Control

Control is an action-adventure title that stresses both the CPU and GPU, and the combination of the Intel Core i7-12700K with the AMD Radeon RX 9060 produces a distinct performance profile across resolutions and presets. The data, measured directly from this hardware pairing, shows a system that scales predictably with graphical load, but with notable limits at higher resolutions. This analysis breaks down exactly what to expect from this combo, how it compares to nearby hardware, and which settings deliver a playable experience.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average frame rate this combo achieves in Control?

A: The maximum recorded average FPS is 130, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. This drops to 98 at 2560x1440 Low and 66 at 3840x2160 Low, showing a clear scaling pattern as resolution increases.

Q: Can this system maintain 60 FPS at 4K resolution?

A: At 3840x2160, only the Low preset clears the 60 FPS threshold, with an average of 66 FPS. The Medium preset falls to 47 FPS average, High drops to 42 FPS, and Ultra averages 36 FPS, so 4K gaming requires substantial settings reductions.

Q: Which resolution offers the best balance of quality and performance?

A: At 2560x1440, the High preset averages 62 FPS, which is just above the 60 FPS playable threshold. The Medium preset averages 70 FPS with a minimum of 59 FPS, indicating a more stable experience with slightly lower visual quality.

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

A: The Intel Core i7-12700K has an average benchmark score of 35287, placing it at the 84th percentile of all CPUs. Its closest rival, the Intel Core i5-13600T, scores 35305, a delta of -0.1%, while the Intel Core i7-12700KF scores 35365, a -0.2% difference. This indicates the i7-12700K is effectively tied with these alternatives.

Q: What GPU does the RX 9060 most closely match in overall performance?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 9060 has an average benchmark score of 16014, placing it at the 59th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti with a score of 16129, a delta of -0.7%, meaning the RX 9060 is within 1% of that card's overall benchmark performance.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded for this combo at any settings?

A: The lowest minimum FPS recorded is 40, observed at 3840x2160 with Medium settings. The minimum FPS values are only provided for Medium presets across all resolutions: 40 at 4K, 59 at 1440p, and 78 at 1080p.

CPU and GPU Roles

The performance data from this combo reveals how the CPU and GPU divide responsibilities in Control. The Intel Core i7-12700K, with its 12 cores and 20 threads, provides a strong foundation that does not appear to bottleneck the AMD Radeon RX 9060 at lower resolutions. The GPU, with its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 128-bit bus, becomes the primary limiting factor as resolution and settings increase.

At 1920x1080, the system shows significant headroom. The average FPS ranges from 130 at Low to 71 at Ultra, a spread of 59 FPS across presets. This wide variance suggests the GPU is the main driver of performance, as the CPU has ample capacity to feed frames at this resolution. The jump from Low to Medium (130 to 92 FPS) represents a 29% reduction, while the jump from Medium to High (92 to 82 FPS) is a 10.9% reduction, indicating diminishing returns as settings increase.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance gap narrows between presets. The average FPS ranges from 98 at Low to 54 at Ultra, a spread of 44 FPS. The CPU still has headroom, but the GPU is now working harder. The scaling from Low to Medium (98 to 70 FPS) is a 28.6% drop, while Medium to High (70 to 62 FPS) is an 11.4% drop. The High preset barely clears the 60 FPS threshold, suggesting that at this resolution, the GPU is nearing its limit for demanding settings.

At 3840x2160, the GPU becomes the clear bottleneck. The average FPS ranges from 66 at Low to 36 at Ultra, a spread of 30 FPS. The scaling from Low to Medium (66 to 47 FPS) is a 28.8% drop, while Medium to High (47 to 42 FPS) is a 10.6% drop. Every preset except Low falls below the 60 FPS threshold, indicating that the RX 9060 lacks the raw pixel throughput for 4K gaming at higher quality levels. The CPU's role diminishes at this resolution, as the GPU is fully saturated.

