Control

The Intel Core i5-12400 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 delivers a robust performance profile for Control, with the data indicating that this combination is well-suited for high-refresh-rate gaming at 1440p and 1080p, while 4K requires a slight compromise in visual fidelity. Across the measured resolutions, the RTX 3080's 10 GB of GDDR6X memory and 760.3 GB/s bandwidth provide substantial headroom, and the i5-12400's six P-cores and 12 threads handle the game's physics and logic without becoming a bottleneck at lower resolutions. The benchmark results show a clear scaling pattern: as resolution drops, frame rates climb steeply, revealing a system that is GPU-bound at 4K but increasingly CPU-capable at 1440p and 1080p.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 3840x2160, the RTX 3080 produces playable but not always silky-smooth results. With Low settings, the average frame rate reaches 95 FPS, which is comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold and provides a responsive experience. Moving to Medium settings, the average drops to 67.5 FPS, still clearing the playable bar with a margin of 7.5 FPS. High settings yield an average of 58.7 FPS, which falls just below the 60 FPS target, indicating that the most demanding scenes will introduce perceptible stutter. Ultra settings at 4K are the most taxing, with an average of 51.3 FPS, representing a 31.4% performance loss compared to Medium settings. The data shows that at 4K, the GPU is the primary constraint, as the gap between Low and Ultra is 43.7 FPS, a substantial range that users can exploit to prioritize frame rate or visual quality.

At 2560x1440, the performance picture improves significantly. Low settings produce an average of 142.9 FPS, which is 47.9 FPS higher than at 4K Low, demonstrating the resolution's impact on GPU load. Medium settings average 102.8 FPS, a 35.3 FPS increase over 4K Medium. High settings reach 89.5 FPS, and even Ultra settings maintain an average of 76.4 FPS, which is 25.1 FPS above the 60 FPS threshold. The spread between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 66.5 FPS, indicating that the RTX 3080 has enough headroom to handle even the most demanding preset without dropping below playable levels. This resolution appears to be the sweet spot for balancing visual fidelity and frame rate, as every settings tier clears the playable threshold.

At 1920x1080, the system demonstrates its peak performance. Low settings average 183.7 FPS, which is a 40.8 FPS increase over 1440p Low, showing that the CPU's single-thread performance of 910 in 3dmark_single_thread and 2257 in cinebench_r23_singlecore becomes more relevant at this resolution. Medium settings average 134 FPS, High settings reach 115.6 FPS, and Ultra settings maintain 101.3 FPS. All presets at 1080p exceed 100 FPS, with Ultra being 24.9 FPS faster than the same preset at 1440p. The data reveals that at 1080p, the i5-12400's 12 threads and 18 MB of shared L3 cache are sufficient to feed the RTX 3080, as frame rates scale nearly linearly with resolution reductions.

The maximum and minimum FPS values are not available in the dataset, so the analysis relies solely on average frame rates. The measured FPS data covers four settings tiers (Low, Medium, High, Ultra) across three resolutions, providing a comprehensive view of the system's capabilities. Notably, the frame rate delta between High and Ultra at 4K is only 7.4 FPS, while at 1080p it is 14.3 FPS, suggesting that the GPU's 68 RT cores and 272 tensor cores are more heavily utilized at higher resolutions, but the overall performance envelope remains consistent.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Medium, with an average frame rate of 67.5 FPS. This represents a compromise, as High settings drop to 58.7 FPS, which is 1.3 FPS below the playable threshold. The data indicates that Medium settings at 4K offer the best balance, providing a 7.5 FPS margin above the 60 FPS target while still leveraging the RTX 3080's ray tracing capabilities, albeit without the full Ultra effect set.

At 2560x1440, all four settings tiers clear the 60 FPS threshold, but Ultra is the most demanding preset that maintains playable performance, averaging 76.4 FPS. This is a 16.4 FPS margin above the threshold, allowing for the full visual experience without worrying about frame rate dips. The data shows that High settings at 1440p average 89.5 FPS, but Ultra is still comfortably playable, making it the recommended choice for users who prioritize image quality.

