Control

The Intel Core i3-12100F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 is an exceptionally capable combination for Control, delivering playable frame rates at every tested resolution and preset. Benchmark data shows this combo clears the 60 FPS threshold even at 4K Ultra, with an average of 78.8 FPS, making it a top-tier performer for this title. The system ranks 102nd out of 3,720 tested combinations, placing it in the top 2.7% of all configurations, which underscores its strength despite the modest quad-core CPU.

FAQ

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

A: Yes, the system runs Control at 3840x2160 across all four tested presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra). The lowest average frame rate at this resolution is 78.8 FPS on Ultra settings, which is well above the 60 FPS playability threshold.

Q: What is the best settings preset at 1080p for this combo?

A: At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset delivers an average of 153.7 FPS, making it the most demanding preset that still comfortably exceeds 60 FPS. All four presets are playable, with Low hitting 232.5 FPS, Medium at 201.6 FPS, and High at 180.6 FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 5090 compare to its nearest rival in raw benchmark scores?

A: The RTX 5090 has an average benchmark score of 79,842, which is 0.3% higher than the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB (79,605) and 0.6% higher than the Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB (79,396). It also leads the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT by 1.1% and trails the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64X by 1.4%.

Q: Is the Intel Core i3-12100F a bottleneck for the RTX 5090?

A: Despite being a quad-core processor, the i3-12100F holds its own. Its average benchmark score of 13,494 places it in the 68th percentile of all CPUs. It performs nearly identically to the Intel Core 3 N355 (0% delta) and is only 0.3% ahead of the Intel Core i5-9500, suggesting it can feed the GPU adequately in this title.

Q: What frame rates can I expect at 1440p with High settings?

A: At 2560x1440 with High settings, the system averages 136.6 FPS. The Ultra preset still delivers 120.5 FPS, while Medium hits 150.5 FPS and Low reaches 209.5 FPS, all far exceeding the 60 FPS requirement.

Q: Does this combo rank highly among all tested configurations?

A: Yes, the combination ranks 102nd out of 3,720 tested combos in Control. This places it in the top 2.7% of all systems tested, indicating that this pairing is among the most effective for this game.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset is the most demanding option that maintains at least 60 FPS, delivering an average of 153.7 FPS. This represents the highest visual quality available while still providing a massive frame rate cushion above the 60 FPS threshold. The data shows a clear progression: Low runs at 232.5 FPS, Medium at 201.6 FPS, and High at 180.6 FPS, meaning every preset at 1080p is far beyond playable.

For 2560x1440, Ultra remains the best choice, averaging 120.5 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p reduces performance by roughly 21.6% on Ultra (from 153.7 to 120.5 FPS), but the system still has plenty of headroom. High settings at 1440p produce 136.6 FPS, Medium hits 150.5 FPS, and Low reaches 209.5 FPS, all comfortably above the playability threshold.

At 3840x2160, Ultra settings still achieve 78.8 FPS, which is the recommended configuration. This is notable because 4K Ultra is typically the most punishing scenario, yet this combo handles it without dropping below 60 FPS. High settings yield 88.5 FPS, Medium produces 104.5 FPS, and Low reaches 143.3 FPS. The verdict data confirms that all four presets at every resolution are playable, with Ultra being the optimal choice across the board.

CPU and GPU Roles

The performance scaling across resolutions reveals how the RTX 5090 dominates the workload in Control. Moving from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440 on Ultra settings, frame rates drop from 153.7 to 120.5 FPS, a 21.6% reduction. The further step to 3840x2160 on Ultra brings the average down to 78.8 FPS, a 34.6% decrease from 1440p. This pattern indicates that the GPU is the primary driver of performance, as resolution scaling directly impacts the rendering load.

The i3-12100F's role becomes more apparent at lower resolutions and settings. At 1080p Low, the system hits 232.5 FPS, which suggests the CPU is still capable of feeding the GPU at very high frame rates. However, the gap between Low and Ultra at 1080p (232.5 vs 153.7 FPS) shows that the GPU's workload scales significantly with preset quality. The CPU's 4 cores and 8 threads, with a boost clock of 4.30 GHz, appear sufficient to avoid severe bottlenecks, as evidenced by the consistently high frame rates.

