Control

The Intel Core i7-12700KF paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti delivers a strong performance profile in Control, though the data reveals a clear shift in bottleneck behavior as resolution climbs. At 1080p, the system is heavily CPU-bound, with frame rates scaling dramatically with settings. At 4K, the GPU becomes the primary limiting factor, and the frame rate differences between presets narrow considerably. This combination demonstrates a 12-core processor with a 5.00 GHz boost clock driving a GPU with 16 GB of VRAM and a 256-bit memory bus, resulting in a system that handles high-refresh 1440p gaming comfortably but requires settings adjustments for smooth 4K play.

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

The measured FPS data shows a consistent and significant drop as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160, but the magnitude of that drop varies sharply depending on the preset. At Low settings, the average frame rate falls from 235.9 FPS at 1080p to 176.2 at 1440p and then to 122.9 at 4K. That is a 48% reduction from 1080p to 4K, which is substantial but still leaves the system comfortably above 120 FPS at the highest resolution. At Ultra settings, the drop is steeper in percentage terms: from 131.1 FPS at 1080p to 96.1 at 1440p and then to 63.9 at 4K, a 51% decline overall.

This scaling pattern suggests that at 1080p and lower settings, the CPU is the limiting component. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 104.8 FPS, a massive spread that indicates the GPU has headroom to render far more frames than the CPU can feed. As resolution rises to 4K, the GPU workload increases, and the spread between Low and Ultra narrows to 59 FPS. The data implies that the RTX 5070 Ti, with its 896.0 GB/s bandwidth and 43.94 TFLOPS FP32 performance, becomes the bottleneck at 4K, especially under Ultra settings where the 63.9 FPS result is the lowest in the entire dataset.

The 4K Ultra result of 63.9 FPS is particularly telling. It is below the 76 FPS achieved at 4K High, indicating that the extra graphical fidelity of Ultra carries a real performance cost. The benchmark results indicate that users targeting 4K should not expect the same headroom seen at lower resolutions. The scaling from 1440p to 4K at High settings shows a 37 FPS drop, which is a 33% reduction, reinforcing that the GPU is the primary limiter at that resolution.

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

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 benchmark scores are strong, with a Cinebench R23 multicore result of 28979 and a single-core score of 4091. The processor’s passmark single-thread score of 3984 and 3dmark single-thread score of 1043 indicate solid per-core performance, which is critical for a game like Control that does not scale perfectly across many cores.

The data strongly suggests that at 1080p, the CPU is the limiting factor. The 235.9 FPS at Low settings versus 150.3 FPS at High settings shows that the GPU is capable of much higher output than the CPU can sustain. The processor’s 25 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel memory support for DDR4 and DDR5 likely help maintain frame pacing, but the benchmark results indicate that the CPU cannot keep up with the RTX 5070 Ti’s raw rendering power at lower resolutions. The 3dmark 16-thread score of 9282 and max-thread score of 9983 show strong multi-threaded capability, yet Control’s engine appears to rely more on single-thread performance, where the i7-12700KF’s 1043 score is respectable but not exceptional.

The CPU’s 89th percentile ranking among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 35355, places it just ahead of the Intel Core i5-14400 by 0.1% and slightly behind the Intel Core i7-13800H by 0.2%. This indicates that the processor is well-matched to the GPU for overall system balance, but the measured FPS data reveals that at 1080p, the CPU is still the bottleneck. The 12 cores and 20 threads provide ample headroom for background tasks, but the game’s frame rate is more dependent on the boost clock of 5.00 GHz and the per-core efficiency of the Alder Lake architecture.

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

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti is the dominant component in this pairing, featuring 16 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 896.0 GB/s of bandwidth. Its boost clock of 2452 MHz and base clock of 2295 MHz, combined with 8960 shading units, give it a theoretical FP32 performance of 43.94 TFLOPS. The GPU’s 3dmark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 6604 and passmark G3D score of 32974 place it in the 87th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 52086.

The measured FPS data shows that the GPU’s role becomes more critical as resolution increases. At 4K, the average frame rates across all settings range from 63.9 FPS at Ultra to 122.9 at Low, which is a clear indication that the GPU is the limiting factor. The 16 GB VRAM capacity is likely sufficient for Control’s textures at 4K, but the memory bandwidth of 896.0 GB/s is the key constraint. The 256-bit bus width is moderate for a high-end card, and the data shows that Ultra settings at 4K push the GPU to its limits.

The GPU’s nearest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080, which has an identical average benchmark score of 52085, a delta of 0%. This suggests that the RTX 5070 Ti performs on par with the previous generation’s flagship in synthetic benchmarks. However, in Control, the 4K Ultra result of 63.9 FPS indicates that the GPU is not overkill for this title. The 43.94 TFLOPS of FP32 compute is substantial, but the game’s rendering demands at 4K Ultra exceed what the card can deliver at high frame rates. The data shows that the GPU is well-suited for 1440p gaming, where it achieves 96.1 FPS at Ultra and 176.2 at Low, but 4K requires careful settings selection.

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

At 1920x1080, the system delivers an average of 235.9 FPS at Low settings. This drops to 166.2 FPS at Medium, 150.3 FPS at High, and 131.1 FPS at Ultra. The spread from Low to Ultra is 104.8 FPS, which is the largest of any resolution, confirming the CPU bottleneck at 1080p. The step from Low to Medium costs 69.7 FPS, while the step from Medium to High costs 15.9 FPS, and the step from High to Ultra costs 19.2 FPS. This non-linear scaling suggests that Medium settings provide a significant visual improvement over Low with a relatively manageable performance hit.

