Control

Measured FPS Breakdown

The recorded data for Control on this Intel Core i7-12700KF with NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER combination covers three resolutions and four quality presets. The measurements are consistent and complete for average frame rates, with minimum and maximum values captured only for the Medium preset at each resolution.

At 3840x2160, the game shows the heaviest load. The Ultra preset averages 36 FPS, which is the lowest recorded figure across the entire test matrix. High settings produce an average of 42 FPS, while Medium improves to 47 FPS with a minimum of 40 FPS and a maximum of 54 FPS. Dropping to Low yields a significant jump to 66 FPS average, the only 4K setting that crosses the 60 FPS playability threshold. The spread from Ultra to Low at 4K represents a 30 FPS difference, indicating that resolution scaling has a substantial impact on this GPU.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance picture improves considerably. Low settings average 98 FPS, making it the fastest preset at this resolution. Medium delivers 70 FPS with a minimum of 59 FPS and a maximum of 80 FPS, placing the average comfortably above the playable threshold. High settings average 62 FPS, which barely clears the 60 FPS line. Ultra drops to 54 FPS average, falling short of the playability standard. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 44 FPS, showing that preset selection matters nearly as much as resolution choice.

At 1920x1080, the system has ample headroom across all settings. Low reaches 130 FPS average, the highest figure recorded in the entire dataset. Medium averages 92 FPS with a minimum of 78 FPS and a maximum of 106 FPS, meaning even the worst-case frame time stays well above 60 FPS. High settings average 82 FPS, and Ultra averages 71 FPS. The minimum recorded value at 1080p Medium (78 FPS) is higher than the average frame rate at 1440p High (62 FPS), illustrating how resolution dominates the performance equation here.

The minimum and maximum data points available only for Medium presets provide insight into frame pacing. At 4K Medium, the 40 to 54 FPS range shows a 14 FPS variance. At 1440p Medium, the 59 to 80 FPS range spans 21 FPS. At 1080p Medium, the 78 to 106 FPS range covers 28 FPS. The variance widens as resolution decreases, which suggests the CPU has more room to push frame rates higher when the GPU is less constrained.

Best Settings per Resolution

For 3840x2160, the only preset that maintains an average at or above 60 FPS is Low, with a recorded average of 66 FPS. Medium falls short at 47 FPS, High at 42 FPS, and Ultra at 36 FPS. The verdict data confirms Low as the best playable setting at this resolution, and there is no margin for error: the 66 FPS average leaves only 6 FPS of headroom above the threshold.

At 2560x1440, High is the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS, averaging exactly 62 FPS. Medium averages 70 FPS and Low averages 98 FPS, both also playable, but High provides the best visual quality within the constraint. The 62 FPS average is tight against the 60 FPS line, so players who prioritize consistency might prefer Medium with its 70 FPS average and 59 FPS minimum, which nearly matches the threshold in the worst case.

At 1920x1080, Ultra is the best playable setting, averaging 71 FPS. This clears the 60 FPS requirement by 11 FPS, providing a reasonable buffer for scene complexity spikes. High averages 82 FPS, Medium 92 FPS, and Low 130 FPS, all comfortably above the threshold. The entire preset range at 1080p is playable, with even the most demanding setting maintaining a solid average.

The best settings progression follows a clear pattern: Low at 4K, High at 1440p, Ultra at 1080p. Each step down in resolution allows one preset tier higher in quality while maintaining the 60 FPS average standard. The data shows that 4K Ultra is not feasible, 1440p Ultra is borderline unplayable at 54 FPS, and 1080p Ultra is the ceiling for this combination.

CPU and GPU Roles

The recorded measurements across resolutions and presets reveal how the CPU and GPU divide responsibilities in Control. The scaling from 1080p to 4K at identical presets shows a dramatic drop that points to GPU-bound behavior at higher resolutions. At Low settings, the average falls from 130 FPS at 1080p to 98 FPS at 1440p, a 25% reduction, then to 66 FPS at 4K, a further 33% reduction from 1440p. This steep decline as pixel count rises indicates the RTX 2070 SUPER is the limiting factor at 4K.

At Ultra settings, the pattern is similar but compressed: 71 FPS at 1080p, 54 FPS at 1440p, 36 FPS at 4K. The 1080p to 1440p drop of 17 FPS and the 1440p to 4K drop of 18 FPS show consistent GPU scaling pressure. The fact that even Low settings cannot sustain high frame rates at 4K reinforces that the GPU, not the CPU, dictates performance at this resolution.

The CPU role becomes more apparent at lower resolutions and higher presets. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 59 FPS (130 to 71), which is a larger absolute gap than at 1440p (44 FPS) or 4K (30 FPS). When the GPU has less pixel work at 1080p, the Core i7-12700KF can feed it enough frames to expose the preset scaling. The 12-core, 20-thread processor with a 5.00 GHz boost clock provides ample headroom for the game's physics and AI workloads, as evidenced by the high minimum frame rates at 1080p Medium (78 FPS).

The CPU benchmark data supports this interpretation. The i7-12700KF scores 28838 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 4071 in single-core, with a PassMark multi-thread score of 34092. These figures place the processor in the 85th percentile among all CPUs, indicating it has substantial compute resources to avoid becoming a bottleneck in most scenarios. The GPU, by contrast, sits in the 65th percentile of all GPUs, which aligns with the observed frame rate limitations at higher resolutions.

