Control

Measured FPS Breakdown

The recorded data for Control with the Intel Core i7-12700KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER spans three resolutions and four quality presets. At 1920x1080, the combination delivers an average of 118 FPS on Low settings, 84 FPS on Medium with a minimum of 71 FPS and a maximum of 96 FPS, 74 FPS on High, and 65 FPS on Ultra settings. All 1080p presets remain comfortably above the 60 FPS playability threshold, with the Ultra preset showing the smallest margin at 5 FPS over the threshold.

Moving to 2560x1440, the averages step down noticeably. Low settings produce 89 FPS, Medium produces 63 FPS with a minimum of 54 FPS and a maximum of 73 FPS, High produces 56 FPS, and Ultra produces 49 FPS. The Medium preset clears the 60 FPS average mark, but its minimum of 54 FPS indicates that frame time consistency dips below the playable threshold during demanding scenes. High and Ultra fall short of the 60 FPS average, with Ultra nearly 11 FPS below the threshold.

At 3840x2160, the picture becomes more constrained. Low settings yield 60 FPS on average, which exactly meets the playable threshold. Medium settings average 43 FPS with a minimum of 36 FPS and a maximum of 49 FPS, High averages 38 FPS, and Ultra averages 33 FPS. Only the Low preset at 4K maintains an average at or above 60 FPS; every other preset at this resolution falls below the threshold by a wide margin. The scaling pattern across resolutions shows a consistent penalty as pixel count increases, with the gap between presets widening at higher resolutions.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data reveals a shift in component dominance depending on resolution and preset. At 1920x1080, the gap between Low (118 FPS) and Ultra (65 FPS) is 53 FPS, which indicates that the GPU is the primary limiter even at the lowest preset. The CPU, with its strong multi-threaded and single-threaded benchmark scores (Cinebench R23 multi-core at 28838 and single-core at 4071), is unlikely to constrain the frame rate at this resolution. The RTX 2060 SUPER sits at the 62nd percentile among all GPUs, and its average benchmark score of 18093 suggests it is the bottleneck when the resolution drops.

At 2560x1440, the scaling from Low (89 FPS) to Ultra (49 FPS) spans 40 FPS. The GPU load increases with pixel count, and the frame rate drops accordingly. The CPU's role diminishes further because the GPU must process more fragments and shading work per frame. The recorded data shows the Medium preset at 63 FPS, which is just above the threshold, while High falls to 56 FPS. This 7 FPS difference between Medium and High at 1440p is smaller than the 10 FPS difference at 1080p between the same two presets, suggesting that GPU memory bandwidth and shading throughput are becoming more significant constraints.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is almost entirely responsible for the observed performance. Low settings average 60 FPS, while Medium drops to 43 FPS, a 17 FPS penalty. High and Ultra trail at 38 FPS and 33 FPS respectively. The 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on the RTX 2060 SUPER, paired with a 256-bit bus and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth, is likely saturated at 4K with higher presets. The CPU's 12 cores and 20 threads, along with its 25 MB of shared L3 cache, are more than sufficient for the game's logic and draw call processing at any resolution. The data indicates that users should prioritize GPU settings when targeting higher resolutions, as the CPU headroom is ample across all tested configurations.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Control at 1920x1080 with Ultra settings?

A: Yes. The recorded average FPS at 1080p Ultra is 65 FPS, which is 5 FPS above the 60 FPS playable threshold. This preset delivers the highest visual quality while maintaining a playable frame rate.

Q: What is the best preset at 2560x1440 for a stable 60 FPS experience?

A: Medium settings at 1440p produce an average of 63 FPS, with a minimum of 54 FPS and a maximum of 73 FPS. While the average clears the threshold, the minimum dips below 60 FPS, so users seeking strict frame pacing may prefer Low settings, which average 89 FPS.

Q: Is 4K gaming viable with this hardware?

A: Only at Low settings, which average exactly 60 FPS. Medium, High, and Ultra presets at 3840x2160 fall to 43, 38, and 33 FPS respectively, all below the playable threshold.

Q: How does the RTX 2060 SUPER compare to its nearest rivals in benchmark scores?

A: The GPU's average benchmark score is 18093. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Mobile scores 18159, a 0.4% lead. The AMD Radeon Pro 5700 scores 18189, a 0.5% lead. The AMD Radeon RX 460 and Intel Arc A770M score 18373 and 18383, which are 1.5% and 1.6% higher respectively. The differences are small, indicating similar performance tiers.

