Control

The Intel Core i5-12600KF paired with the AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT delivers a solid 1080p and 1440p experience in Control, but the data shows it struggles to maintain playable frame rates at 4K on higher presets. This combination ranks in the lower third of tested configurations for this title, placing 1115th out of 1636 combos, which indicates that while it is functional, it is not a top-tier performer for this specific game. The benchmark results provide a clear picture of how the CPU and GPU balance workloads across different resolutions and settings, making it a practical option for gamers targeting high refresh rates at 1080p or a balanced 1440p experience.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to play Control with this CPU and GPU combo?

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 is the strongest resolution, delivering 119.2 FPS on Low settings and 77.1 FPS on High. At 2560x1440, the frame rate drops to 56.9 FPS on High, which is still playable, but 3840x2160 on High falls to 36.6 FPS, making 1080p the most consistent choice for smooth gameplay.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Intel Core i5-12600KF has an average benchmark score of 27827, which is effectively identical to the Intel Core i9-10900K (27829, 0% delta). It is also nearly matched by the Intel Core i5-12600K (27851, -0.1% delta) and the Intel Core Ultra 5 125H (27872, -0.2% delta), while slightly ahead of the Intel Core i7-13700H (27716, 0.4% delta).

Q: Is the GPU's performance competitive with other cards in its class?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT has an average benchmark score of 27985, placing it marginally ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti (27956, 0.1% delta) and the AMD Radeon R9 M395X (27883, 0.4% delta). It trails the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 (28238, -0.9% delta) by a small margin.

Q: What settings preset offers the highest frame rate at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset yields the highest average frame rate at 91 FPS. The Medium preset provides 65.1 FPS, High provides 56.9 FPS, and Ultra drops to 48.4 FPS. For a balance of visual quality and performance, Medium is a strong middle ground.

Q: Does the combo support modern graphics APIs for this game?

A: The GPU supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, according to the specifications. This ensures compatibility with Control's rendering requirements, which can utilize DirectX 12 for advanced features.

Q: How does the combo rank overall among all tested configurations?

A: The combo ranks 1115th out of 1636 tested combinations for Control. This places it in the lower third of the field, suggesting that while it can run the game, many other CPU-GPU pairings deliver higher performance.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT is built on the RDNA 2.0 architecture with 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing 256.0 GB/s of bandwidth. Its base clock is 1968 MHz, with a game clock of 2359 MHz and a boost clock of 2589 MHz. These specifications are directly relevant to Control's performance, as the game's visual effects and texture loads place significant demands on memory bandwidth and shader throughput. The GPU's 2048 shading units and 64 ROPs handle the rendering workload, while the 32 RT cores are available for ray-traced effects, though the measured FPS data does not isolate ray tracing performance.

In this combo, the GPU's role becomes more pronounced at higher resolutions. The data shows that at 1920x1080, the frame rates are high enough to suggest the CPU is keeping up with the GPU's output. However, at 3840x2160, the average FPS drops sharply across all presets, indicating that the RX 6600 XT's 8 GB VRAM and 256.0 GB/s bandwidth become limiting factors. The GPU's pixel rate of 165.7 GPixel/s and texture rate of 331.4 GTexel/s are adequate for 1080p and 1440p, but the 4K Ultra preset at 34 FPS shows the card is overextended. The boost clock of 2589 MHz helps maintain performance in lighter scenes, but the overall trend points to the GPU being the primary bottleneck when resolution scales up.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 1115 out of 1636 tested configurations places it in the 32nd percentile of all tested combos for Control. This is a modest result, indicating that the i5-12600KF and RX 6600 XT are not optimized for this title compared to other pairings in the database. The CPU's average benchmark score of 27827 puts it in the 84th percentile against all CPUs, which shows it is a capable processor. Similarly, the GPU's average score of 27985 places it in the 71st percentile against all GPUs, indicating it is above average. Despite both components being decent individually, their combined performance in Control is less impressive, likely due to the game's specific engine demands.

The ranking suggests that gamers with this setup should temper expectations for high-end 4K gaming. The CPU's performance is nearly identical to the Intel Core i9-10900K (0% delta), which means it is not holding the system back in CPU-bound scenarios. However, the GPU's performance relative to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 (-0.9% delta) shows it is slightly weaker, which could explain the lower rank. For a builder looking at this combo, the data indicates it is a mid-range solution that excels at 1080p but requires careful settings management at higher resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a clear progression across resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the Low preset achieves 119.2 FPS, which is ideal for high-refresh-rate monitors. The Medium preset delivers 83 FPS, High delivers 77.1 FPS, and Ultra drops to 64.9 FPS. These numbers show that even at Ultra, the combo maintains a playable frame rate above 60 FPS, making 1080p the sweet spot for this hardware.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance scales down predictably. The Low preset hits 91 FPS, Medium reaches 65.1 FPS, High drops to 56.9 FPS, and Ultra falls to 48.4 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium is 25.9 FPS, while the gap between Medium and High is 8.2 FPS, and the gap between High and Ultra is 8.5 FPS. This indicates diminishing returns as settings increase, with the GPU struggling more at higher presets.

At 3840x2160, the frame rates become marginal for smooth gameplay. Low settings yield 63 FPS, which is playable, but Medium drops to 45.1 FPS, High to 36.6 FPS, and Ultra to 34 FPS. The 4K Low result is the only one that clears the 60 FPS threshold, and even that is close. This breakdown confirms that the RX 6600 XT is not suited for 4K gaming with this title unless settings are drastically reduced.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and reveals the limiting component. At 1080p High, the combo produces 77.1 FPS, but at 1440p High, it drops to 56.9 FPS, a 26.2% reduction. Moving to 4K High, the frame rate falls to 36.6 FPS, which is a 52.5% drop from 1080p High. This scaling pattern is typical of a GPU-bound scenario, where the CPU's processing power is less relevant as pixel count increases.

The Low preset shows a similar trend: 119.2 FPS at 1080p, 91 FPS at 1440p (23.7% drop), and 63 FPS at 4K (47.1% drop). The fact that the frame rates do not halve when resolution quadruples suggests that the CPU is still contributing some overhead, but the GPU is clearly the primary bottleneck. The i5-12600KF's strong single-thread performance, as evidenced by its 3dmark single-thread score of 1016, ensures it is not the limiting factor in most scenarios. Instead, the RX 6600 XT's memory bandwidth and shading power cap the system's ability to push higher resolutions.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and refresh rate. For 1080p, the High preset at 77.1 FPS is the best balance of visual quality and performance, as it stays above 60 FPS while providing better fidelity than Medium's 83 FPS only marginally improves on the frame rate. The Ultra preset at 64.9 FPS is also viable, but the 12.2 FPS loss from High may not justify the visual gains.

For 1440p, the Medium preset at 65.1 FPS is the recommended choice, as it maintains a smooth frame rate while offering decent visual quality. The High preset at 56.9 FPS is acceptable for players who prioritize graphics over frame rate, but it risks dipping below 60 FPS in demanding scenes. The Low preset at 91 FPS is ideal for competitive play, though it sacrifices visual fidelity.

For 4K, the Low preset at 63 FPS is the only viable option for a playable experience, but even this is borderline. The Medium preset at 45.1 FPS and High at 36.6 FPS are not recommended for smooth gameplay, and Ultra at 34 FPS is essentially unplayable. Players with 4K displays should consider lowering the resolution to 1440p or accepting significant visual compromises. The data suggests that this combo is best suited for 1080p High or 1440p Medium, striking a practical balance between performance and image quality.