Control

The Intel Core i5-10400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti delivers a top-tier experience in Control, consistently exceeding 60 FPS at 4K Ultra and reaching nearly 170 FPS at 1080p Low. The data indicates that this combination ranks in the 71st percentile of all tested combos, making it a formidable setup for this title. The RTX 3080 Ti is clearly the dominant component, with the CPU providing sufficient support to avoid major bottlenecks at most settings.

Settings Recommendations

For the best balance of visual fidelity and performance, the High preset is the clear recommendation across all tested resolutions. At 4K, High produces an average of 61.2 FPS, which is just above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. This is a substantial improvement over the Ultra preset, which drops to 55.6 FPS at the same resolution, a difference of 5.6 FPS. The Medium preset offers a compromise at 72.4 FPS, but the visual jump from Medium to High is generally more impactful than the performance cost. At 1440p, High achieves 90.2 FPS, providing a comfortable margin above 60 FPS while maintaining high visual quality. The data suggests that while Ultra is playable at lower resolutions, it imposes a significant performance penalty; at 1080p, Ultra yields 105.9 FPS compared to High's 122.5 FPS, a 16.6 FPS reduction for marginal visual gains.

How This Combo Ranks

The benchmark results place this specific CPU-GPU combination at rank 473 out of 1636 tested combos in Control. This puts the setup in the top 29% of all configurations tested, which is an impressive showing for a mid-range CPU paired with a high-end GPU. The ranking reflects the GPU's heavy lifting; the RTX 3080 Ti sits in the 83rd percentile among all GPUs, while the i5-10400F is in the 73rd percentile among all CPUs. This disparity suggests that the combo's overall rank is primarily driven by the graphics card's raw power. The CPU's performance is adequate, but it is not the reason this pairing excels. In practical terms, this rank indicates that users can expect near-top-tier frame rates, with only the most extreme CPU-bound scenarios potentially holding back the RTX 3080 Ti.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti is the workhorse of this configuration, and its specifications explain the high frame rates observed. The GPU features 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus, delivering a bandwidth of 912.4 GB/s. This massive memory bandwidth is crucial for Control, a game known for its heavy use of textures and visual effects, especially at higher resolutions. The GPU's boost clock of 1665 MHz and its 34.10 TFLOPS of FP32 performance provide the computational muscle needed to render the game's complex physics and particle effects. In the benchmark data, the GPU's Passmark G3D score of 26896 places it just 0.5% behind the RTX 3090, indicating that its performance is nearly identical to that more expensive card. This explains why the combo can push 96.4 FPS at 4K Low, a figure that would be unattainable with a lesser GPU.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data reveals a clear performance hierarchy across resolutions and settings. At 1080p, the combo is exceptionally fast: Low settings produce an average of 169.6 FPS, which drops to 138.4 FPS on Medium, 122.5 FPS on High, and 105.9 FPS on Ultra. These numbers indicate that at 1080p, the setup is rarely constrained by the GPU, as even the most demanding preset stays well above 100 FPS. Moving to 1440p, the frame rates remain high but show a more pronounced scaling. Low settings yield 146.4 FPS, Medium drops to 104 FPS, High achieves 90.2 FPS, and Ultra falls to 78.2 FPS. The step from Low to Medium at 1440p is a 42.4 FPS drop, showing the GPU is beginning to work harder. At 4K, the load on the RTX 3080 Ti becomes significant. Low settings still produce a highly playable 96.4 FPS, but Medium drops to 72.4 FPS, High falls to 61.2 FPS, and Ultra dips to 55.6 FPS. The 4K Ultra result is the only configuration where the average falls below 60 FPS, suggesting that users with 4K displays should favor High settings for a consistent experience.

FAQ

Q: What is the best setting to use for a 60 FPS target at 4K?

A: The High preset at 3840x2160 yields an average of 61.2 FPS, which is the only 4K setting that stays above the 60 FPS threshold. The Ultra preset falls short at 55.6 FPS.

Q: How much faster is 1080p Low compared to 4K Ultra?

A: The difference is substantial. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 169.6 FPS, while at 4K Ultra it drops to 55.6 FPS, a reduction of 114 FPS.

Q: Is the RTX 3080 Ti bottlenecked by the i5-10400F in this game?

A: The data does not show a severe bottleneck. At 1080p Low, the CPU can push 169.6 FPS, indicating it can keep up with the GPU. The combo's rank of 473 out of 1636 suggests a balanced pairing overall.

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

A: At 2560x1440, Medium produces 104 FPS, while High produces 90.2 FPS. This is a difference of 13.8 FPS, with High offering better visual quality.

Q: How does this combo's GPU compare to its closest rival?

A: The RTX 3080 Ti's average benchmark score is 41224, which is 0.5% lower than the RTX 3090's score of 41441. In practice, the performance is nearly identical.

Q: Can the combo maintain 60 FPS at 1440p Ultra?

A: Yes, easily. The 1440p Ultra setting produces an average of 78.2 FPS, providing a 18.2 FPS margin above the 60 FPS target.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-10400F provides a solid foundation for the RTX 3080 Ti, but its role is secondary in this pairing. The CPU has 6 cores and 12 threads, with a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.30 GHz. Its 12 MB of shared L3 cache is modest by modern standards, but sufficient for gaming. In synthetic benchmarks, the CPU's Cinebench R23 multicore score is 10297, placing it in the 73rd percentile of all CPUs. The data suggests that the CPU is not a limiting factor at higher resolutions; for example, the FPS drop from 1080p High (122.5 FPS) to 1440p High (90.2 FPS) is a 32.3 FPS reduction, which is expected as the GPU takes on more rendering load. However, at 1080p Low, the combo reaches 169.6 FPS, which is close to the CPU's practical limit for this game. The CPU's Passmark single-thread score of 2541 is adequate, but it is unlikely to be the primary driver of the high frame rates seen here.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K clearly identifies the GPU as the limiting component. Moving from 1080p High to 1440p High, the average FPS drops from 122.5 to 90.2, a 26.4% decrease. Then, moving from 1440p High to 4K High, the FPS drops from 90.2 to 61.2, a further 32.1% decrease. This consistent and significant drop with each resolution increase is a classic sign of GPU-bound performance. The CPU's workload does not scale linearly with resolution; it remains relatively constant, meaning that the additional pixels must be processed by the GPU. At 4K, the RTX 3080 Ti is working at its maximum capacity, which is why the Ultra preset falls below 60 FPS. Conversely, the relatively small difference between 1080p Low (169.6 FPS) and 1440p Low (146.4 FPS) — a 23.2 FPS drop — suggests that at Low settings, the CPU begins to play a more significant role, but even then, the GPU is still the primary limiter. The data confirms that users should expect diminishing returns when lowering resolution below 1440p, as the CPU will eventually become the bottleneck.