Control

The Intel Core i7-12700K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 delivers a decisive performance profile for Control, a 2019 Action Adventure title. Measured data across three resolutions shows this combination consistently exceeds the 60 FPS playable threshold, with the most demanding presets still maintaining substantial headroom. Benchmark results indicate a system that is effectively overqualified for this game, as even at 4K Ultra the average frame rate sits comfortably above the target.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, the most demanding preset that maintains at least 60 FPS is Ultra, which produces an average of 72 FPS. This is a significant margin above the playable threshold, leaving room for demanding scenes without dropping below the target. The High preset at this resolution reaches 82 FPS, while Medium hits 93 FPS and Low climbs to 130 FPS, but Ultra remains the optimal choice for visual fidelity without sacrificing smoothness.

Moving to 2560x1440, the data shows Ultra settings are again the highest preset that clears 60 FPS, delivering an average of 106 FPS. This represents a 47% increase over the 4K Ultra result, demonstrating how resolution scaling benefits the GPU. High at 1440p reaches 122 FPS, Medium achieves 137 FPS, and Low peaks at 193 FPS. The gap between Ultra and Low here is 87 FPS, showing substantial headroom at this resolution.

At 1920x1080, Ultra settings produce an average of 140 FPS, making it the clear choice for maximum quality. High reaches 161 FPS, Medium hits 181 FPS, and Low achieves 255 FPS. The 1080p Ultra result is nearly double the 4K Ultra figure, illustrating the GPU's strong scaling as pixel count decreases. For competitive play or high refresh rate displays, even the most demanding preset leaves ample performance on the table.

CPU and GPU Roles

The scaling between resolutions and presets reveals that the GPU dominates performance in Control for this combination. At 4K, dropping from Ultra to Low increases frame rates from 72 to 130 FPS, a 58 FPS jump that represents an 81% improvement. This dramatic shift indicates that pixel throughput is the primary bottleneck at high resolutions. At 1440p, the same preset change yields 106 to 193 FPS, an 87 FPS difference. At 1080p, the range extends from 140 to 255 FPS, a 115 FPS spread.

The CPU's role becomes more apparent at lower resolutions where frame rates are higher. At 1080p Low, the system reaches 255 FPS, which tests the processor's ability to feed the GPU. The Core i7-12700K's 3DMark max threads score of 9979 and single thread score of 1043 suggest it can handle this workload effectively. However, the fact that 1080p Ultra still produces 140 FPS indicates the GPU remains the limiting factor even at mainstream resolutions.

The data shows that the RTX 5080 is the dominant component across all tested settings. The GPU's passmark G3D score of 36565 and 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 8637 highlight its raw capability. Meanwhile, the CPU's cinebench R23 multicore score of 19784 and single core score of 1850.5 demonstrate sufficient processing power to avoid becoming a bottleneck in this title.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For the CPU, the nearest rivals to the Core i7-12700K show remarkably similar average scores. The Intel Core i5-13600T scores 35305, which is 0.1% lower. The Intel Core i7-12700KF scores 35365, just 0.2% below. The Intel Core i7-13700T achieves 35403, a 0.3% difference. The Intel Core 5 213PE scores 35428, only 0.4% higher. These deltas are negligible, meaning any of these processors would deliver near-identical frame rates in Control when paired with the RTX 5080.

On the GPU side, the RTX 5080's nearest rivals present a more varied picture. The AMD Radeon 8060S scores 55757, which is 0.6% lower. The AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB scores 55698, 0.7% below. The AMD Radeon Pro W5700X scores 54828, a 2.3% gap. Interestingly, the AMD Radeon RX 9070 GRE scores 57367, which is 2.2% higher than the RTX 5080. This means the RX 9070 GRE would potentially offer slightly better performance in Control, though the difference is small enough to be within run-to-run variance.

These alternatives suggest that users with any of these CPUs would see virtually identical performance. For GPU swaps, the RX 9070 GRE might edge ahead, while the other AMD options would trail by a modest margin. The performance envelope across all these components remains close enough that gameplay experience in Control would be indistinguishable in most scenarios.

The Verdict

The data clearly indicates that this PC can run Control with exceptional performance at every tested resolution. At 3840x2160, the verdict lists all four settings—High, Low, Medium, and Ultra—as playable, with Ultra achieving 72 FPS. This comfortably clears the 60 FPS threshold, making 4K Ultra a viable option for immersive play. The minimum FPS recorded at 4K Medium is 79, suggesting frame times remain stable even in demanding sequences.

At 2560x1440, all settings are also playable, with Ultra reaching 106 FPS. The Medium preset shows a minimum of 117 FPS and maximum of 158 FPS, indicating consistent performance. This resolution offers a sweet spot for high refresh rate displays, as the average frame rates exceed 100 FPS even at maximum quality. For gamers with 144Hz monitors, this combination would deliver a smooth experience at 1440p Ultra.

At 1920x1080, the system produces 140 FPS at Ultra settings, which is more than double the playable threshold. All presets are playable, with Low reaching 255 FPS. This makes the combination suitable for esports-level refresh rates if needed, though the visual quality at Ultra is clearly the recommended choice. The overall verdict is unambiguous: this hardware handles Control with substantial headroom at every resolution and preset combination tested.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest preset that stays above 60 FPS at 4K?

A: Ultra settings achieve an average of 72 FPS at 3840x2160, making it the most demanding preset that clears the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: How much faster is 1080p Ultra compared to 4K Ultra?

A: The 1080p Ultra average of 140 FPS is 68 FPS higher than the 4K Ultra average of 72 FPS, representing a 94% performance increase.

Q: Which component is the primary bottleneck in Control?

A: The GPU dominates performance, as shown by the 81% frame rate increase from 4K Ultra to 4K Low, indicating pixel throughput limits performance more than CPU processing.

Q: Does the RTX 5080 have any rival that performs better?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 9070 GRE scores 2.2% higher in average benchmark score, while other rivals like the AMD Radeon 8060S and RX 6750 GRE score slightly lower.

Q: What is the minimum frame rate recorded at 1440p Medium?

A: The minimum FPS at 2560x1440 Medium is 117, with a maximum of 158, showing consistent frame delivery.

Q: Is the Core i7-12700K significantly different from its nearest CPU rivals?

A: No, the closest rivals show deltas between -0.1% and -0.4%, meaning performance differences in Control would be negligible.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i7-12700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 combination ranks 204th out of 3720 tested combos in Control, placing it in the top 5.5% of all configurations. This high percentile reflects the system's ability to run the game at maximum settings across all resolutions. The CPU itself ranks in the 84th percentile among all processors, while the GPU ranks in the 87th percentile among all graphics cards.

Given that this rank includes many combinations with newer or more expensive hardware, the position is impressive. The RTX 5080's strong compute performance, evidenced by its 56.28 TFLOPS FP32 throughput and 960.0 GB/s memory bandwidth, contributes significantly to this standing. The Core i7-12700K's 125W TDP and 12 cores provide ample processing power without becoming a limiting factor.

For context, being in the top 204 of 3720 means this combination outperforms the vast majority of systems tested in Control. The gap between this rank and the top positions likely comes from CPUs with higher single-thread scores or GPUs with greater memory bandwidth. However, the practical difference in gameplay is minimal, as the system already exceeds 140 FPS at 1080p Ultra and maintains 72 FPS at 4K Ultra. This rank confirms that users have a top-tier configuration for this title, with performance that exceeds the requirements of the game's most demanding settings.