Control

The Intel Core i5-12600KF paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti delivers a playable experience in Control across most common resolutions, but the margin for error narrows significantly as resolution increases. Benchmark data shows the combo rank at 2583 out of 3720 tested configurations, placing it in the lower third of the database. At 1920x1080, the system clears the 60 FPS threshold with every preset, while at 2560x1440 only the two highest quality settings fall below it. The 3840x2160 resolution is the breaking point, where only the Low preset remains above 60 FPS. The CPU’s 10 cores and 16 threads, combined with the GPU’s 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, produce a balanced pairing that favors high refresh 1080p gaming over 4K ambitions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the RTX 3060 Ti shows a wide performance envelope depending on settings. The Low preset averages 116.4 FPS, which is the highest figure recorded for this combo at any resolution. Medium drops to 83 FPS, a 28.7% reduction from Low. High settles at 75.1 FPS, and Ultra maintains 65.1 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 51.3 FPS, indicating that the game’s most demanding settings at 1080p still leave substantial headroom above the 60 FPS playable threshold. The scaling from Medium to High is relatively mild at 7.9 FPS, while the jump from High to Ultra costs 10 FPS.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance curve steepens. Low produces 90.3 FPS, which is 26.1 FPS lower than the 1080p Low result. Medium delivers 66.2 FPS, a 16.8% drop from Low at the same resolution. High falls to 56.2 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 50.8 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 39.5 FPS, a smaller absolute gap than at 1080p, but the relative penalty is larger because the starting point is lower. The data shows that 1440p Medium is the highest preset that remains above 60 FPS, with only 6.2 FPS of margin.

At 3840x2160, the GPU becomes the limiting factor across all settings. Low averages 62.2 FPS, barely clearing the threshold. Medium drops to 42.1 FPS, a 32.3% reduction from Low. High manages 38.5 FPS, and Ultra falls to 30.8 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 31.4 FPS, and every setting above Low fails to reach 60 FPS. The 4K results show a steep cliff between Low and Medium, suggesting that texture memory and shading complexity at higher presets overwhelm the GPU’s 8 GB frame buffer and 4864 shading units.

Best Settings per Resolution

For 1920x1080, the Ultra preset is the recommended choice because it delivers 65.1 FPS, which is 5.1 FPS above the playable threshold. This is the most demanding settings combination that maintains fluidity at this resolution. The data confirms that all four presets — Low, Medium, High, and Ultra — are playable at 1080p, but Ultra provides the highest visual quality without sacrificing 60 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset is the best option, averaging 66.2 FPS. This is the only preset above Low that clears the 60 FPS line. High falls to 56.2 FPS, which is 3.8 FPS below the threshold, and Ultra is further behind at 50.8 FPS. The 6.2 FPS margin at Medium is modest, so users with VRR displays may tolerate High, but the data strictly identifies Medium as the best playable setting.

For 3840x2160, the Low preset is the sole playable option, averaging 62.2 FPS. Medium and above all fail to reach 60 FPS, with High at 38.5 FPS and Ultra at 30.8 FPS. The 2.2 FPS cushion at Low is thin, and frame pacing may vary in demanding scenes, but the average stays above the threshold. No higher preset is viable at 4K with this hardware.

FAQ

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

A: Yes. The Ultra preset at 1920x1080 averages 65.1 FPS, which exceeds the 60 FPS playable threshold by 5.1 FPS.

Q: What is the highest playable preset at 1440p?

A: Medium, with an average of 66.2 FPS. High drops to 56.2 FPS, below the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: Is 4K gaming viable with this combo?

A: Only with the Low preset, which averages 62.2 FPS. Medium (42.1 FPS), High (38.5 FPS), and Ultra (30.8 FPS) all fail to reach 60 FPS.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from 1080p to 1440p at the same settings?

A: At Low settings, the drop is from 116.4 FPS to 90.3 FPS, a 26.1 FPS reduction. At Medium, the drop is from 83 FPS to 66.2 FPS, a 16.8 FPS reduction.

Q: Does the GPU or CPU bottleneck this game at 4K?

A: The data suggests the GPU is the primary constraint at 3840x2160. The RTX 3060 Ti produces 30.8 FPS at Ultra, while the CPU’s 3dmark_16_threads score of 7956 indicates ample headroom for this workload.

Q: What is the lowest FPS recorded across all tested settings?

