Control

Control, the 2019 action-adventure title, presents an interesting case study for the Intel Core i9-14900K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 combination. The measured frame rates across resolutions and settings reveal a system that is overwhelmingly GPU-bound at higher quality presets, but which also demonstrates the CPU's ability to push exceptionally high frame rates at lower settings. The data indicates a pairing that delivers a consistently smooth experience, with the RTX 4080's capabilities being the primary determinant of performance at 4K, while the i9-14900K's 24 cores and 6.00 GHz boost clock ensure that even at 1080p Low, the system is capable of reaching 246 FPS. The following analysis breaks down the measured results, contextualizes them against the hardware's theoretical benchmarks, and provides recommendations based solely on the provided data.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core i9-14900K is a 24-core, 32-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, with a base clock of 3.20 GHz and a boost clock of 6.00 GHz. In the context of Control, a game that is not typically known for heavy multi-threaded CPU demands, this processor provides a massive amount of headroom. The benchmark results for the CPU show 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. This high single-core performance is often more relevant for gaming than raw multi-core power, as game logic and physics threads frequently rely on fewer, faster cores.

When examining the measured FPS data, the CPU's influence becomes most apparent at lower resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the system achieves an average of 246 FPS. This high frame rate is a direct reflection of the CPU's ability to feed the GPU with draw calls and game state updates quickly enough to avoid becoming a bottleneck. Conversely, at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average FPS drops to 69, a figure that is far below what the CPU is theoretically capable of supporting. This indicates that at higher resolutions, the rendering load on the GPU becomes the limiting factor, and the CPU's potential is left largely untapped. The data suggests that the i9-14900K is more than sufficient for this title, providing a performance ceiling that is only reached at very high frame rates, while the GPU's workload dictates the experience at higher visual fidelity.

FAQ — 4-6 Q&A pairs answerable from FACT PACK data

Q: What is the highest average frame rate recorded for this combination in Control?

A: The highest average frame rate recorded is 246 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: How does the CPU's performance compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Intel Core i9-14900K has an average benchmark score of 79097, which is 0.3% lower than the Intel Core i9-14900KF (79371) and 1.7% higher than the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 (77740). It also trails the AMD EPYC 7413 (80041) by 1.2%.

Q: What is the lowest average frame rate observed, and under what conditions?

A: The lowest average frame rate observed is 69 FPS, which occurs at 3840x2160 resolution with Ultra settings.

Q: Is there a significant performance difference between Medium and High settings at 1440p?

A: Yes, the data shows a noticeable difference. At 2560x1440, Medium settings produce an average of 132 FPS, while High settings produce an average of 118 FPS, representing a 14 FPS drop.

Q: What is the GPU's percentile ranking among all tested GPUs?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is in the 86th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 54247.

Q: How does the RTX 4080's benchmark score compare to the RTX 4080 SUPER?

A: The RTX 4080 has an average score of 54247, which is 0.1% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER's score of 54209.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured FPS data across resolutions provides a clear picture of how the system scales with increasing pixel count. Starting at 1920x1080 with High settings, the average FPS is 156. Moving to 2560x1440 at the same settings, the average drops to 118, a reduction of 38 FPS or approximately 24%. Scaling further to 3840x2160, the average falls to 79 FPS, a 77 FPS drop from 1080p and a 39 FPS drop from 1440p. This pattern of diminishing returns as resolution increases is a classic indicator of a GPU-bound scenario.

The trend is even more pronounced when examining the Low settings preset. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 246 FPS. At 1440p Low, it drops to 186 FPS, and at 4K Low, it hits 126 FPS. The fact that the frame rate continues to drop significantly with each resolution increase, even at Low settings, strongly suggests that the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is the primary performance limiter. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect the frame rates at 1080p and 1440p to be much closer, as the rendering resolution would have less of an impact on the CPU's workload. The data shows a consistent and substantial FPS penalty for every step up in resolution, which is the signature of a system where the GPU's fill rate and shading power are the determining factors for performance in Control.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

The following breakdown details the exact average frame rates measured for this hardware combination, organized by resolution and settings preset.