At 1920x1080, Ultra settings are the best option, averaging 101.3 FPS. This is 41.3 FPS above the 60 FPS threshold, providing a wide safety margin for demanding scenes. The frame rate at 1080p Ultra is 24.9 FPS higher than at 1440p Ultra, indicating that the system has significant headroom at this resolution. Users targeting 144 Hz displays will find that 1080p Ultra nearly saturates that refresh rate, while 1440p Ultra offers a still-impressive 76.4 FPS.

FAQ

Q: Can this PC run Control at 4K with the highest settings?

A: No. At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average frame rate is 51.3 FPS, which is 8.7 FPS below the 60 FPS playable threshold. The data shows that only Low and Medium settings at 4K achieve playable frame rates, with Medium averaging 67.5 FPS.

Q: What is the best resolution for this system to play Control?

A: Based on the measured FPS data, 2560x1440 is the optimal resolution. It allows Ultra settings to average 76.4 FPS, which is 16.4 FPS above the playable threshold, while 1080p Ultra reaches 101.3 FPS but does not utilize the GPU's full potential as effectively.

Q: How does the RTX 3080's performance at 1080p compare to 1440p?

A: At 1080p Low, the average frame rate is 183.7 FPS, which is 40.8 FPS higher than at 1440p Low (142.9 FPS). This 28.5% improvement shows that the system becomes increasingly CPU-bound at 1080p, with the i5-12400's 3dmark_16_threads score of 5873 providing sufficient throughput.

Q: Is the i5-12400 a bottleneck for the RTX 3080 in this game?

A: The data suggests the CPU is not a significant bottleneck at 1440p and 4K, as frame rates scale consistently with resolution changes. At 1080p, the CPU's 4.40 GHz boost clock and 910 single-thread score allow frame rates to reach 183.7 FPS on Low, indicating it can keep pace with the GPU.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Medium and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, Medium averages 102.8 FPS while Ultra averages 76.4 FPS, a difference of 26.4 FPS. This represents a 25.7% performance drop when moving to the highest preset, which is a typical trade-off for ray tracing and other Ultra effects.

Q: Does the system maintain 60 FPS at 4K with any settings?

A: Yes. At 3840x2160, Low settings average 95 FPS and Medium settings average 67.5 FPS, both clearing the 60 FPS threshold. High and Ultra settings fall below, with averages of 58.7 FPS and 51.3 FPS respectively.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The nearest rivals for the Intel Core i5-12400, based on average benchmark scores, include the AMD EPYC 7643 with an average score of 18697, which is 0.1% lower than the i5-12400's 18683. The Intel Core i7-1355U scores 18730, 0.3% higher, while the AMD Ryzen AI 5 330 scores 18811, 0.7% higher. The Intel Core i3-14100F scores 18519, which is 0.9% lower. These CPUs would produce comparable frame rates in Control, with the i7-1355U and Ryzen AI 5 330 offering a marginal performance edge, while the i3-14100F would be slightly slower. The percentileVsAllCpus of 72 indicates the i5-12400 outperforms 72% of all CPUs, so any of these rivals would behave similarly in terms of game logic and physics processing.

For the GPU, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080's nearest rivals include the NVIDIA P106-100 with an average score of 23249, which is 0.3% lower than the RTX 3080's 23172. The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 16 scores 23250, also 0.3% lower, while the AMD Radeon RX 6600M scores 23273, 0.4% lower. The AMD Radeon R9 M290X scores 23276, 0.4% lower. These GPUs would produce nearly identical frame rates in Control, with the RTX 3080 sitting at the 68th percentile of all GPUs. The deltaPct values are all below 0.5%, meaning users with any of these alternatives would see frame rates within a fraction of a percent of the RTX 3080's output. The data shows that the RTX 3080's 8704 shading units and 272 texture mapping units are comparable to these rivals, though the RTX 3080's ray tracing performance, driven by 68 RT cores, is a differentiating factor that these rivals may not match.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data shows a clear shift in component importance as resolution changes. At 3840x2160, the GPU is the dominant factor. The frame rate difference between Low (95 FPS) and Ultra (51.3 FPS) is 43.7 FPS, a 46% drop, indicating that the RTX 3080's 29.77 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is the limiting factor. The i5-12400's 12 threads are sufficient at this resolution, as the GPU load is so high that the CPU waits for the GPU to finish rendering. The 4K Medium setting at 67.5 FPS shows that modest visual cuts yield large frame rate gains, confirming GPU-bound behavior.

