The Technomancer

The Intel Core i5-14400F paired with the Intel Arc B580 delivers a performance profile that is strongly resolution-dependent in The Technomancer. At 1920x1080, the combo is overwhelmingly capable, producing an average of 139.1 FPS at Low settings and never dropping below the 60 FPS threshold even at the maximum preset. Moving to 2560x1440, the system remains playable across most settings, though the Ultra preset falls short of the 60 FPS target. At 3840x2160, the combination struggles to maintain playable frame rates at any tested setting, with the highest average being 49.2 FPS at Low. This is a mid-range pairing that excels at standard high-refresh 1080p gaming and handles 1440p with adjusted settings, but it is not suited for 4K gameplay in this title.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for this combo covers three resolutions and four quality presets, with average frame rates serving as the primary metric. At 1920x1080, the scaling across presets is substantial: Low settings yield an average of 139.1 FPS, Medium drops to 107.4 FPS, High produces 87.5 FPS, and Ultra retains a solid 71.8 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 67.3 FPS, indicating that the GPU has significant headroom at this resolution and that the preset choice heavily influences the final frame rate. All four settings clear the 60 FPS playable threshold, with even the most demanding preset maintaining a comfortable margin above it.

At 2560x1440, the performance curve steepens. Low settings average 90.6 FPS, which is a 34.9% reduction compared to the same preset at 1080p. Medium settings produce 68.1 FPS, High settings dip to 60.3 FPS, and Ultra falls to 44.2 FPS. The High preset at this resolution sits right on the edge of the playable threshold, while Ultra clearly cannot sustain smooth gameplay. The delta between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 46.4 FPS, showing that resolution scaling amplifies the cost of higher quality settings.

The 3840x2160 results are uniformly below the playable threshold. Low settings average 49.2 FPS, Medium drops to 39.7 FPS, High falls to 34.1 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 25.1 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra at 4K represents a 49% performance loss, and even the least demanding preset fails to reach 60 FPS. The data indicates that this combination is not viable for 4K gaming in The Technomancer, regardless of quality settings.

The absence of min and max FPS values in the dataset means that frame pacing and 1% lows cannot be assessed. However, the average FPS figures provide a clear picture of the combo's capabilities: it is a 1080p-centric performer with limited 1440p headroom and no 4K viability.

How This Combo Ranks

Among the 3,696 tested combos in the database, this specific CPU-GPU pairing ranks 2,778th for The Technomancer. This places it in the 24.8th percentile of all tested combinations, meaning roughly three-quarters of tested systems deliver higher average frame rates. The ranking reflects the Arc B580's position as a mid-range GPU rather than a top-tier performer, despite the i5-14400F's respectable standing among CPUs.

The CPU itself holds the 83rd percentile against all tested processors, with an average benchmark score of 32,279. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840U (0.1% faster), the Intel Core i9-11900 (0.2% faster), and the AMD Ryzen 7 6800HS (0.2% slower). This clustering indicates that the i5-14400F's computational performance is very much in line with several mobile and older desktop chips, which suggests that the CPU is not a bottleneck in this pairing.

The GPU, by contrast, sits at the 68th percentile against all tested graphics cards. Its average benchmark score is 23,021, with nearest rivals including the AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP (0.2% faster), the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 (0.6% slower), and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 (0.7% faster). The fact that the Arc B580 trades blows with the RTX 2080 and RTX 3080 in synthetic benchmarks is notable, but the in-game ranking suggests that The Technomancer may not fully leverage the GPU's architectural strengths.

The combo's low rank in this specific game, relative to the individual component percentiles, implies that the game's engine may be sensitive to factors not captured by synthetic benchmarks, or that the pairing has driver-level inefficiencies in this title. The 24.8th percentile rank is a clear signal that while each component is individually competitive, their combined performance in The Technomancer is below what the hardware's theoretical capabilities might suggest.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that maintains at least 60 FPS is Ultra, which delivers an average of 71.8 FPS. This is the optimal configuration for maximum visual quality without sacrificing playability. The 11.8 FPS margin above the threshold provides a small buffer for demanding scenes, though it is not excessive.

At 2560x1440, the highest playable preset is High, with an average of 60.3 FPS. This sits almost exactly on the 60 FPS threshold, leaving minimal headroom for frame drops. Medium settings offer a more comfortable experience at 68.1 FPS, but High is technically playable and provides better visual fidelity. The Ultra preset at 44.2 FPS is not viable for smooth gameplay.

At 3840x2160, no tested preset achieves the 60 FPS threshold. The best option is Low at 49.2 FPS, which is 10.8 FPS below the playable target. While this might be acceptable for slower-paced gameplay, it does not meet the standard for smooth performance. The verdict data confirms that no settings are considered playable at this resolution.

The recommendation pattern is clear: 1080p users can max out the game, 1440p users should stick to High or Medium, and 4K users must accept sub-60 FPS performance or lower the resolution.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Based on the nearest rivals for the CPU and GPU, several alternative components would produce similar in-game performance. On the CPU side, the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840U, Intel Core i9-11900, AMD Ryzen 7 6800HS, and Intel Core i7-12800H all benchmark within 0.5% of the i5-14400F's average score. Swapping the CPU for any of these would yield nearly identical frame rates in The Technomancer, assuming the GPU remains constant.

