Control

The Intel Core i5-12400 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 ranks 52nd out of 1,636 tested combos in Control, placing it in the top 3.2% of all configurations. This is a strong result that reflects the GPU's dominance, though the rank also hints that the CPU holds the combo back from the very top tier. The data indicates this is a system where the graphics card is doing the heavy lifting, and the processor is merely keeping pace rather than pushing the envelope.

How This Combo Ranks

Out of 1,636 tested combinations, this pairing sits at position 52. That is an elite placement, but it is not the absolute pinnacle. The ranking is driven almost entirely by the RTX 4090's raw performance ceiling; the i5-12400 is a capable mid-range part that does not bottleneck the GPU at most settings, but it lacks the headroom of higher-core-count processors. The combo's position in the 97th percentile of all tested systems tells you that for Control, this is a very fast machine. However, the gap between this rank and the top spot is a direct result of the CPU's 6-core/12-thread configuration, which limits maximum frame rates in less GPU-bound scenarios. The data shows that this combo outperforms the vast majority of systems, but it also shows that the processor is the limiting factor when the GPU is not fully saturated.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is the undisputed star here. Its 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus delivers 1.01 TB/s of bandwidth, which is ample for Control at any resolution. The GPU's 16,384 shading units and 512 tensor cores provide the compute muscle, with a boost clock of 2520 MHz. The card's FP32 throughput of 82.58 TFLOPS is the primary reason the combo achieves such high frame rates. In this game, the GPU's massive memory pool means texture loading and asset streaming are never a concern; the bottleneck is purely about how fast the silicon can rasterize. The data confirms this: the RTX 4090 sits in the 91st percentile of all GPUs, and its average benchmark score of 66,473 is only 0.4% behind the NVIDIA Tesla T4, its nearest rival in the database. This is a GPU that is overkill for Control at 1080p but becomes essential for pushing 4K Ultra settings to playable levels.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is steep, and it clearly shows the GPU becoming the limiting component as resolution increases. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 233.6 FPS; at 4K Low, it drops to 137.8 FPS, a 41% reduction. This is a classic GPU-bound scaling pattern. The CPU can feed frames fast enough at lower resolutions, but the RTX 4090's workload grows exponentially with pixel count. The same trend is visible at High settings: 174.8 FPS at 1080p falls to 87.4 FPS at 4K, a 50% drop. The scaling is not perfectly linear, which indicates that at 1080p, the i5-12400 occasionally limits the GPU from reaching its absolute maximum. At 4K, the GPU is fully saturated, and the CPU's role diminishes. The takeaway is that this combo is balanced for 1440p and 4K gaming, but at 1080p, the CPU leaves performance on the table.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the results are consistently high. Low settings produce 233.6 FPS, Medium yields 195 FPS, High hits 174.8 FPS, and Ultra still manages 151.2 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 82.4 FPS, which is substantial, but even the lowest figure is far beyond what any monitor can display. At 2560x1440, the numbers remain strong: Low produces 205.1 FPS, Medium 147.3 FPS, High 128.4 FPS, and Ultra 116.8 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is noticeable but not punishing, with Ultra falling by 34.4 FPS. At 3840x2160, the GPU's limits become apparent. Low settings deliver 137.8 FPS, Medium 100 FPS, High 87.4 FPS, and Ultra 77.8 FPS. The 4K Ultra figure is the only one that dips below the 80 FPS threshold, but it is still perfectly playable. The data shows a clear pattern: the RTX 4090 maintains high frame rates across all resolutions, but the cost of Ultra settings at 4K is a 40% reduction from Low settings at the same resolution.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12400 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. It has 18 MB of shared L3 cache and supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory. In synthetic benchmarks, the CPU posts a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 15,935 and a single-core score of 2,249. Its average benchmark score is 19,850, which places it 0.1% ahead of the Intel Core i7-9700 and 0.4% ahead of the Intel Core i5-11600K. For Control, the CPU's single-thread performance is what matters most. The 3DMark single-thread score of 910 and the Passmark single-thread score of 3,456 indicate that the processor can handle the game's AI and physics calculations without issue. However, the 12-thread limit means that in scenes where the GPU is not the bottleneck, such as at 1080p Low, the CPU caps the frame rate. The data shows the CPU is strong enough for 1440p and 4K gaming, but it is the reason this combo does not rank higher than 52nd overall.

Settings Recommendations

For the best experience, the data points to High settings at 2560x1440 as the sweet spot. At 128.4 FPS, it offers a smooth, responsive experience with visual quality that is nearly indistinguishable from Ultra. The jump from High to Ultra at 1440p costs 11.6 FPS, which is a small price to pay for maxed-out visuals if you have a 120Hz monitor. At 1080p, High settings at 174.8 FPS are ideal for competitive play, though Ultra at 151.2 FPS is still fast enough for any esports title. At 4K, the recommendation is High settings at 87.4 FPS, which balances visual fidelity with playability. Ultra at 4K drops to 77.8 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for fast-paced action. Low settings are unnecessary on this hardware; even Medium at 4K delivers 100 FPS. The measured rows suggest that Medium is the minimum you should consider, as it provides a 14% performance boost over High at 4K with minimal visual degradation. For the most consistent experience, 1440p High is the best overall choice, offering a 47% improvement over 4K High while retaining the visual features that make Control's environments look impressive.