Control

Resolution Scaling

The measured frame rates for Control with the Intel Core i3-12100F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 4 GB show a clear and expected progression as resolution increases. The data set includes 4K (3840x2160), 1440p (2560x1440), and 1080p (1920x1080) at four quality settings each. Dropping from 1080p to 4K at the High preset, the average frame rate falls from 53 FPS to 27 FPS. That is a reduction of approximately 49%, which indicates the game becomes significantly more demanding on the GPU as pixel count rises.

At the Low preset, the drop is less severe: 83 FPS at 1080p falls to 43 FPS at 4K, a 48% decrease. Medium falls from 59 FPS to 30 FPS, a 49% decline, and Ultra from 46 FPS to 23 FPS, a 50% drop. The consistency of these percentages—all near 48-50%—reveals that the scaling is largely resolution-bound rather than CPU-limited. The step from 1440p to 4K on High shows a drop from 40 FPS to 27 FPS, a 32.5% reduction, while the step from 1080 to 1440p at High is 53 to 40 FPS, a 24.5% decline. These numbers confirm that the RTX 3050's 4 GB memory and 128-bit bus are the primary limiting factors once pixel count exceeds 1080p.

The data shows that at 1080 resolution, the CPU still has headroom: from Low to Ultra, the average frame rate spans 83 to 46 FPS, a 44% range. At 4K, the same span is 43 to 23 FPS, again a 47% range, indicating the GPU is the dominant constraint at every resolution. The scaling is consistent with a GPU-limited scenario, where resolution is the primary variable affecting performance.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 4 GB carries 2048 shading units, 64 texture mapping units, and 32 ROPs. Its base clock is 1545 MHz, with a boost clock of 1740 MHz. Memory runs at 12 Gbps effective across a 128-bit bus, delivering 192.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The 4 GB GDDR6 capacity is a notable constraint in a 2019 game like Control, which is known for its detailed environments. The data shows that the GPU's role is central: at 4K Ultra, the average frame rate is 23 FPS, falling below the 30 FPS threshold that many consider playable. At 1080p Ultra, the average is 46 FPS, which is smoother but still leaves room for improvement.

The 11 GB memory capacity is a limiting factor at higher resolutions. Control's texture-heavy scenes can exceed 4 GB usage when set to Ultra, leading to reduced performance. The benchmark rows show no min FPS for Ultra settings at any resolution, meaning the data lacks frame-time consistency metrics. However, the average scores at 4K Ultra (23 FPS) and 1440p Ultra (35 FPS) indicate the GPU is pushed to its limits. The 1740 MHz boost clock is modest compared to larger cards, but the 7.127 TFLOPS FP32 throughput is the key compute resource. In practice, the GPU's 32 ROPs limit fill-rate, which directly impacts the game's particle effects and resolution scaling.

The RTX 3050's 90 W TDP and dual-slot design suggest it is a power-efficient card, but the performance data indicates it is best suited for 1080p gaming. At 1080p Medium, the average is 59 FPS with a minimum of 50 and maximum of 68, which is a stable experience. The lack of any benchmarks for the GPU in the pack means all comparisons rely on the measured FPS rows. The 50th percentile ranking among all GPUs shows it sits exactly in the middle of the pack, which aligns with its performance tier.

FAQ

Q: What is the average frame rate at 1080p with High settings?

A: The average frame rate is 53 FPS at 1920x1080 with High settings, with no minimum or maximum reported.

Q: Does the RTX 3050 11 GB maintain 60 FPS at 1440p?

A: The data shows that at 2560x1440, the only setting that reaches 60 FPS is Low, with 63 FPS. Medium averages 45 FPS, High 40 FPS, and Ultra 35 FPS.

Q: What is the fastest preset at 4K?

A: At 3840x2160, the Low preset yields the highest average at 43 FPS. Medium averages 30 FPS, High 27 FPS, and Ultra 23 FPS.

Q: How does the 4 GB VRAM affect performance at high resolutions?

A: The 4 GB capacity is a significant factor at 4K, where the average frame rates drop to 23-43 FPS. The 128-bit bus and 192 GB/s bandwidth are also limiting, as the GPU cannot efficiently transfer textures at higher pixel counts.

Q: Is the Core i-12100F a bottleneck at 1080p?

A: The CPU does not appear to be a bottleneck at 1080p. The frame rate difference between Low (83 FPS) and Ultra (46 FPS) is 37 FPS, which is more indicative of GPU scaling, and the CPU has enough headroom to drive these frames.

