Control

Control with the Intel Core i5-12600KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 delivers a robust experience, with the data showing a clear progression of performance that scales predictably with resolution and settings. The measured frame rates indicate that this pairing is capable of high refresh rate gaming at 1440p and remains playable at 4K, though the demands of higher resolutions begin to expose the GPU as the primary bottleneck. This analysis breaks down the performance metrics across the tested configurations, examining the specific roles of the processor and graphics card in shaping the final results.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent across all settings presets, revealing a classic GPU-bound scenario at higher resolutions. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 130 FPS at 1920x1080 to 98 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of 32 FPS, and then further down to 66 FPS at 3840x2160. This trajectory shows that while the RTX 5070 handles 1080p and 1440p with significant headroom, the transition to 4K imposes a heavy load that cuts performance nearly in half compared to the 1080p result.

The scaling pattern is similar across other presets, though the absolute numbers shift. With Low settings, the average FPS drops from 206 at 1080p to 156 at 1440p and finally to 105 at 4K. This represents a 49% reduction from 1080p to 4K, indicating that even when the graphical load is minimized, the sheer pixel count at 4K remains a formidable challenge for the hardware. The Medium preset shows a comparable trend, moving from 146 FPS at 1080p to 111 FPS at 1440p and 75 FPS at 4K.

The most demanding configuration, Ultra settings, yields 113 FPS at 1080p, which drops to 85 FPS at 1440p and 58 FPS at 4K. The data suggests that the limiting component at 4K is unequivocally the GPU, as the frame rate scales almost linearly with the pixel count increase. The gap between 1440p and 4K is particularly wide, with an average loss of about 30% performance across all presets when moving up in resolution. This indicates that players targeting 4K will need to accept lower settings or rely on upscaling technologies, as the raw compute power of the RTX 5070 is stretched thin at that resolution.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12600KF provides a solid foundation for this game, with its 10 cores and 16 threads ensuring that the processor does not become a limiting factor in most scenarios. The CPU's boost clock of 4.90 GHz and base clock of 3.70 GHz offer strong single-thread performance, which is often critical for game logic and frame pacing. Benchmark data supports this, with a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3302 and a multi-core score of 23391, placing it in the 79th percentile among all CPUs.

The processor's performance relative to its nearest rivals is tightly clustered, with the data showing a delta of only -0.3% compared to the Intel Core i9-10900K and AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D, and a +0.3% delta against the AMD Ryzen 5 8500GE. This indicates that the i5-12600KF is competitive with much more expensive parts in synthetic benchmarks, and in a game like Control, this translates to consistent frame delivery without CPU-induced stutters. The L3 cache of 20 MB shared across the cores helps with data access patterns, and the DDR4/DDR5 memory support provides flexibility, though the specific memory configuration is not detailed in the measured results.

In the context of this game's measured FPS, the CPU's role is most apparent at 1080p with Low settings, where the frame rate reaches 206 FPS. At this point, the GPU is not fully saturated, and the CPU's ability to process draw calls and game logic becomes more relevant. The fact that the frame rate scales down progressively as resolution increases suggests that the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU adequately at all tested settings, as the performance drop is consistent with GPU-bound behavior rather than CPU limitations.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the Medium preset offers the best balance of visual fidelity and performance for most users. At 2560x1440, Medium delivers an average of 111 FPS with a minimum of 94 FPS and a maximum of 127 FPS, ensuring smooth gameplay without dipping below the 90 FPS threshold that many players consider the minimum for a responsive experience. The jump from Medium to High at this resolution costs 13 FPS on average, bringing the total down to 98 FPS, which is still playable but leaves less headroom for demanding scenes.

At 1920x1080, Medium provides an average of 146 FPS, which is more than sufficient for high refresh rate monitors, and the minimum of 124 FPS ensures that even the busiest sequences remain fluid. For players with 4K displays, Medium is the highest playable preset, yielding 75 FPS on average, with a minimum of 63 FPS that occasionally dips near the 60 FPS threshold. High settings at 4K drop to 66 FPS on average, and while this is technically playable, the lack of minimum frame data suggests potential inconsistency.

