Control

The Intel Core i7-14700KF paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 delivers a solid 1080p and 1440p experience in Control, but the data shows that 4K Ultra is a stretch. The measured frames per second (FPS) across the resolution and settings grid reveal a system where the GPU is the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions, while the CPU’s strong single-threaded performance keeps lower-resolution framerates high.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent across all settings presets, which points squarely at the RTX 3080 as the limiting factor. At Low settings, the average frame rate falls from 184.4 FPS at 1920x1080 to 95.7 FPS at 3840x2160 — a reduction of roughly 48%. At High settings, the decline is similar, dropping from 118.6 FPS at 1080p to 60.8 FPS at 4K, which is a 49% loss. This halving of performance as pixel count quadruples is the classic signature of a GPU-bound workload. The RTX 3080’s 10 GB of GDDR6X memory and 760.3 GB/s bandwidth are being pushed hard at 4K, and the data indicates that the card simply runs out of headroom.

The scaling pattern also shows that the gap between Medium and High is smaller than the gap between Low and Medium. At 1440p, for instance, Medium nets 99.8 FPS while High drops to 91 FPS — a 9% penalty. But moving from Low (142.7 FPS) to Medium (99.8 FPS) costs 30% of the framerate. This suggests that the Low preset is heavily CPU-limited, allowing the GPU to stretch its legs, while Medium and above start to engage the graphics card more fully. At 4K, the differences compress: Low yields 95.7 FPS, Medium 68.3 FPS, High 60.8 FPS, and Ultra 52.3 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra at 4K is 43 FPS, whereas at 1080p it is 79.5 FPS. The tighter spread at 4K further confirms that the GPU is the ceiling; no matter how light the settings, the render resolution dominates.

For gamers targeting 60 FPS, 4K High is just barely achievable at 60.8 FPS average, but there is no min FPS data to confirm stability. At 1440p, every preset except Ultra clears 90 FPS, with High hitting 91 FPS and Low reaching 142.7 FPS. At 1080p, even Ultra stays above 100 FPS at 104.9 FPS, making this resolution the sweet spot for high-refresh monitors.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700KF is a 20-core, 28-thread processor based on Raptor Lake architecture, with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz. Its benchmark scores are exceptional, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 44557 and a single-core score of 6290. In the CPU percentile ranking, it sits at the 96th percentile, meaning it outperforms 96% of all CPUs tested. The nearest rival, the Intel Core i7-14700K, scores nearly identically at 70074 average benchmark points, with a delta of 0% — the KF variant is essentially the same chip without integrated graphics.

The CPU’s role in Control is most evident at 1080p Low, where the 184.4 FPS result suggests that the processor can feed the GPU far more frames than the RTX 3080 can render at higher settings. The high boost clock of 5.60 GHz is critical for this game’s physics and logic threads, which tend to favor strong single-core performance. The 33 MB of shared L3 cache also helps keep frequently accessed data close to the cores, reducing latency in complex scenes.

However, the data shows that the CPU is not the primary constraint in most tested configurations. At 4K Ultra, the 52.3 FPS result is far below what the i7-14700KF’s computational power could support — the Cinebench R20 multi-core score of 18713 indicates massive headroom. The CPU’s 125 W TDP and dual-channel memory support (DDR4 or DDR5) are sufficient for this workload, and there is no evidence in the FPS data that the processor is struggling. In short, the i7-14700KF is overqualified for Control, ensuring that the GPU is the sole bottleneck across the board.

Settings Recommendations

The measured rows provide a clear hierarchy for optimizing the experience. At 1080p, the High preset is the best balance: 118.6 FPS average is well above the 60 FPS threshold, and it outperforms Medium (135 FPS) by only 12% while offering better visuals. Ultra at 1080p drops to 104.9 FPS, which is still playable but offers diminishing returns over High. For competitive or high-refresh play, Low at 184.4 FPS is the choice, but it sacrifices visual fidelity significantly.

At 1440p, High is again the recommended preset, delivering 91 FPS. Medium at 99.8 FPS is slightly faster, but the visual difference is often worth the 9% performance loss. Ultra at 76.8 FPS is acceptable for those who prioritize image quality, but it begins to approach the 60 FPS comfort zone. Low at 142.7 FPS is excellent for esports-style play, but at this resolution, the graphical downgrade is more noticeable than at 1080p.