The data shows that the CPU contributes more at lower resolutions where frame rates are higher. At 1080p Low, the 130 FPS average suggests the i7-12700K is keeping up with the GPU's output, but the CPU's 3DMark scores (9979 max threads, 9276 16 threads) indicate it has more to give. At 4K, the GPU's workload dominates, and the CPU's performance is largely irrelevant to the final frame rate.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for this combo provides a detailed picture of performance across three resolutions and four settings presets. Each entry represents an average FPS, with minimum and maximum values provided only for Medium presets.

At 1920x1080, the system performs as follows: Low settings produce an average of 130 FPS, the highest of any configuration tested. Medium settings yield an average of 92 FPS, with a minimum of 78 FPS and a maximum of 106 FPS, indicating a consistent frame delivery with no severe drops. High settings average 82 FPS, a 10.9% reduction from Medium. Ultra settings average 71 FPS, a 13.4% reduction from High. All presets at this resolution comfortably exceed the 60 FPS playable threshold, with even the most demanding Ultra preset maintaining a 71 FPS average.

At 2560x1440, performance scales down as expected. Low settings average 98 FPS, a 24.6% reduction from 1080p Low. Medium settings average 70 FPS, with a minimum of 59 FPS and a maximum of 80 FPS. The minimum of 59 FPS is just below the 60 FPS threshold, indicating occasional dips below playable levels. High settings average 62 FPS, which is only 2 FPS above the threshold, making it a borderline playable preset. Ultra settings average 54 FPS, falling below the 60 FPS target. The spread from Low to Ultra is 44 FPS, showing the GPU's sensitivity to settings at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the system struggles to maintain playable frame rates. Low settings average 66 FPS, just above the 60 FPS threshold. Medium settings average 47 FPS, with a minimum of 40 FPS and a maximum of 54 FPS, indicating significant frame drops during intense scenes. High settings average 42 FPS, a 10.6% reduction from Medium. Ultra settings average 36 FPS, the lowest recorded for this combo. Only the Low preset clears the 60 FPS threshold at 4K, and even that is a narrow margin.

The Medium preset data shows a consistent pattern across resolutions: 1080p has a 92 FPS average with a 78 FPS minimum, 1440p has a 70 FPS average with a 59 FPS minimum, and 4K has a 47 FPS average with a 40 FPS minimum. The minimum FPS values are consistently about 85% of the average, suggesting that frame pacing is relatively stable but with occasional dips.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The nearest rivals for the Intel Core i7-12700K provide context for its CPU performance. The Intel Core i5-13600T has an average benchmark score of 35305, a delta of -0.1% from the i7-12700K's 35287. This means the i5-13600T is essentially identical in overall CPU benchmarks, despite being a lower-tier product. The Intel Core i7-12700KF scores 35365, a -0.2% delta, indicating it is also nearly identical, as expected given it is the same chip without integrated graphics. The Intel Core i7-13700T scores 35403, a -0.3% delta, and the Intel Core 5 213PE scores 35428, a -0.4% delta. All four rivals are within 0.4% of the i7-12700K, meaning any of these CPUs would deliver nearly identical performance in Control, assuming the GPU remains the limiting factor.

For the AMD Radeon RX 9060, the nearest rivals show a similar clustering. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti has an average score of 16129, a -0.7% delta from the RX 9060's 16014. This places the two cards within 1% of each other in overall GPU benchmarks, suggesting they would produce comparable frame rates in Control. The AMD Radeon R9 370X scores 15862, a 1% delta, meaning the RX 9060 is 1% faster. The AMD Radeon RX 7700 scores 15852, also a 1% delta, and the AMD Radeon Pro W5500 scores 15679, a 2.1% delta. These rivals represent a performance band of roughly 3% total, so gamers with any of these GPUs paired with a similar CPU would see very similar results.

