Control

Control is a 2019 action-adventure title that stresses both the CPU and GPU heavily, and the data for the Intel Core i7-12700K paired with the AMD Radeon RX 7700 reveals a system that is well-balanced but leans on the graphics card at higher resolutions. The benchmark results show a clear scaling pattern where frame rates drop predictably as resolution increases, but the magnitude of that drop tells a specific story about where the bottleneck lies. This analysis examines the measured FPS data, the role of the processor's core configuration, and the GPU's memory and clock characteristics to determine how this combination handles the game's demands.

Resolution Scaling

The measured frame rates across the three tested resolutions demonstrate a classic GPU-bound scenario, particularly at higher settings. At 1080p with Low settings, the system achieves 148 FPS, which drops to 112 FPS at 1440p and further to 76 FPS at 4K. This represents a 24% reduction when moving from 1080p to 1440p, and a 49% reduction from 1080p to 4K. These are substantial drops that indicate the Radeon RX 7700 is being pushed harder as pixel count increases, with the CPU still having headroom to feed the GPU.

The scaling pattern becomes more pronounced at Ultra settings. The system delivers 81 FPS at 1080p, 61 FPS at 1440p, and 41 FPS at 4K. The percentage drop from 1080p to 1440p is 25%, and from 1080p to 4K it is 49%. Interestingly, the relative scaling is nearly identical between Low and Ultra settings, which suggests that the GPU is the limiting factor even at lower presets. If the CPU were the primary constraint, we would expect the 1080p Low result to be much higher relative to 4K Low, since lower resolution puts less load on the graphics card.

Looking at the Medium settings, which have the only complete min/max data, the frame time consistency degrades with resolution. At 1080p Medium, the average is 105 FPS with a minimum of 89 FPS and a maximum of 121 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the average drops to 80 FPS with a minimum of 68 FPS and maximum of 92 FPS. At 4K Medium, the average falls to 54 FPS with a minimum of 46 FPS and maximum of 62 FPS. The gap between minimum and maximum remains fairly consistent across resolutions, indicating that the frame pacing does not become erratic as the GPU load increases, but the overall performance ceiling drops significantly.

The data suggests that 4K is the point where this combination struggles to maintain smooth gameplay, particularly at Ultra settings where the average dips to 41 FPS. The 1440p results are more manageable, with even Ultra hitting 61 FPS. At 1080p, the system is clearly capable of high refresh rate gaming, as even Ultra settings produce 81 FPS. The resolution scaling reveals that the RX 7700's 16 GB of GDDR6 memory and 256-bit bus provide enough bandwidth to avoid catastrophic drops, but the raw compute power of the Navi 32 chip is the limiting factor at 4K.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides clear guidance on which preset offers the best balance between visual quality and frame rate for this hardware combination. At 1080p, High settings deliver 93 FPS, which is a 15% improvement over Ultra's 81 FPS while still offering a substantial visual upgrade over Medium's 105 FPS. The jump from High to Ultra costs 12 FPS, which represents a 13% performance penalty for the highest preset. Given that 93 FPS is already well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay, High settings at 1080p are the sweet spot for players who want good visuals without sacrificing responsiveness.

For 1440p, the recommendation shifts to Medium settings, which produce 80 FPS. High settings at this resolution drop to 71 FPS, which is still playable but leaves less headroom for demanding scenes. Ultra settings at 1440p fall to 61 FPS, which is right at the edge of the playable threshold. The data shows that Medium at 1440p offers a 12% improvement over High and a 24% improvement over Ultra, making it the most sensible choice for maintaining a stable frame rate while keeping decent visual fidelity. The min/max data for Medium at 1440p shows 68-92 FPS, which indicates that even in heavier moments, the frame rate stays above 60 FPS.

At 4K, the choices become more constrained. Medium settings produce 54 FPS, which is below the ideal 60 FPS target but playable for a slower-paced action-adventure game. High settings drop to 48 FPS, and Ultra falls to 41 FPS. Low settings at 4K achieve 76 FPS, which is the only preset that comfortably exceeds 60 FPS. For 4K gaming, the data suggests that Low settings are the only way to maintain a smooth experience, or players should accept Medium settings with the understanding that frame rates will dip into the 40s during intense scenes. The 4K Medium result of 54 FPS with a minimum of 46 FPS shows that the system can hold above 45 FPS, but the experience will not be as fluid as at lower resolutions.

