The Technomancer

The Technomancer, a 2016 Action RPG, presents an interesting challenge for the Intel Core i7-12700KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 combination. This pairing pairs a high-core-count 12th Gen Intel processor with a current-generation Blackwell GPU, and the measured data reveals a clear picture of how this system handles the title across common resolutions and presets. The benchmark results show a system with substantial headroom at lower resolutions, while 4K Ultra pushes the hardware to its limits.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combination delivers exceptional performance across all settings. The Low preset achieves an average of 253.5 FPS, which is more than four times the 60 FPS playable threshold. Moving to Medium, the average drops to 193.9 FPS, and High still maintains a strong 165.2 FPS. The most demanding Ultra preset at this resolution yields an average of 127.1 FPS, ensuring a completely fluid experience regardless of graphical configuration.

The jump to 2560x1440 shows a predictable scaling of performance demands. The Low preset at 1440p produces an average of 166.5 FPS, which is still remarkably high. Medium and High settings deliver 124.7 FPS and 106.5 FPS respectively, both comfortably above the playable threshold. Ultra at 1440p averages 87.1 FPS, demonstrating that even the most demanding settings remain fully playable at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the performance picture changes significantly. The Low preset averages 88 FPS, which is still well above the playable mark. Medium maintains a solid 68.4 FPS average. However, High drops to 56.8 FPS, falling below the 60 FPS playable threshold, and Ultra averages only 44.7 FPS. The data shows a clear performance cliff between Medium and High at 4K, indicating that the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck at this resolution.

The scaling between resolutions is notable. Comparing 1080p Ultra at 127.1 FPS to 4K Ultra at 44.7 FPS shows a 64.8% performance reduction, which is consistent with the pixel count increase from 2.07 million to 8.29 million pixels. The scaling from 1440p Ultra at 87.1 FPS to 4K Ultra at 44.7 FPS represents a 48.7% drop, again closely tracking the 2.25x pixel density increase.

How This Combo Ranks

Within the database of tested configurations, this specific CPU-GPU combination ranks 686th out of 3696 total combos for The Technomancer. This places the system in the top 18.6% of all tested configurations, indicating that it is a high-performing pairing for this game. The rank reflects the combined capability of the i7-12700KF and RTX 5070, with the CPU's strong multi-threaded performance complementing the GPU's substantial rasterization throughput.

The ranking position is particularly noteworthy given the age of the game. The Technomancer's engine appears to scale well with modern hardware, allowing this combo to achieve frame rates that far exceed what was typical at the game's release. The percentile placement suggests that only a relatively small number of more powerful configurations, likely featuring newer top-tier CPUs paired with flagship GPUs, would outperform this system.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset is the optimal choice, delivering an average of 127.1 FPS. This provides the highest visual quality while maintaining a frame rate that is more than double the 60 FPS playable threshold. The 1080p Ultra configuration offers an excellent balance of visual fidelity and smoothness.

For 2560x1440, Ultra remains the best setting, achieving 87.1 FPS on average. This comfortably exceeds the playable threshold, making it the recommended configuration for users with 1440p displays. The performance headroom of 27.1 FPS above the threshold suggests that even demanding scenes with heavy particle effects or complex geometry would remain fluid.

At 3840x2160, the Medium preset is the most demanding configuration that maintains playable performance, averaging 68.4 FPS. While High and Ultra are visually superior, they fall short of the 60 FPS threshold at 56.8 FPS and 44.7 FPS respectively. The Medium preset at 4K provides a playable experience, but users seeking higher visual fidelity would need to accept reduced frame rates.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The CPU's nearest rivals in terms of average benchmark score provide insight into alternative processors that would behave similarly. The Intel Core i7-13700T scores 35403, which is 0.1% higher than the i7-12700KF's average, effectively performing identically. The Intel Core i5-13600T scores 35305, a 0.2% difference, also matching performance closely. The Intel Core 5 213PE scores 35428, 0.2% higher, and the Intel Core i7-12700K scores 35287, 0.2% lower, all within negligible performance deltas.

