Control

The Intel Core i7-12700KF paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 represents a configuration where a high-end 12th Gen processor meets a mid-range Turing graphics card. In Control, a game known for its demanding physics and particle effects, this pairing produces a predictable bottleneck: the CPU provides ample headroom, while the GPU becomes the primary constraint on frame rates. The i7-12700KF features 12 cores and 20 threads, with a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. This architecture, built on the Alder Lake-S design with a 10 nm process, delivers a substantial amount of computational power. Benchmark data supports this, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 28979 and a single-core score of 4091, placing it in the 89th percentile of all CPUs. For a game like Control, which relies on real-time physics calculations, this CPU ensures that the processor is rarely the limiting factor; the data shows that even at lower resolutions, the frame rate scaling is dictated more by GPU load than by CPU capability.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The i7-12700KF is a powerhouse on paper, and the benchmark results confirm its strong multi-threaded capabilities. With a PassMark multithread score of 34092 and a 3DMark max threads score of 9983, the processor has no trouble handling the complex calculations Control demands for its destructible environments and object physics. The CPU’s single-thread performance, evidenced by a Geekbench single-core score of 2526 and a 3DMark single thread score of 1043, is equally robust, ensuring that the game’s primary render thread is well-fed. When compared to its nearest rivals, the i7-12700KF shows a deltaPct of only 0.1% against the Intel Core i5-14400, and 0.2% against the Intel Core i9-12900HX, meaning it is statistically tied with these processors in general benchmark averages. This indicates that for CPU-bound tasks in Control, the i7-12700KF provides performance that is effectively indistinguishable from these peers, giving the GPU a consistent and stable foundation. The 25 MB of shared L3 cache and the 80 KB L1 cache per core further help reduce latency, which is beneficial for the game’s frame pacing. The data suggests that in this specific combo, the CPU is not the bottleneck at any resolution; instead, it waits for the GPU to render frames, a clear sign of a balanced yet GPU-limited setup.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060, with its 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, is the definitive limiting component in this configuration. Its memory bandwidth of 336.0 GB/s is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p gaming, but the card’s compute power, rated at 6.451 TFLOPS for FP32, struggles as resolution increases. The GPU’s base clock of 1365 MHz and boost clock of 1680 MHz are standard for the Turing architecture, and the 1920 shading units are tasked with rendering the game’s detailed textures and effects. In Control, which uses heavy ray tracing and particle effects, the RTX 2060’s 30 RT cores are present but not sufficient for high-fidelity ray tracing at playable frame rates. The benchmark data shows a PassMark G3D score of 14111, placing the GPU in the 58th percentile of all GPUs, indicating it is a mid-range performer. Its nearest rivals, such as the AMD Radeon RX 7600S with a deltaPct of 0.5%, show that the RTX 2060 is competitively positioned, but its 6 GB VRAM capacity can be a limiting factor at 4K resolution where texture data exceeds the available memory, leading to potential stuttering or reduced texture quality. The data indicates that the GPU’s performance directly dictates the average FPS across all settings and resolutions.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured FPS data reveals a classic GPU-bound scaling pattern. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves 107.3 FPS, which drops to 68.4 FPS at High settings, a 36% reduction. Moving up to 1440p, the Low settings frame rate falls to 80.3 FPS, and High settings drops to 50.3 FPS. Finally, at 4K (3840x2160), the frame rates plummet to 55.2 FPS on Low and 35.8 FPS on High. This scaling is steep: from 1080p Low to 4K Low, the frame rate drops by 48.5%, and from 1080p High to 4K High, the drop is 47.7%. This consistent percentage drop across settings strongly suggests the GPU is the sole limiting factor. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see a plateau or a less pronounced drop as resolution increases, because the CPU’s workload remains constant regardless of resolution. The data shows no such plateau; instead, the FPS declines almost linearly with the increase in pixel count, confirming that the RTX 2060 is saturated at all resolutions, and the i7-12700KF is never struggling to keep up. The gap between Low and Ultra settings at each resolution also widens as resolution decreases, indicating that at lower resolutions, the GPU can render faster, but the CPU still does not become a limitation.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

