Control

The Intel Core i5-12400F paired with the AMD Radeon RX 9060 delivers a playable experience in Control, but the margin for error shrinks rapidly as resolution climbs. Across the twelve measured configurations, the combo’s average frame rates range from a low of 36 FPS at 4K Ultra to a high of 130 FPS at 1080p Low. The data shows a system that is clearly capable at 1080p and 1440p, but one that requires significant settings concessions to maintain smooth motion at 4K. The following analysis breaks down the measured FPS, component roles, and optimal settings for this specific hardware combination.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for this CPU/GPU pairing in Control reveals a predictable scaling pattern across resolutions and presets. At 1920x1080, the combo never drops below the 60 FPS threshold, even at maximum settings. The Ultra preset averages 71 FPS, while High achieves 82 FPS. Medium delivers 92 FPS with a minimum of 78 FPS and a maximum of 106 FPS. Low settings push the average to 130 FPS, indicating substantial headroom for high-refresh-rate monitors.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance envelope tightens. The Ultra preset drops to an average of 54 FPS, which falls below the 60 FPS playability threshold. High settings hold at 62 FPS average, while Medium maintains 70 FPS with a minimum of 59 FPS and a maximum of 80 FPS. Low settings reach 98 FPS. The drop from High to Ultra at this resolution represents a 13% performance penalty, while the jump from Low to Medium costs 29% of the frame rate.

At 3840x2160, the RX 9060’s 8 GB memory and 128-bit bus become limiting factors. The Ultra preset averages just 36 FPS, which is only marginally above a slideshow. High settings improve to 42 FPS but remain unplayable. Medium averages 47 FPS with a minimum of 40 FPS and a maximum of 54 FPS. Only the Low preset clears 60 FPS, averaging 66 FPS. The scaling from Medium to High at 4K is a 11% drop, and from High to Ultra is another 14% drop, showing that each settings tier has a meaningful impact on the experience.

FAQ

Q: Can this PC run Control at 1080p with maximum settings?

A: Yes. The measured data shows an average of 71 FPS at 1920x1080 with the Ultra preset, which is above the 60 FPS playable threshold. The minimum FPS was not recorded for this configuration, but the average indicates consistent playability.

Q: What is the best settings preset at 1440p for this combo?

A: High settings provide the best balance, averaging 62 FPS at 2560x1440. The Ultra preset drops to 54 FPS average, which is below the playable threshold, while Medium runs at 70 FPS but with lower visual quality.

Q: Is 4K gaming viable with this hardware?

A: Only at Low settings. The 3840x2160 Low preset averages 66 FPS. Medium drops to 47 FPS, High to 42 FPS, and Ultra to 36 FPS, all of which are unplayable by the 60 FPS standard.

Q: How much performance is lost going from 1080p to 4K at the same settings?

A: At High settings, the average drops from 82 FPS at 1920x1080 to 62 FPS at 2560x1440 and 42 FPS at 3840x2160. That represents a 24% loss from 1080p to 1440p and a 49% loss from 1080p to 4K.

Q: Does the RX 9060 bottleneck the i5-12400F in this game?

A: The data suggests the GPU is the primary constraint at higher resolutions and presets. The 4K Ultra score of 36 FPS and the 1080p Ultra score of 71 FPS indicate that the graphics card is struggling with the load, while the CPU’s 6-core/12-thread configuration is sufficient for the game’s demands.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded across all tests?

A: The lowest minimum FPS recorded is 40 FPS at 3840x2160 with Medium settings. The 2560x1440 Medium preset shows a minimum of 59 FPS, and the 1920x1080 Medium preset shows a minimum of 78 FPS.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark results indicate that the AMD Radeon RX 9060 is the dominant factor in Control’s performance, with the Intel Core i5-12400F providing ample headroom. The evidence lies in the scaling between resolutions and presets. At 1920x1080, the gap between Low (130 FPS) and Ultra (71 FPS) is 59 FPS, a 45% reduction. At 2560x1440, the same preset gap is 44 FPS (98 FPS to 54 FPS), and at 3840x2160, it is 30 FPS (66 FPS to 36 FPS). This narrowing delta as resolution increases is classic GPU-bound behavior—the graphics card becomes the bottleneck, and CPU performance matters less.

