The Technomancer

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, this combination has enough headroom to run the game at the highest preset. The Ultra preset delivers an average of 98 FPS, which clears the 60 FPS playability threshold by a wide margin. Medium runs at 147 FPS average, High at 125 FPS, and Low at 174 FPS, but the data shows no reason to drop below Ultra unless the user prefers maximum frame rates for competitive play.

At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset still holds above 60 FPS with an average of 64 FPS. This is a narrow margin, only 4 FPS above the threshold, but it is a pass. The High preset at 82 FPS provides more comfortable headroom, while Medium sits at 96 FPS and Low reaches 125 FPS. For users who want to stay at 1440p with the highest visual fidelity, Ultra is technically viable, though the slim buffer means any demanding scene could push frame rates lower.

At 3840x2160, the situation changes significantly. The Ultra preset drops to 35 FPS average, which is far below playable. High manages 45 FPS, and Medium reaches 53 FPS with a minimum of 45 FPS. None of these clear the 60 FPS threshold. The only preset that stays above 60 FPS is Low, which produces an average of 69 FPS. This makes Low the best settings choice for 4K, and the verdict data confirms it as the sole playable option at that resolution.

The pattern across resolutions shows a clear scaling curve. Dropping from Ultra to Low at 1080p increases average FPS from 98 to 174, a gain of 76 FPS. At 1440p, the same preset drop goes from 64 to 125 FPS, a gain of 61 FPS. At 4K, the jump from Ultra to Low is from 35 to 69 FPS, a 34 FPS improvement. The relative impact of preset reductions grows as resolution increases, which is typical for GPU-bound scenarios.

CPU and GPU Roles

The measured data reveals how the balance shifts between the Intel Core i5-9400 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 depending on resolution. At 1080p, the frame rates are extremely high across all presets, with Low reaching 174 FPS and even Ultra hitting 98 FPS. These numbers suggest the GPU is not the limiting factor at this resolution; the CPU has enough headroom to feed frames quickly, and the RTX 3070 handles the workload with ease.

Moving to 1440p, the average FPS drops by roughly one-third across presets compared to 1080p. For example, Ultra goes from 98 to 64 FPS, a 35% reduction. This scaling is consistent with a GPU that is becoming more stressed as pixel count rises. The CPU, with its 6 cores and 6 threads from the Coffee Lake architecture, still appears to keep up, since the frame rate reductions track closely with the increased pixel workload.

At 4K, the GPU clearly dominates the performance picture. Ultra drops to 35 FPS, and even Medium only reaches 53 FPS. The RTX 3070, despite being a capable Ampere-generation card, cannot maintain 60 FPS at this resolution except on Low settings. The CPU's role at 4K is minimal; the bottleneck is almost entirely the GPU's rendering throughput. The i5-9400, with a boost clock of 4.10 GHz and a 47th percentile ranking among all CPUs, has enough single-thread performance to avoid holding back the GPU at these pixel densities.

The scaling between resolutions tells the story. At 1080p Ultra, the average is 98 FPS. At 1440p Ultra, it is 64 FPS, a 34 FPS drop. At 4K Ultra, it is 35 FPS, another 29 FPS drop. These diminishing returns as resolution increases are characteristic of GPU-bound performance. The CPU matters most at 1080p where higher frame rates demand more frequent draw calls, but even there the i5-9400 keeps pace. At 4K, the CPU is largely idle relative to the GPU's workload.

The preset scaling within each resolution also points to GPU dominance. At 1080p, going from Low to Ultra reduces FPS by 76 FPS, a 44% decrease. At 1440p, the same preset change reduces FPS by 61 FPS, a 49% decrease. At 4K, the reduction is 34 FPS, a 49% decrease. The consistent percentage drops across resolutions indicate the GPU is the primary performance driver, with the CPU contributing less as resolution increases.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the recorded data shows strong performance across all settings. Low produces an average of 174 FPS with no reported minimum or maximum values. Medium averages 147 FPS, with a minimum of 125 FPS and a maximum of 169 FPS. High averages 125 FPS. Ultra averages 98 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 76 FPS, and even the lowest preset comfortably exceeds the 60 FPS threshold by more than double.

At 2560x1440, the averages step down but remain playable at every preset. Low runs at 125 FPS. Medium averages 96 FPS, with a minimum of 82 FPS and a maximum of 110 FPS. High averages 82 FPS. Ultra averages 64 FPS. The minimum recorded value at Medium, 82 FPS, is still above the playability threshold, which suggests frame pacing is stable even in demanding scenes. Ultra's 64 FPS average leaves little room for dips, but the data does not include a minimum value for that preset.

At 3840x2160, the performance drops sharply. Low averages 69 FPS, which is the only preset above 60 FPS. Medium averages 53 FPS, with a minimum of 45 FPS and a maximum of 61 FPS. High averages 45 FPS. Ultra averages 35 FPS. The Medium preset's maximum of 61 FPS shows that even at 4K, there are moments where the hardware can touch playable frame rates, but the average and minimum tell a different story. Ultra at 35 FPS is a slideshow by modern standards.

The data also reveals the frame time consistency at different settings. At 1080p Medium, the gap between minimum and maximum is 44 FPS, which is a wide range but still entirely above the threshold. At 1440p Medium, the gap narrows to 28 FPS. At 4K Medium, the gap is 16 FPS. This tightening range at higher resolutions suggests the GPU is working closer to its limits, producing more consistent but lower frame rates.

