Control

The Intel Core i5-13400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti combination delivers a highly capable Control experience, with benchmark results showing that the pair can handle the game smoothly at 1080p and 1440p, while 4K requires a settings reduction. The data, measured across three resolutions and four quality presets, reveals a system that is clearly GPU-bound at higher resolutions but offers substantial headroom at lower settings. The RTX 3070 Ti, with its 8 GB of GDDR6X memory and 608.3 GB/s bandwidth, provides the muscle needed for this action-adventure title, though the CPU’s 10 cores and 16 threads ensure it never becomes a bottleneck. The measured FPS figures indicate a broad range of playability, from a blistering 167.7 FPS at 1080p Low to a demanding 45.1 FPS at 4K Ultra, making it essential to understand the performance scaling to optimize the experience.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo shows exceptional performance across all settings. The Low preset delivers an average of 167.7 FPS, which is the highest frame rate recorded for this pairing. Stepping up to Medium yields a still-impressive 121.5 FPS average. The High preset maintains a strong 107.2 FPS average, ensuring a very smooth experience. Even the most demanding Ultra preset at 1080p produces an average of 92 FPS, which is well above the playable threshold of 60 FPS. This resolution shows that the hardware has significant spare capacity, particularly at lower settings.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance remains robust but begins to show the increased rendering load. The Low preset averages 127.6 FPS, a substantial figure that indicates the GPU is still not fully taxed. The Medium preset drops to 91.2 FPS, while High settles at 78.5 FPS. The Ultra preset, which is the most demanding, still manages an average of 71.3 FPS. This result is notable because it clears the 60 FPS threshold, making 1440p Ultra a viable option for users with 60Hz or higher refresh rate monitors. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p shows a consistent reduction in frame rates, with the Ultra preset dropping from 92 to 71.3 FPS, a decrease of about 22.5%.

At 3840x2160, the GPU becomes the clear limiting factor. The Low preset produces an average of 86.4 FPS, which is the only setting at 4K that exceeds the 60 FPS playable threshold. The Medium preset falls to 58.6 FPS, just below playable, while High averages 57.2 FPS. The Ultra preset at 4K is the most demanding scenario tested, yielding a 45.1 FPS average. The gap between Low and Ultra at this resolution is significant, with a 41.3 FPS difference, highlighting the performance cost of the highest quality settings. No minimum or maximum FPS values were recorded in the data, so the analysis relies solely on average frame rates.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark data reveals a clear division of labor between the Intel Core i5-13400F and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti. At 1920x1080, the CPU has ample headroom, as evidenced by the very high frame rates on the Low preset (167.7 FPS). The performance scaling from Low to Ultra at this resolution (a drop of 75.7 FPS) is primarily driven by the GPU’s workload, indicating that the CPU is not the bottleneck. The i5-13400F’s 3DMark single-thread score of 960 and multi-thread score of 7307 suggest it can easily feed the GPU at these frame rates.

At 2560x1440, the balance shifts slightly toward the GPU. The frame rates are lower than at 1080p across all settings, but the CPU still appears to be keeping up. The difference between the Low (127.6 FPS) and Ultra (71.3 FPS) presets is 56.3 FPS, which is a smaller absolute gap than at 1080p. This suggests that the GPU is starting to become the primary limiter, as the increased pixel count demands more from the RTX 3070 Ti’s 21.75 TFLOPS of FP32 performance.

At 3840x2160, the GPU’s role is dominant. The frame rates are significantly lower, and the gap between Low (86.4 FPS) and Ultra (45.1 FPS) is 41.3 FPS. The fact that even the Low preset at 4K cannot reach the frame rates seen at 1440p Ultra indicates that the GPU is heavily saturated. The CPU, with its 20 MB of shared L3 cache and high boost clock of 4.60 GHz, is unlikely to be a limiting factor here. The data shows that the i5-13400F is more than sufficient for this game, while the RTX 3070 Ti’s performance scales predictably with resolution and settings, confirming its role as the determining component for high-resolution play.

