Control

The Intel Core i7-12700K paired with the AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT delivers a highly capable Control experience, achieving a combo rank of 586 out of 1636 tested combinations. The data shows this pairing is best suited for high-refresh-rate 1440p gaming, where it comfortably exceeds 85 FPS on High settings, while 4K gaming requires settings compromises to maintain smooth frame rates. The system’s performance is largely GPU-bound at higher resolutions, but the 12-core CPU provides ample headroom to prevent bottlenecks at lower resolutions.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Control?

A: The data indicates 2560x1440 is the sweet spot, with the High preset delivering 85.8 FPS and the Low preset reaching 132.2 FPS, offering a balance between visual fidelity and smooth gameplay.

Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming in Control?

A: Yes, but with limitations. At 3840x2160, the Ultra preset drops to 49.2 FPS, while the High preset achieves 58 FPS. To get above 60 FPS at 4K, you must use the Low preset, which reaches 88.1 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Core i7-12700K has an average benchmark score of 35684, which is virtually identical to the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845 (35802, -0.3% delta) and the Intel Core i7-13700T (35468, +0.6% delta). It trails the Intel Core i5-14500HX by 0.7%.

Q: What is the GPU's performance percentile relative to all GPUs?

A: The Radeon RX 7800 XT sits in the 76th percentile against all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 32619. Its closest rival, the AMD FirePro S9300 X2, scores 32540, a 0.2% difference.

Q: How much FPS difference is there between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the gap is significant. The Low preset runs at 170.9 FPS, while the Ultra preset drops to 95.1 FPS, a difference of 75.8 FPS, indicating the GPU is the primary scaling factor for settings changes.

Q: Does the CPU bottleneck the GPU in this game?

A: The evidence suggests not. While the CPU has a strong 3DMark 16-thread score of 9276, the FPS scaling between resolutions (e.g., 170.9 FPS at 1080p Low vs. 88.1 FPS at 4K Low) points to the GPU as the limiting component, especially at higher resolutions.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT is the dominant performance driver in this pairing, and its 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus with 624.1 GB/s bandwidth provides ample headroom for Control’s demanding textures and effects. The GPU’s boost clock of 2430 MHz and game clock of 2124 MHz are the key variables that scale with settings changes. The data shows a clear pattern: reducing settings from Ultra to Low at any resolution yields a substantial FPS increase, confirming the GPU’s workload is the primary bottleneck.

At 1080p, the GPU’s raw throughput is evident. The Low preset achieves 170.9 FPS, while the Ultra preset drops to 95.1 FPS, a 79.7% performance swing driven entirely by GPU load. This indicates that the RX 7800 XT has enough compute power to push high frame rates when the visual load is reduced. However, at 4K, the GPU struggles to maintain playable framerates on higher presets, with the Ultra preset falling to 49.2 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold many players target.

The GPU’s 37.32 TFLOPS FP32 performance and 583.2 GTexel/s texture rate are reflected in the benchmark results. The 4K High preset’s 58 FPS shows the card is at its limits with high-quality effects, while the 4K Medium preset’s 64 FPS offers a marginal improvement. This pattern suggests that for 4K gaming, the GPU’s memory bandwidth and shading units are the limiting factors, and users must accept lower settings to achieve smooth performance. In contrast, at 1440p, the GPU has sufficient headroom to provide a consistently smooth experience across all presets, with the High preset at 85.8 FPS being a particularly strong result.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-12700K, with its 12 cores and 20 threads, provides a robust foundation for Control, but benchmark results indicate it is rarely the limiting factor in this configuration. The CPU’s base clock of 3.60 GHz and boost clock of 5.00 GHz, combined with a 25 MB shared L3 cache, ensure that it can feed the GPU without creating a bottleneck. The 3DMark 8-thread score of 7202 and max-thread score of 9979 show strong multi-threaded capability, which is relevant for a game that can utilize multiple cores for physics and AI.

The evidence for CPU headroom is most apparent at lower resolutions. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 170.9 FPS, which is well above the 144 Hz refresh rate common on gaming monitors. If the CPU were a bottleneck, we would expect the frame rate to plateau at a lower value regardless of GPU load. Instead, the FPS scales consistently with resolution changes, indicating the GPU is the primary constraint. For instance, dropping from 1080p to 1440p Low reduces FPS from 170.9 to 132.2, a 29.3% decrease, which aligns with the increased pixel count rather than a CPU limitation.

The CPU’s single-thread performance, as measured by a 3DMark single-thread score of 1043 and Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4128, is also sufficient for Control’s game logic. The 89th percentile ranking against all CPUs further confirms that this processor is well above average. The nearest rivals, such as the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845 with a delta of -0.3%, show that the 12700K is competitively positioned, but none of these differences translate into meaningful FPS variations in this game. The data suggests that the CPU’s role is to provide consistent, stable frame pacing rather than to push maximum FPS.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo ranks 586th out of 1636 tested combinations in Control, placing it in the upper-middle tier of all systems tested. This ranking reflects the balanced nature of the pairing: the RX 7800 XT’s 76th percentile GPU performance is slightly tempered by the CPU’s 89th percentile ranking, resulting in a system that performs well but is not at the absolute top of the charts.

