Control

The Intel Core i7-12700K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti delivers a compelling 1440p experience in Control, though the data reveals a clear shift in bottleneck behavior as resolution climbs. At 1080p, the system is heavily CPU-bound at lower settings, while at 4K, the GPU becomes the definitive limiting factor. The measured frame rates show a predictable pattern of scaling, with the gap between settings narrowing as pixel count increases.

Resolution Scaling

The transition from 1080p to 4K exposes a significant performance drop that is characteristic of a GPU-limited scenario. At 1080p Low, the combo produces 194.6 FPS, but this falls to 143.8 FPS at 1440p and further to 96.6 FPS at 4K. That represents a 26% reduction from 1080p to 1440p and a 33% reduction from 1440p to 4K. The scaling is steeper at higher settings; at Ultra, the drop from 1080p (107.2 FPS) to 1440p (78.9 FPS) is 26%, and the subsequent drop to 4K (52.4 FPS) is another 34%. This consistent pattern indicates that the RTX 3080 Ti’s rendering throughput is the primary constraint as resolution increases.

The data suggests that the Core i7-12700K is not the limiting factor at higher resolutions. At 4K Ultra, the system still manages 52.4 FPS, which is a playable average, but the gap between Low and Ultra settings at 4K is only 44.2 FPS (from 96.6 to 52.4). At 1080p, that same Low-to-Ultra gap is 87.4 FPS (from 194.6 to 107.2). This widening delta at lower resolutions points to the CPU being able to feed frames faster than the GPU can render them, whereas at 4K, the GPU’s workload dominates and the CPU headroom becomes irrelevant.

The scaling behavior is typical for a high-end Ampere GPU paired with a fast Alder Lake processor. The 4K results hover around the 60 FPS mark at High settings, which is a common target for this class of hardware. The 1440p results, however, show that the combo is capable of much higher frame rates, with even Ultra settings holding above 78 FPS. For users targeting high refresh rate monitors, the 1080p results are the most revealing, with Low settings pushing past 194 FPS, indicating that the CPU can handle very high frame rates when the GPU workload is light.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti is the dominant component in this pairing, equipped with 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus, delivering 912.4 GB/s of bandwidth. This memory configuration is well-suited for Control’s texture-heavy environments, and the data shows that the GPU’s 34.10 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is what drives the frame rates at 1440p and above. The GPU’s boost clock of 1665 MHz and base clock of 1365 MHz are standard for the Ampere architecture, and the benchmark results indicate that the card is running at expected performance levels.

The 12 GB VRAM capacity is not a limiting factor in these measurements, as even at 4K Ultra, the system maintains a playable average of 52.4 FPS. The GPU’s 80 RT cores and 320 Tensor cores are present in the architecture, but the measured FPS data does not include ray tracing or DLSS scenarios, so their impact is not quantified here. The GPU’s percentile ranking against all GPUs is 83, and its average benchmark score of 41224 places it just 0.5% behind the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 in the nearest rivals list. This proximity in performance is reflected in the measured FPS, which align with expectations for a card of this tier.

In the context of this game, the GPU’s role becomes more pronounced at higher resolutions. At 4K, the difference between Low and High settings is 34.6 FPS (from 96.6 to 62), which is a substantial gain from lowering settings. This indicates that the GPU is the primary bottleneck at this resolution, and users can adjust settings to achieve their target frame rate. At 1080p, the GPU is less stressed, and the CPU’s 12 cores and 20 threads are sufficient to keep frame rates high, even at Ultra settings where the average is 107.2 FPS.

Settings Recommendations

For 4K displays, the High preset is the optimal balance, delivering 62 FPS on average. This is just above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay, and the data shows that stepping down to Medium only gains 5.6 FPS (67.6 FPS), while Low provides a more significant jump to 96.6 FPS but at a noticeable visual quality cost. Ultra at 4K drops to 52.4 FPS, which may be acceptable for slower-paced sections but risks stutter in action-heavy moments. The Medium preset at 4K is a reasonable alternative if High is too demanding, but the 5.6 FPS gain is marginal.

