Control

The Intel Core i7-12700K paired with the AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT delivers a robust experience in Control, with the measured data showing a clear progression of performance across the four settings presets. The High preset offers the most balanced experience across all resolutions, providing a substantial upgrade over Medium while maintaining the highest frame rates that remain comfortably playable at 4K. For users prioritizing maximum smoothness, the Low preset yields the highest average FPS at every resolution, but the visual trade-off is significant. The data indicates that High is the optimal choice for this combination, as it delivers an average of 55.7 FPS at 3840x2160, which is a playable threshold, while the Ultra preset drops to 49.6 FPS at the same resolution, suggesting a point of diminishing returns where the visual gains do not justify the performance cost.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS rows reveal a consistent hierarchy: Low, Medium, High, and Ultra, in that order of performance. At 1920x1080, the High preset achieves 115.6 FPS, which is a strong result, but the jump to Ultra reduces this to 96.2 FPS, a 16.8% decrease. The Medium preset sits at 124.4 FPS, which is only 7.6% faster than High, making High the more sensible choice for the visual fidelity boost. Moving to 2560x1440, the High preset still holds at 84.7 FPS, while Medium drops to 98 FPS and Ultra falls to 72.8 FPS. The gap between High and Ultra widens to 14.1% at this resolution, reinforcing that High is the sweet spot. At 3840x2160, High manages 55.7 FPS, which is the only preset above the 50 FPS mark except for Low, making it the recommended setting for 4K play. The data suggests that Ultra is only viable for users who prioritize image quality over frame rate, as it requires a significant FPS sacrifice at all resolutions, particularly at 4K where it dips to 49.6 FPS.

How This Combo Ranks

In the broader database of tested combinations for Control, this specific pairing of the Intel Core i7-12700K and the AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT ranks 569th out of 1636 total combos. This places it in the upper third of all tested systems, indicating a strong overall performance. The rank reflects the combined capability of both components, and the data shows that the CPU and GPU work well together to produce high frame rates. The CPU itself holds an 89th percentile ranking against all processors, while the GPU sits at the 87th percentile against all graphics cards, suggesting that neither component is a significant bottleneck in this pairing. The combo's performance is further contextualized by the CPU's nearest rivals, where the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845 is 0.3% faster, and the Intel Core i7-13700T is 0.6% slower, indicating that the i7-12700K is well-matched within its performance tier and does not limit the GPU's output in Control.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT is the primary driver of frame rates in Control, as evidenced by the performance scaling across settings. The GPU features 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 512.0 GB/s. This memory configuration is substantial for a game like Control, which can be demanding on video memory at higher resolutions and settings. The GPU's base clock is 1825 MHz, with a boost clock of 2250 MHz and a game clock of 2015 MHz. These clock speeds, combined with 4608 shading units and 128 ROPs, contribute to the measured performance. The data shows a clear relationship between GPU load and frame rate: at 1080p Low, the GPU produces 179.9 FPS, but at 4K Ultra, it falls to 49.6 FPS. This scaling indicates that the GPU is the limiting factor at higher resolutions and settings, as the CPU's 12 cores and 20 threads are likely sufficient to feed the GPU at lower resolutions. The GPU's 20.74 TFLOPS of FP32 compute power is a key indicator of its ability to handle the game's physics and rendering effects, which is reflected in the performance metrics.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the average frame rates across settings are 179.9 FPS (Low), 124.4 FPS (Medium), 115.6 FPS (High), and 96.2 FPS (Ultra). The gap between Low and Medium is significant at 55.5 FPS, while the difference between Medium and High is only 8.8 FPS, and between High and Ultra is 19.4 FPS. This suggests diminishing returns as settings increase. At 2560x1440, the frame rates are 134.4 FPS (Low), 98 FPS (Medium), 84.7 FPS (High), and 72.8 FPS (Ultra). The drop from Low to Medium is 36.4 FPS, while the drop from High to Ultra is 11.9 FPS. The 1440p results show a similar pattern, but the absolute numbers are lower, reflecting the increased pixel count. At 3840x2160, the frame rates are 90.3 FPS (Low), 65.8 FPS (Medium), 55.7 FPS (High), and 49.6 FPS (Ultra). The margin between Low and Ultra is 40.7 FPS, indicating that the GPU is under significant stress at 4K. Notably, the High preset at 4K achieves 55.7 FPS, which is above the 50 FPS threshold that is often considered a minimum for smooth gameplay, while Ultra falls just below it at 49.6 FPS.

Resolution Scaling

The data shows a clear degradation in performance as resolution increases from 1080p to 4K. At the High preset, the average FPS drops from 115.6 at 1920x1080 to 84.7 at 2560x1440, a 26.7% decrease, and then to 55.7 at 3840x2160, a further 34.3% decrease. This scaling pattern is consistent across all settings, with the Low preset dropping from 179.9 FPS at 1080p to 90.3 FPS at 4K, a 49.8% reduction. The magnitude of these drops indicates that the GPU is the primary limiting component, as the pixel count quadruples from 1080p to 4K, requiring approximately four times the GPU processing power. The CPU's performance, as measured by its benchmarks, is robust enough to handle the game's logic at all resolutions, as evidenced by the fact that the FPS drops are proportional to the resolution increase rather than being stunted by a CPU bottleneck. This suggests that for users with a high-refresh-rate 1080p monitor, the combo can push beyond 115 FPS on High settings, but for 4K, users will need to accept either the High preset at 55.7 FPS or the Low preset at 90.3 FPS for a smoother experience.

FAQ

Q: What is the best settings preset for a smooth experience at 4K with this combo?

A: The High preset is the best choice, delivering 55.7 FPS at 3840x2160. The Ultra preset drops to 49.6 FPS, which is below the 50 FPS threshold, while the Medium preset offers 65.8 FPS, but the visual quality is not as high.

Q: How does the combo perform at 1440p with the High preset?

A: At 2560x1440 with High settings, the combo achieves an average of 84.7 FPS. This is a solid result for high-refresh-rate monitors, offering a comfortable margin above 60 FPS.

*Q: Which component is more likely to limit performance in Control?*

A: The data indicates the GPU is the limiting factor, as FPS scales significantly with resolution and settings. The CPU's 89th percentile ranking and strong multi-core scores suggest it can keep up with the GPU's demands.

Q: Is the Ultra preset worth the performance cost at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, Ultra delivers 96.2 FPS, which is 19.4 FPS lower than High's 115.6 FPS. This is a 16.8% performance hit for the highest visual quality, which may be acceptable for users with 144Hz monitors who prioritize image fidelity.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and High settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset achieves 134.4 FPS, while the High preset achieves 84.7 FPS. The difference is 49.7 FPS, representing a 37% reduction in performance when moving from Low to High.

Q: How does this combo's rank compare to its overall position in the database?

A: The combo ranks 569th out of 1636 tested combinations for Control, placing it in the top 34.8% of all tested systems. This is a strong result, indicating the pairing is well-suited for this game.