Control

The Intel Core i3-12100F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 creates a stark contrast in capabilities, and the data for Control reflects this unusual pairing. This analysis focuses on the measured frame rates, the relative performance of each component, and how the combination behaves across different resolutions and settings. The benchmark results show that the RTX 5090 provides exceptional raw rendering power, but the 4-core processor influences the overall experience depending on the workload.

FAQ

Q: Is this combo capable of running Control at 4K?

A: Yes. At 3840x2160, the average frame rates range from 78.8 FPS on Ultra settings to 143.3 FPS on Low settings, demonstrating that the combination is well above the threshold for playable performance even at the highest resolution tested.

Q: What is the performance difference between the CPU and GPU in their respective benchmarks?

A: The graphics card is the dominant component. The RTX 5090 scores 84,306 in its average benchmark, placing it in the 94th percentile of all GPUs. The i3-12100F has an average score of 13,516, which puts it in the 72nd percentile of all CPUs.

Q: How much faster is the RTX 5090 compared to its nearest rival?

A: The data shows a negligible difference. The RTX 5090's average score of 84,306 is only 0.1% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D, and it is 1.3% higher than the AMD Radeon PRO W6600.

Q: How does the i3-12100F compare to other processors in its performance bracket?

A: Benchmark results indicate it is extremely close to its peers. The i3-12100F's average score is 0.1% lower than the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3975WX and 1.8% higher than the Intel Core i7-7700K.

Q: What is the best settings preset for a 1440p monitor?

A: For a high refresh rate experience, the Low preset at 2560x1440 delivers an average of 209.5 FPS. If visual fidelity is more important, the High preset still provides a very smooth average of 136.6 FPS.

Q: Does the CPU bottleneck the GPU at lower resolutions?

A: At 1920x1080, the frame rates are high but the scaling suggests a CPU limit. For example, moving from Low to Medium settings only reduces the average from 232.5 FPS to 201.6 FPS, a smaller relative drop than at higher resolutions, indicating the processor is becoming a limiting factor.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data suggests that the optimal experience depends heavily on the target resolution and refresh rate. At 4K, the GPU is the primary driver, and the performance scaling is clear. The High preset at 3840x2160 yields an average of 88.5 FPS, which is a solid balance of visual quality and smoothness. While Ultra at 4K is playable at 78.8 FPS, the step down to High provides a meaningful 12.3% performance increase for a likely minor visual difference, making High the recommended preset for 4K.

At 2560x1440, the High preset is again a strong choice, delivering an average of 136.6 FPS. This is well-suited for high-refresh-rate monitors. For competitive play or maximum frame rates, the Low preset at 209.5 FPS is an option, but the jump to Medium at 150.5 FPS is a significant improvement in fidelity for a 28% reduction in frame rate. The data indicates that Medium or High at 1440p offers the best combination of quality and performance.

At 1920x1080, the processor begins to constrain performance. The Low preset hits an average of 232.5 FPS, but the Ultra preset still manages a very playable 153.7 FPS. Given that the frame rates remain high across all presets, the recommendation is to use the Ultra or High preset at 1080p to maximize visual quality, as the performance penalty is less severe than at other resolutions. The difference between Low and Ultra at 1080p is a 34% reduction in FPS, but the absolute values remain high enough for a smooth experience.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations for Control, this specific pairing of the Intel Core i3-12100F and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 achieves a rank of 29 out of 1,636 tested combos. This places it in the top 1.8% of all configurations tested for this game. This high ranking is almost entirely attributable to the graphics card's immense power, as the CPU's performance percentile is significantly lower. The combination's overall standing demonstrates that a lower-end processor can still participate in a top-tier gaming experience when paired with a flagship GPU, at least in this title. The rank indicates that the system is capable of outperforming the vast majority of other hardware pairings, even if the processor would be considered a weak link in other, more CPU-intensive scenarios.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured frame rates show clear scaling across resolutions and settings. At 3840x2160, the average frame rates are 143.3 FPS on Low, 104.5 FPS on Medium, 88.5 FPS on High, and 78.8 FPS on Ultra. This shows a steady decline of roughly 20-25 FPS with each step up in graphical fidelity.

At 2560x1440, the performance is significantly higher. The Low preset achieves an average of 209.5 FPS, which drops to 150.5 FPS on Medium, 136.6 FPS on High, and 120.5 FPS on Ultra. The gap between Low and Medium is substantial, but the difference between Medium, High, and Ultra is smaller, suggesting diminishing returns at the higher settings.

At 1920x1080, the numbers are the highest but show a different scaling pattern. The Low preset reaches an average of 232.5 FPS. The Medium preset averages 201.6 FPS, and the High preset averages 180.6 FPS. The Ultra preset is the lowest at 153.7 FPS. Notably, the difference between Low and Medium at 1080p is only 30.9 FPS, compared to the 59 FPS difference at 1440p and 38.8 FPS at 4K. This compression indicates that the processor is limiting the frame rate at this resolution, preventing the GPU from fully stretching its legs.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 is the primary driver of performance in this configuration. Its benchmark data shows a PassMark G3D score of 39,650 and a Geekbench OpenCL score of 380,114, which contribute to its 94th percentile ranking among all GPUs. The card features 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 1.79 TB/s. It has a base clock of 2017 MHz and a boost clock of 2407 MHz. This massive memory pool and high bandwidth are likely key factors in maintaining high average frame rates at 4K, as the game can store more assets without stuttering.

The GPU's processing power is substantial, with 21,760 shading units and 170 RT cores, enabling a FP32 performance of 104.8 TFLOPS. The data shows that at 4K, the GPU is the clear bottleneck, as the frame rates scale directly with the settings preset. The GPU's performance is so dominant that it is, on average, only 0.1% different from its closest rival, the RTX 5090 D, and it outperforms the AMD Radeon PRO W6600 by 1.3%. This shows that the card is operating at the very top of its class, and its capabilities are the main reason for the combo's high rank in the game.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i3-12100F plays a supporting role that becomes more critical at lower resolutions. It 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 Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 11,912 and a single-core score of 1,681. These scores place it in the 72nd percentile of all CPUs, and it performs within 1.8% of processors like the Intel Core i7-7700K.

In this game, the CPU's influence is most apparent at 1920x1080. The frame rate scaling between Low and Ultra settings is less pronounced than at higher resolutions, suggesting that the CPU is the limiting factor. While the GPU could likely render more frames, the CPU is unable to feed it data quickly enough. However, the processor's performance is still sufficient to maintain very high frame rates, as even at 1080p Ultra, the combo achieves an average of 153.7 FPS. The 12 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel memory support are adequate for this task, but the data clearly shows that the GPU is the star of this pairing, with the CPU providing a solid but not exceptional foundation.