Control

The Intel Core i5-12400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 produces a clear progression of frame rates in Control as resolution increases, revealing a system that is primarily GPU-bound at higher settings. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 107.4 FPS, which drops to 83.0 FPS at 2560x1440 and further to 52.6 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 51% reduction in average FPS from 1080p to 4K at Low settings, a steep decline that indicates the RTX 2060’s rendering throughput is the limiting factor as pixel count multiplies.

The pattern holds across every quality preset. At High settings, the average FPS falls from 67.8 at 1080p to 50.4 at 1440p and then to 34.4 at 4K. At Medium, the figures are 76.7, 59.5, and 40.8 respectively. The Ultra preset shows the tightest spread in absolute terms: 62.1 at 1080p, 43.7 at 1440p, and exactly 30.0 at 4K. The consistent halving of performance from 1080p to 4K across all settings suggests that the CPU, with its 6 cores and 12 threads, is not the bottleneck at lower resolutions; instead, the GPU’s 6 GB of GDDR6 memory and 336.0 GB/s bandwidth are saturated as resolution climbs. The data shows that even at 1080p Ultra, the combo only manages 62.1 FPS, which is below the 107.4 FPS achievable at Low, reinforcing that graphical load—not processor capability—dictates the frame rate ceiling.

How This Combo Ranks

Within the database of tested hardware combinations for Control, this specific pairing of the i5-12400F and RTX 2060 holds the rank of 1344 out of 1636 total combos. That places it in the 18th percentile of all tested systems, meaning roughly 82% of other CPU-GPU pairings deliver higher average frame rates in this game. The ranking reflects a mid-range GPU paired with a capable budget processor; the RTX 2060 itself sits at the 58th percentile among all GPUs based on its average benchmark score of 16074. Its nearest GPU rivals, the AMD Radeon RX 7600S (avgScore 15996, deltaPct 0.5) and AMD Radeon Pro 5600M (avgScore 16351, deltaPct -1.7), show that the 2060 is squarely in the middle of its performance class, with less than 2% separation from those alternatives.

On the CPU side, the i5-12400F ranks at the 77th percentile among all processors, with an average benchmark score of 19221. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core i7-8700K, scores 19210, a deltaPct of just 0.1%, meaning the two are effectively identical in overall CPU benchmarks. The AMD Ryzen 5 7533HS sits slightly higher at 19364 (-0.7% delta), while the AMD EPYC 7773X trails at 18979 (1.3% delta). Despite the CPU’s strong relative standing, the Control combo rank of 1344 is dragged down by the GPU. The data indicates that upgrading the graphics card alone would move this pairing much higher in the rankings, as the processor is clearly not the limiting factor—the 3DMark 16-thread score of 5895 and multi-core Cinebench R23 score of 16518 demonstrate ample headroom for higher-end graphics hardware.

FAQ

Q: What is the best average FPS this combo achieves in Control?

A: The highest measured average is 107.4 FPS at 1920x1080 with Low settings. No other resolution or preset combination reaches 100 FPS; the next closest is 83.0 FPS at 2560x1440 Low.

Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming in Control?

A: At 3840x2160, the combo delivers 30.0 FPS on Ultra, 34.4 on High, 40.8 on Medium, and 52.6 on Low. Only the Low preset exceeds 50 FPS, so 4K is playable only with significant graphical compromises.

Q: How does the i5-12400F compare to its closest CPU rival?

A: The i5-12400F’s average benchmark score is 19221, which is 0.1% above the Intel Core i7-8700K’s 19210. The two are statistically tied in synthetic tests, though the i5 has 6 cores and 12 threads with a boost clock of 4.40 GHz versus the i7’s older architecture.

Q: Is the RTX 2060 the bottleneck in this pairing?

A: Yes. The GPU’s benchmark percentile is 58, versus the CPU’s 77. The measured FPS drop from 107.4 at 1080p Low to 52.6 at 4K Low shows that reducing resolution (and thus GPU load) yields massive gains, while the CPU’s 12 threads are never saturated based on the frame rate scaling.

Q: What is the FPS difference between Medium and High at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, Medium averages 59.5 FPS while High averages 50.4 FPS, a difference of 9.1 FPS. The gap narrows at 4K, where Medium (40.8) is 6.4 FPS ahead of High (34.4).

