Control

The Intel Core i7-12700K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 delivers a playable experience in Control, but the margin of comfort depends entirely on resolution. Benchmark data shows the combo clears the 60 FPS threshold at 1080p and 1440p across all tested presets, while 4K is only viable on Low settings. The RTX 4060, which sits at the 61st percentile among all GPUs, is the primary performance arbiter here; the i7-12700K, at the 84th CPU percentile, provides ample headroom. The measured frame rates reveal a system that is well-balanced for high-refresh 1080p gaming, capable at 1440p, and strictly limited at 4K.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the RTX 4060 shows strong scaling across presets. Low settings produce an average of 141.3 FPS, which is the highest result in the entire dataset. Moving to Medium drops the average to 97.6 FPS, a 31% reduction from Low. High settings yield 89.2 FPS, and Ultra delivers 80 FPS. The gap between Medium and High is 8.4 FPS, while the drop from High to Ultra is 9.2 FPS, indicating that the most demanding preset still holds well above the 60 FPS playable threshold.

At 2560x1440, the pattern shifts downward. Low settings average 108 FPS, which is 33.3 FPS lower than the 1080p Low result. Medium averages 76.1 FPS, High averages 69 FPS, and Ultra lands exactly on the 60 FPS threshold. The scaling from Low to Medium at 1440p is a 31.9 FPS drop, while Medium to High costs 7.1 FPS, and High to Ultra costs 9 FPS. This resolution presents a clear trade-off: players can choose Ultra and sit at exactly 60 FPS, or opt for High and retain a 9 FPS safety margin.

At 3840x2160, the RTX 4060’s 8 GB frame buffer and 128-bit memory bus become limiting factors. Low settings average 69.6 FPS, which is the only playable preset at this resolution. Medium drops to 51.5 FPS, High to 42.4 FPS, and Ultra to 41.1 FPS. The step from Low to Medium is a severe 18.1 FPS loss, while Medium to High costs 9.1 FPS, and High to Ultra costs only 1.3 FPS. The data shows that 4K Ultra is nearly identical to 4K High, suggesting the GPU is fully saturated by that point.

The absence of min and max FPS values in the dataset means the analysis relies solely on averages. However, the consistency of the scaling curves—particularly the 4K High-to-Ultra delta of just 1.3 FPS—indicates the GPU is hitting a hard performance ceiling rather than a driver or CPU bottleneck.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The nearest rivals for the Intel Core i7-12700K are all within a 0.4% performance delta. The Intel Core i5-13600T scores 35305 against the i7-12700K’s average benchmark score of 35287, a delta of -0.1%. The Intel Core i7-12700KF is 0.2% faster, the Intel Core i7-13700T is 0.3% faster, and the Intel Core 5 213PE is 0.4% faster. In practical terms, swapping the i7-12700K for any of these processors would yield imperceptible FPS differences in Control, as the game is not CPU-bound at the tested resolutions.

For the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060, the nearest rivals are more varied. The AMD Radeon HD 7790 scores 17666, which is 0.2% higher than the RTX 4060’s 17639 average. The AMD Radeon 780M is 0.3% slower, the AMD Radeon Pro 560 is 0.5% slower, and the AMD Radeon Pro 460 is 0.7% slower. These deltas are all within 1%, meaning a system with any of these GPUs would produce nearly identical frame rates in Control. Notably, the RTX 4060’s nearest rivals include both a decade-old desktop card and modern integrated graphics, which highlights the narrow performance band around this GPU’s score.

In game-specific terms, the 4K Low result of 69.6 FPS would likely be matched by the AMD Radeon HD 7790 within a few frames, while the 1080p Ultra result of 80 FPS would be similar across all four rivals. The CPU’s rivals, being within 0.4%, would not change any resolution’s playable settings classification.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data shows that the GPU dominates performance scaling in Control, particularly as resolution increases. At 1080p, the FPS range from Low to Ultra spans 61.3 FPS (141.3 to 80), which is a 76.6% variation driven almost entirely by GPU load. The CPU’s role at 1080p is to feed the GPU efficiently; the i7-12700K’s 12 cores and 20 threads, with a boost clock of 5.00 GHz, provide sufficient single-thread performance to avoid bottlenecking the RTX 4060 at even the highest preset.

At 1440p, the FPS range narrows to 48 FPS (108 to 60), and at 4K it narrows further to 28.5 FPS (69.6 to 41.1). This progressive narrowing is classic GPU-bound behavior. The CPU’s contribution becomes less relevant as resolution climbs, because the GPU’s pixel and texture throughput—118.1 GPixel/s and 236.2 GTexel/s, respectively—becomes the limiting factor.

The scaling between resolutions confirms this. At High settings, the FPS drops from 89.2 at 1080p to 69 at 1440p, then to 42.4 at 4K. That is a 22.7% drop from 1080p to 1440p, and a 38.6% drop from 1440p to 4K. At Low settings, the drop is 23.6% from 1080p to 1440p (141.3 to 108) and 35.6% from 1440p to 4K (108 to 69.6). These percentages are similar across presets, indicating that the GPU’s rendering load scales predictably with pixel count.