A: The minimum average is 30.8 FPS, observed at 3840x2160 with the Ultra preset.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The CPU’s nearest rivals, based on average benchmark scores, include the Intel Core i9-10900K with a delta of -0.3%, the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D at -0.3%, the AMD Ryzen 7 6800U at -0.3%, and the AMD Ryzen 5 8500GE at +0.3%. All four processors sit within 0.3% of the i5-12600KF’s average score of 27799, meaning any of them would deliver nearly identical CPU-bound performance in Control. The Ryzen 7 5800X3D is particularly notable as a gaming-focused chip with similar multi-threaded throughput.

For the GPU, the AMD Radeon RX 9060 is the closest competitor with a delta of +0.7% and an average score of 16014. The AMD Radeon Pro 5600M and AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT both sit at -1.4% from the RTX 3060 Ti’s average of 16129. The AMD Radeon R9 370X is further behind at +1.7%, which is a counterintuitive result given its older architecture. In practical terms, the RX 5700 XT would produce nearly identical frame rates in Control, while the RX 9060 would be marginally faster. Users upgrading from a RX 5700 XT would see minimal FPS gains with the RTX 3060 Ti at the same settings.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank of 2583 out of 3720 tested configurations places this pairing in the 30.6th percentile of all tested systems for Control. This means approximately 69.4% of tested combos outperform it, while 30.6% are slower. The rank reflects the GPU’s mid-range positioning — the RTX 3060 Ti sits at the 59th percentile among all GPUs — combined with a strong CPU that ranks at the 79th percentile. The bottleneck is clearly the graphics card, as the CPU’s relative standing is 20 percentile points higher.

In practical terms, this rank translates to a system that handles 1080p Ultra and 1440p Medium without issue, but struggles at 4K beyond Low settings. The 65.1 FPS at 1080p Ultra is 8.5% above the playable threshold, while the 50.8 FPS at 1440p Ultra is 15.3% below it. The data positions this combo as a solid 1080p machine with limited 1440p capability and minimal 4K viability.

The Verdict

This PC can run Control at 60 FPS or higher under specific conditions. At 1920x1080, all presets — Low (116.4 FPS), Medium (83 FPS), High (75.1 FPS), and Ultra (65.1 FPS) — exceed the playable threshold. At 2560x1440, only Low (90.3 FPS) and Medium (66.2 FPS) clear 60 FPS; High (56.2 FPS) and Ultra (50.8 FPS) fall short. At 3840x2160, only Low (62.2 FPS) is playable, with Medium (42.1 FPS), High (38.5 FPS), and Ultra (30.8 FPS) all failing.

The verdict by resolution is clear: 1080p is fully playable at maximum settings, 1440p requires a reduction to Medium, and 4K demands the lowest preset. The 62.2 FPS at 4K Low is technically playable but offers no headroom for demanding scenes. Users seeking a consistent 60 FPS experience should target 1440p Medium as the highest quality setting that maintains the threshold with a reasonable margin.

CPU and GPU Roles

The division of labor between the i5-12600KF and RTX 3060 Ti shifts with resolution. At 1920x1080, the GPU is the limiting factor, but the CPU’s strong single-thread performance (3dmark_single_thread score of 1016) ensures no frame-pacing issues. The 116.4 FPS at Low settings demonstrates that the CPU can feed the GPU well above 100 FPS, while the drop to 65.1 FPS at Ultra is driven by GPU-side rendering costs.

At 2560x1440, the GPU’s workload increases by 77.8% compared to 1080p in terms of pixel count, and the FPS drops accordingly. The Medium preset’s 66.2 FPS versus the 83 FPS at 1080p Medium shows a 20.2% performance loss, which closely tracks the pixel count increase. This indicates the GPU is the primary constraint at 1440p, with the CPU still providing sufficient throughput.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is overwhelmingly dominant. The pixel count is 4 times that of 1080p, and the FPS at Low drops from 116.4 to 62.2, a 46.6% reduction. The Ultra preset’s 30.8 FPS versus 65.1 FPS at 1080p Ultra represents a 52.7% loss. The CPU’s 10 cores and 16 threads are not challenged by Control’s workload at any resolution — the 3dmark_max_threads score of 7952 and cinebench_r23_multicore score of 23391 suggest the processor has substantial headroom. The scaling between resolutions confirms that users should prioritize GPU upgrades for higher fidelity at 1440p or 4K, while the current CPU remains adequate for this title.