Control

# Control — Intel Core i7-12700KF + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti

The data for this combination places it at rank 1339 out of 3720 tested combos in Control, putting it in the upper-middle tier of all systems measured. The Core i7-12700KF, with its 12 cores and 20 threads, pairs with the RTX 3070 Ti's 8 GB of GDDR6X memory to deliver playable frame rates across all resolutions, though the scaling pattern reveals a system increasingly bound by the GPU as resolution climbs. The following sections break down exactly how this pairing behaves in Control, using only the measured rows provided.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a clear and consistent pattern: as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160, average frame rates drop substantially across all settings, indicating that the GPU becomes the primary limiting factor at higher pixel counts. At High settings, the average FPS falls from 105 at 1080p to 79 at 1440p, then to 54 at 4K — a 49% reduction from 1080p to 4K. This steep decline is characteristic of a system where the graphics card's rendering throughput, rather than the CPU's processing capability, dictates performance at higher resolutions.

The Low settings row reinforces this interpretation. At 1920x1080 Low, the system averages 166 FPS, which drops to 126 at 2560x1440 and 85 at 3840x2160. The fact that even at Low settings the 4K average is only 85 FPS — while the 1080p Low figure reaches 166 FPS — suggests that the RTX 3070 Ti's raw fill rate and memory bandwidth are the constraining factors, not the CPU. If the processor were the bottleneck, we would expect to see a plateau or smaller delta between 1440p and 4K, but the data shows a near-linear decline with pixel count.

Medium settings provide the only rows with min and max FPS values, offering additional insight into frame time consistency. At 1920x1080 Medium, the average is 118 FPS with a min of 101 and max of 136 — a 30% spread between min and max. At 2560x1440 Medium, the average drops to 89 FPS with a min of 76 and max of 103, while at 3840x2160 Medium, the average is 60 FPS with a min of 51 and max of 69. The min-to-max range stays proportionally similar across resolutions, suggesting that the frame pacing remains stable even as the overall throughput decreases — there is no evidence of sudden stutters or hitches appearing at higher resolutions.

The Ultra settings row shows the most demanding scenario, with averages of 91 FPS at 1080p, 69 FPS at 1440p, and 47 FPS at 4K. The 4K Ultra figure at 47 FPS is the only sub-60 average in the entire dataset, indicating that this combination can handle 4K Ultra only marginally below the standard 60 FPS target. Overall, the resolution scaling data points to a GPU-bound system at 1440p and above, with the CPU's 12 cores providing ample headroom even at 1080p where the 166 FPS Low result suggests the processor is never the limiting factor.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-12700KF brings 12 cores and 20 threads to this pairing, with a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. The CPU's L3 cache is 25 MB shared, and it supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory through a dual-channel bus. In Control, a game that does not typically scale linearly with core counts, the 12-core configuration appears more than sufficient based on the measured FPS data — the fact that 1080p Low reaches 166 FPS while 4K Low drops to 85 FPS strongly suggests the CPU is not the bottleneck even at the lowest resolution.

Benchmark scores for the i7-12700KF place it in the 85th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 35365. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i7-13700T (average score 35403, deltaPct -0.1), the Intel Core i5-13600T (average score 35305, deltaPct 0.2), the Intel Core 5 213PE (average score 35428, deltaPct -0.2), and the Intel Core i7-12700K (average score 35287, deltaPct 0.2). These deltas are all within 0.2% of the i7-12700KF's score, indicating that this chip sits in a tightly packed performance cluster where no single rival holds a meaningful advantage.

Looking at multi-threaded synthetic tests, the Cinebench R23 multicore score is 28838, while the single-core score is 4071. The 3DMark 16-thread score of 9282 versus the max-thread score of 9983 shows only a 7.5% improvement from adding more threads, suggesting the chip's 8 performance cores (part of the Alder Lake hybrid architecture) carry most of the workload. For Control, which is not known for heavy multi-threading, this distribution is fine — the game's frame rates at 1080p (166 FPS Low) indicate the CPU can feed frames faster than the GPU can render them at that resolution.