Best Settings per Resolution

For a target of at least 60 FPS average, the optimal settings vary by resolution. At 3840x2160, the only preset that meets the playable threshold is Low, which delivers an average of 86.4 FPS. This is the recommended setting for 4K, as the Medium preset (58.6 FPS) and High preset (57.2 FPS) both fall short of the 60 FPS mark, and Ultra (45.1 FPS) is significantly below. The data indicates that 4K gaming with this combo requires accepting the Low preset for a smooth experience.

At 2560x1440, the situation is much more favorable. All four presets exceed the 60 FPS threshold, with Ultra being the best choice at an average of 71.3 FPS. This allows users to experience the game at its highest visual quality while maintaining smooth performance. The High preset (78.5 FPS) and Medium preset (91.2 FPS) also offer excellent alternatives, but Ultra provides the best visual fidelity without sacrificing playability.

At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset is the clear winner, achieving an average of 92 FPS. This is well above the playable threshold and provides the best possible visual experience at this resolution. The High (107.2 FPS) and Medium (121.5 FPS) presets offer even higher frame rates, but they do not provide the same level of graphical detail. Since the Ultra preset maintains a comfortable margin above 60 FPS, it is the optimal setting for 1080p.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Control at 4K with high settings?

A: No. The data shows that at 3840x2160 with High settings, the average FPS is 57.2, which is below the 60 FPS playable threshold. The only playable setting at 4K is Low, which averages 86.4 FPS.

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

A: The Ultra preset is the best choice for 2560x1440, as it delivers an average of 71.3 FPS. This is the highest quality setting that remains at or above the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from 1080p to 4K on the Ultra preset?

A: The average FPS on the Ultra preset drops from 92 at 1920x1080 to 45.1 at 3840x2160. This represents a decrease of 46.9 FPS, or approximately 51% of the 1080p performance.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck at 1080p?

A: The data suggests the GPU is the primary factor, as the frame rates scale significantly with the quality preset. The Low preset achieves 167.7 FPS, while Ultra drops to 92 FPS, indicating the GPU’s workload is the main variable.

Q: Are there any settings at 4K that are playable?

A: Yes, only the Low preset is playable at 3840x2160, with an average of 86.4 FPS. The Medium (58.6 FPS), High (57.2 FPS), and Ultra (45.1 FPS) presets all fall below the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: What is the highest average FPS recorded for this combo?

A: The highest average FPS is 167.7, which occurs at 1920x1080 with the Low settings preset.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The CPU and GPU each have a set of near rivals that would produce similar performance in Control. For the Intel Core i5-13400F, which has an average benchmark score of 25292 and sits in the 77th percentile of all CPUs, the closest alternatives are the AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS (score 25284, 0% delta), the Intel Core 5 120 (score 25362, -0.3% delta), the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X3D (score 25365, -0.3% delta), and the AMD Ryzen 7 6800H (score 25201, 0.4% delta). These processors would behave almost identically in this game, as their benchmark scores are within a fraction of a percent of the i5-13400F.

For the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti, which has an average benchmark score of 29945 and sits in the 75th percentile of all GPUs, the nearest rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Mobile (score 29928, 0.1% delta), the AMD Radeon RX 6800 (score 30095, -0.5% delta), the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti (score 29783, 0.5% delta), and the AMD Radeon RX 6700 (score 30433, -1.6% delta). A system with the RTX 3070 Ti and any of these GPUs would produce very similar FPS figures in Control, with the RTX 5070 Mobile being the closest match. Pairing the i5-13400F with any of these rival GPUs would yield frame rates within the same range as the measured data, assuming no other system bottlenecks.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested hardware combinations for Control, this pairing of the Intel Core i5-13400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti ranks 1317th out of 3720 combos. This places it in the top 35.4% of all tested systems. The rank reflects the strong performance at 1080p and 1440p, where the combo achieves high frame rates on demanding presets, but is held back by its 4K performance, where only the Low preset is playable. The combination of a 77th percentile CPU and a 75th percentile GPU results in a system that is well-matched for this game, with no single component acting as a severe bottleneck. The data shows that this combo is a solid mid-to-high tier choice for Control, offering a smooth experience at mainstream resolutions and settings.