At 1440p, the balance shifts. The 62 FPS High average and 54 FPS Ultra average suggest the GPU is nearing its limit, but the 98 FPS Low average shows the CPU can still push well beyond 60 FPS when graphical load is reduced. The system behaves as a balanced pairing at 1440p, with neither component completely dominating the other. At 4K, the GPU is unequivocally the constraint, as even the lowest preset cannot exceed 66 FPS average.

The Verdict

This PC configuration can run Control, but the playable settings depend heavily on the target resolution. The database uses a 60 FPS average threshold to define playability, and the verdict by resolution is clear.

At 3840x2160, the system clears 60 FPS only on Low settings, with a 66 FPS average. Medium, High, and Ultra all fall below the threshold at 47, 42, and 36 FPS respectively. Players with a 4K display must accept Low quality presets to maintain smooth gameplay. The 66 FPS average provides minimal headroom, so demanding scenes may dip toward the 60 FPS line.

At 2560x1440, the system offers three playable presets: High at 62 FPS, Medium at 70 FPS, and Low at 98 FPS. Ultra misses the threshold at 54 FPS. The best visual quality within the playable range is High, but its 62 FPS average is close to the boundary. Medium is the safer choice for consistent frame pacing, as its 59 FPS minimum nearly matches the target even in the worst recorded moment.

At 1920x1080, every preset is playable. Ultra averages 71 FPS, High 82 FPS, Medium 92 FPS, and Low 130 FPS. The system has enough performance to run the game at maximum quality settings with a comfortable margin above 60 FPS. The 71 FPS Ultra average means even the most demanding preset maintains playability without compromise.

The overall verdict: this is a capable 1080p Ultra machine, a solid 1440p High machine, and a constrained 4K Low machine. The combination ranks 2152 out of 3720 tested combos in the game database, placing it in the upper half of systems tested for Control. The data indicates the RTX 2070 SUPER is the limiting factor at 4K, while the i7-12700KF provides enough CPU headroom to avoid bottlenecks at lower resolutions.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For the CPU, the nearest rivals in the database are closely matched. The Intel Core i7-13700T scores 35403 in average benchmarks, a 0.1% difference from the i7-12700KF's 35365 average. The Intel Core i5-13600T scores 35305, 0.2% higher than the i7-12700KF. The Intel Core 5 213PE scores 35428, 0.2% lower. The Intel Core i7-12700K scores 35287, 0.2% higher. These four alternatives would deliver nearly identical CPU performance in Control, with differences well within measurement noise. Any of these processors paired with the RTX 2070 SUPER would produce frame rates very close to the recorded data.

For the GPU, the nearest rivals show slightly more spread. The NVIDIA Quadro M4000M scores 20480 on average, 1% below the RTX 2070 SUPER's 20282 average. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile scores 20534, 1.2% higher. The Intel Arc B570 scores 20556, 1.3% higher. The Intel Arc A750 scores 20582, 1.5% higher. These deltas correspond to roughly 200 to 300 points in the average benchmark score, which translates to a small but measurable difference in real-world frame rates. A system with any of these GPUs paired with the i7-12700KF would land within a few FPS of the recorded values in Control, particularly at 1080p where the GPU has less influence on the final result.

The practical takeaway is that swapping the CPU for any of its nearest rivals would be imperceptible in gameplay, while swapping the GPU for the Arc A750 or RTX 3070 Mobile might yield a marginal improvement of 1 to 2 FPS at most resolutions. The Quadro M4000M would perform slightly worse. These alternatives are useful for understanding how the system compares to other builds rather than as upgrade recommendations.

FAQ

Q: Can this PC run Control at 4K resolution?

A: Yes, but only on Low settings, which average 66 FPS. Medium averages 47 FPS, High 42 FPS, and Ultra 36 FPS, all below the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Q: What is the best setting for 2560x1440 gameplay?

A: High settings provide the best quality while maintaining playability, averaging 62 FPS. Ultra falls short at 54 FPS, so High is the recommended choice for visual fidelity within the 60 FPS constraint.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more important for Control at 1080p?

A: The GPU becomes less dominant at 1080p, as shown by the 59 FPS difference between Low and Ultra presets (130 to 71 FPS). The Core i7-12700KF, which scores in the 85th percentile of all CPUs, has enough compute headroom to keep frame rates high when the GPU is not pixel-bound.

Q: How much performance is lost going from 1080p to 4K at the same settings?

A: At Low settings, the average drops from 130 FPS at 1080p to 66 FPS at 4K, a reduction of 64 FPS. At Ultra settings, the average drops from 71 FPS to 36 FPS, a reduction of 35 FPS. The larger absolute drop at Low settings indicates the GPU is heavily taxed by 4K regardless of preset.

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

A: The minimum recorded FPS for Medium at 2560x1440 is 59 FPS, with an average of 70 FPS and a maximum of 80 FPS. This means even the worst frame time stays just below the playable threshold.

Q: Are there any preset and resolution combinations that exceed 100 FPS average?

A: Yes, 1920x1080 with Low settings averages 130 FPS, which is the only combination in the dataset that surpasses 100 FPS. The next closest is 2560x1440 Low at 98 FPS, just short of the mark.