Control

Control is an action-adventure title that stresses both the GPU and CPU depending on the settings chosen. The data for the Intel Core i7-12700KF with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 shows a system that delivers high frame rates across all resolutions, but the scaling pattern reveals where the bottleneck shifts. This analysis walks through the measured FPS data, the combo's standing against other tested configurations, and the specific roles of the processor and graphics card.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a clear and predictable drop as resolution increases, but the rate of that drop changes depending on the quality preset. At Low settings, the average frame rate falls from 246 FPS at 1920x1080 to 186 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of 60 FPS. Moving from 2560x1440 to 3840x2160 at Low settings brings the average down to 126 FPS, another 60 FPS loss. This linear progression suggests that at Low settings, the system is scaling with the pixel count, and the GPU is the primary limiting factor even at 1080p, as the frame rates are high enough to indicate the CPU is not holding things back.

At Medium settings, the pattern is similar but with lower absolute numbers. The average FPS goes from 175 at 1920x1080 to 132 at 2560x1440, a drop of 43 FPS. From 2560x1440 to 3840x2160 at Medium, the average drops from 132 to 89, a loss of 43 FPS again. This consistent delta of 43 FPS between each resolution step at Medium settings indicates that the rendering workload is scaling almost entirely with resolution, a hallmark of GPU-bound performance. The minimum FPS at Medium settings also scales proportionally, with 149 at 1080p, 113 at 1440p, and 76 at 4K.

The High preset shows a slightly different scaling curve. The average FPS at 1920x1080 is 156, which drops to 118 at 2560x1440, a loss of 38 FPS. The jump from 2560x1440 to 3840x2160 at High settings results in an average of 79 FPS, a drop of 39 FPS. This is a marginally smaller absolute drop than at Low or Medium settings, but the relative percentage drop is similar. The fact that Low, Medium, and High all show roughly 40-60 FPS drops between resolution steps suggests that the GPU is consistently the limiting component across these presets.

Ultra settings exhibit the steepest relative scaling. At 1920x1080, the average FPS is 135. At 2560x1440, it falls to 102, a drop of 33 FPS. The most significant drop occurs when moving to 3840x2160, where the average FPS falls to 69, a loss of 33 FPS from 1440p. While the absolute delta is similar to other presets, the relative loss from 1440p to 4K is about 32%, which is the largest percentage drop among all presets. This indicates that at Ultra settings, the GPU is being pushed extremely hard at 4K, and the rendering complexity of the Ultra preset amplifies the cost of each additional pixel.

The data suggests that this combo is GPU-bound at all resolutions and settings tested. The consistent FPS deltas between resolutions, regardless of whether the preset is Low or Ultra, point to the RTX 4080 being the limiting factor. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see smaller FPS differences between 1080p and 1440p, and a larger difference between 1440p and 4K, as the GPU would have more headroom at lower resolutions. Instead, the scaling is uniform, indicating the GPU is fully utilized even at 1080p with Low settings, where the average FPS is 246.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i7-12700KF and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 ranks 241st out of 3720 tested combos in Control. This places it in the top 6.5% of all configurations, a strong showing that reflects the high-end nature of both components. The rank is based on average FPS across the measured scenarios, and the data indicates that this combo outperforms the vast majority of systems in the database.

Looking at the individual components, the RTX 4080 sits at the 86th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 54247. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER, scores 54209, a delta of 0.1%, meaning the 4080 is effectively tied with its SUPER variant in synthetic benchmarks. The AMD Radeon Pro W5700X scores 54828, which is 1.1% higher, and the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB scores 55698, 2.6% higher. These deltas are small, but they suggest the RTX 4080 is slightly behind some AMD offerings in raw compute benchmarks, though the in-game performance in Control may differ.

The Core i7-12700KF is at the 85th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 35365. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core i7-13700T, scores 35403, a delta of -0.1%, meaning the 12700KF is essentially equal. The Intel Core i5-13600T scores 35305, a delta of 0.2%, and the Intel Core 5 213PE scores 35428, a delta of -0.2%. The Intel Core i7-12700K scores 35287, a delta of 0.2%, showing that the KF variant is nearly identical in performance to the K variant. These results indicate that the CPU is a solid match for the GPU, with no significant bottleneck in either direction.

The combo rank of 241 out of 3720 is a composite measure that reflects how well these two components work together in Control. The high rank is not just due to the individual strengths of the CPU and GPU, but also their balance. The uniform FPS scaling across resolutions suggests that neither component is being held back by the other, allowing the combo to achieve its full potential.