The overall pattern across all resolutions indicates that the RX 7700 and i7-12700K combination performs best when settings are turned down one notch from the maximum. The difference between High and Ultra is consistently around 13-15% regardless of resolution, which suggests that Ultra's additional visual effects come at a steep cost. Players seeking the best experience should prioritize High settings at 1080p, Medium at 1440p, and Low at 4K, based on the measured frame rates.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7700 plays a decisive role in Control's performance, as evidenced by the resolution scaling analysis. The GPU features a Navi 32 chip built on TSMC's 5 nm process with 28,100 million transistors. Its 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus provides 624.1 GB/s of bandwidth, which is more than sufficient for the game's texture-heavy environments. The memory clock runs at 2438 MHz with an effective data rate of 19.5 Gbps, and the GPU's base clock is 1900 MHz with a boost clock of 2459 MHz and a game clock of 2041 MHz.

The GPU's compute resources include 2560 shading units, 160 texture mapping units, and 96 raster operation units. It also has 40 ray tracing cores, which are relevant for Control's implementation of real-time ray tracing, though the measured data does not isolate DXR performance. The pixel rate is 236.1 GPixel/s and the texture rate is 393.4 GTexel/s, with FP32 performance rated at 25.18 TFLOPS. These specifications translate to strong rasterization performance, but the 4K results suggest that the GPU is reaching its limits when pixel count increases.

The RX 7700's benchmark scores place it in the 58th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 15852. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon R9 370X, which scores 15862 (a 0.1% difference), and the AMD Radeon RX 9060, which scores 16014 (a 1% difference). The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti scores 16129, which is 1.7% higher. These close margins indicate that the RX 7700 sits in a competitive mid-range tier, and Control's frame rates reflect this positioning—capable at 1080p and 1440p, but not a 4K powerhouse.

The VRAM allocation is particularly relevant for Control, as the game features detailed textures that can consume significant memory. With 16 GB available, the GPU never faces memory capacity issues, even at 4K Ultra settings. The bandwidth of 624.1 GB/s ensures that texture streaming does not cause hitches, which is supported by the consistent min/max frame data at Medium settings. The boost clock of 2459 MHz allows the GPU to maintain high utilization during demanding scenes, but the 4K results show that the architecture's raw throughput is the limiting factor rather than memory bandwidth.

FAQ

Q: What is the average frame rate at 1440p High settings?

A: The measured average FPS at 2560x1440 with High settings is 71 FPS, which provides a playable experience for Control's action-adventure gameplay.

Q: How does the RX 7700 compare to its nearest rival in terms of overall benchmark score?

A: The RX 7700 has an average benchmark score of 15852, while its closest rival, the AMD Radeon R9 370X, scores 15862, representing a 0.1% difference. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti scores 16129, which is 1.7% higher.

Q: What is the best preset for 4K gaming with this hardware?

A: Based on the measured data, Low settings at 3840x2160 produce 76 FPS, which is the only 4K preset that comfortably exceeds 60 FPS. Medium settings at 4K achieve 54 FPS with a minimum of 46 FPS.

Q: Does the i7-12700K bottleneck the RX 7700 in Control?

A: The resolution scaling data suggests the GPU is the primary bottleneck. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 148 FPS, and the frame rate drops by 49% when moving to 4K Low, indicating the CPU is not limiting performance at lower resolutions.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded at 1080p Medium settings?

A: The minimum FPS at 1920x1080 with Medium settings is 89 FPS, with a maximum of 121 FPS and an average of 105 FPS.

Q: How much VRAM does the RX 7700 have and what is its memory bandwidth?