The GPU’s nearest rivals, such as the NVIDIA P104-100 with a delta of -0.4%, have nearly identical average benchmark scores (32747 vs. 32619), yet the RX 7800 XT’s 16 GB VRAM and modern architecture provide a distinct advantage in a game like Control that can utilize large textures. The CPU’s rivals, including the Intel Core i7-13800H with a delta of +0.8% (score 35416 vs. 35684), show that the 12700K is not the fastest processor available, but its performance is within 1% of its closest competitors.

This ranking suggests that users with this combo should not expect top-tier performance in Control’s most demanding scenarios, such as 4K Ultra, where the combo falls to 49.2 FPS. However, for the majority of gaming scenarios, particularly at 1440p and 1080p, the combo provides a very strong experience that outperforms the majority of the 1636 tested systems. The gap between the combo’s rank and the top performers is likely due to systems with more powerful GPUs, such as those with higher VRAM or faster memory bandwidth, which can handle 4K Ultra settings more effectively.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling across resolutions reveals a classic GPU-bound pattern. At Low settings, the frame rate drops from 170.9 FPS at 1080p to 132.2 FPS at 1440p, and then to 88.1 FPS at 4K. This represents a 22.6% drop from 1080p to 1440p and a 33.4% drop from 1440p to 4K. The consistent scaling suggests that the GPU’s pixel throughput is the primary limiter, as the CPU does not show signs of becoming a bottleneck at higher resolutions.

At High settings, the pattern is similar but with a steeper drop at 4K. The FPS goes from 107.9 (1080p) to 85.8 (1440p), a 20.5% reduction, and then to 58 (4K), a 32.4% reduction. The 4K High result of 58 FPS is particularly telling, as it falls just below the 60 FPS target, indicating that the GPU is near its limits with high-quality settings at this resolution.

The Ultra preset shows the most significant scaling challenges. At 1080p, it achieves 95.1 FPS, but this drops to 72.3 FPS at 1440p (a 24% reduction) and then to 49.2 FPS at 4K (a 32% reduction). This data suggests that the RX 7800 XT’s 16 GB VRAM is not the primary issue, but rather its raw compute power and memory bandwidth are insufficient to maintain high frame rates at 4K with maximum settings. The resolution scaling analysis clearly indicates that for 4K gaming, users must drop to Medium or Low settings to achieve playable frame rates, while 1440p provides the best balance of visual quality and performance.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its highest frame rates. The Low preset runs at 170.9 FPS, Medium at 124.9 FPS, High at 107.9 FPS, and Ultra at 95.1 FPS. These results show that the GPU has significant headroom at this resolution, with even the Ultra preset providing a smooth experience well above 60 FPS.

At 2560x1440, performance remains strong but shows the GPU working harder. The Low preset achieves 132.2 FPS, Medium at 91.9 FPS, High at 85.8 FPS, and Ultra at 72.3 FPS. The drop from Low to Medium is 30.5%, indicating that the GPU’s shading units are heavily taxed by the increased pixel count and visual effects.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is clearly the limiting factor. The Low preset runs at 88.1 FPS, Medium at 64 FPS, High at 58 FPS, and Ultra at 49.2 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium at 4K is 27.4%, and the High preset’s 58 FPS shows that the combo cannot maintain a stable 60 FPS experience with high-quality settings. The Ultra preset’s 49.2 FPS is below the 50 FPS mark, making it unsuitable for smooth gameplay.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and refresh rate. For 1080p gaming, the Ultra preset at 95.1 FPS is the best choice, as it provides the highest visual fidelity while maintaining a frame rate well above 60 FPS. The High preset at 107.9 FPS is also viable for users with 120Hz or 144Hz displays, offering a slight performance boost with minimal visual compromise.

For 1440p gaming, the High preset at 85.8 FPS is the recommended choice, as it balances visual quality with a frame rate that is smooth on most monitors. The Medium preset at 91.9 FPS offers a small performance gain, but the visual difference may be noticeable. The Ultra preset at 72.3 FPS is also playable, but the data suggests that the High preset provides a better overall experience.

For 4K gaming, the Medium preset at 64 FPS is the best option for achieving a playable frame rate while maintaining decent visual quality. The High preset at 58 FPS is slightly below 60 FPS, which may cause occasional stuttering on some displays. The Low preset at 88.1 FPS is the only option that provides a consistently smooth experience at 4K, but it sacrifices significant visual fidelity. The Ultra preset at 49.2 FPS is not recommended for 4K, as the frame rate is too low for a smooth experience. In summary, the data supports the following: 1080p Ultra, 1440p High, and 4K Medium as the best settings presets for this combo.