FAQ

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

A: The average FPS at 1920x1080 with Ultra settings is 135 FPS. This is the highest quality preset tested at the lowest resolution, and the frame rate remains well above 60 FPS, indicating a smooth experience.

Q: How does the 4K High preset compare to the 1080p Ultra preset?

A: The 4K High preset averages 79 FPS, while the 1080p Ultra preset averages 135 FPS. The 4K High preset delivers a 56 FPS lower average, which is a significant drop, but the 79 FPS average is still playable. The difference highlights the cost of rendering at 3840x2160.

Q: Is there a single measured data point that shows the minimum FPS?

A: Yes, the Medium preset includes minimum FPS data for all three resolutions. At 1920x1080, the minimum is 149 FPS; at 2560x1440, it is 113 FPS; and at 3840x2160, it is 76 FPS. These minimums provide a floor for frame time consistency.

Q: What is the combo's rank among all tested systems?

A: The combo ranks 241st out of 3720 tested combinations in Control. This places it in the top 6.5% of all systems in the database, indicating a high-performance configuration.

Q: How does the RTX 4080 compare to its direct successor in benchmarks?

A: The RTX 4080 has an average benchmark score of 54247, while its nearest rival, the RTX 4080 SUPER, scores 54209. This is a delta of 0.1%, meaning the two are virtually identical in performance.

Q: What is the boost clock of the CPU in this combo?

A: The Intel Core i7-12700KF has a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. This high clock speed contributes to its strong single-threaded performance, which is relevant for game logic and physics.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of performance across three resolutions and four quality presets. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers the highest average FPS at 246, followed by Medium at 175, High at 156, and Ultra at 135. The Medium preset also includes a minimum FPS of 149 and a maximum of 201, providing a frame time range of 52 FPS. This indicates that even at the lowest resolution, the system is capable of very high frame rates, with the Low preset exceeding 240 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the order remains the same. The Low preset averages 186 FPS, Medium averages 132, High averages 118, and Ultra averages 102. The Medium preset shows a minimum of 113 and a maximum of 152, a range of 39 FPS. The relative performance gap between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 84 FPS, which is smaller than the 111 FPS gap at 1080p. This suggests that as resolution increases, the differences between presets become less pronounced in absolute terms, though still significant.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 126 FPS, Medium averages 89, High averages 79, and Ultra averages 69. The Medium preset has a minimum of 76 and a maximum of 103, a range of 27 FPS. This is the tightest frame time range across all resolutions, indicating that at 4K, the system is more consistent in its frame delivery. The gap between Low and Ultra at 4K is 57 FPS, which is the smallest absolute gap among the three resolutions. This is because the GPU is the limiting factor at 4K, and the preset settings have a reduced impact on the overall frame rate when the pixel count is already high.

The data shows that the system can handle 4K gaming at all presets, with even the Ultra preset averaging 69 FPS. The High preset at 4K averages 79 FPS, which is a good balance between visual quality and performance. The Medium preset at 4K averages 89 FPS, offering a higher frame rate with a slight reduction in visual fidelity. For players targeting 1440p, the Ultra preset at 102 FPS is a viable option, while the High preset at 118 FPS provides a smoother experience. At 1080p, all presets deliver over 135 FPS, making the system well-suited for high refresh rate monitors.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is the dominant component in this combo, and its specifications explain the measured performance. The GPU has 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 716.8 GB/s. This memory configuration is more than sufficient for Control at 4K, as the game's textures and effects do not appear to exceed the 16 GB capacity, even at Ultra settings. The lack of a min FPS drop at Ultra settings compared to other presets suggests that memory capacity is not a limiting factor.

The RTX 4080 has a base clock of 2205 MHz and a boost clock of 2505 MHz. The memory clock is listed at 1400 MHz, with an effective data rate of 22.4 Gbps. These clocks contribute to the GPU's raw compute power, which is rated at 48.74 TFLOPS for FP32 operations. This high compute throughput is what allows the GPU to maintain high frame rates at 4K, even with the demanding visual effects in Control. The GPU's pixel rate is 280.6 GPixel/s, and its texture rate is 761.5 GTexel/s, indicating that it can fill and texture frames rapidly.

