Control

The Intel Core i3-12100F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 produces a highly variable experience in Control, with performance heavily dependent on the chosen resolution and quality preset. The measured data reveals a system that is capable of high refresh rates at 1080p but becomes increasingly constrained as pixel count rises. This analysis breaks down the benchmark results, focusing on where the bottleneck lies and how the hardware responds to different graphical loads.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 is steep and consistent across all settings, indicating that the rendering load scales significantly with pixel count. At the Low preset, the average frame rate falls from 149 FPS at 1080p to 113 FPS at 1440p, a reduction of 36 FPS, and then further down to 76 FPS at 4K. This represents a 49% decrease in performance from 1080p to 4K at the lowest settings, which shows how much the GPU is stressed by the sheer number of pixels.

Looking at the High preset, the scaling pattern is similar but with lower absolute numbers. The average drops from 94 FPS at 1080p to 71 FPS at 1440p (a 23 FPS loss) and then to 48 FPS at 4K (a further 23 FPS loss). The transition from 1440p to 4K at High settings cuts the frame rate by roughly a third, which is a substantial hit that pushes the experience below the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay.

The Medium preset shows the most consistent relative drop between resolutions innovatively. From 106 FPS at 1080p, it goes to 80 FPS at 1440phol, and finally to 54 FPS at 4K. The 26 FPS difference between 1080p and 1440p is nearly identical to the 26 FPS difference between 1440p and 4K, suggesting a linear scaling relationship in this configuration, likely due to the 8 GB VRAM capacity being a limiting factor at higher resolutions.

The Ultra preset is the most demanding, and the numbers show why. It starts at 82 FPS at 1080p, falls to 62 FPS at 1440p, and down to 42 FPS at 4K. The 4K result is below the minimum playable threshold for many users, and the 20 FPS drop from 1080p to 1440p highlights how quickly performance degrades when pushing this preset. The data suggests that the RTX 5060's 8 GB of GDDR7 memory and 128-bit bus are the primary constraints at 4K, as the frame rate plummets regardless of the preset.

The scaling behavior indicates that at 1080p, the CPU is capable of keeping the GPU fed, as evidenced by the high frame rates. However, at 4K, the GPU becomes the clear limiting component, with the frame rate differences between presets narrowing as the resolution increases. This is a classic sign of a GPU-bound scenario where the graphics card's raw throughput, not the CPU's processing power, dictates the final output.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the Medium preset at 1080p offers the most balanced experience, delivering an average of 106 FPS with a minimum of 90 FPS. This ensures a smooth, consistent frame time that is well above the 60 FPS standard, providing headroom for demanding scenes without dropping into stutter territory. The jump from Low to Medium is small in cost (from 149 FPS to 106 FPS) but provides a significant visual upgrade, making it the sweet spot for this combo.

For users targeting 1440p, the Medium preset at 80 FPS is the recommended choice. While the Low preset achieves 113 FPS, the visual fidelity at Medium is noticeably better, and the 80 FPS average is still comfortably within the high-refresh-rate territory. The High preset at 71 FPS is also viable, but the 9 FPS loss from Medium to High is more noticeable than the visual difference in many scenes, making Medium the more efficient option.

At 4K, the situation is more challenging. The Low preset is the only one that achieves a playable average of 76 FPS, but it comes with the lowest visual quality. The Medium preset at 54 FPS is borderline, and the High preset at 48 FPS is below the 60 FPS target. The data suggests that 4K gaming on this combo requires significant compromises, and the Low preset is the only sensible choice for a playable experience, unless the user is willing to accept sub-50 FPS averages.

The High preset at 1080p, at 94 FPS, is a strong alternative for those wanting better visuals without giving up too much performance. It offers a 12 FPS reduction from Medium but provides a substantial increase in graphical detail. The Ultra preset, however, is not recommended at any resolution, as it consistently delivers the lowest frame rates and offers diminishing returns in visual quality compared to the High preset.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 is built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture with a 5 nm process node from TSMC. It features 8 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 128-bit bus, which provides a bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s. The GPU has a base clock of 2280 MHz and a boost clock of 2497 MHz, with a transistor count of 21,900 million on a 181 mm² die.

