Control

The Intel Core i7-12700K is a 12-core, 20-thread Alder Lake processor with a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. This desktop chip, built on Intel’s 10 nm process, combines performance and efficiency cores to deliver strong multi-threaded throughput, as evidenced by its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 19,784 and PassMark multi-thread score of 34,404. For a title like Control, an Action Adventure game that leans heavily on physics and particle effects, the CPU’s role is to maintain a stable frame pipeline, ensuring that the GPU is fed with enough draw calls to avoid stutter. The i7-12700K’s 25 MB of shared L3 cache and 20 MB of total L2 cache (1.25 MB per core) help reduce memory latency, which is critical for the game’s real-time ray tracing calculations and complex scene graph updates.

The processor’s single-thread performance is equally notable, with a 3DMark single-thread score of 1,043 and a Geekbench single-core score of 2,308. These numbers indicate that the chip can handle the primary game thread efficiently, which often bottlenecks action titles at high frame rates. However, the data for this specific combination shows that the CPU is rarely the limiting factor; instead, the AMD Radeon RX 6600 takes on that role. The i7-12700K’s 3DMark multi-thread scores scale well from 2,065 (2 threads) to 9,979 (max threads), showing that it has ample headroom for background tasks and future game updates that might use more cores. Given that the CPU’s average benchmark score of 35,287 places it in the 84th percentile of all CPUs, it is a high-end part that can comfortably support the GPU without introducing frame time inconsistencies.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations for Control, this pairing of the Intel Core i7-12700K with the AMD Radeon RX 6600 achieves a combo rank of 2,904 out of 3,720 tested configurations. This places it in the lower-middle tier of all tested combos, which is a direct result of the GPU’s modest performance class rather than a deficiency in the processor. The CPU’s nearest rivals, such as the Intel Core i5-13600T (average score 35,305, delta -0.1%) and the Intel Core i7-12700KF (average score 35,365, delta -0.2%), all perform within a fraction of a percent of each other, confirming that the i7-12700K is not holding back the system in any meaningful way. The delta between the i7-12700K and its closest competitor, the Intel Core i7-13700T, is only -0.3%, which is negligible in real-world gaming scenarios.

The GPU, however, tells a different story. The RX 6600 has an average benchmark score of 19,036, placing it in the 63rd percentile of all GPUs, and its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA Quadro K6000 (delta 0%) and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 Mobile (delta -0.1%). This indicates that the RX 6600 is a mid-range card that is often outclassed by other options in the database. Consequently, the combo’s rank of 2,904 suggests that while the CPU is overqualified for the task, the GPU limits the overall experience. For users looking to improve performance in Control, the data implies that upgrading the graphics card would yield far more significant gains than swapping the processor, as the CPU’s headroom is already substantial relative to the GPU’s output.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of performance degradation as resolution increases, which is characteristic of a GPU-bound system. At 1080p with High settings, the combo delivers an average of 68 FPS, but this drops to 52 FPS at 1440p and further to 35 FPS at 4K. This represents a 23.5% drop from 1080p to 1440p and a 48.5% drop from 1080p to 4K, indicating that the RX 6600’s rendering capabilities are being taxed heavily at higher pixel counts. The scaling is not linear, which suggests that the GPU’s memory bandwidth and shading units are reaching their limits as resolution increases.

The same pattern holds across other settings. At Low settings, the average FPS goes from 108 at 1080p to 82 at 1440p (a 24.1% drop) and then to 55 at 4K (a 49.1% drop from 1080p). This consistent percentage drop across settings confirms that the limiting component is the GPU, not the CPU. If the i7-12700K were the bottleneck, we would expect to see a plateau in FPS at lower resolutions where the CPU’s frame generation limit is reached. Instead, the FPS continues to climb as resolution decreases, indicating that the GPU is always the primary constraint. The data strongly suggests that the CPU is idle most of the time, waiting for the GPU to finish rendering each frame, even at 1080p where the CPU load would be highest.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a detailed look at how this combo performs across all tested resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the combo achieves its best results: an average of 108 FPS on Low settings, 77 FPS on Medium (with a minimum of 65 and maximum of 88 FPS), 68 FPS on High, and 59 FPS on Ultra. The jump from Low to Medium is a 28.7% performance cost, while moving from Medium to High costs another 11.7%, and High to Ultra costs 13.2%. This shows that the RX 6600 has enough headroom at 1080p to handle Medium and High settings comfortably, but Ultra settings push it to the edge of playability.

