Control

The Intel Core i7-14700KF paired with the AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT delivers a strong 1440p experience in Control, with the data showing that the High preset strikes the best balance between visual fidelity and frame rate. At 2560x1440, the combo achieves 84.1 FPS on High, which is comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay, while the Ultra preset drops to 73 FPS — still playable but with diminishing returns. For 1080p users, High settings yield 111.4 FPS, making this the sweet spot for high-refresh-rate monitors, while 4K remains viable but demanding, with High producing 58.2 FPS and Ultra falling to 51 FPS.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data across all resolutions points to the High preset as the optimal choice for this combination. At 1920x1080, High delivers 111.4 FPS, which is 14.5 FPS below Medium (125.9) but provides substantially better visual quality, and it remains far above the 96.6 FPS seen on Ultra. The gap between High and Ultra at 1080p is only 14.8 FPS, suggesting Ultra’s additional graphical load yields marginal returns for the performance cost. At 2560x1440, the story is similar: High hits 84.1 FPS, while Medium reaches 93.8 and Ultra drops to 73. The 11.1 FPS difference between High and Ultra is noticeable, but the High preset keeps frame rates well within the 60-90 FPS range that most gamers target for action-adventure titles.

For 3840x2160, the choice becomes more critical. High produces 58.2 FPS, which is just below the 60 FPS ideal but still smooth for a single-player game, while Medium reaches 61.7 FPS and Ultra falls to 51. The data suggests that 4K users should stick with High or Medium, as Ultra’s 51 FPS risks noticeable stutter in fast-paced combat. Low settings are never recommended for this combo, as even at 4K it produces 87.1 FPS — the extra headroom does not justify the significant visual downgrade. The overall pattern indicates that High is the default choice, with Medium as a fallback for 4K users who prioritize frame rate stability.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT is the primary driver of Control’s frame rates, and its 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus with 624.1 GB/s bandwidth provides ample headroom for the game’s texture-heavy environments. The GPU’s boost clock of 2430 MHz, with a game clock of 2124 MHz, helps sustain high throughput, and its 3840 shading units handle the game’s particle effects and physics calculations efficiently. The RDNA 3.0 architecture, built on a 5 nm process, delivers 37.32 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, which translates directly into the measured FPS figures.

The GPU’s 60 ray tracing cores are relevant for Control’s optional ray tracing effects, though the measured data does not isolate this feature. The card’s 96 ROPs and 240 TMUs contribute to pixel and texture fill rates of 233.3 GPixel/s and 583.2 GTexel/s, respectively, which explains why the 4K High result of 58.2 FPS holds up despite the resolution’s heavy fill-rate demands. The GPU’s benchmark scores reinforce its positioning: a Passmark G3D score of 24176 and a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 4157 place it in the 76th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the AMD FirePro S9300 X2 (0.2% ahead) and the NVIDIA P104-100 (0.4% behind), indicating that the 7800 XT sits in a competitive mid-to-high tier.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700KF provides the computational backbone for Control’s physics and AI systems, and its 20 cores with 28 threads ensure that the game never becomes CPU-bound at the tested settings. The CPU’s boost clock of 5.60 GHz, paired with a base clock of 3.40 GHz, delivers strong single-thread performance, which is critical for the game’s main game-logic thread. The 33 MB of shared L3 cache, along with 2 MB L2 per core and 80 KB L1 per core, provides fast access to frequently used data, reducing latency during complex scene transitions.

