Control

The Intel Core i9-14900K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER delivers a playable Control experience, but the data clearly shows that the GPU is the limiting factor at higher resolutions. This combination ranks 2152nd out of 3720 tested combos in this game, placing it in the lower half of the database, though the benchmark results indicate that users can achieve smooth performance by adjusting settings and resolution.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data indicates that the High preset offers the most balanced experience for this specific combo, providing a solid 82 FPS at 1920x1080 and a playable 62 FPS at 2560x1440. While the Low preset is the only option that breaks the 100 FPS barrier at 1080p with 130 FPS, it does so at a significant visual cost that typical users may not accept. The High settings represent the sweet spot for image quality versus performance, as the 42 FPS at 3840x2160 drops below the threshold for smooth gameplay.

For users prioritizing frame rate over fidelity, the Low preset at 2560x1440 yields 98 FPS, which is the highest average among all tested 1440p configurations and only 4 FPS behind the High preset at 1080p. The Medium preset provides a middle ground, with 92 FPS at 1080p and 70 FPS at 1440p, but the minimum FPS readings of 78 and 59 respectively indicate occasional dips that could cause noticeable stuttering during intense action sequences.

The Ultra preset is the most demanding option, delivering 71 FPS at 1080p, 54 FPS at 1440p, and a marginal 36 FPS at 4K. Given that the High preset at 1080p is 11 FPS faster than Ultra while offering most of the visual enhancements, the data suggests that High is the optimal choice for this hardware configuration. At 4K resolution, even the Low preset only manages 66 FPS, which means users targeting 4K should consider lowering other quality settings or accepting a sub-60 FPS experience.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i9-14900K is a flagship desktop processor with 24 cores and 32 threads, running at a 3.20 GHz base clock with a 6.00 GHz boost clock. This Raptor Lake-R architecture chip, built on Intel's 10 nm process, features a substantial 36 MB of shared L3 cache and 80 KB of L1 cache per core. The CPU's benchmark scores are exceptional, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 39399.5 and a single-core score of 2262.5, placing it in the 95th percentile of all CPUs tested.

In the context of Control, a game that does not typically stress multi-core processors heavily, the i9-14900K's immense computational headroom means it is never the bottleneck in this pairing. The data shows that the CPU's benchmark performance is 1.7% ahead of the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 and only 0.3% behind the Intel Core i9-14900KF, indicating that this processor provides more than enough processing power for the game's physics and AI calculations. The PassMark single-thread score of 4697 further reinforces that the CPU can handle the game's primary thread without issue.

The 125 W TDP and 257 mm² die size are notable characteristics, but the benchmark results are the definitive indicator: the i9-14900K's performance ceiling far exceeds what Control demands at any of the tested settings. The Geekbench multi-core score of 21697 and the PassMark multithread score of 58674 demonstrate that this CPU is capable of handling far more demanding workloads than this 2019 Action Adventure title presents. Essentially, the processor is effectively idle in this scenario, allowing the GPU to determine the final frame rates.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER is the definitive performance arbiter in this combination, as its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus provides 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The Turing architecture GPU, built on TSMC's 12 nm process, features 2560 shading units, 160 texture mapping units, and 64 ROPs, with base and boost clocks of 1605 MHz and 1770 MHz respectively. The 40 RT cores and 320 tensor cores enable hardware ray tracing, though the data does not measure its impact on this game's frame rates.

The GPU's benchmark scores position it in the 65th percentile of all GPUs, with a PassMark G3D score of 18169 and a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1651. The nearest rivals show that this GPU is 1% ahead of the NVIDIA Quadro M4000M and 1.5% ahead of the Intel Arc A750, though it trails the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile by 1.2%. These margins are small, indicating that the RTX 2070 SUPER is a mid-range performer by modern standards.

The measured FPS data reveals the GPU's limitations under load. At 1920x1080, the GPU delivers 130 FPS on Low, 92 FPS on Medium, 82 FPS on High, and 71 FPS on Ultra. The scaling from Low to Ultra represents a 45% performance drop, which is typical for a GPU of this class. At 2560x1440, the frame rates decrease by 25-32% across all settings, with Ultra dropping to 54 FPS. The 3840x2160 results are the most telling, with even Low settings only achieving 66 FPS and Ultra falling to an unplayable 36 FPS.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of the Intel Core i9-14900K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER ranks 2152nd out of 3720 tested combos in Control, placing it in the 42nd percentile of all configurations. This ranking is primarily driven by the GPU's modest performance tier, as the CPU is among the fastest available. The data indicates that this pairing is better suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, where it can achieve playable frame rates, rather than 4K gaming, where it struggles.