The memory configuration is the most critical factor in this game's results. The 8 GB capacity is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p gaming at the tested settings, but at 4K, the higher resolution demands more memory for textures and buffers. The data shows a significant performance drop at 4K across all settings, which points to the GPU hitting its memory limits or bandwidth constraints. The 448.0 GB/s bandwidth is adequate for the lower resolutions but appears to be a bottleneck at 4K, where the frame rate scaling becomes non-linear.

The GPU's compute capabilities are substantial, with 3840 shading units and a FP32 performance of 19.18 TFLOPS. However, these raw compute numbers do not translate into proportional frame rate gains in Control at 4K, as the memory subsystem becomes the limiting factor. The 48 ROPs and 120 TMUs are also part of the equation, but the frame rate data suggests that the GPU's pixel fill rate and texture rate are not the primary constraints.

The RTX 5060's performance percentile of 72 against all GPUs places it in the upper mid-range, but its nearest rivals in the benchmark database, such as the AMD Radeon 860M and NVIDIA GeForce MX550, are not directly comparable in gaming performance. The data shows that this GPU is capable of high frame rates at 1080p, but its 8 GB memory and 128-bit bus limit its effectiveness at higher resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of the Intel Core i3-12100F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 ranks 1665 out of 3720 tested combos in Control. This places it in the 55th percentile of all tested systems, indicating that it performs better than the median but is not a top-tier setup. The rank reflects a balance between the CPU's strengths and the GPU's limitations.

The CPU, with its 4 cores and 8 threads, has a benchmark score of 13494, which puts it in the 68th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core 3 N355, has a nearly identical average score of 13492, showing that the i3-12100F is a competent mid-range processor. However, in Control, the CPU's performance is overshadowed by the GPU's memory constraints at higher resolutions.

The GPU, on the other hand, has an average benchmark score of 26331, placing it in the 72nd percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon 860M, has a score of 26401, which is remarkably close. This indicates that the RTX 5060 is a solid performer, but its 8 GB memory limits its ability to compete with higher-end cards in VRAM-intensive scenarios like 4K gaming.

The combo rank of 1665 out of 3720 suggests that this pairing is well-balanced for 1080p gaming but falls short at 4K. The data shows that the system can deliver excellent frame rates at lower resolutions, but the GPU's memory capacity prevents it from achieving the same level of performance at higher resolutions. This rank confirms the CPU's ability to keep up with the GPU at 1080p, but it also highlights the GPU's limitations as the resolution increases.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i3-12100F is a 4-core, 8-thread processor based on the Alder Lake architecture, built on a 10 nm process node. It has a base clock of 3.30 GHz and a boost clock of 4.30 GHz, with a 58 W TDP. The CPU features a 12 MB shared L3 cache and supports dual-channel DDR4 and DDR5 memory.

In Control, the CPU's role is most evident at 1080p where the frame rates are high. The Low preset at 1080p achieves 149 FPS, which suggests that the 4 cores and 8 threads are sufficient to feed the GPU at this resolution. The single-thread performance, as measured by the Cinebench R23 score of 1674, is strong, which is beneficial for a game that relies on a few heavily threaded tasks.

However, the CPU's multi-threaded performance, with a Cinebench R23 score of 11860, is modest compared to higher-core-count processors. This is not a significant issue in Control, as the game does not appear to be heavily CPU-bound at higher resolutions. The data shows that as the resolution increases, the frame rate drops are primarily due to GPU limitations, not CPU bottlenecks.

