Control

The Intel Core i3-12100F and AMD Radeon RX 7700 combination targets Control, the data shows the CPU sits at the 68th percentile among all processors, with an average benchmark score of 13,494, placing it is a mid-range interpretation of "similar performance alternative" — the nearest rival is the Intel Core 3 N355, which scores 13,492, a delta of 0%. The Core i5-9500 trails by 0.3% at 13,452, while the Intel Core 5 120UL comes in at 13,594, which is 0.7% higher, and the Intel Core i7-1250U reaches 13,351, a 1.1% deficit. For practical gaming purposes, these four CPUs would deliver nearly indistinguishable frame pacing in CPU-bound scenes, since the score spread is under 2%. The GPU counterpart, the RX 7700, ranks at the 58th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 15,852. Its nearest rival is the AMD Radeon R9 370X at 15,862, a delta of -0.1%, meaning the RX 7700 is essentially tied with that older card in aggregate benchmarks. The AMD Radeon RX 9060 scores 16,014, which is 1% higher, while the AMD Radeon Pro W5500 is 1.1% lower at 15,679. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti leads this group by 1.7% at 16,129. In terms of raw performance parity, a system with any of these GPUs paired with any of the rival CPUs would likely produce similar average frame rates in Control, though the CPU's 4-core/8-thread configuration might become a limiting factor in scenes with heavy physics or AI.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The benchmark data identifies a tight cluster of CPUs around the Core i3-12100F. The Intel Core 3 N355 matches it almost exactly, with a delta of 0% and an average score of 13,492 versus 13,494. The Intel Core i5-9500, a six-core part from an older generation, scores 13,452, just 0.3% behind. The Intel Core 5 120UL is 0.7% ahead at 13,594, while the Intel Core i7-1250U leads this group by 1.1% at 13,351. For Control, these differences are within measurement noise; any of these CPUs would provide the same level of single-threaded responsiveness for the game's rendering threads. On the GPU side, the RX 7700's nearest rival is the AMD Radeon R9 370X, which scores 15,862, a 0.1% gap. The AMD Radeon RX 9060 is 1% faster at 16,014, the AMD Radeon Pro W5500 is 1.1% slower at 15,679, and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is 1.7% faster at 16,129. In a game like Control, which relies heavily on GPU rasterization and memory bandwidth, the RTX 3060 Ti would be the closest alternative in terms of frame rate behavior, while the R9 370X's older architecture might show different performance scaling at higher resolutions due to its smaller memory bus.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that maintains at least 60 FPS is Ultra, which runs at an average of 81 FPS. This is the highest quality setting available in the test suite, and it clears the 60 FPS threshold with a 21 FPS margin. The High preset runs at 93 FPS, Medium at 105 FPS, and Low at 148 FPS, but Ultra is the recommended setting because it provides the maximum visual fidelity while remaining comfortably playable. Moving to 2560x1440, the data shows that Ultra also clears 60 FPS, with an average of 61 FPS. This is a marginal pass, just 1 FPS above the playability threshold, but it is still the best settings choice. High runs at 71 FPS, Medium at 80 FPS, and Low at 112 FPS. At 3840x2160, the picture changes dramatically. The most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Low, which achieves an average of 76 FPS. Medium drops to 54 FPS, High falls to 48 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 41 FPS. Therefore, for 4K gaming, the user must sacrifice visual quality to Low to maintain smooth frame rates.

CPU and GPU Roles

The scaling between resolutions and presets reveals distinct roles for the CPU and GPU in Control. At 1920x1080, the CPU's performance is more prominent because the GPU has headroom to render frames quickly. The difference between Low and Ultra is 67 FPS (148 to 81), indicating that the GPU is the primary bottleneck when settings increase, as the RX 7700's shading units and texture units are taxed more heavily. However, the Core i3-12100F's 4 cores and 8 threads are sufficient to feed the GPU at this resolution, as even Ultra stays above 80 FPS. At 2560x1440, the GPU's load increases, and the gap between Low and Ultra narrows to 51 FPS (112 to 61). The CPU still keeps up, but the RX 7700's memory bandwidth of 624.1 GB/s becomes more critical. At 3840x2160, the GPU is clearly the dominant component. The difference between Low and Ultra is 35 FPS (76 to 41), and even the Low preset only reaches 76 FPS, suggesting that the GPU's pixel rate of 236.1 GPixel/s and texture rate of 393.4 GTexel/s are stretched thin. The CPU's role diminishes at 4K, as the frame rate is capped by the GPU's ability to fill pixels, not by the CPU's ability to issue draw calls. Across all resolutions, the CPU's 3DMark scores, such as 4,051 for 16 threads and 893 for single-thread, indicate it is adequate for the game's logic, but the GPU's performance scaling drives the overall frame rate.