The full dataset provides a clear picture of performance across three resolutions and four quality presets. At 1920x1080, the config starts at 107.3 FPS on Low, moves to 78.7 FPS on Medium, 68.4 FPS on High, and bottoms out at 60.6 FPS on Ultra. This 1080p range is the only resolution where the combo consistently exceeds 60 FPS, with Low and Medium presets providing the smoothest experience. At 2560x1440, the performance drops to 80.3 FPS on Low, 57.2 FPS on Medium, 50.3 FPS on High, and 42.6 FPS on Ultra. Here, only the Low preset achieves above 60 FPS, while Medium and High fall into the 50-60 FPS range, and Ultra dips below 45 FPS. At 3840x2160, the numbers are 55.2 FPS on Low, 41.2 FPS on Medium, 35.8 FPS on High, and 30.9 FPS on Ultra. None of the 4K presets reach a playable 60 FPS, and even the Low preset struggles to stay above 55 FPS. The delta between Low and Ultra is consistent: a 43.5% drop at 1080p, a 47% drop at 1440p, and a 44% drop at 4K. This consistency reinforces that the GPU is the bottleneck, as the relative cost of higher settings is uniform regardless of resolution. The data also shows that the jump from Medium to High has a more significant impact on FPS than the jump from High to Ultra, suggesting diminishing returns at the highest preset.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

In the grand scheme of tested hardware combinations for Control, this pairing of the Intel Core i7-12700KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 holds a rank of 1342 out of 1636 total combos. This places it in the lower 18% of all tested systems, which is a direct reflection of the GPU’s mid-range standing. The CPU, by itself, ranks in the 89th percentile, but the combo’s overall rank is dragged down by the GPU’s 58th percentile performance. This ranking indicates that while the processor is capable of driving much more powerful graphics cards, the RTX 2060 limits the system to a level that is below the median of all tested configurations. The data from nearestRivals for the GPU, such as the AMD Radeon Pro 5700 with a deltaPct of -1.7% and the AMD Radeon RX 7600S with a deltaPct of 0.5%, shows that the RTX 2060 is clumped together with other mid-range cards, none of which would significantly alter this ranking. The high CPU score does not translate into a high combo rank, proving that in Control, the GPU is the sole arbiter of the final frame rate. This rank suggests that users with this CPU should consider pairing it with a more powerful GPU to unlock its full potential, but as a tested unit, this combo performs as expected given its components.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

Based solely on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend heavily on the target resolution. For 1920x1080, the High preset delivers 68.4 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay, while the Ultra preset drops to 60.6 FPS, which is still playable but leaves less headroom for demanding scenes. The Medium preset at 78.7 FPS is the best balance for high refresh rate monitors, providing a significant margin above 60 FPS without the visual fidelity loss of Low (107.3 FPS). For 2560x1440, the Low preset is the only one that achieves 80.3 FPS, but this comes with a substantial visual quality reduction. The Medium preset at 57.2 FPS is the best playable option if you can tolerate slightly lower than 60 FPS, as the High preset at 50.3 FPS may feel less fluid. At 3840x2160, all presets fall below 60 FPS, with Low at 55.2 FPS being the only one that approaches playability. The data indicates that for the best experience at 1440p or 4K, the user must accept either lower framerates or reduced settings. Given that the GPU is the bottleneck, there is no CPU-side adjustment that will improve these numbers. The most practical recommendation is to use the High preset at 1080p for a solid 60+ FPS experience, or the Medium preset at 1440p if a higher resolution is preferred, accepting a 57.2 FPS average. The Ultra preset is not recommended, as the performance cost over High is substantial, with only a fraction of the visual benefit, based on the data’s diminishing returns.