Control

The Intel Core i3-12100F paired with the AMD Radeon RX 9070 delivers a strong performance profile in Control, placing the combo at rank 1134 out of 3720 tested combinations. This position puts it in the upper third of all tested PC configurations, indicating that this pairing is well above the median for running this title. The data shows a system capable of high refresh rates at standard resolutions, with the GPU clearly acting as the dominant performance driver across the board.

How This Combo Ranks

At rank 1134 out of 3720 tested combos, this configuration sits comfortably in the top 30% of all systems benchmarked for Control. This ranking reflects a balanced pairing where the Radeon RX 9070 provides substantial graphics horsepower while the Core i3-12100F offers enough single-thread and multi-thread throughput to avoid becoming a significant bottleneck in most scenarios. The percentile standing of the CPU at 68 and the GPU at 69 against all comparable hardware further confirms that both components are performing at a similar tier relative to their respective markets.

The measured frame rates reinforce this mid-to-high tier positioning. At 1080p, the combo achieves an average of 100 FPS at Ultra settings, which is well above the 60 FPS playable threshold. The scaling from Low to Ultra at this resolution shows a drop from 182 FPS to 100 FPS, a 45% reduction, but even the most demanding preset maintains a comfortable margin above playable. At 1440p, Ultra settings still deliver 75 FPS on average, demonstrating that this system has headroom for high-fidelity gaming at the most common high-resolution monitor format. The only resolution where the combo struggles to maintain 60 FPS across all presets is 4K, where Ultra dips to 51 FPS and High sits at 59 FPS, though Medium and Low remain comfortably playable.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Using the nearestRivals data for both components, several alternative pairings would produce nearly identical results in Control. On the CPU side, the Intel Core i3-12100F benchmarks within 0.3% of the Intel Core i5-9500, meaning users with that older six-core processor would see virtually indistinguishable performance in this game. The Intel Core 3 N355 is the closest match with a delta of 0%, making it a direct equivalent in terms of processing power. The Intel Core 5 120UL trails by 0.7%, while the Intel Core i7-1250U is ahead by 1.1%, but all four CPUs fall within a narrow performance band that would produce negligible differences in frame rates.

On the GPU side, the AMD Radeon RX 9070 shows a 0.6% lead over the NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN Z and a 1.1% advantage over the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Mobile. The AMD Radeon RX 6800S is 0.8% faster, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER leads by 1.2%. These deltas are all within the margin of measurement error, meaning any of these GPUs paired with a comparable CPU would deliver essentially the same gaming experience in Control. For a user considering upgrades or replacements, swapping the RX 9070 for an RTX 2080 SUPER or RX 6800S would maintain nearly identical performance, while moving to a Core i5-9500 instead of the i3-12100F would have no measurable impact on frame rates.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark data reveals a clear division of labor between the two components, with the GPU acting as the primary determinant of performance at all tested resolutions. At 1080p, moving from Low to Ultra settings reduces average FPS from 182 to 100, a 45% performance cost that is entirely attributable to increased graphics workload. The CPU maintains its role as a stable foundation, with the 4-core/8-thread design providing sufficient throughput to feed the RX 9070 without creating a visible ceiling at lower resolutions where frame rates are highest.

The scaling between resolutions further emphasizes GPU dominance. At High settings, the transition from 1080p to 1440p reduces average FPS from 115 to 87, a 24% drop, while moving from 1440p to 4K further reduces performance to 59 FPS, another 32% decline. This pattern holds across all presets: at Medium, 1080p yields 129 FPS, 1440p yields 98 FPS, and 4K yields 66 FPS. The consistent percentage drops across resolutions indicate that the RX 9070's memory bandwidth and compute resources are the limiting factor as pixel count increases, with the CPU's contribution remaining constant.

The CPU's role becomes more apparent at the lowest resolution and highest frame rates. At 1080p Low, the combo reaches 182 FPS, a figure that approaches the limits of what the i3-12100F's single-thread performance can sustain in a physics-heavy action game like Control. However, even at this extreme, the system does not exhibit a hard CPU bottleneck, as the measured frame rates remain consistently high. The 58W TDP and 4.30 GHz boost clock of the i3-12100F are sufficient to keep pace with the RX 9070's output, and the 12 MB of shared L3 cache helps maintain low latency in game logic calculations.

