Control

The Intel Core i7-12700KF paired with the AMD Radeon RX 7600 ranks 2484th out of 3720 tested combinations for Control, placing it in the lower-middle tier of the database. This position is somewhat surprising given the hardware's individual benchmark scores, and it suggests that the game's specific engine demands favor other configurations. The combo's percentile ranking is heavily influenced by the GPU, which sits at the 57th percentile among all GPUs, while the CPU is far stronger at the 85th percentile. This imbalance creates a system that is clearly capable of running the game, but the data reveals a significant performance ceiling imposed by the graphics card at higher resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

The 2484th rank out of 3720 combos places this configuration in the 33rd percentile of all tested systems for Control. This is a lower position than the individual component percentiles might suggest, indicating that the game is particularly sensitive to GPU performance rather than raw CPU power. The CPU's 85th percentile ranking and strong multi-threaded scores — including 28838 in Cinebench R23 multicore and 14367 in Geekbench multicore — do not translate into a high game-specific rank because Control's frame rates are largely dictated by the graphics card.

The GPU's 57th percentile ranking is the primary constraint. Its Passmark G3D score of 16634 and 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 2310 are modest figures that align with its mid-range positioning. The data shows that this combo performs adequately at 1080p, but the frame rate drops become more pronounced as resolution increases. Interestingly, the combo's rank is closer to the GPU's percentile than the CPU's, which strongly implies that for this particular game, the Radeon RX 7600 is the limiting factor. The CPU's nearest rivals — the Core i7-13700T and Core i5-13600T — have nearly identical average benchmark scores (35403 and 35305 respectively), yet swapping in a stronger GPU would likely yield a much better game-specific rank.

CPU and GPU Roles

The measured FPS data reveals a clear division of labor between the CPU and GPU across resolutions. At 1920x1080, the system delivers 118.7 FPS on Low settings and 77.2 FPS on High, indicating that the CPU has enough headroom to feed the GPU at lower graphical loads. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 1080p shows a 53.9 FPS drop (from 118.7 to 64.8), which is a 45.4% reduction — this is a typical pattern where the GPU becomes more stressed as settings increase, but the CPU can still keep up.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance gap between settings narrows in absolute terms but the trend continues. Low settings produce 91.2 FPS, while Ultra drops to 51.2 FPS, a 40 FPS difference. At 3840x2160, the GPU is clearly the bottleneck. Low settings yield 60.6 FPS, but Medium falls to 42.6 FPS and Ultra to just 35.1 FPS. The jump from 1440p to 2160p at High settings results in a 16.1 FPS drop (from 57.1 to 41.2), which is a 28.2% reduction. This indicates that the RX 7600's 8 GB GDDR6 memory and 288.0 GB/s bandwidth are insufficient for the higher pixel counts at demanding settings.

The CPU's role becomes more apparent at lower resolutions and settings. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 118.7 FPS, which is close to what the GPU can output when not heavily taxed. At 1440p Low, the frame rate is 91.2 FPS, showing that the CPU can still push high frame rates when the graphical load is light. However, at 2160p any setting above Low drops below 60 FPS, confirming that the GPU is the sole limiting factor at 4K. The data suggests that the i7-12700KF is more than adequate for this game, and that users would see no meaningful CPU bottleneck even at the highest frame rates recorded.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system performs admirably across all presets. Low settings deliver an average of 118.7 FPS, which is the highest recorded frame rate for this combo. Medium settings produce 84.6 FPS, High settings achieve 77.2 FPS, and Ultra settings still maintain a playable 64.8 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 53.9 FPS, representing a 45.4% performance penalty for maximum visual quality. All of these figures exceed the 60 FPS playability threshold, making 1080p a fully playable resolution for this game.

At 2560x1440, the performance becomes more varied. Low settings yield 91.2 FPS, which is still excellent. Medium settings drop to 65.7 FPS, barely clearing the 60 FPS threshold. High settings fall to 57.1 FPS, which is below the playability threshold, and Ultra settings produce just 51.2 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra at this resolution shows a 40 FPS drop (43.9% reduction), indicating that the GPU's memory bandwidth becomes a limiting factor as texture quality increases.

At 3840x2160, the system struggles to maintain playable frame rates. Low settings are the only preset that clears 60 FPS, with an average of 60.6 FPS. Medium settings drop to 42.6 FPS, High settings fall to 41.2 FPS, and Ultra settings bottom out at 35.1 FPS. The performance cliff between Low and Medium at 4K is particularly steep, with an 18 FPS drop (29.7% reduction). This pattern suggests that the 8 GB VRAM buffer is saturated at 4K with anything above minimal settings, causing significant frame rate degradation.