Q: What does the CPU's percentile ranking indicate?

A: The Intel Core i7-12700KF sits at the 85th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 35365. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core i7-12700K, scores 35287, a 0.2% difference, so the two perform nearly identically in synthetic workloads.

Q: Does the CPU or GPU limit performance more at 1080p Low?

A: The 118 FPS average at 1080p Low suggests the GPU is the limiting factor. The CPU's strong single-threaded score of 4071 in Cinebench R23 and multi-threaded score of 28838 indicate it has ample headroom to feed the GPU at this resolution and preset.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i7-12700KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER ranks 2650 out of 3720 tested combos for Control. This places the system in the lower-middle portion of the database's tested configurations. The rank reflects the GPU's position at the 62nd percentile among all GPUs, which is the weaker link in this pairing. The CPU's 85th percentile ranking shows it is far more capable than the GPU, and the overall combo rank is dragged down by the graphics card's mid-range standing.

In practical terms, a rank of 2650 out of 3720 means the system performs above roughly 28% of tested combos but below 72%. The data shows that this combo is best suited for 1080p gaming with high visual fidelity, as it can handle Ultra at that resolution. At 1440p, it manages Medium settings, and at 4K, only Low settings are viable. Users with higher refresh rate 1080p displays will find the system adequate, but those targeting 1440p at high refresh rates will need to reduce settings or consider a stronger GPU.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The CPU's nearest rivals in benchmark scores are the Intel Core i7-13700T (average score 35403, 0.1% higher), the Intel Core 5 213PE (35428, 0.2% higher), the Intel Core i5-13600T (35305, 0.2% lower), and the Intel Core i7-12700K (35287, 0.2% lower). All four processors fall within a 0.4% band of the i7-12700KF, meaning any of these CPUs would produce nearly identical frame rates in Control when paired with the same GPU. The i7-12700K, in particular, is essentially a direct equivalent for gaming purposes.

On the GPU side, the nearest rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Mobile (average score 18159, 0.4% higher), the AMD Radeon Pro 5700 (18189, 0.5% higher), the AMD Radeon RX 460 (18373, 1.5% higher), and the Intel Arc A770M (18383, 1.6% higher). The RTX 3060 Mobile and Radeon Pro 5700 are the closest matches, with performance differences under 1%. The Radeon RX 460 and Arc A770M show slightly higher scores, but the 1.5% and 1.6% deltas are within the margin of measurement variance for most games. Substituting any of these GPUs would yield similar FPS results in Control, though driver optimizations and game-specific quirks may shift the exact numbers.

The Verdict

The Intel Core i7-12700KF with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER can run Control, but the experience depends heavily on the chosen resolution and settings. At 1920x1080, all four presets clear the 60 FPS threshold: Low at 118 FPS, Medium at 84 FPS, High at 74 FPS, and Ultra at 65 FPS. This resolution offers the most flexibility, allowing users to prioritize visual quality without sacrificing playability.

At 2560x1440, the system clears 60 FPS on Low (89 FPS) and Medium (63 FPS) settings. High and Ultra fall short at 56 FPS and 49 FPS respectively. Users targeting 1440p should stick to Medium or lower for a consistent experience, though the Medium preset's minimum of 54 FPS may cause occasional stutter in intense combat scenes.

At 3840x2160, only Low settings reach the 60 FPS average threshold. Medium, High, and Ultra all fall below playable levels, with averages of 43, 38, and 33 FPS. The verdict by resolution confirms this: 4K is only viable at Low, 1440p is viable up to Medium, and 1080p is viable across all presets. The system is best described as a solid 1080p machine with limited headroom for higher resolutions.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that maintains an average of at least 60 FPS is Ultra, which delivers 65 FPS. This is the recommended configuration for full visual fidelity at 1080p, with 5 FPS of headroom above the threshold.

At 2560x1440, the most demanding playable preset is Medium, averaging 63 FPS. Users who prioritize frame rate stability over visual quality may opt for Low at 89 FPS, but Medium is the highest preset that clears the 60 FPS average.

At 3840x2160, the only preset that reaches the threshold is Low, averaging exactly 60 FPS. No higher preset is playable at this resolution, so users must accept minimal settings to run the game at 4K. The data shows a clear progression: the higher the resolution, the lower the acceptable preset, with 4K demanding the most significant visual compromises.