Control

Control, the 2019 action-adventure title from Remedy Entertainment, presents a demanding environment that heavily stresses both the GPU and CPU depending on the resolution and settings selected. The benchmark data for the Intel Core i7-12700KF paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 reveals a configuration that is exceptionally capable at high refresh rates, yet exhibits a clear transition to GPU-bound performance as resolution increases. The measured frame rates across the three primary resolutions and four quality presets provide a detailed profile of this combo's behavior, indicating where its strengths lie and how its components interact with the game's rendering engine.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate progression from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 clearly illustrates the shifting bottleneck between the CPU and GPU. At the 1080p resolution with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 207.7 FPS, which is the highest figure recorded in the entire dataset. This very high frame rate suggests that the processor is doing the heavy lifting at this low graphical load, allowing the GPU to operate near its maximum potential without being fully constrained by pixel throughput. Moving to 2560x1440 at Low settings, the average drops to 154.8 FPS, a significant reduction that indicates the GPU is beginning to take on a more substantial workload, but the CPU still has enough headroom to maintain a high output.

The scaling from 1440p to 4K at the Low preset shows a further decline to 103.8 FPS at 3840x2160. This pattern is consistent with the GPU becoming the primary limiting factor; the rendering resolution demands more from the rasterization and shading units, which proportionally reduces the output. When examining the High settings, the same trend is visible but with lower absolute values: 132.2 FPS at 1080p, 102.2 FPS at 1440p, and 65.1 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is about 30 FPS, while the drop from 1440p to 4K is about 37 FPS, showing that the cost of each resolution step increases as the pixel count rises, which is a typical characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario. The data suggests that at 1080p, the combo is often limited by the CPU or other system factors, whereas at 4K, the RTX 5070's raw pixel processing power is the definitive constraint.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070, based on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture, is the dominant component in this pairing for most tested configurations. Its 12 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 192-bit bus provides a memory bandwidth of 672.0 GB/s, which appears sufficient for Control's high-resolution textures and effects. The benchmark results show that the GPU's performance scales predictably with the quality settings; at 4K, the average frame rate falls from 103.8 FPS at Low to 77.8 FPS at Medium, then to 65.1 FPS at High, and finally to 60.2 FPS at Ultra. This 43.6 FPS difference between the lowest and highest settings at 4K highlights the significant strain that Ultra presets place on the GPU's shading units and memory subsystem.

The GPU's clock speeds, with a base of 2325 MHz and a boost of 2512 MHz, are part of the reason it can sustain these frame rates. The performance percentile of 83 relative to all GPUs, combined with an average benchmark score of 41687, positions it as a high-tier card, though its nearest rivals in that metric include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 with a deltaPct of 0.6. In practical terms for Control, the GPU's role becomes more pronounced at higher resolutions and settings; at 1080p Low, the frame rate of 207.7 FPS is likely not fully utilizing the GPU's potential, but at 4K Ultra, it is clearly working at its limits to maintain a playable 60.2 FPS average.

How This Combo Ranks

Within the extensive database of tested hardware combinations, this specific pairing of the Intel Core i7-12700KF and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 achieves a combo rank of 335 out of 1636 total combos for Control. This places it in the top 20 percent of all tested configurations for this game, indicating a very strong performance level. The rank is a reflection of the balance between the CPU's capability to feed the GPU and the GPU's ability to render the game's complex scenes. While the CPU is not the absolute top performer—it holds a percentile of 89 against all CPUs—its high single-thread and multi-thread scores from the benchmark suite support the GPU effectively.