The Verdict

This PC can run Control with playable frame rates at all three tested resolutions, though the preset ceiling varies significantly. At 1920x1080, the system clears the 60 FPS threshold at every settings level, with Ultra averaging 100 FPS, Medium at 129 FPS, and Low at 182 FPS. This makes 1080p gaming entirely unrestricted, allowing users to enable maximum visual fidelity without sacrificing smoothness. The 2560x1440 resolution is also fully playable across all presets, with Ultra achieving 75 FPS and Medium reaching 98 FPS, providing a solid high-refresh experience at a common gaming resolution.

The 3840x2160 resolution presents the only limitations. At this resolution, the system achieves playable frame rates at Low (93 FPS) and Medium (66 FPS), but High drops to 59 FPS and Ultra falls to 51 FPS, both below the 60 FPS threshold. The data indicates that the best playable preset at 4K is Medium, which maintains an average of 66 FPS with a minimum of 56 FPS, keeping the experience smooth enough for most players. For users with 4K displays, dropping to Medium settings or reducing the resolution to 1440p will ensure consistent performance above the playable threshold.

FAQ

*Q: Can this system run Control at 60 FPS on Ultra settings at 1080p?*

A: Yes. At 1920x1080 with Ultra settings, the combo achieves an average of 100 FPS, well above the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Q: What is the highest playable preset at 4K resolution?

A: At 3840x2160, the Medium preset is the most demanding that stays at or above 60 FPS, averaging 66 FPS with a minimum of 56 FPS. High and Ultra fall below 60 FPS.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from 1080p to 1440p at High settings?

A: The average frame rate drops from 115 FPS at 1920x1080 to 87 FPS at 2560x1440, a 24% reduction in performance.

Q: Is the Core i3-12100F or the RX 9070 the limiting factor at lower resolutions?

A: The GPU is the primary performance driver at all resolutions tested. At 1080p Low, the combo reaches 182 FPS, but even this high frame rate does not reveal a significant CPU bottleneck, as the i3-12100F's single-thread score of 893 in 3dmark is sufficient for the game's demands.

Q: How does this combo compare to a system with an RTX 2080 SUPER?

A: The RX 9070 is 1.2% slower than the RTX 2080 SUPER based on average benchmark scores, meaning the two GPUs would produce nearly identical frame rates in Control when paired with comparable CPUs.

Q: What minimum FPS can be expected at 1440p Medium settings?

A: At 2560x1440 with Medium settings, the system delivers an average of 98 FPS with a minimum of 83 FPS and a maximum of 112 FPS, ensuring consistent performance above the playable threshold.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset is the most demanding option that maintains playable performance, delivering an average of 100 FPS. This allows users to enable all visual features without any compromise, as even the highest quality settings provide a 40 FPS margin above the 60 FPS threshold. At 2560x1440, Ultra settings also remain the best choice, averaging 75 FPS, which provides a smooth experience with room for occasional dips during intense combat sequences.

For 3840x2160, the Medium preset is the optimal balance between visual quality and performance, achieving an average of 66 FPS with a minimum of 56 FPS. While High settings are nearly playable at 59 FPS, the Medium preset provides a more consistent experience that stays at or above the playable threshold for the majority of gameplay. The data shows that users with 4K displays should select Medium settings to avoid frame rate drops below 60 FPS, while those at 1440p or 1080p can enjoy maximum quality without concern.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its highest performance across all presets. Low settings produce an average of 182 FPS, Medium averages 129 FPS with a minimum of 110 FPS and maximum of 148 FPS, High averages 115 FPS, and Ultra averages 100 FPS. These results show a clear progression where each settings tier costs roughly 15-20% in frame rate, but even the most demanding preset remains far above playable.

Moving to 2560x1440, performance scales down proportionally. Low settings average 137 FPS, Medium averages 98 FPS (min 83, max 112), High averages 87 FPS, and Ultra averages 75 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at this resolution is 62 FPS, representing a 45% reduction, but every preset maintains at least a 15 FPS margin above the 60 FPS threshold.

At 3840x2160, the system begins to show its limits. Low settings still deliver a strong 93 FPS average, and Medium maintains playability at 66 FPS (min 56, max 76). However, High drops to 59 FPS and Ultra falls to 51 FPS, both below the playable threshold. The data shows that 4K gaming is viable with this combo only at Medium or Low settings, with Medium being the recommended choice for visual quality while maintaining smooth performance. The measured frame rates across all resolutions and presets demonstrate a system that excels at 1080p and 1440p but requires settings adjustments for 4K play.