At 4K, the decision is tighter. High at 60.8 FPS is the only preset that reliably hits the 60 FPS mark, making it the default recommendation for 4K displays. Medium at 68.3 FPS is a viable alternative for smoother motion, while Low at 95.7 FPS is surprisingly fast but will look noticeably degraded. Ultra at 52.3 FPS is best avoided unless a 50 FPS target is acceptable. Across all resolutions, High is the sweet spot — it consistently outperforms Medium by a small margin while offering better shadows, textures, and effects.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo of the i7-14700KF and RTX 3080 ranks 477th out of 1636 tested combinations in Control, placing it in the top 29% of all systems. This is a strong showing, but it is not elite — the rank reflects the RTX 3080’s age (released in 2020) rather than any CPU deficiency. The GPU’s percentile ranking is 80th among all GPUs, which is respectable but not top-tier, while the CPU sits at the 96th percentile. This disparity confirms that the graphics card is the limiting factor in this pairing.

The combo’s rank of 477 suggests that there are 476 other tested systems that achieve higher average FPS in Control. Most of those will feature newer GPUs with more VRAM or higher memory bandwidth. However, the 1636-combo pool includes many configurations with weaker CPUs, so the i7-14700KF’s contribution to the rank is likely positive. The data indicates that this combo is well-balanced for 1440p gaming, but for 4K, it is only marginally above the median. If the goal is to climb the ranks, upgrading the GPU would yield a larger improvement than swapping the CPU, given the processor’s near-perfect percentile score.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 is built on the Ampere architecture with a GA102 chip, featuring 8704 shading units, 272 texture mapping units, and 96 raster output processors. It has 68 ray tracing cores and 272 tensor cores, which are relevant for Control’s ray-traced reflections and DLSS support, though the measured FPS data does not include ray tracing enabled. The GPU’s boost clock is 1710 MHz, and it has 10 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 320-bit bus, delivering 760.3 GB/s of bandwidth.

In Control, the GPU’s memory capacity is a potential concern at 4K, where texture-heavy scenes can approach the 10 GB limit. The pixel rate of 164.2 GPixel/s and texture rate of 465.1 GTexel/s are adequate for 1440p, but the 4K results show a clear performance cliff. The RTX 3080’s average benchmark score is 35787, with a percentile rank of 80th, placing it near the AMD Radeon RX 7900 GRE (36101, delta -0.9%) and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Mobile (35435, delta 1%). This indicates that the RTX 3080 is still competitive with mid-range modern GPUs, but it is outclassed by high-end 40-series cards.

The data shows that the GPU is the primary determinant of FPS in this game. At 1080p Low (184.4 FPS), the card is not fully utilized, but at 4K Ultra (52.3 FPS), it is clearly maxed out. The 29.77 TFLOPS of FP32 compute is sufficient for the game’s effects, but the 10 GB VRAM and 320-bit bus are the limiting factors at 4K. For 1440p and below, the RTX 3080 performs admirably, but for 4K, users should expect to dial settings down to High or Medium to maintain 60 FPS.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows 1440p High as the optimal balance, delivering 91 FPS. At 1080p, High hits 118.6 FPS, and at 4K, High barely reaches 60.8 FPS.

Q: How does the i7-14700KF compare to its closest rival?

A: The Intel Core i7-14700K scores 70074 average benchmark points, which is virtually identical to the i7-14700KF’s 70104, with a delta of 0%. Both are within 0.4% of the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X.

Q: Is the RTX 3080 sufficient for 4K gaming in this title?

A: Yes, but only at High settings, which average 60.8 FPS. Ultra drops to 52.3 FPS, while Low reaches 95.7 FPS, indicating that the GPU is the bottleneck at 4K.

Q: Does the CPU limit performance at any tested setting?

A: The data suggests the CPU is not a bottleneck. At 1080p Low, the system hits 184.4 FPS, and the i7-14700KF’s 96th percentile ranking indicates it has headroom beyond what the RTX 3080 can use.

Q: What is the FPS difference between Low and Ultra at 1440p?

A: Low averages 142.7 FPS, while Ultra averages 76.8 FPS — a difference of 65.9 FPS, or roughly a 46% reduction when moving to the highest preset.

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

A: It ranks 477th out of 1636 combos, placing it in the top 29%. The GPU’s 80th percentile ranking is the limiting factor, while the CPU’s 96th percentile shows it is not holding the system back.