The combo's rank of 335 suggests that there are many other configurations that can outperform it, likely those using higher-tier GPUs or newer CPUs. However, the data shows that this pairing is far from a bottleneck in most scenarios. The fact that it achieves over 200 FPS at 1080p Low and over 100 FPS at 1440p High demonstrates that it is well-suited for high-refresh-rate gaming. The rank is a holistic measure that accounts for all resolutions and settings, and the strong performance at lower resolutions likely contributes to its position. It reflects the i7-12700KF's 12 cores and 20 threads, which provide ample processing power, and the RTX 5070's robust feature set.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its best results. The Low setting produces an average of 207.7 FPS, which is remarkably high and suitable for competitive play. Moving up to Medium, the average drops to 147.3 FPS, a 60 FPS decrease that shows the impact of more detailed textures and lighting. The High setting yields 132.2 FPS, while the Ultra setting brings the average down to 114 FPS. These figures demonstrate that even at the most demanding 1080p preset, the combo maintains a frame rate well above the standard 60 FPS target, providing a smooth and responsive experience.

At 2560x1440, the performance remains strong but begins to show the GPU's workload. The Low setting averages 154.8 FPS, which is still exceptionally high. The Medium preset reduces this to 111.7 FPS, and High settings bring it to 102.2 FPS. The Ultra setting at 1440p produces an average of 85.9 FPS, which is still comfortably playable on most high-refresh monitors. This resolution appears to be a sweet spot for the combo, offering a good balance between visual fidelity and performance. At 3840x2160, the demands of 4K become apparent. The Low setting averages 103.8 FPS, which is impressive for 4K, but the Ultra setting drops to 60.2 FPS, exactly at the threshold of standard 60 Hz displays. The Medium setting averages 77.8 FPS, and High settings average 65.1 FPS, showing a clear linear progression in cost as quality increases.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-12700KF, with its 12 cores and 20 threads based on the Alder Lake architecture, provides the foundational processing power for this combo. Its boost clock of 5.00 GHz and base clock of 3.60 GHz allow it to handle both single-threaded and multi-threaded workloads effectively. In the context of Control, a game that can utilize multiple cores, the CPU's performance is critical for maintaining high frame rates, especially at lower resolutions where the GPU is not the bottleneck. The benchmark scores for the CPU are substantial; for example, it achieves a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 28979 and a single-core score of 4091, indicating strong raw capability.

The CPU's role in the measured FPS is most evident at 1080p with Low settings, where the 207.7 FPS average is likely limited by the CPU's ability to issue draw calls and process game logic. As the resolution increases, the GPU takes over as the primary limiter, and the CPU's influence on the final frame rate diminishes. The data shows that at 4K, the differences between the CPU's potential and the actual frame rates are more attributable to the GPU. The CPU's high L3 cache of 25 MB and support for DDR4 and DDR5 memory further contribute to its ability to keep data flowing to the GPU without stalls. Overall, the i7-12700KF is a capable partner that does not hold back the RTX 5070 in most scenarios, except possibly at the very lowest settings and resolutions.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to use for this combo in Control to get a high refresh rate?

A: At 2560x1440, the combo achieves an average of 154.8 FPS on Low settings and 102.2 FPS on High settings, making it a viable choice for high-refresh-rate monitors while maintaining good visual quality.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming in Control?

A: Yes, it can. At 3840x2160, the average frame rate ranges from 103.8 FPS on Low settings to 60.2 FPS on Ultra settings, meaning it can play at 4K, though Ultra settings will be limited to a 60 FPS experience.

Q: How does the RTX 5070's VRAM affect performance in Control?

A: The GPU has 12 GB of GDDR7 memory with a 672.0 GB/s bandwidth. The benchmark data shows consistent performance scaling across settings, indicating that this memory configuration is sufficient for the game's requirements at all tested presets.

Q: What is the CPU's role at lower resolutions?

A: At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the average FPS is 207.7, which is the highest in the dataset. This suggests the CPU is a significant factor, as the GPU has less work to do, and the processor's 12 cores and 20 threads are able to drive a very high frame rate.

Q: What is the average frame rate difference between 1080p and 4K at High settings?

A: At 1920x1080 High, the average is 132.2 FPS, while at 3840x2160 High, the average is 65.1 FPS. This represents a drop of 67.1 FPS, showing a substantial performance cost when moving to 4K.

Q: How does this combo's rank compare to other tested systems?

A: The combo is ranked 335 out of 1636 total combinations for Control. This places it in the top 20% of all tested systems, indicating a strong overall performance for this game.