Control

Control, the 2019 action-adventure title from Remedy Entertainment, presents an interesting case study for the Intel Core i7-14700KF and AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT pairing. The measured performance data reveals a system that is overwhelmingly GPU-bound at higher settings, with the CPU providing ample headroom for the graphics card to operate at its full potential. This analysis breaks down the benchmark results to understand how this combination performs across various resolutions and quality presets, interpreting the data to show where the system's strengths and potential bottlenecks lie.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core i7-14700KF is a 20-core, 28-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, utilizing a 10 nm process. It features a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz, with a substantial 33 MB of shared L3 cache. The processor's performance profile in synthetic benchmarks is robust, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 44557 and a single-core score of 6290, placing it in the 96th percentile among all CPUs.

In the context of Control, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and manage game logic. Given that Control is not a CPU-intensive title compared to simulation or strategy games, the i7-14700KF's high single-thread performance is more than adequate. The data supports this: even at 1080p with Low settings, where the CPU load is typically highest relative to the GPU, the system achieves an average of 205.3 FPS. This high frame rate indicates that the processor is not a limiting factor at this resolution and settings combination.

The processor's nearest rivals in overall benchmark scores include the Intel Core i7-14700K, which has a nearly identical average score with a 0% deltaPct, and the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X, which is slightly ahead at -0.4% deltaPct relative to the i7-14700KF's score. These small deltas suggest that the i7-14700KF is performing exactly as expected within its performance class. The substantial thread count (28) ensures that if Control were to leverage additional cores for background tasks or future updates, the headroom exists, but the primary takeaway from the FPS data is that the CPU is a silent partner, providing a stable platform for the GPU to excel.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT is the clear star of this configuration. Built on the RDNA 3.0 architecture with a 5 nm process, it boasts 20 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 320-bit bus, delivering 800.0 GB/s of bandwidth. Its boost clock reaches 2394 MHz, and it features 5376 shading units. The GPU's synthetic benchmark scores are strong, with a Passmark G3D score of 29009 and a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 5623, placing it in the 82nd percentile among all GPUs.

In Control, the GPU's role is paramount. The game's physics and particle effects place a heavy load on the graphics processor, and the 7900 XT's raw compute power (51.48 TFLOPS FP32) is well-suited for this task. The 20 GB VRAM buffer is a significant asset, ensuring that even at 4K Ultra settings, memory capacity is not a constraint, allowing the GPU to focus on rendering rather than swapping textures. The GPU's nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 Mobile (0% deltaPct) and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile (0.6% deltaPct), indicating that the desktop 7900 XT is positioned competitively against high-end mobile parts.

The performance data shows the GPU's dominance. At 1080p High, it achieves 129.6 FPS, but the frame rate scales dramatically as settings are lowered, reaching 205.3 FPS at Low. This significant jump suggests that at lower settings, the GPU is less constrained by its rendering workload and more by the game's engine limits or the CPU's capability to issue commands, though the CPU is clearly not a bottleneck at these frame rates. The GPU is the primary driver of performance, and its capabilities are the deciding factor in how the game looks and runs.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

The measured FPS data provides clear guidance on preset selection. Across all resolutions, the "Low" preset consistently yields the highest average frame rates, but this comes at the cost of visual fidelity. For a game like Control, which relies heavily on atmospheric lighting and reflections, playing at Low would detract significantly from the intended experience.

The "Medium" preset offers a substantial improvement in visuals over Low with a moderate performance hit. At 1080p, Medium delivers 147.7 FPS, which is a 28% reduction from Low's 205.3 FPS but still provides an exceptionally smooth experience for high-refresh-rate monitors. At 1440p, Medium achieves 113.1 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay and looks much better than Low.

