Control

The Intel Core i7-12700K paired with the Intel Arc B370 produces a severely GPU-bound experience in Control, with performance collapsing from playable 1080p levels to a slideshow at 4K. The data shows the Arc B370 is the definitive bottleneck across all measured settings, as the CPU’s substantial resources remain largely untapped while frame rates plummet by more than 50% when scaling resolution. This combination ranks 2657th out of 2888 tested combos, placing it in the bottom 8% of all hardware pairings for this title, a verdict driven almost entirely by the integrated graphics solution’s limited throughput.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a stark and predictable degradation curve as resolution increases, confirming that the Intel Arc B370 is the sole limiting factor in this configuration. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves 59 FPS, but this drops to 45 FPS at 1440p and further to 30 FPS at 4K. This represents a 24% performance loss from 1080p to 1440p, and a 49% loss from 1080p to 4K. The pattern is consistent across all settings presets, indicating that the GPU’s pixel throughput, not the CPU’s processing power, defines the ceiling.

Under Medium settings, the scaling is equally punishing: 42 FPS at 1080p, 32 FPS at 1440p, and 21 FPS at 4K. The 1440p result is 76% of the 1080p figure, while the 4K result drops to exactly half of the 1080p score. This linear degradation is characteristic of a GPU that is saturated even at lower resolutions, with the increased pixel count at higher resolutions directly translating into proportional frame rate losses. The High preset follows suit with 37 FPS at 1080p, 28 FPS at 1440p, and 19 FPS at 4K, showing a 49% reduction from the lowest to highest resolution.

The most extreme case appears at Ultra settings, where the combo manages 32 FPS at 1080p, 25 FPS at 1440p, and 17 FPS at 4K. Here, the 4K result is just 53% of the 1080p result, and all three resolutions fall below the 30 FPS threshold that most players would consider minimum viable performance. The fact that even 1080p Ultra cannot reach 33 FPS demonstrates that the GPU is overwhelmed by the game’s highest quality settings regardless of resolution, while the CPU idles with capacity to spare.

What this scaling pattern says about the limiting component is unambiguous: the CPU is not the constraint. If the processor were the bottleneck, we would expect to see frame rates that remain relatively flat across resolutions, as the GPU would have headroom to render more pixels. Instead, the data shows the opposite — a steep decline that tracks almost perfectly with the pixel count increase from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. The Arc B370, with its 1280 shading units and 20 ROPs, simply cannot sustain output beyond a modest level, and every additional pixel comes at a direct cost to frame rate.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-12700K is a 12-core, 20-thread processor based on the Alder Lake architecture, running at a 3.60 GHz base clock and boosting to 5.00 GHz. Its benchmark scores are robust, including a Cinebench R23 multicore result of 19784 and a Geekbench single-core score of 2308, placing it in the 84th percentile of all CPUs. In synthetic tests, it trades blows with the Intel Core i5-13600T (average score 35305, delta -0.1%) and the Intel Core i7-12700KF (average score 35365, delta -0.2%), with all nearest rivals within 0.4% of its average benchmark score of 35287.

However, in Control, this CPU horsepower is almost entirely irrelevant. The measured frame rates at any resolution or settings preset are far below what the i7-12700K is capable of feeding, as evidenced by the fact that even the best case scenario (1080p Low at 59 FPS) is not a demanding workload for a processor that scores 9979 in 3DMark max threads and 34404 in Passmark multithread. The game’s engine, which relies on DirectX 12 Ultimate features, is not stressing the 20 threads, and the 25 MB of shared L3 cache provides ample bandwidth for game logic and draw calls.

The GPU’s specifications tell the real story. The Arc B370 is an integrated graphics solution with a 25 W TDP, 1280 shading units, 40 TMUs, and 20 ROPs, with a boost clock of 2400 MHz. Its FP32 throughput is 6.144 TFLOPS, which is modest by discrete GPU standards but particularly constrained in an IGP form factor that shares system memory. The GPU’s 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1184 places it in the 5th percentile of all GPUs, and its nearest rivals are legacy parts like the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 (score 1186, delta -0.2%) and the ATI Radeon HD 5770 (score 1190, delta -0.5%). This positions the Arc B370 far below any modern discrete solution, and it is this fundamental throughput limitation that dictates the combo’s performance in Control.

