Control

# Control with Intel Core i5-12400 + AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX

This pairing of Intel's 6-core Alder Lake processor with AMD's flagship RDNA 3 graphics card delivers a notably strong experience in Control, a 2019 Action Adventure title that remains demanding at high resolutions. The measured data places this combination at rank 234 out of 1636 tested combos, placing it in the top 14.3% of all system configurations evaluated for this game. That ranking reflects a system that handles the game's physics-heavy environments and particle effects with considerable authority, though the data reveals interesting bottlenecks that emerge at different settings and resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

At rank 234 of 1636 combos, this system sits comfortably in the upper tier of tested configurations for Control. The percentile placement matters here because it contextualizes the raw performance: this is not merely a playable setup, but one that outperforms roughly 85.7% of all tested combinations. The ranking suggests the RX 7900 XTX is doing the heavy lifting, as the i5-12400's position among CPUs is more modest — its 77th percentile ranking among all processors indicates a mid-to-upper-tier chip, but not a flagship.

The CPU's nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks show how competitive this mid-range Intel part remains. The Core i7-9700 scores 0.1% higher on average, while the Core i7-8700 trails by 0.2%, and the Ryzen Threadripper PRO 5995WX is 0.4% behind. The i5-11600K, a direct competitor from Intel's previous generation, scores 0.4% lower. These margins are razor-thin, confirming that the i5-12400's 6 cores and 12 threads deliver computational throughput on par with older 8-core designs in many workloads.

For the GPU, the RX 7900 XTX sits at the 85th percentile among all GPUs, with nearest rivals including the Radeon Pro 580 (0.4% higher average score), the RTX 4090 Mobile (0.8% lower), and the RTX 4070 Ti (2% lower). The GPU's average benchmark score of 44019 dwarfs the CPU's 19850, illustrating that this combo's game ranking is driven primarily by graphics horsepower. In Control specifically, this translates to frame rates that consistently exceed 60 FPS even at 4K Ultra, which the measured data confirms.

GPU Role

The RX 7900 XTX brings formidable specifications to Control, starting with 24 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 384-bit bus, delivering 960.0 GB/s of bandwidth. This memory configuration provides substantial headroom for the game's texture streaming and high-resolution assets, even at 4K where memory pressure typically increases. The GPU's 6144 shading units, 384 texture mapping units, and 192 ROPs provide the raw compute resources needed for the game's complex lighting and physics calculations.

Clock speeds are equally impressive: a base clock of 1929 MHz, a game clock of 2365 MHz, and a boost clock of 2498 MHz. The game clock is particularly relevant for sustained gaming workloads, as it represents the typical frequency during extended play sessions. The memory operates at 2500 MHz with 20 Gbps effective speed, which aligns with the substantial 960.0 GB/s bandwidth figure. This bandwidth proves critical in Control's destructible environments, where debris and particle effects demand rapid texture updates.

The GPU's 96 ray tracing cores support DirectX 12 Ultimate, though Control's implementation of ray tracing is optional. The data shows the GPU handles the game's standard rendering pipeline exceptionally well, with even the most demanding preset (4K Ultra) maintaining 61.8 FPS average. The 61.39 TFLOPS FP32 performance and 959.2 GTexel/s texture rate suggest the card is operating well within its capabilities in this title, leaving headroom for future titles or higher refresh rate displays.

Resolution Scaling

The measured frame rates reveal a predictable but informative scaling pattern across resolutions. At 1080p, the system produces 223.2 FPS on Low settings, which drops to 144.9 FPS on High and 122.9 FPS on Ultra. Moving to 1440p, those figures become 166.5 FPS Low, 108 FPS High, and 93.2 FPS Ultra. At 4K, the numbers fall to 114.4 FPS Low, 70.8 FPS High, and 61.8 FPS Ultra.

The scaling from 1080p to 4K at Ultra settings shows a 49.7% reduction in average FPS (from 122.9 to 61.8). This substantial drop indicates that the GPU is the primary limiting factor at 4K, as the CPU's role diminishes at higher resolutions where pixel throughput dominates. Conversely, the relatively small gap between 1080p and 1440p at Low settings (223.2 vs 166.5 FPS, a 25.4% reduction) suggests the CPU begins to matter more at lower resolutions and settings, where the GPU can render frames faster than the processor can feed it.

The data implies that at 1080p Low, the system approaches a CPU-bound state, with frame rates exceeding 200 FPS. The i5-12400's 6 cores and 12 threads, with a boost clock of 4.40 GHz, handle the game's single-threaded and lightly threaded workloads adequately, but the ceiling becomes apparent at these extreme frame rates. At 4K, the GPU's workload dominates, and the CPU's influence on frame rate diminishes accordingly.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 4K resolution, the settings scaling shows a clear hierarchy: Low produces 114.4 FPS average, Medium drops to 82.9 FPS, High achieves 70.8 FPS, and Ultra falls to 61.8 FPS. The jump from Low to Medium represents a 27.5% performance penalty, while the Medium to High step costs another 14.6%. The High to Ultra transition is more modest at 12.7%, suggesting diminishing returns at the highest preset.

