Control

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i3-12100F paired with the Intel Arc B580 lands at rank 1278 out of 1636 tested combos in Control. That places this pairing in the lower-middle tier of the database, roughly in the 22nd percentile of all tested CPU-GPU combinations. The ranking reflects a CPU that is strong for its class but not exceptional, paired with a GPU that sits near the middle of the pack.

Looking at the CPU's synthetic benchmarks, the i3-12100F scores 13,516 average across all tests, which places it at the 72nd percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals in aggregate score are telling: the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3975WX scores 13,534 (0.1% higher), the Intel Core i7-1250U scores 13,462 (0.4% lower), and the Intel Core i3-10105 scores 13,430 (0.6% lower). The i3-12100F essentially trades blows with a workstation-class Threadripper in overall benchmark averages, which speaks to the efficiency of its Alder Lake architecture. The 4-core, 8-thread design with a 3.30 GHz base and 4.30 GHz boost clock delivers single-thread performance that older quad-cores cannot match.

For the GPU, the Arc B580's average benchmark score of 23,021 puts it at the 66th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon 760M at 22,999 (0.1% lower), the NVIDIA P106-100 at 22,950 (0.3% lower), and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 at 23,181 (0.7% higher). The B580 is essentially neck-and-neck with the RTX 4060 in aggregate compute scores, though the Intel card does so with a different architectural approach.

In Control specifically, the measured FPS data shows this combo is playable but not dominant. The rank of 1278 out of 1636 means roughly 78% of tested combos perform better in this game. That is not a flattering position, but the data also shows the bottleneck is not uniform across settings and resolutions. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 115 FPS, which is excellent. The story changes dramatically at 4K Ultra, where it drops to 33.9 FPS. This wide spread indicates a system that can be smooth or stuttery depending on how demanding you push it.

FAQ

Q: Is this combo better suited for 1080p or 1440p gaming in Control?

A: The data shows 1080p is clearly the sweet spot. At 1080p High the combo averages 70.8 FPS, and at 1080p Low it reaches 115 FPS. At 1440p High the average drops to 56.1 FPS, which is still playable but closer to the edge of smoothness. 4K is only viable at Low settings, where it hits 60.2 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its closest rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The i3-12100F's average benchmark score of 13,516 is within 0.1% of the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3975WX (13,534) and 0.4% above the Intel Core i7-1250U (13,462). It also sits 0.6% above the Intel Core i3-10105 (13,430). The data shows the i3-12100F punches far above its core count in aggregate tests.

Q: What is the GPU's closest competitor and how close is the margin?

A: The Arc B580's nearest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060, which scores 23,181 versus the B580's 23,021 — a 0.7% difference. The AMD Radeon 760M is 0.1% lower at 22,999, and the NVIDIA P106-100 is 0.3% lower at 22,950. The B580 sits almost exactly between these rivals in aggregate GPU benchmarks.

Q: Does the CPU bottleneck the GPU at any resolution?

A: The FPS scaling suggests the CPU becomes less of a limiting factor as resolution increases. At 1080p Low, the combo produces 115 FPS, which indicates the CPU is pushing hard. At 4K Low, the average drops to 60.2 FPS, and the gap between Low and Ultra settings widens dramatically at higher resolutions, indicating the GPU takes over as the primary limiter.

Q: What is the best preset for a smooth 60 FPS experience at 1440p?

A: At 1440p, Low settings deliver 83.6 FPS and Medium delivers 59.1 FPS. High drops to 56.1 FPS. For a consistent 60 FPS target, Medium is the closest match, though Low gives comfortable headroom. Ultra at 49.3 FPS falls short of the 60 FPS mark.

Q: How much VRAM does the GPU have and what is its memory bandwidth?

A: The Arc B580 has 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, with 456.0 GB/s of bandwidth and a 2375 MHz memory clock (19 Gbps effective). This is ample for Control at 1080p and 1440p, and the data shows the card maintains playable frame rates even at 4K with reduced settings.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B580 is the dominant component in this pairing for Control. Its 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus with 456.0 GB/s of bandwidth provides enough headroom for the game's demanding visual effects at all tested resolutions. The memory clock runs at 2375 MHz (19 Gbps effective), and the GPU core operates at a fixed 2670 MHz base and boost clock.

The B580's architecture, Xe2-HPG on TSMC's 5 nm process, packs 19,600 million transistors into a 272 mm² die. With 2560 shading units, 160 TMUs, 80 ROPs, and 20 ray tracing cores, the card delivers 13.67 TFLOPS of FP32 compute and 427.2 GTexel/s texture rate. These specifications translate directly to the measured FPS in Control: at 1080p High the combo produces 70.8 FPS, and at 1080p Ultra it drops to 59.4 FPS.

The GPU's role becomes more pronounced as resolution increases. At 4K, the difference between Low (60.2 FPS) and Ultra (33.9 FPS) settings is a 26.3 FPS gap. This is a GPU-bound scenario where the B580's raw fill rate and memory bandwidth are stretched thin. The card's 213.6 GPixel/s pixel rate is the limiting factor at 4K Ultra, where the game's particle effects and physics simulations demand more than the card can deliver.

