Control

The Intel Core i7-14700KF paired with the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT delivers a robust 4K gaming experience in Control, with average frame rates remaining above the 60 FPS threshold at High settings. The combination demonstrates a clear GPU-bound profile at higher resolutions, while the substantial CPU headroom becomes evident at 1080p where frame rates approach 200 FPS, indicating that the processor is more than capable of feeding the graphics card in this title.

Resolution Scaling

The performance scaling across resolutions reveals a classic GPU-limited scenario as pixel count increases. Moving from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440 at High settings reduces the average frame rate from 122 FPS to 92 FPS, a drop of approximately 24.6%. This is a moderate decline that indicates the GPU is beginning to feel the load, but the system still maintains excellent playability. The jump from 1440p to 3840x2160 at High settings is more severe, with the average falling from 92 FPS to 62 FPS, representing a 32.6% reduction. This steeper drop at 4K is typical of a graphics card operating near its memory bandwidth and pixel throughput limits.

At Low settings, the scaling pattern shifts notably. The 1080p result of 193 FPS falls to 146 FPS at 1440p (a 24.4% decrease), and then to 98 FPS at 4K (a 32.9% decrease from 1440p). The fact that even at Low settings the 4K frame rate remains below 100 FPS suggests that the RX 9070 XT's raw compute capacity, rather than the CPU, is the limiting factor at this resolution. The 1080p Low result of 193 FPS is particularly telling — it shows that when the GPU load is light, the Core i7-14700KF can sustain very high frame rates, but the system still cannot break the 200 FPS barrier, indicating a potential engine-level frame rate cap or a minor CPU limitation at extreme frame rates.

The Medium settings row provides the only complete min/max data in the measured results. At 4K Medium, the average is 70 FPS with a minimum of 59 FPS and a maximum of 80 FPS, showing a frame time variance that keeps the minimum just below the 60 FPS v-sync threshold. At 1440p Medium, the average climbs to 103 FPS with a minimum of 88 FPS and maximum of 119 FPS, while at 1080p Medium, the average reaches 137 FPS with a minimum of 116 FPS and maximum of 157 FPS. The consistent ~20 FPS spread between minimum and maximum across resolutions suggests that the frame pacing is stable, with no sudden spikes or stutters that would indicate a CPU bottleneck.

How This Combo Ranks

Within the benchmark database, this specific CPU-GPU combination ranks 937th out of 3,720 tested combos for Control, placing it in the 74.8th percentile. This is a strong showing, though not an elite one, and it reflects the fact that the RX 9070 XT, while capable, is not the absolute fastest GPU available for this title. The combo's rank is more heavily influenced by the GPU's performance ceiling than by the CPU, as evidenced by the resolution scaling analysis.

The CPU itself sits in the 94th percentile of all tested processors, which is an exceptional position for a Core i7 part. Its nearest rivals in the aggregate CPU benchmark include the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F (0.2% ahead), AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX (0.4% ahead), and AMD Ryzen 9 7950X (0.9% ahead), with the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K trailing by 1%. This grouping indicates that the i7-14700KF is performance-equivalent to those high-end parts in general compute workloads, though the game-specific ranking will vary based on how Control utilizes multi-threaded resources.

The GPU's percentile rank of 55th among all graphics cards is more modest, and its nearest rivals in the aggregate benchmark are unexpected — the AMD Radeon HD 7770M (0.1% ahead), NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570 (0.2% ahead), NVIDIA P106-090 (0.5% ahead), and AMD Radeon Pro 555 (1% ahead). This grouping is based on the passmark G3D score of 26,795, which may not fully capture the RX 9070 XT's DirectX 12 Ultimate capabilities that are relevant for Control. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 7,260 is a more representative metric for modern gaming performance, and it suggests the card is substantially more capable than the aggregate percentile implies.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT is built on the RDNA 4.0 architecture and fabricated on a 4 nm process at TSMC, with 53,900 million transistors packed into a 357 mm² die. The card features 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 644.6 GB/s of memory bandwidth. This memory configuration is well-suited for Control, a game that features heavy use of destructible environments and physics-based effects that can stress memory capacity at high resolutions.

