Control

# Control Performance Analysis: Intel Core i7-12700K + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060

The data for Control shows a system pairing Intel's 12-core Core i7-12700K with NVIDIA's RTX 4060, producing a measured frame-rate profile that is heavily dictated by resolution and preset selection. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 141.3 FPS average, but this drops to 42.4 FPS at 4K High, revealing a GPU-bound scenario at higher resolutions. The RTX 4060's 8 GB VRAM and 128-bit memory bus become the primary constraints as pixel count rises. The combo ranks 911 out of 1636 tested combinations, placing it in the lower-middle portion of the database, which is consistent with a mid-range GPU paired with a high-end CPU in a game that scales well with both components.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear and predictable pattern of degradation as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 89.2 FPS at 1080p to 69.0 FPS at 1440p, then to 42.4 FPS at 4K. This represents a 22.6% drop from 1080p to 1440p, followed by a more substantial 38.6% drop from 1440p to 4K. The scaling behavior indicates that the GPU becomes the limiting factor at 4K, where the pixel count quadruples relative to 1080p. At 1080p High, the system is likely still partially CPU-limited given the i7-12700K's strength, but by 4K, the RTX 4060's rendering throughput is the dominant constraint.

The Low preset shows a steeper absolute decline: 141.3 FPS at 1080p, 108.0 FPS at 1440p, and 69.6 FPS at 4K. The percentage drops are 23.6% and 35.6% respectively, which are proportionally similar to High settings. This suggests that even at Low settings, where the GPU's shading workload is reduced, the 4K resolution still overwhelms the RTX 4060's capabilities. The gap between Low and High at 4K is 27.2 FPS, compared to a 52.1 FPS gap at 1080p, indicating that the GPU's headroom at lower resolutions is consumed by the higher pixel count rather than by additional graphical effects.

The Medium and Ultra presets follow the same trajectory. Medium delivers 97.6 FPS at 1080p, 76.1 FPS at 1440p, and 51.5 FPS at 4K. Ultra starts at 80.0 FPS at 1080p, drops to 60.0 FPS at 1440p, and bottoms out at 41.1 FPS at 4K. The 4K Ultra result is just 1.3 FPS below the 4K High figure, suggesting that the Ultra preset's additional effects are nearly free at this resolution because the GPU is already saturated. This pattern is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario where resolution scaling dominates over settings scaling.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060, built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with a 5 nm process, provides 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, yielding 272.0 GB/s of bandwidth. This memory configuration is a critical factor in Control's performance at high resolutions. The game's environment and particle effects demand substantial memory bandwidth, and the 128-bit interface becomes a bottleneck at 4K, where the frame rate drops below playable thresholds on High and Ultra presets. The GPU's boost clock of 2460 MHz and FP32 throughput of 15.11 TFLOPS are sufficient for 1080p and 1440p gaming, but the 4K results indicate that raw compute is not the limiting factor—memory bandwidth and capacity are.

The RTX 4060's 24 RT cores and 96 tensor cores support DirectX 12 Ultimate, which Control can leverage for ray-traced reflections and other effects. While the measured data does not include ray tracing-specific results, the Ultra preset's 4K performance of 41.1 FPS suggests that enabling such features would push the GPU beyond its comfortable operating range. The GPU's percentile ranking of 66 among all GPUs places it in the mid-range tier, and its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 6600M, is only 0.6% behind in average benchmark score, indicating that the RTX 4060 is positioned in a densely competitive segment.

The 8 GB VRAM capacity is adequate for 1080p and 1440p at all presets, but Control at 4K may approach or exceed this limit depending on texture quality settings. The measured data shows that Ultra at 4K delivers 41.1 FPS, which is only 1.3 FPS lower than High at the same resolution, implying that the GPU is not swapping textures excessively but is instead limited by shading throughput. The 272.0 GB/s bandwidth is the more likely constraint, as the pixel fill rate of 118.1 GPixel/s cannot keep up with 4K resolution demands.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-12700K is a 12-core, 20-thread processor based on Alder Lake architecture, with a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. This CPU is significantly more powerful than what Control requires, as the game's benchmark results are clearly GPU-limited at all resolutions above 1080p. The CPU's multi-threaded performance, evidenced by a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 29241 and a Passmark multi-thread score of 34404, far exceeds the demands of a 2019 action-adventure title. The single-thread performance, with a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4128, is also more than sufficient for Control's game logic and physics.

