Control

The Intel Core i3-12100F and AMD Radeon RX 9060 combination delivers a playable experience in Control at 1080p and 1440p, but struggles at 4K. At 1920x1080, the data shows a clear path to smooth gameplay, with the Ultra preset averaging 71 FPS, which clears the 60 FPS threshold. The 1440p resolution remains very playable, though the Ultra preset drops to 54 FPS, pushing you down to High settings for a 62 FPS average. At 3840x2160, the situation tightens considerably: only the Low preset reaches 66 FPS, while Medium (47 FPS), High (42 FPS), and Ultra (36 FPS) all fall below playable levels. This is a balanced pairing where the GPU becomes the limiting factor at higher resolutions, but the CPU holds up well enough to keep frame rates consistent across all tested settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 3840x2160, the RX 9060 shows its limits with Control. The Low preset averages 66 FPS, which is just above the 60 FPS playability threshold. Moving up to Medium drops the average to 47 FPS, with a minimum of 40 FPS and a maximum of 54 FPS. High settings produce an average of 42 FPS, and Ultra falls to 36 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium is stark: a 19 FPS drop, indicating that the extra graphical load at 4K overwhelms the 8 GB GDDR6 memory and the 288.0 GB/s bandwidth. Benchmark results suggest that 4K gaming is only viable with the most conservative settings, and even then, the margin above 60 FPS is slim.

The 2560x1440 results present a much more usable picture. Low settings average 98 FPS, providing a large cushion. Medium averages 70 FPS, with a minimum of 59 FPS and a maximum of 80 FPS, meaning you will occasionally dip just below the 60 FPS mark during intense scenes. High settings average 62 FPS, which is playable but leaves little headroom. Ultra drops to 54 FPS, so while it is not unplayable, it falls short of the target. The progression from Low to Ultra is smoother here than at 4K: the difference between Low and Ultra is 44 FPS, compared to a 30 FPS spread at 4K.

At 1920x1080, the combination performs admirably across the board. Low settings hit 130 FPS, Medium averages 92 FPS with a minimum of 78 FPS and a maximum of 106 FPS, High reaches 82 FPS, and Ultra still manages 71 FPS. Every preset clears the 60 FPS threshold, and even the minimum FPS at Medium (78 FPS) stays well above it. The scaling from Ultra to Low is linear and predictable, suggesting the CPU is not a bottleneck here. The i3-12100F, with its 4 cores and 8 threads, provides enough single-thread performance—evidenced by a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1674—to keep frame pacing stable.

FAQ

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

A: No. The measured average FPS at 3840x2160 with High settings is 42 FPS, which is 18 FPS below the 60 FPS playability threshold. You would need to use Low settings to achieve a playable 66 FPS average.

Q: What is the best settings preset for 1440p to stay above 60 FPS?

A: High settings provide a 62 FPS average at 2560x1440, which clears the threshold. Medium settings also work at 70 FPS, but High offers better visual quality while still maintaining playable frame rates. Ultra falls short at 54 FPS.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in this combo?

A: The data suggests the GPU is the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions. At 1080p, the GPU can push 130 FPS on Low settings, but the CPU's multi-threaded performance (Cinebench R23 multicore score of 11860) keeps up with all presets. At 4K, the GPU's compute power (21.43 TFLOPS FP32) is insufficient for High and Ultra presets.

Q: How does the RX 9060 compare to its nearest rival in raw performance?

A: The RX 9060 has an average benchmark score of 16014, which is 0.7% lower than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti (16129). It is also 1% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 7700 (15852). This places it in the same performance tier as those cards.

Q: Does the 8 GB VRAM cause issues at 1080p?

A: No. At 1920x1080, even the Ultra preset averages 71 FPS, so the 8 GB GDDR6 memory is sufficient for this game at this resolution. The memory bandwidth of 288.0 GB/s handles the texture loads without significant frame drops.

Q: What is the playable settings list for 4K?

