Control

Control is an action-adventure title from 2019 that stresses both the CPU and GPU in different ways depending on resolution. This analysis focuses on the combination of the Intel Core i7-14700KF processor and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 graphics card. The data provided is measured, offering a clear picture of how this pairing performs across three resolutions and four settings presets. The benchmark results show a system that is capable of smooth gameplay at 1080p and 1440p, but which begins to struggle at 4K, particularly when aiming for higher visual fidelity.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a predictable yet significant drop in performance as resolution increases, which is typical for a GPU-bound title like Control. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 124 FPS. Moving to 1440p at the same Low settings, the average drops to 94 FPS, a reduction of 30 FPS or roughly 24%. Scaling further to 4K at Low settings brings the average down to 63 FPS, which is a 49% decrease from the 1440p result and a 49% decrease from the 1080p result. This pattern strongly indicates that the RTX 5050 becomes the primary limiting factor as pixel count increases.

The scaling behavior is even more pronounced at higher settings. At High settings, the average FPS goes from 78 at 1080p to 59 at 1440p, and finally to 40 at 4K. The difference between 1080p and 4K at High settings is a 38 FPS drop, representing a 49% performance loss. This is a substantial hit, and it shows that the game's visual effects at High and Ultra presets place a heavy load on the GPU's shading units and memory bandwidth. The data suggests that while the CPU has enough headroom to feed the GPU at lower resolutions, the GPU's 8 GB of VRAM and 128-bit memory bus become bottlenecks when rendering the higher pixel counts required by 4K.

The transition from Medium to High settings at 4K is particularly telling. The average FPS drops from 45 to 40, a 5 FPS difference. However, the jump from High to Ultra at 4K is more severe, with the average falling from 40 to 35 FPS. This shows that the Ultra preset introduces effects that are disproportionately expensive at high resolutions. In contrast, at 1080p, the drop from High to Ultra is only 10 FPS (78 to 68), suggesting that the GPU has more relative headroom to absorb the extra load when pixel count is lower. Overall, the scaling pattern indicates that 1080p and 1440p are the sweet spots for this combo, with 4K requiring significant compromises in settings to achieve playable frame rates.

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. In the context of Control, this is a powerful processor that is unlikely to be the bottleneck in most scenarios. The game itself, released in 2019, is not known for being particularly CPU-intensive compared to modern titles, and this CPU's high single-core performance, as evidenced by a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 6235, is more than sufficient for the game's physics and AI calculations.

Looking at the benchmark data, the CPU's multi-core strength is substantial, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 44167 and a Passmark multithread score of 52425. This places the processor in the 94th percentile of all CPUs. However, Control does not typically scale well beyond a few cores, meaning that the single-thread performance is more critical for maintaining high frame rates. The processor's single-thread performance, with a Geekbench single-core score of 2578 and a Passmark single-thread score of 4480, ensures that the game logic and rendering commands are processed without delays.

The data suggests that the CPU's role is to provide a stable foundation for the GPU. At 1080p with Low settings, the high average FPS of 124 indicates that the CPU is able to process frames quickly enough to avoid limiting the GPU. However, as the resolution increases to 1440p and 4K, the frame rates drop, which is a clear sign that the GPU is now the limiting component. The CPU's performance doesn't degrade with resolution; it simply has less work to do per frame relative to the GPU's rendering load. The processor's 33 MB of shared L3 cache and support for DDR5 memory help to minimize data transfer bottlenecks, ensuring that the GPU receives a steady stream of frame data. In this pairing, the i7-14700KF is effectively a high-end enabler that allows the RTX 5050 to reach its full potential at lower resolutions.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend heavily on the target resolution and the desired frame rate. For a smooth 60 FPS experience, the data shows clear boundaries. At 1080p, the High preset delivers an average of 78 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold, and even the Ultra preset at 68 FPS remains playable. For players with a 1080p monitor, the High preset offers a good balance of visual quality and performance, while Ultra is viable if the user prioritizes graphics over a higher frame rate buffer.

At 1440p, the situation becomes more nuanced. The High preset yields an average of 59 FPS, which is just shy of the 60 FPS target. The Medium preset, however, provides a comfortable 67 FPS average with a minimum of 57 FPS, making it the recommended choice for a consistent experience. The Low preset at 1440p reaches 94 FPS, which is excellent for high refresh rate monitors, but the visual downgrade may be significant. The Ultra preset at 1440p averages 52 FPS, which is playable but may feel less smooth during intense action sequences.

For 4K, the data indicates that the RTX 5050 is not powerful enough for high-end settings. The Low preset at 4K averages 63 FPS, which is the only preset that breaks the 60 FPS barrier. The Medium preset averages 45 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for fast-paced action. The High and Ultra presets at 4K average 40 FPS and 35 FPS respectively, which may be acceptable for slower, exploration-focused sections but will likely cause noticeable stuttering in combat. Therefore, the recommendation is to use Low settings for 4K, Medium settings for a balance of quality and performance at 1440p, and High or Ultra settings for 1080p, depending on the user's preference for visual fidelity versus frame rate.

FAQ

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

A: Based on the measured data, 1080p offers the most consistently high frame rates, with all presets exceeding 60 FPS. The High preset at 1080p averages 78 FPS, making it a strong choice. 1440p is also viable with Medium settings, which average 67 FPS. 4K is only recommended with Low settings, which average 63 FPS.

Q: Can this combo achieve 60 FPS at 1440p with High settings?

A: The data shows an average of 59 FPS at 1440p with the High preset. This is just below the 60 FPS threshold, so while it is close, it may not maintain a consistent 60 FPS experience. The Medium preset at 1440p averages 67 FPS and would be a safer choice for a locked 60 FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 5050 perform at 4K Ultra settings?

