Control

The Intel Core i5-12600KF paired with the AMD Radeon RX 7700 delivers a playable experience in Control across most modern resolutions, though 4K requires a significant compromise in visual fidelity. Benchmark data shows this combination ranks 1756th out of 3720 tested combos for this title, placing it in the upper half of all systems. The CPU, a 10-core Alder Lake part with 16 threads, scores in the 79th percentile among all CPUs, while the GPU sits in the 58th percentile among all GPUs. This pairing produces a system that is clearly CPU-leaning in its overall benchmark profile, but the measured frame rates in Control reveal a more nuanced picture that depends heavily on resolution and preset.

FAQ

Q: Can this PC run Control at 60 FPS on a 4K monitor?

A: Yes, but only with the Low preset. The measured average FPS at 3840x2160 with Low settings is 76 FPS. All other presets at 4K fall below the 60 FPS threshold: Medium averages 54 FPS, High averages 48 FPS, and Ultra drops to 41 FPS.

Q: What is the best preset for 1440p gaming with this hardware?

A: The Ultra preset at 2560x1440 averages 61 FPS, which clears the 60 FPS playable threshold. This is the most demanding preset that remains playable at this resolution, with High averaging 71 FPS, Medium 80 FPS, and Low 112 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU's benchmark score compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The i5-12600KF has an average benchmark score of 27799. It is essentially tied with the Intel Core i9-10900K (27872, -0.3% delta), the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D (27896, -0.3% delta), and the AMD Ryzen 7 6800U (27887, -0.3% delta). It is also nearly identical to the AMD Ryzen 5 8500GE (27712, +0.3% delta).

Q: Is the RX 7700's GPU performance closer to a modern or older graphics card?

A: The GPU's average benchmark score is 15852. Its nearest rival is the AMD Radeon R9 370X, which scores 15862, a delta of only -0.1%. It is also within 1.7% of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti (16129), which is a more modern card.

Q: What frame rates can be expected at 1080p with the Medium preset?

A: At 1920x1080 with Medium settings, the system achieves an average of 105 FPS, with a minimum of 89 FPS and a maximum of 121 FPS. This provides a wide margin above the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Q: Does the system maintain 60 FPS in the most demanding preset at any resolution?

A: Yes. At 2560x1440 with Ultra settings, the average FPS is 61, just barely above the threshold. At 1920x1080 with Ultra settings, the average is a more comfortable 81 FPS.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-12600KF and AMD Radeon RX 7700 ranks 1756th out of 3720 tested combos in Control. This places the system in the 53rd percentile of all tested configurations, meaning it outperforms slightly more than half of the systems in the database. The ranking reflects a balance between a high-tier CPU and a mid-tier GPU; the CPU's 79th percentile standing is notably higher than the GPU's 58th percentile, suggesting the graphics card is the limiting factor in this pairing.

When interpreting this rank, it is important to consider the game's release date and its engine. The data shows that this combo can handle the game at high frame rates at 1080p and 1440p, but the 4K results show a steep drop-off, indicating that the GPU's memory bandwidth and compute capabilities are strained at higher pixel counts. The rank of 1756 is a holistic measure, but the per-resolution FPS data provides a clearer picture of where this system excels and where it does not.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for this combo in Control is comprehensive, covering three resolutions and four presets each. The numbers reveal a clear pattern: performance scales predictably with resolution and settings, but the margins between presets vary significantly.

At 3840x2160 (4K), the system struggles to maintain high frame rates. The Ultra preset averages just 41 FPS, which is well below the 60 FPS playable threshold. High settings improve this to 48 FPS, and Medium settings reach 54 FPS with a minimum of 46 FPS and a maximum of 62 FPS. Only the Low preset clears the threshold, achieving an average of 76 FPS. The jump from Medium to Low represents a 22 FPS increase, showing that reducing settings is mandatory for 4K play.

At 2560x1440 (1440p), the system performs much better. Low settings deliver an average of 112 FPS, while Medium averages 80 FPS (min 68, max 92). High settings average 71 FPS, and even Ultra manages to hit 61 FPS on average. All four presets are above the 60 FPS threshold, providing users with flexibility to prioritize visual quality or frame rate.

