Control

The Intel Core i7-14700KF paired with the AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT delivers a playable, if not flawless, experience in Control, a 2019 Action Adventure title. The data shows a combination that is heavily constrained by the graphics card at higher resolutions, while the processor’s strong single-thread performance ensures high frame rates at 1080p. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS across three resolutions and four settings presets, examines the role of each component, and provides specific recommendations based on the benchmark results.

FAQ

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

A: Based on the measured rows, 1920x1080 is the only resolution where all four settings presets achieve an average of at least 62.4 FPS. At 2560x1440, only the Low preset (88.2 FPS) and High preset (56.6 FPS) are above 30 FPS, while 3840x2160 results in averages ranging from 33.4 FPS (Ultra) to 62.9 FPS (Low).

Q: How does the RX 6600 XT compare to its closest rivals in raw benchmark scores?

A: The GPU’s average benchmark score is 27985, placing it in the 71st percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti with an average score of 27956 and a deltaPct of 0.1, meaning the RX 6600 XT is essentially tied with that card. It is 0.9% behind the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 (average score 28238) and 1.5% behind the AMD FirePro S7150 (average score 28409).

Q: What is the CPU’s standing relative to other processors?

A: The Intel Core i7-14700KF scores in the 96th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 70104. It trails the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X by 0.4% (average score 70420) but leads the Intel Core i7-14700K by 0% (average score 70074) and the AMD EPYC 9115 by 0.3% (average score 69887).

Q: Is the 8 GB VRAM a limiting factor in Control?

A: The GPU has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus with 256.0 GB/s bandwidth. While the data does not specify VRAM usage, the significant frame rate drops from 62.9 FPS at 3840x2160 Low to 39.3 FPS at 3840x2160 High suggest that memory bandwidth and capacity are stressed at 4K, as the gap is much smaller at 1080p.

Q: What settings preset provides the highest frame rate at 2560x1440?

A: The Low preset at 2560x1440 achieves an average of 88.2 FPS, which is the highest measured value at that resolution. The Medium preset (61.1 FPS) and High preset (56.6 FPS) are significantly lower, while the Ultra preset drops to 46.4 FPS.

Q: Does the CPU’s performance vary significantly between single and multi-threaded tasks?

A: Yes, the data shows a strong single-thread capability with a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 6290 and a multi-core score of 44557. The Geekbench single-core score is 2972 versus a multi-core score of 19287. This indicates the CPU has a high per-core performance, which benefits games like Control that do not scale perfectly across 20 cores.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT is the primary bottleneck in this pairing for Control. The GPU operates with a base clock of 1968 MHz and a boost clock of 2589 MHz, with a game clock of 2359 MHz. Its RDNA 2.0 architecture includes 2048 shading units, 128 TMUs, and 64 ROPs, delivering a pixel rate of 165.7 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 331.4 GTexel/s. The FP32 performance is 10.60 TFLOPS.

These specifications translate into a clear pattern in the measured data. At 1920x1080, the GPU is able to push frame rates well above 60 FPS for all presets, ranging from 62.4 FPS at Ultra to 118.1 FPS at Low. However, as resolution increases to 2560x1440, the average FPS for the High preset drops to 56.6, and at 3840x2160 it plummets to 39.3. This is a direct consequence of the GPU’s memory configuration: 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus providing 256.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The data suggests that at 4K, the GPU is unable to sustain the fill rate required for higher quality settings, with the Ultra preset yielding only 33.4 FPS.

The GPU’s overall standing is mid-pack, with a percentile rank of 71 among all GPUs. Its average benchmark score of 27985 is nearly identical to the GTX 980 Ti (27956), but it lags the RTX 3070 (28238) by 0.9%. This places it as a capable 1080p card that struggles with 4K in demanding titles, which is consistent with the measured results in Control.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Core i7-14700KF and RX 6600 XT is ranked 1231 out of 1636 tested combos in Control. This rank of 1231 places it in the lower-middle portion of the database, which is surprising given the CPU’s high percentile ranking. The discrepancy is explained by the GPU’s limitations at higher resolutions.

