Control

The AMD Radeon RX 580 paired with the Intel Core i7-12700KF presents a study in bottleneck dynamics within Control, a 2019 action-adventure title. The benchmark data shows a system where the GPU is overwhelmingly the performance-limiting factor, particularly at higher resolutions. The i7-12700KF, with its 12 cores and 20 threads, provides ample processing headroom, evidenced by its strong synthetic scores, but the RX 580, a 2017-era Polaris architecture card, cannot translate that CPU capability into high frame rates in this demanding game. The measured FPS across all settings and resolutions consistently falls below the 60 FPS threshold, indicating that the experience is constrained by the graphics card's raw throughput and memory bandwidth rather than any CPU limitation.

Resolution Scaling

The transition from 1080p to 4K reveals a classic GPU-bound scaling pattern. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 65.3 FPS. This is the only configuration in the entire measured set that breaks the 60 FPS barrier, suggesting that even at the lowest graphical load, the RX 580 is working near its maximum capacity. Moving to 2560x1440 at the same Low settings, the average FPS drops to 49.6, a significant 24% reduction. The decline continues to 32.8 FPS at 3840x2160, which is a further 34% drop from the 1440p figure. This steep, consistent decline as pixel count increases is the signature of a GPU that is saturated; the CPU is not the limiting factor because the frame rate scales almost inversely with the number of pixels rendered.

The scaling pattern becomes even more telling when examining the High settings tier. At 1080p High, the average is 42.8 FPS. This drops to 28.4 FPS at 1440p, a 34% decrease, and then to 20.7 FPS at 4K, a further 27% decrease. The percentage drops are substantial at every step, confirming that the RX 580's compute units and its 256-bit memory bus are the primary determinants of performance. The i7-12700KF's high single-thread performance, as indicated by its 3dmark_single_thread score of 1043, is irrelevant here because the workload is dominated by the GPU's rasterization and pixel processing tasks. The data clearly shows that to improve frame rates, the graphics card must be upgraded, not the processor.

Settings Recommendations

Given the measured data, the optimal settings for this combination depend heavily on the target resolution and desired frame rate. At 1920x1080, the Low preset is the only playable option, delivering 65.3 FPS. This is the sole configuration that approaches smooth gameplay. The Medium preset at 1080p yields 46.7 FPS, which is a playable but not ideal experience, offering a 28% performance cost for presumably better visual fidelity. The High preset at 1080p drops to 42.8 FPS, and Ultra falls to 34.2 FPS. For a consistent 60 FPS experience, Low settings are mandatory at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the situation is more constrained. The Low preset provides 49.6 FPS, which is the best possible result at this resolution. While not hitting 60 FPS, it is the only setting that remains above the 30 FPS playability threshold with a comfortable margin. The Medium preset at 1440p yields 32.1 FPS, which is borderline playable but subject to noticeable stutter. High and Ultra at 1440p, at 28.4 and 25.2 FPS respectively, are not recommended for a responsive experience. At 3840x2160, all settings produce sub-30 FPS averages, with the Low preset at 32.8 FPS being the only one that even approaches playability. The data suggests that for this combo, 1080p with Low or Medium settings is the primary viable configuration, with 1440p Low being a secondary option for users who prioritize resolution over smoothness.

How This Combo Ranks

The overall performance of this CPU-GPU combination in Control is poor relative to other tested configurations. The combo ranks 1514 out of 1636 combos, placing it in the bottom 7.5% of all tested pairings. This is a direct consequence of the RX 580's age and performance class. The GPU's average benchmark score of 13559 places it in the 53rd percentile of all GPUs, but its nearest rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570 and GTX 950, which are also older, lower-tier cards. The data indicates that this pairing is only suitable for low-resolution, low-detail gaming in this specific title.

