Control

# Control with Intel Core i7-12700KF + AMD Radeon RX 9060

The Intel Core i7-12700KF paired with the AMD Radeon RX 9060 produces a mid-range gaming experience in Control, landing at rank 1632 out of 2888 tested combinations. This places the combo in the 56th percentile of all tested systems, indicating a setup that handles the game at playable frame rates in most scenarios but requires settings adjustments for smoother performance at higher resolutions. The data shows a system where the GPU becomes the primary constraint as resolution increases, while the 12-core, 20-thread CPU provides ample headroom for the game's physics and logic demands.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear and consistent pattern of performance degradation as resolution climbs from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At High settings, the average frame rate drops from 82 FPS at 1080p to 62 FPS at 1440p, then further to 42 FPS at 4K. This represents a 24% reduction going from 1080p to 1440p, and a 49% total reduction from 1080p to 4K. The scaling behavior indicates that the AMD Radeon RX 9060's 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus with 288.0 GB/s bandwidth becomes the limiting factor at higher resolutions.

At Low settings, the resolution scaling is even more pronounced in absolute terms. The system delivers 130 FPS at 1080p, drops to 98 FPS at 1440p (a 25% decrease), and then falls to 66 FPS at 4K (a 49% total decrease). The fact that the percentage drops are nearly identical between High and Low settings suggests that the GPU's raw throughput, rather than memory capacity alone, is the primary bottleneck when resolution increases.

The Medium settings row provides additional insight into frame time consistency. At 4K Medium, the average is 47 FPS with a minimum of 40 FPS and maximum of 54 FPS, showing a 14 FPS spread between minimum and maximum. At 1440p Medium, the average rises to 70 FPS with a 59-80 FPS range (21 FPS spread), and at 1080p Medium, the average reaches 92 FPS with a 78-106 FPS range (28 FPS spread). This widening frame range at lower resolutions indicates that the CPU becomes more involved in frame pacing when the GPU has spare capacity.

The Ultra preset shows the steepest drop-off. At 4K Ultra, the system manages only 36 FPS average, which is below the commonly accepted 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. At 1440p Ultra, the average is 54 FPS, and at 1080p Ultra, it reaches 71 FPS. The gap between Ultra and High settings widens as resolution increases, suggesting that Ultra's additional graphical effects place disproportionate stress on the GPU at higher pixel counts.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-12700KF brings substantial processing power to this combination, with 12 cores and 20 threads based on the Alder Lake architecture. The CPU runs at a base clock of 3.60 GHz and boosts to 5.00 GHz, providing strong single-thread performance that is critical for game logic and frame generation. Synthetic benchmarks confirm this capability, with a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4071 and a multi-core score of 28838, placing the CPU at the 85th percentile versus all CPUs.

In Control, which is an Action Adventure title that typically relies on both CPU and GPU resources, the 12700KF's 25 MB of shared L3 cache helps maintain smooth frame delivery. The 3DMark multi-threaded scores show strong scaling: 2065 for 2 threads, 4011 for 4 threads, 7211 for 8 threads, and 9983 for max threads. This scaling pattern suggests that the CPU can efficiently distribute work across its cores, which is beneficial for a game that may spawn multiple physics and AI threads.

The CPU's PassMark single-thread score of 3984 and multi-thread score of 34092 indicate balanced performance that should not bottleneck the RX 9060 at lower resolutions. However, the measured FPS data suggests that at 1080p Low, where the system hits 130 FPS, the CPU may be approaching its limit for this game engine, as further GPU headroom would not necessarily translate to higher frame rates without CPU improvements.

The nearest rivals in CPU benchmark scores include the Intel Core i7-13700T with an average score of 35403 (0.1% lower than the 12700KF's 35365 average), and the Intel Core i5-13600T at 35305 (0.2% higher). This tight clustering indicates that the 12700KF delivers performance on par with newer, lower-power variants, making it a capable partner for the RX 9060 in this title.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 9060 is built on the RDNA 4.0 architecture with the Navi 44 chip, manufactured on a 4 nm process by TSMC. The GPU features 1792 shading units, 112 texture mapping units, and 64 render output units, along with 28 ray tracing cores. Its boost clock of 2990 MHz and game clock of 2400 MHz provide the processing throughput necessary for modern titles, with a base clock of 1700 MHz.