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its highest performance. With Low settings, the average FPS is 246. Moving to Medium settings, the average drops to 175 FPS, with a minimum of 149 FPS and a maximum of 201 FPS. High settings yield an average of 156 FPS. The most demanding preset, Ultra, produces an average of 135 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the performance scales down accordingly. The Low settings preset averages 186 FPS. Medium settings result in an average of 132 FPS, with a minimum of 113 FPS and a maximum of 152 FPS. High settings bring the average down to 118 FPS. Ultra settings at this resolution average 102 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the rendering load on the GPU is highest. The Low settings preset still manages an average of 126 FPS. Medium settings produce an average of 89 FPS, with a minimum of 76 FPS and a maximum of 103 FPS. High settings average 79 FPS. Finally, Ultra settings at 4K yield the lowest average of 69 FPS.

This data shows a clear and consistent hierarchy: for any given resolution, the average FPS decreases as settings increase from Low to Ultra. The spread between Low and Ultra is substantial, with a 111 FPS difference at 1080p (246 vs 135), an 84 FPS difference at 1440p (186 vs 102), and a 57 FPS difference at 4K (126 vs 69).

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is a high-end graphics card built on the Ada Lovelace architecture, featuring 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, with a bandwidth of 716.8 GB/s. Its boost clock is rated at 2505 MHz. The card's theoretical performance is substantial, with an FP32 compute rating of 48.74 TFLOPS and a pixel rate of 280.6 GPixel/s. In the context of Control, these specifications are more than adequate, as evidenced by the measured frame rates. The GPU's 16 GB of VRAM is unlikely to be a limiting factor at any of the tested settings, as the game's texture and geometry data for 4K Ultra presets fits comfortably within this capacity.

The benchmark data for the RTX 4080 shows a Passmark G3D score of 34457 and a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 6567. Its average benchmark score is 54247, placing it in the 86th percentile of all GPUs. The performance scaling observed in the measured FPS data aligns with the GPU's role as the primary bottleneck. As resolution and settings increase, the demands on the GPU's shading units, texture mapping units, and ROPs increase, leading to the observed FPS drops. For instance, the jump from 1440p High (118 FPS) to 4K High (79 FPS) represents a 33% reduction in frame rate, which is consistent with a GPU that is working progressively harder to fill the additional pixels. The RTX 4080's capabilities ensure that even at the most demanding preset, 4K Ultra, the game remains playable with an average of 69 FPS.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings preset depends heavily on the user's target resolution and refresh rate. For a 1080p display with a 144Hz or 165Hz refresh rate, the High preset at 1920x1080, which averages 156 FPS, is an excellent choice. It provides a significant visual upgrade over Medium while maintaining frame rates well above 144 FPS. The Ultra preset at this resolution, averaging 135 FPS, is also viable for a 120Hz display, but the 21 FPS gain from dropping to High is likely worth the minor visual compromise.

For users with a 1440p display, the High preset at 2560x1440, which averages 118 FPS, offers the best balance. It delivers a smooth experience on high-refresh-rate monitors and looks substantially better than Medium. The Ultra preset at 102 FPS is also a strong contender for 100Hz displays, and the 16 FPS difference between High and Ultra might be acceptable for those who prioritize maximum visual fidelity. At 4K, the High preset at 3840x2160, averaging 79 FPS, is the recommended choice for a smooth experience. The Ultra preset, at 69 FPS, is playable but comes close to the 60 FPS threshold, making High a safer option for maintaining consistent frame pacing.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The Intel Core i9-14900K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 combination ranks 241st out of 3720 tested combos in Control. This places the setup in the top 6.5% of all tested hardware configurations for this game. This high ranking reflects the strength of both components. The CPU's position in the 95th percentile and the GPU's position in the 86th percentile of their respective benchmarks contribute to a pairing that is well-suited for the game's demands.

The data implies that while this is a very high-performing combination, there are 240 other combos that have achieved higher average FPS in Control. These are likely to include configurations with more powerful GPUs, such as the RTX 4090, or possibly combinations where an even stronger CPU is paired with the RTX 4080. The rank of 241 out of 3720 suggests that the RTX 4080, while excellent, is not the absolute fastest card available, and the CPU, while top-tier, is not the single most powerful gaming processor. However, the combination's position in the upper echelon of results confirms that it is a formidable pairing for this title, delivering performance that will satisfy the vast majority of users, especially when considering the balance between high frame rates at 1080p and 1440p and excellent playability at 4K.