Control

This hardware pairing places highly among all tested combinations for Control. The combo ranks 90th out of 3,720 tested CPU and GPU pairings, placing it in the top 2.4% of configurations. This is a strong result for a game that benefits heavily from both CPU and GPU resources. The percentile rankings for the individual components support this: the Intel Core i7-12700KF sits in the 85th percentile among all CPUs, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 ranks in the 92nd percentile among all GPUs. When combined, these two components produce a system that consistently delivers high frame rates across all tested settings and resolutions.

The measured FPS data reinforces this top-tier positioning. At 1920x1080, the lowest average frame rate recorded is 153 FPS on Ultra settings, which is substantially above the 60 FPS playability threshold. The scaling from the lowest to highest settings at this resolution shows a drop from 266 FPS on Low to 153 FPS on Ultra, a 42.5% reduction in average frame rate. At 2560x1440, the spread narrows slightly, with Low settings producing 211 FPS and Ultra producing 116 FPS. The 4K results remain robust, with Low delivering 142 FPS and Ultra still maintaining 78 FPS. In every single configuration tested, the average frame rate clears the 60 FPS threshold by a wide margin, indicating that this combo is not merely playable but exceptionally capable for this title.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data reveals a clear pattern where the GPU becomes increasingly dominant as resolution increases, while the CPU remains a consistent foundation across all settings. At 1920x1080, the difference between Low and Ultra settings is 113 FPS (266 vs 153), which represents a 42.5% performance penalty for maximum visual quality. This gap suggests that at lower resolutions, the CPU has enough headroom to feed the GPU efficiently, and the GPU's workload scaling with settings directly dictates the frame rate.

Moving to 2560x1440, the Low to Ultra spread is 95 FPS (211 vs 116), a 45% reduction. The absolute numbers drop but the percentage scaling is nearly identical, indicating that the GPU is still the primary bottleneck when settings are increased. At 3840x2160, the Low to Ultra spread narrows to 64 FPS (142 vs 78), a 45.1% reduction. The consistency of this percentage across resolutions — 42.5%, 45%, and 45.1% — strongly suggests that the RTX 5090's workload scaling with settings is the dominant factor at all three resolutions.

The CPU's role becomes more apparent when examining the resolution scaling at a fixed settings level. At Low settings, going from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440 reduces the average frame rate from 266 to 211 FPS, a 20.7% drop. From 2560x1440 to 3840x2160 at Low, the drop is from 211 to 142 FPS, a 32.7% reduction. This increasing penalty at higher resolutions confirms that the GPU is progressively more stressed as pixel count rises. At Ultra settings, the same progression shows 153 to 116 FPS (24.2% drop) from 1080p to 1440p, then 116 to 78 FPS (32.8% drop) from 1440p to 4K. The GPU's performance ceiling is clearly the limiting factor at 4K Ultra, while the CPU maintains sufficient throughput to avoid becoming a bottleneck even at the highest settings.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Control at 4K Ultra settings?

A: Yes. The measured average frame rate at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings is 78 FPS, which is 18 FPS above the 60 FPS playability threshold. The verdict data confirms that Ultra is classified as a playable setting at this resolution.

Q: What is the best settings preset for 1440p gaming?

A: Ultra settings at 2560x1440 deliver 116 FPS on average, making it the most demanding preset that stays well above 60 FPS. The frame rate headroom of 56 FPS above the threshold provides substantial room for demanding scenes.

Q: How does the RTX 5090 compare to its nearest rivals in benchmark scores?

A: The RTX 5090 has an average benchmark score of 79,842. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB, scores 79,605, placing the RTX 5090 just 0.3% ahead. The AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT trails by 1.1%, while the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64X is 1.4% higher.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and Ultra at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, Low settings produce 266 FPS average, while Ultra produces 153 FPS. This represents a 113 FPS difference, meaning Ultra delivers 42.5% lower performance than Low settings.

Q: Is the Core i7-12700KF significantly faster than its closest rivals?

A: The 12700KF has an average benchmark score of 35,365. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core i7-13700T, scores 35,403, which is 0.1% higher. The Intel Core i5-13600T scores 35,305, putting it 0.2% behind. The differences are negligible, within 0.2% across all four comparable CPUs.

Q: Does the combo maintain 60 FPS at all tested settings?

