Control

The Intel Core i7-13700K paired with the AMD Radeon RX 7600 delivers a playable experience in Control at 1080p and 1440p, but falls short of the 60 FPS threshold at 4K across all tested presets. At 1920x1080, this combination achieves 67.5 FPS on Ultra settings, clearing the playability bar with headroom, while at 2560x1440 the best playable preset is Medium at 65 FPS. The 4K resolution proves too demanding, with the highest preset (Low) producing only 59.6 FPS, just under the 60 FPS target. These results come from measured data, not estimates, and the combo ranks 2522nd out of 3720 tested combinations in this title.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, which delivers an average of 67.5 FPS. This is the highest quality setting available in the benchmark set, and it clears the 60 FPS threshold by 7.5 frames. The data shows a clear progression: Low runs at 117.9 FPS, Medium at 86.8 FPS, High at 75.6 FPS, and Ultra at 67.5 FPS. Since Ultra remains above 60 FPS, there is no need to compromise on visual quality at this resolution. The gap between High and Ultra is 8.1 FPS, which is modest compared to the 11.2 FPS drop from Medium to High, suggesting that the Ultra preset’s additional demands are manageable for this hardware.

At 2560x1440, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Medium, with an average of 65 FPS. Low runs at 92.8 FPS, which offers higher performance but lower visual fidelity. High drops to 55 FPS, below the 60 FPS target, and Ultra falls further to 48.1 FPS. This means users at 1440p must choose between Medium (65 FPS) and Low (92.8 FPS) for smooth gameplay, with Medium being the sensible choice for better visuals while still maintaining a 5 FPS margin above the threshold. The step from Medium to High costs 10 FPS, a 15.4% reduction, which pushes the experience out of the playable range.

At 3840x2160, no preset reaches 60 FPS. Low is the closest at 59.6 FPS, narrowly missing the target by 0.4 FPS. Medium produces 40.4 FPS, High 39.9 FPS, and Ultra 35.8 FPS. The verdict data confirms that no playable settings exist at this resolution. Even the lowest quality preset cannot sustain the 60 FPS requirement, so 4K gaming with this combo will require accepting frame rates in the 35-60 range depending on settings, or lowering the resolution. The performance cliff between Low and Medium at 4K is steep—19.2 FPS—indicating that the Low preset is uniquely optimized for this hardware, but still insufficient.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark data reveals how the Intel Core i7-13700K and AMD Radeon RX 7600 share the workload across resolutions. At 1920x1080, the GPU becomes the limiting factor as resolution increases, but the CPU’s strength is evident in the high frame rates at lower settings. Low presets hit 117.9 FPS at 1080p, which suggests the CPU can feed frames well beyond the GPU’s rendering capacity at that quality level. As settings climb to Ultra at 1080p, the average drops to 67.5 FPS—a 42.7% reduction from Low—which is primarily a GPU-side scaling effect since the CPU workload remains constant.

Moving from 1080p to 1440p, the GPU pressure intensifies. At Low settings, the frame rate falls from 117.9 FPS to 92.8 FPS, a 21.3% decline, while at Ultra it drops from 67.5 FPS to 48.1 FPS, a 28.7% decline. This larger percentage drop at higher settings indicates that the GPU is increasingly saturated as both resolution and quality rise. The CPU’s 16 cores and 24 threads are more than sufficient for Control’s demands; the data shows that even at 1080p Ultra, the system achieves 67.5 FPS, which would be bottlenecked by the GPU if the CPU were the constraint.

At 4K, the GPU dominates the performance picture entirely. All presets yield frame rates below 60 FPS, with Low at 59.6 FPS and Ultra at 35.8 FPS. The scaling from 1440p Medium (65 FPS) to 4K Medium (40.4 FPS) is a 37.8% drop, highlighting the massive pixel throughput required at 3840x2160. The RX 7600’s 8 GB GDDR6 memory and 128-bit bus, with a bandwidth of 288.0 GB/s, become the bottleneck here. The CPU’s role diminishes as resolution climbs; at 4K, even the strongest processor cannot compensate for the GPU’s rendering limits. The data indicates that at 1080p and 1440p, the GPU is the primary driver of frame rate differences between presets, while the CPU provides ample headroom—its 3DMark max-thread score of 12412 and Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 30745 are far above what Control requires.