A: The measured data shows an average of 35 FPS at 4K with Ultra settings. This is not a smooth experience and is likely to be problematic during fast-paced gameplay. The 8 GB VRAM and 128-bit memory bus are likely the limiting factors at this high resolution.

Q: Is the Core i7-14700KF a bottleneck for the RTX 5050 in this game?

A: The data does not indicate that the CPU is a bottleneck. At 1080p Low settings, the combo achieves 124 FPS, which shows the CPU can handle high frame rates. The FPS drops at higher resolutions are consistent with GPU limitations, not CPU limitations.

Q: What is the difference in performance between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: The average FPS at 1080p Low is 124, while at 1080p Ultra it is 68. This is a difference of 56 FPS, or roughly 45% lower performance at the Ultra preset. The trade-off is a significant visual improvement for a substantial reduction in frame rate.

Q: Does the combo have enough VRAM for Control at 4K?

A: The GPU has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory. While the game can run at 4K, the performance at Medium settings (45 FPS) and above suggests that the memory capacity and bandwidth are not sufficient for high-quality textures and effects at this resolution without significant frame rate drops.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 is a Blackwell 2.0 architecture GPU with 2560 shading units, 80 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. It has a base clock of 2317 MHz and a boost clock of 2572 MHz. The GPU is equipped with 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 320.0 GB/s. In the context of Control, this GPU is the definitive bottleneck at higher resolutions and settings, as evidenced by the frame rate scaling.

The GPU's performance metrics show a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2502 and a Passmark G3D score of 17326, placing it in the 66th percentile of all GPUs. This indicates a mid-range graphics card that is capable of handling modern games at 1080p and 1440p, but struggles with the demands of 4K. In Control, the GPU's role is to render the game's complex lighting and physics effects, which are heavy on shader and texture processing. The data shows that at 1080p, the GPU can handle the load well, with all presets delivering over 68 FPS. However, the 4K results paint a different picture.

At 4K, the GPU has to process four times as many pixels as at 1080p, and the 8 GB VRAM becomes a limiting factor. The High preset at 4K averages 40 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 35 FPS. This suggests that the GPU's memory bandwidth is saturated, leading to reduced performance. The GPU's FP32 performance is 13.17 TFLOPS, which is respectable, but the 128-bit memory bus is a clear weakness for high-resolution textures. The data from the nearest rivals shows that the RTX 5050 is competitive with the AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT, which is 1.6% faster in average score, but it is behind the NVIDIA RTX A4000 Mobile by 1.6%. This places the GPU in a performance tier that is best suited for 1080p gaming and entry-level 1440p gaming. The measured FPS data confirms this, as the GPU's performance degrades significantly when moving beyond 1440p.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a detailed look at the combo's performance across all tested configurations. At 1920x1080, the results are as follows: Low settings yield an average of 124 FPS, Medium settings average 88 FPS with a minimum of 75 FPS and a maximum of 101 FPS, High settings average 78 FPS, and Ultra settings average 68 FPS. This shows a clear progression of performance loss as visual quality increases, with a 56 FPS difference between Low and Ultra.

At 2560x1440, the data shows: Low settings average 94 FPS, Medium settings average 67 FPS with a minimum of 57 FPS and a maximum of 77 FPS, High settings average 59 FPS, and Ultra settings average 52 FPS. The drop from Low to Ultra is 42 FPS. Interestingly, the difference between High and Ultra is only 7 FPS at this resolution, which is smaller than the 10 FPS difference at 1080p. This suggests that at 1440p, the GPU is becoming more constrained, and the marginal cost of Ultra settings is lower in absolute terms.

At 3840x2160, the results are significantly lower: Low settings average 63 FPS, Medium settings average 45 FPS with a minimum of 38 FPS and a maximum of 52 FPS, High settings average 40 FPS, and Ultra settings average 35 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra is 28 FPS. The minimum FPS at 4K Medium is 38, which is below the 40 FPS average of High, indicating that there are noticeable frame drops during demanding scenes. This data clearly illustrates that the RTX 5050 is not suited for high-refresh-rate 4K gaming in Control, and even medium settings can result in sub-60 FPS performance with occasional dips below 40 FPS.

How This Combo Ranks

In the overall ranking for Control, this combination of the Intel Core i7-14700KF and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 ranks 1756 out of 2888 tested combos. This places it in the bottom half of all tested systems, which is a reflection of the GPU's mid-range performance. The CPU is a high-end part, ranking in the 94th percentile of all CPUs, but the GPU's 66th percentile ranking drags the overall combo down. The rank of 1756 indicates that there are many other combinations that deliver higher frame rates in this game.

The ranking is heavily influenced by the GPU's limitations at higher resolutions. While the CPU is capable of supporting high frame rates, the RTX 5050 cannot consistently deliver smooth performance at 1440p and 4K with high settings. This combo is best suited for 1080p gaming, where it can achieve high frame rates on all presets. For 1440p, it is a viable option for medium settings, but it falls short of the performance needed for high refresh rate monitors. The 4K performance is limited to low settings for a playable experience.

When compared to other potential combinations, the data suggests that pairing this CPU with a more powerful GPU would significantly improve the ranking. The CPU's strong multi-core and single-core performance ensures that it is not a limiting factor, allowing the GPU to be the sole determinant of frame rate. In this case, the RTX 5050's performance in Control is adequate for casual play at 1080p, but it does not leverage the full potential of the i7-14700KF. The rank of 1756 out of 2888 is a fair assessment of this pairing, indicating that it is a balanced but not exceptional system for this specific game.