Control

The Intel Core i9-14900K paired with the Intel Arc B570 presents a fascinating case study in Control’s benchmark data. This combination, ranking 2307 out of 2888 tested combos, shows a system that is heavily constrained by the graphics card at higher resolutions, yet reveals the raw potential of the CPU when the load shifts. The data indicates a pairing where the processor is never the bottleneck, but the GPU’s limits define the experience across all settings.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS data across resolutions paints a clear picture of where the performance ceiling lies. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 101 FPS. Moving to 1440p at the same Low settings drops the average to 76 FPS, a substantial 25 FPS reduction. Scaling up to 4K at Low settings further reduces the average to 51 FPS. This progression shows that even at the lowest graphical fidelity, the demand on the rendering hardware increases significantly with pixel count.

The scaling from 1080p to 4K becomes even more dramatic when looking at higher settings. With High settings, the average FPS falls from 63 at 1080p to 48 at 1440p, and then to 32 at 4K. This represents a 49% performance drop from 1080p to 4K on High settings. The trend is consistent with Ultra settings, where the frame rate plummets from 55 FPS at 1080p to 28 FPS at 4K—a near 50% reduction in performance.

These numbers suggest that Control is exceptionally sensitive to resolution scaling with this hardware. The consistent, steep drops at each resolution step indicate that the Intel Arc B570's rendering pipeline, specifically its pixel throughput and memory bandwidth, is the limiting component. The CPU, with its high core count and boost clocks, is not the constraint here. The data shows that the game becomes progressively more demanding on the GPU as resolution increases, and the Arc B570's 10 GB of VRAM and 380.0 GB/s bandwidth are simply not enough to maintain high frame rates at 4K. The gap between Low and Ultra settings at 4K is 44%, but the gap between 1080p and 4K at any given setting is consistently larger, confirming that resolution is the dominant factor in performance degradation for this combo.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best resolution to play Control with this hardware configuration?*

A: Based on the measured FPS, 1920x1080 is the only resolution where the combo consistently achieves playable frame rates. At 1080p, even Ultra settings maintain an average of 55 FPS, while Low settings reach 101 FPS. The 1440p and 4K results fall below 60 FPS for most settings, with 4K only reaching 51 FPS on Low.

Q: How much of a performance difference is there between Low and Ultra settings?

A: The difference is significant across all resolutions. At 1080p, Ultra settings are 46 FPS slower than Low settings (55 vs 101 FPS). At 1440p, the gap is 34 FPS (42 vs 76 FPS), and at 4K, the difference narrows to 23 FPS (28 vs 51 FPS). This suggests that higher settings impact performance more at lower resolutions.

Q: Is the Intel Core i9-14900K or the Intel Arc B570 the bottleneck in this game?

A: The data strongly indicates the GPU is the bottleneck. The i9-14900K has a very high average benchmark score of 79097 and ranks in the 95th percentile of all CPUs. In contrast, the Arc B570's percentile is 65. The FPS drops consistently with resolution increases, which is a classic sign of GPU limitation rather than CPU constraint.

*Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming in Control?*

A: Not at acceptable performance levels. The best 4K result is 51 FPS on Low settings, which dips to 32 FPS on High and 28 FPS on Ultra. These frame rates are below the standard 60 FPS target for smooth gameplay, indicating that 4K is not a viable option for this game with this GPU.

Q: How does the Arc B570 compare to its nearest rival in terms of raw GPU power?

A: The Arc B570 has an average benchmark score of 20556. Its closest rival, the Intel Arc A750, scores 20582, a delta of -0.1%, meaning the B570 is essentially on par with the A750. It is also within 0.5% of the NVIDIA Quadro M4000M and AMD Radeon R9 M390X, showing it is a mid-range performer.

Q: What is the performance difference between the CPU with a 14900KF versus the 14900K?

A: The Intel Core i9-14900K has an average score of 79097, while the i9-14900KF scores 79371. This represents a delta of -0.3% for the 14900K, meaning the KF variant is marginally faster in synthetic benchmarks. This difference is negligible in real-world gaming scenarios.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B570 is the defining component in this system's Control performance. Its specifications show a mid-range card with a 10 GB GDDR6 memory pool on a 160-bit bus, yielding a bandwidth of 380.0 GB/s. The GPU has a base and boost clock of 2500 MHz, and its 2304 shading units work to process the game's visuals. The data reveals that these specifications are adequate for 1080p gaming but insufficient for higher resolutions.

The measured FPS shows a clear pattern: the GPU's performance is heavily taxed by resolution. At 1080p, the card can deliver 101 FPS on Low, but this drops to 63 FPS on High. The fact that the card has 10 GB of VRAM is likely sufficient for 1080p, but at 4K, the memory bandwidth of 380.0 GB/s becomes a limiting factor. The game's textures and effects at 4K require more data to be moved, and the GPU's bus width is not wide enough to keep up.

