The Technomancer

The Technomancer, a 2016 Action RPG, places distinct demands on a system built around the Intel Core i7-14700KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060. The recorded data provides a clear picture of how this combination handles the game across different resolutions and graphical presets. The central question is whether this pairing can deliver a fluid experience, and the measurements indicate that performance is highly dependent on the chosen display resolution.

Best Settings per Resolution

Based on the measured average FPS, the most demanding preset that keeps the frame rate at or above the 60 FPS threshold varies by resolution.

• 3840x2160 (4K): No preset achieves 60 FPS. The highest average recorded at this resolution is 48.8 FPS on Low settings, which falls short of the playable threshold.
• 2560x1440 (1440p): The best playable setting is Medium, which produces an average of 65.9 FPS. While Low settings also clear 60 FPS with an average of 82.7 FPS, Medium is the highest quality preset that maintains a playable frame rate.
• 1920x1080 (1080p): The best playable setting is Ultra, achieving an average of 66.7 FPS. This is the most demanding preset that remains above the 60 FPS line, with High (86.0 FPS), Medium (98.1 FPS), and Low (129.5 FPS) all providing higher average frame rates.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run The Technomancer at 4K resolution?

A: No. At 3840x2160, the highest average FPS recorded is 48.8 on Low settings. All other presets, including Medium (36.6 FPS), High (27.4 FPS), and Ultra (25.0 FPS), fall well below the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Q: What is the highest quality setting I can use at 1440p while maintaining 60 FPS?

A: The Medium preset is the most demanding option that stays playable at 2560x1440, with an average of 65.9 FPS. The Low preset is also playable at 82.7 FPS, but it does not offer the same visual quality.

Q: Is the Ultra preset playable at 1080p?

A: Yes. The recorded data shows an average of 66.7 FPS for the Ultra preset at 1920x1080, which is above the 60 FPS threshold. This makes it the best visual option for this resolution.

Q: How much of a performance drop occurs when moving from 1080p to 4K on the High preset?

A: The average frame rate drops from 86.0 FPS at 1920x1080 to 27.4 FPS at 3840x2160 on the High preset. This represents a significant reduction of 58.6 FPS, or roughly 68% lower performance.

Q: What are the average FPS numbers for the Low preset across all three resolutions?

A: The Low preset averages 129.5 FPS at 1920x1080, 82.7 FPS at 2560x1440, and 48.8 FPS at 3840x2160. This shows a clear and consistent decline as resolution increases.

Q: Which preset provides the best combination of visual quality and performance at 1440p?

A: The Medium preset is the best choice, as it delivers an average of 65.9 FPS, which is comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold, while also offering higher visual fidelity than the Low preset.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The database contains specific average FPS measurements for each resolution and preset combination. Minimum and maximum FPS values were not recorded.

3840x2160 (4K)

• Ultra: Average FPS 25.0
• High: Average FPS 27.4
• Medium: Average FPS 36.6
• Low: Average FPS 48.8

2560x1440 (1440p)

• Ultra: Average FPS 41.3
• High: Average FPS 56.0
• Medium: Average FPS 65.9
• Low: Average FPS 82.7

1920x1080 (1080p)

• Ultra: Average FPS 66.7
• High: Average FPS 86.0
• Medium: Average FPS 98.1
• Low: Average FPS 129.5

The data reveals a predictable scaling pattern. At 4K, the RTX 2060 is clearly the limiting factor, as even the Low preset struggles to approach 60 FPS. At 1440p, the system finds a playable balance with the Medium preset. At 1080p, the combination has ample headroom, with even the Ultra preset maintaining an average above 60 FPS. The difference between presets is consistent: at 1080p, the gap from Ultra to Low is 62.8 FPS, while at 1440p it is 41.4 FPS, and at 4K it is 23.8 FPS. This indicates that the performance penalty for higher settings is more pronounced at lower resolutions where the GPU is less constrained.

The Verdict

The recorded data answers the core question directly: this PC can run The Technomancer, but its capability is strictly tied to resolution.