The combo rank suggests that there are over 1500 other configurations in the database that deliver better performance in this game, which is expected given the RTX 2070 SUPER's age and market position. The GPU's percentile rank of 65 versus the CPU's 95th percentile highlights the significant performance disparity between the two components. Users with this pairing should prioritize GPU upgrades to improve Control performance, as the CPU would not bottleneck even a much faster graphics card.

The deltaPct values from the nearest rivals provide context for the GPU's performance: it is 1.3% behind the Intel Arc B570 and 1% behind the NVIDIA Quadro M4000M, though these differences are within the margin of error for benchmark testing. The CPU's nearest rivals show similarly tight margins, with the i9-14900K being 1.2% behind the AMD EPYC 7413 and 0.6% behind the Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus. These narrow deltas confirm that the i9-14900K is performing as expected at the top of the desktop CPU hierarchy.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 is the optimal resolution, with all settings achieving playable frame rates. The High preset delivers 82 FPS at 1080p, while 2560x1440 High drops to 62 FPS and 3840x2160 High falls to just 42 FPS.

Q: Can this combo handle Ultra settings in Control?

A: Yes, but only at lower resolutions. Ultra settings deliver 71 FPS at 1080p and 54 FPS at 1440p, which are playable. At 4K Ultra, the frame rate drops to 36 FPS, which is below the threshold for smooth gameplay.

Q: How does the RTX 2070 SUPER compare to its nearest competitors?

A: The GPU is 1% faster than the NVIDIA Quadro M4000M and 1.5% faster than the Intel Arc A750, but it is 1.2% slower than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile and 1.3% slower than the Intel Arc B570 in synthetic benchmarks.

Q: Is the Intel Core i9-14900K a bottleneck for this game?

A: No, the benchmark results indicate the CPU is far more powerful than required. It ranks in the 95th percentile of all CPUs and is only 0.3% behind the i9-14900KF, making it effectively a non-factor in this game's performance.

Q: What frame rate can users expect at 1440p with Medium settings?

A: The measured data shows an average of 70 FPS with a minimum of 59 FPS and a maximum of 80 FPS at 2560x1440 Medium settings, which is smooth enough for most players.

Q: Does the combo perform better at 1080p Low or 1440p High?

A: The 1080p Low preset achieves 130 FPS, which is more than double the 1440p High preset's 62 FPS. However, the visual quality difference is substantial, and 62 FPS is still playable for most users.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its strongest performance across all settings. The Low preset achieves an average of 130 FPS, representing the highest frame rate in the entire dataset. Medium settings produce 92 FPS average with a minimum of 78 FPS and maximum of 106 FPS, indicating consistent performance. High settings yield 82 FPS average, while Ultra settings drop to 71 FPS average. The scaling from Low to Ultra at this resolution shows a reduction of 59 FPS, or approximately 45% of the Low preset's performance.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates decrease noticeably. Low settings average 98 FPS, which remains highly playable. Medium settings produce 70 FPS average with a minimum of 59 FPS and maximum of 80 FPS. High settings deliver 62 FPS average, and Ultra settings fall to 54 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at this resolution is 44 FPS, similar in percentage terms to the 1080p results.

At 3840x2160, the combo struggles to maintain playable frame rates. Low settings average 66 FPS, which is the only 4K configuration above 60 FPS. Medium settings produce 47 FPS average with a minimum of 40 FPS and maximum of 54 FPS. High settings drop to 42 FPS average, and Ultra settings fall to 36 FPS average. The data indicates that 4K gaming with this combo requires Low settings or significant compromises in visual quality to achieve acceptable performance. The minimum FPS data for Medium settings at each resolution shows consistent dips: 78 FPS at 1080p, 59 FPS at 1440p, and 40 FPS at 4K, which may cause noticeable stuttering during graphically intense scenes.