The GPU's clock speeds are notable: a base clock of 1660 MHz, a game clock of 2400 MHz, and a boost clock of 2970 MHz. The boost clock behavior is particularly relevant for Control, which has scenes with varying GPU load — the card can boost to near its maximum in lighter scenes and will settle back toward the game clock under sustained load. The 128 ROPs and 256 TMUs provide a pixel rate of 380.2 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 760.3 GTexel/s, which directly translate to fill-rate capabilities that matter for the game's visual effects.

The FP32 compute throughput of 48.66 TFLOPS is the headline number for raw shader performance, and it is this figure that drives the 4K High result of 62 FPS. The fact that the card maintains playable frame rates at 4K Ultra (54 FPS) with this compute level indicates that Control is not exceptionally demanding on raw GPU horsepower, but the game's use of asynchronous compute and mesh shaders (supported via DirectX 12 Ultimate) can benefit from the RDNA 4.0 architecture's scheduling improvements. The 64 RT cores are present but Control does not heavily utilize ray tracing, so their impact on the measured results is minimal.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers excellent performance across all settings. The Low preset yields an average of 193 FPS, which drops to 137 FPS at Medium (with a minimum of 116 FPS and maximum of 157 FPS), 122 FPS at High, and 106 FPS at Ultra. The spread between Low and Ultra is 87 FPS, indicating that the CPU can maintain high frame rates even when GPU load increases. The minimum frame rate of 116 FPS at Medium suggests that even in the most demanding scenes, the system stays well above 100 FPS, providing a smooth experience on high-refresh-rate monitors.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates remain strong but show a clearer GPU influence. The Low preset averages 146 FPS, Medium averages 103 FPS (minimum 88 FPS, maximum 119 FPS), High averages 92 FPS, and Ultra averages 80 FPS. The drop from Low to Ultra is 66 FPS, which is a smaller absolute difference than at 1080p but represents a larger percentage reduction (45.2%) because the base frame rate is lower. The minimum of 88 FPS at Medium indicates that even the heaviest scenes at 1440p stay comfortably within the range of high-refresh gameplay.

At 3840x2160, the GPU becomes the clear bottleneck. The Low preset averages 98 FPS, which is still playable, but the Medium preset averages 70 FPS (minimum 59 FPS, maximum 80 FPS), High averages 62 FPS, and Ultra averages 54 FPS. The minimum of 59 FPS at Medium is the only measured instance where the system dips below 60 FPS, and it occurs at 4K with medium-quality settings. The progression from Low to Ultra at 4K shows a 44 FPS drop (from 98 to 54 FPS), which is a 44.9% reduction — the largest relative drop across all resolutions, confirming that the GPU's capabilities are fully taxed at this resolution.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured data, the optimal settings for this combo depend heavily on the target resolution and display refresh rate. At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset at 106 FPS average is the recommended choice for users with 100 Hz or higher refresh rate monitors, as it provides the best visual quality while still maintaining triple-digit frame rates. For users with 144 Hz displays, the High preset at 122 FPS average is the better balance, as it stays above the refresh rate threshold with less visual compromise than dropping to Medium.

At 2560x1440, the High preset at 92 FPS average is the sweet spot for most users, as it provides a substantial visual upgrade over Medium (103 FPS average) while remaining well above 60 FPS. Users with 144 Hz 1440p monitors may prefer the Medium preset at 103 FPS average, which keeps the frame rate closer to the refresh ceiling, but the minimum of 88 FPS indicates that some scenes will fall below the 144 FPS target. The Ultra preset at 80 FPS average is acceptable for users prioritizing visual fidelity over frame rate, but the 12 FPS difference between High and Ultra is not worth the visual return for most users.