Memory configuration is a key consideration for Control at high resolutions. The 8 GB GDDR6 memory operates at 2250 MHz (18 Gbps effective) across a 128-bit bus, yielding 288.0 GB/s of bandwidth. This bandwidth figure is modest by current standards and likely contributes to the significant FPS drops observed at 4K resolution. The GPU's PassMark G3D score of 17631 places it at the 59th percentile versus all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 16014.

The RX 9060's nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti with an average score of 16129 (0.7% higher), and the AMD Radeon RX 7700 at 15852 (1% lower). These close scores indicate that the RX 9060 sits in a competitive performance tier, though its 8 GB memory capacity may limit longevity in VRAM-intensive scenarios. The GPU's FP32 compute of 21.43 TFLOPS and texture rate of 334.9 GTexel/s provide adequate raw power for 1080p and 1440p gaming, but the 4K results in the measured data suggest diminishing returns at higher pixel densities.

In Control specifically, the GPU's performance at 1440p High (62 FPS) and 1080p High (82 FPS) demonstrates that the card handles the game's default quality settings well. The 4K Ultra result of 36 FPS, however, shows that the GPU struggles when both resolution and graphical fidelity are maximized, likely due to a combination of memory bandwidth limitations and the 8 GB VRAM ceiling being reached.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its strongest performance across all settings. Low settings yield 130 FPS average, Medium produces 92 FPS with a 78-106 FPS range, High reaches 82 FPS, and Ultra manages 71 FPS. The step from Medium to High is just 10 FPS, while the step from High to Ultra is 11 FPS, showing a relatively even distribution of performance cost across quality tiers. At 1080p, all presets except Ultra exceed 80 FPS, making this resolution the most comfortable for the combination.

At 2560x1440, performance remains respectable but begins to show strain. Low settings deliver 98 FPS, Medium averages 70 FPS with a 59-80 FPS range, High reaches 62 FPS, and Ultra drops to 54 FPS. The 1440p Medium result of 70 FPS is notable as it remains above the 60 FPS threshold, but the minimum of 59 FPS indicates occasional dips below this level. The 1440p Ultra result of 54 FPS falls below the 60 FPS target, suggesting that users seeking a locked 60 FPS experience should consider High settings or below.

At 3840x2160, the GPU becomes the clear bottleneck. Low settings achieve 66 FPS, Medium averages 47 FPS with a 40-54 FPS range, High drops to 42 FPS, and Ultra falls to 36 FPS. Only the Low preset maintains an average above 60 FPS at 4K, while Medium and High hover in the 40s and Ultra sits in the mid-30s. The 4K Medium minimum of 40 FPS and maximum of 54 FPS show a narrower range than at lower resolutions, indicating that the GPU is consistently pegged at its limit rather than experiencing intermittent spikes.

The progression across resolutions for each setting follows a predictable pattern, with roughly a 25-30% reduction in FPS from 1080p to 1440p and another 30-35% reduction from 1440p to 4K. This consistent scaling suggests that the game's rendering load increases proportionally with pixel count, and the RX 9060's performance envelope is well-characterized by these measurements.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this CPU-GPU combination in Control?

A: The measured data shows that 1920x1080 provides the most comfortable experience, with all settings except Ultra exceeding 80 FPS average. At 2560x1440, Medium and Low settings stay above 60 FPS, while High dips to 62 FPS. At 3840x2160, only Low settings achieve above 60 FPS average.

Q: Can this system run Control at 4K Ultra settings?

A: No, the 4K Ultra preset averages only 36 FPS, which is well below the 60 FPS target for smooth gameplay. The 4K Medium preset averages 47 FPS, and even 4K High averages only 42 FPS.

