Control

The Intel Core i7-13700K paired with the AMD Radeon RX 580 delivers a very narrow playable window for Control, and only at 1080p with the lowest settings. The recorded data shows this combination ranks in the 9th percentile of all tested combos, meaning it is near the bottom of the database for this title. The CPU is exceptionally strong, but the GPU is the limiting factor across nearly every resolution and preset, making this a pairing that struggles to keep up with the game’s demands outside of a single configuration.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 3840x2160, the results are uniformly below the 60 FPS playable threshold. The High preset averages 20 FPS, while Low improves to 32 FPS. Medium lands at 23 FPS with a minimum of 19 FPS and a maximum of 26 FPS. Ultra is the slowest at 18 FPS. No resolution above 1080p reaches a playable average, and even the best 4K result, Low at 32 FPS, is less than half of the 60 FPS target.

Moving to 2560x1440, the situation improves somewhat but remains firmly in unplayable territory. High averages 30 FPS, and Low reaches 48 FPS. Medium delivers 34 FPS with a minimum of 29 FPS and a maximum of 39 FPS. Ultra drops to 26 FPS. The gap between Low and High at this resolution is 18 FPS, showing that settings have a meaningful impact, but the ceiling is still far too low for smooth gameplay.

At 1920x1080, the only playable configuration appears. Low averages 63 FPS, which clears the 60 FPS threshold by a slim margin. Medium averages 45 FPS with a minimum of 38 FPS and a maximum of 51 FPS. High averages 40 FPS, and Ultra drops to 35 FPS. The data shows a clear progression: Low is the only preset that meets the playable bar, and the jump from Low to Medium costs 18 FPS on average, pushing the experience below the threshold.

The min and max values are only recorded for Medium at each resolution. At 1080p Medium, the frame time range is 38 to 51 FPS, indicating noticeable dips even in the middle preset. At 1440p Medium, the range narrows to 29 to 39 FPS, and at 4K Medium it is 19 to 26 FPS. These numbers confirm that the GPU is consistently near its limit, with no headroom for higher settings.

CPU and GPU Roles

The Intel Core i7-13700K is a high-end 16-core, 24-thread processor with a boost clock of 5.40 GHz and an average benchmark score of 46881, placing it in the 89th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 9 5900, which scores 46971 (within 0.2%), and the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 375, which scores 47022 (within 0.3%). This CPU is not the bottleneck in Control.

The AMD Radeon RX 580, by contrast, is an older Polaris 20 GPU with an average benchmark score of 12928, placing it in the 53rd percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Mobile (12940, within 0.1%) and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER (12986, within 0.4%). The GPU’s score is roughly one-fourth of the CPU’s score, which clearly indicates where the performance ceiling lies.

The scaling between resolutions confirms the GPU-bound nature of this pairing. Going from 1080p to 1440p at Low settings drops the average from 63 to 48 FPS, a 24% reduction. Going from 1440p to 4K at Low drops it from 48 to 32 FPS, another 33% reduction. These large drops are typical of a GPU that is saturated, whereas a CPU-bound scenario would show smaller differences across resolutions. The preset scaling also points to the GPU: at 1080p, moving from Low to Ultra cuts the average from 63 to 35 FPS, a 44% loss, which again reflects the GPU’s limited shading and texture throughput.

The CPU’s role is minimal here. Even at 4K Ultra, where the GPU is most stressed, the CPU still has ample headroom. The recorded data shows no scenario where the CPU would meaningfully constrain performance; the game is simply limited by the RX 580’s 6.175 TFLOPS of FP32 compute and 256.0 GB/s of memory bandwidth. The 8 GB of GDDR5 memory is sufficient for this title, but the raw processing power is not.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination ranks 3399 out of 3720 tested combos in the database, placing it in the bottom 8.6% of all configurations. This is a very low rank, and it reflects the mismatch between the top-tier CPU and the mid-range GPU. The percentile ranking for the GPU alone is 53rd, meaning half of all GPUs score higher, while the CPU is in the 89th percentile. The combination’s rank is dragged down almost entirely by the GPU.

