Control

Similar Performance Alternatives

The Intel Core i3-12100F sits in a tightly contested performance band according to the database's aggregate benchmarks. Its average benchmark score of 13494 places it within 1.1% of several comparable processors. The nearest rival, the Intel Core 3 N355, scores 13492, a delta of 0%: effectively identical performance. The Intel Core i5-9500 trails by a mere 0.3% with a score of 13452, while the Intel Core 5 120UL leads by 0.7% at 13594. The Intel Core i7-1250U rounds out the group at 13351, a 1.1% deficit. For practical purposes, any of these CPUs would deliver nearly indistinguishable frame pacing in CPU-bound scenarios within Control, given the measured deltas are all under 1.5%.

The Intel Arc B370 presents a more stark comparison. Its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1184 places it at the 5th percentile of all GPUs, a very low standing. The nearest rivals are all legacy discrete parts: the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 scores 1186 (0.2% faster), the ATI Radeon HD 5770 scores 1190 (0.5% faster), and the AMD Radeon HD 7650M scores 1192 (0.7% faster). The AMD FirePro M2000 trails at 1168, a 1.4% deficit. These deltas indicate that the Arc B370's rendering throughput is essentially equivalent to a family of graphics solutions from roughly a decade earlier. Users familiar with any of those GPUs should expect similar frame rates in Control, all of which fall far short of demanding 60 FPS targets at common resolutions.

CPU and GPU Roles

Benchmark results across resolutions reveal that the GPU is the dominant bottleneck for this combination in Control, with the CPU's influence being nearly negligible at every tested setting. At 3840x2160, the average FPS ranges from 17 at Ultra to 30 at Low. At 2560x1440, the range shifts to 25 at Ultra and 45 at Low. At 1920x1080, the range expands to 32 at Ultra and 59 at Low. The scaling between resolutions is consistent: dropping from 4K to 1440p improves performance by roughly 45% to 47% across matching settings (e.g., High goes from 19 to 28 FPS, Medium from 21 to 32 FPS, Low from 30 to 45 FPS, Ultra from 17 to 25 FPS). Moving from 1440p to 1080p yields further gains of approximately 32% to 48% depending on the preset.

These scaling patterns are characteristic of a GPU-limited scenario. The i3-12100F, with its 4 cores and 8 threads, has ample headroom for Control's engine at these frame rates; the recorded data shows no scenario where the CPU's multi-threaded workload would constrain output. The Arc B370's memory subsystem being "System Shared" and bandwidth being "System Dependent" further reinforces that the GPU's throughput, not CPU compute, defines the performance ceiling. Even at 1080p Low, where the average FPS reaches 59, the GPU is still the limiting factor; the CPU would need to be far more powerful to expose any CPU-side constraint at those frame rates, and the i3-12100F is not that.

The preset scaling within each resolution also points to GPU dominance. At 1080p, moving from Low (59 FPS) to Medium (42 FPS) costs 17 FPS, and from Medium to High (37 FPS) costs another 5 FPS. At 1440p, the same transitions cost 13 FPS and 4 FPS respectively. At 4K, Low to Medium costs 9 FPS, and Medium to High costs 2 FPS. This diminishing sensitivity to settings at higher resolutions is the classic signature of a GPU that is saturated by pixel fill rate and shading load, not by CPU instruction throughput.

FAQ

Q: Can this combination achieve 60 FPS at any resolution in Control?

A: No. The recorded data shows that no tested resolution and settings combination reaches 60 FPS. The closest is 1920x1080 at Low settings, which averages 59 FPS.

Q: What is the best playable settings configuration?

A: According to the verdict data, there are no playable settings at any resolution, because the playable threshold is defined as 60 FPS and every measured average falls below that.

Q: How much performance does the Arc B370 lose compared to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The Arc B370 scores 1184 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12. The nearest rival, the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570, scores 1186, which is 0.2% faster. The ATI Radeon HD 5770 is 0.5% faster at 1190, and the AMD Radeon HD 7650M is 0.7% faster at 1192. The AMD FirePro M2000 is 1.4% slower at 1168.

Q: At which resolution does the frame rate drop below 20 FPS?