The Verdict

The verdict by resolution is clear. At 1920x1080, all four presets are playable, and the best settings are Ultra with an average of 98 FPS. This combination runs The Technomancer with substantial headroom at 1080p, making it a strong setup for this game at standard HD resolution.

At 2560x1440, all four presets also pass the 60 FPS threshold. The best settings are Ultra at 64 FPS average, but this is a narrow pass. Users who prioritize consistent frame rates over maximum visual quality might prefer High at 82 FPS or Medium at 96 FPS. The data indicates that 1440p is playable at any preset, but Ultra is the borderline choice.

At 3840x2160, only Low is playable, with an average of 69 FPS. Medium at 53 FPS, High at 45 FPS, and Ultra at 35 FPS all fall short of the 60 FPS threshold. For 4K gaming, users must accept Low settings to maintain playability. This is a significant compromise, and the data suggests this hardware combination is not ideal for 4K in this title.

Overall, the i5-9400 and RTX 3070 can run The Technomancer well at 1080p and 1440p, with Ultra settings viable at both resolutions. At 4K, the GPU becomes the limiting factor, and only the lowest preset keeps frame rates above 60 FPS. The recorded measurements show a system that excels at mainstream resolutions but struggles at the highest pixel counts.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The nearest rivals for the Intel Core i5-9400, based on average benchmark scores, include the Intel Core i7-1068NG7 with a score of 2259 and a delta of -0.2% relative to the i5-9400's average. The Intel Core i7-10710U scores 2248, a 0.3% difference. The AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 scores 2246, a 0.4% difference. The Intel Core i3-10305 scores 2264, a -0.4% difference. These CPUs would perform nearly identically in this game, as their benchmark scores are within 1% of each other.

For the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070, the nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT with an average score of 17083, a 0.7% delta. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690 scores 17037, a 1% delta. The AMD Radeon HD 7970M scores 17019, a 1.1% delta. The NVIDIA Tesla K40c scores 17468, a -1.5% delta. These GPUs would deliver similar frame rates in The Technomancer, meaning users with any of these cards could expect comparable performance at each resolution and preset.

The practical implication is that swapping the CPU for any of its nearest rivals would not meaningfully change the measured FPS. The same applies to the GPU. A system with an RX 7600 XT instead of the RTX 3070, paired with the i5-9400, would likely produce nearly identical results. This is useful for users who own one of these alternative components and want to estimate their expected performance.

The delta values are all small, under 1.5%, which means the performance envelope is tight. There is no standout winner or loser among these alternatives. The choice between these components would come down to other factors like platform features, availability, or personal preference, rather than measurable FPS differences in this game.

FAQ

Q: Can this PC run The Technomancer at 1080p with Ultra settings?

A: Yes. The measured average FPS at 1920x1080 with Ultra settings is 98 FPS, well above the 60 FPS playability threshold.

Q: What is the best settings choice for 1440p?

A: Ultra is playable at 1440p with an average of 64 FPS. However, the margin above 60 FPS is only 4 FPS, so High at 82 FPS or Medium at 96 FPS may be safer choices for consistent frame rates.

Q: Is 4K gaming possible with this hardware?

A: Only at Low settings, which produces an average of 69 FPS. Medium drops to 53 FPS, High to 45 FPS, and Ultra to 35 FPS, all below the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: How does the i5-9400 compare to its nearest CPU rivals?

A: The i5-9400's nearest rivals, including the i7-1068NG7, i7-10710U, Ryzen 5 PRO 1500, and i3-10305, are all within 0.4% of its average benchmark score. Performance in this game would be effectively identical.

Q: What GPU alternatives perform similarly to the RTX 3070?

A: The RX 7600 XT, GTX 690, and Radeon HD 7970M are all within 1.1% of the RTX 3070's average benchmark score. The Tesla K40c is 1.5% higher. These would produce nearly the same frame rates.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded at Medium settings in this game?

A: At 1080p Medium, the minimum is 125 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the minimum is 82 FPS. At 4K Medium, the minimum is 45 FPS.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-9400 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 ranks 1629 out of 3696 tested combos for The Technomancer. This places it in the 44th percentile of all combinations in the database, meaning roughly 56% of tested systems perform better in this game.

The rank is influenced by both the CPU and GPU. The i5-9400 sits at the 47th percentile among all CPUs, which is slightly below the midpoint. The RTX 3070 ranks at the 61st percentile among all GPUs, which is above the midpoint. The combined rank of 1629 reflects a system that is stronger on the GPU side than the CPU side, which aligns with the measured performance data showing GPU-bound behavior at higher resolutions.

The rank suggests that while this combo handles 1080p and 1440p excellently, it is not a top-tier performer for this game. The 4K results, with only Low settings playable, likely drag the overall rank down compared to systems with stronger GPUs or better CPU-GPU balance. Users with this combo should expect solid mainstream performance but not extreme high-resolution capabilities.

The gap between the CPU's 47th percentile and the GPU's 61st percentile indicates a potential imbalance. The i5-9400 is a mid-pack processor, while the RTX 3070 is a stronger-than-average graphics card. In CPU-light scenes or at lower resolutions, the GPU has headroom to spare. In GPU-heavy scenes or at 4K, the GPU becomes the bottleneck. The rank of 1629 captures this mixed profile, placing the combo firmly in the middle of the pack.