Control

Control with Intel Core i7-14700K + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER ranks 106th out of 1,636 tested CPU-GPU combinations for this game. That places the combo in the top 6.5% of all tested pairings, a strong result that reflects the high-end nature of both components. The 14700K sits in the 96th percentile among all CPUs in general benchmark data, while the RTX 4080 SUPER sits in the 88th percentile among all GPUs. When paired together in Control, the combination lands well above the median tested result, indicating that neither component is a severe bottleneck for the other in this title.

How This Combo Ranks

The 106th rank out of 1,636 tested combos places this pairing in the upper tier of all configurations tested for Control. The rank is particularly notable because the database includes many combinations with newer or more specialized hardware, yet this 2023 CPU and 2024 GPU pairing still holds its own. The Intel Core i7-14700K’s general benchmark average score of 70,074 puts it within 0.3% of the AMD EPYC 9115 and within 0.5% of the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X, showing that the CPU is competitive with much newer server and desktop parts. The RTX 4080 SUPER’s average benchmark score of 53,610 is 0.2% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT and 2.9% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti, placing it firmly in high-end GPU territory.

The ranking suggests that this combo delivers a consistently high frame rate experience in Control, with the measured average FPS never dropping below 69.3 at any resolution or settings preset tested. The rank is a composite measure, but the raw FPS data shows a clear pattern: this system is built for high-refresh-rate play at 1080p and 1440p, while still providing excellent performance at 4K. The gap between this combo and the median tested combo is substantial, as evidenced by the fact that 1,530 other pairings rank below it. For a game released in 2019, this hardware is far more capable than the minimum requirements, and the measured results reflect that headroom.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER features 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 736.3 GB/s of memory bandwidth. The GPU’s base clock is 2,295 MHz with a boost clock of 2,550 MHz, and the memory runs at 1,438 MHz with 23 Gbps effective speed. These specifications translate to a 52.22 TFLOPS FP32 compute throughput, which is substantial for a game like Control that features heavy visual effects and physics simulation. The 80 RT cores and 320 tensor cores indicate that the GPU is well-prepared for ray-traced workloads, although the measured FPS data here does not specify whether ray tracing was enabled.

In the measured FPS data, the GPU’s role becomes clear when looking at the scaling from Low to Ultra settings. At 4K, the average FPS drops from 123.7 on Low to 69.3 on Ultra, a reduction of 44% that shows the GPU is the primary driver of performance changes when settings increase. The 16 GB VRAM capacity is more than sufficient for Control at any resolution, as the game’s texture requirements are well within this limit even at 4K Ultra. The 320 TMUs and 112 ROPs allow for high texture fill rates and pixel throughput, which is essential for maintaining frame rates in a game with complex particle effects and destructible environments. The GPU’s 88th percentile ranking among all GPUs indicates that it outperforms the vast majority of graphics cards, and the measured FPS data in Control confirms this — even at 4K Ultra, the average FPS of 69.3 is smooth for most displays.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides clear guidance on settings presets for different display refresh rates. At 1080p, the High preset delivers 152.3 FPS on average, while Ultra delivers 135.2 FPS. The difference of 17.1 FPS between High and Ultra is relatively small, suggesting that Ultra is viable for 144 Hz displays at 1080p. At 1440p, High delivers 119.7 FPS and Ultra delivers 102 FPS, both of which are suitable for 100-120 Hz monitors. The Medium preset at 1440p provides 135.1 FPS, which is the best option for 144 Hz displays at that resolution, offering a 15.4 FPS advantage over High.

At 4K, the data shows a different story. The High preset delivers 81.7 FPS, which is the recommended choice for a 60 Hz display or a 120 Hz display if frame generation is available. The Ultra preset at 4K drops to 69.3 FPS, which is still playable but may not feel as smooth on high-refresh-rate displays. The Low preset at 4K delivers 123.7 FPS, but the visual quality reduction is substantial enough that most users would prefer High. The sweet spot across all resolutions is the High preset: at 1080p it delivers 152.3 FPS, at 1440p 119.7 FPS, and at 4K 81.7 FPS. This preset balances visual fidelity with frame rate, and the data suggests it is the most universally applicable choice for this combo. For users with 144 Hz 1440p monitors, the Medium preset offers 135.1 FPS, which provides a 12.9% uplift over High while still maintaining acceptable visual quality.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its highest frame rates. The Low preset averages 244.9 FPS, Medium averages 175.1 FPS, High averages 152.3 FPS, and Ultra averages 135.2 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra shows a 44.8% reduction in average FPS, indicating that the GPU is the limiting factor as settings increase. The gap between Medium and High is 22.8 FPS, while the gap between High and Ultra is 17.1 FPS, showing diminishing returns as settings approach maximum.