A: At 3840x2160, the Ultra preset averages 17 FPS, and the High preset averages 19 FPS. The Medium preset at 4K averages 21 FPS with a minimum of 18 FPS and a maximum of 25 FPS.

Q: How does the i3-12100F compare to the Intel Core 3 N355?

A: The i3-12100F has an average benchmark score of 13494, while the Core 3 N355 scores 13492. The delta is 0%, indicating essentially identical aggregate performance.

Q: What is the frame time consistency at 1080p Medium?

A: At 1920x1080 with Medium settings, the average FPS is 42, with a minimum of 36 and a maximum of 48. This 6 FPS spread between min and average suggests moderate frame time variance.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i3-12100F paired with the Intel Arc B370 ranks 3436 out of 3720 tested combinations in Control. This places the combo in the bottom 7.6% of all configurations in the database. The rank reflects the GPU's severe limitation: the Arc B370's 5th percentile standing among all GPUs drags the overall result down despite the CPU's 68th percentile ranking among all CPUs. The combination's performance is therefore constrained almost entirely by the graphics subsystem. Users comparing this combo to others in the database should expect it to be outclassed by the vast majority of alternatives, particularly those with mid-range or higher GPUs. The only combos that rank lower would feature GPUs with even less rendering capability, which given the Arc B370's position relative to decade-old parts, would be a narrow set.

The Verdict

This PC cannot run Control at a playable 60 FPS at any resolution or preset tested. The verdict data lists no playable settings for 3840x2160, 2560x1440, or 1920x1080. The highest recorded average FPS is 59 at 1080p Low, which misses the 60 FPS threshold by a single frame. At 1080p Medium, the average drops to 42 FPS. At 1440p, the best case is 45 FPS at Low, and at 4K, the best case is 30 FPS at Low. None of these configurations approach the playable threshold. The frame rates are consistent with the GPU's low percentile ranking and its equivalence to GPUs from an earlier era. Users seeking 60 FPS in Control would need to significantly upgrade the GPU, as the CPU is not the limiting factor. The i3-12100F, with its 68th percentile standing, has sufficient compute for this title; the Arc B370, at the 5th percentile, does not.

Best Settings per Resolution

The database records no "best settings" for any resolution, because the playable threshold of 60 FPS is never met. However, the most demanding preset that comes closest to the threshold at each resolution can be identified from the measured data:

At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 30 FPS, which is the highest frame rate at that resolution. No other preset at 4K exceeds 21 FPS (Medium). At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 45 FPS, again the best available, with Medium at 32 FPS and High at 28 FPS. At 1920x1080, the Low preset averages 59 FPS, effectively at the threshold, with Medium at 42 FPS. For users who prioritize visual quality over frame rate, the Medium preset at each resolution offers a balance: 21 FPS at 4K, 32 FPS at 1440p, and 42 FPS at 1080p. But for the closest approach to playability, Low is the only viable choice, and even then only at 1080p does it nearly reach 60 FPS.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 3840x2160, the Ultra preset averages 17 FPS, High averages 19 FPS, Medium averages 21 FPS with a minimum of 18 and maximum of 25, and Low averages 30 FPS. The spread from Ultra to Low is 13 FPS, a 76% improvement when dropping all settings to their lowest.

At 2560x1440, Ultra averages 25 FPS, High averages 28 FPS, Medium averages 32 FPS with a minimum of 27 and maximum of 37, and Low averages 45 FPS. The improvement from Ultra to Low is 20 FPS, an 80% gain.

At 1920x1080, Ultra averages 32 FPS, High averages 37 FPS, Medium averages 42 FPS with a minimum of 36 and maximum of 48, and Low averages 59 FPS. The gain from Ultra to Low is 27 FPS, an 84% improvement. The min/max data for Medium at 1080p shows a 12 FPS range, which is the widest recorded spread across all resolutions at that preset. At 1440p Medium, the range is 10 FPS (27 to 37), and at 4K Medium, the range is 7 FPS (18 to 25). This suggests that frame time consistency degrades as resolution decreases, likely due to the GPU being less saturated at lower pixel counts and thus more variable in its output.