Q: What is the CPU's ranking compared to other processors?

A: The Core i-12100F sits in the 68th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 13494. Its nearest rivals are the Intel Core 3 N355 and Intel Core i5-9500, with scores of 13492 and 13452 respectively.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i-12100F and RTX 3050 11GB is ranked 3265 out of 3720 tested combos in Control. This places it in the lower 12th percentile, meaning that 87.5% of all tested combos perform better. The rank reflects the GPU's mid-tier position and the CPU's budget-tier status. The CPU itself ranks in the 68th percentile among all CPUs, but the GPU's average benchmark score is zero, pulling the combined rank down.

The low rank is not surprising given the game's demanding nature. Control features physics-based gameplay and heavy particle effects, which strain the GPU. The combo ranks below the median, and the frame rate data shows it cannot hit 30 FPS at 4K Ultra or 60 FPS at 1080p Ultra. The combination would be more suited for 1080p gaming at Medium or Low settings, where it achieves 59 and 83 FPS respectively. The 12th-gen CPU does not bottleneck the GPU, as evidenced by the smooth scaling from Low to Ultra, but the overall rank reflects the GPU's limitations.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i3-12100F is a 4-core, 8-thread processor based on the Alder Lake-S architecture. It operates at a base clock of 3.30 GHz and a boost clock of 4.30 GHz. The processor has an 80 KB L1 cache per core, 1.25 MB L2 per core, and 12 MB of shared L3 cache. It supports dual-channel DDR4 and DDR5 memory.

In Control, the CPU's role is secondary to the GPU. At 1080p Low, the frame rate reaches 83 FPS, indicating the CPU can feed frames faster than the GPU can render. The single-thread performance is strong, as shown by a Cinebench R20 single-core score of 703 and a Geekbench single-core score of 1932. The multi-core scores are moderate, but the game does not scale heavily beyond 4-6 threads. The 8 threads are sufficient for the game's logic and streaming.

The CPU's ranking against rivals is interesting. It sits 0.3% ahead of the Intel Core i5-9500 and 1.1% ahead of the Intel Core i7-1250U, but 0.7% behind the Intel Core 5 120UL. This shows that the i-3's performance is comparable to older 6-core parts, despite having half the cores. In Control, the 4.30 GHz boost clock ensures high single-thread throughput, which is essential for the game's engine. The CPU's 68th percentile ranking suggests it is a capable mid-range part, but not a top performer.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080:

• Low: 83 FPS average
• Medium: 59 FPS average, 50 min, 68 max
• High: 53 FPS average
• Ultra: 46 FPS average

At 2560x1440:

• Low: 63 FPS average
• Medium: 45 FPS average, 38 min, 51 max
• High: 40 FPS average
• Ultra: 35 FPS average

At 3840x2160:

• Low: 43 FPS average
• Medium: 30 FPS average, 26 min, 35 max
• High: 27 FPS average
• Ultra: 23 FPS average

The data shows a steady decline as resolution increases. At Low, the frame rate drops from 83 to 43 FPS (a 48% reduction) from 1080 to 4K. At Ultra, the drop is 46 to 23 FPS (a 50% reduction). The minimum FPS values are only available for the Medium preset, showing 50 at 1080p, 38 at 1440p, and 26 at 4K. These minimums indicate that the lowest frame dips are still within 15-20% of the average, suggesting a stable experience rather than stuttering. The lack of min/max data for other presets means those fall off the frame-time stability cannot be fully assessed.

Settings Recommendations

For a playable experience, choose the Low preset at 1440p, which averages 63 FPS. This is the only 1440p setting to exceed 60 FPS. At 1080p, Medium provides a good balance with a 59 FPS average, a minimum of 50, and a maximum of 68. The Medium preset at 1080p is 6 FPS higher than High (53 FPS) and only 16% lower than Low (83 FPS), making it the most efficient choice for quality per performance.

At 4K, the best option is Low at 43 FPS, but this is below the 60 FPS threshold. Ultra is not recommended at any resolution, as it fails to reach 50 FPS even at 1080p (46 FPS). For a consistent 60 FPS experience, the only settings is 1080p Low at 83 FPS, but this sacrifices visual fidelity. The data suggests that the Sweet spot for this combo is 1080p Medium or 1440p Low, depending on priority on visual quality versus frame rate. The RTX 3050 11GB is not capable of high-fidelity gaming at 4K, so the recommended preset is 1080p Medium for a smooth experience.