Control

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS for this combo at 1080p Ultra settings in Control?

A: The Intel Core i5-10400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 delivers an average of 87 FPS at 1920x1080 with Ultra settings. This is the most demanding preset tested at this resolution, and it remains comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay.

Q: How does the RTX 3070 compare to its nearest rival in average benchmark score?

A: The RTX 3070's average benchmark score is 17208, which places it 0.7% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT (score 17083) and 1% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690 (score 17037). It trails the NVIDIA Tesla K40c by 1.5% (score 17468).

Q: What is the CPU's single-thread performance in Cinebench R23?

A: The Intel Core i5-10400F scores 1451 in Cinebench R23 single-core. Its multi-core score in the same test is 10283, showing a significant scaling advantage when all 6 cores and 12 threads are utilized.

Q: Does the RTX 3070 have ray tracing capabilities?

A: Yes, the RTX 3070 is built on the Ampere architecture and includes 46 RT cores specifically for ray tracing workloads. It also features 184 tensor cores and supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), which includes ray tracing and variable rate shading features.

Q: What is the FPS difference between Medium and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Medium preset yields an average of 85 FPS, while Ultra drops to 66 FPS. This represents a 19 FPS reduction, or roughly 22% lower performance, when moving from Medium to Ultra at this resolution.

Q: How does the combo rank among all tested configurations in Control?

A: This combination ranks 1607 out of 3720 total tested combos, placing it in the upper portion of the database. The rank reflects the balance between the CPU's 68th percentile standing among all CPUs and the GPU's 61st percentile among all GPUs.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 serves as the primary rendering engine in this configuration, and its specifications directly shape the measured frame rates in Control. The GPU is built on Samsung's 8 nm process with the GA104 chip, containing 17,400 million transistors across a 392 mm² die. Its memory subsystem consists of 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus, delivering 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth — a figure that becomes increasingly relevant as resolution scales upward.

Clock behavior is critical to understanding the FPS data. The GPU operates at a base clock of 1500 MHz and boosts to 1725 MHz, with memory running at 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective). These clocks, combined with 5888 shading units, 184 texture mapping units, and 96 raster output units, produce a pixel rate of 165.6 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 317.4 GTexel/s. The FP32 compute throughput of 20.31 TFLOPS indicates substantial raw processing capability that Control's particle-heavy combat sequences can exploit.

The measured FPS data shows the GPU's performance ceiling. At 1080p Low settings, the combo reaches 158 FPS average, suggesting the GPU is not the limiting factor at lower resolutions and settings. However, at 4K Ultra, the average drops to 44 FPS, indicating the GPU is fully saturated. The RTX 3070's percentile rank of 61 among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 17208, positions it as a mid-to-upper tier card. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT, sits only 0.7% behind in average score, confirming the RTX 3070's competitive standing despite being from an older generation.

The 8 GB VRAM capacity is notable for Control, which features detailed textures and complex environments. At 4K High settings, the combo still manages 51 FPS average, indicating that memory capacity is sufficient at this resolution, though the GPU's compute resources are clearly stretched. The memory bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s becomes a key factor at higher resolutions where texture fetch demands increase.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-10400F provides the processing foundation for this combo, and its specifications influence the frame rates measured, particularly at lower resolutions and settings. This CPU features 6 physical cores with 12 threads via Hyper-Threading, running at a base clock of 2.90 GHz and boosting up to 4.30 GHz. The 65 W TDP and 14 nm Comet Lake architecture place it as a mainstream desktop processor, with a dual-channel DDR4 memory interface providing 42.7 GB/s of bandwidth.

The CPU's benchmark scores reveal its strengths and limitations. In Cinebench R23, it achieves 10283 multi-core and 1451 single-core, while in 3DMark tests it scores 4748 with 16 threads and 688 with a single thread. The PassMark multithread score of 12115 and single-thread score of 2541 further characterize its performance. The CPU's percentile rank of 68 among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 14185, shows it sits comfortably above the median.

The nearest rivals in CPU benchmarks are instructive. The Intel Xeon 6756E scores 14163, a 0.2% delta, while the Intel Core 7 160UL scores 14232, a -0.3% delta. The AMD EPYC 7552 at 14115 (0.5% delta) and AMD Ryzen 3 7320C at 14277 (-0.6% delta) round out the comparison group. These tight margins indicate the i5-10400F performs in a narrow band around its peers, though the specific workload characteristics differ.

In Control, the CPU's role becomes apparent when examining FPS across settings. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 158 FPS average — a figure that likely approaches the CPU's frame generation limit. The jump from Low to Medium at 1080p is 46 FPS (158 to 112), while from Medium to High it's 12 FPS (112 to 100), and High to Ultra is 13 FPS (100 to 87). The diminishing returns as settings increase suggest the GPU becomes more dominant at higher presets, while the CPU maintains adequate headroom for physics and game logic.

The 12 MB shared L3 cache and 64 KB L1 per core provide sufficient cache hierarchy for gaming workloads. The CPU's boost clock of 4.30 GHz is achieved on a single core, while multi-core workloads may run at lower frequencies, which is typical for Comet Lake processors.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific pairing of Intel Core i5-10400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 achieves a rank of 1607 out of 3720 tested combos in Control, placing it in the 43rd percentile of all configurations. This ranking reflects a balanced pairing where neither component dramatically bottlenecks the other, though the analysis of measured FPS reveals where the balance shifts.