On the GPU side, the AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP is 0.2% faster than the Arc B580 in synthetic benchmarks, making it a direct performance equivalent. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 is 0.6% slower, while the RTX 3080 is 0.7% faster. In practical terms, a system with the i5-14400F and any of these GPUs would likely land within a few FPS of the measured results in this game. The RTX 3080, despite its higher synthetic score, would only provide a marginal improvement, as the combo rank suggests the pairing is already constrained by other factors.

For users considering a similar build, an Intel Core i9-11900 or AMD Ryzen 7 6800HS with an RTX 2080 would be the closest drop-in equivalent. The Arc B580's unique architecture means that driver optimization plays a role, but the benchmark deltas suggest that these alternatives would behave within a 1% margin in most scenarios. The fact that the GPU's nearest rivals span multiple generations and price tiers highlights the Arc B580's competitive positioning, even if its in-game rank in The Technomancer is modest.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data reveals that the GPU is the primary performance limiter at higher resolutions, while the CPU provides ample headroom across all tested settings. The i5-14400F's 83rd percentile ranking and its clustering with mobile and older desktop chips indicate that it is not a bottleneck in this pairing. At 1080p, the CPU can easily feed the GPU, as evidenced by the 139.1 FPS result at Low settings, which likely approaches the game's engine limits rather than the hardware's limits.

The GPU's role becomes more pronounced as resolution increases. The transition from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440 at Low settings results in a 34.9% frame rate drop, while the transition from 1440p to 4K at Low settings causes a further 45.7% drop. This scaling is consistent with a GPU-bound scenario, where the Arc B580's 456.0 GB/s memory bandwidth and 13.67 TFLOPS FP32 performance are insufficient to maintain high frame rates at 4K. The GPU's 68th percentile ranking versus the CPU's 83rd percentile further supports this interpretation.

The preset scaling also points to GPU dominance. At 1080p, moving from Low to Ultra costs 48.3% of the frame rate (from 139.1 to 71.8 FPS). At 1440p, the same preset change costs 51.2% (from 90.6 to 44.2 FPS). At 4K, the cost is 49% (from 49.2 to 25.1 FPS). The consistent percentage loss across resolutions indicates that the GPU is handling the increased workload uniformly, with the CPU never becoming the limiting factor.

The CPU's contribution is visible in the absolute frame rates at 1080p Low, which are high enough to suggest that the i5-14400F's 10 cores and 16 threads are more than adequate for this game's demands. The CPU's single-threaded performance, as measured by a Cinebench R23 score of 3,055, is sufficient to avoid bottlenecks even in CPU-intensive scenes. For The Technomancer, users should focus on GPU upgrades to improve performance at higher resolutions, as the CPU is unlikely to be the constraint.

FAQ

Q: Can this PC run The Technomancer at 1920x1080 with maximum settings?

A: Yes. At 1080p Ultra, the combo delivers an average of 71.8 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS playable threshold. All four tested presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra) achieve playable frame rates at this resolution.

Q: What is the best playable setting at 2560x1440?

A: The High preset is the most demanding playable option, with an average of 60.3 FPS. Medium settings provide a safer margin at 68.1 FPS, while Ultra drops to 44.2 FPS and is not playable.

Q: Is 4K gaming possible with this hardware?

A: No. At 3840x2160, the highest average FPS is 49.2 FPS at Low settings, which is below the 60 FPS threshold. No tested preset at 4K is considered playable.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B580 compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The Arc B580 is 0.2% slower than the AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP, 0.6% faster than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080, and 0.7% slower than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 in average benchmark scores.

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-14400F a bottleneck in this pairing?

A: No. The CPU holds the 83rd percentile among all processors, and its nearest rivals (AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840U, Intel Core i9-11900) are within 0.2% in performance. Frame rate scaling across resolutions indicates the GPU is the limiting factor.

Q: What resolution offers the best balance of quality and performance?

A: 1920x1080 at Ultra settings provides 71.8 FPS, which is the highest quality preset that maintains a comfortable margin above 60 FPS. At 1440p, High settings at 60.3 FPS is the best visual option, but with minimal headroom.

The Verdict

This PC can run The Technomancer effectively at 1920x1080 and 2560x1440, but not at 3840x2160. At 1080p, the system plays all presets at or above 71.8 FPS, with Ultra being the recommended setting for maximum visual quality. At 1440p, the High preset achieves exactly 60.3 FPS, making it playable but with little margin; Medium at 68.1 FPS is a safer choice for consistent performance. The Ultra preset at 1440p falls to 44.2 FPS and is not recommended. At 4K, the best result is 49.2 FPS at Low settings, which misses the 60 FPS target, so users should avoid this resolution for this game.

The combo ranks 2,778th out of 3,696 tested combinations, placing it in the lower third of systems. This is primarily due to the Arc B580's mid-range positioning, despite the CPU's strong 83rd percentile standing. For users targeting 1080p high-refresh or 1440p high-settings gaming, this system is adequate. For 4K or maxed-out 1440p performance, a more powerful GPU would be necessary. The data shows a capable, balanced mid-range build that excels at its intended resolution but cannot push beyond it.