At 2560x1440, the average FPS figures are 182.3 on Low, 135.1 on Medium, 119.7 on High, and 102 on Ultra. The drop from Low to Ultra is 44.1%, nearly identical to the 1080p scaling. The 1440p results show that this combo is well-suited for high-refresh-rate gaming at this resolution, with the Medium preset comfortably exceeding 120 FPS and the High preset staying above 115 FPS. The Ultra preset at 102 FPS is still above 100 FPS, making it a viable option for 100 Hz displays.

At 3840x2160, the average FPS figures are 123.7 on Low, 90.5 on Medium, 81.7 on High, and 69.3 on Ultra. The drop from Low to Ultra is 44%, consistent with the other resolutions. At 4K, the High preset is the highest setting that maintains an average FPS above 80, while Ultra dips to 69.3 FPS. The Low preset at 4K delivers 123.7 FPS, which is remarkable for a 4K resolution and indicates that the CPU is not a bottleneck even at lower settings. The data shows a clear pattern: the combo scales predictably with settings, and the GPU’s 16 GB VRAM and high bandwidth keep performance stable across all tested configurations.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K varies by settings preset. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 244.9 at 1080p to 123.7 at 4K, a 49.5% reduction. At Medium, the drop is from 175.1 to 90.5, a 48.3% reduction. At High, the drop is from 152.3 to 81.7, a 46.4% reduction. At Ultra, the drop is from 135.2 to 69.3, a 48.7% reduction. The consistency of these reductions — all between 46% and 50% — indicates that the GPU is the primary limiting component as resolution increases. If the CPU were the bottleneck, the percentage drop would be smaller at higher settings, because the CPU workload would remain constant while the GPU workload increased.

The resolution scaling data also reveals that the CPU has ample headroom. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 244.9 FPS, which is a very high frame rate that would stress most CPUs. The fact that the 14700K can sustain this frame rate without dropping below the measured average suggests that its 20 cores and 28 threads are more than sufficient for Control’s CPU demands. The 14700K’s boost clock of 5.60 GHz and its 33 MB of shared L3 cache contribute to its strong single-threaded performance, which is critical for game logic and physics. The CPU’s benchmark scores support this: its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 6,287 and multi-core score of 44,534 place it well above the requirements for Control. The data indicates that for this game, the GPU is the performance limiter at 4K, while the CPU can handle even the highest frame rates at 1080p without becoming a bottleneck.

FAQ

Q: What is the best settings preset for 1440p gaming with this combo?

A: The Medium preset delivers 135.1 FPS on average at 2560x1440, which is the best option for 144 Hz displays. The High preset delivers 119.7 FPS, which is still suitable for 120 Hz monitors but leaves less headroom.

Q: How does the RTX 4080 SUPER’s memory bandwidth affect Control’s performance?

A: The GPU’s 736.3 GB/s memory bandwidth and 16 GB of GDDR6X VRAM ensure that texture streaming and high-resolution assets do not cause frame rate dips. The measured FPS at 4K Ultra is 69.3, which would be lower if memory bandwidth were insufficient.

Q: Is the Intel Core i7-14700K a bottleneck for the RTX 4080 SUPER in Control?

A: No. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 244.9 FPS, and the CPU’s benchmark scores (Cinebench R23 multi-core 44,534, single-core 6,287) indicate it has enough headroom. The resolution scaling data shows that the GPU is the limiting component as resolution increases.

Q: What is the difference between High and Ultra settings at 4K for this combo?

A: At 3840x2160, the High preset averages 81.7 FPS, while Ultra averages 69.3 FPS. The difference is 12.4 FPS, which may be noticeable on high-refresh-rate displays, but Ultra is still playable on 60 Hz screens.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested configurations for Control?

A: It ranks 106th out of 1,636 tested combos, placing it in the top 6.5% of all pairings. This rank reflects the high performance of both the CPU and GPU in this specific game.

Q: Can this combo achieve 144 FPS at 1080p with high settings?

A: Yes. The High preset at 1920x1080 averages 152.3 FPS, which exceeds 144 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 135.2 FPS, so a drop to High or Medium is needed to maintain 144 FPS consistently.