Control

Control pairs a 6-core/12-thread Intel Core i5-11400F with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070, and the measured FPS data shows this combination is firmly GPU-limited at higher resolutions while remaining highly capable at 1080p. The RTX 3070’s 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus with 448.0 GB/s bandwidth is a decisive factor, as is its 20.31 TFLOPS FP32 throughput. The CPU’s Rocket Lake architecture, with a base clock of 2.60 GHz and boost of 4.40 GHz, provides enough headroom to keep up in most scenarios, but the data reveals where that balance tips. This analysis breaks down how resolution scaling behaves, which settings offer the best playable experience, the GPU’s specific role, and how this combo stacks against the 3,720 tested configurations in the database.

Resolution Scaling

The transition from 1080p to 4K produces a steep FPS decline that clearly identifies the RTX 3070 as the limiting component. At Ultra settings, the average frame rate drops from 87 FPS at 1920x1080 to 66 FPS at 2560x1440, then falls further to 44 FPS at 3840x2160. That is a 49% reduction from 1080p to 4K. The pattern holds across all settings presets. At High settings, the average goes from 100 FPS at 1080p down to 76 FPS at 1440p and 51 FPS at 4K — a 49% drop again. Low settings show the same trend: 158 FPS at 1080p, 120 FPS at 1440p, and 81 FPS at 4K, representing a 49% loss. The consistency of this ~49% scaling penalty across every preset is a strong indicator that the GPU’s pixel throughput, not the CPU, is the bottleneck.

The RTX 3070’s pixel rate of 165.6 GPixel/s and texture rate of 317.4 GTexel/s are the theoretical limits here. When resolution increases, the number of pixels to shade grows quadratically, and the data shows the GPU simply runs out of fillrate headroom. At 4K Low, the average of 81 FPS suggests the game is still playable, but the jump from 1440p Medium (85 FPS) to 4K Medium (57 FPS) is a 33% loss, indicating that even modest settings cannot escape the resolution wall. The CPU, by contrast, shows no such scaling penalty. The i5-11400F’s single-thread score of 868 in 3DMark and 2024 in Cinebench R23 are sufficient to feed the GPU at 1080p, where the 158 FPS Low result proves the CPU is not holding things back. At 4K, the CPU has even less work per frame, so the FPS drop is entirely attributable to the RTX 3070.

A closer look at the 1440p numbers reveals the same story. The gap between 1080p and 1440p is roughly 24% at every setting (e.g., 100 to 76 FPS at High, 158 to 120 FPS at Low). This is a textbook GPU-bound scenario. If the CPU were the constraint, the FPS difference between resolutions would be negligible, but the data shows a consistent, proportional decline. The RTX 3070’s 8 GB VRAM is also relevant here; at 4K Ultra, the game demands more memory bandwidth, and the 448.0 GB/s figure is the ceiling. The measured 44 FPS at 4K Ultra is below the 60 FPS target, confirming that this combo is not suited for maxed-out 4K gaming in Control.

Settings Recommendations

For a 60 FPS target, the data points to 1440p Medium as the sweet spot, delivering an average of 85 FPS with a minimum of 72 FPS. That minimum is comfortable, leaving headroom for combat-heavy scenes. At 4K, the only preset to clear 60 FPS is Low, with an average of 81 FPS. However, 4K Medium drops to 57 FPS average with a 49 FPS minimum, which risks stutter during intense sequences. Given the game’s action-adventure nature, a stable minimum matters more than a high average. Therefore, 4K Low is the practical choice if you insist on 4K, but 1440p Medium offers a far better balance of visual fidelity and performance.

At 1080p, the situation is reversed — the GPU has ample headroom. High settings deliver 100 FPS average, while Ultra drops to 87 FPS. The difference between High and Ultra is only 13%, but the visual gains from Ultra are typically marginal in this genre. The data suggests sticking with High at 1080p for a 100 FPS experience, or pushing to Ultra if you have a 144Hz monitor and can tolerate 87 FPS. Medium at 1080p yields 112 FPS with a 96 FPS minimum, which is also viable, but High’s extra fidelity comes at only a 10% performance cost. Low at 1080p hits 158 FPS, which is overkill unless you are chasing maximum refresh rates.