At 2560x1440, the balance shifts slightly. The frame rate difference between Low (142.9 FPS) and Ultra (76.4 FPS) is 66.5 FPS, a 46.5% drop, similar to 4K, but the absolute frame rates are higher. This suggests the GPU is still the primary constraint, but the CPU's 4.40 GHz boost clock and 18 MB L3 cache begin to matter more. The i5-12400's passmark_multithread score of 18747 and cinebench_r23_multicore score of 15989 indicate it can handle the game's spawning and physics at this resolution, as frame rates remain above 76 FPS even on Ultra.

At 1920x1080, the CPU's role becomes more pronounced. The frame rate difference between Low (183.7 FPS) and Ultra (101.3 FPS) is 82.4 FPS, a 44.9% drop, but the absolute rates are high enough that the CPU's single-thread performance of 910 in 3dmark_single_thread and 3456 in passmark_single_thread are more likely to cap performance in less demanding scenes. The data shows that at 1080p Low, the system achieves 183.7 FPS, which is 40.8 FPS higher than 1440p Low, indicating the GPU has spare capacity and the CPU is doing more work per frame. The i5-12400's 6 cores and 12 threads are adequate, but users seeking maximum frame rates at 1080p would benefit from a CPU with higher single-thread scores, as the RTX 3080 is clearly not the bottleneck at this resolution.

The scaling between resolutions provides further insight. Moving from 4K to 1440p, Low settings improve by 47.9 FPS (from 95 to 142.9), while moving from 1440p to 1080p improves by 40.8 FPS (from 142.9 to 183.7). This non-linear scaling suggests the GPU is nearing its limits at 4K, while the CPU is approaching its limits at 1080p. The RTX 3080's 760.3 GB/s memory bandwidth and 164.2 GPixel/s pixel rate are heavily utilized at 4K, while the i5-12400's 2.50 GHz base clock and 65 W TDP are more relevant at 1080p. The verdictByResolution confirms this: 4K only supports Low and Medium settings, while 1440p and 1080p support all settings, with Ultra being the best at both.

The Verdict

The Intel Core i5-12400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 can run Control, but the experience varies by resolution. At 3840x2160, the system clears the 60 FPS playable threshold on Low (95 FPS) and Medium (67.5 FPS) settings, but High (58.7 FPS) and Ultra (51.3 FPS) fall short. The best settings at 4K are Medium, with an average frame rate of 67.5 FPS, providing a 7.5 FPS margin above the threshold.

At 2560x1440, the system runs all four settings tiers above 60 FPS, with Ultra averaging 76.4 FPS. This makes 1440p the recommended resolution for this combination, as it delivers the full visual experience without any frame rate compromises. The playable settings list includes High, Low, Medium, and Ultra, with Ultra being the best choice.

At 1920x1080, the system excels, with all presets averaging above 100 FPS. Ultra settings reach 101.3 FPS, providing a 41.3 FPS margin above the threshold, making this resolution ideal for high-refresh-rate monitors. The verdictByResolution data confirms that 1080p and 1440p are fully playable at all settings, while 4K requires dropping to Medium or Low.

The comboRankInGame of 1056 out of 3720 combinations indicates this system sits in the top 28% of tested hardware for Control, reflecting its strong but not elite standing. The percentileVsAllGpus of 68 for the RTX 3080 and 72 for the i5-12400 show both components are above average, but the GPU's 68% percentile is the limiting factor for 4K performance. Users with 4K displays should stick to Medium settings, while those with 1440p or 1080p displays can max out the game and enjoy smooth frame rates. The data is measured, not estimated, providing confidence in these results.