The "High" preset is the sweet spot for this combination. At 1440p, High delivers 98.2 FPS, which is only a 13% drop from Medium but offers a significant upgrade in texture detail and effects quality. At 4K, High still manages a playable 65.8 FPS. The "Ultra" preset, while visually impressive, pushes the GPU to its limits, dropping frame rates to 114.4 FPS at 1080p and 56.8 FPS at 4K. The data suggests that High provides the best balance of visual quality and performance, especially considering that the jump from High to Ultra yields diminishing returns in visual fidelity for a notable cost in frame rate. For a consistent 60+ FPS experience at 4K, High is the recommended setting, while at 1440p, High or even Medium will easily exceed 100 FPS.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

This specific combination of the Intel Core i7-14700KF and AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT holds a rank of 344 out of 1636 tested combos in Control. This places it in the top 21% of all systems tested, which is a strong showing for a high-end desktop pairing. The rank reflects the cumulative performance across all tested resolutions and settings.

The percentile ranking of the individual components provides further context. The CPU is in the 96th percentile, and the GPU is in the 82nd percentile. The combo's rank of 344/1636 is slightly lower than what the CPU's percentile alone would suggest, which is indicative of the GPU being the more limiting factor in this specific game's workload. This is expected, as Control is a graphically demanding title that scales heavily with GPU compute power. The fact that this combo outperforms the vast majority of tested systems (1292 combos) underscores that it is a high-performance pairing, well-suited for demanding games. However, it is not at the absolute top, which suggests that there are other combinations, likely featuring even more powerful GPUs, that achieve higher frame rates in this title.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The FPS scaling across resolutions is a classic indicator of GPU-bound performance. Moving from 1080p to 1440p to 4K increases the pixel count exponentially, which places a proportionally higher load on the GPU while leaving the CPU workload largely unchanged. In this data, the performance drop is consistent and predictable.

At High settings, the average FPS drops from 129.6 at 1080p to 98.2 at 1440p, a 24% decrease, and then to 65.8 at 4K, a 33% decrease from 1440p. This pattern shows a clear correlation between pixel count and frame rate. If the system were CPU-bound, we would expect to see similar frame rates at 1080p and 1440p, with a steep drop only at 4K as the GPU finally becomes the bottleneck. Instead, the frame rate drops steadily at each resolution step, confirming that the GPU is the limiting component across the board.

The scaling is even more pronounced at lower settings. At Low, the 1080p score is 205.3 FPS, dropping to 158.3 at 1440p (a 23% decrease) and then to 108.3 at 4K (a 32% decrease). The fact that the relative drop from 1080p to 1440p is similar at both Low and High settings (around 24%) reinforces that the GPU's raw pixel-pushing capability is the deciding factor. The CPU is not holding back the system; if it were, the 1080p scores would plateau regardless of settings. Instead, the data shows that the GPU is consistently the primary determinant of performance, with its load increasing proportionally with resolution.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of this system's capabilities in Control. At 1920x1080, the system delivers exceptional performance across all presets. The average frame rates are as follows: Low 205.3 FPS, Medium 147.7 FPS, High 129.6 FPS, and Ultra 114.4 FPS. All presets exceed the 60 FPS threshold, and even Ultra provides a smooth experience on a 120Hz display. This resolution is clearly not a challenge for this hardware.

At 2560x1440, performance remains very strong. The average frame rates are: Low 158.3 FPS, Medium 113.1 FPS, High 98.2 FPS, and Ultra 86.4 FPS. This is the ideal resolution for this combination, as it offers a perfect balance between visual fidelity and frame rate. High and Medium settings both provide well above 90 FPS, ensuring a responsive and fluid gaming experience.

At 3840x2160 (4K), the GPU is pushed harder, but the results remain playable. The average frame rates are: Low 108.3 FPS, Medium 77.2 FPS, High 65.8 FPS, and Ultra 56.8 FPS. At this resolution, High settings are the recommended choice for a consistent 60+ FPS experience. Ultra dips below 60 FPS, which may be acceptable for some players but is not ideal for fast-paced action. The data clearly shows a linear progression of performance, with the 7900 XT handling 4K admirably, especially at High settings, where the visual quality is high and the frame rate is still smooth.