Control

The Intel Core i5-12600KF paired with the Intel Arc B580 presents a compelling mid-range combination for playing Control, but the experience is heavily dependent on your target resolution and graphics settings. The benchmark data shows a system that can comfortably handle 1080p gaming with headroom, manages a playable experience at 1440p with some compromises, and falls short of the 60 FPS threshold at 4K. This analysis breaks down the measured performance data to determine the optimal settings for each resolution and clarifies the roles of the CPU and GPU in this specific title.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the system can run Control at the Ultra preset while maintaining an average of 63.2 FPS. This is the most demanding preset that stays at or above the 60 FPS playable threshold. The data confirms that all four tested presets (Low, Medium, High, and Ultra) are playable at this resolution, but Ultra is the highest visual quality option that clears the 60 FPS bar.

For 2560x1440, the most demanding preset that maintains a playable frame rate is Medium, which delivers an average of 62.7 FPS. While the High preset achieves an average of 55.5 FPS, it falls below the 60 FPS threshold. The Ultra preset is not playable here, averaging only 47.4 FPS. Therefore, Medium is the recommended setting for a smooth 1440p experience.

At 3840x2160, the data shows no playable settings for this combination. The best average FPS achieved is 56.3 FPS on the Low preset, which is still below the 60 FPS playable threshold. All other presets at 4K—Medium at 40.4 FPS, High at 33.9 FPS, and Ultra at 32 FPS—result in a sub-60 FPS experience. The verdict data confirms that no settings at 4K are considered playable.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark data reveals a clear shift in bottleneck behavior as resolution increases. At 1920x1080, the CPU plays a significant role. The scaling from Low to Ultra shows a performance drop from 111.7 FPS to 63.2 FPS, a reduction of 43%, indicating that the GPU is being pushed harder as the visual load increases. However, the i5-12600KF, with its strong single-thread and multi-thread scores (e.g., 3302 in Cinebench R23 single-core and 23391 in multi-core), is capable of feeding the Arc B580 efficiently at this resolution, allowing the GPU to work near its full potential.

As resolution increases to 2560x1440, the GPU becomes the primary limiting factor. The performance delta between the Low and Medium presets narrows (from 86.1 FPS to 62.7 FPS), but the biggest drop occurs when moving from Medium to High (62.7 FPS to 55.5 FPS), and especially from High to Ultra (55.5 FPS to 47.4 FPS). This pattern indicates that the Arc B580's rendering capabilities are the bottleneck, as the demand on pixel throughput and shading units grows exponentially with higher settings.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is overwhelmingly the dominant constraint. The frame rates across all presets are severely limited, with even the Low preset only achieving 56.3 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 4K shows a drop of 43% (from 56.3 FPS to 32 FPS), but even the lowest settings cannot overcome the sheer pixel count. The CPU's role becomes negligible here, as the Arc B580's 13.67 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 456.0 GB/s of memory bandwidth are simply insufficient to maintain playable frame rates at this resolution.

Measured FPS Breakdown

1920x1080:

• Ultra: Average 63.2 FPS
• High: Average 74.2 FPS
• Medium: Average 80.3 FPS
• Low: Average 111.7 FPS

2560x1440:

• Ultra: Average 47.4 FPS
• High: Average 55.5 FPS
• Medium: Average 62.7 FPS
• Low: Average 86.1 FPS

3840x2160:

• Ultra: Average 32 FPS
• High: Average 33.9 FPS
• Medium: Average 40.4 FPS
• Low: Average 56.3 FPS

The data shows a consistent pattern: at each resolution, the Low preset provides the highest average FPS, and the Ultra preset provides the lowest. The performance gap between Low and Ultra widens as resolution decreases, from a 43% drop at 1080p (from 111.7 FPS to 63.2 FPS) to a 43% drop at 4K as well (from 56.3 FPS to 32 FPS), though the absolute numbers are much lower at 4K. Notably, the min and max FPS values are null in the data set, so only average FPS can be used for analysis.

How This Combo Ranks

Within the benchmark database, this specific combination of the Intel Core i5-12600KF and Intel Arc B580 ranks 2841 out of 3720 tested combos for Control. This places it in the lower-middle tier of all tested systems, which is a reflection of the GPU's performance rather than the CPU. The i5-12600KF itself is a strong processor, ranking in the 79th percentile against all CPUs, and its average benchmark score of 27799 is nearly identical to its nearest rivals, such as the Intel Core i9-10900K (27872, deltaPct -0.3) and the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D (27896, deltaPct -0.3).

The GPU, however, is the limiting factor. The Intel Arc B580 ranks in the 68th percentile against all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 23021. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 (22895, deltaPct 0.6) and the AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP (23061, deltaPct -0.2). The fact that the Arc B580's performance is comparable to a much older card like the RX 580, which also has a lower benchmark score, explains why this combo ranks relatively low for a demanding game like Control. The CPU is not the bottleneck; the GPU's raw rendering power is what holds this combo back in the rankings.

FAQ

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

A: Yes. The benchmark data shows that at 1920x1080, the Ultra preset achieves an average of 63.2 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Q: What is the best settings preset for 1440p gaming?

A: The Medium preset is the best choice for 2560x1440, as it delivers an average of 62.7 FPS, which is the highest-quality setting that remains playable. The High preset averages 55.5 FPS, below the threshold.

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

A: No. At 3840x2160, even the Low preset only achieves an average of 56.3 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS playable threshold. The verdict data confirms that no settings are playable at 4K.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B580 compare to its closest GPU rivals?

A: The Arc B580's average benchmark score is 23021. This is nearly identical to the AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP (23061, deltaPct -0.2) and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 (22895, deltaPct 0.6). It is also slightly below the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 (23172, deltaPct -0.7).

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-12600KF a strong performer for this game?

A: Yes, the CPU is not the limiting factor. It ranks in the 79th percentile against all CPUs and has an average benchmark score of 27799, which is on par with rivals like the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D (27896, deltaPct -0.3) and the Intel Core i9-10900K (27872, deltaPct -0.3).

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested systems for Control?

A: This specific combination of CPU and GPU ranks 2841 out of 3720 tested combos for Control. This ranking is primarily due to the GPU's performance limitations, not the CPU.

The Verdict

The data provides a clear verdict on whether this PC can run Control. At 1920x1080, the answer is a definitive yes, with all four presets (Low, Medium, High, and Ultra) achieving average frame rates above the 60 FPS threshold. The Ultra preset is the best choice, delivering a smooth 63.2 FPS experience.

At 2560x1440, the system is conditionally playable. The Low and Medium presets clear the 60 FPS barrier, with Medium being the best playable option at 62.7 FPS. The High and Ultra presets fall short, with averages of 55.5 FPS and 47.4 FPS, respectively. For a 1440p monitor, this combo requires a settings compromise to achieve a smooth experience.

At 3840x2160, the system cannot maintain playable frame rates on any tested preset. The best result is 56.3 FPS on Low, which still misses the 60 FPS target. Therefore, this PC is not suitable for 4K gaming in Control. In summary, this is a solid 1080p machine and a capable 1440p machine with settings adjustments, but it is not a 4K performer for this title.