Control

The Intel Core i3-12100F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 delivers a robust 1080p and 1440p experience in Control, but the data shows a clear ceiling at 4K. This combination ranks 709th out of 1636 tested combos in this game, placing it in the upper-middle tier. The RTX 3070’s 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for high-refresh 1440p, but the 4K Ultra preset drops to 46 FPS, indicating a GPU-bound scenario where the card’s 20.31 TFLOPS of FP32 compute is the limiting factor. The i3-12100F, with its 4 cores and 8 threads boosting to 4.30 GHz, provides enough single-thread performance—evidenced by a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1681—to avoid bottlenecking at lower resolutions, but the gap between Low and Ultra settings widens as resolution increases, confirming the GPU is the primary driver of frame rate.

FAQ

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

A: The measured average FPS is 103.9. This is the most balanced preset for high-refresh 1080p monitors, offering a smooth experience without the frame rate drop seen at Ultra.

Q: How does the RTX 3070 compare to the AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT?

A: The RTX 3070 scores 28,238 on average benchmarks, which is 0.9% higher than the RX 6600 XT’s 27,985. In practical terms, the two cards are nearly identical in raw compute, but the RTX 3070’s higher memory bandwidth (448.0 GB/s vs. the 6600 XT’s unspecified) gives it an edge in texture-heavy scenes.

*Q: Is the i3-12100F a bottleneck for the RTX 3070 in Control?*

A: The data suggests no. At 1080p Low, the combo reaches 159.4 FPS, which is a 54% increase over 1080p Ultra (89.3 FPS). This scaling indicates the GPU is the limiting factor, not the CPU. The i3’s single-thread score of 893 in 3DMark places it well above average.

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo?

A: 2560x1440 is the sweet spot. At High settings, the average FPS is 76.8, which is ideal for 60Hz+ monitors. At 4K, the same settings drop to 52.1 FPS, which is playable but not optimal for fast-paced action.

Q: How much FPS is lost when moving from 1080p to 4K at Ultra settings?

A: The average FPS drops from 89.3 at 1080p to 46 at 4K, a reduction of 43.3 FPS (approximately 48%). This steep decline highlights the GPU’s memory bandwidth and compute limits at higher pixel counts.

Q: Does the CPU’s 4-core/8-thread configuration hurt multi-threaded performance?

A: No, the data shows strong multi-threaded results. The i3-12100F scores 11,912 in Cinebench R23 multi-core, which is 0.1% below the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3975WX (13,534) but still competitive for gaming. In Control, the frame rates suggest the workload is not heavily multi-threaded.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 is the star of this pairing, and its specifications directly explain the measured FPS. The card features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, yielding 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. This is critical for Control, a game known for its physics-heavy environments and texture streaming. The GPU’s boost clock of 1725 MHz and 5888 shading units deliver 20.31 TFLOPS of FP32 compute, which is sufficient for high frame rates at 1440p but shows strain at 4K.

The data confirms this: at 4K, the average FPS ranges from 78.4 on Low to 46 on Ultra. The drop from Medium (59.5 FPS) to High (52.1 FPS) to Ultra (46 FPS) is steep, indicating that the GPU’s memory bandwidth is saturated. The RTX 3070’s 46 ray tracing cores are present, but the benchmarks do not isolate RT performance; the standard rasterization scores show the card is capable, but the 4K Ultra result of 46 FPS suggests that enabling RT effects would push it below playable thresholds. The GPU’s 72nd percentile ranking among all GPUs reflects its solid mid-to-high-end position, but it is not a 4K powerhouse.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS reveals a predictable scaling pattern tied directly to the GPU’s workload. At 1080p, the RTX 3070 is rarely the bottleneck. The difference between Low (159.4 FPS) and Ultra (89.3 FPS) is 70.1 FPS, a 44% reduction. This indicates that the CPU can feed frames fast enough, and the GPU is still the primary limiter, but the headroom is substantial.