Q: Does the Ultra preset provide a consistent experience across resolutions?

A: Ultra produces 62.1 FPS at 1080p, 43.7 at 1440p, and 30.0 at 4K. The 4K result is exactly 30 FPS, which is typically considered the minimum for playable frame pacing, but the step down from 1080p is 52%—a steep cost for the highest quality settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete measured dataset for Control with this combo covers four resolutions and four quality presets, yielding 16 distinct data points. At 1920x1080, the full range of presets produces: Low at 107.4 FPS, Medium at 76.7 FPS, High at 67.8 FPS, and Ultra at 62.1 FPS. The step from Low to Medium costs 30.7 FPS, while the step from Medium to High costs 8.9 FPS, and High to Ultra costs only 5.7 FPS—indicating diminishing returns as settings increase. At 1080p, every preset except Ultra exceeds 60 FPS, making this the only resolution where smooth gameplay is readily achievable across the board.

Moving to 2560x1440, the averages are 83.0 (Low), 59.5 (Medium), 50.4 (High), and 43.7 (Ultra). The 23.5 FPS drop from Low to Medium is the largest single-preset penalty at this resolution. At 3840x2160, the numbers compress: 52.6 (Low), 40.8 (Medium), 34.4 (High), and 30.0 (Ultra). The spread from Low to Ultra at 4K is only 22.6 FPS, compared to a 45.3 FPS spread at 1080p. This compression demonstrates that at 4K, the GPU is so heavily loaded that even dropping to Low settings cannot recover the frame rate lost to pixel count. The 4K Low result of 52.6 is actually lower than the 1080p Ultra result of 62.1, showing that resolution has a more significant impact on performance than quality preset.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor from the Alder Lake-S architecture, with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. Its synthetic benchmark results show strong multi-threaded capability: Cinebench R23 multi-core scores 16518, while single-core scores 2332. The 3DMark results scale predictably with thread count—1699 with 2 threads, 3067 with 4, 4779 with 8, and 5895 with 16 threads—peaking at 5912 with max threads. This scaling indicates the CPU efficiently utilizes its 12 threads, which is relevant for Control’s physics and particle systems, though the game does not appear to be CPU-limited in this pairing.

The evidence for GPU limitation is in the frame rate scaling. If the CPU were the bottleneck, reducing resolution would not produce the massive FPS gains seen here—from 107.4 at 1080p Low to 52.6 at 4K Low. Instead, the data shows that halving the pixel count roughly doubles the frame rate, which is the signature of a GPU-bound scenario. The CPU’s 77th percentile ranking and its near-tie with the Intel Core i7-8700K (deltaPct 0.1) suggest that this processor provides more than enough throughput for the RTX 2060. The 18 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel memory support for DDR4 and DDR5 further ensure that memory bandwidth is not a constraint at these frame rates. In practical terms, the i5-12400F is overqualified for this GPU in Control, leaving headroom for future GPU upgrades without needing a platform change.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal experience for this combo depends on the target resolution and frame rate preference. At 1920x1080, the High preset (67.8 FPS) provides a strong balance of visual quality and smoothness, staying above the 60 FPS threshold. Medium (76.7 FPS) offers a more comfortable margin above 60 FPS with only a minor visual reduction, while Ultra (62.1 FPS) barely maintains playability but risks dips below 60 in demanding scenes. For competitive or high-refresh-rate play, Low (107.4 FPS) is the only preset that can push well beyond 100 FPS, but it sacrifices the game’s atmospheric lighting and effects.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset (59.5 FPS) is the recommended choice, as it delivers frame rates close to 60 while retaining more detail than Low (83.0 FPS). High (50.4 FPS) is playable but noticeably less smooth, and Ultra (43.7 FPS) should be avoided for action sequences. At 3840x2160, only Low (52.6 FPS) approaches acceptable smoothness; Medium (40.8 FPS) and above fall below 45 FPS, which is generally too choppy for a game that requires precise aiming and environmental awareness. The data suggests that 4K gaming with this combo is only viable with the lowest settings, making 1440p Medium the sweet spot for balancing visual fidelity and performance. Ultimately, the Ultra preset is only recommended at 1080p, where it produces 62.1 FPS, and even then, the jump from High to Ultra yields less than 6 FPS improvement in frame rate stability, making High the more pragmatic choice for most users.