Control

The Intel Core i7-14700KF paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 delivers a robust Control experience across all tested resolutions, but the data reveals a clear shift in bottleneck behavior as pixel count rises. This combination ranks 393rd out of 1636 tested combos, placing it comfortably in the top quarter of systems for this title. The benchmark results show that at 1080p, the system is heavily CPU-bound, while at 4K, the GPU becomes the primary limiting factor, a classic pattern for a high-core-count processor paired with a mid-range enthusiast graphics card.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is substantial and tells a clear story about component balance. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 122.1 FPS at 1920x1080 to 92.7 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of 29.4 FPS, and then further down to 65.1 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 46.7% performance loss when moving from 1080p to 4K at High settings, which is a significant but expected decline for a GPU in this class.

The scaling pattern indicates that the RTX 4070 is the limiting factor at higher resolutions. At 1080p, the 190.3 FPS Low setting result shows the CPU can push frames well beyond what the GPU can sustain at higher quality presets. The gap between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p is 81.9 FPS (from 190.3 down to 108.4), which is a massive spread that highlights how much headroom the i7-14700KF provides. By 4K, that same Low-to-Ultra gap narrows to 41.8 FPS (97.4 down to 55.6), indicating the GPU is now the dominant constraint, as the resolution increase demands more from the rasterization and memory subsystems than from the processor.

Data suggests that at 4K, the CPU is no longer the bottleneck. The 4K Low result of 97.4 FPS is only 45.7% faster than the 4K Ultra result of 55.6 FPS, whereas at 1080p, Low is 75.6% faster than Ultra. This compression of performance scaling at 4K is the signature of a GPU-bound scenario, where the RTX 4070's raw throughput and memory bandwidth are the deciding factors rather than the 20 cores and 28 threads of the i7-14700KF.

GPU Role

The RTX 4070 features 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus, providing 504.2 GB/s of bandwidth. This memory configuration is adequate for Control at all tested settings, but the data shows that Ultra settings at 4K push the GPU to its limits. The 4K Ultra average of 55.6 FPS is the lowest result in the entire dataset, and it is 17.1% slower than the 4K High result of 65.1 FPS, indicating that the extra graphical fidelity of Ultra comes at a steep cost.

The GPU's boost clock of 2475 MHz and base clock of 1920 MHz, combined with its 5888 shading units, deliver strong raw compute performance. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 3854 and Passmark G3D score of 26927 confirm the card's position in the market, though its percentileVsAllGpus of 81 shows it is not a top-tier part. The nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks include the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 with an average score of 37507, which is 0.6% ahead, and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile at 38135, which is 2.2% ahead. These deltas are small, suggesting the RTX 4070 sits in a tight performance band.

In practical gaming terms, the GPU's role becomes dominant at 1440p and 4K. At 2560x1440 High, the system achieves 92.7 FPS, which is playable but not high-refresh territory. At 1920x1080 Ultra, the 108.4 FPS result is smooth, but the GPU is clearly working hard to maintain that frame rate given the CPU could likely deliver far more if the settings were lowered. The 4K Low result of 97.4 FPS is notable — it shows that even with reduced graphical load, the RTX 4070 cannot break the 100 FPS barrier at 4K, underscoring its limitations at that resolution.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700KF is a 20-core, 28-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, with a boost clock of 5.60 GHz and a base clock of 3.40 GHz. This CPU is clearly not the limiting factor in Control at any resolution tested. The 1080p Low result of 190.3 FPS demonstrates the processor's ability to feed the GPU with frames far beyond what the RTX 4070 can render at higher settings.

The CPU's benchmark scores reinforce its high-end positioning. A Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 44557 and single-core score of 6290 place it among the top desktop processors. Its percentileVsAllCpus of 96 means it outperforms 96% of all CPUs in the database. The nearest rival, the Intel Core i7-14700K, has an average score of 70074, which is effectively identical (0% delta), while the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X is 0.4% faster at 70420. This shows the 14700KF is at the peak of consumer CPU performance.