The Ultra preset, while visually impressive, is only recommended for 1080p gaming, where it achieves 113 FPS on average. At 1440p, Ultra drops to 85 FPS, which is acceptable for slower-paced action but may feel less responsive in combat-heavy moments. The data clearly shows that the Low preset is unnecessary for this combination, as even Ultra at 4K stays above 58 FPS, meaning players can always opt for higher visual quality without sacrificing playability.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-12600KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 ranks 780th out of 3720 tested combos in Control, placing it in the top 21% of all configurations. This is a strong showing, indicating that this pairing outperforms the vast majority of systems tested in this game. The ranking reflects the balanced nature of the components, where the CPU does not bottleneck the GPU, and the GPU provides sufficient horsepower for the game's demands.

This percentile position is particularly notable given the age of the game, as Control was released in 2019 and is not known for being exceptionally demanding on modern hardware. The fact that this combo ranks in the 79th percentile for the CPU and 82nd percentile for the GPU individually, yet achieves a top 21% ranking in this specific game, suggests that the combination is well-matched for Control's engine. The rank indicates that only 21% of tested combos deliver higher average frame rates across the tested resolutions and settings, which reflects the efficiency of this pairing.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 is the dominant component in this pairing, and its specifications explain the measured performance levels. With 12 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 192-bit bus, the GPU offers 672.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is ample for the textures and effects in Control. The boost clock of 2512 MHz and base clock of 2325 MHz drive the 6144 shading units, resulting in an FP32 compute throughput of 30.87 TFLOPS that handles the game's physics and rendering effects.

The GPU's memory configuration is sufficient for all tested settings, with no indication that VRAM capacity becomes a limiting factor. The 12 GB capacity is more than adequate for Control at 4K, even with High settings, as the game's texture sizes are manageable by modern standards. The GPU's percentile ranking of 82 among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 40377, places it well above the median, and its nearest rivals in synthetic tests are all AMD professional cards, indicating its consumer-focused performance profile.

In the measured results, the GPU's role is most evident in the scaling from 1080p to 4K. The frame rate drops by approximately 50% at each resolution step, which is consistent with a GPU that is being pushed to its limits at higher pixel counts. The RTX 5070's 80 ROPs and 192 TMUs provide solid fill rates, but the 192-bit memory bus is the likely constraint at 4K, as bandwidth demands increase significantly with resolution. Despite this, the GPU manages to keep the game playable at 4K Medium settings, which is a respectable achievement for a card in this class.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the RTX 5070 delivers exceptional performance across all settings. Low settings produce an average of 206 FPS, providing an extremely fluid experience for competitive play. Medium settings reduce this to 146 FPS, with a minimum of 124 FPS and a maximum of 168 FPS, ensuring consistent frame times. High settings yield 130 FPS on average, while Ultra settings still manage 113 FPS, making 1080p a resolution where the GPU is never stressed.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance remains strong but begins to show the GPU's limits. Low settings achieve 156 FPS on average, which is still excellent for high refresh rate monitors. Medium settings drop to 111 FPS, with a minimum of 94 FPS and a maximum of 127 FPS, representing a good balance for most players. High settings provide 98 FPS, which is playable but requires some compromises in demanding scenes. Ultra settings fall to 85 FPS, which is acceptable for slower moments but may feel less responsive in action sequences.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is clearly the limiting factor. Low settings deliver 105 FPS on average, which is surprising given the resolution, but the reduced graphical load allows the GPU to keep up. Medium settings produce 75 FPS, with a minimum of 63 FPS and a maximum of 86 FPS, making it the highest preset that consistently stays above 60 FPS. High settings drop to 66 FPS on average, which is borderline playable but may experience dips in heavy scenes. Ultra settings bottom out at 58 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target and not recommended for a smooth experience. The data shows that for 4K gaming, players should stick to Medium settings to maintain a stable frame rate, while 1440p and 1080p offer much more flexibility in preset selection.