The Verdict

The data shows that this PC can run Control, but the experience varies significantly by resolution. At 1920x1080, all four presets — Low, Medium, High, and Ultra — are playable, with Ultra averaging 81 FPS and Low at 148 FPS. This is the ideal resolution for this combo, as the RX 7700 has enough power to handle the game's max settings comfortably. At 2560x1440, the verdict is also positive: all presets clear 60 FPS, with Ultra at 61 FPS, High at 71 FPS, Medium at 80 FPS, and Low at 112 FPS. The Ultra preset is a borderline pass, but it is technically playable. At 3840x2160, the situation is more constrained. Only the Low preset achieves an average of 76 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS threshold. Medium (54 FPS), High (48 FPS), and Ultra (41 FPS) all fall below playable frame rates. Therefore, the system can run the game at 4K only with reduced settings, and users should expect to lower quality to Low for a smooth experience. In summary, the combo is fully capable of 1080p and 1440p gaming at maximum settings, and it can handle 4K at the lowest preset.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a detailed view of performance across all settings. At 1920x1080, the Low preset averages 148 FPS, with no min or max values recorded. Medium averages 105 FPS, with a minimum of 89 FPS and a maximum of 121 FPS. High averages 93 FPS, and Ultra averages 81 FPS. The Medium preset's min/max range of 89-121 FPS shows a 32 FPS spread, indicating some frame time variability during intense scenes. At 2560x1440, Low averages 112 FPS, Medium averages 80 FPS with min/max of 68/92 FPS, High averages 71 FPS, and Ultra averages 61 FPS. The Medium preset's min of 68 FPS is still above the 60 FPS threshold, but the Ultra preset's average of 61 FPS suggests that dips below 60 FPS are possible, although no min value was recorded for Ultra. At 3840x2160, Low averages 76 FPS, Medium averages 54 FPS with min/max of 46/62 FPS, High averages 48 FPS, and Ultra averages 41 FPS. The Medium preset's min of 46 FPS and max of 62 FPS reveal a wide variance, meaning that even at Medium settings, there will be periods of stutter despite the average being below the playable threshold. The lack of min/max data for most presets means that the averages are the primary reference, but the available min/max values indicate that frame pacing is more consistent at lower resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i3-12100F and AMD Radeon RX 7700 ranks at position 1,756 out of 3,720 tested combos in Control. This places it in the upper half of all systems tested, specifically at roughly the 47th percentile (1,756 divided by 3,720). The rank reflects the balanced performance of the CPU and GPU, where the CPU's 68th percentile standing and the GPU's 58th percentile standing combine to produce a mid-tier result for this specific game. The fact that the combo ranks below the individual component percentiles suggests that Control's engine is more sensitive to GPU performance than CPU performance, or that the 4-core CPU limits the GPU in certain scenarios. This rank is derived from actual measured FPS data, not synthetic benchmarks, so it directly reflects real-world gameplay performance. For context, if a user were to upgrade either component, the rank would likely improve, but the current configuration is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p gaming, as evidenced by the playable settings at those resolutions.

FAQ

Q: Can this PC run Control at 4K resolution with high settings?

A: No. At 3840x2160 with High settings, the average FPS is 48, which is below the 60 FPS playable threshold. The only playable preset at 4K is Low, which averages 76 FPS.

Q: What is the best settings preset for this combo at 2560x1440?

A: The best settings preset is Ultra, which averages 61 FPS. This is the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS, as High (71 FPS), Medium (80 FPS), and Low (112 FPS) are also playable but offer lower visual quality.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rival in terms of benchmark scores?

A: The Intel Core i3-12100F scores 13,494 on average. The Intel Core 3 N355 scores 13,492, a 0% delta, making it the closest rival. The Intel Core i5-9500 scores 13,452, which is 0.3% lower.

Q: What is the highest FPS recorded for this combo in Control?

A: The highest average FPS is 148, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings. The maximum FPS recorded is 121, which occurs at 1920x1080 with Medium settings.

Q: Is the GPU or CPU more important for performance at 3840x2160?

A: The GPU is more important at 4K. The frame rate drops from 76 FPS at Low to 41 FPS at Ultra, a 35 FPS difference, while the CPU's workload remains relatively constant. The RX 7700's pixel rate of 236.1 GPixel/s is the limiting factor.

Q: What is the combo's overall rank among all tested systems?

A: The combo ranks 1,756 out of 3,720 tested combinations in Control. This places it in the upper half of systems tested, though not in the top tier.