Control

The Intel Core i3-12100F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 is a combination that delivers a playable experience in Control at 1080p and 1440p across all tested settings, but it struggles to maintain 60 FPS at 4K on higher presets. Benchmark data shows that the system achieves its best results at 1920x1080 Ultra with an average of 89.3 FPS, while 4K Ultra dips to 46 FPS, making it unsuitable for that resolution at maximum quality. The measured FPS data indicates that the RTX 3070 is the dominant component for this title, as performance scales predictably with resolution and settings, while the quad-core i3-12100F provides sufficient throughput to avoid bottlenecking the GPU at lower resolutions.

FAQ

Q: Can this PC run Control at 60 FPS on 1920x1080 with Ultra settings?

A: Yes. The measured average FPS at 1920x1080 Ultra is 89.3, which is well above the 60 FPS playable threshold. This is the best-performing configuration tested for this combination.

Q: What is the highest playable setting at 3840x2160?

A: The only playable setting at 4K is Low, which delivers an average of 78.4 FPS. Medium averages 59.5 FPS, just under the 60 FPS threshold, while High and Ultra fall to 52.1 and 46 FPS respectively.

Q: How does the RTX 3070 compare to its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT?

A: The RTX 3070 has an average benchmark score of 17208, which is 0.7% higher than the RX 7600 XT's score of 17083. This indicates nearly identical overall performance between the two GPUs.

Q: Is the Intel Core i3-12100F a bottleneck for this game?

A: The data does not indicate a CPU bottleneck. At 1080p Low, the system reaches 159.4 FPS, and at 1440p Low it hits 123.1 FPS, showing the GPU is scaling properly with resolution. The CPU's 68th percentile ranking among all CPUs suggests it is adequate for this workload.

Q: What is the combo's overall ranking among tested systems for Control?

A: This combination ranks 1498 out of 3720 tested combos, placing it in the upper half of all systems tested for this game. This is despite the GPU's 61st percentile ranking and the CPU's 68th percentile ranking.

Q: What settings should be used for a consistent 60+ FPS experience at 2560x1440?

A: All four settings — Low, Medium, High, and Ultra — are playable at 1440p. Ultra averages 67.3 FPS, which is the best playable setting, offering the highest visual quality while still clearing the 60 FPS threshold.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark results show a clear pattern: the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 is the primary performance driver in Control, with the Intel Core i3-12100F playing a supporting role. Evidence for this comes from the frame rate scaling across resolutions. At 1920x1080, dropping from Ultra to Low increases average FPS from 89.3 to 159.4, a 78.5% improvement. At 3840x2160, the same settings change yields an increase from 46 to 78.4 FPS, a 70.4% improvement. This consistent scaling indicates that the GPU is the limiting factor at all resolutions, as reducing graphical load produces proportional gains.

The CPU's influence becomes apparent when examining the ceiling of performance. At 1080p Low, the system hits 159.4 FPS, which is high but not extreme, suggesting the quad-core processor is capable of feeding the GPU adequately at this level. The i3-12100F's multi-threaded performance, as measured by its Cinebench R23 multicore score of 11860, provides enough headroom for Control's action sequences without becoming a bottleneck. The 68th percentile ranking among all CPUs supports this interpretation, as it indicates the processor is above average but not top-tier.

At higher resolutions, the GPU's role becomes even more dominant. The transition from 1440p to 4K at High settings shows a drop from 76.8 to 52.1 FPS, a 32.2% reduction in performance. This aligns with the RTX 3070's memory bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s and 8 GB of GDDR6 memory, which become taxed at 4K resolutions. The CPU's workload remains relatively constant across resolutions, so the frame rate decline is attributable almost entirely to GPU rendering demands. For players targeting 4K, the data suggests the RTX 3070 is the component determining playability, while at 1080p and 1440p, the balance between CPU and GPU is more even, though the GPU still leads.

Measured FPS Breakdown

1920x1080: The system performs exceptionally well at this resolution across all settings. At Low, the average FPS is 159.4, providing a very smooth experience. Medium yields 115.7 FPS, High delivers 103.9 FPS, and Ultra averages 89.3 FPS. All four presets exceed the 60 FPS threshold by a substantial margin, with even the most demanding setting maintaining nearly 90 FPS. The spread between Low and Ultra is 70.1 FPS, showing that players have significant headroom to prioritize visual quality without sacrificing playability.

2560x1440: At 1440p, the system remains fully playable at every preset. Low settings produce 123.1 FPS, Medium reaches 85.2 FPS, High achieves 76.8 FPS, and Ultra averages 67.3 FPS. The jump from Low to Medium represents the largest single-setting drop at 37.9 FPS, while the difference between Medium and Ultra is 17.9 FPS. The Ultra preset clears the 60 FPS threshold by 7.3 FPS, meaning players can enjoy maximum graphical fidelity while maintaining smooth performance.

