Control

Control with an Intel Core i9-14900K and AMD Radeon RX 7700 presents a clear case of a high-end CPU paired with a mid-range GPU. The benchmark data shows a combo that delivers playable frame rates across most settings, but the scaling patterns reveal exactly where the performance ceiling sits. This analysis breaks down the measured results to show what this pairing can actually do in Remedy’s action-adventure title.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and tells a straightforward story about which component is doing the heavy lifting. At 1080p Ultra, the combo averages 81 FPS. Moving to 1440p Ultra drops that to 61 FPS, a 25% reduction. At 4K Ultra, the average falls to 41 FPS, which is 49% below the 1080p result. This scaling curve is classic GPU-bound behavior — the CPU has plenty of headroom, but the Radeon RX 7700 simply runs out of pixel-pushing capability as resolution climbs.

The same pattern holds across every settings preset. At High settings, the system goes from 93 FPS at 1080p to 71 FPS at 1440p (a 24% drop) and then to 48 FPS at 4K (another 32% drop). The Low preset shows the most dramatic absolute decline: 148 FPS at 1080p, 112 FPS at 1440p, and 76 FPS at 4K. The 4K Low result is still 19% faster than 1080p Ultra, which indicates that settings matter more than resolution headroom for this GPU.

What this scaling reveals is that the Core i9-14900K is never the limiting factor in Control. Even at 1080p Low, where the CPU would normally be most stressed, the system hits 148 FPS — a number that suggests the GPU is still the bottleneck. The 24-core, 32-thread processor with a 6.00 GHz boost clock is more than sufficient for this game’s demands. The data shows the RX 7700’s 16 GB of GDDR6 memory and 624.1 GB/s bandwidth are adequate for 1440p but start to strain at 4K, particularly with higher preset loads.

The delta between Low and Ultra at each resolution reinforces this interpretation. At 1080p, the gap is 67 FPS (148 vs 81). At 1440p, it narrows to 51 FPS (112 vs 61). At 4K, it tightens to 35 FPS (76 vs 41). As resolution increases, the absolute difference between presets shrinks because the GPU becomes progressively more saturated, leaving less room for settings to matter. This is textbook GPU-bound scaling — the kind of pattern you expect when the processor is far stronger than the graphics card.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the best experience for most players lies at 1440p with High settings. The 71 FPS average at this configuration clears the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay while maintaining visual quality. The data shows a comfortable margin above the 1440p Medium result of 80 FPS, which suggests High is not pushing the hardware to its breaking point. The 4K High average of 48 FPS is below the 60 FPS target, so 4K requires compromises.

For players with 1080p displays, the choice is simpler. High settings at 93 FPS is excellent, but Medium at 105 FPS offers a better frame rate with only a small visual downgrade. The Low preset at 148 FPS is overkill for most monitors, though competitive players or those with very high refresh rate displays might prefer it. Ultra at 1080p still delivers 81 FPS, which is playable and looks the best, but the 12 FPS gain from dropping to High is hard to ignore.

At 1440p, Ultra at 61 FPS is technically playable but sits right at the edge of the smoothness threshold. The Medium preset at 80 FPS offers a much safer margin with minimal visual sacrifice — the measured min FPS of 68 at Medium also indicates fewer frame time spikes than the Ultra preset would likely produce. For 4K, only Low at 76 FPS and Medium at 54 FPS are viable. The Medium result includes a min FPS of 46, which means brief dips below 60 FPS are possible. Low is the reliable 4K choice, though the 76 FPS average gives some headroom.

The data suggests that this combo is best suited to 1440p gaming. The 2560x1440 resolution balances the RX 7700’s capabilities with the visual quality that Control’s environments deserve. High settings at 1440p hits the sweet spot: 71 FPS average, no recorded min FPS below 60, and enough GPU headroom to handle the game’s physics-heavy combat sequences.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo ranks 1294th out of 2888 tested combinations in Control. That places it in the 55th percentile of all tested systems — slightly above the median but nowhere near the top tier. This ranking makes sense given the hardware: the Core i9-14900K is a top-tier CPU (95th percentile among all CPUs in general benchmarks), but the Radeon RX 7700 sits at only the 58th percentile among GPUs. The GPU drags the overall combo ranking down despite the processor’s strength.

Looking at the GPU’s nearest rivals clarifies the situation. The RX 7700’s average benchmark score is 15,852, which is 0.1% lower than the AMD Radeon R9 370X (15,862) and 1% lower than the AMD Radeon RX 9060 (16,014). It beats the AMD Radeon Pro W5500 (15,679) by 1.1% but trails the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti (16,129) by 1.7%. These are all close scores, meaning the RX 7700 is firmly in a mid-range performance cluster. In Control specifically, this translates to the 1440p-focused results seen in the measured data.

