Control

The Intel Core i5-12400 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti delivers a solid 1440p experience in Control, but the data indicates that the GPU is the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions and settings. This combo ranks in the 74th percentile of tested configurations for this title, showing strong overall performance, though the CPU’s mid-range standing becomes apparent only at 1080p with lower settings. Below is a detailed breakdown of how this pairing behaves across resolutions and presets, based strictly on measured results.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and clearly shows the RTX 3080 Ti becoming the limiting factor. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 122.1 FPS at 1920x1080 to 95.1 FPS at 2560x1440, a 22% reduction, and then to 61.8 FPS at 3840x2160, a further 35% drop. This pattern—where each resolution step costs roughly 20-35% of the previous frame rate—is characteristic of GPU-bound rendering, as the pixel count increases by approximately 78% from 1080p to 1440p and another 125% from 1440p to 4K.

At Low settings, the scaling tells a different story. The 1080p result of 194.2 FPS drops to 142.7 FPS at 1440p (a 27% decline) and then to 97 FPS at 4K (a 32% decline). This still indicates GPU limitation, but the absolute numbers suggest the CPU is doing more work at 1080p Low, where the frame rate exceeds what the GPU alone typically sustains. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 88.9 FPS (194.2 vs 105.3), while at 4K that gap narrows to 41.2 FPS (97 vs 55.8). This compression at higher resolutions is the classic sign of the GPU saturating before the CPU can matter.

The data shows that the i5-12400’s six cores and twelve threads are sufficient to keep up with the RTX 3080 Ti at 1440p and 4K, but at 1080p Low the CPU becomes a co-limiting factor. The 142.7 FPS at 1440p Low versus 194.2 FPS at 1080p Low suggests that if the CPU were the only bottleneck, the 1440p number would be closer to 150+ FPS. Instead, the GPU’s pixel throughput caps the result.

How This Combo Ranks

In Control, this specific CPU-GPU combination ranks 422nd out of 1636 tested combos, placing it in the top 74th percentile of all configurations. That is a strong result, but not an elite one—there are 1214 other combos that score higher, which reflects the i5-12400’s mid-range position rather than any weakness in the RTX 3080 Ti. The GPU alone sits in the 83rd percentile among all graphics cards, while the CPU is in the 77th percentile among all processors, so the combo’s ranking is slightly dragged down by the CPU.

Looking at the CPU’s nearest rivals, the i5-12400’s average benchmark score of 19850 is essentially tied with the Intel Core i7-9700 (19831, 0.1% faster) and the Intel Core i5-11600K (19771, 0.4% slower). It trails the Intel Core i7-8700 by 0.2% (19894 vs 19850). These deltas are within the noise of synthetic testing, meaning the CPU’s real-world performance in Control is comparable to those older chips. For the GPU, the RTX 3080 Ti’s average score of 41224 is 0.5% behind the RTX 3090 (41441), which is a trivial margin, and it beats the AMD Radeon Pro 5300 by 0.9% and the RTX 5070 by 1.1%.

The practical takeaway: this combo is well above average for Control, but it is not a top-100 pairing. The 422nd rank suggests that many higher-end CPUs (like 12th-gen i7 or i9 parts) paired with similar GPUs will push further ahead at 1080p, where the CPU matters more. At 4K, the rank would likely improve because the GPU dominates the workload.

GPU Role

The RTX 3080 Ti’s 12 GB of GDDR6X memory and 912.4 GB/s of bandwidth are crucial for Control’s high-resolution textures and physics-heavy scenes. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS is 55.8, which is just below the 60 FPS target, and the memory bandwidth appears sufficient—there are no signs of stutter or severe dips in the measured averages. The GPU’s 10240 shading units and 112 ROPs deliver a pixel rate of 186.5 GPixel/s, which explains why 4K High (61.8 FPS) is playable while 4K Ultra (55.8 FPS) dips below the threshold.

The boost clock of 1665 MHz and base clock of 1365 MHz are modest for a flagship card, but the FP32 throughput of 34.10 TFLOPS is what drives the raw rasterization performance. In Control, which uses heavy post-processing and particle effects, this compute power translates directly into the measured FPS numbers. The GPU’s 80 RT cores and 320 tensor cores are present but not explicitly tested in these results; the data only reflects traditional rendering.

The VRAM capacity of 12 GB is not a limiting factor at any resolution tested. The step from 1440p High (95.1 FPS) to 4K High (61.8 FPS) is a 35% drop, which is consistent with the pixel count increase plus the added memory pressure. If VRAM were insufficient, the 4K numbers would show a more precipitous collapse, but they do not. The GPU is clearly the dominant component in this pairing, as evidenced by the consistent FPS scaling.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the results are as follows: Low averages 194.2 FPS, Medium drops to 136.5 FPS, High comes in at 122.1 FPS, and Ultra settles at 105.3 FPS. The jump from Low to Medium is a 30% reduction (57.7 FPS), while Medium to High is a 10.5% reduction (14.4 FPS), and High to Ultra is another 13.8% reduction (16.8 FPS). This indicates that the Medium preset is where the GPU starts to work harder, but even at Ultra, 105.3 FPS is well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay.