3840x2160: The 4K results reveal the system's limitations. Low settings deliver 78.4 FPS, which is playable, but Medium drops to 59.5 FPS, just below the 60 FPS threshold. High settings average 52.1 FPS, and Ultra falls to 46 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 32.4 FPS, a significant reduction that demonstrates the GPU's struggle at this resolution. Only the Low preset provides a comfortable margin above the playable threshold, while Medium is borderline and High/Ultra are not recommended for 60 FPS gameplay.

The data shows a consistent pattern of diminishing returns as settings increase. At every resolution, the difference between Low and Medium is larger than the difference between Medium and High, or High and Ultra. This suggests that the most impactful graphical settings are those that change between Low and Medium, and players seeking performance should first reduce settings in this range.

Similar Performance Alternatives

CPU alternatives: The Intel Core i3-12100F has an average benchmark score of 13494, placing it in a tight cluster of comparable processors. The nearest rival is the Intel Core 3 N355 with a score of 13492, a negligible 0% difference, indicating virtually identical overall performance. The Intel Core i5-9500 scores 13452, which is 0.3% lower, while the Intel Core 5 120UL scores 13594, 0.7% higher. The Intel Core i7-1250U completes the group with 13351, 1.1% lower. For Control specifically, any of these CPUs would produce nearly identical frame rates when paired with the RTX 3070, as the GPU is the limiting factor in this configuration.

GPU alternatives: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070's average benchmark score of 17208 is closely matched by three alternatives. The AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT scores 17083, just 0.7% lower, making it the most similar performer. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690 and AMD Radeon HD 7970M score 17037 and 17019 respectively, both 1% lower than the RTX 3070. On the higher end, the NVIDIA Tesla K40c scores 17468, which is 1.5% above the RTX 3070. For Control, players with an RX 7600 XT can expect essentially the same FPS numbers as those measured here, while the GTX 690 and HD 7970M would be slightly slower, and the Tesla K40c marginally faster.

The clustering of these scores suggests that the RTX 3070 sits in a performance tier where small benchmark differences translate to minimal real-world FPS changes. The 0.7% delta between the RTX 3070 and RX 7600 XT, for example, would equate to roughly 1 FPS difference at the measured 1080p Ultra average of 89.3 FPS, which is imperceptible in gameplay.

The Verdict

The data clearly indicates that this PC can run Control, but the experience varies significantly by resolution and settings. At 1920x1080, the system is fully capable, with all four presets — Low, Medium, High, and Ultra — delivering average FPS above 60. The best playable setting is Ultra at 89.3 FPS, which provides the optimal balance of visual quality and performance.

At 2560x1440, the system remains fully playable across all settings. The best playable option is Ultra at 67.3 FPS, which clears the 60 FPS threshold by a comfortable margin. Players can choose any preset at this resolution and maintain smooth gameplay.

At 3840x2160, the system is only playable at Low settings, which average 78.4 FPS. Medium settings fall just short of the threshold at 59.5 FPS, while High and Ultra at 52.1 and 46 FPS respectively are not recommended for 60 FPS gameplay. Players targeting 4K should use Low settings for a playable experience, or accept lower frame rates at higher presets.

The verdict is straightforward: this combination is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, where it excels at maximum settings. At 4K, it requires sacrificing visual quality to maintain playable frame rates. The RTX 3070's 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for 1440p Ultra but become a limiting factor at 4K.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific pairing of the Intel Core i3-12100F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 ranks 1498 out of 3720 tested combinations for Control, placing it in the 60th percentile of all systems tested. This ranking is notable because it exceeds what the individual component percentiles might suggest. The GPU ranks in the 61st percentile among all GPUs, while the CPU ranks in the 68th percentile, yet the combination performs better than 60% of all tested combos.

The ranking indicates that the i3-12100F and RTX 3070 form a well-matched pair for Control. The CPU's strong single-thread performance, evidenced by its Cinebench R23 singlecore score of 1674, complements the GPU's capabilities without creating a bottleneck. The 4-core, 8-thread configuration is sufficient for this title, as the game does not appear to heavily utilize more than four cores based on the measured performance.

Compared to the broader field of 3720 tested combos, this system sits in the upper-middle range. It outperforms lower-end combinations that might pair weaker CPUs or GPUs, but it trails top-tier systems that would feature higher-end processors and graphics cards. For players using this combination, the ranking confirms that Control is a game where this hardware configuration provides a satisfying experience at mainstream resolutions, with the caveat that 4K performance is limited to lower presets. The rank of 1498 suggests that roughly 40% of tested systems deliver better performance, but the measured FPS data shows that this combination still achieves playable frame rates at 1080p and 1440p with maximum settings, which is the primary use case for this hardware tier.