Control

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-12400 with NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER places 1252nd out of 1636 tested combinations in Control. That puts this pairing in the lower-middle tier of the database, comfortably below the median but far from the bottom. The rank reflects a system that can run the game, but with notable compromises at higher settings and resolutions.

Looking at the individual components, the CPU sits at the 77th percentile among all processors, while the GPU ranks at the 63rd percentile among all graphics cards. This gap suggests the graphics card is the more limiting factor in this pairing, a pattern that becomes clearer when examining the measured frame rates across different resolutions. The combo's overall position relative to other tested setups indicates that users should expect a playable experience at 1080p, but the margins shrink considerably as resolution climbs.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12400 brings six cores and twelve threads to the table, with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. This is a 12th-generation Alder Lake-S desktop part built on Intel's 10 nm process, featuring 18 MB of shared L3 cache and 1.25 MB of L2 cache per core. The processor supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory through a dual-channel memory bus, though the measured frame rates do not differentiate between memory types.

In synthetic workloads, the i5-12400 demonstrates solid multi-threaded capability. Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 15935 and single-core score of 2249 indicate a balanced design that handles both lightly-threaded and heavily-threaded tasks competently. The 3DMark results show scaling from 1692 with two threads to 5890 with max threads, suggesting the processor can leverage its twelve threads effectively when the workload demands it.

For Control, an action-adventure title that relies on physics and particle effects, the CPU's multi-threading capacity matters. The passmark physics score of 1105 and floating-point math score of 45494 suggest the processor can maintain steady frame pacing even during chaotic combat sequences. Compared to its nearest rivals, the i5-12400's average benchmark score of 19850 sits within 0.4% of the Intel Core i5-11600K and 0.1% of the Intel Core i7-9700, making it statistically indistinguishable from those alternatives in general compute tasks. The deltaPct values of 0.1 and 0.4 against these rivals indicate the CPU is not the differentiator in this combo's ranking.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER is a Turing-architecture card with 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. Its base clock runs at 1470 MHz with a boost clock of 1650 MHz, and memory operates at 1750 MHz with 14 Gbps effective speed. The card packs 2176 shading units, 136 texture mapping units, and 64 raster operation pipelines, along with 34 RT cores and 272 tensor cores for ray tracing and AI workloads.

The GPU's raw compute figures include 7.181 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and a pixel rate of 105.6 GPixel/s. These specifications place the RTX 2060 SUPER at the 63rd percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 19774. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070, scores 19680 with a deltaPct of 0.5, meaning the 2060 SUPER actually edges ahead by half a percent in aggregate benchmarks despite being a lower-tier product. The GTX TITAN trails by 0.3%, and the Quadro K5200 by 0.8%.

In Control, the GPU's 8 GB VRAM becomes a relevant factor at higher resolutions and settings. The measured frame rates show the card's performance ceiling clearly: at 1080p with Low settings, it achieves 120.7 FPS, but this drops to 64.8 FPS at Ultra. The pattern across resolutions suggests the GPU is the primary bottleneck, as the CPU's strong single-thread performance is unlikely to constrain frame rates in this title.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Control?

A: At 1920x1080 with High settings, the system averages 72.5 FPS, which is smooth for most players. Moving to 2560x1440 at the same settings drops the average to 55.9 FPS, while 3840x2160 falls to 36.4 FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 2060 SUPER compare to the RTX 2070?

A: The RTX 2060 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 19774, which is 0.5% higher than the RTX 2070's 19680. In Control, this means performance should be nearly identical between the two cards.

Q: Does the i5-12400 bottleneck the RTX 2060 SUPER in this game?

A: Benchmark data indicates no significant bottleneck. The CPU's Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 15935 and 3DMark max-thread score of 5890 suggest ample headroom for the GPU to operate at its full potential in Control.

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

A: The measured average is 63 FPS at 2560x1440 with Medium settings. This provides a balanced experience between visual quality and performance for this hardware combination.

Q: Is 4K playable with this setup?

A: At 3840x2160 with Low settings, the average is 58.8 FPS, which is technically playable. However, High settings at 4K drop to 36.4 FPS, and Ultra falls to 31.5 FPS, making higher presets impractical at this resolution.

Q: How much of a difference does the Low to Ultra preset make at 1080p?

A: The gap is substantial: Low averages 120.7 FPS while Ultra averages 64.8 FPS, a difference of roughly 86% in frame rate. This shows the GPU has significant headroom at lower presets but becomes strained at maximum quality.

Resolution Scaling

The measured data reveals a clear pattern of performance degradation as resolution increases. At 1080p with High settings, the system delivers 72.5 FPS. Moving to 1440p drops this to 55.9 FPS, a reduction of about 23%. At 4K, the frame rate falls to 36.4 FPS, another 35% drop from 1440p.

The Low preset shows a similar trend but with higher absolute numbers: 120.7 FPS at 1080p, 87.8 FPS at 1440p, and 58.8 FPS at 4K. The consistent scaling across presets indicates the GPU is the limiting component, as resolution scaling typically affects the graphics card more heavily than the CPU. The CPU's performance remains constant regardless of resolution, so the frame rate drops can be attributed almost entirely to the RTX 2060 SUPER's rendering workload.

The Medium preset follows the same trajectory: 81.3 FPS at 1080p, 63 FPS at 1440p, and 41.8 FPS at 4K. Ultra is the most demanding, with 64.8 FPS at 1080p falling to 48.4 FPS at 1440p and 31.5 FPS at 4K. The delta between 1080p and 4K ranges from 48% for High settings to 51% for Medium and Low, indicating a consistent performance penalty regardless of preset.

This scaling behavior suggests that at 1080p, the system has enough GPU headroom to handle most presets comfortably. At 1440p, the card begins to struggle with Ultra settings but remains viable for Medium and High. At 4K, only Low settings provide a playable experience, and even then, the 58.8 FPS average leaves little margin for demanding scenes.

Settings Recommendations

For players prioritizing smooth gameplay at 1080p, the High preset at 72.5 FPS offers the best balance of visual quality and performance. The jump from Medium to High costs only 8.8 FPS (from 81.3 to 72.5), while the jump from High to Ultra costs 7.7 FPS (from 72.5 to 64.8). This makes High the sweet spot, as the visual improvements over Medium are typically more noticeable than the incremental gains from High to Ultra.

At 1440p, the Medium preset at 63 FPS is the recommended choice. High drops to 55.9 FPS, which may be acceptable for some players, but Medium maintains a comfortable margin above 60 FPS. Ultra at 48.4 FPS is playable but noticeably less smooth, particularly in fast-paced action sequences where Control's physics-heavy combat can cause frame dips.

For 4K, the options are limited. Low settings at 58.8 FPS is the only preset that approaches playable frame rates. Medium drops to 41.8 FPS, and High falls to 36.4 FPS, both of which are likely to feel sluggish in a game that demands quick reactions. Players with 4K displays should consider lowering resolution to 1440p for a better experience, as the GPU simply lacks the raw throughput for high-quality 4K rendering.

The data shows that this combo is best suited for 1080p gaming, with a secondary use case at 1440p with moderate settings. The RTX 2060 SUPER's 8 GB VRAM and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for 1080p Ultra (64.8 FPS) and 1440p Medium (63 FPS), but the card's compute throughput becomes the limiting factor at 4K. Users seeking higher frame rates at 1440p or above would need a more powerful GPU, as the CPU has demonstrated it can keep pace with the graphics card's output in this title.