The RTX 4080's benchmark scores show it is a top-tier GPU. It scores 34457 in Passmark G3D, which places it at the 86th percentile among all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the RTX 4080 SUPER, scores 54209 in the average benchmark, a delta of 0.1%, meaning the two are nearly identical. The AMD Radeon Pro W5700X scores 54828, which is 1.1% higher, and the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB scores 55698, 2.6% higher. These small deltas in synthetic benchmarks do not directly translate to in-game performance, but they indicate that the RTX 4080 is competitive with other high-end GPUs.

In Control, the GPU's role is clear from the resolution scaling data. The uniform FPS drops between resolutions across all presets indicate that the GPU is the primary bottleneck. The GPU is fully utilized at all settings, and its performance scales directly with the number of pixels rendered. The 16 GB memory buffer ensures that there are no texture streaming issues, and the high boost clock allows the GPU to sustain high frame rates under load. The data shows that the RTX 4080 is a capable 4K GPU for Control, with the ability to push over 60 FPS at Ultra settings and over 120 FPS at Low settings.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides clear guidance on which settings preset offers the best experience for different priorities. For players with a 1920x1080 monitor, the High preset at 156 FPS is an excellent choice, as it provides a smooth experience with good visual quality. The Ultra preset at 135 FPS is also viable, and the difference in visual fidelity may be worth the 21 FPS drop for some players. The Medium preset at 175 FPS is a good option for those who prefer higher frame rates, but the visual difference between Medium and High is often noticeable in a game like Control, which has detailed environments and particle effects.

At 2560x1440, the High preset at 118 FPS is the recommended choice for most players. It offers a good balance between visual quality and performance, with frame rates that are well above the 60 FPS threshold. The Ultra preset at 102 FPS is also playable, and for players with G-Sync or FreeSync monitors, the slight drop in frame rate may not be noticeable. The Medium preset at 132 FPS provides a faster experience, but the reduction in visual effects may detract from the game's atmosphere.

At 3840x2160, the High preset at 79 FPS is the best option for a high-quality experience. It delivers frame rates that are above 60 FPS, ensuring smooth gameplay while maintaining a high level of visual detail. The Ultra preset at 69 FPS is also playable, but the 10 FPS difference may be noticeable in fast-paced combat sequences. The Medium preset at 89 FPS is a strong alternative for players who prioritize frame rate over visual fidelity, and it offers a significant boost over High without a drastic reduction in visual quality. The Low preset at 126 FPS is not recommended for 4K, as the visual compromise is too severe for the frame rate gain.

The data indicates that the High preset is the sweet spot for this combo across all resolutions. It consistently delivers frame rates that are 60% or more of the Low preset's performance, while providing a much better visual experience. The Medium preset is a good fallback for players who need higher frame rates, and the Ultra preset is viable for those who want the best visuals and are willing to accept lower frame rates. The Low preset is best reserved for competitive play where frame rate is paramount.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-12700KF plays a supporting role in this combo, but its specifications ensure it does not bottleneck the RTX 4080. The CPU has 12 cores and 20 threads, with a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. This high boost clock is critical for gaming, as Control's game logic and physics calculations benefit from strong single-threaded performance. The CPU's cache configuration includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 1.25 MB of L2 per core, and 25 MB of shared L3 cache, which helps reduce memory latency and improve data throughput.

The CPU's benchmark scores are strong, with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 28838 and a single-core score of 4071. These scores indicate that the CPU can handle both multi-threaded workloads and single-threaded tasks effectively. The Geekbench multicore score is 14367, and the single-core score is 2255. In Passmark, the CPU scores 34092 in multithread and 3984 in single-thread. These results place the CPU at the 85th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 35365.

The CPU's nearest rivals in benchmarks are the Intel Core i7-13700T, which scores 35403, a delta of -0.1%, and the Intel Core i5-13600T, which scores 35305, a delta of 0.2%. The Intel Core i7-12700K scores 35287, a delta of 0.2%, showing that the KF variant is effectively identical. These deltas are minimal, indicating that the CPU is well within the expected performance range for its class.

In Control, the CPU's role is less pronounced than the GPU's, as the resolution scaling data shows consistent FPS drops that are typical of GPU-bound performance. However, the CPU's high single-thread performance ensures that the game's simulation thread does not become a bottleneck, even at 1080p with Low settings where the GPU is producing 246 FPS. The CPU's 20 threads also help with background tasks and any multi-threaded aspects of the game engine, though Control is not known for being heavily multi-threaded. The data shows that the CPU is more than adequate for this combo, and its performance is well-matched to the RTX 4080.