For competitive play, the 120 FPS at 1440p Low is notable, but Control is not a twitch shooter, so sacrificing texture quality for that extra 35 FPS over Medium (85 FPS) is rarely worthwhile. The recommended path is to start at 1440p Medium, verify the 72 FPS minimum holds during gameplay, and only drop to Low if you encounter dips. At 4K, the choice is binary: Low for playability or Medium for visuals at 57 FPS, which may be acceptable on a VRR display. The 44 FPS at 4K Ultra is not recommended for any scenario, as the minimum would likely fall below 40 FPS, causing noticeable judder.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 is the dominant component in this pairing, and its specifications directly explain the measured results. Built on the Ampere architecture with 5,888 shading units, 184 TMUs, and 96 ROPs, the GPU’s 20.31 TFLOPS FP32 throughput is the raw compute available for rendering. The boost clock of 1725 MHz (base 1500 MHz) drives this performance, but the memory subsystem is equally critical. The 8 GB GDDR6 memory operates at 14 Gbps effective across a 256-bit bus, yielding 448.0 GB/s bandwidth. This bandwidth is the key constraint at 4K, where the game must stream textures and geometry data faster than at lower resolutions.

The data shows that the RTX 3070’s VRAM capacity is adequate for 1080p and 1440p, but at 4K Ultra, the combination of higher resolution textures and effects likely approaches the 8 GB limit. The FPS drop from 1440p Ultra (66 FPS) to 4K Ultra (44 FPS) is a 33% loss, which is steeper than the 25% loss from 1080p Ultra (87 FPS) to 1440p Ultra (66 FPS). This non-linear scaling suggests memory bandwidth pressure, not just pixel count. The RTX 3070’s 46 RT cores and 184 tensor cores are present, but the measured FPS data does not isolate ray tracing effects, so their impact is not quantified here. What is clear is that the GPU’s PassMark G3D score of 22,214 places it in the 61st percentile of all GPUs, and its closest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT (0.7% higher average score) and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690 (1% higher), indicating this is a mid-to-upper tier card.

The GPU’s 220 W TDP and dual-slot cooler are not directly reflected in FPS, but the sustained performance at 4K Low (81 FPS) versus 4K High (51 FPS) shows thermal headroom is not throttling in the measured data. The RTX 3070’s PCIe 4.0 x16 interface is fully utilized, and the 12-pin power connector suggests a capable power delivery system. In practice, the GPU is the reason this combo achieves 100 FPS at 1080p High; the CPU alone would struggle to produce such numbers without a strong graphics card. The i5-11400F’s passmark single-thread score of 2981 is respectable, but the 3DMark max-thread score of 5652 indicates it can sustain multi-threaded workloads, which helps avoid CPU bottlenecks in scenarios where the GPU is not maxed out.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo ranks 1607 out of 3,720 tested combinations, placing it in the 57th percentile of all configurations in this database. This is a solid mid-pack result, reflecting that the i5-11400F + RTX 3070 pairing is competent but not elite. The CPU’s percentileVsAllCpus of 71 and the GPU’s percentileVsAllGpus of 61 both sit above average, yet the combined ranking suggests that other pairings with stronger CPUs or GPUs outperform it. The CPU’s nearest rivals include the AMD EPYC 7H12 (0.3% higher avg score), Intel Core i5-12450H (0.4% lower), and AMD Ryzen 3 PRO 8300G (0.6% lower), showing the i5-11400F is statistically tied with these chips. Similarly, the GPU’s nearest rivals — AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT (0.7% higher), NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690 (1% higher), and NVIDIA Tesla K40c (1.5% lower) — indicate the RTX 3070 sits in a tight performance cluster.