The CPU is not the source of this low ranking. The Intel Core i7-12700KF has a percentile rank of 89 against all CPUs and an average benchmark score of 35355. Its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks are the Intel Core i5-14400, which scores 0.1% higher, and the Intel Core i9-12900HX, which scores 0.2% higher. These are all high-performance processors. The i7-12700KF's strong multi-threaded capabilities, highlighted by its Cinebench R23 multicore score of 28979, are entirely wasted in a scenario where the GPU is the bottleneck. The rank of 1514 reflects the GPU's limitations, not the CPU's. In a game like Control, which is heavily reliant on GPU shader and pixel work, the pairing is fundamentally unbalanced.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete measured FPS data provides a clear picture of the performance envelope. At 3840x2160, the averages are 32.8 FPS on Low, 23.2 FPS on Medium, 20.7 FPS on High, and 17.1 FPS on Ultra. This shows a maximum spread of 15.7 FPS between the lowest and highest settings, indicating that even significant graphical reductions cannot make 4K playable. At 2560x1440, the results are 49.6 FPS on Low, 32.1 FPS on Medium, 28.4 FPS on High, and 25.2 FPS on Ultra. The spread here is 24.4 FPS, showing that settings have a larger relative impact at this resolution, but the ceiling is still below 50 FPS.

At 1920x1080, the data shows 65.3 FPS on Low, 46.7 FPS on Medium, 42.8 FPS on High, and 34.2 FPS on Ultra. This is the only resolution where the Low preset crosses the 60 FPS threshold. The delta between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 31.1 FPS, which is a 48% performance penalty for the highest visual quality. This demonstrates that the RX 580 has a very limited performance headroom, and players must make significant sacrifices to achieve higher frame rates. The progression across all resolutions is consistent: each step up in settings costs roughly 10-20% of the frame rate, and each step up in resolution costs a similar magnitude.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 580's specifications directly explain its measured performance in Control. The GPU has 8 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 256.0 GB/s. This memory bandwidth is a critical factor for a game like Control, which features complex textures and effects. The card's core clock runs at a base of 1257 MHz and a boost of 1340 MHz, with a pixel rate of 42.88 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 193.0 GTexel/s. These figures, while respectable for its time, are far outpaced by modern cards, and the data shows they are insufficient for high frame rates at 1080p and above in this title.

The GPU's FP32 performance of 6.175 TFLOPS is a key indicator of its compute capability. The fact that it ranks in the 53rd percentile of all GPUs, with its nearest rival being the GTX 570 with a 0% delta, underscores its position as an entry-level card. The 8 GB VRAM is adequate for the textures at the tested settings, but the core compute power is the limiting factor. The measured FPS drops are not due to memory capacity but rather the shader and texture processing throughput. In Control, the RX 580 is simply overmatched, requiring Low settings at 1080p to achieve a 60 FPS average, which is a strong indicator of its overall performance ceiling in modern games.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution and settings for a playable experience with this combo?

A: The only configuration that achieves a 60 FPS average is 1920x1080 with Low settings, hitting 65.3 FPS. At 2560x1440, the Low preset yields 49.6 FPS, which is playable but below 60 FPS. 4K is not viable, as the best result is 32.8 FPS on Low.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from 1080p to 4K at High settings?

A: At 1920x1080 High, the average FPS is 42.8. At 3840x2160 High, the average drops to 20.7 FPS. This represents a 52% reduction in frame rate, demonstrating the GPU's inability to handle higher pixel counts.

Q: Is the Intel Core i7-12700KF the bottleneck in this system?

A: No. The CPU's synthetic benchmark scores are high, ranking in the 89th percentile. The measured FPS data shows a classic GPU-bound pattern, where performance scales directly with resolution and settings, indicating the AMD Radeon RX 580 is the limiting component.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to other tested systems in Control?

A: The combo ranks 1514 out of 1636 tested combinations. This places it in the bottom 7.5% of all configurations, highlighting that its overall performance is well below average for this game.

Q: What is the maximum FPS difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the Low preset averages 65.3 FPS while the Ultra preset averages 34.2 FPS. The difference is 31.1 FPS, which is a 48% performance drop for the highest visual quality settings.

Q: Given the GPU's specs, why does it perform so poorly in Control?

A: The RX 580 has 6.175 TFLOPS of FP32 compute and a 256.0 GB/s memory bandwidth. Its average benchmark score is 13559, placing it in the 53rd percentile, with its nearest rival being the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570. These specifications are insufficient for the demands of this game at higher settings.