At 2560x1440, the pattern shifts: Low delivers 142.7 FPS, Medium 104.3 FPS, High 95.1 FPS, and Ultra 81.9 FPS. The delta between Low and Medium is 38.4 FPS (27%), Medium to High is 9.2 FPS (8.8%), and High to Ultra is 13.2 FPS (13.9%). The 1440p Ultra result of 81.9 FPS is still highly playable on a 144Hz monitor, and the 1440p High of 95.1 FPS is excellent.

At 3840x2160, the numbers compress: Low averages 97 FPS, Medium 68.8 FPS, High 61.8 FPS, and Ultra 55.8 FPS. The difference between Low and Medium is 28.2 FPS (29%), Medium to High is 7 FPS (10.2%), and High to Ultra is 6 FPS (9.7%). The 4K Ultra result of 55.8 FPS is borderline for 60Hz displays, but 4K High at 61.8 FPS just clears the threshold. 4K Low at 97 FPS is surprisingly high, suggesting that the game’s low preset removes enough visual effects to let the GPU stretch.

Settings Recommendations

For a 60 FPS target, the optimal preset depends on resolution. At 1080p, even Ultra (105.3 FPS) easily exceeds 60 FPS, so players can max everything without concern. At 1440p, Ultra (81.9 FPS) is the best choice for visual fidelity while staying above 60 FPS; High (95.1 FPS) offers a safety margin for demanding scenes, but the data shows Ultra is stable enough. At 4K, the choice is more nuanced: High (61.8 FPS) is the recommended preset because it hits the 60 FPS target with a small buffer, while Ultra (55.8 FPS) dips below and may cause noticeable stutter on 60Hz panels. If competitive play is the priority, 1080p Low (194.2 FPS) is the clear winner for maximum refresh rate headroom.

For players with 144Hz monitors, the sweet spot is 1440p Medium (104.3 FPS) or 1080p High (122.1 FPS). The 1440p Medium result provides a good balance of image quality and speed, while 1080p High offers higher frame rates with more detail than Medium. The 4K Low (97 FPS) is interesting—it delivers near-1440p High performance at 4K resolution, but the visual compromises of the Low preset in Control are significant, so it is only recommended for those who prioritize resolution over effects.

The data shows that the Medium preset offers the steepest quality-per-FPS tradeoff at all resolutions: at 4K, Medium (68.8 FPS) is 11.4% faster than High (61.8 FPS) but only 7.7% slower than Low (97 FPS). This makes Medium the pragmatic choice for 4K if the High preset’s 61.8 FPS feels too close to the 60 FPS line. At 1440p, Medium (104.3 FPS) is nearly as fast as High (95.1 FPS) while offering better visuals than Low (142.7 FPS), making it a solid default.

FAQ

*Q: Can this combo run Control at 4K 60 FPS?*

A: Yes, but only on High settings, which average 61.8 FPS at 3840x2160. Ultra drops to 55.8 FPS, which is below 60 FPS, so High is the maximum preset for a stable 60 FPS at 4K.

Q: What is the best resolution for a 144Hz monitor?

A: 1440p Medium (104.3 FPS) or 1080p High (122.1 FPS) are the best options. 1440p Ultra (81.9 FPS) is also playable but leaves less headroom for dips below 144 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The i5-12400’s average score of 19850 is 0.1% faster than the Core i7-9700 (19831) and 0.4% faster than the Core i5-11600K (19771), but 0.2% slower than the Core i7-8700 (19894). These differences are negligible.

Q: Is the RTX 3080 Ti’s 12 GB VRAM sufficient for 4K in this game?

A: Yes. The measured 4K results show no signs of VRAM-related stutter or frame drops. The GPU’s 912.4 GB/s bandwidth and 12 GB capacity handle the game’s textures without issue.

Q: What is the biggest FPS drop between settings at the same resolution?

A: At 1080p, the gap between Low (194.2 FPS) and Ultra (105.3 FPS) is 88.9 FPS. At 1440p, the gap is 60.8 FPS (Low 142.7 vs Ultra 81.9 FPS), and at 4K, the gap is 41.2 FPS (Low 97 vs Ultra 55.8 FPS).

*Q: How does this combo rank overall in Control?*

A: It ranks 422nd out of 1636 tested combos, placing it in the 74th percentile. This is a strong result, but the CPU’s mid-range performance prevents it from being a top-tier pairing.