This rank implies that while the CPU is among the best (96th percentile), the GPU holds the combo back. For context, the CPU’s nearest rivals include the Core i7-14700K (deltaPct 0) and the Ryzen 9 9950X (deltaPct -0.4), both of which would likely perform similarly if paired with this GPU. The combo rank of 1231 suggests that in Control, the majority of the 1636 tested combos achieve better overall performance, likely due to more balanced pairings with stronger GPUs. The data indicates that this specific pairing is not optimized for Control’s highest settings, as the measured FPS at 4K Ultra (33.4) is below the 60 FPS threshold that many users target.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data reveals a consistent scaling pattern across resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the Low preset achieves 118.1 FPS, which is the highest recorded value for this combo. The Medium preset drops to 81.7 FPS, High to 78.1 FPS, and Ultra to 62.4 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 55.7 FPS, indicating that the GPU has headroom even at the highest settings.

At 2560x1440, the averages are 88.2 FPS (Low), 61.1 FPS (Medium), 56.6 FPS (High), and 46.4 FPS (Ultra). The drop from 1080p to 1440p is most pronounced at Ultra, which loses 16 FPS (from 62.4 to 46.4). The Low preset remains playable at 88.2 FPS, but the High and Ultra presets fall below 60 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the numbers become marginal. The Low preset averages 62.9 FPS, which is the only 4K preset above 60 FPS. The Medium preset drops to 41.1 FPS, High to 39.3 FPS, and Ultra to 33.4 FPS. These results show that 4K gaming is only viable with the Low preset, and even then, the frame rate is barely above 60 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 4K is a 29.5 FPS drop, which is a substantial penalty for visual quality.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700KF is a 20-core, 28-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz. It has a 33 MB shared L3 cache and 2 MB L2 cache per core. Its benchmark scores are exceptional, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 44557 and a single-core score of 6290. The Geekbench scores are 19287 (multi-core) and 2972 (single-core).

In Control, the CPU’s role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and physics calculations. The high single-thread performance (Cinebench R23 single-core 6290) ensures that the game’s main thread is not a bottleneck, particularly at 1080p where the GPU is less stressed. The data supports this: at 1920x1080, the FPS scales with settings, but the CPU is able to deliver 118.1 FPS at Low, which is above the GPU’s typical 1080p ceiling. This suggests the CPU is not limiting performance.

The CPU’s TDP is 125 W, and it supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory on a dual-channel bus. Its percentile rank of 96 among all CPUs means it is faster than 96% of processors tested. However, the measured FPS in Control shows that this CPU power does not translate into higher frame rates at 4K, where the GPU becomes the limiting factor. The combo rank of 1231 out of 1636 indicates that other combinations with weaker CPUs but stronger GPUs may outperform this pairing in this specific game.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and desired frame rate. For 1920x1080, the High preset (78.1 FPS) offers a good balance of visual quality and performance, while the Ultra preset (62.4 FPS) is still playable and provides the highest quality. The Medium preset (81.7 FPS) is a solid choice for those prioritizing frame rate, and the Low preset (118.1 FPS) is only necessary for competitive play or high refresh rate displays.

For 2560x1440, the Low preset (88.2 FPS) is the only option that maintains a high frame rate. The Medium preset (61.1 FPS) is borderline, but the High (56.6 FPS) and Ultra (46.4 FPS) presets fall short of 60 FPS. The data suggests that users at 1440p should either accept the Low preset or lower the resolution to 1080p for higher settings.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset (62.9 FPS) is the only playable option, and it barely achieves 60 FPS. The Medium (41.1 FPS), High (39.3 FPS), and Ultra (33.4 FPS) presets are all below 45 FPS, which may cause noticeable stuttering in fast-paced action. The recommendation is to avoid 4K with this combo unless the Low preset is acceptable, as the GPU’s 8 GB VRAM and 256.0 GB/s bandwidth are insufficient for higher quality settings at this resolution.

In summary, the best experience is at 1920x1080 with the High preset, yielding 78.1 FPS. For users with 1440p monitors, the Low preset is the safest choice, while 4K should be reserved for the Low preset only, with the understanding that performance will be marginal.