The Technomancer

The Technomancer, a 2016 Action RPG, presents a demanding workload that clearly separates CPU and GPU responsibilities. With the Intel Core i3-12100F and AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT, the data reveals a system that is heavily GPU-bound at higher resolutions, while the processor demonstrates sufficient headroom to drive high frame rates at 1080p. The benchmark results show a predictable scaling pattern, but the specific deltas between settings presets offer crucial insight into optimizing the experience.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is steep, confirming that the AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT is the primary limiting component at higher resolutions. At High settings, the average FPS falls from 119.4 at 1920x1080 to 79.6 at 2560x1440, a 33% reduction. Moving to 3840x2160, the average drops further to 44.8 FPS, which is 62% lower than the 1080p result. This pattern indicates that the GPU’s rendering capabilities are the bottleneck, as the resolution increase demands exponentially more pixel throughput.

The scaling from 1440p to 4K at High settings shows a 44% performance loss (79.6 to 44.8 FPS), which is substantial but typical for a mid-range GPU like the RX 6750 XT. The gap between Low and Ultra settings widens dramatically as resolution increases. At 1080p, the difference between Low (177.4 FPS) and Ultra (94 FPS) is 83.4 FPS. At 4K, that same gap shrinks to 30.7 FPS (66 FPS on Low versus 35.3 FPS on Ultra), because the GPU is already saturated by the pixel count, leaving less headroom for settings overhead.

This data suggests that the i3-12100F is not the limiting factor in this pairing. The CPU’s 4 cores and 8 threads are sufficient to feed the GPU at 1080p, where the frame rates exceed 119 FPS on High. However, the 4K Ultra result of 35.3 FPS is below the 60 FPS target, indicating that users seeking 4K must lower settings to Medium (52.2 FPS) or Low (66 FPS) to achieve playable frame rates.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to maintain a 60 FPS average?

A: At 2560x1440, the High preset delivers 79.6 FPS, and even Ultra averages 59 FPS, making 1440p the optimal resolution for this pairing. At 4K, only the Low preset (66 FPS) exceeds 60 FPS, while Medium falls short at 52.2 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU’s core count affect performance in The Technomancer?

A: The Intel Core i3-12100F has 4 cores and 8 threads. In this game, the data shows that this configuration is sufficient, as the frame rate scales consistently with GPU load. The CPU’s single-thread score of 893 in 3dmark suggests adequate per-core performance, and the 1080p High result of 119.4 FPS indicates no apparent CPU bottleneck.

Q: Is the RX 6750 XT’s 12 GB VRAM a factor at 4K?

A: The 12 GB GDDR6 memory with 432.0 GB/s bandwidth is not explicitly tested in the FPS data, but the performance drop from 1080p to 4K (from 119.4 to 44.8 FPS at High) suggests the GPU’s compute limits, not memory capacity, are the primary constraint, as the VRAM is ample for this title.

Q: How does the combo rank against other tested configurations?

A: The combo ranks 788 out of 1656 tested combinations. This places it in the middle of the pack, indicating that while it is not a top-tier performer, it is far from the bottom, offering a balanced experience for 1080p and 1440p gaming.

Q: What is the performance difference between Low and Ultra at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the Low preset averages 177.4 FPS, while Ultra averages 94 FPS. This 83.4 FPS difference (an 89% increase from Ultra to Low) shows that settings have a massive impact at this resolution, where the CPU can keep up with the GPU.

Q: Does the GPU’s boost clock impact the 4K results?

A: The GPU’s boost clock is 2600 MHz, with a game clock of 2495 MHz. While the data does not isolate clock speed effects, the 4K results (44.8 FPS on High) are consistent with a GPU that is running near its limits, suggesting that the boost clock is not preventing performance but rather the architecture’s raw throughput is the limiting factor.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i3-12100F is a 4-core, 8-thread processor from the Alder Lake-S architecture, with a base clock of 3.30 GHz and a boost clock of 4.30 GHz. Its multi-threaded performance is modest, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 11912 and a single-core score of 1681. In The Technomancer, the CPU’s role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and game logic. The data shows that at 1080p, the CPU is not a bottleneck, as the frame rate scales linearly with settings: Low (177.4 FPS) to High (119.4 FPS) to Ultra (94 FPS).

The processor’s 12 MB of shared L3 cache and 8 threads provide enough parallelism for the game’s engine. The 3dmark results show a 4-thread score of 2859 and an 8-thread score of 4026, indicating that the CPU scales well up to 8 threads. In this title, that headroom means the GPU is fully utilized at lower resolutions. The CPU’s percentile rank of 72 against all CPUs places it above average, and its nearest rival, the Intel Core i7-7700K, scores 1.8% higher on average, suggesting similar real-world performance in this game.