The processor's 125 W TDP and Intel Socket 1700 mount point to a desktop-class part with headroom for sustained loads, though no thermal or power data is provided in the measured FPS rows. The CPU's 10 nm process node and Alder Lake-S architecture are consistent with its 2021 release date, and its passmark_single_thread score of 3984 reflects strong per-core performance that benefits games with light thread requirements.

How This Combo Ranks

This combination of the i7-12700KF and RTX 3070 Ti achieves a rank of 1339 out of 3720 tested combos in Control, placing it in the 64th percentile of all systems measured (calculated from the rank and total). This is a solid mid-to-upper tier result — the system outperforms roughly two-thirds of tested configurations, though it does not crack the top tier reserved for flagship GPUs paired with flagship CPUs.

The rank makes sense when considering the individual components. The RTX 3070 Ti sits in the 75th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 29945. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Mobile (average score 29928, deltaPct 0.1), the AMD Radeon RX 6800 (average score 30095, deltaPct -0.5), the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti (average score 29783, deltaPct 0.5), and the AMD Radeon RX 6700 (average score 30433, deltaPct -1.6). The GPU's 75th percentile ranking is a touch higher than the combo's 64th percentile in Control, which suggests that the game's specific demands slightly favor other pairings or that the CPU's 85th percentile ranking does not fully translate into Control's performance hierarchy.

The CPU's 85th percentile is notably higher than the GPU's 75th percentile, yet the combo rank in Control falls below both individual percentiles. This divergence indicates that Control's engine is not fully utilizing the i7-12700KF's capabilities — the 12-core processor is overkill for this title, and the RTX 3070 Ti's mid-high GPU tier becomes the limiting factor. In a more CPU-intensive game, this combo might rank higher relative to its components, but in Control the data shows the GPU holding the reins.

Compared to the GPU's nearest rivals, the RTX 3070 Ti's deltaPct values are small — within 1.6% of the RX 6700 on the low side and 0.5% of the RTX 2080 Ti on the high side. This tight clustering means the combo's rank in Control could shift by a few hundred positions depending on which GPU variant is paired with the same CPU, but the overall tier remains similar.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers high frame rates across all settings. Low averages 166 FPS, Medium averages 118 FPS with a min of 101 and max of 136, High averages 105 FPS, and Ultra averages 91 FPS. All four settings exceed 60 FPS comfortably, and even the Ultra preset with its 91 FPS average leaves headroom for high-refresh-rate displays. The 75 FPS gap between Low and Ultra (166 vs 91) shows the significant impact of graphics settings on this GPU at 1080p.

At 2560x1440, the averages drop but remain playable. Low hits 126 FPS, Medium averages 89 FPS with a min of 76 and max of 103, High averages 79 FPS, and Ultra averages 69 FPS. Every setting at 1440p still clears the 60 FPS threshold, with Ultra just barely above it at 69 FPS. The Medium setting's min FPS of 76 indicates that even in demanding scenes, the system maintains a smooth experience — there is no dip below 60 FPS in the recorded data.

At 3840x2160, the system begins to strain. Low averages 85 FPS, Medium averages 60 FPS with a min of 51 and max of 69, High averages 54 FPS, and Ultra averages 47 FPS. The Medium setting's min FPS of 51 shows that frame drops below 60 occur, and the Ultra average of 47 FPS falls well below the standard 60 FPS target. High at 54 FPS is borderline, while Low at 85 FPS remains smooth. The 4K data reveals that this combination is best suited to Low or Medium settings at this resolution for consistent 60+ FPS gameplay.

Across all resolutions, the Medium settings rows are the only ones with complete min/max data, showing a consistent pattern: the min FPS is roughly 85-86% of the average, and the max FPS is about 115-116% of the average. This narrow band suggests stable frame delivery without major spikes or drops, which is a positive sign for gameplay smoothness regardless of resolution.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti is built on the Ampere architecture with a GA104 chip, fabricated on Samsung's 8 nm process with 17,400 million transistors on a 392 mm² die. Its 8 GB of GDDR6X memory runs at 19 Gbps effective with a 256-bit bus, yielding a bandwidth of 608.3 GB/s. The GPU has 6144 shading units, 192 TMUs, 96 ROPs, 48 RT cores, and 192 tensor cores, with a boost clock of 1770 MHz.

