Control

Control on the Intel Core i7-12700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti shows a system that is clearly capable of delivering a smooth experience, but only if the settings are chosen with care. The measured data places this combination at rank 1094 out of 1636 tested combos for this game, indicating a mid-pack performance tier where the GPU becomes the primary constraint as resolution climbs. The i7-12700K, sitting in the 89th percentile among all CPUs, provides ample headroom, while the RTX 3060 Ti, in the 69th percentile for GPUs, dictates the final frame rates. This analysis breaks down how the system scales across resolutions and settings, offering specific guidance based on the measured FPS data.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and reveals a system that becomes progressively more GPU-bound at higher resolutions. At Low settings, the transition from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 results in a reduction from 118.5 FPS to 63.2 FPS, a drop of 55.3 frames per second. This is a massive penalty, but it highlights the raw capability of the CPU at lower resolutions where it can feed the GPU efficiently. The data indicates that at 1080p Low, the RTX 3060 Ti is the limiting factor, as the i7-12700K can clearly push far beyond the measured 118.5 FPS.

The scaling pattern becomes more pronounced when moving to higher settings. At High settings, the frame rate falls from 77.9 FPS at 1080p to 57.2 FPS at 1440p, and finally to 39.6 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1440p to 4K is a 17.6 FPS loss, which is a 30.8% reduction in performance. This suggests that the GPU's memory bandwidth and compute resources are being saturated, as the 8 GB VRAM and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are stretched thin by the higher pixel count. The RTX 3060 Ti’s 16.20 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is simply not enough to maintain high frame rates at 4K with demanding settings.

At Ultra settings, the situation is worse, with the system dipping to 35.5 FPS at 4K, which is below the threshold for smooth gameplay. The difference between Low and Ultra at 4K is 27.7 FPS, showing that the graphical preset has a massive impact on the GPU load. The data suggests that the CPU is never the bottleneck in this title, as even at 1080p Low, the system does not exceed 120 FPS, which is well within the capabilities of the i7-12700K’s 3dmark single-thread score of 1043. The scaling is almost entirely dictated by the GPU’s ability to process the increasing resolution.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS, the optimal balance between visual quality and performance for this system is the Medium preset at 1440p. At this configuration, the system achieves an average of 64.7 FPS, which is comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold for a smooth experience. This represents a significant improvement over High settings at 1440p, which only yields 57.2 FPS, and it does so while maintaining a playable frame rate. For users prioritizing higher resolutions, the Low preset at 4K provides 63.2 FPS, which is playable, but it comes with a substantial visual compromise.

For 1080p users, the High preset at 77.9 FPS is the recommended choice, as it offers a good balance of quality and speed. Pushing to Ultra at 1080p drops the frame rate to 62.5 FPS, which is still playable but shows diminishing returns for the extra graphical load. The data indicates that the Medium preset at 1080p, at 83.5 FPS, is a solid alternative if a higher frame rate is desired, but High provides a better visual experience for only a small performance cost. Avoid Ultra at 4K, as the 35.5 FPS average is not suitable for a fast-paced action game like Control.

The performance difference between Low and Ultra at any resolution is substantial, with the gap widening at higher resolutions. At 1080p, the difference is 56 FPS, while at 4K, it is 27.7 FPS. This suggests that the RTX 3060 Ti’s 8 GB of GDDR6 memory is a limiting factor at higher settings, as the game’s textures and effects consume more VRAM. For the best experience, the Medium preset is the sweet spot, offering a 64.7 FPS average at 1440p and 83.5 FPS at 1080p, making it the most versatile option for this hardware.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average frame rate achieved by this combo?

A: The highest average frame rate is 118.5 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with the Low preset.

Q: How does the system perform at 4K Ultra settings?

A: At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the system delivers an average of 35.5 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target for smooth gameplay and indicates a heavy GPU bottleneck.

Q: Is this system capable of running Control at 1440p with high settings?

A: Yes, at 2560x1440 with High settings, the system achieves an average of 57.2 FPS, which is playable but slightly below the ideal 60 FPS mark.

Q: What is the performance difference between Low and Ultra presets at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the Low preset achieves 118.5 FPS, while the Ultra preset achieves 62.5 FPS, a difference of 56 FPS.

Q: Does the CPU or GPU limit performance in this game?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the limiting factor, as the RTX 3060 Ti’s performance metrics are far below the CPU’s capabilities. The i7-12700K ranks in the 89th percentile of all CPUs, while the GPU ranks in the 69th percentile.

Q: What settings are recommended for a stable 60 FPS experience?

A: The Medium preset at 2560x1440, yielding 64.7 FPS, or the High preset at 1920x1080, yielding 77.9 FPS, are the recommended configurations for a stable 60 FPS experience.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system shows a wide range of performance depending on the preset. The Low preset achieves 118.5 FPS, making it the only configuration to break the 100 FPS barrier. Moving up, the Medium preset delivers 83.5 FPS, while High drops to 77.9 FPS. The Ultra preset is the most demanding, producing 62.5 FPS. This shows a clear scaling pattern where each step up in quality costs roughly 15-20 FPS, with the largest single drop occurring between Low and Medium.

At 2560x1440, the performance takes a noticeable hit. The Low preset still manages a respectable 90.1 FPS, but this is a 28.4 FPS drop from the 1080p result. The Medium preset achieves 64.7 FPS, which is a solid result for 1440p gaming. High settings drop to 57.2 FPS, showing that the GPU is beginning to struggle with the increased pixel count. The Ultra preset falls to 51.3 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold but still playable for some users.

At 3840x2160, the system is clearly overmatched by the resolution demands. The Low preset is the only playable option, achieving 63.2 FPS. The Medium preset drops to 44.6 FPS, while High falls to 39.6 FPS. The Ultra preset is the worst performer, with an average of 35.5 FPS. These numbers indicate that 4K gaming is only viable with the lowest settings, and even then, the frame rate is barely above 60 FPS.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is the defining component in this system’s performance in Control. With 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and a 256-bit bus, the memory subsystem provides a bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s. This is a critical factor, as the game’s high-resolution textures and effects can quickly consume VRAM, leading to performance degradation if capacity is exceeded. The measured FPS data shows that the GPU is the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions, as the frame rate drops significantly when moving from 1080p to 4K.

The GPU’s clock speeds are relevant to its performance profile. The base clock is 1410 MHz, with a boost clock of 1665 MHz. These clocks, combined with the 4864 shading units, produce a peak FP32 performance of 16.20 TFLOPS. This is a mid-range figure, and it explains why the system struggles to maintain high frame rates at 4K. The benchmark results for the GPU, such as a passmark G3D score of 20349 and a 3dmark steel nomad score of 2626, confirm its position in the 69th percentile of all GPUs, just behind the AMD Radeon RX 6700M.

The RTX 3060 Ti’s 8 GB VRAM capacity is a limiting factor when using higher presets. The difference in frame rates between Low and Ultra settings at 4K is 27.7 FPS, which suggests that the extra memory usage and shader complexity are taxing the GPU’s resources. The GPU’s nearest rivals, such as the AMD Radeon RX 6600, have similar average benchmark scores, but the RTX 3060 Ti’s specific architecture and memory configuration determine its performance in this title. The data shows that the GPU’s role is to provide a playable experience at 1080p and 1440p with adjusted settings, while 4K requires significant compromises.