Control

The Intel Core i5-12400F and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 combination delivers a playable experience in Control, but the data shows that settings management is critical. At 1080p, the combo can push well past 60 FPS on Medium, while 4K remains a challenge. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS data, the GPU's role, and how this specific pairing ranks against other tested configurations.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data indicates that the Medium preset offers the best balance of visual fidelity and performance for this hardware combination. At 1920x1080, Medium produces an average of 69.8 FPS, which is a substantial 33.8% improvement over the High preset's 63.9 FPS. The jump from Medium to High yields only a modest gain in visual quality but costs 5.9 FPS, making Medium the optimal choice for smooth gameplay on standard monitors.

For users with 1440p displays, Low is the only preset that consistently maintains high frame rates. The data shows 71.9 FPS at 2560x1440 on Low, which drops to 50.7 FPS on Medium—a 29.5% performance penalty. The High and Ultra presets at this resolution fall to 47.4 FPS and 38.5 FPS respectively, which may be acceptable for slower-paced sections but will struggle during intense combat sequences.

At 3840x2160, the situation is more constrained. The Low preset achieves 51.3 FPS, making it the only 4K option that approaches playability. Medium drops to 37.2 FPS, while High and Ultra fall to 30.7 FPS and 26.6 FPS respectively. These lower settings are best suited for players who prioritize resolution over visual effects, as the frame rate remains just above the 30 FPS threshold on Low.

The optimal strategy is to start with Medium at 1080p and adjust downward if frame pacing issues arise. The data shows that the GTX 1070 has sufficient headroom for a 60 FPS target at 1080p on Medium, but pushing to High or Ultra risks dipping below that threshold during demanding scenes. For 1440p and 4K users, Low is the pragmatic choice, with Medium serving as a viable alternative only if the user can tolerate sub-60 FPS performance.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 is the primary performance driver in this pairing, and its specifications explain the measured results. The GPU features 8 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 256.3 GB/s of bandwidth. This memory configuration is adequate for Control at 1080p and 1440p, but the 4K results suggest that the 8 GB capacity and bandwidth become limiting factors at higher resolutions.

Clock speeds play a significant role in the performance scaling. The GPU's base clock is 1506 MHz with a boost clock of 1683 MHz, and its 1920 shading units process data at a raw FP32 rate of 6.463 TFLOPS. The data shows that as resolution increases, the frame rate drops disproportionately, indicating that the GPU is compute-bound rather than memory-bound. The 1070's 107.7 GPixel/s pixel rate and 202.0 GTexel/s texture rate are sufficient for 1080p Medium, but the 4K Ultra results of 26.6 FPS demonstrate the hardware's limits.

The GPU's DirectX 12 support (12_1) aligns with Control's API requirements, and the 1070's Vulkan 1.4 support offers an alternative rendering path. The 150 W TDP and dual-slot design indicate a power-efficient card that pairs well with the i5-12400F's 65 W TDP, though the suggested 450 W PSU should be respected. The GTX 1070 sits in the 51st percentile of all GPUs, placing it in the mid-range tier, which is consistent with the measured performance in this title.

FAQ

*Q: Can this combo run Control at 1080p 60 FPS?*

A: Yes, on Medium settings. The measured data shows 69.8 FPS at 1920x1080 on Medium, which exceeds the 60 FPS target. High settings drop to 63.9 FPS, still playable, but Ultra falls to 52.2 FPS.

Q: What is the best preset for 1440p gaming?

A: Low is the recommended preset for 2560x1440, producing 71.9 FPS. Medium drops to 50.7 FPS, and High/Ultra fall to 47.4 FPS and 38.5 FPS respectively, making them less suitable for fast-paced action.

Q: Is 4K gaming viable with this hardware?

A: Only on Low settings, which achieves 51.3 FPS at 3840x2160. Medium yields 37.2 FPS, High 30.7 FPS, and Ultra 26.6 FPS, all of which are below the 60 FPS threshold and may feel sluggish.

Q: How does the GTX 1070 compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The GTX 1070's average benchmark score is 12331, placing it 0.7% ahead of the Quadro K4200 and 1.3% behind the GTX 880M. It trails the GTX 1650 SUPER by 1.4% and the Tesla K20Xm by 1.7%, indicating near-parity with these cards.

Q: What is the CPU's role in this game's performance?

A: The i5-12400F is unlikely to bottleneck the GTX 1070 in Control. Its multi-threaded score of 16518 in Cinebench R23 and 77th percentile ranking among all CPUs provide ample processing headroom for the GPU to be the limiting factor.

Q: Does the 8 GB VRAM cause issues at higher resolutions?

A: The data suggests memory pressure at 4K, where frame rates drop significantly. At 3840x2160, Ultra yields 26.6 FPS versus 51.3 FPS on Low, indicating that memory bandwidth and capacity become constraints at this resolution.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the performance scales predictably with settings. Low delivers the highest average at 99.2 FPS, followed by Medium at 69.8 FPS, High at 63.9 FPS, and Ultra at 52.2 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium is 29.4 FPS, while the difference between Medium and High is only 5.9 FPS, suggesting diminishing returns beyond Medium.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates compress significantly. Low produces 71.9 FPS, which drops to 50.7 FPS on Medium—a 21.2 FPS reduction. High achieves 47.4 FPS, and Ultra falls to 38.5 FPS. The scaling from Low to Medium is steeper here than at 1080p, reflecting increased GPU load at higher pixel counts.

At 3840x2160, the results show severe performance degradation. Low yields 51.3 FPS, Medium 37.2 FPS, High 30.7 FPS, and Ultra 26.6 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra is 24.7 FPS, and even the Low preset struggles to maintain 60 FPS. The data indicates that 4K gaming is only feasible with significant settings compromises.

Across all resolutions, the Low preset consistently provides the highest frame rates, while Ultra consistently delivers the lowest. The performance delta between Low and Ultra is 47 FPS at 1080p, 33.4 FPS at 1440p, and 24.7 FPS at 4K, showing that the GPU has more headroom at lower resolutions to absorb the visual quality increase.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of Intel Core i5-12400F and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 ranks 1379 out of 1636 tested combos in Control, placing it in the 15.7th percentile of all configurations. This ranking reflects the GTX 1070's mid-range status—the GPU sits in the 51st percentile of all GPUs, while the CPU is in the 77th percentile, creating an imbalance where the GPU is the limiting factor.

The CPU's performance is well-matched with the GPU's capabilities. The i5-12400F's nearest rivals include the Intel Core i7-8700K (0.1% faster), Intel Core i5-1335U (0.3% faster), AMD Ryzen 5 7533HS (0.7% faster), and AMD EPYC 7773X (1.3% slower), indicating the CPU is competitive with older and newer parts alike. However, the GTX 1070's nearest rivals—the Quadro K4200, GTX 880M, GTX 1650 SUPER, and Tesla K20Xm—are all within 1.7% of its average score, showing that the GPU is solidly in the mid-range tier.

The combo rank of 1379 suggests that most tested configurations outperform this pairing. This is expected given the GTX 1070's age (released June 2016) and end-of-life production status. The data shows that the combination is capable of 1080p Medium gaming at 69.8 FPS, which is respectable for a system of this class, but it cannot compete with modern GPUs at higher resolutions or settings. The 8 GB VRAM and 256.3 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for the game's demands at 1080p, but the 4K results indicate that this combo is not designed for ultra-high-resolution gaming.