At 4K, the CPU’s role diminishes further, as the frame rates (35.3 to 66 FPS) are clearly GPU-limited. The i3-12100F’s power draw of 58 W TDP is low, but that is not a performance metric. What matters is that the 4 cores are sufficient for this game, as evidenced by the 1080p Low result exceeding 170 FPS, which would require a CPU capable of handling high draw call rates.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i3-12100F and AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT ranks 788 out of 1656 tested combos in The Technomancer. This places it in the 47th percentile, meaning roughly half of all tested configurations perform better. The ranking reflects a balance: the CPU is in the 72nd percentile among all CPUs, while the GPU is in the 79th percentile among all GPUs. The combo’s mid-pack ranking suggests that the system is not optimized for extreme 4K performance but excels at 1080p and 1440p.

Compared to the CPU’s nearest rivals, the i3-12100F’s average benchmark score is 13516, which is within 0.6% of the Intel Core i3-10105 and 1.8% of the Intel Core i7-7700K. This indicates that the CPU is competitive with older high-end parts. The GPU’s nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080, scores 1.3% higher on average, showing that the RX 6750 XT is slightly behind a previous-generation flagship. However, in this game, the measured FPS data shows that the combo can achieve 94 FPS at 1080p Ultra, which is a solid result for a mid-range pairing.

The rank of 788 out of 1656 is not a verdict of failure; it is a statement of positioning. For 1080p and 1440p gaming, this combo is above average, but for 4K, it falls short of the top tiers. The data suggests that the GPU is the stronger component, as its percentile rank (79) is higher than the CPU’s (72), and the frame rates scale with GPU load.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT is built on RDNA 2.0 architecture with a Navi 22 chip, featuring 2560 shading units and 64 ROPs. It has a base clock of 2150 MHz and a boost clock of 2600 MHz, with 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, providing 432.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU’s FP32 performance is 13.31 TFLOPS, which is the raw compute capability that drives the frame rates in The Technomancer.

The data shows that the GPU is the primary bottleneck at all resolutions above 1080p. At 2560x1440, the High preset averages 79.6 FPS, which is playable but not high-refresh territory. At 4K, the GPU’s limits are exposed: even on Low settings, the average FPS is 66, which is below the 144Hz mark. The GPU’s Passmark G3D score of 20700 and its percentile rank of 79 confirm that it is a capable mid-range card, but it is not designed for 4K Ultra gaming.

The VRAM capacity of 12 GB is generous for a 2016 game like The Technomancer, which likely does not exceed 6 GB at 4K. The memory bandwidth of 432.0 GB/s is sufficient to feed the GPU’s compute units, as the frame rate drops are consistent with compute limitations, not memory starvation. The GPU’s nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 5600M, scores 0.2% lower on average, indicating that the RX 6750 XT is a clear step up in performance, which is evident in the 1080p High result of 119.4 FPS.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the frame rates are high across all presets. Low settings average 177.4 FPS, Medium 137.4 FPS, High 119.4 FPS, and Ultra 94 FPS. This shows that the CPU is capable of pushing over 170 FPS, and the GPU is the limiting factor even at 1080p Ultra, as the frame rate drops by 20% from High to Ultra.

At 2560x1440, the averages are: Low 117.2 FPS, Medium 92.5 FPS, High 79.6 FPS, and Ultra 59 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 1440p at High settings is 33% (119.4 to 79.6 FPS), which is expected for a resolution increase of 78% in pixels. The Ultra preset at 1440p just misses the 60 FPS target, averaging 59 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the results are: Low 66 FPS, Medium 52.2 FPS, High 44.8 FPS, and Ultra 35.3 FPS. The 4K High result is 62% lower than the 1080p High result, illustrating the GPU’s struggle with 8.3 million pixels. The difference between Low and Ultra at 4K is 30.7 FPS, which is smaller than the 83.4 FPS gap at 1080p, confirming that the GPU is saturated at 4K regardless of settings.

Settings Recommendations

For users targeting 60 FPS, the data indicates that 2560x1440 with the Ultra preset is borderline, averaging exactly 59 FPS. To ensure a smooth experience, the High preset at 1440p is the best choice, delivering 79.6 FPS with a significant margin above the 60 FPS threshold. This provides a balance between visual quality and performance, as the game’s High settings appear to be the sweet spot for this GPU.

At 1080p, the Ultra preset is viable, averaging 94 FPS, which is well above 60 FPS and suitable for high-refresh monitors up to 90 Hz. For those with 144Hz displays, the High preset at 119.4 FPS is recommended, as it approaches the refresh rate without dropping below it. The Low preset at 177.4 FPS is unnecessary unless chasing maximum frame rates for competitive play, which is not typical for an Action RPG.

At 4K, the data shows that only the Low preset (66 FPS) achieves a playable average above 60 FPS. The Medium preset at 52.2 FPS may be acceptable for users who prioritize visuals over smoothness, but the High and Ultra presets (44.8 and 35.3 FPS) are not recommended for a consistent experience. The best 4K experience is to use Low settings, which still delivers a 66 FPS average, or to drop to 1440p for a higher quality preset. The measured data clearly favors 1440p High as the optimal configuration for this combo, offering a 79.6 FPS average that balances image quality and performance.