To put this in context, the combo sits below the vast majority of systems tested for Control. The data shows that this pairing is not competitive for this game at higher settings or resolutions. The only reason it registers as playable at all is the CPU’s ability to feed the GPU enough frames at 1080p Low, where the RX 580 can just barely keep up. Even then, the 63 FPS average is within 5% of the 60 FPS threshold, leaving almost no margin for demanding scenes.

The rank also suggests that most other hardware combinations, even those with weaker CPUs but stronger GPUs, would outperform this setup in Control. The game is heavily GPU-dependent, and the RX 580’s age shows in the results.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For the CPU, the nearest rivals are all within 0.5% of its average benchmark score. The AMD Ryzen 9 5900 scores 46971, which is 0.2% lower than the i7-13700K’s 46881. The AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 375 scores 47022, 0.3% higher. The AMD Ryzen 9 7845HX scores 46654, 0.5% lower, and the Intel Xeon w3-2535 scores 46653, also 0.5% lower. Any of these CPUs would deliver essentially identical performance in Control, as the game is not CPU-limited with this class of processor.

For the GPU, the nearest rivals are similarly close. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Mobile scores 12940, which is 0.1% higher than the RX 580’s 12928. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER scores 12986, 0.4% higher. The AMD Radeon 740M scores 12870, 0.5% lower, and the AMD FirePro W5100 scores 12847, 0.6% lower. Swapping the RX 580 for any of these would produce nearly identical frame rates in Control, meaning the playable window would remain at 1080p Low.

If a user were to upgrade the GPU only, the CPU would not hinder the new card, as the i7-13700K has the headroom to support much faster graphics hardware. However, with the RX 580 or its immediate rivals, the results would stay within a few FPS of the recorded numbers.

FAQ

Q: Can this PC run Control at 1080p?

A: Yes, but only at Low settings. The average FPS at 1080p Low is 63, which clears the 60 FPS threshold. Medium, High, and Ultra all fall below 60 FPS.

Q: What is the best playable setting at 1440p?

A: There is no playable setting at 2560x1440. The highest average is 48 FPS at Low, which is below the 60 FPS threshold. Medium averages 34 FPS, High 30 FPS, and Ultra 26 FPS.

Q: Is 4K possible with this hardware?

A: No. The best 4K result is 32 FPS at Low settings, with Ultra dropping to 18 FPS. None of the 4K presets approach 60 FPS.

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

A: The Intel Core i7-13700K scores 46881 on average. The AMD Ryzen 9 5900 scores 46971, which is 0.2% higher. The AMD Ryzen 9 7845HX scores 46654, which is 0.5% lower. All are effectively equivalent for gaming.

Q: How does the GPU compare to its closest rivals?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 580 scores 12928 on average. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER scores 12986, which is 0.4% higher. The AMD Radeon 740M scores 12870, which is 0.5% lower. Performance differences are within 1%.

Q: Why does the combo rank so low despite the strong CPU?

A: The combo ranks 3399 out of 3720. The GPU is in the 53rd percentile of all GPUs, while the CPU is in the 89th percentile. Control is GPU-bound, so the RX 580 limits the experience.

The Verdict

This PC can run Control, but only in the narrowest sense. The verdict by resolution is clear: at 3840x2160 and 2560x1440, there are no playable settings. Every preset at both resolutions falls below the 60 FPS threshold, with the best results being 32 FPS at 4K Low and 48 FPS at 1440p Low.

At 1920x1080, the situation is playable only at Low settings, where the average FPS is 63. This is the sole configuration that clears the bar. Medium drops to 45 FPS, High to 40 FPS, and Ultra to 35 FPS. The recorded data shows that the RX 580 simply does not have enough compute power for this game at higher presets, regardless of the CPU’s capabilities.

For a user targeting 60 FPS, this system requires 1080p with the Low preset. Any attempt to raise the resolution or settings will result in sub-60 FPS performance. The CPU is not the issue; the GPU is the decisive factor, and it limits this pairing to the minimum playable configuration.