Control

Control is a demanding action-adventure title that stresses both the CPU and GPU, but the recorded data for the Intel Core i5-10400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 shows a clear picture of what this combination can deliver. The measurements across three resolutions and four quality presets reveal a system that is highly capable at 1080p, acceptable at 1440p with compromises, and not viable for 4K gaming. The following analysis breaks down the measured FPS, the role of each component, and what the data implies for potential users.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The database contains average FPS readings for this specific CPU and GPU pairing, with no minimum or maximum frame time data recorded. At 1920x1080, the results are strong across the board. The Low preset delivers an average of 106.2 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold. The Medium preset averages 75.0 FPS, and the High preset averages 70.5 FPS. The Ultra preset drops to 59.1 FPS, which is just under the playable threshold of 60 FPS. This means that at 1080p, the user can comfortably use High settings with a healthy margin above the playability line, while Ultra is the only preset that falls short, and only by a small amount.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance decreases noticeably, as expected. The Low preset still provides a solid 80.6 FPS average, making it the only preset at this resolution that clears the 60 FPS bar with confidence. The Medium preset averages 59.9 FPS, which is essentially at the threshold but technically below it. The High preset averages 50.0 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 42.5 FPS. The data shows a clear pattern: at 1440p, the user must drop to Low settings to guarantee a playable experience, while Medium is a borderline case that may be acceptable for some but does not meet the strict 60 FPS standard used in this database.

At 3840x2160, the results are uniformly below the playable threshold. The Low preset averages 52.7 FPS, which is the best result at this resolution but still 7.3 FPS short of 60. The Medium preset averages 38.8 FPS, the High preset averages 34.8 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 31.4 FPS. None of these settings come close to delivering a smooth 60 FPS experience, and even the lowest preset fails to reach the target. The data indicates that 4K is not a viable option for this hardware combination in Control.

The scaling between presets is also informative. At 1080p, moving from Low to Medium costs about 31.2 FPS, from Medium to High costs about 4.5 FPS, and from High to Ultra costs about 11.4 FPS. At 1440p, the jumps are 20.7 FPS from Low to Medium, 9.9 FPS from Medium to High, and 7.5 FPS from High to Ultra. At 4K, the drops are 13.9 FPS from Low to Medium, 4.0 FPS from Medium to High, and 3.4 FPS from High to Ultra. This suggests that the cost of each preset step is not uniform, with the largest single drop occurring between Low and Medium at every resolution.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data reveals how the workload shifts between the CPU and GPU as resolution changes. At 1920x1080, the frame rates are high enough that the GPU is likely the primary bottleneck, but the CPU still has enough headroom to feed the graphics card. The i5-10400F has 6 cores and 12 threads, with a boost clock of 4.30 GHz, which is sufficient for this game based on the benchmark results. However, the transition from 1080p to 1440p shows a significant drop in FPS across all presets, indicating that the GPU is becoming more stressed as pixel count increases.

The scaling between resolutions is stark. For the Low preset, the average FPS drops from 106.2 at 1080p to 80.6 at 1440p, a reduction of 25.6 FPS, and then to 52.7 at 4K, another reduction of 27.9 FPS. For the High preset, the numbers go from 70.5 to 50.0 to 34.8, showing a consistent decline of about 20 FPS per resolution step. This pattern is typical of a GPU-bound scenario, where the rendering load grows faster than the CPU's ability to prepare frames. The CPU roles are less visible in these measurements, but the fact that the 1440p Medium preset hits 59.9 FPS while the 4K Low preset only reaches 52.7 FPS suggests that the GPU is the limiting factor at higher resolutions.

At 1080p with the Ultra preset, the average of 59.1 FPS is just below the threshold, which could indicate that the CPU is starting to play a more noticeable role, but the data does not separate CPU and GPU frame times. The recorded results are aggregate averages, so the component split is inferred from the scaling patterns. The i5-10400F scores well in synthetic benchmarks, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 10283 and a single-core score of 1451, which suggests it has enough processing power for this game at all tested resolutions. The GPU, with 1920 shading units and 30 RT cores, is the more likely bottleneck at 1440p and 4K, where pixel throughput demands increase.

FAQ

Q: Can this PC run Control at 1920x1080 with High settings?

A: Yes. The measured average FPS at 1080p High is 70.5, which is above the 60 FPS playable threshold. The Ultra preset is the only one that falls short at this resolution, with an average of 59.1 FPS.

Q: What is the best settings preset at 2560x1440 for this hardware?

A: The database indicates that Low is the only playable preset at 1440p, with an average of 80.6 FPS. The Medium preset averages 59.9 FPS, which is just below the 60 FPS threshold, so it is not classified as playable under the strict definition.

Q: Is 4K gaming possible with this CPU and GPU combination?

A: No. All four presets at 3840x2160 produce average FPS values below 60, with the best result being 52.7 FPS on Low settings. Even at the lowest preset, the frame rate is not sufficient for a smooth experience.

Q: How does the RTX 2060 compare to other GPUs in the database?

A: The RTX 2060 has an average benchmark score of 15290 and sits in the 58th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals by score are the GeForce GTX 580 (15283, 0% delta), the AMD Radeon 680M (15270, 0.1% delta), the RTX 3050 OEM (15199, 0.6% delta), and the Radeon RX 7600 (15171, 0.8% delta). These are all within 0.8% of the RTX 2060's average score.

Q: What is the CPU's performance tier relative to other processors?

