Control

The Intel Core i5-12400 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 delivers a clearly GPU-bound experience in Control, with the CPU providing ample headroom across all tested resolutions. The measured frame rates show a predictable scaling pattern as resolution increases, but the rate of decline reveals the RTX 4060's 8 GB memory and 128-bit bus as the primary constraints at higher settings.

Resolution Scaling

The transition from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 produces a substantial performance drop that grows more severe as settings increase, indicating that pixel throughput becomes the bottleneck. At Low settings, the average frame rate falls from 137.8 FPS at 1080p to 71.3 FPS at 4K — a 48.3% reduction. This scaling is steep but typical for a GPU with the RTX 4060's memory bandwidth of 272.0 GB/s, which must push four times the pixel data at 4K compared to 1080p.

Moving to High settings, the drop is slightly more pronounced: 89.0 FPS at 1080p falls to 47.9 FPS at 4K, a 46.2% decline. The Ultra preset shows the harshest scaling, with 76.4 FPS at 1080p dropping to 42.0 FPS at 4K — a 45.0% reduction. Interestingly, the percentage drop is fairly consistent across settings, suggesting that resolution scaling is the dominant factor rather than the complexity of the visual effects.

The data reveals that 2560x1440 represents the practical ceiling for smooth 60+ FPS gameplay. At 1440p, the High preset averages 67.1 FPS, while Ultra falls to 60.2 FPS — both just above the 60 FPS threshold. At 4K, no preset reaches 60 FPS; even Low averages only 71.3 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for a game like Control that benefits from higher frame rates for its fast-paced combat sequences.

The CPU's role in this scaling is minimal. The Core i5-12400's benchmark scores — particularly the 3dmark_16_threads result of 5873 and the Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 15935 — indicate it has sufficient headroom to feed the RTX 4060 at all tested resolutions. The consistent frame rate drops align with what would be expected from pure GPU workload scaling, not from any CPU limitation.

FAQ

*Q: Can this combo run Control at 4K with playable frame rates?*

A: Yes, but only at Low settings, where it averages 71.3 FPS. At Medium settings, the average drops to 54.1 FPS, and at High it falls to 47.9 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 42.0 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target most players prefer.

Q: What is the best resolution for this pairing?

A: The data shows 2560x1440 is the sweet spot. At this resolution, the High preset averages 67.1 FPS, which provides a smooth experience while maintaining visual quality. The Low preset reaches 103.8 FPS for competitive or fast-paced play.

Q: How does the RTX 4060's memory capacity affect performance?

A: The 8 GB GDDR6 memory with 272.0 GB/s bandwidth is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p, but at 4K with higher settings, the memory bandwidth becomes a limiting factor. The frame rate drops from 1080p to 4K across all presets indicate that the GPU cannot maintain the same level of performance as resolution scales up.

Q: Is the Core i5-12400 holding back the RTX 4060 in this game?

A: No. The benchmark data shows the CPU has strong multi-threaded performance, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 15935 and a Passmark multi-thread score of 18747. The frame rates scale consistently with GPU workload, indicating the CPU is not the bottleneck.

Q: What frame rate can I expect at 1080p with Ultra settings?

A: The measured average is 76.4 FPS at 1920x1080 with Ultra settings. This is well above the 60 FPS threshold and provides a smooth experience, though not as high as the 137.8 FPS achieved at Low settings.

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

A: It ranks 908 out of 1636 tested combos, placing it in the 55th percentile. This is a mid-pack position, indicating that while the combo is capable, many other configurations deliver higher performance in this specific game.

GPU Role

The RTX 4060's specifications directly explain its behavior in Control. The GPU features 3072 shading units, 96 TMUs, and 48 ROPs, with a boost clock of 2460 MHz. These compute resources are substantial for a 115 W card, and the measured frame rates confirm that raw compute is not the limiting factor at lower resolutions.

The 8 GB GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus with 272.0 GB/s bandwidth is the defining characteristic. At 1080p, the memory subsystem is rarely saturated, which is why Low settings achieve 137.8 FPS. However, as resolution increases, the demand for memory bandwidth grows quadratically, and the 128-bit bus struggles to keep pace. This is evident in the 4K results, where even Low settings only reach 71.3 FPS — a significant drop from 1080p Low.

The VRAM capacity also plays a role. Control is known for its detailed textures, and at 4K with Ultra settings, the 8 GB frame buffer may be insufficient, forcing the GPU to use slower memory paging. While the measured data does not show stuttering or frame time spikes, the 42.0 FPS average at 4K Ultra suggests the GPU is working at its memory bandwidth limit.