At 1440p, the High preset is the clear recommendation, achieving 94.9 FPS. This is well above the 60 FPS target and leaves headroom for demanding scenes. Ultra at 1440p still holds at 78.9 FPS, making it a viable option for users who prioritize visual fidelity over raw frame rate. Low at 1440p pushes to 143.8 FPS, but the visual compromise is unnecessary given the High preset’s strong performance. Medium at 1440p offers 105.1 FPS, which is a 10.2 FPS improvement over High, but the visual difference between Medium and High is typically more noticeable than the frame rate gain.

For 1080p, the Ultra preset is the best choice, delivering 107.2 FPS. This provides a high-refresh-rate experience without sacrificing visual quality. High at 1080p offers 120.3 FPS, a 13.1 FPS gain over Ultra, but the drop in settings is not warranted for most users. Low at 1080p reaches 194.6 FPS, which is only relevant for competitive play on 240 Hz monitors, and Medium at 137.6 FPS sits between the two. The measured data indicates that the system is capable of running the game at maximum settings at 1080p with frame rates above 100 FPS, making Ultra the recommended preset for this resolution.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 3840x2160, the average frame rates are 96.6 FPS on Low, 67.6 FPS on Medium, 62 FPS on High, and 52.4 FPS on Ultra. The progression shows a 29 FPS drop from Low to Medium, a 5.6 FPS drop from Medium to High, and a 9.6 FPS drop from High to Ultra. The largest performance hit comes from moving from Low to Medium, which suggests that the Medium preset introduces significant rendering effects that tax the GPU.

At 2560x1440, the averages are 143.8 FPS on Low, 105.1 FPS on Medium, 94.9 FPS on High, and 78.9 FPS on Ultra. The delta from Low to Medium is 38.7 FPS, from Medium to High is 10.2 FPS, and from High to Ultra is 16 FPS. The step from High to Ultra is more punishing at 1440p than at 4K, indicating that the GPU is still capable of handling the higher resolution but the Ultra preset adds a substantial load.

At 1920x1080, the averages are 194.6 FPS on Low, 137.6 FPS on Medium, 120.3 FPS on High, and 107.2 FPS on Ultra. The Low to Medium drop is 57 FPS, the Medium to High drop is 17.3 FPS, and the High to Ultra drop is 13.1 FPS. The 1080p results show the smallest relative differences between High and Ultra, suggesting that the CPU is beginning to limit the maximum frame rate, as the GPU has more headroom at this resolution.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i7-12700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti combination is ranked 446 out of 1636 tested combos in Control, placing it in the top 27% of all systems. This ranking is a reflection of the balanced performance of the two components, with the CPU’s percentile ranking of 89 against all CPUs and the GPU’s percentile ranking of 83 against all GPUs. The combo’s position in the middle of the upper quartile indicates that it outperforms the majority of tested systems but is not at the very top tier.

The CPU’s nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845, which is 0.3% faster, and the Intel Core i5-14500HX, which is 0.7% faster. These deltas are within the margin of error for synthetic benchmarks, suggesting that the i7-12700K is competitively positioned. The GPU’s nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090, which is 0.5% faster, and the AMD Radeon Pro 5300, which is 0.9% faster. The RTX 3080 Ti’s performance is closely matched with these cards, and the measured FPS in Control reflects this tight grouping.

The combo rank of 446 out of 1636 suggests that while this pairing is strong, there are many systems with higher-performing CPUs or GPUs that achieve better results in this specific game. The data shows that the system is well-balanced, as neither component drastically drags down the other’s performance. The 4K results, while not at the top tier, are still competitive, and the 1080p results are excellent for high-refresh-rate gaming. The overall ranking confirms the i7-12700K’s strong single-thread and multi-thread capabilities, combined with the RTX 3080 Ti’s ample rasterization power, making this combo a reliable choice for Control across all tested resolutions.