Control

The Intel Core i7-12700K paired with the Intel Arc B390 presents a starkly unbalanced configuration for Control, a game from 2019 that still demands significant graphics resources. The database shows that while the CPU is a high-end desktop part, the GPU is an integrated graphics solution with performance characteristics that place it in the bottom percentile of all tested graphics cards. The measured FPS data confirms that this combination is only viable at the lowest settings at 1080p, and it falls short of the 60 FPS playable threshold at all higher resolutions and quality presets.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The recorded performance data for this specific CPU and GPU combination in Control shows a clear pattern: the Intel Arc B390 is the limiting factor across every resolution and settings preset. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the system achieves an average of 65 FPS, which is the only configuration in the entire dataset that clears the 60 FPS playable threshold. The Medium preset at 1080p drops the average to 46 FPS, with recorded minimums of 40 FPS and maximums of 53 FPS, indicating noticeable frame pacing issues. High settings at 1080p produce an average of 41 FPS, while the Ultra preset falls to 36 FPS, showing that the integrated GPU cannot maintain smooth gameplay at higher quality levels.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance degrades further. Low settings yield an average of 50 FPS, which is below the playable threshold but still the best result at this resolution. The Medium preset averages 35 FPS, with a minimum of 30 FPS and a maximum of 40 FPS. High settings at 1440p produce an average of 31 FPS, and Ultra drops to 27 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 23 FPS, demonstrating that the GPU struggles with the increased pixel count and shader complexity.

At 3840x2160, the results are largely unplayable. Low settings average 33 FPS, Medium averages 24 FPS with a minimum of 20 FPS and maximum of 27 FPS, High averages 21 FPS, and Ultra averages just 18 FPS. The frame time data at 4K shows that even the lowest preset cannot sustain a consistent framerate, and the Ultra preset at 18 FPS is a slideshow by any standard. Across all three resolutions, the scaling from Low to Ultra represents a significant performance penalty, with the 4K Ultra preset being 45% slower than the 4K Low preset.

The data indicates that the Intel Arc B390, with its 1536 shading units and 24 ROPs, is simply not designed for this type of workload. The measured FPS values at 1440p and 4K are consistently below 60, and even the best case at 1080p Low only reaches 65 FPS. For any user expecting to run Control at higher presets, the recorded numbers are a clear warning that this GPU cannot deliver.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Control at 1080p with High settings?

A: No. The measured average FPS at 1920x1080 with High settings is 41 FPS, which is well below the 60 FPS playable threshold. The only playable configuration at 1080p is the Low preset, which averages 65 FPS.

Q: What is the best playable settings preset for this CPU and GPU combo?

A: According to the verdict data, the only playable settings are at 1920x1080 with the Low preset, producing an average of 65 FPS. No other resolution or preset combination in the database clears the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: How does the GPU compare to other hardware in the database?

A: The Intel Arc B390 sits in the 9th percentile of all tested GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 1482. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (1463 score, 1.3% faster), the NVIDIA GeForce 800M (1460 score, 1.5% faster), and the NVIDIA GeForce GT 625 OEM (1446 score, 2.5% faster). These are all legacy low-end mobile or OEM parts.

Q: Is the CPU a bottleneck in this configuration?

A: The Intel Core i7-12700K is in the 84th percentile of all tested CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 35287. Its performance is very close to the Intel Core i5-13600T (35305 score, 0.1% slower), the Intel Core i7-12700KF (35365 score, 0.2% slower), and the Intel Core i7-13700T (35403 score, 0.3% slower). The CPU is not the limiting factor; the GPU is.

Q: What are the minimum FPS values at Medium settings?

A: At 1920x1080 Medium, the minimum FPS is 40. At 2560x1440 Medium, the minimum is 30 FPS. At 3840x2160 Medium, the minimum is 20 FPS. These lows indicate that frame drops are significant, especially as resolution increases.

Q: Does the game support modern graphics APIs?

A: Yes, the Intel Arc B390 supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The API support is not the issue; the raw processing power of the integrated GPU is insufficient for this game at higher settings.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Looking at the nearest rivals for both components, the data shows that this combination behaves like a low-end system. The Intel Core i7-12700K has near-identical benchmark scores to the Intel Core i5-13600T (0.1% slower), the Intel Core i7-12700KF (0.2% slower), and the Intel Core i7-13700T (0.3% slower). Any of these CPUs would produce the same FPS results in Control, as the GPU is the sole performance limiter. Users with any of these processors paired with the Arc B390 will see identical frame rates.