The CPU’s multi-threaded capabilities are evident in its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 44557 and single-core score of 6290, which place it in the 96th percentile of all CPUs. This headroom means the 14700KF is unlikely to bottleneck the RX 7800 XT, even at 1080p Low where the GPU produces 175.3 FPS. The CPU’s Passmark multi-thread score of 52425 and single-thread score of 4480 further confirm its capability. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i7-14700K (0% difference) and the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X (0.4% ahead), showing that this chip is within a hair’s breadth of the top-tier desktop processors. The 125 W TDP, while not a performance metric, indicates the cooling requirements for sustained loads.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of the i7-14700KF and RX 7800 XT ranks 577th out of 1636 tested combos in Control, placing it in the upper third of all configurations. This ranking reflects a balanced pairing where neither component consistently dominates the other’s workload. The CPU’s 96th percentile standing (vs. all CPUs) and the GPU’s 76th percentile (vs. all GPUs) suggest that the combo benefits from a strong processor that can fully feed the GPU’s output. In practical terms, this rank means the combo outperforms roughly 64.7% of all tested systems in this game, which is respectable for a mid-to-high-range setup.

The ranking also indicates that there is room for improvement — systems with higher-ranked GPUs, such as those in the 90th percentile, would likely achieve higher FPS at 4K Ultra, where the current combo manages 51 FPS. However, the data shows that this pairing is well-suited for 1440p gaming, where it achieves 84.1 FPS on High, and even handles 4K High at 58.2 FPS. The combination’s rank of 577 suggests it competes favorably with more expensive configurations, though the exact competitors at this rank are not specified in the data.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows 2560x1440 on High settings produces 84.1 FPS, which is the best balance of visual quality and performance. 1080p High reaches 111.4 FPS, but 1440p offers a more immersive experience without sacrificing smoothness.

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

A: Yes, but with caveats. At 3840x2160, High settings yield 58.2 FPS, and Medium reaches 61.7 FPS. Ultra drops to 51 FPS, which may be too low for some players. Stick to High or Medium for 4K.

Q: How much faster is Low settings compared to Ultra?

A: At 1920x1080, Low produces 175.3 FPS versus 96.6 FPS on Ultra — a difference of 78.7 FPS. At 2560x1440, the gap is 56.8 FPS (129.8 vs 73), and at 4K, it’s 36.1 FPS (87.1 vs 51).

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in this setup?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the limiting factor at higher resolutions, as the CPU’s 96th percentile ranking and strong multi-core scores (Cinebench R23 multi-core 44557) suggest it can keep up with the GPU’s output at all tested settings.

Q: What is the performance difference between Medium and High settings?

A: At 1080p, Medium (125.9 FPS) is 14.5 FPS faster than High (111.4 FPS). At 1440p, the difference is 9.7 FPS (93.8 vs 84.1), and at 4K, it’s 3.5 FPS (61.7 vs 58.2). The gap narrows as resolution increases.

Q: How does this combo rank against other tested configurations?

A: It ranks 577th out of 1636 combos in Control, placing it in the upper third. This is consistent with the GPU’s 76th percentile and CPU’s 96th percentile standings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its highest frame rates across all settings. Low settings produce 175.3 FPS, Medium reaches 125.9 FPS, High achieves 111.4 FPS, and Ultra drops to 96.6 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 78.7 FPS, indicating that the GPU has substantial headroom at this resolution, and even Ultra remains well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay.

At 2560x1440, performance remains strong but begins to show the GPU’s limits. Low settings hit 129.8 FPS, Medium reaches 93.8 FPS, High achieves 84.1 FPS, and Ultra falls to 73 FPS. The 56.8 FPS gap between Low and Ultra is narrower than at 1080p, suggesting the GPU is becoming the limiting factor. High settings still provide an excellent experience, with 84.1 FPS comfortably above the 60 FPS target.

At 3840x2160, the combo struggles to maintain high frame rates on the most demanding presets. Low settings produce 87.1 FPS, Medium reaches 61.7 FPS, High achieves 58.2 FPS, and Ultra drops to 51 FPS. The 36.1 FPS difference between Low and Ultra is the smallest of the three resolutions, confirming that the GPU is fully utilized. For 4K gaming, Medium (61.7 FPS) is the only preset that consistently stays above 60 FPS, while High (58.2 FPS) is close but may exhibit occasional dips in intense scenes. The data suggests that 4K Ultra is not recommended for this combo, as 51 FPS falls below the smooth-playability threshold for most users.