The CPU's 25 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel memory support (DDR4 or DDR5) provide ample bandwidth for feeding the GPU. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 141.3 FPS, which is likely approaching the CPU's frame-rate ceiling for this game, as the GPU is not heavily taxed at this resolution and preset. However, the CPU's percentile ranking of 89 among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 35684, indicates that it is a top-tier processor that will not bottleneck the RTX 4060 in any scenario. The nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845, is only 0.3% behind in average score, confirming that the i7-12700K sits at the upper echelon of desktop processors.

The CPU's 125 W TDP and 10 nm process node are not directly reflected in the game's frame rates, but the processor's ability to maintain high boost clocks under load is inferred from the consistent FPS at 1080p. At 1440p and 4K, the CPU's role diminishes, as the GPU becomes the primary determinant of performance. The measured FPS at 1440p Ultra (60.0 FPS) and 4K High (42.4 FPS) suggest that the i7-12700K is not a limiting factor, as the frame rates scale predictably with GPU load rather than showing CPU-related stutters or dips.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i7-12700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 achieves a rank of 911 out of 1636 tested combos in Control, placing it in the 55th percentile of all tested systems. This ranking reflects the GPU's mid-range positioning, as the CPU is capable of supporting much higher-end graphics cards. The RTX 4060's average benchmark score of 23181, with a percentile of 66 among GPUs, suggests that the combo's ranking is dragged down by the GPU's relative position rather than the CPU's. The CPU's average benchmark score of 35684, with a percentile of 89, indicates that the processor is underutilized in this pairing.

The combo's rank of 911 means that 725 other tested configurations performed better in Control, likely featuring higher-tier GPUs such as the RTX 4070 or better. The RTX 4060's nearest rivals—the AMD Radeon RX 6600M (0.6% higher score), NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Ti (0.7% higher), Intel Arc B580 (0.7% lower), and AMD Radeon 760M (0.8% lower)—all fall within a narrow performance band. This tight clustering suggests that the RTX 4060 is not a standout performer in its class, and the combo's ranking is consistent with a GPU that offers average performance for its price tier.

When interpreting the rank, it is important to note that Control is a game that scales well with GPU compute and memory bandwidth, which are the RTX 4060's weaker attributes. The 128-bit memory bus and 8 GB VRAM are below the thresholds that high-end GPUs offer, and this is reflected in the 4K results. A combo with a CPU of similar capability but a GPU with more memory bandwidth, such as a 256-bit bus, would likely rank higher. The i7-12700K's contribution to the rank is minimal, as the CPU is never the bottleneck in this game's measured scenarios.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides a clear guide for optimal settings at each resolution. At 1080p, the High preset delivers 89.2 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay, while Ultra drops to 80.0 FPS. Given the small difference between High and Ultra (9.2 FPS), and the fact that both are playable, Ultra at 1080p is the best choice for visual fidelity without sacrificing responsiveness. The Medium preset at 97.6 FPS offers a middle ground, but the jump to High is only 8.4 FPS, making High the preferred option for balanced performance.

At 1440p, the High preset achieves 69.0 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS target, while Ultra delivers exactly 60.0 FPS. The Medium preset at 76.1 FPS provides a comfortable margin, but High's 69.0 FPS is still smooth. For users prioritizing frame rate stability, Medium is the safest choice, but High offers a significant visual upgrade for a 7.1 FPS cost. Ultra at 1440p is playable but leaves no headroom for demanding scenes, so High is recommended as the best balance of quality and performance.

At 4K, all presets struggle to maintain 60 FPS. The Low preset delivers 69.6 FPS, which is the only playable option, while Medium drops to 51.5 FPS and High falls to 42.4 FPS. Ultra at 41.1 FPS is effectively unplayable for most users. The recommendation for 4K is to use Low settings, which provides a smooth experience at 69.6 FPS, or to reduce the resolution to 1440p with High settings for better visual quality. The data shows that the RTX 4060 is not capable of handling Control at 4K with medium or higher presets, and users should either accept Low settings at 4K or scale down to 1440p.

For users with high refresh rate displays at 1080p, the Low preset's 141.3 FPS approaches the 144 Hz mark, making it the best choice for competitive play. However, the visual compromise is significant, and High at 89.2 FPS is still adequate for most monitors. The Medium preset at 97.6 FPS offers a good compromise for those who want higher frame rates without the visual degradation of Low. Ultimately, the measured data suggests that the system is best utilized at 1080p High or 1440p Medium, where the GPU's capabilities are matched to the game's demands.