The Technomancer

FAQ

Q: Can the Intel Core i5-14600K and Intel Arc B390 combination run The Technomancer at 4K?

A: No. At 3840x2160, the recorded data shows average frame rates between 15 FPS (Ultra) and 28 FPS (Low), all below the 60 FPS playable threshold. The verdict for 4K lists no playable settings.

Q: What is the best playable setting at 1920x1080?

A: Medium is the highest preset that stays at or above 60 FPS. The measured average is 61 FPS, with a minimum of 52 FPS and a maximum of 70 FPS.

Q: How does the Arc B390 compare to its nearest rivals?

A: In the database, the Arc B390 scores 1482 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12. It sits 1.3% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (1463), 1.5% ahead of the GeForce 800M (1460), 2.5% ahead of the GT 625 OEM (1446), and 2.7% ahead of the GT 710 (1443).

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor at 1440p?

A: The GPU is clearly the bottleneck. The Core i5-14600K ranks in the 90th percentile among all CPUs, while the Arc B390 ranks in the 9th percentile among all GPUs. At 2560x1440, even Low settings only reach 52 FPS, far below the CPU's capability.

Q: What frame rates can be expected at 2560x1440 with Ultra settings?

A: The measured average is 26 FPS, which is not playable. The database records no playable settings at 1440p for this combination.

Q: How does the overall combo rank in this game?

A: The combination ranks 3285 out of 3696 tested combos, placing it in the lower portion of the database for The Technomancer.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data for The Technomancer reveals a stark imbalance between the two components. The Intel Core i5-14600K is a high-end desktop processor: 14 cores, 20 threads, a boost clock of 5.30 GHz, and a 90th percentile ranking across all CPUs. Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 24491 and single-core score of 2064 place it well above typical gaming requirements. The Intel Arc B390, however, is an integrated graphics solution with a 9th percentile GPU ranking and a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1482. This mismatch defines the performance profile of the whole system.

At 3840x2160, the GPU dominates the outcome entirely. Dropping from Ultra to Low settings raises the average from 15 FPS to 28 FPS, a relative improvement of roughly 87%, but the absolute numbers remain below any playable threshold. The resolution scaling is severe: at 2560x1440, Low settings produce 52 FPS, while at 1920x1080, the same preset hits 79 FPS. This pattern indicates that the Arc B390's shading units (1536), texture mapping units (48), and render output units (24) are overwhelmed as pixel count rises.

At 1920x1080, the CPU begins to show its capability indirectly. The fact that Medium settings achieve 61 FPS average, with a minimum of 52 FPS, suggests the processor can feed frames fast enough at this resolution. The gap between Low (79 FPS) and Medium (61 FPS) is 18 FPS, while the gap between Medium and High (52 FPS) is 9 FPS. The CPU is not the constraint here; the GPU's pixel throughput, rated at 60.00 GPixel/s, limits the higher presets.

Resolution scaling tells the story clearly. From 1080p Low to 1440p Low, the average drops from 79 to 52 FPS, a 34% reduction. From 1440p Low to 4K Low, it falls from 52 to 28 FPS, a 46% reduction. These percentages far exceed what a CPU bottleneck would produce, confirming that the Arc B390's fill rate and memory bandwidth (system dependent) are the primary factors. The CPU, with its 24 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel memory support, is ready for far more demanding graphics hardware.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The recorded measurements cover three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the combination delivers its only playable results. Low settings produce an average of 79 FPS, the highest figure in the entire dataset. Medium settings average 61 FPS, with a minimum of 52 FPS and a maximum of 70 FPS. High settings drop to 52 FPS, and Ultra falls to 40 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 39 FPS, a substantial range that shows how sensitive the Arc B390 is to graphical complexity.

At 2560x1440, no preset reaches the 60 FPS threshold. Low settings average 52 FPS, which is close but not enough. Medium settings average 40 FPS, with a minimum of 34 FPS and a maximum of 46 FPS. High settings drop to 34 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 26 FPS. The step from Low to Medium costs 12 FPS, while the step from High to Ultra costs 8 FPS. The minimum values at Medium (34 FPS) indicate occasional dips that would be noticeable during combat or dense scenes.

At 3840x2160, the results are uniformly poor. Low settings average 28 FPS, Medium averages 22 FPS with a minimum of 19 FPS and maximum of 25 FPS, High averages 19 FPS, and Ultra averages 15 FPS. The 4K data shows a compressed range of only 13 FPS between Low and Ultra, which suggests the GPU is hitting a hard architectural limit rather than a scalable performance curve. The minimum at Medium (19 FPS) is close to the average, indicating consistent low performance rather than intermittent stutters.

The pattern across all resolutions is consistent: Low settings always provide the highest average, and Ultra always the lowest. At 1080p, the spread is 39 FPS; at 1440p, it narrows to 26 FPS; at 4K, it shrinks to 13 FPS. This compression at higher resolutions is typical of a GPU that runs out of pixel processing capacity, not one that is thermally or power limited.

