Control

# Control with Intel Core i5-12600KF + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090

The Intel Core i5-12600KF paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 delivers a high-refresh experience in Control across all tested resolutions, with the combination ranking 43rd out of 1636 tested combos. The CPU brings 10 cores and 16 threads from the Alder Lake architecture, clocked at a base of 3.70 GHz and boosting to 4.90 GHz. The GPU, built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with 16,384 shading units and 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus, provides 1.01 TB/s of memory bandwidth. This pairing produces average frame rates that range from 77.4 FPS at 4K Ultra to 264.3 FPS at 1080p Low, indicating a system with substantial headroom for high-refresh monitors and demanding settings alike.

CPU Role

The Core i5-12600KF's 10 cores and 16 threads represent a hybrid configuration typical of Alder Lake-S, with a 20 MB shared L3 cache and 1.25 MB L2 per core. Its 3.70 GHz base clock and 4.90 GHz boost clock provide strong single-thread performance, which matters for Control's game logic and physics calculations. Benchmark data shows a 3dmark single-thread score of 1016 and a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3309, indicating robust per-core capability. Multi-threaded performance is equally solid, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 23444 and a 3dmark max-threads score of 7952, placing the CPU at the 84th percentile of all CPUs.

In Control, the CPU is not the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions. At 4K Ultra, the system produces 77.4 FPS, while at 1080p Low it reaches 264.3 FPS. The CPU's capability to sustain high frame rates at low settings—where the GPU load is lighter—demonstrates that the i5-12600KF can feed the RTX 4090 adequately. The CPU's average benchmark score of 27827 sits nearly identical to the Intel Core i9-10900K at 27829, with a deltaPct of 0, and it trails the Intel Core i5-12600K by only 0.1 percent. This parity with a ten-core Comet Lake flagship and the unlocked multiplier on the 12600KF (allowing overclocking) suggest the CPU is well-matched for gaming workloads that favor high clock speeds over extreme core counts.

Settings Recommendations

The measured frame rates across presets reveal a clear hierarchy. At 1080p, Low settings produce 264.3 FPS, Medium 192.3 FPS, High 171 FPS, and Ultra 149.2 FPS. At 1440p, the spread narrows: Low delivers 207.1 FPS, Medium 146.1 FPS, High 133.4 FPS, and Ultra 116.7 FPS. At 4K, the range tightens further, with Low at 137.8 FPS, Medium 100.8 FPS, High 90.7 FPS, and Ultra 77.4 FPS.

For the best experience, High settings at 1080p offer 171 FPS, which exceeds the refresh rate of most 144Hz monitors while providing substantially better visual quality than Low or Medium. At 1440p, High settings at 133.4 FPS remain above the 120Hz threshold for smooth gameplay, making this the recommended balance for users with 1440p displays. The gap between High and Ultra is modest at 1080p—21.8 FPS—but at 4K the difference grows to 13.3 FPS, suggesting that Ultra's additional visual fidelity comes at a meaningful performance cost at higher resolutions. For 4K users, Medium settings at 100.8 FPS deliver a smoother experience than High's 90.7 FPS or Ultra's 77.4 FPS, though those seeking maximum image quality can still run Ultra with playable frame rates above 60 FPS.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate progression from 1080p to 4K follows a predictable pattern of GPU-bound scaling. At High settings, the system delivers 171 FPS at 1080p, 133.4 FPS at 1440p, and 90.7 FPS at 4K—a drop of 22 percent from 1080p to 1440p and another 32 percent from 1440p to 4K. This scaling indicates that the RTX 4090's raw compute and memory bandwidth are the limiting factors at higher resolutions, as pixel count grows geometrically while the CPU workload remains relatively constant.

At Low settings, the resolution scaling is more pronounced: 264.3 FPS at 1080p, 207.1 FPS at 1440p, and 137.8 FPS at 4K. The 1080p Low result of 264.3 FPS approaches the CPU's practical limit for maintaining frame delivery, as the GPU is so lightly loaded that the processor's single-thread performance becomes the constraint. The fact that 4K Low (137.8 FPS) is still higher than 1080p Ultra (149.2 FPS) by only 8 percent shows how much headroom the GPU has when settings are reduced. Across all presets, the 4K-to-1080p ratio ranges from 0.52 (Low) to 0.53 (Ultra), indicating consistent scaling behavior regardless of settings.

How This Combo Ranks

This combination ranks 43rd out of 1636 tested combos, placing it in the top 2.6 percent of all CPU-GPU pairings tested in Control. While the RTX 4090 is a top-tier GPU—at the 91st percentile of all GPUs with an average benchmark score of 66473—the i5-12600KF at the 84th percentile of CPUs represents a mid-to-high-tier processor. The rank of 43 suggests that higher-ranked combos likely pair the RTX 4090 with faster CPUs, but the i5-12600KF's strong single-thread performance ensures it does not dramatically hold back the GPU in this title.

The CPU's nearest rivals in average benchmark score include the Intel Core i9-10900K at 27829 (deltaPct 0), the Intel Core i5-12600K at 27851 (deltaPct -0.1), and the Intel Core i7-13700H at 27716 (deltaPct 0.4). The near-identical scores among these processors indicate that Control's performance is not sensitive to small differences in CPU throughput; the i5-12600KF's 10 cores and 16 threads are sufficient to keep the RTX 4090 fed without introducing CPU-bound frame rate limits at standard gaming resolutions.

FAQ

Q: What average frame rate does this combo achieve at 1440p High settings?

A: The system delivers 133.4 FPS at 2560x1440 with High settings, which is above the 120Hz refresh threshold and suitable for smooth high-refresh gaming.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor at 1080p Low settings?

A: At 1080p Low, the system produces 264.3 FPS, which is close to the CPU's practical frame delivery limit given its 3dmark single-thread score of 1016 and 3dmark 2-threads score of 1995. The GPU is lightly loaded at these settings, so the i5-12600KF becomes the bottleneck.

Q: How does the i5-12600KF compare to the Intel Core i9-10900K in average benchmark score?

A: The i5-12600KF has an average benchmark score of 27827, while the i9-10900K scores 27829, resulting in a deltaPct of 0. Performance is essentially identical in aggregate benchmarks despite the i9-10900K having a higher core count.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between 1080p Ultra and 4K Ultra?

A: At 1080p Ultra, the system averages 149.2 FPS, while at 4K Ultra it averages 77.4 FPS—a difference of 71.8 FPS (48 percent lower at 4K). This reflects the GPU's rendering load increasing with pixel count.

Q: Does the RTX 4090's 24 GB of memory matter for Control?

A: Control does not require 24 GB of VRAM at the tested settings, but the memory capacity and 1.01 TB/s bandwidth ensure the GPU never becomes memory-limited, allowing consistent frame delivery across all resolution and preset combinations tested.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested combinations in Control?

A: The Intel Core i5-12600KF with RTX 4090 ranks 43rd out of 1636 tested combos, placing it in the top 2.6 percent of all CPU-GPU pairings measured in this game.