The CPU’s role is more visible at lower resolutions where frame rates are higher. At 1080p Low, the 130 FPS average suggests the i5-12400F can feed the GPU efficiently, but the RX 9060 still caps the output. The 3DMark scores support this: the CPU’s single-thread score of 909 and multi-thread score of 5912 indicate a balanced processor that won’t hold back a mid-range GPU in a title like Control. The GPU’s PassMark G3D score of 17631 places it in the 59th percentile of all GPUs, while the CPU sits in the 73rd percentile, reinforcing that the GPU is the weaker link.

At 4K, the GPU’s memory bandwidth (288.0 GB/s) and 8 GB VRAM become critical. The 36 FPS Ultra result shows that the RX 9060 cannot handle the texture and shading loads at that resolution, regardless of CPU headroom. The i5-12400F’s 18 MB L3 cache and 4.40 GHz boost clock are sufficient for the game’s physics and AI, but they cannot compensate for the GPU’s limitations. In short, users should expect to tune graphics settings, not CPU settings, to improve performance.

How This Combo Ranks

Among all tested CPU and GPU combinations for Control, this pairing ranks 2152 out of 3720, placing it in the 42nd percentile of tested configurations. This is a solid mid-pack result, but it is not impressive given the hardware’s specifications. The ranking reflects the GPU’s 59th percentile standing and the CPU’s 73rd percentile, with the combination landing below what the individual components might suggest.

The rank implies that a significant portion of tested combos (1568 of them) perform better, while 2151 perform worse. For a 1080p-focused gamer, this rank is acceptable—the 1080p Ultra score of 71 FPS is above the 60 FPS target. However, the 4K results drag the overall ranking down, as many competing combos with more powerful GPUs achieve playable 4K frame rates. The 2152 rank is a direct consequence of the RX 9060’s mid-range positioning, and the data indicates that users should not expect this combo to compete with high-end builds at higher resolutions.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The nearest rivals for the Intel Core i5-12400F provide context for its performance in this build. The AMD Ryzen 5 7535HS scores 19047 in average benchmarks, essentially identical to the i5-12400F’s 19039, with a delta of 0%. The Intel Core 3 201E scores 19056, a 0.1% difference, and the Intel Core i5-1335U scores 18982, a 0.3% difference. These CPUs would behave nearly identically in Control, meaning that swapping the i5-12400F for any of these would yield similar frame rates within a rounding error.

For the GPU, the AMD Radeon RX 9060’s nearest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti, which scores 16129 versus the RX 9060’s 16014, a 0.7% difference. The AMD Radeon R9 370X (15862, +1%) and AMD Radeon RX 7700 (15852, +1%) are also close. In practice, an RTX 3060 Ti would produce nearly identical FPS numbers in Control, with the 4K Medium preset likely averaging around 47 FPS and 1080p Ultra around 71 FPS. The RX 7700, despite being a newer card, falls into the same performance band, so users upgrading from either of these GPUs would see minimal changes in this game.

The Verdict

Yes, this PC can run Control, but the experience varies heavily by resolution. At 1920x1080, the combo clears the 60 FPS threshold at every preset, including Ultra at 71 FPS. This is the sweet spot for this hardware, offering smooth gameplay with maximum visual fidelity. At 2560x1440, the system remains playable at High (62 FPS) and Medium (70 FPS), but Ultra drops to 54 FPS, which is below the playable threshold. At 3840x2160, only the Low preset achieves playable frame rates at 66 FPS, while all other presets fall short. The data clearly shows that this is a 1080p and 1440p machine for Control, with 4K requiring significant compromises.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset is the best choice, averaging 71 FPS. This provides the highest visual quality while maintaining a comfortable margin above the 60 FPS threshold. At 2560x1440, High settings are optimal, averaging 62 FPS. This balances visual fidelity with playability, as the Ultra preset’s 54 FPS fails to meet the standard. At 3840x2160, Low settings are the only viable option, averaging 66 FPS. While this sacrifices most visual enhancements, it is the only way to achieve smooth motion at this resolution. The Medium preset at 4K averages 47 FPS, which is 22% below the playable threshold, making it unsuitable for consistent gameplay.