How This Combo Ranks

The database ranks this combination at 3285 out of 3696 tested combos for The Technomancer. This places it in the bottom 11% of all systems tested. The rank reflects the GPU's limitations more than the CPU's strengths. The Core i5-14600K alone would rank much higher, but the Arc B390's 9th percentile GPU standing drags the whole system down.

Context from the CPU's nearest rivals helps clarify the situation. The Intel Xeon Gold 5318H scores 48698 in the database's average benchmark, just 0.2% above the i5-14600K's 48618. The AMD EPYC 4345P is 0.3% lower at 48470. The Intel Core Ultra 5 245HX is 0.7% lower at 48287, and the Core Ultra 5 245 is 0.8% higher at 48995. These deltas are all within 1%, meaning the CPU is in a tightly clustered performance tier. Any one of these processors paired with a stronger GPU would produce far better game results.

The GPU's nearest rivals paint a different picture. The Arc B390's 1482 score in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 is just 1.3% above the GeForce GT 520MX (1463), 1.5% above the GeForce 800M (1460), 2.5% above the GT 625 OEM (1446), and 2.7% above the GT 710 (1443). These are all low-end graphics parts from previous generations. The Arc B390 is competitive with them, but none of these parts can handle modern action RPGs at high settings.

The combo rank of 3285 out of 3696 means that 411 tested combinations performed worse. While that is not the very bottom, it is far below the median. For a game released in 2016, this combination still struggles, which is notable given the CPU's modern architecture and high benchmark scores.

The Verdict

The database's verdict for this combination is clear: it can run The Technomancer only at 1920x1080 with Low or Medium settings. At 2560x1440, no preset achieves 60 FPS, and at 3840x2160, the results are far below playable. The best verified configuration is 1080p Medium, which averages 61 FPS.

For players who accept 1080p, this system is functional. The Medium preset provides a 61 FPS average with a 52 FPS minimum, meaning most scenes will stay above the playable threshold. Low settings offer a comfortable 79 FPS average, leaving headroom for demanding moments. High settings at 1080p drop to 52 FPS, which is below 60 but may be tolerable for some players, though the database does not classify it as playable.

At 1440p and 4K, the answer is no. The highest average at 1440p is 52 FPS on Low, and the highest at 4K is 28 FPS on Low. Neither comes close to the 60 FPS threshold. Players with 1440p or 4K displays would need to lower resolution scaling, accept significant visual compromises, or upgrade the graphics component.

The CPU is not the issue. The i5-14600K is a 90th percentile processor with strong multi-core and single-core scores. The Arc B390, with its integrated design and 80 W TDP, is the limiting factor. The database shows that this GPU performs at a level comparable to decade-old discrete parts, which explains the low playability ceiling.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Medium, with an average of 61 FPS. This is the only resolution where any preset clears the playable threshold. Low settings at 1080p average 79 FPS, which is even safer, but Medium provides a better visual experience while still meeting the 60 FPS target.

At 2560x1440, there is no playable preset. The closest is Low at 52 FPS, which falls 8 FPS short of the threshold. Medium averages 40 FPS, High averages 34 FPS, and Ultra averages 26 FPS. Players at 1440p would need to sacrifice resolution or accept sub-60 frame rates.

At 3840x2160, no preset is playable. Low averages 28 FPS, Medium averages 22 FPS, High averages 19 FPS, and Ultra averages 15 FPS. The 4K results are uniformly below any reasonable playability standard, and the database lists no best settings for this resolution.

The data suggests that 1080p Medium is the ceiling for this combination. The minimum of 52 FPS at Medium means there will be dips below 60, but the average stays above. For a game from 2016, this is a modest outcome, but it is the verified maximum.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The CPU's nearest rivals in the database all perform within 1% of the i5-14600K. The Intel Xeon Gold 5318H (48698, 0.2% higher), AMD EPYC 4345P (48470, 0.3% lower), Intel Core Ultra 5 245HX (48287, 0.7% lower), and Intel Core Ultra 5 245 (48995, 0.8% higher) would all behave nearly identically in The Technomancer. None of them would change the GPU-limited outcome.

The GPU's nearest rivals are more informative. The NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX scores 1463, 1.3% below the Arc B390. The GeForce 800M scores 1460, 1.5% lower. The GT 625 OEM scores 1446, 2.5% lower, and the GT 710 scores 1443, 2.7% lower. All of these parts are within 3% of the Arc B390, meaning they would produce nearly identical frame rates in this game. The GT 710, in particular, is a well-known low-end card, and the data suggests the Arc B390 is in the same performance class.

For a system builder looking at similar performance, any of these GPUs would yield comparable results: playable at 1080p Low or Medium, but not at higher resolutions. The CPU choice matters little in this game because the GPU is the binding constraint. Swapping the i5-14600K for a Xeon or EPYC part would not change the measured FPS meaningfully. Swapping the Arc B390 for a GT 710 would lower performance slightly, while a stronger GPU would be needed to unlock 1440p or 4K playability.