Control

The data for Control on the Intel Core i3-12100F and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 shows a system that is consistently GPU-bound, with the frame rate scaling predictably as resolution increases. The measured results across 1080p, 1440p, and 4K provide a clear picture of where this combination excels and where it struggles, making it a solid baseline for 1080p gaming but a less viable option for higher resolutions.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a steep decline in performance as resolution climbs, which is typical for a GPU-centric workload like Control. Moving from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440 at High settings, the average frame rate drops from 58.4 FPS to 44.3 FPS—a reduction of roughly 24%. The subsequent jump to 3840x2160 at High settings yields an average of 30.4 FPS, another significant fall of about 31% from the 1440p figure. This pattern strongly indicates that the GTX 1070 is the limiting component; the CPU is not holding the system back, as the frame rate is entirely dictated by the GPU’s rendering load.

The scaling from Low to Ultra settings at each resolution further confirms this. At 1080p, the spread is wide: 96.6 FPS on Low versus 50.9 FPS on Ultra. At 4K, the spread narrows considerably, with Low producing 52.1 FPS and Ultra just 30.1 FPS. The fact that 4K Low (52.1 FPS) is still slower than 1080p Ultra (50.9 FPS) is telling—the sheer pixel count at 4K overwhelms the GPU even when graphical features are minimized. The data shows that resolution has a more profound impact on performance than the settings preset, confirming that the GTX 1070’s pixel throughput is the primary bottleneck.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 is built on the Pascal architecture with a GP104 chip, featuring 8 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus. Its memory bandwidth of 256.3 GB/s is a key specification for Control, a game that loads complex textures and environments. The benchmark results show the GPU sits at the 51st percentile among all GPUs, placing it squarely in the mid-range tier. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA Quadro K4200 (0.7% slower) and the GeForce GTX 880M (1.3% faster), which contextualizes its performance level—it is a competent card but not a high-end one.

The GPU’s clock speeds are listed with a base of 1506 MHz and a boost of 1683 MHz. These figures, combined with the 1920 shading units, translate to a measured FP32 performance of 6.463 TFLOPS. In practice, this means the GTX 1070 can handle Control’s physics and particle effects at 1080p, but it runs out of headroom when pushed to 4K. The 8 GB VRAM is sufficient for the game at the tested settings, as there is no indication of texture-related stuttering in the data; instead, the frame rate limits are purely computational. The GPU’s DirectX 12 support (12_1) ensures compatibility with the game’s modern rendering features, but the raw throughput caps the achievable quality.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the optimal balance between visual fidelity and smooth gameplay is found at 1920x1080 with Medium settings, yielding an average of 68.5 FPS. This is comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold and provides a noticeable improvement over High settings (58.4 FPS) without a dramatic visual downgrade. For players prioritizing a higher frame rate, the Low preset at 1080p delivers 96.6 FPS, which is excellent for fast-paced action, though it sacrifices visual detail.

At 2560x1440, the data suggests that Low settings (75.4 FPS) are the only reliable option for a smooth experience. Medium (53.1 FPS) and High (44.3 FPS) are playable but will show noticeable frame pacing issues during intense combat. The Ultra preset at 1440p (41.9 FPS) is borderline, as it dips below the 45 FPS mark that many consider the minimum for a playable action game. At 3840x2160, all presets fail to reach 60 FPS, with Low (52.1 FPS) being the only one above 30 FPS. Given the data, 4K is not recommended for this GPU, and even 1440p requires careful settings management.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete set of measured average FPS values offers a detailed view of the system’s capabilities. At 1920x1080, the performance ranges from 96.6 FPS on Low to 68.5 FPS on Medium, 58.4 FPS on High, and 50.9 FPS on Ultra. This shows a steady decline of roughly 10-15 FPS per preset step, indicating a well-balanced scaling curve where each graphical feature has a measurable cost.

Moving to 2560x1440, the numbers compress: Low produces 75.4 FPS, Medium 53.1 FPS, High 44.3 FPS, and Ultra 41.9 FPS. The gap between High and Ultra narrows to just 2.4 FPS, suggesting that the Ultra preset’s additional effects are heavily GPU-bound at this resolution. At 3840x2160, the results are 52.1 FPS on Low, 35.2 FPS on Medium, 30.4 FPS on High, and 30.1 FPS on Ultra. Notably, High and Ultra are nearly identical at 4K, differing by only 0.3 FPS, which implies that the GPU is saturated and extra settings have minimal impact on the frame rate.

FAQ

*Q: Can the GTX 1070 handle Control at 4K?*

A: No, according to the measured data, the highest average FPS at 3840x2160 is 52.1 FPS on Low settings. The Medium, High, and Ultra presets all fall between 30.1 and 35.2 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target for smooth gameplay.

Q: What is the best settings preset for a 60 FPS experience?

A: At 1920x1080, the High preset achieves 58.4 FPS, which is close but not quite 60 FPS. The Medium preset at 1080p delivers 68.5 FPS, making it the only tested configuration that exceeds 60 FPS while maintaining a moderate visual quality.

Q: How does the GTX 1070 compare to its nearest rivals in terms of benchmark scores?

A: The GTX 1070 has an average benchmark score of 12331. It is 0.7% faster than the NVIDIA Quadro K4200 (12241) and 1.3% slower than the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 880M (12490). Its overall percentile ranking is 51 out of 100.

*Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in this system for Control?*

A: The data points to the GPU as the limiting factor. The frame rates scale heavily with resolution and settings, which is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario. The CPU’s performance, while not explicitly tested in-game, is sufficient to feed the GPU, as evidenced by the consistent FPS drops at higher resolutions.

Q: What is the difference in performance between High and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, High settings yield 44.3 FPS, while Ultra settings yield 41.9 FPS. This is a difference of 2.4 FPS, indicating that the Ultra preset’s additional visual features have a minimal performance cost at this resolution.

*Q: Does the 8 GB VRAM on the GTX 1070 cause any issues in Control?*

A: There is no evidence of VRAM-related limitations in the measured FPS data. The performance drops are consistent with computational limits rather than memory capacity issues, as the frame rates scale smoothly with settings and resolution.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i3-12100F is a 4-core, 8-thread processor based on the Alder Lake architecture, with a base clock of 3.30 GHz and a boost clock of 4.30 GHz. Its benchmark results show a strong single-threaded performance, with a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1681 and a Geekbench single-core score of 2224. The CPU’s multithreaded capabilities are also respectable, as seen in the Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 11912 and a Passmark multithread score of 14015. The CPU sits at the 72nd percentile among all processors, indicating it is a capable budget part.

In the context of Control, the CPU’s role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and handle game logic. The 4-core/8-thread configuration is sufficient for this task, as the game is not heavily multi-threaded. The CPU’s nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3975WX (0.1% faster) and the Intel Core i7-7700K (1.8% slower), which shows that the i3-12100F holds its own against much older high-end parts. The CPU’s 12 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel memory support (DDR4 and DDR5) provide adequate bandwidth for the GTX 1070. The data indicates that the CPU is not a bottleneck, as the frame rates are consistently GPU-limited across all tested resolutions. The combination of the i3-12100F’s strong single-thread performance and the GTX 1070’s mid-range throughput creates a balanced system for 1080p gaming, but the CPU’s 4-core limit might become a factor in more CPU-intensive scenarios, though not in this game’s measured results.