The benchmark results for the GPU itself—a Passmark G3D score of 14195 and a 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 2649—position it in the 65th percentile of all GPUs. This is a mid-pack performer, and the Control results reflect this. The GPU's nearest rival, the Arc A750, has a nearly identical average score (20582 vs 20556), and the performance in-game likely mirrors this similarity. The B570's pixel rate of 200.0 GPixel/s and texture rate of 360.0 GTexel/s are respectable, but they are not enough to overcome the demands of 4K rendering in a game like Control, which uses heavy post-processing effects. The data indicates that the GPU is the primary factor limiting the combo's rank to 2307 out of 2888.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of the combo's performance across all settings and resolutions. At 1920x1080, the results are the most varied. Low settings produce an average of 101 FPS, making it the only configuration to break the 100 FPS mark. Medium settings average 71 FPS, with a minimum of 61 and a maximum of 82. High settings average 63 FPS, and Ultra settings average 55 FPS. This shows a smooth scaling from Low to Ultra, with each step costing roughly 8-10 FPS.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance drops noticeably. Low settings still manage an average of 76 FPS, but Medium settings fall to 54 FPS, with a minimum of 46 and a maximum of 62. High settings average 48 FPS, and Ultra settings drop to 42 FPS. The pattern is consistent, but the gaps between settings are narrower, suggesting that the GPU is becoming the primary bottleneck. The difference between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 34 FPS, compared to 46 FPS at 1080p.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is clearly overwhelmed. Low settings average 51 FPS, which is the only 4K result above 50. Medium settings average 36 FPS, with a minimum of 31 and a maximum of 42. High settings drop to 32 FPS, and Ultra settings average just 28 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 4K is severe: at High settings, the FPS drops from 63 to 32, a 49% reduction. At Ultra settings, the drop is from 55 to 28, a 49% reduction as well. This data confirms that the Arc B570 is not a 4K-capable card for this title, and even 1440p requires compromises on settings to maintain playable frame rates.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo of the Intel Core i9-14900K and Intel Arc B570 ranks 2307 out of 2888 tested combinations in Control. This places it in the bottom 20% of all tested systems, which is a poor result for a CPU that is in the 95th percentile of all processors. The ranking is a direct consequence of the GPU's mid-range performance, as the CPU's power is rendered irrelevant by the graphics card's limitations.

The rank suggests that while the CPU is capable of handling the game's physics and logic, the GPU cannot keep up with the rendering demands. The i9-14900K has a Passmark multithread score of 58674 and a single-thread score of 4697, which are top-tier numbers. However, the Arc B570's Passmark G3D score of 14195 is just average. In a game like Control, where the GPU is the primary bottleneck, the CPU's potential is wasted.

The delta between this combo and others is stark. The CPU's nearest rivals, such as the i9-14900KF, have nearly identical scores, but the GPU's rivals, like the Arc A750, are also close in performance. This indicates that the combo's rank is not due to a specific misconfiguration, but rather the inherent limitations of the Arc B570. The 2888 total combos tested include systems with much more powerful GPUs, and the data shows that the B570 simply cannot compete with higher-end cards in this game. The rank of 2307 is a clear signal that this pairing is best suited for 1080p gaming.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i9-14900K is a powerhouse processor that is not the limiting factor in this configuration. With 24 cores (8 performance and 16 efficiency) and 32 threads, it offers massive multi-threading capabilities. Its base clock of 3.20 GHz and boost clock of 6.00 GHz ensure high single-thread performance, which is crucial for gaming. The CPU has a large 36 MB L3 cache, which helps reduce latency when accessing frequently used data.

In synthetic benchmarks, the i9-14900K scores 39399.5 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 2262.5 in single-core. Its Geekbench scores are 21697 multi-core and 2655 single-core. These scores place it in the 95th percentile of all CPUs, confirming its top-tier status. The nearest rival, the i9-14900KF, is only 0.3% faster on average, showing that the 14900K is essentially at the peak of desktop performance.

However, in Control, the CPU's power is underutilized. The measured FPS data shows that the GPU is the bottleneck, as performance scales directly with resolution. The CPU's role is to feed the GPU with data, and with 32 threads, it has more than enough capacity to do so. The Passmark physics score of 3140 and data compression score of 792694 indicate that the CPU can handle complex calculations without breaking a sweat. The game's engine, which is known for its physics-based destruction, benefits from the CPU's high core count, but the frame rate is ultimately capped by the GPU's rendering capabilities. The data shows that the i9-14900K is a future-proof component that will not hold back a more powerful GPU in this game.