The GPU's percentile of 61 among all GPUs is slightly lower than the CPU's percentile of 68, suggesting the GPU is the more limiting component in this pairing. However, the rank of 1607 out of 3720 combos indicates that many configurations with higher-tier GPUs or CPUs outperform this combo, while a substantial number underperform it. The mid-pack positioning aligns with the components' individual standings: the CPU is above average, and the GPU is moderately above average, but neither is top-tier.

The measured FPS data supports this ranking. At 1080p Ultra, the combo achieves 87 FPS, which is smooth but not exceptional for a high-end GPU. At 4K Ultra, the 44 FPS average is playable but requires settings adjustments for a consistently fluid experience. The combination's performance profile suggests it is well-suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming at high settings, with 4K requiring compromises.

Compared to the nearest rival GPUs, the RTX 3070's 0.7% advantage over the RX 7600 XT in average score translates to small real-world differences in Control. The CPU's 0.2% delta from the Xeon 6756E similarly indicates negligible performance separation. The combo's rank is thus determined more by the overall system balance than by any single component's superiority.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides clear guidance on optimal settings for different priorities. For players targeting 60 FPS as a baseline, the High preset at 1440p delivers 76 FPS average, providing headroom above the threshold. At 4K, High settings yield 51 FPS, which falls short of 60 FPS but remains playable for many users.

For maximum visual fidelity at 1080p, Ultra settings achieve 87 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold and offers the best image quality without sacrificing smoothness. The step from High to Ultra at 1080p costs 13 FPS (100 to 87), a reasonable trade for the visual enhancements Ultra provides.

At 1440p, the Medium preset at 85 FPS offers the best balance of visual quality and performance, as it sits just 9 FPS below High (76 FPS) while providing a more stable experience. The Ultra preset at 1440p drops to 66 FPS, which is still playable but approaches the threshold where frame drops become noticeable.

For 4K gaming, Medium settings at 57 FPS average (with a minimum of 49 FPS) represent the most viable option for maintaining near-60 FPS performance. Low settings at 4K reach 81 FPS, but the visual compromise is substantial. High at 4K at 51 FPS is acceptable for slower-paced sections, while Ultra at 44 FPS is marginal.

The recommended experience per the measured rows is: 1080p Ultra for maximum quality at high frame rates, 1440p Medium for balanced performance, and 4K Medium for those prioritizing resolution over detail.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete measured FPS data for this combo in Control spans three resolutions and four settings levels, providing a comprehensive picture of performance scaling.

1920x1080:

• Low: 158 FPS average
• Medium: 112 FPS average, with a minimum of 96 FPS and maximum of 129 FPS
• High: 100 FPS average
• Ultra: 87 FPS average

2560x1440:

• Low: 120 FPS average
• Medium: 85 FPS average, with a minimum of 72 FPS and maximum of 98 FPS
• High: 76 FPS average
• Ultra: 66 FPS average

3840x2160:

• Low: 81 FPS average
• Medium: 57 FPS average, with a minimum of 49 FPS and maximum of 66 FPS
• High: 51 FPS average
• Ultra: 44 FPS average

The data reveals consistent scaling patterns. At 1080p, the transition from Low to Medium costs 46 FPS, while Medium to High costs 12 FPS, and High to Ultra costs 13 FPS. At 1440p, the same transitions cost 35 FPS, 9 FPS, and 10 FPS respectively. At 4K, the costs are 24 FPS, 6 FPS, and 7 FPS. This diminishing impact of settings at higher resolutions indicates the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck as resolution increases.

The minimum FPS figures, available only for Medium settings, show the frame time variance. At 1080p Medium, the minimum of 96 FPS is 14% below the average of 112 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the minimum of 72 FPS is 15% below the 85 FPS average. At 4K Medium, the minimum of 49 FPS is 14% below the 57 FPS average. This consistent variance suggests predictable frame pacing across resolutions.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K reveals the limiting component in this combo. At Low settings, the average FPS falls from 158 at 1080p to 120 at 1440p (a 24% reduction), then to 81 at 4K (a 49% reduction from 1080p). At Medium settings, the progression is 112 to 85 to 57, representing a 49% total drop from 1080p to 4K. At High settings, the values are 100, 76, and 51, a 49% drop. At Ultra settings, the figures are 87, 66, and 44, a 49% drop.

The consistent ~49% reduction from 1080p to 4K across Medium, High, and Ultra settings indicates that the GPU is the scaling bottleneck at these presets. The pixel count quadruples from 1080p to 4K, but the FPS drops by roughly half, which is typical for a GPU-bound scenario where the additional pixel workload consumes proportional GPU resources.

At Low settings, the 49% drop from 1080p to 4K (158 to 81 FPS) is slightly less severe, suggesting the CPU begins to exert more influence at 1080p Low where the GPU is less stressed. The 158 FPS at 1080p Low likely approaches the CPU's frame generation ceiling, as the i5-10400F's single-thread performance of 688 in 3DMark single-thread and 1451 in Cinebench R23 single-core indicates the processing limits for game logic and draw call submission.

The scaling pattern shows that this combo is GPU-limited at resolutions above 1080p, particularly at higher settings. The RTX 3070's 8 GB VRAM and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for 4K textures, as evidenced by playable frame rates at Medium settings, but the GPU's compute throughput of 20.31 TFLOPS becomes the binding constraint. The CPU's 6 cores and 12 threads provide adequate support, with the 42.7 GB/s memory bandwidth not impeding performance at any tested configuration.

The data indicates that players using this combo should expect near-linear scaling with resolution at medium-to-high settings, with the GPU consistently being the performance limiter above 1080p.