In practical terms, this means the combo of the i7-12700K with an RTX 3060 Ti would likely produce FPS numbers within 1-2 frames of the RX 9060 at any given resolution and preset. The CPU alternatives would have no measurable impact on gaming performance, as the i7-12700K is already well above the requirements for this game.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of the Intel Core i7-12700K and AMD Radeon RX 9060 ranks 2152 out of 3720 tested combos in Control. This places it in the 57.8th percentile of all tested hardware pairings, meaning it outperforms roughly 58% of combinations but is behind the top 42%. This mid-pack ranking is consistent with the GPU's 59th percentile standing among all GPUs, while the CPU's 84th percentile ranking is partially offset by the GPU's more modest position.

The ranking suggests that this combo is not a top-tier setup for Control, but it is far from the bottom. The system's performance is limited primarily by the GPU, which sits in the lower half of the performance distribution. The CPU's high percentile ranking does not lift the combo significantly, as gaming performance is heavily GPU-dependent at the resolutions tested. A more powerful GPU paired with the same CPU would likely rank much higher, while a weaker CPU with the same GPU would see minimal change.

The data indicates that this combo is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, where it can achieve playable frame rates at most settings. At 4K, the combo falls behind many others that can maintain higher frame rates with more capable GPUs. The rank of 2152 out of 3720 reflects this mixed capability, with strong performance at lower resolutions but clear limitations at higher ones.

The Verdict

The verdict by resolution is clear from the measured data. At 1920x1080, this combo can run Control at all four presets with average FPS above the 60 FPS threshold. The Ultra preset averages 71 FPS, providing the best visual quality while maintaining playability. This makes 1080p the most versatile resolution for this system, with no preset requiring compromises.

At 2560x1440, the system can run Control at Low, Medium, and High presets, all of which average above 60 FPS. The High preset averages 62 FPS, which is playable but with little headroom. The Medium preset averages 70 FPS with a minimum of 59 FPS, offering a more stable experience. The Ultra preset averages 54 FPS, which falls below the playable threshold and is not recommended. For the best balance of quality and performance at 1440p, the High preset is viable, but Medium provides more margin for frame drops.

At 3840x2160, only the Low preset clears the 60 FPS threshold, averaging 66 FPS. The Medium preset averages 47 FPS, High averages 42 FPS, and Ultra averages 36 FPS, all of which are below playable levels. This means 4K gaming is only possible with significant visual compromises, and even then, the experience may not be smooth during demanding scenes. The system is not recommended for 4K gaming in Control unless the user is willing to accept Low settings.

Overall, this PC can run Control successfully at 1080p and 1440p, with the ability to use higher quality presets at lower resolutions. The system is not suitable for 4K gaming beyond the lowest settings.

Best Settings per Resolution

The most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS at each resolution is determined by the measured data.

At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset is the best choice, with an average FPS of 71. This is the highest quality setting available and it maintains a comfortable margin above the 60 FPS threshold. The next best option, High, averages 82 FPS, but Ultra provides better visual fidelity with only an 11 FPS reduction.

At 2560x1440, the High preset is the most demanding option that stays at or above 60 FPS, averaging 62 FPS. This is a narrow margin, as the minimum FPS is not recorded for this preset, but the average is above the threshold. The Medium preset averages 70 FPS with a minimum of 59 FPS, providing a more stable experience, but High offers better visuals. For players who prioritize frame rate stability, Medium may be preferable, but High is the highest quality setting that meets the 60 FPS average requirement.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset is the only option that stays at or above 60 FPS, averaging 66 FPS. The Medium preset falls to 47 FPS, which is well below the threshold. This means 4K gaming requires the lowest quality settings, and even then, the frame rate is only marginally above 60 FPS. Players seeking 4K in Control should be prepared for reduced visual fidelity.

These settings represent the maximum quality for each resolution while maintaining a playable experience. Lower presets are always available for those who prefer higher frame rates, while higher presets are not recommended as they fall below the 60 FPS threshold.