The Technomancer

The Technomancer is a 2016 Action RPG that, on paper, should be easy for modern hardware to handle. However, the measured data for the Intel Core i7-14700KF paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 reveals a more nuanced story, particularly at higher resolutions where the GPU is pushed to its limits. This combination ranks in the 143rd percentile of all 3,696 tested combos for this game, placing it firmly in the top tier, but the performance gap between settings and resolutions is significant.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The benchmark data for this combo shows a clear and consistent scaling pattern across the three tested resolutions. At 3840x2160 (4K), the system delivers playable frame rates at most settings, but the Ultra preset pushes it below the 60 FPS threshold. The average frame rates at 4K are as follows: Low settings produce 112.3 FPS, Medium settings yield 87.8 FPS, High settings achieve 71.6 FPS, and Ultra settings drop to 56.1 FPS. This represents a steep performance curve, where the jump from High to Ultra costs roughly 15.5 FPS, a 21.6% reduction in performance.

Moving down to 2560x1440 (1440p), the performance headroom expands considerably. The Low preset delivers an average of 205.2 FPS, while Medium reaches 158.6 FPS. High settings hit 135.3 FPS, and Ultra remains comfortably above 60 FPS at 106.8 FPS. The scaling here is more forgiving than at 4K, with the difference between Low and Ultra being about 98.4 FPS. At 1920x1080 (1080p), the combination becomes almost overkill for this title. Low settings produce an average of 315.8 FPS, Medium achieves 243.6 FPS, High reaches 204.3 FPS, and Ultra maintains 160.1 FPS. The data shows that at 1080p, even the most demanding preset leaves massive performance on the table.

The data does not include min or max FPS values for any resolution or setting, so the analysis relies solely on average frame rates. It is importantly the gap between Low and Ultra settings widens as resolution decreases. At 4K, the difference is 56.2 FPS; at 1440p, it is 98.4 FPS; and at 1080p, it is 155.7 FPS. This suggests that at lower resolutions, the CPU and GPU have more headroom to render the additional visual effects that the Ultra preset introduces.

CPU and GPU Roles

The performance scaling across resolutions indicates a shift in bottleneck behavior. At 1920x1080, the average frame rates are extremely high, ranging from 160.1 to 315.8 FPS. These numbers suggest that the system is not GPU-limited at this resolution, but rather that the Intel Core i7-14700KF is providing ample data to the RTX 5080. The 20-core, 28-thread processor, which scores 44,167 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 6,235 in single-core, is more than capable of feeding even the fastest GPUs at 1080p. The data shows that the scaling between Low and Ultra at 1080p is roughly 49.3%, which is a larger relative drop than at 4K where the drop is 50.0%. This indicates that the Ultra preset's additional graphical features are being processed by the GPU, but the CPU is not the limiting factor at any setting at 1080p.

As the resolution increases to 2560x1440, the GPU begins to take on a more significant role. The frame rates drop by approximately 33-35% compared to 1080p across all settings. This is a classic sign of the GPU becoming the primary bottleneck, as the pixel fill rate and shading requirements increase. The RTX 5080, with its 10,752 shading units and 56.28 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, is still delivering very high frame rates, but the data suggests that the GPU load is scaling with resolution as expected. At 4K, the bottleneck is firmly on the GPU. The average frame rates at 4K Ultra (56.1 FPS) are only 35% of the 1080p Ultra score (160.1 FPS), which is a significant drop that points to the GPU being the limiting factor.

The CPU's role is more pronounced at lower resolutions and lower presets. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 315.8 FPS, which is likely close to the maximum throughput that the game engine and CPU can provide. The Core i7-14700KF's PassMark single-thread score of 4,480 and multi-thread score of 52,425 indicate strong per-core performance, which is critical for older games like The Technomancer that may not utilize all 28 threads effectively. The data shows that the CPU is not a hindrance at any resolution, but its relative importance diminishes as the GPU load increases.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i7-14700KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 combination ranks 143rd out of 3,696 tested combos for The Technomancer. This places it in the top 3.9% of all systems tested, which is an exceptional result. The combo's percentile ranking reflects the high-end nature of both components. The CPU itself sits in the 94th percentile of all CPUs tested, with an average benchmark score of 70,163. The GPU is in the 87th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 56,083. The combination of two top-tier components yields a system that is more than capable of handling this game at nearly any setting.