At 2560x1440, the performance drops noticeably. Low settings yield an average of 82 FPS, Medium drops to 58 FPS (with a minimum of 49 and maximum of 67), High falls to 52 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 45 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p is roughly a 24% reduction across all settings, which is a typical penalty for a 77% increase in pixel count. The Medium preset’s minimum of 49 FPS indicates that there are occasional frame dips, but the overall experience remains smooth enough for most players. High and Ultra settings at this resolution are playable but require a tolerance for sub-60 FPS averages.

At 3840x2160, the combo struggles to maintain playable frame rates. Low settings average 55 FPS, Medium drops to 39 FPS (with a minimum of 33 and maximum of 45), High falls to 35 FPS, and Ultra drops to 30 FPS. The minimum FPS of 33 on Medium suggests that the game can stutter noticeably during intense action sequences. Even at Low settings, the 55 FPS average is borderline, and any demanding scene could push it below 60. The data clearly indicates that 4K is not a viable resolution for this combo unless the user is willing to accept significant compromises in visual fidelity and frame rate stability.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6600 is built on the RDNA 2.0 architecture with the Navi 23 chip, fabricated on TSMC’s 7 nm process. It features 1,792 shading units, 112 texture mapping units, and 64 render output units, along with 28 ray tracing cores. The GPU operates at a base clock of 1626 MHz and a boost clock of 2491 MHz, with a game clock of 2044 MHz. Its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory runs at 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective) across a 128-bit bus, delivering 224.0 GB/s of bandwidth. This memory configuration is a known limitation for higher resolutions, as the relatively narrow bus and modest capacity can lead to texture thrashing and bandwidth saturation in demanding titles like Control.

The GPU’s compute capabilities, measured at 8.928 TFLOPS FP32 and 17.86 TFLOPS FP16, are adequate for 1080p gaming but fall short at higher resolutions. The pixel rate of 159.4 GPixel/s and texture rate of 279.0 GTexel/s explain why the card’s performance degrades so sharply at 4K; the fixed-function units are simply overwhelmed by the pixel count. The RX 6600’s average benchmark score of 19,036 places it in the 63rd percentile, and its nearest rival, the NVIDIA Quadro K6000, matches its score exactly (delta 0%). This indicates that the RX 6600 is a solid mid-range performer but not a high-end part. In Control, which features heavy particle effects and destructible environments, the GPU’s 8 GB VRAM can become a bottleneck at Ultra settings, where texture memory usage spikes. The data shows that the card is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, with 4K being out of reach for smooth frame rates.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal experience for this combo is achieved at 1920x1080 with Medium settings, which yields an average of 77 FPS with a minimum of 65 FPS. This preset provides a good balance between visual quality and performance, ensuring that the game remains fluid during combat sequences without the frame rate drops seen at High or Ultra. The minimum FPS of 65 is comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold, making this the most stable configuration tested.

For players who prioritize visual fidelity, 2560x1440 with Low settings is a viable option, delivering an average of 82 FPS. However, this requires sacrificing most graphical effects, which may not be ideal for a game like Control that relies heavily on atmosphere and lighting. A better compromise is 2560x1440 with Medium settings, which averages 58 FPS and has a minimum of 49 FPS. While this is below 60 FPS, it is still playable for most users, though the occasional dips to 49 FPS might be noticeable during intense moments.

At 4K, the data shows that no settings preset provides a consistently smooth experience. Even 3840x2160 with Low settings only averages 55 FPS, and the minimum FPS is not recorded, suggesting instability. The Medium preset at 4K averages 39 FPS with a minimum of 33 FPS, which is likely to cause noticeable stuttering. Therefore, users should avoid 4K with this combo, as the GPU lacks the raw horsepower to maintain playable frame rates. The best recommendation is to stick with 1080p Medium or 1440p Low, depending on whether the user prefers higher resolution or higher graphical details. The data indicates that this system is a capable 1080p machine that can handle 1440p with reduced settings, but it is not designed for 4K gaming.