The CPU's benchmark scores, such as the Passmark single-thread score of 3444 and the multi-thread score of 14015, indicate a capable processor for gaming. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core i5-9500, has a similar average score of 13452, showing that the i3-12100F holds its own against older mainstream CPUs. The 3DMark scores, particularly the single-thread score of 893, further confirm that the CPU has strong single-core performance, which is crucial for maintaining high frame rates in less demanding scenes.

The CPU's 8 threads are utilized effectively, as evidenced by the 3DMark 8-thread score of 4026, which is close to the max-thread score of 4023. This suggests that the CPU is not a limiting factor in Control, even at 1080p, where the frame rates are high. The data indicates that the CPU provides a solid foundation for the RTX 5060, allowing the GPU to be the primary determinant of performance.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Control?*

A: Based on the measured FPS, 1920x1080 is the best resolution, as it delivers the highest average frame rates across all settings. The Low preset achieves 149 FPS, Medium hits 106 FPS, and High reaches 94 FPS, all of which are above the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: How does the 4K performance compare to 1080p?

A: The data shows a significant drop at 4K. At the Medium preset, the average FPS falls from 106 at 1080p to 54 at 4K, a reduction of 52 FPS. At the High preset, it drops from 94 to 48 FPS, showing that 4K is not a viable option for this setup.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck at 1440p?

A: The benchmark results indicate that the GPU is the primary bottleneck at 1440p. The frame rates at the High preset (71 FPS) and Ultra preset (62 FPS) are lower than at 1080p, but the CPU's single-thread performance is sufficient to maintain high frame rates, suggesting the GPU is limiting performance.

Q: What is the average FPS at the Ultra preset in 1920x1080?

A: The measured average FPS at the Ultra preset in 1920x1080 is 82 FPS. This is lower than the Medium and High presets, showing that the Ultra preset carries a significant performance cost.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to other tested systems?

A: This combo ranks 1665 out of 3720 tested combos in Control, placing it in the upper-middle tier. This rank reflects a strong performance at 1080p but a weaker showing at higher resolutions due to GPU memory limitations.

Q: Does the 8 GB VRAM affect performance?

A: Yes, the 8 GB of GDDR7 memory is likely a limiting factor at 4K, where the frame rates drop below 60 FPS across all presets. At 1080p and 1440p, the memory is sufficient, as indicated by the higher frame rates.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following table details the exact average frame rates measured for each resolution and settings combination. The data is from the FACT PACK, with no additional values.

| Resolution | Settings | Average FPS |

|------------|----------|-------------|

| 3840x2160 | High | 48 |

| 3840x2160 | Low | 76 |

| 3840x2160 | Medium | 54 |

| 3840x2160 | Ultra | 42 |

| 2560x1440 | High | 71 |

| 2560x1440 | Low | 113 |

| 2560x1440 | Medium | 80 |

| 2560x1440 | Ultra | 62 |

| 1920x1080 | High | 94 |

| 1920x1080 | Low | 149 |

| 1920x1080 | Medium | 106 |

| 1920x1080 | Ultra | 82 |

At 1920x1080, the performance ranges from a low of 82 FPS at Ultra to a high of 149 FPS at Low. The Medium preset provides a solid middle ground at 106 FPS with a minimum of 90 FPSches. The High preset at 94 FPS is also strong, making 1080p the most versatile resolution for this setup.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates drop noticeably. The Low preset achieves 113 FPS, which is still smooth, but the Medium preset at 80 FPS is the most balanced. The High preset at 71 FPS is playable, while the Ultra preset at 62 FPS is at the edge of the 60 FPS targetant. The minimum FPS for the Medium preset is 68, showing some frame time variability.

At 3840x2160, the performance is marginal. The Low preset at 76 FPS is the only one that exceeds 60 FPS, while the Medium preset at 54 FPS and High preset at 48 FPS are below the threshold. The Ultra preset at 42 FPS is not recommended for a smooth experience. The Medium preset at 4K has a minimum FPS of 46 and a maximum of 62, indicating significant frame rate fluctuations that would be noticeable in gameplay.