Control

Control with an Intel Core i7-12700KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is a pairing that sits at the 46th spot out of 1636 tested combinations in this game, placing it in the top 3% of all recorded configurations. The measured data shows a system that is heavily GPU-bound at higher resolutions, yet still delivers exceptionally high frame rates across the board. The RTX 4090's 24 GB of GDDR6X memory and 1.01 TB/s of bandwidth provide a massive foundation, while the i7-12700KF's 12 cores and 20 threads ensure the CPU never becomes a bottleneck, even when frame rates climb toward the 200 FPS range. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS data to determine the optimal settings, the role of each component, and how resolution scaling affects performance.

Settings Recommendations

The sweet spot for this configuration is the High preset. At 4K, High yields an average of 85.5 FPS, which is a comfortable margin above the 60 FPS standard for smooth play. Moving to Ultra at 4K drops the average to 78.2 FPS, a 8.5% performance hit that is unlikely to be worth the marginal visual gains. The data shows that the gap between High and Medium at 4K is only 13.1 FPS (85.5 vs 98.4), suggesting that High offers a better balance of visual fidelity and performance headroom than Medium, which is likely to look noticeably worse. At 1440p, High delivers 130 FPS, which is ideal for high-refresh-rate monitors, and the jump to Ultra still keeps you at 116.8 FPS, so those with 144Hz displays can consider Ultra without dropping below the refresh threshold. For 1080p, the choice is less critical; even Ultra maintains an average of 150.5 FPS. The data suggests that High is the most efficient preset across all resolutions, providing the best experience per the measured rows without sacrificing the visual features that matter in an action-adventure title like this.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is the dominant component in this system, and the measured FPS data reflects its capabilities. With 16,384 shading units, 512 TMUs, and 176 ROPs, the GPU has immense raw throughput. The boost clock of 2520 MHz and base clock of 2235 MHz allow it to sustain high performance under load. The 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus provides 1.01 TB/s of bandwidth, which is more than sufficient for this game's textures and geometry at any resolution. The benchmark results confirm its standing: it scores 38,194 in Passmark G3D and 317,684 in Geekbench OpenCL, placing it in the 91st percentile of all GPUs. Interestingly, its nearest rivals in the database are professional workstation cards like the NVIDIA Tesla T4 and AMD Radeon Pro Vega 56, but the RTX 4090's deltaPct of -0.4% to the Tesla T4 shows it is essentially on par with those in synthetic tests, though the gaming-specific data here shows a clear advantage. The GPU's 82.58 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is the engine driving the high frame rates, and the data shows that at 1080p Low, the system hits 265.8 FPS, which is near the practical limit for most displays. The GPU's role is to provide massive headroom, ensuring that even in the most demanding scenes, the frame rate does not collapse.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is steep, and it clearly indicates a GPU-bound scenario. At High settings, the average FPS falls from 171.7 at 1080p to 130 at 1440p, a 24.3% reduction, and then to 85.5 at 4K, a further 34.2% reduction from 1440p. This pattern is consistent with the GPU being the limiting factor, as the CPU has enough headroom to feed the GPU at all resolutions. The scaling from 1440p to 4K at High shows a larger relative drop than from 1080p to 1440p, which is typical for a GPU that is being pushed harder at higher pixel counts. At Low settings, the system hits 265.8 FPS at 1080p, which drops to 206 at 1440p and 137.8 at 4K. The percentage drops are 22.5% and 33.1% respectively, showing that the GPU is still the bottleneck even at Low, where CPU load would be relatively higher. The data suggests that for this game, the i7-12700KF is not a limiting factor; moving from 1080p to 4K does not reveal a CPU plateau, as the frame rates continue to scale with GPU load. The 4K Ultra result of 78.2 FPS is the lowest measured, but still playable, indicating that the GPU is the sole arbiter of performance here.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1080p, the system delivers exceptional performance across all presets. Low settings produce an average of 265.8 FPS, Medium hits 192.9 FPS, High reaches 171.7 FPS, and Ultra maintains 150.5 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 115.3 FPS, which shows that the settings have a significant impact, but even the lowest result is far beyond what most displays can show. At 1440p, the averages are 206 FPS for Low, 148.3 FPS for Medium, 130 FPS for High, and 116.8 FPS for Ultra. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is consistent across settings, roughly 22-25%, which is expected for a resolution increase of 78% in pixel count. At 4K, the averages are 137.8 FPS for Low, 98.4 FPS for Medium, 85.5 FPS for High, and 78.2 FPS for Ultra. The 4K Ultra result is the only one that dips below the 100 FPS mark, but it remains above the 60 FPS threshold. The data shows a clear hierarchy: Low is the fastest, Ultra is the slowest, and the difference between High and Ultra is smaller than the difference between Low and Medium. This suggests that the Ultra preset includes some expensive effects that provide diminishing returns, while the jump from Low to Medium is more substantial in terms of visual quality.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to play this game at with this hardware?

A: The data shows that 1440p High provides an average of 130 FPS, which is ideal for high-refresh-rate monitors. 4K High is also viable at 85.5 FPS, but 1440p offers a better balance of smoothness and visual fidelity.

Q: How much performance is lost when going from 1080p to 4K?

A: At High settings, the average FPS drops from 171.7 at 1080p to 85.5 at 4K, a reduction of 50.2%. At Ultra, the drop is from 150.5 to 78.2, a 48% reduction, confirming the GPU is the bottleneck.

Q: Is the Ultra preset worth the performance cost?

A: At 4K, Ultra averages 78.2 FPS compared to High's 85.5 FPS, a difference of 7.3 FPS. At 1440p, the gap is 13.2 FPS (116.8 vs 130). The visual gains are subjective, but the data shows High is more efficient.

Q: Can this system maintain 60 FPS at 4K with all settings maxed out?

A: Yes, the measured data shows a 4K Ultra average of 78.2 FPS, which is 18.2 FPS above the 60 FPS threshold. The system has headroom even in the most demanding preset.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Intel Core i7-12700KF has an average benchmark score of 35,355, which is 0.1% higher than the Intel Core i5-14400 and 0.2% higher than the Intel Core i9-12900HX, showing it is on par with these alternatives.

Q: What is the GPU's percentile ranking among all tested graphics cards?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 ranks in the 91st percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 66,473. Its closest rival, the NVIDIA Tesla T4, is 0.4% behind.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-12700KF is a 12-core, 20-thread processor based on the Alder Lake architecture, with a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. Its 25 MB of shared L3 cache and support for both DDR4 and DDR5 memory make it a versatile choice. In synthetic benchmarks, it scores 28,979 in Cinebench R23 multicore and 4,091 in single-core, placing it in the 89th percentile of all CPUs. Its average benchmark score of 35,355 is nearly identical to that of the Intel Core i5-14400 (35,336, deltaPct of 0.1%), meaning the two are effectively interchangeable in raw compute tasks. In this game, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with data quickly enough to avoid bottlenecks. The measured FPS data shows that the CPU is not a limiting factor: at 1080p Low, the system reaches 265.8 FPS, which is a very high frame rate that would stress the CPU's single-thread performance. The 3dmark single-thread score of 1,043 and Passmark single-thread score of 3,984 indicate strong per-core performance, which is crucial for game logic and draw calls. The CPU's 20 threads also help with background tasks and any multithreaded game systems, ensuring consistent frame times. The fact that the FPS scales smoothly with resolution changes, rather than hitting a plateau, confirms that the i7-12700KF provides ample headroom for the RTX 4090 in this title, making it a well-matched pairing for high-refresh-rate gaming.