The CPU’s role, therefore, is to ensure that it never becomes the bottleneck, which it successfully does. Even at 4K Ultra with 17 FPS, the processor is likely waiting on the GPU for the majority of each frame. The i7-12700K’s single-thread performance, as measured by its 1850.5 Cinebench R23 single-core score, is more than sufficient for the game’s main thread, and its multicore capabilities handle background tasks without interfering with frame pacing. In short, the CPU is a non-factor in this pairing; upgrading or downgrading it would yield no measurable difference in Control performance, as the data clearly shows the GPU is the sole arbiter of frame rates.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best resolution to play Control with this combo?*

A: The data shows 1920x1080 is the only resolution where playable frame rates are achievable. At 1080p Low, the combo reaches 59 FPS, and Medium yields 42 FPS. At 1440p, all settings fall between 25 and 45 FPS, with most presets below 32 FPS, while 4K drops to 17-30 FPS, making it unsuitable for smooth gameplay.

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

A: The Intel Core i7-12700K has an average benchmark score of 35287, which is within 0.4% of its closest competitors. The Intel Core i5-13600T scores 35305 (-0.1%), the Intel Core i7-12700KF scores 35365 (-0.2%), and the Intel Core i7-13700T scores 35403 (-0.3%). These differences are negligible in real-world gaming.

Q: Why does the frame rate drop so much when going from 1080p to 4K?

A: The GPU is the limiting factor. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 59 FPS, but this falls to 30 FPS at 4K Low, a 49% reduction. The Intel Arc B370’s 20 ROPs and system-shared memory cannot handle the fourfold increase in pixel count, so frame rates scale inversely with resolution.

Q: Is the Ultra preset ever worth using with this hardware?

A: No. At 1080p Ultra, the combo produces 32 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target. At 1440p Ultra, it drops to 25 FPS, and at 4K Ultra, it falls to 17 FPS. The data indicates that Ultra settings are only viable if the user accepts sub-30 FPS performance at all resolutions.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested hardware combinations?

A: The combo ranks 2657th out of 2888 tested combinations for Control, placing it in the bottom 8% of all pairings. This low ranking is consistent with the GPU’s 5th percentile performance score and reflects the integrated graphics’ inability to handle modern game engines at acceptable quality levels.

Q: What does the minimum FPS data tell us about frame pacing?

A: The only settings with min/max data are Medium presets. At 1080p Medium, the combo ranges from 36 to 48 FPS (average 42), at 1440p Medium from 27 to 37 FPS (average 32), and at 4K Medium from 18 to 25 FPS (average 21). These ranges indicate relatively stable frame pacing, but the averages are too low for smooth gameplay.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the only viable configuration for this combo is 1080p with Low settings, which delivers 59 FPS. This is the only preset that approaches the 60 FPS target, and it does so with a 17 FPS margin over the next best option. At 1080p Medium, the average drops to 42 FPS, which may be acceptable for some users but represents a 29% performance loss for marginal visual gains. The data suggests that the visual quality improvement from Low to Medium is not worth the significant frame rate sacrifice, given that both are below the ideal 60 FPS threshold.

At higher resolutions, no settings preset produces a satisfactory experience. The best 1440p result is 45 FPS at Low, which is playable but not smooth, while 1440p Medium and High yield 32 and 28 FPS respectively. At 4K, even Low settings only reach 30 FPS, and every other preset falls below 21 FPS. For users who must play at 1440p, Low is the only recommendation, but it comes with a 24% performance penalty compared to the same settings at 1080p. At 4K, the data indicates that no preset is worth using, as the frame rates are too low for action gameplay.

