Control

# Control with Intel Core i7-14700KF + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti

The Intel Core i7-14700KF paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti ranks 1104 out of 1636 tested combos in Control, placing it in the lower-middle tier of the benchmark database. This position reflects a pairing where a top-tier CPU (96th percentile among all processors) meets a mid-range GPU (69th percentile among all GPUs), creating a system that is largely GPU-bound in this title. The CPU's formidable multi-core muscle — a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 44557 — cannot overcome the GPU's 8 GB GDDR6 memory and 16.20 TFLOPS FP32 throughput when rendering Control's physics-heavy environments. The ranking suggests that for this specific game, the GPU is the limiting factor, and users upgrading from weaker CPUs would see minimal gains in Control without a corresponding GPU upgrade.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's 1104th position out of 1636 tested configurations places it in the 33rd percentile of all CPU-GPU pairings for Control. This is a surprisingly modest result given the hardware's individual strengths. The Intel Core i7-14700KF achieves a 96th percentile ranking against all CPUs, sitting within 0.4% of the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X in average benchmark score and essentially tied with the Intel Core i7-14700K (0% delta). Meanwhile, the RTX 3060 Ti's 69th percentile GPU ranking puts it within 0.7% of the AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP — a much older card — suggesting the GPU's raw compute is competitive with modern mid-range options but not exceptional.

In Control specifically, the measured frame rates across all resolutions and settings show a consistent pattern: the system delivers playable framerates at 1080p and 1440p, but struggles at 4K. The data indicates that the combo's rank is dragged down by the 4K Ultra result of 33 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold many users consider smooth. Compared to the GPU's nearest rivals, the RX 6600 (0.5% higher average score) and RX 6700M (0.2% higher), the RTX 3060 Ti's performance in Control is representative of its class — neither a standout nor a laggard. The CPU's nearest rival, the EPYC 9115 (0.3% higher score), would likely not change the outcome, as Control is not CPU-bound at these settings.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides clear guidance for optimal settings. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers 119.9 FPS average, which is the only configuration in the entire dataset that approaches 120 FPS. The Medium preset at 1080p yields 85.8 FPS, and High drops to 76 FPS, while Ultra sits at 66.6 FPS. For 1080p users, the High preset offers the best balance — it maintains a 76 FPS average, comfortably above the 60 FPS standard, while providing substantially better visual fidelity than Low or Medium.

At 2560x1440, the situation changes. The Low preset produces 87.4 FPS, which is excellent, but High drops to 53.7 FPS and Ultra to 51.3 FPS. The Medium preset at 66.7 FPS is the sweet spot here, delivering smooth gameplay while retaining moderate visual quality. For 4K (3840x2160), the results are less encouraging: only the Low preset achieves 61.8 FPS, while Medium drops to 43.3 FPS, High to 40.9 FPS, and Ultra to 33 FPS. The recommendation for 4K is to use the Low preset if 60 FPS is a hard requirement; otherwise, Medium at 43.3 FPS may be acceptable for slower-paced exploration, but High and Ultra are not recommended at this resolution.

FAQ

Q: Is this combo capable of 60 FPS at 1440p in Control?

A: Yes, but only at the Low or Medium presets. The measured results show 87.4 FPS at Low and 66.7 FPS at Medium. The High preset drops to 53.7 FPS, and Ultra to 51.3 FPS, both below the 60 FPS threshold.

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

A: The data shows 1920x1080 provides the most consistent experience, with all presets from Low (119.9 FPS) to Ultra (66.6 FPS) exceeding 60 FPS. At 1440p, only Low and Medium meet 60 FPS, while at 4K, only Low achieves 61.8 FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 3060 Ti compare to its nearest rivals in overall GPU performance?

A: The RTX 3060 Ti's average benchmark score of 25120 is within 0.5% of the AMD Radeon RX 6600 (25235) and 0.2% of the RX 6700M (25180). It trails the AMD Radeon 890M by 0.5% and the RX 580 2048SP by 0.7%.