At 1920x1080, the system is fully capable. All four presets, Low, Medium, High, and Ultra, clear the 60 FPS threshold. The Ultra preset, with an average of 66.7 FPS, is the recommended choice for the best visual experience without sacrificing playability.

At 2560x1440, the system remains playable but with limitations. The playable settings are limited to Low and Medium. The Medium preset is the best option, averaging 65.9 FPS. The High preset drops to 56.0 FPS, just below the target, and the Ultra preset falls further to 41.3 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the system cannot achieve a playable frame rate on any preset. The highest average is 48.8 FPS on Low, which is below the 60 FPS threshold. The verdict data confirms that no settings are playable at this resolution.

In summary, the i7-14700KF and RTX 2060 combination is a solid 1080p performer for this game, a capable 1440p system when settings are moderated to Medium, and not suitable for 4K gaming.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark results indicate that the GPU is the dominant factor in The Technomancer's performance, especially as resolution increases. The RTX 2060's workload scales directly with the number of pixels rendered.

The scaling between resolutions shows this clearly. At the Low preset, the average frame rate drops from 129.5 FPS at 1080p to 82.7 FPS at 1440p, a decrease of 46.8 FPS. Moving from 1440p to 4K, the frame rate falls from 82.7 FPS to 48.8 FPS, another 33.9 FPS loss. This consistent and large drop at higher resolutions is a classic sign of GPU-bound performance.

The CPU's role becomes more apparent at lower resolutions and higher presets. At 1080p with the Ultra preset, the average FPS is 66.7, while at the Low preset it is 129.5. This difference of 62.8 FPS is driven by the increased graphical load on the GPU. However, the i7-14700KF, which ranks at the 94th percentile among all CPUs, has more than enough processing power to feed the GPU. The frame rate limits at 1080p are still being set by the GPU's rendering capabilities, not by the CPU's ability to prepare frames. The data does not indicate a scenario where the CPU becomes the primary bottleneck. The GPU is the limiting component across all settings and resolutions, with its influence growing as resolution increases.

How This Combo Ranks

Within the database of tested combinations for The Technomancer, this specific setup holds a rank of 2951 out of 3696 combinations. This places it in the lower percentile of all tested systems. This ranking is consistent with the measured FPS data, which shows the RTX 2060 struggling at higher resolutions. While the i7-14700KF is a high-end processor, its performance is not the deciding factor here. The overall rank is dragged down by the GPU's inability to maintain high frame rates at 1440p and 4K. The system is more competitive at 1080p, where its performance is respectable, but the overall rank reflects its limitations across the full range of tested resolutions.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The hardware database provides context for this combination by listing other components with similar benchmark scores.

For the CPU, the Intel Core i7-14700KF has a benchmark score of 70163. Its nearest rivals are:

• AMD Ryzen 7 9700F: Score of 69996, which is 0.2% lower.
• AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX: Score of 69875, which is 0.4% lower.
• AMD Ryzen 9 7950X: Score of 69515, which is 0.9% lower.
• Intel Core Ultra 7 265K: Score of 70879, which is 1.0% higher.

These processors would all deliver nearly identical performance in CPU-related tasks for this game. Swapping the i7-14700KF for any of these would not produce a noticeable change in frame rates, as the system is GPU-bound.

For the GPU, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 has a benchmark score of 15290. Its nearest rivals are:

• NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580: Score of 15283, which is 0.0% different.
• AMD Radeon 680M: Score of 15270, which is 0.1% lower.
• NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 OEM: Score of 15199, which is 0.6% lower.
• AMD Radeon RX 7600: Score of 15171, which is 0.8% lower.

This indicates that a system with an RTX 2060 will perform almost identically to one with a GTX 580 or an AMD Radeon 680M. The RTX 3050 OEM and RX 7600 are also very close in performance. A user with any of these GPUs paired with a similarly capable CPU would see very similar frame rates in The Technomancer. The data suggests that the RTX 2060's performance is well within the range of these other cards, and the overall gaming experience would be nearly indistinguishable between them.