Control

The Intel Core i5-12600KF paired with the AMD Radeon RX 9070 delivers a robust 1080p and 1440p experience in Control, with the data showing a clear transition from CPU-bound performance at lower resolutions to GPU-bound performance at 4K. This combination ranks in the 69th percentile among all tested GPU/CPU pairings for this title, indicating that while it is not at the extreme top tier, it provides a well-balanced platform for the game's physics-heavy combat and atmospheric environments. The measured frame rates reveal a system that can comfortably exceed 100 FPS at 1080p on high settings, but which requires careful settings management to maintain smoothness at 4K.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a significant performance drop as resolution increases, which is typical for a graphically demanding title like Control. At 1080p with High settings, the combo produces an average of 115 FPS. Moving to 1440p, that figure drops to 87 FPS, a 24.3% reduction. At 4K, the average further declines to 59 FPS, which is a 32.2% drop from the 1440p figure. This scaling pattern indicates that the RX 9070 is the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions, as the workload shifts to pixel filling and memory bandwidth.

The progression from Low to Ultra settings at each resolution reinforces this analysis. At 1080p, the difference between Low (182 FPS) and Ultra (100 FPS) is 82 FPS, showing the GPU still has headroom even at the highest settings. At 4K, the gap between Low (93 FPS) and Ultra (51 FPS) is 42 FPS, but the absolute numbers are much lower. The fact that 4K Low still only achieves 93 FPS, while 1080p Ultra hits 100 FPS, strongly suggests that the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth are the limiting components at the higher resolution. The CPU, with its 10 cores and 16 threads, has sufficient headroom to feed the GPU at 1080p and 1440p, but it is not the primary constraint in this scenario.

How This Combo Ranks

According to the measured data, this combination of the Intel Core i5-12600KF and AMD Radeon RX 9070 ranks 1134 out of 3720 tested combinations for Control. This places it in the 30th percentile of all tested systems, meaning that a significant portion of other configurations deliver higher average frame rates in this specific title. This rank is not a measure of raw component power alone, but rather how the two parts work together in this game’s engine.

The CPU’s average benchmark score is 27799, which places it in the 79th percentile of all CPUs. This is a strong result, and its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i9-10900K (with a delta of -0.3%) and the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D (with a delta of -0.3%). This indicates that the i5-12600KF is performing nearly identically to these previous-generation high-end processors in synthetic workloads. The GPU’s average benchmark score is 23877, placing it in the 69th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER (with a delta of -1.2%) and the AMD Radeon RX 6800S (with a delta of -0.8%). The combo rank of 1134 suggests that while both components are individually strong, the overall system performance is more modest than the sum of its parts might imply, likely due to the game's specific engine characteristics.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides a clear picture of the trade-off between visual fidelity and performance. For a smooth 60 FPS experience at 4K, the user must select Medium settings, which yields an average of 66 FPS with a minimum of 56 FPS. High settings at 4K are borderline, producing an average of 59 FPS which is technically below the 60 FPS target. Ultra settings at 4K are not viable for a consistent experience, as they only yield 51 FPS.

At 1440p, the options are more flexible. High settings provide an excellent 87 FPS average, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold and leaves room for a high refresh rate monitor. Medium settings at this resolution yield 98 FPS, and Low settings reach 137 FPS. For the most demanding users, Ultra settings at 1440p still provide a playable 75 FPS. At 1080p, the system is almost entirely GPU-bound, and even Ultra settings deliver an average of 100 FPS, while High settings reach 115 FPS. The data suggests that High settings at 1440p offers the best balance between visual quality and performance, providing a significant improvement in resolution over 1080p without sacrificing the frame rate.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Control at 4K with a consistent 60 FPS?

A: The measured data shows that at 4K with High settings, the average FPS is 59, which is just below the 60 FPS target. To achieve a more stable 60 FPS at 4K, you would need to use Medium settings, which produce an average of 66 FPS.

Q: What is the highest frame rate this combo can achieve at 1080p?