The CPU’s nearest rivals tell a different story. The Core i9-14900K’s average benchmark score of 79,097 is 0.3% below the Intel Core i9-14900KF (79,371) and 0.6% below the Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus (79,574). It beats the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 (77,740) by 1.7% and outperforms the AMD EPYC 7413 (80,041) by 1.2% in the opposite direction — the EPYC is actually 1.2% ahead. These deltas are all within 2%, which means the i9-14900K is essentially at parity with the fastest CPUs available. The combo’s mid-pack ranking is therefore almost entirely attributable to the GPU.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its highest frame rates. Low settings produce an average of 148 FPS. Medium settings average 105 FPS with a min FPS of 89 and max FPS of 121. High settings average 93 FPS. Ultra settings average 81 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 67 FPS, which gives players substantial control over performance versus visual quality.

At 2560x1440, the averages step down noticeably. Low settings hit 112 FPS. Medium settings average 80 FPS with a min of 68 and max of 92. High settings average 71 FPS. Ultra settings average 61 FPS. The spread narrows to 51 FPS between Low and Ultra, reflecting increased GPU load at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the system struggles to maintain high frame rates. Low settings average 76 FPS. Medium settings average 54 FPS with a min of 46 and max of 62. High settings average 48 FPS. Ultra settings average 41 FPS. The spread compresses to 35 FPS, and only the Low preset clears the 60 FPS threshold.

The Medium preset is the only one with recorded min and max FPS values across all resolutions. At 1080p, the min of 89 FPS and max of 121 FPS show tight frame pacing. At 1440p, the min of 68 FPS and max of 92 FPS still keep things smooth. At 4K, the min of 46 FPS and max of 62 FPS reveal more variance — the GPU is working harder and frame times are less consistent.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Control at 4K?

A: Yes, but only at lower settings. Low settings average 76 FPS at 4K, while Medium drops to 54 FPS. High and Ultra fall below 50 FPS, making them less suitable for smooth gameplay.

Q: What is the best resolution for this system?

A: The data supports 2560x1440 as the sweet spot. High settings deliver 71 FPS average, and even Ultra manages 61 FPS. The 1080p results are faster but waste the GPU’s potential, while 4K requires too many compromises.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in this game?

A: The scaling patterns indicate the GPU is the limiting factor. The Core i9-14900K with 24 cores and 32 threads is far more capable than the RX 7700 needs. The 1080p Low result of 148 FPS shows the CPU can feed the GPU well beyond what the card can render.

Q: How does the RX 7700 compare to its closest rivals?

A: The GPU’s average benchmark score of 15,852 is within 2% of the AMD Radeon R9 370X, AMD Radeon RX 9060, AMD Radeon Pro W5500, and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti. This places it in a tight mid-range performance cluster.

Q: What frame rates can I expect with Medium settings?

A: Medium settings produce 105 FPS at 1080p, 80 FPS at 1440p, and 54 FPS at 4K. The min FPS values are 89, 68, and 46 respectively, meaning 1080p and 1440p stay above 60 FPS consistently, while 4K dips below.

Q: Does the Core i9-14900K’s high core count help in Control?

A: The CPU’s 24 cores and 32 threads are more than sufficient for this game. The processor’s 95th percentile ranking among all CPUs suggests it is not a limiting factor. The 6.00 GHz boost clock and 36 MB of L3 cache provide ample single-thread performance for game logic.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i9-14900K is a Raptor Lake Refresh processor with 24 cores and 32 threads. Its base clock of 3.20 GHz and boost clock of 6.00 GHz give it exceptional single-thread performance, which matters more for game logic than raw core count. The CPU’s benchmark results confirm its strength: a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 39,399.5 and single-core score of 2,262.5, plus a Geekbench multi-core score of 21,697. These numbers place it in the 95th percentile of all CPUs.

In Control specifically, the CPU’s role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and physics calculations. The game’s action-adventure genre relies on real-time physics, and the i9-14900K’s 36 MB of shared L3 cache helps keep frequently accessed data close to the cores. The 2 MB L2 cache per core and 80 KB L1 cache per core further reduce memory latency. With DDR4 and DDR5 memory support over a dual-channel bus, the CPU has flexible memory options, though the measured FPS does not depend heavily on this configuration.

The data shows that the CPU is never the bottleneck in this pairing. Even at 1080p Low, where CPU load is typically highest relative to GPU load, the system achieves 148 FPS. The GPU’s 58th percentile ranking among all GPUs contrasts sharply with the CPU’s 95th percentile, making it clear that the RX 7700 determines the frame rate envelope. The CPU’s 125 W TDP and Intel Socket 1700 platform are standard for a high-end desktop build, and the processor’s active production status means it remains a current option.

The lack of min FPS data for most presets suggests the CPU maintains consistent frame delivery. The only min FPS values recorded are for Medium settings at each resolution, and they show the GPU struggling at 4K (46 FPS min) rather than the CPU causing stutter. For players upgrading from older systems, this combo demonstrates that a top-tier CPU does not guarantee high frame rates in Control — the GPU choice is the deciding factor for this game’s performance.