Moving to 1440p, the average FPS at High settings is 76.8, which is a 26.1% drop from 1080p High (103.9 FPS). This is a typical scaling curve for a GPU with 8 GB of VRAM; the memory bandwidth is sufficient, but the compute units are working harder. At 4K, the scaling becomes severe. The jump from 1440p High (76.8 FPS) to 4K High (52.1 FPS) is a 32% reduction, and from 4K Low (78.4 FPS) to 4K Ultra (46 FPS) is another 41% drop. The data suggests that the RTX 3070’s 8 GB VRAM and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are the limiting factors at 4K, as the card cannot maintain the same efficiency as pixel count quadruples. For this combo, 1440p is the practical ceiling for high-quality settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers strong results across all presets. The Low preset averages 159.4 FPS, which is ideal for competitive play. Medium averages 115.7 FPS, High averages 103.9 FPS, and Ultra averages 89.3 FPS. The spread of 70.1 FPS between Low and Ultra shows that the GPU is capable of high refresh rates but that Ultra settings impose a significant cost.

At 2560x1440, the performance remains solid. Low averages 123.1 FPS, Medium 85.2 FPS, High 76.8 FPS, and Ultra 67.3 FPS. The drop from Low to Medium is 37.9 FPS, but the drop from Medium to Ultra is only 17.9 FPS, suggesting diminishing returns on settings beyond Medium. For a 1440p 144Hz monitor, Low settings are necessary to hit the refresh rate ceiling, but High settings are still above 60 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the GPU begins to struggle. Low averages 78.4 FPS, Medium 59.5 FPS, High 52.1 FPS, and Ultra 46 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 32.4 FPS, but the critical detail is that Ultra is below 60 FPS. This makes 4K a viable option only for Low or Medium settings, and even then, the experience is not as smooth as 1440p. The data is clear: this combo is optimized for 1080p and 1440p, with 4K reserved for less demanding titles or lower presets.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i3-12100F is a 4-core, 8-thread processor with a base clock of 3.30 GHz and a boost clock of 4.30 GHz. Its architecture, Alder Lake-S, is built on Intel’s 10 nm process. The CPU’s L3 cache is 12 MB shared, which is modest but sufficient for gaming. Its benchmark scores paint a clear picture: a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1681 and a multi-core score of 11,912. The single-thread performance is excellent, placing it in the 72nd percentile of all CPUs, and it is only 0.1% behind the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3975WX in average benchmark score (13,516 vs. 13,534).

In Control, the CPU’s role is to feed the GPU. The data shows that at 1080p Low, the combo hits 159.4 FPS, which is a strong indicator that the CPU is not a bottleneck. The 3DMark 8-thread score of 4026 and the 2-thread score of 1659 suggest that the game’s primary thread benefits from the high boost clock. The CPU’s 58W TDP and dual-channel memory support (DDR4 and DDR5) are adequate for this workload. The result is that the i3-12100F is a capable partner for the RTX 3070 in this game, providing enough headroom to avoid stalling the GPU at resolutions up to 1440p.

Settings Recommendations

For a 1080p 60Hz monitor, the Ultra preset (89.3 FPS) is the best choice, as it provides the highest visual fidelity without compromising playability. For a 1080p 144Hz monitor, High settings (103.9 FPS) are recommended to maintain a smooth experience, while Low (159.4 FPS) is only necessary for competitive play at maximum refresh rates.

At 1440p, the High preset (76.8 FPS) is the sweet spot for a 60Hz display, offering a balance of visual quality and performance. For 144Hz 1440p panels, the Medium preset (85.2 FPS) is the practical maximum, as Ultra (67.3 FPS) will not reach the refresh ceiling. The Low preset (123.1 FPS) is viable for esports-style play.

At 4K, the data strongly recommends the Low preset (78.4 FPS) for a playable experience, as Medium (59.5 FPS) dips below 60 FPS and High (52.1 FPS) and Ultra (46 FPS) are not ideal for action sequences. The overall verdict is that this combo is best utilized at 1440p High for a premium experience, with 4K reserved for users willing to compromise on settings. The measured data shows no scenario where Ultra settings at 4K are recommended, given the sub-50 FPS average.