FAQ

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

A: No. At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average frame rate is 35.1 FPS, which is well below the 60 FPS playability threshold. Even High settings only reach 41.2 FPS, so 4K gaming is only feasible with Low settings.

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo?

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 is the only resolution where all four presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra) maintain at least 64.8 FPS. At 2560x1440, only Low and Medium presets clear 60 FPS, while 3840x2160 only supports Low settings.

Q: How does the RX 7600's performance compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The GPU's nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 OEM, has an average benchmark score of 15199, which is just 0.2% lower than the RX 7600's score. The AMD Radeon 680M scores 15270, which is 0.7% higher. These differences are negligible in real-world gaming.

Q: Is the CPU holding back the GPU in this game?

A: No. The Intel Core i7-12700KF is at the 85th percentile among all CPUs, and its nearest rival, the Core i7-12700K, has a nearly identical average score (35287 versus 35365). The frame rates at 1080p Low (118.7 FPS) suggest the CPU can handle much higher output than the GPU can deliver.

Q: What frame rate can I expect at 1440p with High settings?

A: The measured average is 57.1 FPS, which is just below the 60 FPS playability threshold. If you want to stay above 60 FPS at 1440p, you should use Medium settings, which deliver 65.7 FPS.

Q: Does the game's performance scale linearly with resolution?

A: No. The data shows a non-linear scaling. At High settings, moving from 1080p to 1440p causes a 20.1 FPS drop (26.0%), but moving from 1440p to 2160p causes a 16.1 FPS drop (28.2%). At Ultra settings, the 1080p to 1440p drop is 13.6 FPS (21.0%), while the 1440p to 2160p drop is 16.1 FPS (31.4%).

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, the only preset that maintains at least 60 FPS is Low, which delivers an average of 60.6 FPS. This is the most demanding setting that can be used at this resolution while staying above the playability threshold. Medium settings drop to 42.6 FPS, so users must accept minimal graphical quality for 4K gaming.

At 2560x1440, the best playable preset is Medium, which achieves 65.7 FPS. This provides a comfortable margin above the 60 FPS threshold. Low settings deliver 91.2 FPS, but Medium offers a better balance of visual quality and performance. High settings at 57.1 FPS and Ultra at 51.2 FPS are not recommended.

At 1920x1080, all presets are playable, but Ultra settings are the best choice, delivering 64.8 FPS. This is the highest quality preset that still clears 60 FPS. High settings at 77.2 FPS and Medium at 84.6 FPS offer progressively higher frame rates, but Ultra provides the best visual experience without dropping below the threshold.

The Verdict

Yes, this PC can run Control, but the playable range is heavily dependent on resolution. At 1920x1080, the system is fully capable, with all presets from Low to Ultra maintaining at least 64.8 FPS. The Ultra preset at 1080p delivers 64.8 FPS, which is a solid experience for a game of this genre.

At 2560x1440, the system is partially playable. Low and Medium settings clear the 60 FPS threshold, with Medium delivering 65.7 FPS. However, High and Ultra settings fall to 57.1 FPS and 51.2 FPS respectively, which may be acceptable for some players but do not meet the strict 60 FPS playability standard. For a smooth experience, users should stick to Medium settings at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the system barely meets the playability threshold with Low settings, which deliver 60.6 FPS. Any increase in graphical quality results in frame rates in the 35-43 FPS range, which is noticeably stuttery for an action-adventure game. The verdict is that this combo is a solid 1080p machine for Control, a passable 1440p machine with reduced settings, and a minimal 4K machine only at the lowest settings.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For the CPU, the Intel Core i7-12700KF's nearest rivals include the Core i7-13700T, which has an average benchmark score of 35403 (just 0.1% higher), and the Core i5-13600T with a score of 35305 (0.2% lower). These processors would behave nearly identically in Control, with frame rate differences of less than 1%. The Core i7-12700K, with a score of 35287, is also a direct match at 0.2% lower performance.

For the GPU, the AMD Radeon RX 7600's closest competitor is the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 OEM, which scores 15199 versus the RX 7600's 15171, a difference of just 0.2%. Users with the RTX 3050 OEM would see virtually identical frame rates in Control. The AMD Radeon 680M, an integrated solution, scores 15270 (0.7% higher) and would perform similarly, though it would be limited by system memory bandwidth. The AMD Radeon Pro 560X scores 15082 (0.6% lower) and would produce marginally lower frame rates.

In practical terms, swapping any of these rival components for the ones in this combo would result in frame rate changes of less than 1 FPS at any given resolution and preset. The data indicates that the performance envelope is tightly clustered around this hardware tier, and users can expect consistent results across these alternatives.