Control

The Intel Core i5-12600KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti combination delivers a solid, if not spectacular, performance profile in Control, a 2019 Action Adventure title. The data shows a system that is clearly capable of smooth gameplay at 1080p and 1440p, but one that begins to struggle significantly when pushed to 4K resolution, particularly at higher graphical presets. The benchmark results indicate a pairing where the GPU becomes the primary limiting factor as resolution and settings increase, while the CPU provides ample headroom to avoid becoming a bottleneck.

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

The Intel Core i5-12600KF is a 10-core, 16-thread processor based on the Alder Lake architecture, built on Intel’s 10 nm process node. It operates with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and can boost up to 4.90 GHz, providing substantial single-thread performance that is critical for game logic and physics calculations. The processor features a 20 MB shared L3 cache and supports dual-channel DDR4 and DDR5 memory, though the specific memory configuration used in the benchmark is not detailed. With a TDP of 125 W and an unlocked multiplier, this chip is designed for high-performance desktop workloads.

In the context of Control, which is not known for being exceptionally CPU-intensive, the i5-12600KF’s capabilities are more than sufficient. The CPU’s benchmark scores reinforce this assessment. In Cinebench R23, it scores 23444 points in multi-core and 3309 points in single-core tests. Its PassMark multithread score of 27575 and single-thread score of 3925 further demonstrate its strength. The CPU holds an 84th percentile ranking versus all CPUs, placing it in the upper tier of processors. When compared to its nearest rivals, the data shows a very tight cluster of performance. The i5-12600KF posts an average benchmark score of 27827, which is nearly identical to the Intel Core i9-10900K (27829, a 0% delta), the Intel Core i5-12600K (27851, a -0.1% delta), and the Intel Core Ultra 5 125H (27872, a -0.2% delta). It is also effectively tied with the Intel Core i7-13700H (27716, a 0.4% delta). This indicates that in synthetic tests, the CPU is performing exactly as expected for its class. For Control, this means the processor is never the bottleneck; it can feed frames to the GPU efficiently across all tested settings and resolutions.

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

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is the other half of this pairing, and it is the component that ultimately dictates the system’s performance ceiling in Control. This GPU is based on the Ampere architecture, featuring the GA104 chip built on Samsung’s 8 nm process. It comes equipped with 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s. The GPU’s core clocks are set at a base of 1410 MHz and a boost of 1665 MHz. With 4864 shading units, 152 texture mapping units, and 80 ROPs, the RTX 3060 Ti is a capable mid-to-high-range graphics card. It also includes 38 RT cores and 152 Tensor cores, which are relevant for games that support ray tracing and DLSS, both of which Control does, though the measured FPS data provided does not specify whether these features were enabled. The GPU’s FP32 performance is rated at 16.20 TFLOPS.

The RTX 3060 Ti holds a 69th percentile ranking versus all GPUs and has an average benchmark score of 25120. Its nearest rivals show a very close grouping: the AMD Radeon RX 6700M scores 25180 (a -0.2% delta), the AMD Radeon RX 6600 scores 25235 (a -0.5% delta), and the AMD Radeon 890M scores 25246 (a -0.5% delta). The AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP is also close with a score of 25287 (a -0.7% delta). This suggests that the RTX 3060 Ti performs on par with these competitors in general compute tasks. In Control, the GPU’s 8 GB of VRAM is a key factor. While it is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p, the demands of 4K textures and effects can put pressure on this memory capacity, potentially contributing to the frame rate drops observed at that resolution. The core clock speeds are also a limiting factor; the GPU must work progressively harder as the resolution increases, which is reflected in the measured FPS data.

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

The measured FPS data reveals a clear and consistent pattern of performance degradation as resolution increases, which points directly to the GPU as the primary bottleneck. At 1080p with High settings, the system achieves 75.1 FPS. Moving to 1440p at the same settings drops the average to 56.2 FPS, a reduction of 18.9 FPS. At 4K, the average falls further to 38.5 FPS, a substantial 36.6 FPS drop from the 1080p baseline. This scaling is a classic sign of GPU-bound performance. The CPU is capable of maintaining high frame rates, but the GPU’s rendering workload increases exponentially with pixel count, causing the frame rate to plummet.

This trend is consistent across all settings. For instance, at Low settings, the system produces 116.4 FPS at 1080p, which drops to 90.3 FPS at 1440p and 62.2 FPS at 4K. Even at the lowest settings, the 4K resolution still results in a significant frame rate penalty, confirming that the sheer number of pixels is the dominant factor. The scaling from 1440p to 4K is particularly severe, with a drop of 17.7 FPS at High settings and 28.1 FPS at Low settings. This indicates that the RTX 3060 Ti’s memory bandwidth and compute power are simply insufficient to feed the 4K display at a consistently high frame rate. The data suggests that for a smooth experience at 4K, the user would need to significantly lower settings or rely on upscaling technologies, which are not accounted for in these measurements.

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

The benchmark provides a complete matrix of average FPS across three resolutions and four settings levels. At 1080p, the performance is generally good. With Low settings, the system achieves 116.4 FPS, providing a very smooth experience for high-refresh-rate monitors. Medium settings see this drop to 83 FPS, and High settings further reduce it to 75.1 FPS. At Ultra settings, the average is 65.1 FPS, which is still playable but shows the impact of the most demanding presets.

At 1440p, the frame rates are more moderate. Low settings yield 90.3 FPS, which is excellent. Medium settings drop to 66.2 FPS, and High settings to 56.2 FPS. Ultra settings produce an average of 50.8 FPS. This resolution is the sweet spot for this hardware, offering a balance between visual fidelity and performance, provided the user is willing to adjust settings away from the Ultra preset.

At 4K, the performance becomes a challenge. Low settings are the only playable option, delivering 62.2 FPS. Medium settings drop to 42.1 FPS, High to 38.5 FPS, and Ultra to 30.8 FPS. The step between Low and Medium at 4K is particularly steep, a 20.1 FPS drop, indicating that the higher quality textures and effects at Medium are very demanding on the GPU’s 8 GB of VRAM and raw processing power. The data clearly shows that 4K Ultra is not a viable option for this combination in Control, as the average frame rate falls below the 30 FPS threshold that is generally considered the minimum for playability.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

Within the database of tested hardware combinations for Control, this specific pairing of the Intel Core i5-12600KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti achieves a rank of 1174 out of 1636 total combinations. This places it in the lower third of all tested systems, which is a surprising result given the individual component scores. The CPU’s strong performance (84th percentile) and the GPU’s respectable performance (69th percentile) do not translate into a top-tier ranking for this game.

This discrepancy can be attributed to the nature of the benchmark data. The combo rank likely aggregates performance across all tested settings and resolutions, and the significant drop-off at 4K may be dragging the overall score down. Many higher-ranked combinations likely feature more powerful GPUs that can maintain higher frame rates at 4K. While this system ranks at 1174 out of 1636, it is important to contextualize this within the game’s specific demands. The data indicates that for the target resolutions of 1080p and 1440p, the system performs admirably, achieving well above 60 FPS at High settings in both cases. However, the rank suggests that within the broader ecosystem of tested hardware, there are many combinations that can deliver a more consistent high-refresh-rate experience across all resolutions, particularly at the demanding 4K Ultra preset. The system is not at the bottom, but it is clearly positioned as a mid-tier performer in the context of all tested combos for Control.