Q: Does the Core i7-14700KF bottleneck the RTX 3060 Ti in Control?

A: The benchmark data indicates the system is GPU-limited. The CPU ranks in the 96th percentile with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 44557, while the GPU's 69th percentile ranking and the modest frame rates at all resolutions suggest the GPU is the primary constraint.

Q: What is the GPU's memory configuration and how does it affect 4K performance?

A: The RTX 3060 Ti features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus with 448.0 GB/s bandwidth. At 4K, the Ultra preset only achieves 33 FPS, and High reaches 40.9 FPS, indicating that the 8 GB capacity and bandwidth are insufficient for high-detail 4K rendering in Control.

Q: Is this combo better than using a Ryzen 9 9950X with the same GPU?

A: The CPU data shows the i7-14700KF is 0.4% faster than the Ryzen 9 9950X in average benchmark score. However, in Control, the GPU is the bottleneck, so switching CPUs would yield negligible frame rate differences.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the RTX 3060 Ti delivers its strongest results across all presets. The Low preset achieves 119.9 FPS average, making it the only configuration in the dataset to break the 120 FPS barrier. Medium drops to 85.8 FPS, a 28.4% reduction from Low, while High reaches 76 FPS and Ultra 66.6 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra is a 44.4% performance loss, which is consistent with Control's demanding visual effects at higher presets.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance penalty from 1080p is substantial. The Low preset still manages 87.4 FPS, but this is 27.1% slower than the same preset at 1080p. Medium produces 66.7 FPS, High 53.7 FPS, and Ultra 51.3 FPS. The gap between High and Ultra narrows to just 4.5% at 1440p, suggesting that Ultra's additional effects are less demanding than the jump from Medium to High. The 1440p results indicate that users should stick to Low or Medium for competitive play or smooth exploration.

At 3840x2160, the 8 GB memory capacity and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth become critical limitations. The Low preset achieves 61.8 FPS, barely clearing the 60 FPS mark. Medium drops to 43.3 FPS, a 29.9% reduction, while High reaches 40.9 FPS and Ultra falls to 33 FPS. The scaling is steep: from Low to Ultra, performance drops by 46.6%. Notably, the difference between High and Ultra at 4K is 19.3%, which is larger than the 4.5% gap seen at 1440p, indicating that Ultra's settings are disproportionately punishing at higher resolutions.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti, built on the Ampere architecture with the GA104 chip, operates at a base clock of 1410 MHz and a boost clock of 1665 MHz. Its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory runs at 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective) across a 256-bit bus, yielding 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. This memory configuration is the primary bottleneck in Control at higher resolutions, as the 4K results demonstrate a sharp drop-off when moving from Low (61.8 FPS) to Medium (43.3 FPS).

The GPU's 4864 shading units, 152 texture mapping units, and 80 ROPs deliver a pixel rate of 133.2 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 253.1 GTexel/s. These figures explain the 1080p performance, where the GPU can maintain high fill rates. The 38 ray tracing cores and 152 tensor cores are present, but Control's implementation of ray tracing is not reflected in these benchmark results, which use standard rasterization presets.

The GPU's FP32 performance of 16.20 TFLOPS is competitive with mid-range cards, as evidenced by its average benchmark score of 25120, but the 8 GB memory limits its 4K capabilities. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2626 and Passmark G3D score of 20349 place it in the 69th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals — the RX 6700M (-0.2%), RX 6600 (-0.5%), and Radeon 890M (-0.5%) — all have similar average scores, indicating that the RTX 3060 Ti is well-positioned in the mid-range tier.

The GPU's dual-slot design, 200 W TDP, and 550 W suggested PSU are consistent with its performance class. The 12-pin power connector and PCIe 4.0 x16 interface are modern but do not provide a measurable advantage in Control, as the game's engine is more sensitive to memory bandwidth and capacity. The 14 Gbps effective memory speed is a limiting factor at 4K, where the 448.0 GB/s bandwidth cannot keep pace with the data demands of high-resolution textures and effects.