The pattern across resolutions shows that the RX 7600 is the binding constraint at 4K and at high presets on 1440p. For instance, 1440p High (55 FPS) and 4K Low (59.6 FPS) have similar frame rates despite very different pixel counts, which suggests the GPU is working near its limits in both cases. Conversely, the CPU’s performance is relatively constant; its percentile rank of 89 among all CPUs means it outperforms most processors, and its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 9 5900, scores nearly identically (46971 vs 46881 average). This CPU is not the limiting factor in any scenario tested.

FAQ

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

A: Yes. The measured average FPS at 1080p Ultra is 67.5, which is above the 60 FPS playable threshold. The verdict data lists Ultra among the playable settings at this resolution.

Q: What is the highest preset that maintains 60 FPS at 2560x1440?

A: Medium is the most demanding playable preset at 1440p, achieving 65 FPS on average. High drops to 55 FPS, and Ultra falls to 48.1 FPS, both below the 60 FPS target.

Q: Is 4K gaming possible with this combo?

A: No preset reaches 60 FPS at 3840x2160. The best result is Low at 59.6 FPS, just 0.4 FPS short of the threshold, while Medium, High, and Ultra produce 40.4, 39.9, and 35.8 FPS respectively. The verdict confirms no playable settings at 4K.

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

A: The Intel Core i7-13700K has an average benchmark score of 46881, which is 0.2% lower than the AMD Ryzen 9 5900 (46971) and 0.3% lower than the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 375 (47022). It scores 0.5% higher than both the AMD Ryzen 9 7845HX (46654) and Intel Xeon w3-2535 (46653).

Q: How does the GPU compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 7600 has an average benchmark score of 15171. It is 0.2% lower than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 OEM (15199) and 0.7% lower than the AMD Radeon 680M (15270). It scores 0.6% higher than the AMD Radeon Pro 560X (15082) and 0.7% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660 Ti (15063).

Q: What frame rate can I expect at 1080p with the Low preset?

A: The measured average FPS at 1920x1080 with Low settings is 117.9, which is the highest frame rate in the entire dataset for this combo. This preset provides nearly double the performance of the Ultra setting.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The CPU’s nearest rivals, based on average benchmark scores, offer nearly identical compute performance. The AMD Ryzen 9 5900 scores 46971, just 0.2% above the i7-13700K’s 46881, meaning users switching between these two would see no meaningful difference in CPU-bound scenarios. The AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 375 (47022, 0.3% higher) and the AMD Ryzen 9 7845HX (46654, 0.5% lower) also fall within a tight performance band. The Intel Xeon w3-2535 (46653, 0.5% lower) rounds out the group, all within 0.8% of each other. For Control specifically, since the CPU is not the bottleneck at 1440p or 4K, any of these processors would deliver the same frame rates as the i7-13700K in the tested scenarios. The CPU’s 16 cores and 24 threads provide far more parallel throughput than the game requires, as evidenced by the high frame rates at 1080p Low.

On the GPU side, the AMD Radeon RX 7600’s nearest rivals are a mixed group. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 OEM scores 15199, 0.2% higher, so it would produce nearly identical frame rates in Control. The AMD Radeon 680M (15270, 0.7% higher) is an integrated graphics solution but scores slightly above the RX 7600 in synthetic benchmarks; however, its real-world gaming performance would depend on system memory and other factors. The AMD Radeon Pro 560X (15082, 0.6% lower) and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660 Ti (15063, 0.7% lower) are older architectures that would behave similarly in terms of average FPS, though they may lack modern feature support. For Control, the RX 7600’s 8 GB VRAM and RDNA 3.0 architecture are the key differentiators; the closest rival, RTX 3050 OEM, would likely match the measured FPS numbers within a frame or two across all resolutions and presets.

