Control

# Control with Intel Core i5-12400F + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080

This pairing combines a 6-core, 12-thread Intel Core i5-12400F with a 10 GB NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080, placing this combo at rank 482 out of 1636 tested configurations for Control. The benchmark data shows a system that delivers strong 1080p performance, good 1440p capability, and remains playable at 4K across most settings. The i5-12400F sits in the 77th percentile of all CPUs, while the RTX 3080 lands in the 80th percentile of all GPUs, suggesting a balanced mid-to-high-end pairing.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core i5-12400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor from the Alder Lake-S architecture, built on Intel's 10 nm process. It runs at a base clock of 2.50 GHz and boosts up to 4.40 GHz, with a 65 W TDP. The CPU has an 18 MB shared L3 cache, plus 80 KB L1 and 1.25 MB L2 per core. It supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory through a dual-channel interface, and operates on the Intel Socket 1700 platform with PCIe Gen 5 (20 lanes from the CPU).

In synthetic benchmarks, the i5-12400F shows solid multi-threaded capability: it scores 16,518 in Cinebench R23 multicore and 9,138 in Geekbench multicore. Single-thread performance is also respectable, with a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2,332 and a 3DMark single-thread score of 909. The CPU's overall average benchmark score is 19,221, placing it 0.1% ahead of the Intel Core i7-8700K (19,210) and 0.3% ahead of the Intel Core i5-1335U (19,167), but 0.7% behind the AMD Ryzen 5 7533HS (19,364) and 1.3% behind the AMD EPYC 7773X (18,979).

For Control, the 6-core/12-thread configuration is more than adequate. The game's action-adventure gameplay benefits from the CPU's strong single-thread performance (3DMark single-thread score of 909), which helps maintain consistent frame pacing. The 18 MB L3 cache reduces memory latency, and the 4.40 GHz boost clock ensures the CPU won't bottleneck the RTX 3080 at lower resolutions. At 1080p Low settings, the system reaches 183.2 FPS average, indicating the CPU can feed frames well above typical 144 Hz display rates.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 is built on the Ampere architecture with the GA102 chip, manufactured on Samsung's 8 nm process. It packs 8,704 shading units, 272 texture mapping units, and 96 ROPs, along with 68 ray tracing cores and 272 tensor cores. The GPU operates at a base clock of 1440 MHz and boosts to 1710 MHz, with memory running at 1188 MHz (19 Gbps effective). The 10 GB of GDDR6X memory sits on a 320-bit bus, delivering 760.3 GB/s of bandwidth.

Compute performance is substantial: the RTX 3080 delivers 29.77 TFLOPS of FP32 compute and 465.1 GTexel/s texture fill rate. Its average benchmark score is 35,787, which puts it 0.2% behind the AMD Radeon Pro Duo (35,860) and 0.9% behind the AMD Radeon RX 7900 GRE (36,101), but 0.4% ahead of the AMD Radeon 880M (35,646) and 1% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Mobile (35,435). The GPU's PassMark G3D score of 25,086 and Geekbench OpenCL score of 167,014 confirm its high-end positioning.

In Control, the RTX 3080's 10 GB VRAM is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p at all settings, and it handles 4K up to High settings. The 760.3 GB/s memory bandwidth is a key asset for a visually dense game like Control, which loads detailed textures and effects. The GPU's 68 RT cores support hardware ray tracing, though the benchmark data here reflects standard rasterization performance. The 320 W TDP is a consideration for system power, but the performance payoff is clear in the measured frame rates.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

This CPU-GPU combination ranks 482nd out of 1,636 tested combos for Control, placing it in the upper third of all configurations in the database. That rank reflects a pairing where neither component dramatically outstrips the other — the i5-12400F's 77th CPU percentile and the RTX 3080's 80th GPU percentile suggest balanced performance headroom.

Relative to nearest rivals, the CPU is essentially matched with the i7-8700K (0.1% ahead in average score), while the GPU trades blows with the Radeon RX 7900 GRE (0.9% behind). This means the combo's performance is comparable to what you'd get with a slightly older high-end CPU paired with a current mid-to-high-range GPU. The rank of 482 out of 1,636 indicates there are many faster combos, but also a large number of slower ones, making this a reasonable mid-to-high-tier setup for Control.

