Control

The Intel Core i7-12700KF paired with the Intel Arc B570 delivers a playable Control experience only below 4K, with the data indicating a hard ceiling at 1440p. At 1920x1080, the combination clears the 60 FPS threshold at High settings, but the Ultra preset drops below it, revealing the GPU as the primary constraint as resolution scales.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, no preset achieves the 60 FPS playable threshold. The highest recorded average is 51 FPS at Low settings, which still falls short. The data shows a steep drop as quality increases: Medium averages 36 FPS, High 32 FPS, and Ultra 28 FPS. Consequently, there is no recommended setting for 4K; the hardware cannot sustain a fluid experience at any quality level.

At 2560x1440, the only playable option is Low, which produces an average of 76 FPS. This is the sole preset above the 60 FPS line. Medium averages 54 FPS, High 48 FPS, and Ultra 42 FPS, all of which are below the threshold. The verdict data confirms Low as the best settings at this resolution, with a measured average of 76 FPS.

At 1920x1080, the system finds its comfort zone. High settings average 63 FPS, clearing the threshold with a modest margin. Medium averages 71 FPS, and Low averages 101 FPS, but the verdict data selects High as the best settings since it is the most demanding preset that remains playable. Ultra averages 55 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS line, making it unsuitable despite the higher visual fidelity.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The CPU's benchmark data places it among close competitors. The Intel Core i7-12700KF has an average benchmark score of 35365, with the nearest rival being the Intel Core i7-13700T at 35403, a negligible delta of -0.1%. The Intel Core 5 213PE scores 35428, also -0.1% relative. On the other side, the Intel Core i5-13600T scores 35305, a 0.2% delta, and the Intel Core i7-12700K scores 35287, also 0.2% ahead of the 12700KF. These differences are within a fraction of a percent, meaning any of these CPUs would produce virtually identical frame rates in Control when paired with the same GPU.

For the GPU, the Intel Arc B570's average benchmark score is 20556. The nearest rival is the Intel Arc A750 at 20582, a delta of -0.1%, indicating the A750 is essentially a match. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile scores 20534, just 0.1% behind, while the NVIDIA Quadro M4000M trails at 20480 (0.4% behind) and the AMD Radeon R9 M390X leads slightly at 20662 (0.5% ahead). In practical terms, swapping the Arc B570 for any of these GPUs would shift the measured FPS by less than one percent, so the playability verdicts at each resolution would remain unchanged.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 3840x2160, the data shows a consistent decline across presets. Low settings average 51 FPS, with no min or max recorded. Medium averages 36 FPS, with a minimum of 31 and a maximum of 42. High averages 32 FPS, and Ultra averages 28 FPS. The spread between Low and Ultra is 23 FPS, indicating that quality settings have a significant impact at this resolution, but even the lowest setting cannot reach playable levels.

At 2560x1440, the results improve substantially. Low settings average 76 FPS, which is the only playable value. Medium averages 54 FPS, with a range of 46 to 62 FPS, meaning some frames exceed the threshold but the average does not. High averages 48 FPS, and Ultra averages 42 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 34 FPS, showing that the GPU's headroom at 1440p is quickly consumed by higher quality settings.

At 1920x1080, the system performs best. Low settings average 101 FPS, a strong result. Medium averages 71 FPS, with a minimum of 61 and a maximum of 82, ensuring the experience stays above 60 FPS even in dips. High averages 63 FPS, just above the threshold, with no min or max data available. Ultra averages 55 FPS, falling short. The delta between Low and Ultra is 46 FPS, the largest of any resolution, which highlights how much performance is traded for visual quality at 1080p.

The Verdict

This PC can run Control, but only under specific conditions. At 1920x1080, the system is playable at High, Medium, and Low presets, with High being the best choice at 63 FPS average. Ultra is not playable, averaging 55 FPS. At 2560x1440, only Low clears the 60 FPS threshold, averaging 76 FPS; all other presets fail. At 3840x2160, no preset reaches 60 FPS, with the best case being Low at 51 FPS.

The overall ranking of this combination in the game's database is 2995 out of 3720 combos, placing it in the lower third of tested systems. The data indicates that the system is a solid 1080p performer, a marginal 1440p option, and not viable for 4K gaming in Control. Users targeting 1440p should stick to Low settings, while those at 1080p can enjoy High quality without sacrificing smoothness.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark data reveals that the GPU is the dominant bottleneck as resolution increases. At 1920x1080, the CPU's strength is more evident: the Core i7-12700KF, with its 12 cores and 20 threads, provides enough headroom for the Arc B570 to reach 101 FPS at Low and 71 FPS at Medium. The CPU's single-thread performance, as shown by a 3dmark single-thread score of 1043 and a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4071, is more than sufficient for Control's engine at lower resolutions.

At 2560x1440, the GPU's limitations become apparent. The average FPS at Low drops to 76, and at High it falls to 48. This scaling suggests that the Arc B570's 10 GB of GDDR6 memory and 160-bit bus, which deliver 380.0 GB/s of bandwidth, struggle to feed the higher pixel count efficiently. The CPU's multi-core performance, evidenced by a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 28838, does not compensate for the GPU's workload increase.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is unequivocally the limiting factor. The average FPS at Low is 51, and at Ultra it plummets to 28. The CPU's role diminishes further, as even the lowest settings cannot achieve playable frame rates. The GPU's FP32 throughput of 11.52 TFLOPS and pixel rate of 200.0 GPixel/s are insufficient for 4K rendering in this title. The data shows that while the CPU is capable of handling the game's logic and draw calls, the Arc B570's raw pixel-pushing capability is the deciding factor for playability.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Control at 4K with 60 FPS?

A: No. At 3840x2160, the highest average FPS is 51 at Low settings, and Ultra averages 28 FPS. None of the tested presets reach the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: What is the best settings preset at 1440p for this PC?

A: Low is the only playable preset at 2560x1440, with an average of 76 FPS. Medium averages 54 FPS, High 48 FPS, and Ultra 42 FPS, all below the playable threshold.

Q: Which component limits performance more in this game?

A: The GPU is the primary bottleneck. At 1080p, the CPU provides enough headroom for high frame rates, but as resolution increases to 1440p and 4K, the Arc B570's frame rates drop disproportionately, indicating GPU-bound performance.

Q: Is the Intel Arc B570 similar to any other GPU in performance?

A: Yes. The Arc B570's average benchmark score is 20556, which is within 0.1% of the Intel Arc A750 (20582) and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile (20534). These GPUs would produce nearly identical frame rates in Control.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Core i7-12700KF scores 35365 on average, with the closest rival being the Intel Core i7-13700T at 35403 (-0.1%). The Intel Core i5-13600T scores 35305 (0.2% higher), and the Core i7-12700K scores 35287 (0.2% higher). Differences are negligible.

Q: Is Ultra settings playable at any resolution?

A: No. At 1080p, Ultra averages 55 FPS; at 1440p, it averages 42 FPS; and at 4K, it averages 28 FPS. All values fall below the 60 FPS playable threshold.