At 2560x1440, the average frame rates are 176.2 FPS at Low, 128.1 FPS at Medium, 113 FPS at High, and 96.1 FPS at Ultra. The total spread narrows to 80.1 FPS, indicating that the GPU is starting to take on more of the workload. The drop from Low to Medium is 48.1 FPS, which is a 27% reduction. The step from Medium to High is 15.1 FPS, and the step from High to Ultra is 16.9 FPS. The 1440p results show that the system can easily handle high-refresh monitors, with even Ultra settings exceeding 96 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the average frame rates are 122.9 FPS at Low, 84.6 FPS at Medium, 76 FPS at High, and 63.9 FPS at Ultra. The spread from Low to Ultra is 59 FPS, the narrowest of all resolutions. The drop from Low to Medium is 38.3 FPS, which is a 31% reduction. The step from Medium to High is 8.6 FPS, and the step from High to Ultra is 12.1 FPS. The 4K results show that the GPU is the primary limiter, and the system is best suited for 60 FPS gaming at High settings, with Ultra requiring a compromise to stay above 60 FPS.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this CPU-GPU combo in Control?

A: The data shows that 2560x1440 is the sweet spot. At High settings, the system averages 113 FPS, which is well above the 96.1 FPS at Ultra. This resolution offers a good balance between visual fidelity and frame rate, with even Ultra settings remaining above 96 FPS.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from 1080p to 4K at High settings?

A: At High settings, the average frame rate drops from 150.3 FPS at 1080p to 113 FPS at 1440p and then to 76 FPS at 4K. This represents a 49% reduction from 1080p to 4K, indicating that the GPU becomes the limiting factor at higher resolutions.

Q: Is the RTX 5070 Ti the bottleneck at 4K Ultra?

A: Yes, the 63.9 FPS result at 4K Ultra is the lowest in the dataset, and the narrow spread between Low (122.9 FPS) and Ultra (63.9 FPS) at 4K confirms that the GPU is the primary constraint, not the CPU.

Q: How does the i7-12700KF compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The i7-12700KF has an average benchmark score of 35355, which is 0.1% ahead of the Intel Core i5-14400 and 0.2% behind the Intel Core i7-13800H. It is also 0.2% ahead of the Intel Core i9-12900HX.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and Ultra at 1440p?

A: At 1440p, the average frame rate is 176.2 FPS at Low settings and 96.1 FPS at Ultra settings. This is a difference of 80.1 FPS, which shows that the GPU has a significant impact on performance at this resolution.

Q: Does the system maintain 60 FPS at 4K on all settings?

A: Yes, the lowest measured result is 63.9 FPS at 4K Ultra, which is above 60 FPS. At 4K High, the system averages 76 FPS, and at 4K Low, it reaches 122.9 FPS.

Settings Recommendations

For 4K gaming, the data indicates that High settings provide the best balance, with an average of 76 FPS. Ultra settings drop to 63.9 FPS, which is just above 60 FPS but leaves little headroom for demanding scenes. Medium settings at 84.6 FPS offer a safer margin, but the visual improvement from Medium to High appears to be worth the 8.6 FPS cost. Low settings at 122.9 FPS are unnecessary for a smooth experience, as the system can handle High settings comfortably.

At 1440p, Ultra settings are the recommended choice, as the 96.1 FPS average is still high enough for a smooth experience on high-refresh monitors. The step from High (113 FPS) to Ultra (96.1 FPS) costs 16.9 FPS, but the visual fidelity gain is likely worth it. For 1080p, the system is CPU-bound, and the data shows that even Ultra settings at 131.1 FPS exceed the refresh rate of most monitors. High settings at 150.3 FPS are a reasonable choice, but Medium at 166.2 FPS offers a better margin without a significant visual compromise.

The data suggests that the optimal preset depends on the resolution. For 4K, High is the best balance. For 1440p, Ultra is viable. For 1080p, any setting above Medium provides a smooth experience, so the choice comes down to visual preference. The largest performance deltas occur between Low and Medium at all resolutions, indicating that Medium is the minimum recommended setting for a good visual experience.

How This Combo Ranks

In Control, this combination of the Intel Core i7-12700KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti ranks 146th out of 1636 tested combinations. This places it in the top 9% of all systems tested for this game. The ranking reflects the system’s strong overall performance, particularly at 1080p and 1440p, where it delivers frame rates well above 100 FPS at most settings. The 4K results are also respectable, with the system maintaining above 60 FPS at all settings.

The high rank is supported by the individual component benchmarks. The CPU’s 89th percentile ranking and the GPU’s 87th percentile ranking indicate that both components are well above average. The GPU’s average benchmark score of 52086 is exactly matched by the RTX 4080, suggesting that this combo is competitive with the previous generation’s high-end offerings. The CPU’s average score of 35355 is slightly ahead of the i5-14400 and i9-12900HX, showing that it is a strong pairing for this GPU.

The rank of 146 out of 1636 suggests that there are many systems with higher-end components, but this combo offers a compelling balance of CPU and GPU performance. The data shows that the system is not held back by a significant bottleneck at any resolution, with the CPU limiting performance at 1080p and the GPU taking over at 4K. This balance is reflected in the consistent frame rates across the resolution spectrum, making it a well-rounded choice for Control.