The percentile data places the RX 7600 at 57th percent among all GPUs, meaning it outperforms a slight majority of graphics cards but sits below the high-end tier. The CPU, at 89th percentile, is positioned much higher relative to its peers. This imbalance explains why the combo’s frame rates are GPU-limited at higher resolutions—the CPU has far more headroom than the GPU. Users considering alternatives should focus on GPU upgrades for better 4K performance, as swapping the CPU for any of its nearest rivals would not change the outcome.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of Intel Core i7-13700K and AMD Radeon RX 7600 ranks 2522nd out of 3720 tested combos in Control, placing it in the 67.8th percentile of all systems tested. This rank reflects the GPU’s mid-tier positioning rather than the CPU’s strong showing. The benchmark data shows that the RX 7600’s performance is the limiting factor for this game, particularly at higher resolutions. At 1080p, the combo outperforms 32.2% of tested systems, but at 4K it falls below many combinations that feature stronger GPUs.

The rank of 2522 out of 3720 means this setup is closer to the bottom half than the top quartile, which aligns with the 4K results where no preset hits 60 FPS. However, for 1080p gaming, the combo is entirely adequate, achieving 67.5 FPS at Ultra. The disparity between the CPU’s high percentile (89) and the GPU’s mid percentile (57) is reflected in the ranking—this is a system where the processor is overqualified for the graphics card. Users with this combo should prioritize GPU upgrades to improve their rank and unlock higher resolutions, since the CPU can support much faster graphics cards without becoming a bottleneck. The data indicates that the combo’s rank would improve substantially with a GPU replacement, as the CPU’s compute scores are far above what Control requires.

The Verdict

This PC can run Control at 1920x1080 and 2560x1440 with playable frame rates, but not at 3840x2160. At 1080p, all four presets—Low, Medium, High, and Ultra—are playable, with Ultra delivering 67.5 FPS and Low reaching 117.9 FPS. The verdict data confirms that the best settings at 1080p are Ultra, providing the highest visual quality while still clearing the 60 FPS threshold by 7.5 FPS. At 1440p, the playable presets are Low (92.8 FPS) and Medium (65 FPS), with Medium being the best option for balancing quality and performance. High (55 FPS) and Ultra (48.1 FPS) fall short of 60 FPS, so they should be avoided for smooth gameplay.

At 4K, the verdict is clear: no playable settings exist. The best-case scenario is Low at 59.6 FPS, which misses the 60 FPS target by just 0.4 FPS—a marginal but definitive miss. Medium (40.4 FPS), High (39.9 FPS), and Ultra (35.8 FPS) are all significantly below the threshold, making 4K gaming with this combo impractical unless the user accepts frame rates in the mid-30s to high-50s range. The measured data shows that the RX 7600’s 8 GB VRAM and 288.0 GB/s bandwidth are insufficient for the pixel load at 3840x2160, even at the lowest quality settings.

For users targeting 60 FPS, the recommended configurations are: 1080p Ultra at 67.5 FPS for maximum visual fidelity, or 1440p Medium at 65 FPS for a higher resolution experience. The 1440p Medium setting offers a good trade-off, delivering 65 FPS with only a 2.5 FPS margin—susceptible to drops in demanding scenes, though the average remains above the threshold. At 1080p, the Ultra preset provides a 7.5 FPS buffer, which is more comfortable. The combo’s rank of 2522 out of 3720 places it in the lower-middle tier for this game, but the practical experience at 1080p and 1440p is solid. The CPU is not a limiting factor at any resolution, and the GPU is the sole reason 4K is unplayable. Overall, this system is a capable 1080p and entry-level 1440p machine for Control, with no path to 4K at 60 FPS without reducing resolution or accepting sub-60 performance.