Moving to 1440p, the numbers improve substantially. Low settings deliver 166.5 FPS, Medium reaches 119.2 FPS, High hits 108 FPS, and Ultra maintains 93.2 FPS. The performance deltas between presets are more compressed at this resolution: Medium to High costs only 9.4%, and High to Ultra requires an 13.7% reduction. At 1080p, the gradient continues: Low runs at 223.2 FPS, Medium at 160.4 FPS, High at 144.9 FPS, and Ultra at 122.9 FPS. The Medium to High transition here costs 9.7%, while High to Ultra requires 15.2%.

All measured data points represent average FPS, with no minimum or maximum values recorded. The consistency across resolutions suggests the system maintains stable performance without significant frame time spikes, though the absence of min FPS data prevents definitive statements about 1% lows or stuttering behavior.

FAQ

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested systems for Control?

A: This configuration ranks 234th out of 1636 tested combos, placing it in the top 14.3% of all systems evaluated for this game.

Q: What frame rate can I expect at 1440p Ultra settings?

A: The measured average FPS at 2560x1440 with Ultra settings is 93.2 FPS, which provides smooth gameplay on high refresh rate monitors.

Q: Is the RX 7900 XTX memory capacity sufficient for 4K gaming in Control?

A: Yes, the 24 GB GDDR6 memory with 960.0 GB/s bandwidth is more than adequate, as evidenced by the 61.8 FPS average at 4K Ultra settings.

Q: How does the i5-12400 compare to its nearest CPU rivals?

A: The i5-12400 scores within 0.4% of the Core i7-9700, Core i7-8700, Ryzen Threadripper PRO 5995WX, and Core i5-11600K in average benchmark scores, showing competitive performance.

Q: What is the performance difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, Low settings produce 223.2 FPS average while Ultra drops to 122.9 FPS, a 44.9% reduction in frame rate.

Q: Does the CPU bottleneck the GPU at any tested configuration?

A: At 1080p Low settings, the 223.2 FPS result suggests the CPU may be limiting performance, as the GPU's capabilities exceed what the processor can feed at this extreme frame rate.

Settings Recommendations

For 4K displays, Ultra settings at 61.8 FPS average provide a playable experience, though High settings at 70.8 FPS offer a 14.6% improvement with presumably minimal visual degradation. The gap between High and Ultra at 4K is the smallest of any resolution (12.7% reduction), suggesting Ultra is viable for players prioritizing visual fidelity over raw frame rate. Medium at 82.9 FPS represents a solid middle ground for those seeking higher refresh rates without sacrificing too much visual quality.

At 1440p, the data supports Ultra settings as the default choice, with 93.2 FPS average comfortably exceeding 60 FPS and approaching 100 FPS. For competitive play or high refresh rate monitors, High at 108 FPS or Medium at 119.2 FPS provide progressively higher frame rates with modest visual trade-offs. The 166.5 FPS Low setting at 1440p is unnecessary for most users, as the visual degradation would outweigh the frame rate benefit.

For 1080p users, Ultra at 122.9 FPS is the recommended preset, as it delivers excellent frame rates while maximizing visual quality. High at 144.9 FPS offers a 17.9% improvement for those who prioritize frame rate, and Medium at 160.4 FPS is a viable option for competitive play. Low settings at 223.2 FPS are only relevant for extreme refresh rate displays or situations where maximum frame rate is critical.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12400 provides 6 cores and 12 threads, with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. This Alder Lake-S architecture chip, built on Intel's 10 nm process, features 80 KB of L1 cache per core, 1.25 MB of L2 cache per core, and 18 MB of shared L3 cache. The 65 W TDP and dual-channel memory support for both DDR4 and DDR5 provide flexibility for system builders.

In Control, the CPU's role varies significantly by resolution. At 1080p Low settings, the 223.2 FPS result indicates the processor is likely the limiting factor, as the GPU could theoretically render more frames than the CPU can process. The i5-12400's single-thread performance, measured at 910 in 3DMark single-thread and 2249 in Cinebench R23 single-core, is sufficient for the game's primary thread, but the 6-core configuration may constrain performance at extreme frame rates.

At 4K, the CPU's impact diminishes, with the GPU becoming the dominant factor. The 61.8 FPS Ultra result at 4K shows the RX 7900 XTX working near its limits, while the CPU has ample headroom. The i5-12400's 15935 Cinebench R23 multicore score and 18747 Passmark multithread score indicate solid overall throughput, though its 77th percentile ranking among all CPUs confirms it is not a top-tier processor. The data suggests that for Control specifically, this CPU provides adequate performance across all tested configurations, with potential CPU limitations only appearing at 1080p Low where frame rates exceed 200 FPS.