Preset scaling provides additional insight. At 4K, moving from Low (143.3 FPS) to Ultra (78.8 FPS) represents a 45% performance hit, which is purely GPU-driven. At 1080p, the same Low-to-Ultra transition (232.5 to 153.7 FPS) shows a 34% reduction, slightly smaller because the CPU begins to play a more significant role at lower resolutions. The data suggests that for users prioritizing maximum frame rates at 1080p, the CPU may limit absolute performance, but at 1440p and 4K, the GPU is the clear determining factor.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For the CPU, the Intel Core i3-12100F's closest rivals in benchmark performance are all within a 1.1% delta. The Intel Core 3 N355 matches its average score of approximately 13,492 with a 0% delta, making it a direct alternative. The Intel Core i5-9500 is 0.3% slower, while the Intel Core 5 120UL is 0.7% faster, and the Intel Core i7-1250U leads by 1.1%. These four processors would deliver nearly identical performance in CPU-bound scenarios, meaning users upgrading from any of these would see negligible differences in Control.

On the GPU side, the RTX 5090's nearest rivals from the benchmark data are primarily professional and workstation cards. The NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB is the closest, with an average score of 79,605, just 0.3% behind the RTX 5090's 79,842. The Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB scores 79,396 (0.6% behind), and the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT scores 78,940 (1.1% behind). The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64X is slightly ahead at 80,959, a 1.4% advantage. While these GPUs may lack the RTX 5090's modern features like ray tracing acceleration or DLSS support, their raw rasterization performance is comparable, meaning frame rates in Control would be similar in non-DLSS scenarios.

The Verdict

This PC can absolutely run Control, and the data shows it excels at every resolution and preset combination tested. At 1920x1080, the verdict lists all four settings as playable, with Ultra delivering 153.7 FPS — more than double the 60 FPS threshold. The 2560x1440 results are equally strong, with Ultra averaging 120.5 FPS and all presets exceeding playability. Even at 3840x2160, the most demanding scenario, Ultra settings hold 78.8 FPS, clearing the 60 FPS requirement with a comfortable 31.3% margin.

The verdictByResolution data confirms that every resolution supports High, Low, Medium, and Ultra presets as playable. The best settings at each resolution are Ultra: 78.8 FPS at 4K, 120.5 FPS at 1440p, and 153.7 FPS at 1080p. This means users can max out the game's visual settings without worrying about frame rate drops below the playable threshold. The only potential concern is the CPU's long-term viability, but for Control specifically, the quad-core i3-12100F proves sufficient. With a 68th percentile CPU ranking and a 92nd percentile GPU ranking, this system represents a lopsided but effective pairing for this title.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i3-12100F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 combination ranks 102nd out of 3,720 tested configurations in Control, placing it in the top 2.7% of all systems. This high ranking is driven almost entirely by the GPU, which sits in the 92nd percentile of all GPUs, while the CPU sits at the 68th percentile. The benchmark data shows that the RTX 5090's massive compute resources — 21,760 shading units, 32 GB of GDDR7 memory, and 1.79 TB/s bandwidth — overwhelm the game's demands, allowing even the modest i3-12100F to achieve elite-level performance.

The rank of 102 out of 3,720 means there are only 101 other combinations in the database that perform better in Control, likely consisting of systems with top-tier CPUs like the Core i9 or Ryzen 9 paired with the same or similar GPUs. The 60 FPS playability threshold is exceeded by a wide margin at all settings, so the practical difference between this combo and higher-ranked ones is minimal — users would need a high refresh rate monitor to notice the gap at 1080p, where the i3-12100F may cap frame rates around 232 FPS on Low settings. For standard 60 Hz or even 144 Hz displays, this combo delivers an exceptional Control experience at any resolution.