A: The highest average FPS recorded at 1080p is 182, which is achieved with Low settings. With High settings, the average is 115 FPS, and with Ultra settings, it drops to 100 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU's performance compare to its rivals?

A: The Intel Core i5-12600KF has an average benchmark score of 27799, which is nearly identical to its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D, which has a deltaPct of -0.3%. It also outperforms the Intel Core i9-10900K by a similar margin.

Q: Is the GPU or CPU the limiting factor for this game at 1440p?

A: The data shows that at 1440p, the difference between Low and High settings is 50 FPS (137 vs 87), indicating that the GPU is still the primary bottleneck. If the CPU were the limiting factor, the frame rate would be similar regardless of resolution and settings.

Q: What is the minimum FPS for Medium settings at 1440p?

A: The measured data for 1440p Medium settings shows a minimum FPS of 83, with an average of 98 FPS and a maximum of 112 FPS.

Q: What is the rank of this combo compared to all other tested combos?

A: This combo ranks 1134 out of 3720 tested combinations for Control, placing it in the top 30% of all systems tested.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 9070 is the primary driver of frame rates at higher resolutions. Its 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus provides a bandwidth of 644.6 GB/s, which is crucial for the high-resolution textures and complex post-processing effects in Control. The GPU's boost clock of 2520 MHz and game clock of 2070 MHz are the core clocks that determine its processing speed. The data shows that the GPU is the limiting factor at 4K, as the frame rates drop significantly when moving from Low to Ultra settings, with a 42 FPS difference between the two extremes.

The GPU's benchmark performance, with an average score of 23877 and a 69th percentile ranking, is respectable but not class-leading. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER, is only 1.2% faster, which is within the margin of error. In the context of Control, the GPU's 16 GB of VRAM is more than sufficient for the game's requirements, but the GPU's raw compute power, as measured by its 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 6290, determines the absolute frame rate ceiling. The fact that the 4K High setting only produces 59 FPS suggests that the GPU's pixel and texture fill rates are the limiting factors for this specific title at that resolution.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12600KF has 10 cores and 16 threads, with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 4.90 GHz. Its Alder Lake architecture with a 20 MB shared L3 cache provides a strong foundation for gaming, but the benchmark data indicates that it is not the primary bottleneck in Control. At 1080p, the CPU is more likely to be the limiting factor, as the frame rates are high enough to require significant draw call processing. However, the CPU's performance in synthetic benchmarks, such as a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 23391, is robust enough to prevent a significant bottleneck.

The CPU's performance is the 79th percentile of all CPUs, which is a strong result. Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D, has a slightly lower average score, but the difference is less than a percent. In Control, the CPU's role is to handle the game's physics and AI, which are not extremely demanding. The data shows that at 1440p, the frame rate is primarily limited by the GPU, as the CPU has enough headroom to maintain the high frame rates seen at 1080p. However, the CPU's 10 cores and 16 threads are still essential for maintaining a consistent frame rate in this game.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for the Control page with the Intel Core i5-12600KF and AMD Radeon RX 9070 is as follows:

1080p:

• Low: 182 average FPS
• Medium: 129 average FPS (minimum 110, maximum 148)
• High: 115 average FPS
• Ultra: 100 average FPS

1440p:

• Low: 137 average FPS
• Medium: 98 average FPS (minimum 83, maximum 112)
• High: 87 average FPS
• Ultra: 75 average FPS

4K (3840x2160):

• Low: 93 average FPS
• Medium: 66 average FPS (minimum 56, maximum 76)
• High: 59 average FPS
• Ultra: 51 average FPS

The data reveals a consistent pattern of frame rate scaling with resolution and settings. The difference between Low and Ultra settings is 82 FPS at 1080p, 62 FPS at 1440p, and 42 FPS at 4K. This narrowing gap at higher resolutions confirms that the GPU's compute and memory resources are being exhausted, leaving less headroom for increased visual effects. The minimum FPS values, which are only recorded for Medium settings, show that the frame time consistency is maintained, with the 1% lows remaining within a reasonable range of the average. For a competitive and smooth experience, the 1440p High setting is the highest resolution and quality combination that maintains an average above 85 FPS.