For the GPU, the nearest rivals are less intuitive. The AMD Radeon Pro 580 scores 40318, which is 0.1% lower than the RTX 5070's average benchmark score of 40377. The AMD Radeon Pro WX 7100 scores 40063, 0.8% lower, while the AMD Radeon Pro 5300 scores 40870, 1.2% higher. The NVIDIA RTX A500 Mobile scores 39568, a 2% difference. These workstation-oriented GPUs show similar synthetic benchmark performance, though real-world gaming performance would vary based on driver optimizations.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run The Technomancer at 4K with maximum settings?

A: No. At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the combination averages 44.7 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS playable threshold. The Medium preset at 4K averages 68.4 FPS, making it the highest playable setting at this resolution.

Q: What is the best settings preset at 1440p?

A: The Ultra preset at 2560x1440 averages 87.1 FPS, which is the highest playable setting. All four presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra) at 1440p exceed the 60 FPS threshold, with Low averaging 166.5 FPS, Medium at 124.7 FPS, and High at 106.5 FPS.

Q: How much performance does the system lose when going from 1080p to 4K?

A: At Ultra settings, the average FPS drops from 127.1 at 1920x1080 to 44.7 at 3840x2160, representing a 64.8% reduction. At Low settings, the drop is from 253.5 FPS to 88 FPS, a 65.3% reduction.

Q: Is the RTX 5070 a bottleneck at 1080p?

A: The data suggests the CPU may be a limiting factor at 1080p. The Low preset at 1920x1080 averages 253.5 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 127.1 FPS, indicating the GPU is still working harder at higher settings. However, the game's performance ceiling at 1080p appears to be around 250 FPS, which could reflect CPU or engine limitations.

Q: Which component is more important for this game at 4K?

A: The GPU is clearly the dominant factor at 3840x2160. The substantial FPS drops between Medium (68.4 FPS) and High (56.8 FPS) and Ultra (44.7 FPS) indicate that the RTX 5070's rendering throughput is the primary constraint, rather than the i7-12700KF's processing power.

The Verdict

The Intel Core i7-12700KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 configuration is fully capable of running The Technomancer with excellent performance at 1080p and 1440p. At 1920x1080, all presets including Ultra exceed 120 FPS, and at 2560x1440, all presets including Ultra remain above 85 FPS. The system clears the 60 FPS playable threshold with significant headroom at both of these resolutions.

At 3840x2160, the system maintains playability up to the Medium preset, which averages 68.4 FPS. The High and Ultra presets fall below the 60 FPS threshold at 56.8 FPS and 44.7 FPS respectively. For 4K gamers who prioritize resolution over visual details, the Medium preset provides a solid experience. For those who insist on High or Ultra settings at 4K, the system would require either a reduction in resolution or acceptance of sub-60 FPS performance.

CPU and GPU Roles

The performance scaling across resolutions reveals distinct roles for each component. At 1920x1080, the CPU's influence is most apparent. The difference between Low (253.5 FPS) and Ultra (127.1 FPS) at 1080p shows that the GPU is still the limiting factor as settings increase. However, the fact that even Low settings cannot exceed approximately 253 FPS suggests the i7-12700KF's single-thread performance, with a Geekbench single-core score of 2255, may cap the maximum achievable frame rate.

At 2560x1440, the balance shifts toward the GPU, but the CPU remains a significant contributor. The scaling from Low (166.5 FPS) to Ultra (87.1 FPS) demonstrates that the GPU's workload is increasing, yet the CPU's strong multi-threaded performance, evidenced by a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 28838, ensures that frame rates remain high across all presets.

At 3840x2160, the GPU becomes the dominant bottleneck. The 4K performance curve shows a steep drop from Low (88 FPS) to Ultra (44.7 FPS), with the GPU's pixel throughput and memory bandwidth of 672.0 GB/s being the determining factors. The CPU's role diminishes at this resolution, as the i7-12700KF's 12 cores and 20 threads are more than sufficient to feed the RTX 5070 at 4K. The data indicates that for this game, the RTX 5070's rasterization capabilities, with 80 ROPs and a pixel rate of 201.0 GPixel/s, are the primary constraint at 4K, while the i7-12700KF is never the limiting factor at any resolution.