Within the context of Control specifically, the rank of 1607 out of 3720 means there are roughly 2,113 combos that perform worse and 1,606 that perform better. This is not a top-tier setup for this game, but it is far from the bottom. The measured FPS data shows this combo can handle 1080p and 1440p well, but the 4K Ultra result of 44 FPS drags down its overall standing. If the ranking were based solely on 1080p performance, this combo would likely rank higher, given the 87 FPS at Ultra. The 4K data is the weak link, and users targeting 4K should look at higher-tier GPUs.

The deltaPct values for rivals are small, all within ±1.5%, meaning the RTX 3070 is not dramatically better or worse than its immediate competitors. This is typical for mid-range GPUs where performance is closely grouped. The combo’s rank is more a function of the CPU+GPU pairing than either component alone. For instance, pairing the i5-11400F with a faster GPU would likely push the rank into a higher percentile, while pairing it with a weaker GPU would drop it. The data indicates that the RTX 3070 is the bottleneck at 4K, so the CPU has headroom that is not being utilized at higher resolutions.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to maintain 60 FPS?

A: The data shows 1440p Medium delivers 85 FPS average with a 72 FPS minimum, ensuring a stable 60+ FPS experience. At 4K, only Low (81 FPS) clears 60 FPS, while Medium drops to 57 FPS average with a 49 FPS minimum, which may dip below 60 in demanding scenes.

Q: How much performance is lost when going from 1080p to 4K?

A: Across all settings, the average FPS drops by approximately 49%. For example, at High settings, the average falls from 100 FPS at 1920x1080 to 51 FPS at 3840x2160. This consistent scaling penalty indicates the RTX 3070 is the limiting factor.

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-11400F bottlenecking the RTX 3070?

A: The data suggests no significant bottleneck at 1080p, where Low settings achieve 158 FPS. The CPU’s 3DMark max-thread score of 5652 and Cinebench R23 multicore score of 14340 provide ample headroom. At 4K, the GPU is clearly the constraint, so the CPU is not limiting.

Q: What is the minimum FPS at 1440p Medium, and is it playable?

A: The measured minimum is 72 FPS, with a maximum of 98 FPS. This 72 FPS floor is comfortable for a action-adventure game, providing smooth gameplay without major stutters. The average of 85 FPS confirms consistent performance.

Q: How does this combo rank against all tested configurations?

A: It ranks 1607 out of 3720 tested combos, placing it in the upper half of all configurations. The CPU is in the 71st percentile, and the GPU is in the 61st percentile, showing both are above average individually but not top-tier.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K Ultra settings?

A: No, the measured average is 44 FPS at 3840x2160 Ultra, which is below the 60 FPS target. The minimum FPS is not listed, but the average suggests it would drop into the 30s during intense scenes, making it unsuitable for smooth 4K Ultra play.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete measured FPS data for this combo is as follows. At 1920x1080, Low settings produce an average of 158 FPS, Medium delivers 112 FPS with a minimum of 96 and maximum of 129, High yields 100 FPS, and Ultra averages 87 FPS. These numbers show that 1080p is well within the GPU’s comfort zone, with even Ultra exceeding 60 FPS by a wide margin.

Moving to 2560x1440, the averages drop but remain playable: Low hits 120 FPS, Medium averages 85 FPS (min 72, max 98), High reaches 76 FPS, and Ultra settles at 66 FPS. The 1440p Medium result is the standout, offering a balanced experience with a minimum above 70 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the RTX 3070 begins to struggle. Low averages 81 FPS, Medium drops to 57 FPS (min 49, max 66), High falls to 51 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 44 FPS. The 4K data clearly shows diminishing returns, with a 37 FPS difference between Low and Ultra. The minimum FPS is only recorded for Medium settings across all resolutions, which provides a useful data point: the 49 FPS minimum at 4K Medium is the lowest measured value, indicating potential stutter in that configuration.

The pattern across all settings is consistent: Low is always the fastest, followed by Medium, then High, with Ultra being the slowest. The gap between Low and Ultra widens with resolution, from 71 FPS at 1080p to 37 FPS at 4K, suggesting that the lower settings are more efficient at higher resolutions. This data confirms that the combo is best utilized at 1080p or 1440p, with 4K reserved for Low settings only if you prioritize resolution over quality.