Control

The Intel Core i7-12700KF paired with the AMD Radeon RX 9060 delivers a highly playable Control experience at 1080p and 1440p, but struggles to maintain smooth performance at 4K. Benchmark data shows the combo averages 130 FPS at 1080p Low, dropping to 71 FPS at 1080p Ultra, while 4K Ultra falls to 36 FPS. The system ranks 2152nd out of 3720 tested combinations for this game, placing it in the upper-middle tier of configurations.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers excellent performance across all settings. Low settings produce an average of 130 FPS, while High settings yield 82 FPS. Medium settings average 92 FPS with a minimum of 78 FPS and a maximum of 106 FPS. Ultra settings still maintain a solid 71 FPS average. The scaling from Low to Ultra shows a 45% performance drop, indicating the GPU becomes increasingly taxed as visual fidelity rises.

Moving to 2560x1440, the system remains comfortably playable. Low settings hit 98 FPS average. High settings average 62 FPS, just above the 60 FPS playability threshold. Medium settings average 70 FPS with a minimum of 59 FPS and maximum of 80 FPS. Ultra settings dip to 54 FPS average, falling below the smooth-play threshold. The transition from 1080p to 1440p at High settings reduces performance by 24%, showing a significant resolution penalty.

At 3840x2160, only Low settings remain playable. Low averages 66 FPS, while Medium averages 47 FPS with a minimum of 40 FPS and maximum of 54 FPS. High settings drop to 42 FPS average, and Ultra falls to 36 FPS. The 4K Ultra result represents a 72% performance loss compared to 1080p Ultra. This steep decline indicates the RX 9060's 8 GB memory and 128-bit bus become limiting factors at extreme resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination ranks 2152nd out of 3720 tested combos for Control, placing it in the 58th percentile. This ranking reflects a system that handles the game well at mainstream resolutions but falls behind higher-end configurations at 4K. The CPU's 85th percentile ranking among all processors contrasts sharply with the GPU's 59th percentile, suggesting the graphics card is the primary bottleneck in this pairing.

Benchmark scores support this interpretation. The i7-12700KF achieves a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 28838, placing it in the top 15% of CPUs. The RX 9060's PassMark G3D score of 17631 places it near the middle of the GPU distribution. This imbalance becomes apparent in the 4K results, where the GPU's limitations dominate performance.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data reveals a clear shift in bottleneck behavior across resolutions. At 1080p, the CPU's strong single-thread performance (Geekbench single-core score of 2255) allows the GPU to stretch its legs, with Low settings reaching 130 FPS. The scaling from 1080p Low to 1440p Low shows a 25% drop, while the drop from 1440p Low to 4K Low is 33%. This increasing penalty at higher resolutions points to the GPU becoming the limiting factor.

At 4K, the GPU's memory bandwidth of 288.0 GB/s and 8 GB capacity become critical constraints. The 42 FPS High result versus the 66 FPS Low result at 4K represents a 36% performance gap, indicating that texture and shading demands overwhelm the GPU's resources. The CPU's 12 cores and 20 threads provide ample headroom, as evidenced by the 3DMark max threads score of 9983, but this processing power cannot compensate for the GPU's 1792 shading units at high resolutions.

The preset scaling tells a similar story. At 1080p, moving from Low to Ultra costs 45% performance. At 1440p, the same jump costs 45%. At 4K, the Low-to-Ultra transition costs 45% as well. This consistent scaling pattern suggests the GPU's architecture handles settings changes uniformly, but the absolute frame rates at 4K fall below playable levels regardless of optimization.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For the CPU, the nearest rivals are nearly identical in average benchmark score. The Intel Core i7-13700T scores 35403, just 0.1% higher than the i7-12700KF's 35365 average. The Intel Core i5-13600T scores 35305, 0.2% lower. The Intel Core 5 213PE scores 35428, 0.2% higher. The Intel Core i7-12700K scores 35287, 0.2% lower. Any of these processors would deliver statistically indistinguishable performance in Control.

For the GPU, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti scores 16129 on average, which is 0.7% higher than the RX 9060's 16014 average. The AMD Radeon R9 370X scores 15862, 1% lower. The AMD Radeon RX 7700 scores 15852, 1% lower. The AMD Radeon Pro W5500 scores 15679, 2.1% lower. A system with an RTX 3060 Ti would produce nearly identical frame rates in this game, while the RX 7700 would be marginally slower.

These small deltas mean that swapping the CPU or GPU for any of these rivals would not meaningfully change the playability verdicts. The bottleneck characteristics would remain similar, with the GPU continuing to limit 4K performance.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Control at 60 FPS on a 4K monitor?

A: Only at Low settings, which average 66 FPS. Medium settings drop to 47 FPS average, and High settings fall to 42 FPS, so 4K gaming requires significant visual compromises.

Q: What is the best 1440p preset for this combo?

A: High settings provide 62 FPS average, just above the 60 FPS threshold. Ultra settings drop to 54 FPS, so High is the highest preset that maintains smooth gameplay.

Q: How does the RX 9060 compare to the RTX 3060 Ti in this game?

A: The RTX 3060 Ti has an average benchmark score of 16129, which is 0.7% higher than the RX 9060's 16014. In practical terms, frame rates would be nearly identical.

Q: Is the i7-12700KF holding back the RX 9060?

A: No. The CPU ranks in the 85th percentile among processors, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 28838. The GPU ranks in the 59th percentile, making it the clear bottleneck, especially at 4K.

Q: What frame rates can I expect at 1080p with Ultra settings?

A: The system averages 71 FPS at 1080p Ultra, which comfortably exceeds the 60 FPS playability threshold. This is the highest preset that maintains smooth performance at this resolution.

Q: Does the 8 GB VRAM on the RX 9060 cause issues in Control?

A: The data suggests memory capacity becomes a factor at 4K, where High settings average 42 FPS versus 66 FPS at Low. The 288.0 GB/s bandwidth and 128-bit bus limit texture throughput at extreme resolutions.

The Verdict

This PC can absolutely run Control, but the experience depends heavily on resolution. At 1920x1080, every preset from Low to Ultra clears the 60 FPS threshold, with Ultra averaging 71 FPS. At 2560x1440, High settings average 62 FPS and remain playable, but Ultra drops to 54 FPS. At 3840x2160, only Low settings achieve 60 FPS, averaging 66 FPS. The system's 2152nd rank out of 3720 combos reflects this mixed profile: strong at mainstream resolutions, weak at 4K.

For gamers targeting 1080p or 1440p, this combo delivers a smooth Control experience with high visual quality. The data shows the i7-12700KF provides ample CPU headroom, while the RX 9060 handles the game's demands up to 1440p High. At 4K, the GPU's limitations become apparent, requiring Low settings for playable frame rates.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Low, achieving an average of 66 FPS. Medium settings fall to 47 FPS, so Low is the only viable option.

At 2560x1440, the highest playable preset is High, averaging 62 FPS. This provides a good balance of visual quality and performance, with Ultra falling short at 54 FPS.

At 1920x1080, Ultra settings average 71 FPS, making it the best choice for maximum visual fidelity while maintaining smooth gameplay. The full range of presets is playable at this resolution, giving users complete freedom to prioritize visuals or performance.