The B580's percentile ranking of 66th among all GPUs, combined with its aggregate benchmark score of 23,021, places it in the mid-range tier. In Control, this translates to a card that can handle 1080p and 1440p with ease but struggles to maintain high frame rates at 4K with maxed settings. The 12 GB VRAM is never the bottleneck — the compute throughput and memory bandwidth are what cap performance at higher resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for this combo in Control covers four resolutions and four settings presets. Starting at 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers 115 FPS average, which is the highest number in the entire dataset. Medium drops to 83.1 FPS, High to 70.8 FPS, and Ultra to 59.4 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a steady decline of roughly 31 to 12 FPS per step, with the largest single drop being 31.9 FPS between Low and Medium.

Moving to 2560x1440, the numbers compress significantly. Low settings produce 83.6 FPS, Medium 59.1 FPS, High 56.1 FPS, and Ultra 49.3 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium is 24.5 FPS, but the difference between Medium and High narrows to just 3 FPS. This suggests diminishing returns from Medium to High at 1440p, where the GPU is already working harder to fill more pixels.

At 3840x2160, the performance curve flattens further. Low settings yield 60.2 FPS, Medium 41.5 FPS, High 36.2 FPS, and Ultra 33.9 FPS. The drop from Low to Medium is 18.7 FPS, but from Medium to High is only 5.3 FPS, and High to Ultra is just 2.3 FPS. This pattern indicates that at 4K, the GPU is saturated regardless of preset, and the differences between higher presets become marginal.

The data shows a consistent pattern: the i3-12100F can feed the Arc B580 adequately at 1080p, where the combo achieves 115 FPS at Low. As resolution increases, the GPU becomes the sole bottleneck, and the FPS differences between presets shrink while absolute numbers fall. The 1080p Medium result of 83.1 FPS is notably close to the 1440p Low result of 83.6 FPS, suggesting that the GPU's workload is similar between these two configurations despite the resolution change.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals where the bottleneck shifts in this combo. At Low settings, the average FPS goes from 115 at 1080p to 83.6 at 1440p to 60.2 at 4K. That is a 26.3% drop from 1080p to 1440p, and a 30.8% drop from 1440p to 4K. These are steep declines that indicate the GPU is the limiting factor even at Low settings.

At High settings, the scaling is more severe. The combo produces 70.8 FPS at 1080p, 56.1 FPS at 1440p, and 36.2 FPS at 4K. The 1440p result is 20.8% lower than 1080p, and the 4K result is 35.5% lower than 1440p. The accelerating drop at 4K High suggests the B580's 456.0 GB/s memory bandwidth and 213.6 GPixel/s pixel rate are insufficient for the game's high-resolution rendering demands.

The Ultra preset shows the most dramatic scaling. From 59.4 FPS at 1080p to 49.3 FPS at 1440p to 33.9 FPS at 4K, the drops are 17.1% and 31.2% respectively. The 4K Ultra result of 33.9 FPS is below the 60 FPS playability threshold by a wide margin, and even 1440p Ultra at 49.3 FPS is borderline.

The data indicates that the CPU, despite being a 4-core part, is not the primary limiter in Control. At 1080p Low, the combo reaches 115 FPS, which is a high enough frame rate to suggest the CPU can push well beyond that if the GPU allowed. The 3.30 GHz base and 4.30 GHz boost clocks on the i3-12100F, combined with its 12 MB L3 cache, provide enough single-thread performance for this game's engine. The bottleneck is squarely on the GPU at resolutions above 1080p.

Settings Recommendations

For a 1080p display, the data supports using High settings as the best balance. The 70.8 FPS average at 1080p High is comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold, and the visual improvement over Medium (83.1 FPS) is substantial. Ultra at 59.4 FPS is just below the 60 FPS mark, so High is the safer choice for consistent smoothness. If you prefer maximum frame rates, Low at 115 FPS is available, but the visual compromise is significant.

At 1440p, the recommendations change. Medium settings produce 59.1 FPS, which is just shy of 60 FPS, while Low delivers 83.6 FPS with a notable visual downgrade. High at 56.1 FPS is close to Medium but offers slightly better visuals. For a 60 FPS target, Medium is the closest match; for higher frame rates, Low is the only option that exceeds 60 FPS. Ultra at 49.3 FPS is not recommended unless you prioritize visuals over smoothness.

For 4K displays, the data shows that only Low settings are viable for 60 FPS gameplay, with an average of 60.2 FPS. Medium drops to 41.5 FPS, which is playable but noticeably less smooth, and High (36.2 FPS) and Ultra (33.9 FPS) fall below comfortable playability. The 4K Low result is the only configuration in the dataset that achieves 60 FPS at this resolution, so 4K users should stick to Low settings.

The overall recommendation is to target 1080p High for the best experience with this combo. The 70.8 FPS average provides headroom for demanding scenes, and the visual quality is high. At 1440p, Medium is the pragmatic choice, balancing the 59.1 FPS result against the visual fidelity. 4K is only recommended at Low settings, where the 60.2 FPS result barely clears the playability bar. The data shows this combo is best treated as a 1080p machine for Control, with 1440p as a secondary option and 4K as a compromise.