Q: How does the RX 9060 compare to its nearest GPU rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RX 9060 has an average benchmark score of 16014, which is 0.7% lower than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti (16129), 1% higher than the AMD Radeon R9 370X (15862), and 1% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 7700 (15852).

Q: Is the Intel Core i7-12700KF a bottleneck for the RX 9060 in this game?

A: The data suggests the CPU is not a significant bottleneck at higher resolutions, as FPS scales consistently with resolution changes. The CPU's 85th percentile ranking and strong multi-threaded scores (Cinebench R23 multi-core of 28838) indicate it has sufficient headroom, though at 1080p Low (130 FPS), the CPU may begin to limit maximum frame rates.

Q: What is the FPS difference between High and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, High settings average 62 FPS while Ultra averages 54 FPS, representing an 8 FPS difference. This suggests Ultra's additional effects cost roughly 13% performance compared to High at this resolution.

Q: How does the combo rank among all tested systems for Control?

A: The combination ranks 1632 out of 2888 tested combos, placing it in the upper-middle portion of the overall distribution. This ranking reflects the system's ability to handle the game at medium-to-high settings across most resolutions.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend heavily on the target resolution and desired frame rate. For users with a 1920x1080 display, the High preset at 82 FPS average provides an excellent balance of visual quality and performance, while Ultra at 71 FPS remains playable if maximum fidelity is preferred. The Medium preset at 92 FPS offers additional headroom for users with high refresh rate monitors, and the 78 FPS minimum ensures consistent frame delivery.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset at 70 FPS average with a 59 FPS minimum is the safest choice for maintaining a mostly 60+ FPS experience. High settings at 62 FPS average are viable but may dip below 60 FPS during intense scenes, while Ultra at 54 FPS is best reserved for users who prioritize visuals over frame rate consistency. The Low preset at 98 FPS provides substantial headroom for competitive play or for users who prefer maximum responsiveness.

For 3840x2160 displays, the Low preset at 66 FPS is the only measured configuration that averages above 60 FPS. Medium at 47 FPS and High at 42 FPS offer improved visuals but at a significant frame rate cost. Users targeting 4K should either accept Low settings for smoothness or consider lowering the resolution to 1440p with higher quality presets.

The data indicates that the Medium preset offers the best overall experience across all three resolutions when considering both frame rate and visual fidelity. At 1080p Medium (92 FPS), 1440p Medium (70 FPS), and 4K Medium (47 FPS), the system delivers playable performance with moderate quality settings. For users prioritizing a locked 60 FPS, the combination of 1440p Medium or 1080p High provides the most consistent results, while 4K users should stick to Low settings.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i7-12700KF and AMD Radeon RX 9060 combination ranks 1632 out of 2888 tested combos in Control, placing it in the 56th percentile of all systems tested. This position reflects a setup that delivers solid 1080p and 1440p performance but falls short of high-end capabilities at 4K. The ranking is consistent with the individual component percentiles: the CPU sits at the 85th percentile versus all CPUs, while the GPU sits at the 59th percentile versus all GPUs, indicating that the GPU is the weaker link in this pairing.

In the context of the full combo distribution, this ranking means the system outperforms approximately 56% of tested configurations while trailing 44%. The GPU's nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks — the RTX 3060 Ti (0.7% faster) and RX 7700 (1% slower) — suggest that systems with these alternative GPUs would likely produce similar in-game results in Control. The CPU's close benchmark neighbors, such as the i7-13700T (0.1% slower) and i5-13600T (0.2% faster), indicate that CPU swaps within this performance tier would have minimal impact on the measured FPS.

The data shows that this combination is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming in Control, where it can maintain playable frame rates across all settings presets. At 4K, the system's capabilities are limited to Low settings for a smooth experience, which aligns with the GPU's 59th percentile ranking and its position below higher-tier cards in the benchmark hierarchy. Users seeking improved 4K performance would need to consider a GPU with greater memory bandwidth and capacity, as the 8 GB VRAM and 288.0 GB/s bandwidth of the RX 9060 represent the primary constraints at that resolution.