In Control, the GPU's role is clearly dominant based on the resolution scaling data. The 49% drop in High-setting average FPS from 1080p to 4K (105 to 54) is a classic GPU-bound signature. The 8 GB VRAM capacity is adequate for this title — no memory-related stutters are evident in the min FPS data, though 4K Ultra at 47 FPS average suggests the GPU is running out of raw compute rather than memory bandwidth.

The GPU's benchmark scores show a passmark_g3d score of 23356 and a geekbench_vulkan score of 139541, placing it in the 75th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 6800, scores 30095 with a deltaPct of -0.5, meaning the RTX 3070 Ti is essentially tied with it. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti trails by 0.5%, while the RTX 5070 Mobile is 0.1% ahead. This clustering around the 30000 mark indicates the RTX 3070 Ti sits in a competitive mid-high tier.

The GPU's pixel rate of 169.9 GPixel/s and texture rate of 339.8 GTexel/s provide theoretical ceilings that align with the measured FPS. At 4K Ultra, the system averages 47 FPS, which translates to approximately 389 million pixels per second (3840x2160 x 47) — about 44% of the GPU's peak pixel rate, accounting for the overhead of rendering effects and geometry. The FP32 performance of 21.75 TFLOPS is more than sufficient for Control's DirectX 12 rendering, as evidenced by the 1080p Low result of 166 FPS.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and frame rate preference. At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset at 91 FPS average is the clear recommendation — it delivers well above 60 FPS and provides the best visual quality without sacrificing smoothness. The gap between High (105 FPS) and Ultra (91 FPS) is only 14 FPS, making the Ultra setting a worthwhile upgrade for those with 1080p displays.

At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset at 69 FPS average is still above the 60 FPS threshold, making it the best choice for players who prioritize visual fidelity. However, those who prefer a higher refresh rate might opt for High at 79 FPS or Medium at 89 FPS. The Medium setting's min FPS of 76 is particularly attractive for consistency, as it never drops below 60 FPS in the recorded data.

At 3840x2160, the recommendation shifts to Medium settings, which average 60 FPS exactly with a min of 51 FPS. This is the only 4K setting with a min FPS above 50, and while the average hits the 60 FPS target, the min FPS suggests occasional dips below that threshold. Low at 85 FPS is the safe choice for guaranteed smoothness, but Medium offers a better balance of visual quality and performance. High at 54 FPS and Ultra at 47 FPS are both below the 60 FPS target, making them less desirable for standard 60 Hz displays unless the user prioritizes visuals over frame rate.

For the best overall experience, the data points to 1440p Medium or High as the sweet spot — the 89 FPS average at Medium with a 76 FPS min provides solid headroom, while 1080p Ultra at 91 FPS is ideal for those with 1080p monitors. The 4K Medium result is playable but on the edge, so players with 4K displays should be prepared for occasional frame drops below 60 FPS.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 1080p with High settings?

A: At 1920x1080 with High settings, the system averages 105 FPS, with no min or max values provided in the measured data.

Q: Can this combination handle 4K gaming at 60 FPS?

A: Only at Medium settings does the 4K average hit 60 FPS, but the min FPS of 51 shows dips below that target. Low settings at 4K average 85 FPS, while High averages 54 FPS and Ultra averages 47 FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 3070 Ti compare to the AMD Radeon RX 6800?

A: The RTX 3070 Ti has an average benchmark score of 29945, while the RX 6800 scores 30095, a deltaPct of -0.5% — meaning the RX 6800 is slightly faster by half a percent, effectively a tie.

Q: What is the CPU's percentile ranking among all processors?

A: The Intel Core i7-12700KF ranks in the 85th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 35365.

Q: What are the min and max FPS at 1440p Medium?

A: At 2560x1440 with Medium settings, the average FPS is 89, with a min of 76 and a max of 103.

Q: How does the combo rank in Control compared to all tested systems?

A: This combination ranks 1339 out of 3720 tested combos in Control, placing it in the upper-middle tier of all measured systems.