On the GPU side, the Intel Arc B390 is comparable to the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (1.3% faster), the NVIDIA GeForce 800M (1.5% faster), and the NVIDIA GeForce GT 625 OEM (2.5% faster). These GPUs are all from the early 2010s and represent entry-level mobile or OEM parts. In practice, a system with any of these GPUs will deliver the same playability profile in Control: 1080p Low is the only viable option, and 1440p or 4K are not playable at any settings preset.

For a user looking at this combo, the practical takeaway is that the CPU provides ample headroom for a much stronger discrete GPU, but the current configuration is severely GPU-limited. The recorded FPS values at 1440p and 4K are all below the 60 FPS threshold, and even 1080p High fails to reach playable levels. Swapping the GPU for a mid-range discrete option would transform the system, but with the Arc B390, the performance ceiling is fixed at the Low preset at 1080p.

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous: this PC can run Control, but only under very specific conditions. The verdict by resolution shows that at 3840x2160, none of the settings presets are playable, and the best average FPS is 33 at Low. At 2560x1440, the same situation applies, with the best average FPS being 50 at Low, still below the 60 FPS threshold. Only at 1920x1080 does the system achieve playable status, and only with the Low preset, which delivers an average of 65 FPS.

The playable settings list for 1080p includes only "Low", and the best settings field confirms that Low is the recommended preset, with an average FPS of 65 at that setting. For all other resolutions, the playable settings array is empty, meaning no preset clears the 60 FPS bar. The measured FPS data supports this conclusion: 1080p High averages 41, 1080p Medium averages 46, and 1080p Ultra averages 36, all well below the threshold.

In practical terms, a user can play Control on this system at 1080p with Low settings and expect a mostly smooth experience, though the lack of minimum FPS data for that preset means there could be dips below 60. The Medium preset at 1080p shows a minimum of 40 FPS, so the Low preset likely has similar variance. For anyone wanting to experience Control with the visual fidelity it is known for, this configuration is not suitable. The 4K and 1440p numbers are uniformly below playable levels, and even 1080p High is 31% slower than the 60 FPS target.

CPU and GPU Roles

The performance scaling across resolutions and presets reveals that the GPU is overwhelmingly the dominant factor in this game. The Intel Core i7-12700K has a passmark multithread score of 34404 and a single-thread score of 4013, placing it in the top 16% of all CPUs. This is a powerful desktop processor with 12 cores and 20 threads, and it is not stressed by a game like Control, which is primarily a GPU-bound title.

The evidence for GPU dominance is clear in the resolution scaling. At 1080p Low, the system averages 65 FPS. At 1440p Low, it drops to 50 FPS, a 23% reduction. At 4K Low, it falls to 33 FPS, a 49% reduction from 1080p. This scaling is purely a function of pixel count and GPU fill rate, not CPU performance. The Arc B390 has a pixel rate of 60.00 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 120.0 GTexel/s, and these figures are simply too low for higher resolutions.

The settings preset scaling further confirms the GPU bottleneck. At 1080p, moving from Low to Ultra reduces average FPS from 65 to 36, a 45% penalty. At 1440p, the same settings change reduces FPS from 50 to 27, a 46% penalty. At 4K, Low to Ultra goes from 33 to 18, a 45% penalty. These consistent percentages indicate that the GPU's workload scales linearly with shader complexity and texture detail, and the CPU is not contributing to any frame rate variance.

The CPU's role becomes relevant only if a much stronger GPU is installed. With the current Arc B390, the i7-12700K is idle most of the time, and its benchmark scores are irrelevant to the outcome. The 3DMark scores for the CPU (9979 max threads, 9276 16 threads) are far beyond what Control needs, but the GPU's 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 1482 is the real indicator of performance. The recorded data shows that at every resolution and preset, the GPU is the sole limiting component.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations for Control, this specific pairing ranks 3311 out of 3720 total combos. This places it in the bottom 11% of all tested systems, which is consistent with the FPS data showing only 1080p Low as playable. The combination of a high-end CPU with an entry-level integrated GPU creates a significant performance mismatch that drags the overall ranking down.

The rank reflects the measured FPS across all resolutions and presets, and the data shows that this system cannot compete with even modest discrete GPU configurations. The 1080p Low average of 65 FPS is the only bright spot, but it is not enough to lift the combo out of the bottom percentile. The 4K Ultra average of 18 FPS and the 1440p Ultra average of 27 FPS are among the lowest recorded values for a game of Control's era.

Compared to other combos in the database, this system is slower than 89% of tested configurations. The GPU's 9th percentile ranking among all GPUs is the primary driver of this poor result. The CPU's 84th percentile ranking does not compensate for the GPU's weakness, as Control is a graphically intensive title that rewards GPU horsepower above all else. For a user building a system for this game, the data indicates that the i7-12700K should be paired with a discrete graphics card, not an integrated solution, to achieve a higher ranking and playable frame rates at higher settings.