Control

The Intel Core i5-12400 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 delivers a substantial performance envelope for Control, a 2019 Action Adventure title. The data shows this combination not only handles the game but does so with significant headroom across all tested resolutions and presets, positioning it as a high-end configuration for this title.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The CPU and GPU in this combo each sit near distinct performance peers, based on aggregate benchmark scores. The Intel Core i5-12400, with an average benchmark score of 18683, is bracketed by a narrow cluster of rivals. The AMD EPYC 7643 scores 18697, a negligible 0.1% difference, making it statistically a near-identical performer in synthetic workloads. Similarly, the Intel Core i7-1355U scores 18730, just 0.3% higher, and the AMD Ryzen AI 5 330 scores 18811, a 0.7% gap. The closest lower-performing rival is the Intel Core i3-14100F, which scores 18519, a 0.9% deficit. In practice, for a game like Control, these differences are within the noise of real-world frame pacing, meaning any of these CPUs would produce nearly indistinguishable results in this combo.

On the graphics side, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080’s average benchmark score of 56083 places it in a slightly more diverse competitive field. The AMD Radeon 8060S scores 55757, just 0.6% lower, while the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB scores 55698, a 0.7% gap. The AMD Radeon Pro W5700X trails by 2.3% with a score of 54828. The only rival ahead is the AMD Radeon RX 9070 GRE, which scores 57367, a 2.2% lead over the RTX 5080. For Control, these rival GPUs would deliver comparable frame rates, though the RTX 5080’s lead over three of the four rivals suggests a slight edge in raw rasterization that could translate to a few extra frames at 4K.

The percentile rankings reinforce this picture. The i5-12400 sits in the 72nd percentile among all CPUs, while the RTX 5080 ranks in the 87th percentile among all GPUs. This indicates the GPU is the stronger component relative to its peers, which is a common profile for a gaming-focused pairing where the graphics card bears most of the rendering load.

How This Combo Ranks

Within the database of tested hardware combinations for Control, this specific pairing of the i5-12400 and RTX 5080 achieves a combo rank of 227 out of 3720 tested configurations. That places it in the top 6.1% of all combos tested for this game. The percentile context is important: a rank of 227 means the vast majority of systems tested — roughly 94% — fall below this configuration in measured performance for Control.

This is not a top-tier ranking, but it is a strong one. The gap between rank 227 and the absolute top likely consists of systems with more expensive CPUs or newer flagship GPUs that push frame rates even higher at 4K Ultra. However, for the purpose of playing Control smoothly, this rank indicates the combo is firmly in the high-performance tier, with no practical concerns about playability. The data suggests that while this system is not the fastest ever tested, it outperforms the overwhelming majority of setups, making it a highly capable choice for this specific title.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for this combo covers three resolutions and four preset levels, providing a complete picture of performance scaling. At 1920x1080, the lowest settings produce an average of 231 FPS. Moving to Medium reduces the average to 181 FPS, with a minimum of 154 and a maximum of 209. High settings yield 161 FPS on average, while Ultra drops to 140 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 1080p is a 91 FPS drop, representing a 39% reduction in frame rate, which is a typical cost for maximum visual fidelity.

At 2560x1440, the same pattern holds with reduced absolute numbers. Low settings average 193 FPS, Medium averages 137 FPS with a minimum of 117 and maximum of 158, High averages 122 FPS, and Ultra averages 106 FPS. The drop from Low to Ultra here is 87 FPS, a 45% reduction, showing that the higher resolution amplifies the cost of Ultra settings slightly more than at 1080p.

At 3840x2160, the performance remains well above playable thresholds but the scaling becomes steeper. Low settings average 130 FPS, Medium averages 93 FPS with a minimum of 79 and maximum of 107, High averages 82 FPS, and Ultra averages 72 FPS. The total reduction from Low to Ultra at 4K is 58 FPS, a 45% drop, consistent with the 1440p scaling. Notably, the minimum FPS at 4K Medium is 79, which is still well above the 60 FPS playable threshold, indicating strong frame pacing even when the GPU is under maximum load.

The Verdict

This PC can run Control with exceptional ease. The verdict data confirms that at every tested resolution — 3840x2160, 2560x1440, and 1920x1080 — all four settings presets (Low, Medium, High, and Ultra) are marked as playable. The playable threshold is defined as 60 FPS, and the lowest average FPS recorded across all combinations is 72, which occurs at 4K Ultra. This means even the most demanding configuration tested, 4K with Ultra settings, clears the 60 FPS bar by a 20% margin.

At 1440p, the worst-case scenario is Ultra settings with an average of 106 FPS, which is 76% above the playable threshold. At 1080p, Ultra settings average 140 FPS, more than double the threshold. The data indicates that this system never approaches the 60 FPS limit in any tested scenario, leaving substantial headroom for potential background tasks or future driver overhead. For a game released in 2019, this hardware combination is significantly overqualified, delivering a smooth experience at maximum fidelity across all common resolutions.

CPU and GPU Roles

The performance scaling across resolutions reveals how the CPU and GPU divide responsibilities in Control. At 1080p, the CPU has a more prominent role relative to the GPU, as the lower resolution reduces the GPU’s rendering load. The difference between Low (231 FPS) and Ultra (140 FPS) at 1080p is 91 FPS, which is the largest absolute gap across all resolutions. This suggests that at 1080p, the GPU is less of a bottleneck, allowing the CPU to push higher frame rates, but the Ultra preset still demands significant GPU resources.

At 1440p, the gap between Low and Ultra narrows to 87 FPS, and at 4K, it shrinks further to 58 FPS. This trend indicates that as resolution increases, the GPU becomes the dominant limiting factor. The frame rate drops from 1080p to 4K are substantial: Ultra settings fall from 140 FPS at 1080p to 106 FPS at 1440p (a 24% reduction) and then to 72 FPS at 4K (a 32% reduction from 1440p). This shows that the GPU’s workload scales heavily with pixel count, while the CPU’s contribution remains relatively constant.

The i5-12400, with its 6 cores and 12 threads, is sufficient to feed the RTX 5080 at all tested settings, as evidenced by the fact that no resolution or preset produces a CPU-bound frame rate below the playable threshold. The data suggests that for Control, the RTX 5080 is the primary performance driver at 4K, while at 1080p, the CPU has more influence on the upper frame rate ceiling. However, even at 1080p Low, the 231 FPS average indicates the CPU is not a limiting factor, as this is well beyond typical monitor refresh rates.

Best Settings per Resolution

For each resolution, the most demanding preset that maintains an average of 60 FPS or higher is, in all cases, Ultra. At 1920x1080, Ultra settings deliver an average of 140 FPS, which is the highest fidelity option and still provides more than double the playable threshold. This is the recommended setting for 1080p, as there is no performance reason to reduce quality.

At 2560x1440, Ultra settings average 106 FPS, again exceeding the 60 FPS threshold by a wide margin. The data shows no need to compromise on visual quality at this resolution, as the minimum FPS at Medium settings is 117, and Ultra is only slightly lower, indicating stable performance across the board.

At 3840x2160, Ultra settings average 72 FPS, which is the only configuration that comes within 20% of the 60 FPS threshold. While this is still playable, users seeking a higher frame rate buffer could consider High settings, which average 82 FPS, a 14% improvement over Ultra. However, the verdict data explicitly lists Ultra as the best setting at 4K, with an average FPS of 72, confirming that even the maximum visual quality remains above the playable threshold. For maximum smoothness at 4K, High settings would provide additional headroom, but Ultra remains fully playable according to the data.