A: The GPU has 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 624.1 GB/s of bandwidth. The memory clock is 2438 MHz with an effective data rate of 19.5 Gbps.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-12700K provides the processing foundation for this system, and its characteristics are well-suited to Control's demands. The CPU features 12 cores and 20 threads, with a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. It is built on Intel's Alder Lake architecture using a 10 nm process, with a die size of 215 mm². The cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 1.25 MB of L2 per core, and 25 MB of shared L3 cache, which provides ample capacity for game data.

The CPU's benchmark results show strong multi-threaded performance. In Cinebench R23, it scores 19784 in multi-core and 1850.5 in single-core. The Geekbench scores are 15790 multi-core and 2308 single-core. These results place the i7-12700K in the 84th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 35287. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i5-13600T, which scores 35305 (a 0.1% difference), and the Intel Core i7-12700KF, which scores 35365 (a 0.2% difference). The performance margins are extremely tight, indicating that the i7-12700K is well-matched against its peers.

For Control specifically, the CPU's role is to handle game logic, physics, and AI, while the GPU manages rendering. The measured frame rates at 1080p show that the CPU is not a limiting factor, as the system achieves 148 FPS at Low settings. Even at Ultra settings, the 1080p result of 81 FPS suggests the CPU can feed the GPU adequately. The 3DMark scores reinforce this: the 16-thread test scores 9276, while the max-thread score is 9979, indicating strong scalability across the core count.

The boost clock of 5.00 GHz is particularly valuable for Control, which can exhibit single-threaded bottlenecks in certain scenarios. The single-thread benchmark scores are solid, with 3DMark single-thread scoring 1043 and Cinebench R23 single-core scoring 1850.5. The PassMark single-thread score is 4013. These figures indicate that the i7-12700K can handle the game's main thread without causing frame drops, which is corroborated by the consistent frame rates across different resolutions.

The CPU's memory support for DDR4 and DDR5 with a dual-channel bus means it can feed the GPU with data efficiently, though the measured data does not specify which memory type was used. The 25 MB of shared L3 cache helps reduce memory latency for frequently accessed game data, which is beneficial for maintaining consistent frame times. The CPU's 125 W TDP and 20 PCIe Gen 4 lanes provide sufficient bandwidth for the GPU to communicate with the rest of the system.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete measured FPS data for Control with the Intel Core i7-12700K and AMD Radeon RX 7700 is presented below, organized by resolution and settings preset.

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its highest frame rates. Low settings produce an average of 148 FPS. Medium settings yield 105 FPS on average, with a minimum of 89 FPS and a maximum of 121 FPS. High settings achieve 93 FPS, and Ultra settings drop to 81 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra represents a 45% reduction in frame rate, showing the significant cost of higher visual quality.

At 2560x1440, the performance decreases proportionally. Low settings average 112 FPS. Medium settings produce 80 FPS, with a minimum of 68 FPS and a maximum of 92 FPS. High settings average 71 FPS, and Ultra settings drop to 61 FPS. The transition from 1080p to 1440p at each setting level shows a consistent 24-25% reduction in average FPS, confirming the GPU-bound nature of the workload.

At 3840x2160, the system reaches its limits. Low settings average 76 FPS. Medium settings produce 54 FPS, with a minimum of 46 FPS and a maximum of 62 FPS. High settings average 48 FPS, and Ultra settings drop to 41 FPS. The 4K results show that only Low settings maintain frame rates above 60 FPS, while Medium settings hover near playable levels with dips into the 40s.

The Medium settings preset is the only one with complete min/max data across all resolutions, providing insight into frame time consistency. At 1080p, the range is 89-121 FPS, at 1440p it narrows to 68-92 FPS, and at 4K it narrows further to 46-62 FPS. The absolute spread remains similar at around 30 FPS for 1080p and 24 FPS for 1440p and 4K, indicating that the game maintains stable performance without severe stutters, even as the average frame rate declines.

This data shows that the i7-12700K and RX 7700 combination is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, where it can deliver smooth frame rates across all settings. At 4K, the system requires significant compromises in visual quality to maintain playable performance, with Low settings being the only preset that consistently exceeds 60 FPS. The measured results provide a clear picture of what players can expect from this hardware pairing in Control.