The Ultra preset is categorically not recommended at any resolution. It produces 32 FPS at 1080p, 25 FPS at 1440p, and 17 FPS at 4K, all of which fall below the minimum threshold for responsive gameplay. The High preset offers no meaningful advantage over Medium, with only 5 FPS separating them at 1080p (37 vs 42) and 4 FPS at 1440p (28 vs 32). Therefore, the optimal strategy is to prioritize resolution over settings: play at 1080p with Low or Medium, and only consider 1440p Low if the user prefers higher resolution over frame rate stability. The measured data strongly favors 1080p Low as the best balance of performance and playability.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo’s rank of 2657 out of 2888 tested combinations places it in the 8th percentile, meaning 92% of all tested hardware pairings perform better in Control. This is a poor result, but it is entirely predictable given the GPU’s performance tier. The Intel Arc B370 sits in the 5th percentile of all GPUs with an average benchmark score of 1184, and its nearest rivals are all legacy ATI parts from over a decade ago. The CPU, by contrast, ranks in the 84th percentile, creating a massive imbalance where the processor’s capabilities are wasted by the graphics solution.

This rank is not a reflection of the CPU’s quality but rather the GPU’s inadequacy for this game. The i7-12700K’s average benchmark score of 35287 is within 0.4% of its nearest rivals, all of which are newer or equivalent processors, but none of that matters when the GPU delivers 6.144 TFLOPS of FP32 performance. In Control, which demands robust pixel shading and memory bandwidth, the Arc B370’s system-shared memory and 20 ROPs are simply insufficient. The 2657th rank is the direct consequence of pairing a top-tier CPU with a bottom-tier GPU, and the data confirms that this combination is only suitable for esports titles or very old games, not a 2019 action-adventure game with modern rendering requirements.

The delta between the CPU and GPU percentiles (84th vs 5th) highlights the fundamental mismatch. For users who already own the i7-12700K, the data suggests that any discrete GPU would dramatically improve the combo’s ranking, as the CPU has massive headroom to support faster graphics hardware. Conversely, the Arc B370’s performance in this game is not going to improve with a different CPU, as the bottleneck is entirely on the graphics side. The ranking serves as a clear warning: this pairing is not designed for AAA gaming at playable frame rates, and the measured results confirm that expectation.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its best results. With Low settings, the average frame rate is 59 FPS, the only measurement at or near 60 FPS across all configurations. Medium settings produce 42 FPS on average, with a minimum of 36 FPS and a maximum of 48 FPS, indicating a stable but lower performance envelope. High settings drop to 37 FPS, and Ultra settings fall to 32 FPS. The full 1080p range spans 27 FPS (from 32 to 59), demonstrating that settings choice has a substantial impact at this resolution, but even the best case does not guarantee a locked 60 FPS experience.

At 2560x1440, performance degrades noticeably across all settings. Low settings yield 45 FPS, which is the only 1440p result above 40 FPS. Medium settings average 32 FPS, with a minimum of 27 FPS and maximum of 37 FPS. High settings produce 28 FPS, and Ultra settings fall to 25 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 20 FPS, slightly smaller than at 1080p, suggesting that the GPU is becoming the dominant constraint even at lower quality settings. The best 1440p result (45 FPS) is 24% worse than the best 1080p result (59 FPS).

At 3840x2160, the combo struggles to maintain playable frame rates. Low settings average 30 FPS, which is the only 4K result at or above the 30 FPS baseline. Medium settings average 21 FPS, with a minimum of 18 FPS and maximum of 25 FPS. High settings produce 19 FPS, and Ultra settings drop to 17 FPS. The range from Low to Ultra at 4K is only 13 FPS, indicating that the GPU is so heavily saturated that settings changes have diminishing returns. The data shows that 4K is not a viable resolution for this combo, as even the lowest settings cannot sustain a stable 30 FPS in demanding scenes, and the min FPS of 18 at Medium suggests potential stuttering.