD EPYC 9115 (0.1% higher average score), AMD Ryzen 9 7950X (0.2% higher), AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX (0.7% higher), and AMD Ryzen 7 9700F (0.9% higher) — all sit within a single percentage point, indicating that the i7-14700K is competitively positioned. The GPU's nearest rivals show a similar tight grouping: the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 leads by 2%, while the AMD Radeon Pro 5300 trails by 0.8% and the NVIDIA Tesla M40 24 GB is 1.2% behind.

The rank of 981 is a function of both components' aggregate strengths. In Control, this pairing outperforms the vast majority of systems because the GPU is powerful enough to handle 4K resolution and the CPU never limits it. The combo's position in the upper quartile is not surprising given the hardware's specifications; however, the rank also reflects that more modern GPUs, such as the RTX 5070, can outperform the RTX 3080 Ti by a small margin. The data indicates that this pairing is a high-performing but not top-tier configuration for Control, with the GPU's end-of-life production status suggesting that newer systems will gradually displace it in the rankings.

Settings Recommendations

For players with 4K displays, the data supports High settings as the optimal balance. The 62 FPS average at 4K High exceeds the 60 FPS target, while 4K Ultra's 54 FPS does not. Medium at 4K provides 70 FPS but sacrifices visual quality for a marginal frame rate gain. The 59 FPS minimum at 4K Medium suggests that even this setting can dip below 60 FPS in demanding scenes, making High the safer choice for consistent performance.

At 1440p, Ultra settings are the clear recommendation. The 80 FPS average at 1440p Ultra is well above the 60 FPS threshold, and the 92 FPS at High offers only a modest improvement over Ultra. The 103 FPS at Medium provides additional headroom for players with 144 Hz monitors, but the visual fidelity loss is significant. The 88 FPS minimum at 1440p Medium ensures no major drops, but Ultra's lack of a reported minimum suggests it maintains stability as well.

For 1080p users, the choice depends on refresh rate. Players with 144 Hz displays should select High settings, which deliver 121 FPS average. Those with 240 Hz monitors can opt for Low at 192 FPS, though Medium at 136 FPS offers a better visual experience while still exceeding 120 FPS. Ultra at 105 FPS is viable for 100 Hz displays but offers diminishing returns over High. The Medium preset's 116 FPS minimum at 1080p is the most consistent performance profile, making it the safest recommendation for competitive play where frame time consistency matters.