The CPU’s headroom is evident in the 3DMark multi-threaded scores: 9276 for 16 threads and 9979 for max threads. The i7-12700K’s single-thread score of 1043 and Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1850.5 indicate strong per-core performance, which is sufficient for Control’s physics and AI systems. The data does not show any scenario where the CPU limits FPS; even at 1080p Low with 141.3 FPS, the GPU is likely near its maximum output rather than being held back by the processor.

The Verdict

The Intel Core i7-12700K + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 combination can run Control, but the experience varies by resolution. At 1920x1080, all four presets—Low, Medium, High, and Ultra—clear the 60 FPS threshold. The Ultra preset averages 80 FPS, providing a 20 FPS buffer above the playable mark. At 2560x1440, all four presets also remain at or above 60 FPS, with Ultra landing exactly on 60 FPS. This is a passable result, but it leaves no room for frame drops.

At 3840x2160, only the Low preset is playable, averaging 69.6 FPS. Medium drops to 51.5 FPS, which is 8.5 FPS below the threshold. High and Ultra are further behind at 42.4 and 41.1 FPS, respectively. The verdict is clear: 4K is not a viable resolution for this combo beyond Low settings.

The verdictByResolution data confirms these findings. For 3840x2160, the playable settings list contains only Low, with a best average FPS of 69.6. For 2560x1440, all settings are playable, with Ultra at exactly 60 FPS. For 1920x1080, all settings are playable, with Ultra at 80 FPS. The system is best suited for 1080p gaming, where it can max out the game and still maintain a comfortable margin above the 60 FPS threshold.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, which averages 80 FPS. This is the recommended configuration for full visual fidelity at this resolution. The 20 FPS buffer means the game will likely remain smooth even during intense combat sequences, though the lack of min FPS data prevents a definitive statement on frame time consistency.

At 2560x1440, the most demanding preset that meets the threshold is Ultra, averaging exactly 60 FPS. This is a borderline result—playable, but with no headroom. Players who prefer stability over maximum visuals might consider High at 69 FPS, which provides a 9 FPS buffer. However, the data supports Ultra as the best settings option since it meets the playable threshold.

At 3840x2160, the only preset that clears 60 FPS is Low, averaging 69.6 FPS. Medium, High, and Ultra all fall below the threshold. The recommendation is Low settings for 4K, which yields a 9.6 FPS buffer above the playable mark. There is no viable alternative at this resolution; even stepping down to Medium sacrifices 18.1 FPS, which is a significant visual quality loss for a result that still fails the 60 FPS requirement.

FAQ

Q: Can this PC run Control at 4K with High settings?

A: No. The measured average FPS at 3840x2160 High is 42.4, which is 17.6 FPS below the 60 FPS playable threshold. The only playable preset at 4K is Low, with an average of 69.6 FPS.

Q: What is the highest preset that maintains 60 FPS at 1440p?

A: Ultra settings at 2560x1440 average exactly 60 FPS, making it the most demanding preset that meets the threshold. High settings average 69 FPS if a safety margin is preferred.

Q: How does the RTX 4060 compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The RTX 4060 has an average benchmark score of 17639. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon HD 7790, scores 17666, which is 0.2% higher. The AMD Radeon 780M is 0.3% lower, the AMD Radeon Pro 560 is 0.5% lower, and the AMD Radeon Pro 460 is 0.7% lower.

Q: Is the i7-12700K a bottleneck for the RTX 4060 in Control?

A: The data does not indicate a CPU bottleneck. The i7-12700K scores 9979 in 3DMark max threads and 1043 in single-thread, placing it at the 84th percentile among all CPUs. FPS scaling across resolutions follows a GPU-bound pattern.

Q: What FPS does this combo achieve at 1080p Low settings?

A: The measured average is 141.3 FPS, which is the highest result across all tested resolutions and presets. This suggests the GPU is the limiting factor rather than the CPU.

Q: What is the performance delta between the i7-12700K and the i5-13600T?

A: The i5-13600T scores 35305 against the i7-12700K’s 35287, a delta of -0.1%. In practical terms, this means the i5-13600T would perform nearly identically in Control.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i7-12700K + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 combination ranks 1965 out of 3720 tested combos in Control. This places it in the 47th percentile of all tested systems, meaning roughly 53% of combinations perform better in this specific game. Given that the GPU sits at the 61st percentile among all GPUs and the CPU at the 84th percentile, the combo’s mid-pack ranking is primarily due to the RTX 4060’s modest position in the GPU hierarchy.

The ranking makes sense when considering the game’s GPU-bound nature. A system with a higher-ranked GPU but a weaker CPU would likely outrank this combo in Control, while a system with a stronger CPU but the same GPU would not improve FPS meaningfully. The 1965th rank reflects a balanced but not exceptional pairing—capable of 1080p and 1440p play at maximum settings, but far from the top tier of tested configurations. The combo’s performance is consistent with its component percentiles, with no unexpected uplift or degradation in this title.