The measured FPS data supports this positioning. At 1080p Ultra, the combo delivers 105.1 FPS average, which is smooth for most displays. At 1440p High, it maintains 86.4 FPS, and even at 4K High, it stays above 60 FPS at 63 FPS average. These numbers suggest the combo is well-suited for high-refresh 1080p and solid 1440p gaming, with 4K capability on moderate settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its highest frame rates. Low settings produce 183.2 FPS average, Medium yields 133.1 FPS, High reaches 119 FPS, and Ultra drops to 105.1 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra represents a 42.6% reduction in average FPS, with each settings tier costing roughly 10-15% performance.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain strong. Low settings average 140.9 FPS, Medium hits 98.6 FPS, High achieves 86.4 FPS, and Ultra falls to 79.3 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 43.7%, similar to the 1080p scaling. Notably, 1440p Ultra (79.3 FPS) still beats 1080p Ultra (105.1 FPS) by a healthy margin, showing the GPU has headroom at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, performance drops significantly but remains playable. Low settings average 95 FPS, Medium reaches 69.5 FPS, High holds at 63 FPS, and Ultra dips to 49.9 FPS. The 4K Ultra result falls below 60 FPS, indicating the RTX 3080 hits its limits with maxed settings at this resolution. However, High settings at 4K (63 FPS) provide a smooth experience, and Low (95 FPS) offers a fast-paced alternative.

The data shows a consistent pattern: each settings tier costs roughly 15-20 FPS at 1080p, 10-15 FPS at 1440p, and 5-10 FPS at 4K. The absolute drops shrink as resolution increases because the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K reveals the GPU's dominant role in this pairing. At Low settings, the system goes from 183.2 FPS at 1080p to 95 FPS at 4K, a 48.1% reduction. At Medium, it drops from 133.1 FPS to 69.5 FPS, a 47.8% reduction. High settings fall from 119 FPS to 63 FPS, a 47.1% reduction, and Ultra goes from 105.1 FPS to 49.9 FPS, a 52.5% reduction.

These reductions are close to the pixel-count increase from 1080p to 4K, which is exactly 4x (1920x1080 has 2.07 million pixels; 3840x2160 has 8.29 million). If the CPU were the limiting factor, the FPS would not scale so dramatically with resolution. Instead, the near-linear scaling indicates the RTX 3080 is doing the heavy lifting, and the i5-12400F has enough headroom to avoid becoming a bottleneck even at 1080p Low where the GPU is pushing 183.2 FPS.

The fact that 1080p Low (183.2 FPS) is nearly double 4K Low (95 FPS) confirms the GPU is the limiting component. The CPU's 6 cores and 12 threads are sufficient to feed the GPU at all resolutions tested. For players targeting higher FPS, dropping to 1080p yields massive gains, while 4K requires accepting lower settings to stay above 60 FPS.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

For 1080p gaming, the High preset (119 FPS) offers the best balance. It delivers smooth gameplay well above 60 FPS while maintaining visual quality, and the jump to Ultra (105.1 FPS) only adds a 13.3% FPS loss for marginal visual gains. Players with 144 Hz displays might prefer Medium (133.1 FPS) or even Low (183.2 FPS) for competitive play, but High provides a solid experience for most users.

At 1440p, the High preset (86.4 FPS) is the sweet spot. It keeps the frame rate comfortably above 60 FPS while preserving the visual fidelity that makes Control's environments striking. Ultra (79.3 FPS) is also viable for those who prioritize visuals, but the 8.2% FPS drop from High may not justify the increased graphical load. Medium (98.6 FPS) offers a faster alternative, and Low (140.9 FPS) is excellent for high-refresh monitors.

For 4K, the High preset (63 FPS) is the recommended choice. It maintains an average above 60 FPS, which is the threshold for smooth gameplay. Medium (69.5 FPS) provides a small margin of safety, while Ultra (49.9 FPS) falls below 60 FPS and may feel less fluid. Low (95 FPS) is an option for players who prioritize frame rate over visual detail, but High offers the best combination of performance and image quality at this resolution.

Across all resolutions, the data indicates that High settings provide the most consistent experience relative to the GPU's capabilities. The RTX 3080 handles High at every resolution tested, with the only sub-60 FPS result occurring at 4K Ultra. For the best overall experience, choose High and adjust resolution based on your display's native capability.