In Control, the CPU's role is most evident at 1080p, where the gap between Low and Ultra settings is 81.9 FPS. This large spread indicates that the processor can deliver far more frames than the GPU can handle when graphical load is low. At 1440p, the Low-to-Ultra gap narrows to 62.3 FPS (143.7 down to 81.4), and at 4K it compresses to 41.8 FPS. This trend confirms that the i7-14700KF has ample headroom for this game, and the RTX 4070 is the component that determines playable frame rates at higher resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of the i7-14700KF and RTX 4070 achieves a combo rank of 393 out of 1636 tested combos in Control. This places the system in the top 24% of all configurations tested for this game, which is a strong result given the GPU's mid-range positioning. The rank reflects the balance between a top-tier CPU and a capable but not flagship GPU.

The ranking suggests that for Control, this combo delivers a high level of performance that will satisfy most gamers, but it will not compete with systems using higher-end GPUs. The 4K Ultra result of 55.6 FPS is the weakest point, and it is this result that likely keeps the combo from ranking higher. At 1080p and 1440p, the system performs admirably, with 1440p High hitting 92.7 FPS and 1080p Ultra hitting 108.4 FPS, both of which are excellent for smooth gameplay.

The data indicates that this combo is well-suited for 1440p gaming, where it can maintain high frame rates at High and Medium settings. At 4K, the system is playable at High settings (65.1 FPS) but will require lowering settings to Medium or Low for a more comfortable margin above 60 FPS. The combo rank of 393 out of 1636 shows that while many systems outperform it, a significant majority of tested combinations deliver worse results in Control.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows 2560x1440 at High settings delivers 92.7 FPS, which is the sweet spot for smooth gameplay. At 4K High, the average drops to 65.1 FPS, which is playable but closer to the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from 1080p to 4K at High settings?

A: The average FPS falls from 122.1 at 1080p to 65.1 at 4K, a reduction of 57.0 FPS or 46.7% of the 1080p performance.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor at 4K Ultra?

A: The 4K Ultra result of 55.6 FPS is the lowest in the dataset, and the small gap between Low (97.4 FPS) and Ultra at 4K indicates the GPU is the primary bottleneck at this resolution.

Q: How does this combo compare to the i7-14700K in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The i7-14700KF has an average benchmark score of 70104, while the i7-14700K scores 70074, a delta of 0%. They are effectively identical in performance.

Q: What frame rate can be expected at 1080p with Low settings?

A: The measured average FPS at 1920x1080 with Low settings is 190.3 FPS, which is the highest result in the entire dataset for this combo.

Q: Is the RTX 4070's 12 GB VRAM sufficient for Control at 4K?

A: The data shows playable frame rates at 4K High (65.1 FPS) and 4K Medium (70.6 FPS), indicating the 12 GB GDDR6X memory is adequate for this game at these settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 3840x2160 (4K), the average frame rates are as follows: Low settings yield 97.4 FPS, Medium drops to 70.6 FPS, High further reduces to 65.1 FPS, and Ultra produces 55.6 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 41.8 FPS, with each step up in settings costing a significant number of frames.

At 2560x1440 (1440p), the results show more headroom: Low settings achieve 143.7 FPS, Medium hits 105.3 FPS, High maintains 92.7 FPS, and Ultra still delivers 81.4 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra here is 62.3 FPS, demonstrating that the GPU is less constrained at this resolution.

At 1920x1080 (1080p), the system performs at its best: Low settings deliver 190.3 FPS, Medium reaches 138.3 FPS, High sustains 122.1 FPS, and Ultra provides 108.4 FPS. The Low-to-Ultra gap of 81.9 FPS is the largest of any resolution, confirming the CPU's ability to push high frame rates when the GPU is not the limiting factor.

The complete dataset shows a consistent pattern: as resolution increases, the performance gap between settings narrows, and the absolute frame rates decrease. For a target of 60 FPS or higher, this combo achieves it at all settings and resolutions except for 4K Ultra, which falls just short at 55.6 FPS. For 1440p gaming, all settings exceed 80 FPS, making this an excellent configuration for high-refresh-rate monitors at that resolution.