The RTX 4060's Ada Lovelace architecture includes 24 RT cores and 96 tensor cores, which are not heavily utilized in traditional rasterization benchmarks. However, the 15.11 TFLOPS FP32 performance provides ample compute for the game's physics and particle effects. The GPU's Passmark G3D score of 19545 and its 66th percentile ranking among all GPUs indicate it is a capable mid-range part, but not a high-end solution for 4K gaming.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides clear guidance for optimal settings at each resolution. At 1920x1080, the High preset at 89.0 FPS offers the best balance of visual quality and performance. The Ultra preset at 76.4 FPS is also viable, but the 12.6 FPS gain from High to Ultra may not justify the increased visual load. The Low preset at 137.8 FPS is excessive for a 60 Hz display and is only recommended for competitive play.

At 2560x1440, the High preset at 67.1 FPS is the recommended choice. It maintains a smooth frame rate while delivering the visual quality expected from a modern action-adventure game. The Medium preset at 74.6 FPS is a solid alternative for players who prefer higher frame rates, but the visual difference between Medium and High is typically noticeable. The Ultra preset at 60.2 FPS is right at the threshold and may experience occasional dips below 60 FPS, making it a riskier choice.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset at 71.3 FPS is the only option that provides a consistently smooth experience. The Medium preset at 54.1 FPS is acceptable for players who prioritize visual fidelity over frame rate, but the High and Ultra presets at 47.9 FPS and 42.0 FPS, respectively, are below the 60 FPS target and are not recommended for fast-paced action sequences.

The data suggests that the Medium preset is the best overall choice for players who want to prioritize frame rate without sacrificing too much visual quality. At 1440p Medium, the combo achieves 74.6 FPS, which is comfortably above 60 FPS and provides a smooth experience.

How This Combo Ranks

The Core i5-12400 + RTX 4060 combo ranks 908 out of 1636 tested combinations for Control, placing it in the 55th percentile. This is a mid-pack result, indicating that the combo is capable but not exceptional for this specific game. The ranking suggests that many other CPU-GPU pairings deliver higher average frame rates, likely due to the RTX 4060's memory bandwidth limitations at higher resolutions.

The CPU's performance relative to its rivals is notable. The Core i5-12400 has an average benchmark score of 19850, which is nearly identical to the Intel Core i7-9700 at 19831 (0.1% difference) and the Intel Core i7-8700 at 19894 (-0.2% difference). This indicates that the CPU is not a differentiator in this combo's ranking; the GPU is the limiting factor.

The RTX 4060's GPU benchmark score of 23181 places it close to the AMD Radeon RX 6600M at 23321 (-0.6%) and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Ti at 23338 (-0.7%). The Intel Arc B580 at 23021 (0.7%) and AMD Radeon 760M at 22999 (0.8%) are slightly behind. This narrow performance band means that the RTX 4060's position in the Control ranking is more dependent on the specific game's optimization than on raw compute power.

The 908th rank out of 1636 combos places this pairing in the lower half of the distribution, which aligns with the measured frame rates showing that 4K gaming is not a strength of this combination.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured average frame rates are as follows: Low settings achieve 137.8 FPS, Medium settings achieve 102.4 FPS, High settings achieve 89.0 FPS, and Ultra settings achieve 76.4 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra is 61.4 FPS, representing a 44.6% reduction in performance when moving from the lowest to the highest quality preset.

At 2560x1440, the performance drops are more pronounced. Low settings average 103.8 FPS, Medium settings average 74.6 FPS, High settings average 67.1 FPS, and Ultra settings average 60.2 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 43.6 FPS, a 42.0% reduction. Notably, the Ultra preset at 1440p (60.2 FPS) is very close to the 1080p High preset (89.0 FPS), showing that resolution scaling has a significant impact.

At 3840x2160, the averages are: Low at 71.3 FPS, Medium at 54.1 FPS, High at 47.9 FPS, and Ultra at 42.0 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra is 29.3 FPS, a 41.1% reduction. The 4K Ultra result of 42.0 FPS is the lowest measured value across all resolutions and settings, confirming that this combo is not suited for maxed-out 4K gaming.

Comparing settings scaling across resolutions, the relative performance drop from 1080p to 4K is consistent: Low drops from 137.8 to 71.3 FPS (48.3% reduction), Medium drops from 102.4 to 54.1 FPS (47.2% reduction), High drops from 89.0 to 47.9 FPS (46.2% reduction), and Ultra drops from 76.4 to 42.0 FPS (45.0% reduction). This consistent scaling pattern indicates that the GPU's memory bandwidth is the primary constraint, as the performance loss is proportionally similar regardless of the visual settings.