At 3840x2160, the Medium preset at 70 FPS average is the recommended choice for 60 Hz displays, as it provides a comfortable margin above the refresh rate. The minimum of 59 FPS at Medium is a concern for users sensitive to frame drops, but the average of 70 FPS indicates that these dips are infrequent. The High preset at 62 FPS average is viable for users who prefer higher visual quality and are willing to accept occasional dips below 60 FPS, while the Ultra preset at 54 FPS average is only recommended for users with VRR displays who prioritize visual quality above all else.

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. Its cache configuration includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 2 MB of L2 per core, and 33 MB of shared L3 cache. This substantial core and cache count provides significant headroom for Control, which is not a particularly CPU-intensive title by modern standards.

The processor's benchmark results demonstrate its capability: a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 44,167 and a single-core score of 6,235 indicate strong performance in both multi-threaded and lightly-threaded workloads. The Geekbench multi-core score of 21,462 and single-core score of 2,578 further confirm this. The PassMark multi-thread score of 52,425 and single-thread score of 4,480 show that the CPU maintains its performance advantage across different benchmark methodologies.

In the context of Control, the CPU's role is primarily to feed the GPU with draw calls and physics calculations. The measured frame rates show that at 1080p Low, the system achieves 193 FPS, which is likely near the engine's practical frame rate limit for this game. The fact that the frame rate does not exceed 200 FPS even at Low settings suggests that either the game engine has a frame rate cap or that the CPU's single-threaded performance becomes the limiting factor at extreme frame rates. The boost clock of 5.60 GHz is particularly relevant here, as Control's main thread likely benefits from high single-core performance.

The CPU's 125 W TDP and support for both DDR4 and DDR5 memory provide flexibility, though the measured results do not distinguish between memory types. The processor ranks in the 94th percentile of all CPUs, and its nearest rivals — the Ryzen 7 9700F, Ryzen 9 7940HX, and Ryzen 9 7950X — are all within 1% of its aggregate score, indicating that any of these processors would likely produce similar results in Control when paired with the same GPU.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo maintain 60 FPS at 4K Ultra settings in Control?

A: No. The measured average frame rate at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings is 54 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target. To achieve 60 FPS at 4K, the Medium preset (70 FPS average) or High preset (62 FPS average) is required.

Q: What is the best resolution for a 144 Hz monitor with this combo?

A: At 2560x1440, the Medium preset averages 103 FPS, which is the closest to the 144 Hz target among the measured settings. The High preset at 92 FPS is also viable, but neither will fully saturate a 144 Hz display in all scenes.

Q: How does the CPU's single-core performance affect Control's frame rates?

A: The Core i7-14700KF's single-core Cinebench R23 score of 6,235 and boost clock of 5.60 GHz help sustain high frame rates at lower resolutions. At 1080p Low, the system reaches 193 FPS, indicating that the CPU can handle the game's main thread workload without becoming a bottleneck.

Q: Is 16 GB of VRAM sufficient for Control at 4K?

A: Yes. The RX 9070 XT's 16 GB of GDDR6 memory with 644.6 GB/s bandwidth is sufficient for the game at 4K, as evidenced by the playable frame rates at 4K High (62 FPS) and 4K Medium (70 FPS). The game does not appear to exceed this memory capacity at the measured settings.

Q: What is the frame rate variance at 1440p Medium settings?

A: At 2560x1440 with Medium settings, the measured minimum is 88 FPS, the average is 103 FPS, and the maximum is 119 FPS. This represents a 31 FPS spread, with the minimum still well above 60 FPS for a smooth experience.

Q: How does this combo's rank compare to its CPU and GPU individual percentiles?

A: The combo ranks 937th out of 3,720 combos (74.8th percentile) for Control, which is higher than the GPU's 55th percentile but lower than the CPU's 94th percentile. This indicates that the GPU is the limiting factor for this game, as the combo's rank is closer to the GPU's percentile than the CPU's.