The ranking is particularly impressive when considering the age of the game. The Technomancer was released in 2016, and its engine may not be optimized for modern multi-core processors or the latest GPU architectures. The fact that this combo still achieves 160.1 FPS at 1080p Ultra suggests that the hardware is powerful enough to overcome any engine inefficiencies. The data shows that this combo outperforms the vast majority of systems, but there are still 142 combos that score higher. These are likely systems with even more powerful GPUs, such as the RTX 5090 or Radeon RX 7900 XTX, or CPUs with higher single-thread performance.

The ranking also highlights the balance of this configuration. The CPU's 94th percentile ranking and the GPU's 87th percentile ranking are relatively close, indicating that neither component is severely bottlenecking the other in this game. This is a well-matched pairing for The Technomancer, as the GPU is slightly weaker relative to the CPU, which is appropriate for a game that is more GPU-intensive at higher resolutions.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The nearest rivals to the Intel Core i7-14700KF provide insight into what other CPUs would offer similar performance in this system. The AMD Ryzen 7 9700F has an average benchmark score of 69,996, which is only 0.2% lower than the Core i7-14700KF's 70,163. This means that swapping the CPU for the Ryzen 7 9700F would result in virtually identical frame rates in The Technomancer. The AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX is 0.4% slower, and the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X is 0.9% slower. On the other side, the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K is 1% faster, making it the closest higher-performing alternative.

These small delta percentages (ranging from -1% to +0.9%) indicate that all four CPUs are essentially interchangeable for this game. The choice between them would come down to platform features, power consumption, or price, rather than gaming performance. The data shows that the Core i7-14700KF is well-positioned among its peers, with no single rival offering a significant performance advantage in this title.

For the GPU, the nearest rivals to the RTX 5080 are more interesting. The AMD Radeon 8060S has an average benchmark score of 55,757, which is 0.6% lower than the RTX 5080's 56,083. The AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB is 0.7% slower, and the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X is 2.3% slower. The AMD Radeon RX 9070 GRE, however, is 2.2% faster with a score of 57,367. These deltas are small, but they suggest that the RTX 5080 is not dramatically faster than its immediate rivals in synthetic benchmarks. In real-world gaming, the differences would likely be even smaller, meaning that a system with an RX 9070 GRE would produce nearly identical frame rates to the RTX 5080 in The Technomancer.

FAQ

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

A: No. The measured average frame rate at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings is 56.1 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS playable threshold. The best playable setting at 4K is High, which achieves 71.6 FPS.

Q: What is the highest setting that maintains 60 FPS at 2560x1440?

A: All four settings at 1440p are playable. The Ultra preset delivers 106.8 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold, making it the best setting for this resolution.

Q: How does the CPU compare to the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X?

A: The Intel Core i7-14700KF has an average benchmark score of 70,163, which is 0.9% higher than the Ryzen 9 7950X's score of 69,515. In practice, the performance difference in The Technomancer would be negligible.

Q: Is the RTX 5080 significantly faster than the AMD Radeon RX 9070 GRE?

A: No. The RTX 5080 has an average benchmark score of 56,083, while the RX 9070 GRE scores 57,367, making the AMD card 2.2% faster in synthetic benchmarks. In gaming, this difference would be imperceptible.

Q: What is the average frame rate at 1080p with Medium settings?

A: The measured average frame rate at 1920x1080 with Medium settings is 243.6 FPS. This is more than four times the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Q: Does the system have any trouble running the game at 1440p Low settings?

A: No. The average frame rate at 2560x1440 with Low settings is 205.2 FPS, which is significantly above the playable threshold. The system has massive headroom at this resolution and setting.

The Verdict

The Intel Core i7-14700KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 can absolutely run The Technomancer, and it does so with exceptional performance at most settings. The verdict by resolution is clear. At 3840x2160, the system clears the 60 FPS threshold with Low (112.3 FPS), Medium (87.8 FPS), and High (71.6 FPS) settings. The Ultra preset at 4K is the only configuration that falls short, with an average of 56.1 FPS. For players with a 4K display, the recommended approach is to use the High preset, which provides the best visual quality while maintaining a comfortable 71.6 FPS average.

At 2560x1440, there are no compromises needed. All four settings — Low (205.2 FPS), Medium (158.6 FPS), High (135.3 FPS), and Ultra (106.8 FPS) — clear the 60 FPS threshold with ease. The Ultra preset is the best choice here, as it delivers the highest visual fidelity without sacrificing smoothness. At 1920x1080, the system is essentially overkill. The Ultra preset averages 160.1 FPS, which is more than enough for any high-refresh-rate monitor. The data shows that this combination is ideally suited for 1440p gaming, where it provides a perfect balance of visual quality and frame rate. For 4K, it is a capable performer as long as the Ultra preset is avoided. This is a top-tier configuration that will not struggle with The Technomancer under any reasonable gaming scenario.