Control

The data for Control on the Intel Core i7-14700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 shows a system that obliterates the game’s requirements at every setting tier. The measured results at 1080p and 1440p are exceptionally high, while even the demanding 4K Ultra preset maintains a smooth, playable frame rate. This pairing demonstrates a classic high-end combination where the GPU is the primary driver of performance, though the CPU’s strength ensures no bottlenecking at lower resolutions.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best resolution to play Control with this hardware?*

A: Based on the measured data, 2560x1440 provides an optimal balance of visual fidelity and performance. At High settings, the average FPS is 133.1, which is significantly higher than the 87.3 FPS seen at 3840x2160, while offering a much crisper image than 1920x1080.

Q: How does the RTX 4090 perform at 4K in this game?

A: The GPU handles 4K exceptionally well. At Ultra settings, the average FPS is 75.7, which is still very playable. Dropping to High settings raises the average to 87.3 FPS, and at Low settings, the system reaches an average of 138.9 FPS, showing the card's immense headroom.

Q: Is the Intel Core i7-14700K a bottleneck for the RTX 4090 in this title?

A: The data suggests the CPU is not a limiting factor. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the system achieves an average of 275.6 FPS. This high frame rate indicates that the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU enough data to reach very high performance levels, even in a CPU-bound scenario.

Q: What is the performance difference between the High and Ultra presets?

A: The cost of Ultra is substantial. At 2560x1440, the average FPS drops from 133.1 on High to 112.7 on Ultra, a decrease of 20.4 FPS. At 3840x2160, the drop is from 87.3 FPS to 75.7 FPS, a decrease of 11.6 FPS.

Q: How does this specific CPU compare to its closest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Intel Core i7-14700K’s average benchmark score of 70074 places it in a tight competitive group. It is essentially tied with the Intel Core i7-14700KF, which has a deltaPct of 0, and is only 0.3% behind the AMD EPYC 9115. It is also 0.5% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X in this metric.

Q: What is the frame rate scalability from Low to Ultra at 1080p?

A: The scaling is significant. The system averages 275.6 FPS on Low, 194.2 FPS on Medium, 174.1 FPS on High, and 151.5 FPS on Ultra. This shows a clear and consistent performance cost for each step up in visual quality.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data indicates that the High preset offers the most compelling experience for this hardware configuration. At 2560x1440, the High preset delivers an average of 133.1 FPS, which is well beyond the threshold for high-refresh-rate monitors and provides a significant visual upgrade over Medium settings. While the Ultra preset increases visual fidelity, the performance cost is notable; at 4K, it brings the average down to 75.7 FPS, which is still playable but sacrifices the high frame rate advantage this system can otherwise provide.

For users prioritizing maximum frame rates for competitive or high-refresh-rate displays, the Medium preset at 1920x1080 yields an average of 194.2 FPS, which is a substantial increase over High’s 174.1 FPS. However, the visual compromise is considerable given the GPU’s capabilities. The data suggests that High is the sweet spot, as it maintains excellent frame rates at both 1440p and 4K without the diminishing returns seen when pushing to Ultra. The Low preset is only advisable if the goal is to maximize FPS beyond all else, as it produces an average of 275.6 FPS at 1080p.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations for Control, this configuration of the Intel Core i7-14700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 holds the rank of 34 out of 1636 tested combos. This places the system comfortably within the top 2% of all tested hardware pairings for this game. The high ranking is a direct result of the measured frame rates, which consistently show the system is capable of delivering top-tier performance across all resolutions and settings.

This rank is a strong indicator of the system's overall capability in this specific title. The combination of a high-end CPU and the flagship RTX 4090 ensures that the system is not held back by any single component, allowing it to achieve frame rates that only a very small percentage of other configurations can match. The data shows that this is a top-tier setup for playing Control at its highest levels.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured performance data for this combination is consistent and predictable, with frame rates scaling inversely with both resolution and graphical fidelity. At 1920x1080, the system delivers exceptional performance, starting at an average of 275.6 FPS on Low settings. This drops to 194.2 FPS on Medium, 174.1 FPS on High, and 151.5 FPS on Ultra. These figures show that even at the highest settings, the system is capable of driving a high-refresh-rate 1080p monitor.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance remains extremely high. The average FPS is 204.8 on Low, 149.8 on Medium, 133.1 on High, and 112.7 on Ultra. The gap between Low and Ultra at this resolution is 92.1 FPS, showing a clear performance hierarchy. The system is still more than capable of providing a smooth experience on a 1440p high-refresh-rate display, even with the most demanding preset.

At 3840x2160, the system begins to show a more pronounced impact from the resolution increase. The average FPS is 138.9 on Low, 99.5 on Medium, 87.3 on High, and 75.7 on Ultra. While the Ultra preset drops below the 80 FPS mark, it remains playable. The data indicates that for a locked 60 FPS experience at 4K, the High preset is the ideal choice, providing a 27.3% performance increase over Ultra while still maintaining high visual quality.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is the dominant component in this configuration, and its specifications directly correlate with the high performance observed in Control. The GPU features 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus, providing a massive 1.01 TB/s of bandwidth. This large memory pool and high bandwidth are more than sufficient for the assets and textures used in Control, ensuring that the card never runs out of memory or bandwidth at any resolution, including 4K.

The GPU's clock speeds also contribute to its performance. With a base clock of 2235 MHz and a boost clock of 2520 MHz, the card operates at very high frequencies, which translates directly to higher fill rates and compute throughput. The RTX 4090 also features 16,384 shading units and 128 RT cores, which are utilized heavily in this game’s demanding rendering. The data shows that the GPU is the primary driver of the frame rate differences between settings, as the CPU is clearly not a limiting factor at these performance levels.

The GPU's 91st percentile ranking among all GPUs further underscores its position as a top-tier part. While its average benchmark score is 66473, its nearest rivals, such as the NVIDIA Tesla T4 and AMD Radeon Pro Vega 56, are not consumer gaming parts and have negligible performance deltas. In the context of gaming, the RTX 4090’s massive compute and memory resources are what allow the system to achieve the high frame rates seen in the measured data, particularly at 4K where the demand on the GPU is highest.