A: Only Low settings are playable at 3840x2160, with an average of 66 FPS. Medium (47 FPS), High (42 FPS), and Ultra (36 FPS) all fall below the 60 FPS threshold.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Looking at the CPU's nearest rivals, the Intel Core i3-12100F sits at a 68th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 13494. The Intel Core 3 N355 is virtually identical, scoring 13492 with a deltaPct of 0%, meaning you would see no measurable difference in CPU-bound scenarios. The Intel Core i5-9500 is 0.3% slower at 13452, while the Intel Core 5 120UL is 0.7% faster at 13594. The Intel Core i7-1250U is 1.1% faster at 13351. For Control, which relies on solid single-thread performance, any of these CPUs would deliver similar frame pacing, as the game is not heavily multi-threaded based on the 3DMark 2-thread score of 1659 versus the 8-thread score of 4026.

On the GPU side, the AMD Radeon RX 9060 has an average benchmark score of 16014, placing it at the 59th percentile. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is the closest competitor, with a score of 16129 and a deltaPct of -0.7%, meaning the RX 9060 is slightly slower. The AMD Radeon R9 370X and AMD Radeon RX 7700 are both 1% slower, with scores of 15862 and 15852 respectively. The AMD Radeon Pro W5500 lags 2.1% behind at 15679. In practice, swapping the RX 9060 for an RTX 3060 Ti would yield nearly identical FPS in Control—within 1-2 frames at any given settings preset. The RX 7700 would also behave similarly, making these cards viable alternatives if you are looking at comparable performance tiers.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations for Control, this specific pairing of the Intel Core i3-12100F and AMD Radeon RX 9060 ranks 2152 out of 3720 total combos. This places it in the upper-middle tier of all tested systems, roughly in the 58th percentile. The ranking reflects that this is not a top-tier enthusiast setup, but it is far from a low-end configuration. The 1080p Ultra performance of 71 FPS and the 1440p High performance of 62 FPS both indicate a system that can handle modern titles at mainstream resolutions, but the 4K results drag the overall ranking down. For comparison, a combo ranked around 1500 would likely achieve higher 4K averages, while a combo ranked near 3000 would struggle to hit 60 FPS even at 1080p on Medium settings. The rank of 2152 suggests that many other tested systems offer better 4K headroom, but this combo is well-suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming.

The Verdict

Can this PC run Control? Yes, with caveats. At 1920x1080, the system clears 60 FPS on every preset, including Ultra at 71 FPS. This is the resolution where the combo shines, offering smooth gameplay with no compromises. At 2560x1440, the system remains playable on High (62 FPS) and Medium (70 FPS) settings, but Ultra drops to 54 FPS, which is below the threshold. At 3840x2160, only Low settings are playable at 66 FPS; all higher presets fall short of 60 FPS. The verdict by resolution is clear: 1080p is fully playable, 1440p is playable with settings adjustments, and 4K is only viable on the lowest settings. The 132 W TDP of the GPU and the 58 W TDP of the CPU make this an efficient pairing for a mid-range build, but the 8 GB VRAM and 128-bit memory bus limit high-resolution performance.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Low, with an average of 66 FPS. Medium (47 FPS), High (42 FPS), and Ultra (36 FPS) are all unplayable by the 60 FPS standard. If you must play at 4K, Low is your only option, and even then, the 66 FPS average leaves little margin for demanding scenes.

At 2560x1440, the best playable preset is High, averaging 62 FPS. Medium is also a solid choice at 70 FPS, but High offers better visual fidelity while still meeting the threshold. Ultra at 54 FPS misses the mark, so you should stick to High for a balance of quality and performance.

At 1920x1080, Ultra is the best playable preset, averaging 71 FPS. This gives you the full visual experience of Control—including all the particle effects and physics that define the game—without sacrificing smoothness. If you prefer higher frame rates, Medium at 92 FPS and High at 82 FPS are also viable, but Ultra is the clear recommendation for maximum quality at 60+ FPS.