A: Yes. Every resolution and settings combination in the measured data shows an average frame rate above 60 FPS. The lowest recorded average is 78 FPS at 3840x2160 Ultra, still 30% above the playability threshold.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The benchmark data for the CPU and GPU individually provides context for what other hardware would deliver similar performance in Control. For the Intel Core i7-12700KF, the nearest rivals are all within 0.2% of its average benchmark score of 35,365. The Intel Core i7-13700T scores 35,403, essentially identical. The Intel Core i5-13600T scores 35,305, while the Intel Core 5 213PE scores 35,428. The Intel Core i7-12700K scores 35,287. Any of these CPUs would produce nearly indistinguishable results in this game, given that the deltaPct values range from -0.2% to +0.2%.

On the GPU side, the RTX 5090's average benchmark score of 79,842 places it in close company with several other cards. The NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB scores 79,605, just 0.3% lower. The Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB scores 79,396, trailing by 0.6%. The AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT scores 78,940, a 1.1% deficit. The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64X scores 80,959, which is 1.4% higher. In practical terms, any of these GPUs paired with the 12700KF would deliver frame rates within a narrow band of the measured results. The performance differences are so small that they would not be perceptible in gameplay, with the largest delta being 1.4% between the RTX 5090 and the Radeon Pro Vega 64X.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the results show a clear progression across settings. Low settings produce an average of 266 FPS, the highest recorded in the entire dataset. Medium settings deliver 198 FPS, with a minimum of 168 FPS and a maximum of 228 FPS. High settings average 176 FPS. Ultra settings reduce the average to 153 FPS. All configurations at this resolution maintain frame rates that are more than double the 60 FPS threshold.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance scales down proportionally. Low settings average 211 FPS. Medium settings deliver 150 FPS, with the minimum at 127 FPS and maximum at 172 FPS. High settings produce 133 FPS. Ultra settings average 116 FPS. The Medium setting data at this resolution shows a min-to-max spread of 45 FPS, which represents a 30% variance from the average.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is pushed hardest. Low settings still deliver a strong 142 FPS average. Medium settings produce 101 FPS, with a minimum of 86 FPS and a maximum of 116 FPS — the min frame rate remains 26 FPS above the playability threshold. High settings average 90 FPS. Ultra settings deliver 78 FPS. The Medium setting at 4K shows a min-to-max spread of 30 FPS, which is a 29.7% variance from the average, similar to the 1440p pattern.

The Verdict

This combination can run Control at playable frame rates in every tested configuration. The verdict data classifies all four settings presets — Low, Medium, High, and Ultra — as playable at each of the three resolutions: 1920x1080, 2560x1440, and 3840x2160. The 60 FPS playability threshold is cleared with significant margin across the board.

At 3840x2160, the most demanding resolution, the worst-case average is 78 FPS on Ultra settings. This is 18 FPS above the threshold, providing a 30% buffer. The Medium preset at 4K shows a minimum frame rate of 86 FPS, which means even the lowest recorded frame stays well above 60 FPS. At 2560x1440, Ultra settings deliver 116 FPS average, and at 1920x1080, the same preset reaches 153 FPS. The data indicates that this system does not merely meet the playability standard; it exceeds it by a substantial margin at every settings level.

The verdict designates Ultra as the best settings preset at all three resolutions, with average frame rates of 78 FPS at 4K, 116 FPS at 1440p, and 153 FPS at 1080p. For users prioritizing maximum visual fidelity, this combo supports the highest quality settings without compromising the 60 FPS target.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, which delivers 153 FPS on average. This is the highest quality setting available and provides a comfortable 93 FPS margin above the playability threshold. No settings compromise is necessary at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, Ultra settings remain the best choice, producing 116 FPS average. The 56 FPS buffer above the 60 FPS threshold ensures that demanding scenes with heavy particle effects or physics calculations will still maintain smooth performance. The data shows this preset as the recommended configuration.

At 3840x2160, Ultra settings again qualify as the best preset, with an average of 78 FPS. This is 18 FPS above the threshold, which provides a moderate buffer. For users who want additional headroom at 4K, the High preset delivers 90 FPS, and Medium delivers 101 FPS, but the Ultra preset still comfortably clears the playability bar. The recommendation across all resolutions is consistent: run the game at Ultra settings for the best balance of visual quality and frame rate, as every configuration tested exceeds the 60 FPS target.