A: The i5-10400F has an average benchmark score of 14185 and is in the 68th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Xeon 6756E (14163, 0.2% delta), the Intel Core 7 160UL (14232, -0.3% delta), the AMD EPYC 7552 (14115, 0.5% delta), and the AMD Ryzen 3 7320C (14277, -0.6% delta). These differences are minimal, indicating similar overall processing capability.

Q: Does this system meet the playable threshold at any resolution with Ultra settings?

A: No. At 1080p Ultra, the average FPS is 59.1, which is below 60. At 1440p Ultra, the average is 42.5, and at 4K Ultra, the average is 31.4. No Ultra preset achieves the 60 FPS target.

The Verdict

The verdict from the database is straightforward: this PC can run Control, but only at certain resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the system clears the 60 FPS threshold on High, Low, and Medium presets, with the High preset delivering 70.5 FPS average. The Ultra preset at 1080p falls just short at 59.1 FPS, so it is not classified as playable. At 2560x1440, the only playable setting is Low, which averages 80.6 FPS. The Medium preset at 1440p averages 59.9 FPS, which is below the threshold, and High and Ultra are significantly lower at 50.0 and 42.5 FPS respectively. At 3840x2160, no preset reaches the 60 FPS mark, with the best being Low at 52.7 FPS. Therefore, the answer is yes for 1080p and 1440p Low, but no for 4K and no for higher presets at 1440p.

The data suggests that this combination is best suited for 1080p gaming, where it can handle High settings with a comfortable margin. For 1440p users, the experience is limited to Low settings for a guaranteed 60 FPS, which may be acceptable for those who prioritize frame rate over visual fidelity. The 4K results are uniformly poor, and users with 4K displays should not expect a playable experience. The Ultra preset at 1080p is a near miss, and users who want to use it may need to accept a slightly lower frame rate or tweak other settings.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database, this specific combination of the Intel Core i5-10400F and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 ranks at position 2980 out of 3720 tested combos for Control. This places it in the lower portion of the overall rankings, but the rank is an aggregate measure across all tested resolutions and presets. The 1080p results are above average for the sample set, while the 4K results drag the overall rank down. The combo rank of 2980 out of 3720 means that roughly 20% of tested systems perform worse than this one in this game, while about 80% perform better. This is not a top-tier setup for Control, but it is far from the bottom.

The ranking reflects the hardware's mid-range positioning. The RTX 2060 is in the 58th percentile of all GPUs, and the i5-10400F is in the 68th percentile of all CPUs, but when combined for this specific game, the system lands below the median combo. This suggests that Control is more demanding than the average game in the database, or that the GPU is the limiting factor more than the CPU. The 1440p and 4K results are particularly weak, which pulls the rank down. For users who only play at 1080p, the system would rank higher, but the database aggregates across all resolutions.

Best Settings per Resolution

The database provides a clear recommendation for the best settings at each resolution based on the 60 FPS threshold. At 1920x1080, the best playable preset is High, which delivers an average of 70.5 FPS. This is the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS at this resolution. The Ultra preset is not playable because it averages 59.1 FPS, just below the threshold. At 2560x1440, the best playable preset is Low, with an average of 80.6 FPS. No higher preset at 1440p reaches the 60 FPS target, as Medium is at 59.9 FPS and High is at 50.0 FPS. At 3840x2160, there is no playable preset, so the database lists no best settings and no average FPS at the best setting.

These recommendations are conservative, as they rely strictly on the 60 FPS threshold. Users with adaptive sync monitors or lower sensitivity to frame rate dips may find the 1440p Medium preset acceptable at 59.9 FPS, but the data does not classify it as playable. Similarly, the 1080p Ultra preset at 59.1 FPS is very close to the target, but it does not meet the stated threshold. The best settings per resolution are therefore High at 1080p and Low at 1440p, with no valid option at 4K.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The nearest rivals for the CPU and GPU provide context for what other hardware would behave similarly to this combination. For the Intel Core i5-10400F, the closest matches by average benchmark score are the Intel Xeon 6756E (14163, 0.2% delta), the Intel Core 7 160UL (14232, -0.3% delta), the AMD EPYC 7552 (14115, 0.5% delta), and the AMD Ryzen 3 7320C (14277, -0.6% delta). These processors all have average scores within 0.6% of the i5-10400F, meaning that in CPU-bound scenarios, they would produce nearly identical frame rates. For Control, where the CPU is not the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions, the impact of swapping to one of these rivals would be minimal.

For the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060, the nearest rivals are the GeForce GTX 580 (15283, 0% delta), the AMD Radeon 680M (15270, 0.1% delta), the RTX 3050 OEM (15199, 0.6% delta), and the AMD Radeon RX 7600 (15171, 0.8% delta). These GPUs have average scores within 0.8% of the RTX 2060, so they would produce almost identical FPS in Control. The GTX 580 is an older card, but the benchmark data shows it performs equivalently in this metric. The Radeon 680M is an integrated GPU, which is surprising, but the numbers support the similarity. The RTX 3050 OEM and RX 7600 are newer parts, but they land in the same performance band as the RTX 2060.

A system pairing the i5-10400F with any of these rival GPUs would likely produce FPS numbers within a few percentage points of the measured results. Conversely, swapping the CPU to one of its rivals while keeping the RTX 2060 would have a negligible effect on frame rates, especially at 1440p and 4K where the GPU dominates. Users looking for a similar experience to this combo could consider these alternatives, but the data shows they are effectively equivalent in terms of average benchmark scores. The measured FPS for Control would be expected to stay within the same range, with the 1080p High preset still clearing 60 FPS and the 4K results still falling short.