At 1920x1080 (1080p), the system shows its strength. Low settings produce an average of 148 FPS, Medium averages 105 FPS (min 89, max 121), High averages 93 FPS, and Ultra averages 81 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 67 FPS, demonstrating that the CPU and GPU combination has enough headroom to handle even the most demanding settings at this resolution without dropping below 60 FPS.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For the CPU, the Intel Core i5-12600KF's average benchmark score of 27799 is nearly identical to several alternatives. The Intel Core i9-10900K scores 27872, a delta of -0.3%, making it a direct substitute in terms of raw processing power. The AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D scores 27896 (-0.3% delta) and the AMD Ryzen 7 6800U scores 27887 (-0.3% delta), both of which would offer similar CPU-bound performance in Control. The AMD Ryzen 5 8500GE scores 27712 (+0.3% delta), which is also effectively equivalent.

On the GPU side, the AMD Radeon RX 7700's nearest rival is the AMD Radeon R9 370X, which scores 15862 versus the RX 7700's 15852, a delta of -0.1%. This suggests that despite architectural differences, the two cards deliver nearly identical average benchmark scores. The AMD Radeon Pro W5500 scores 15679 (1.1% delta) and the AMD Radeon RX 9060 scores 16014 (-1% delta), both of which would behave very similarly in terms of frame rates. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti scores 16129, a -1.7% delta, meaning it would be slightly faster but within the same performance band.

For a user looking to replicate this combo's performance, pairing any of the CPU rivals with any of the GPU rivals would yield comparable results in Control. The delta percentages are all within 2%, which translates to a margin of just a few FPS in practice.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark data shows a clear shift in which component dominates performance as resolution changes. At 1080p, the system is likely CPU-bound at lower presets, as evidenced by the 148 FPS average on Low settings. The CPU's strong single-thread score (3925 in Passmark single-thread) ensures that the rendering pipeline is not starved, allowing the GPU to work at its maximum potential. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 1080p is a 67 FPS drop, which is a 45% reduction, indicating that the GPU becomes more of a factor as visual effects increase.

At 1440p, the scaling is more moderate. The drop from Low (112 FPS) to Ultra (61 FPS) is 51 FPS, a 46% reduction. The GPU's role becomes more prominent here, as the higher pixel count increases the load on the Radeon RX 7700's 16 GB of GDDR6 memory and 256-bit bus. The fact that Ultra still averages 61 FPS suggests the CPU is not the primary bottleneck at this resolution.

At 4K, the GPU is clearly the dominant factor. The drop from Low (76 FPS) to Ultra (41 FPS) is 35 FPS, and even the Medium preset's minimum of 46 FPS shows significant frame time variance. The CPU's performance headroom is largely irrelevant at this resolution because the GPU cannot process frames fast enough to keep up. The 624.1 GB/s memory bandwidth is insufficient to maintain high frame rates with demanding settings at 4K, making the RX 7700 the definitive limiting factor.

The Verdict

The data shows that this PC can run Control successfully at all three tested resolutions, but the playable preset varies. At 3840x2160, only the Low preset clears the 60 FPS threshold, with an average of 76 FPS. Medium, High, and Ultra all fall below 60 FPS, with averages of 54, 48, and 41 FPS respectively. At 2560x1440, all four presets are playable, with Ultra averaging 61 FPS, High 71 FPS, Medium 80 FPS, and Low 112 FPS. At 1920x1080, all presets are also playable, with Ultra averaging 81 FPS, High 93 FPS, Medium 105 FPS, and Low 148 FPS.

The verdict is clear: for a consistent 60 FPS experience, users should target 1440p with the Ultra preset or 1080p with any preset. At 4K, the system requires a significant settings reduction to Low to remain playable, which compromises the visual experience that the Ultra preset would otherwise provide.

Best Settings per Resolution

Based on the measured FPS data, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS at each resolution is as follows:

• 3840x2160: The only playable preset is Low, which averages 76 FPS. This is the maximum setting that can be used at this resolution without dropping below the 60 FPS threshold.

• 2560x1440: The best playable preset is Ultra, which averages 61 FPS. This is the highest visual quality setting that still clears the threshold, though the margin is slim. Users seeking more headroom can choose High (71 FPS) or Medium (80 FPS).

• 1920x1080: The best playable preset is Ultra, which averages 81 FPS. This provides a comfortable margin above 60 FPS while delivering the highest visual quality available in the game. The minimum FPS at this setting was not measured, but the average suggests a stable experience.