Control

The Intel Core i7-12700K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER delivers a playable but not consistently smooth experience in Control, with performance scaling predictably across resolutions and settings. The combination ranks 1193rd out of 1636 tested combos for this title, placing it in the lower-middle portion of the database. This ranking reflects a system that can handle the game at 1080p with high frame rates but struggles to maintain high refresh rates at higher resolutions or with the Ultra preset.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows 1920x1080 is the strongest resolution, with the Low preset achieving 118.4 FPS and even High reaching 76.1 FPS. At 2560x1440, performance drops to a range of 48.3 to 88.7 FPS, while 3840x2160 sees a significant decline, with no preset exceeding 57.4 FPS.

Q: How does the Ultra preset affect performance compared to High?

A: The Ultra preset incurs a notable penalty across all resolutions. At 1920x1080, Ultra averages 63.4 FPS versus 76.1 FPS on High, a difference of 12.7 FPS. At 2560x1440, the gap widens to 8.2 FPS (48.3 vs 56.5), and at 3840x2160, Ultra drops to 33.1 FPS, which is 8.0 FPS below High.

Q: Is the RTX 2060 SUPER the limiting factor in this pairing?

A: The GPU percentile data indicates this card sits in the 63rd percentile of all GPUs, while the CPU is in the 89th percentile. The measured FPS scaling shows that as resolution increases from 1080p to 4K, average frame rates drop substantially across every preset, which suggests the GPU is the primary bottleneck in this configuration.

*Q: Can this system handle ray tracing in Control?*

A: The FACT PACK does not include any ray tracing performance measurements for this game. The GPU does feature 34 RT cores and supports DirectX 12 Ultimate, but without specific benchmark results, no definitive statement about ray tracing frame rates can be made.

Q: How does the i7-12700K compare to its nearest CPU rivals?

A: The i7-12700K has an average benchmark score of 35684, which is 0.3% lower than the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845 (35802) and 0.7% lower than the Intel Core i5-14500HX (35940). It sits 0.6% above the Intel Core i7-13700T (35468) and 0.8% above the Intel Core i7-13800H (35416).

Q: What is the performance difference between Low and Medium settings at 2560x1440?

A: At 2560x1440, Low averages 88.7 FPS while Medium averages 64.3 FPS, representing a 24.4 FPS drop when moving from the lowest to the medium preset. This is a substantial gap, indicating that the Medium preset imposes a significant load increase on the system.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i7-12700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER lands at rank 1193 out of 1636 tested combos for Control. This places the system in the bottom 27% of all configurations tested, which is a modest showing for a pairing that includes a high-end CPU from the 12th generation. The rank is primarily dragged down by the GPU, which sits in the 63rd percentile of all GPUs, while the CPU performs in the 89th percentile of all CPUs. This mismatch is evident in the measured FPS data, where the system delivers strong results at 1080p but falls off sharply at higher resolutions.

The 1193rd rank reflects that many other systems tested for this game achieve better average FPS. The data shows that at 1920x1080 with High settings, the combo produces 76.1 FPS, which is acceptable for most players, but at 3840x2160 even the Low preset only reaches 57.4 FPS. The rank is a holistic measure across all tested presets and resolutions, and the system's inability to maintain high frame rates at 4K drags its overall standing down considerably.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER is the decisive component in this combo’s Control performance. It features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU has a base clock of 1470 MHz and a boost clock of 1650 MHz, with 2176 shading units and 64 ROPs. These specifications are modest by modern standards, and the GPU's 63rd percentile ranking among all GPUs confirms it is an upper-midrange part rather than a high-end solution.

The measured FPS data shows a clear correlation between resolution and performance, which is typical of GPU-bound scenarios. At 1920x1080, the GPU can push 118.4 FPS on Low, but this drops to 57.4 FPS at 3840x2160 on the same preset. The gap between Low and Ultra at 4K is 24.3 FPS (57.4 vs 33.1), indicating that the GPU's 7.181 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is insufficient for the highest fidelity settings at that resolution. The 175 W TDP and 450 W suggested PSU indicate this is a power-hungry card, but the benchmark data shows it is the primary constraint on frame rates in Control.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its best results. Low settings produce an average of 118.4 FPS, which is comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold. Medium averages 81.7 FPS, High averages 76.1 FPS, and Ultra averages 63.4 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 55.0 FPS, showing that the Ultra preset imposes a heavy cost. All four presets at 1080p are playable, with even Ultra staying above 60 FPS.

Moving to 2560x1440, performance drops noticeably. Low averages 88.7 FPS, Medium averages 64.3 FPS, and High averages 56.5 FPS, which falls below the 60 FPS target. Ultra averages 48.3 FPS, which may feel stuttery in fast-paced action sequences. The transition from 1080p to 1440p reduces frame rates by 25-30% across presets, with the largest absolute drop being 30.3 FPS on Low (118.4 to 88.7).

At 3840x2160, the system struggles. Low averages 57.4 FPS, Medium averages 45.7 FPS, High averages 41.1 FPS, and Ultra averages 33.1 FPS. No preset at 4K reaches 60 FPS, and only Low comes close. The scaling from 1440p to 4K shows a further reduction of roughly 35-40%, with the Ultra preset suffering the most, dropping from 48.3 to 33.1 FPS. The data clearly shows that 4K is not a viable resolution for this combo in Control, even at the lowest settings.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-12700K provides ample processing power for Control, but the game does not appear to be CPU-limited with this configuration. The CPU has 12 cores and 20 threads, with a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. It scores 9979 in the 3dmark_max_threads test and 1043 in the 3dmark_single_thread test, indicating strong multi-threaded and single-threaded performance. The 89th percentile ranking among all CPUs puts it well above the GPU's 63rd percentile, suggesting the CPU has headroom that the GPU cannot fully utilize.

The CPU's cache hierarchy includes 25 MB of shared L3 cache, which is ample for gaming workloads. The measured FPS data supports the conclusion that the CPU is not the bottleneck: if the CPU were limiting performance, frame rates would remain relatively flat across resolutions. Instead, FPS drops sharply as resolution increases, which is a hallmark of GPU-bound performance. The CPU’s nearest rivals, such as the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845 and Intel Core i5-14500HX, have nearly identical average scores, within 0.7%, confirming that the i7-12700K is a solid performer that is being held back by the GPU in this pairing.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal experience depends on the target resolution. At 1920x1080, the High preset offers a strong balance, delivering 76.1 FPS while maintaining visual fidelity. Ultra is also viable at 63.4 FPS, but the 12.7 FPS penalty over High may not justify the visual improvements for all players. For those seeking maximum smoothness, Low at 118.4 FPS is an option, but Medium at 81.7 FPS provides a better compromise between quality and performance.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset is the recommended choice, averaging 64.3 FPS. This stays above the 60 FPS threshold while offering better visuals than Low. High drops to 56.5 FPS, which is playable but may exhibit occasional dips in demanding scenes. Ultra at 48.3 FPS is not recommended for a consistently smooth experience. Players with high-refresh-rate 1440p monitors should consider Low, which reaches 88.7 FPS, but this sacrifices significant visual detail.

At 3840x2160, no preset achieves 60 FPS, so players must compromise. Low averages 57.4 FPS, which is the only preset that comes close to smoothness, but it requires accepting the lowest visual quality. Medium at 45.7 FPS is playable for slower-paced exploration but may feel choppy in combat. High and Ultra, at 41.1 and 33.1 FPS respectively, are not recommended for this resolution. For most players, the best overall experience is 1920x1080 with High settings, which balances frame rate and visual quality without requiring significant compromises.