The Technomancer

# How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i3-12100F paired with the AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT ranks 633rd out of 1,656 tested combinations in The Technomancer. This places the combo in the upper-middle tier of all tested systems, roughly in the 62nd percentile of the field. The ranking reflects a pairing where the GPU carries most of the workload, but the CPU's modest 4-core, 8-thread configuration still manages to keep pace at most settings.

The CPU itself sits at the 72nd percentile among all processors, with an average benchmark score of 13,516. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3975WX (13,534, just 0.1% faster), the Intel Core i7-1250U (13,462, 0.4% slower), and the Intel Core i3-10105 (13,430, 0.6% slower). The i3-12100F trails the Intel Core i7-7700K by 1.8% in average score, showing that this modern quad-core is competitive with older higher-tier parts. In single-threaded workloads, the CPU posts a 3DMark single-thread score of 893 and a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1,681, which are strong figures for a budget-oriented chip.

The GPU ranks at the 76th percentile among all graphics cards, with an average benchmark score of 32,619. Its nearest rivals include the AMD FirePro S9300 X2 (32,540, 0.2% slower), the NVIDIA P104-100 (32,747, 0.4% faster), and the NVIDIA T600 Mobile (32,849, 0.7% faster). The RX 7800 XT's position in the combo ranking is largely dictated by its raw compute capabilities rather than the CPU's contribution, as the benchmark data shows the GPU can push frame rates well beyond what the CPU can sustain at lower resolutions.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT brings substantial memory and bandwidth resources to this pairing. It features 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 624.1 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU's base clock runs at 1,295 MHz, with a boost clock of 2,430 MHz and a game clock of 2,124 MHz. Memory operates at 2,438 MHz, translating to 19.5 Gbps effective. This configuration yields a pixel rate of 233.3 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 583.2 GTexel/s, with FP32 compute rated at 37.32 TFLOPS.

In The Technomancer, the GPU's role shifts depending on resolution and settings. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo reaches 206.4 FPS average, which is far beyond what the 4-core CPU can logically bottleneck. The data shows the GPU has ample headroom; the limiting factor at lower resolutions becomes the CPU's ability to feed the renderer. At 4K Ultra, the average drops to 41.1 FPS, indicating the GPU is now fully saturated. The 16 GB VRAM buffer is more than sufficient for this 2016 title, as even at 4K Ultra, the game does not appear to exceed the available memory capacity based on the frame rate consistency.

The GPU's 60 ray accelerators and RDNA 3.0 architecture provide DirectX 12 Ultimate support, though The Technomancer predates widespread ray tracing adoption. The 96 ROPs and 240 TMUs are the key contributors to the rasterization performance that this game relies on. The card's 263 W TDP and 600 W suggested PSU rating indicate a power-hungry component, but the benchmark results show it delivers proportionally strong performance in this title.

Resolution Scaling

Frame rates scale predictably as resolution increases, but the pattern reveals which component dominates at each step. At 1080p High, the combo averages 139.8 FPS. Moving to 1440p High, the average drops to 91.7 FPS, a 34.4% reduction. At 4K High, the average falls to 47.3 FPS, another 48.4% drop from 1440p. This scaling curve is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario at higher resolutions, where the RX 7800 XT's compute limits become the primary constraint.

At Low settings, the scaling is steeper. From 206.4 FPS at 1080p to 137.2 FPS at 1440p (a 33.5% drop) and then to 75.2 FPS at 4K (a 45.2% drop from 1440p). The 1080p Low result of 206.4 FPS suggests the CPU is nearing its limit, as the GPU could theoretically push higher if the processor could keep up. The 4-core i3-12100F with its 12 MB shared L3 cache and 4.30 GHz boost clock likely becomes the bottleneck at these low-settings, high-FPS scenarios.

Ultra settings show the most dramatic scaling. From 105.1 FPS at 1080p to 68.1 FPS at 1440p (a 35.2% drop) and then to 41.1 FPS at 4K (a 39.6% drop from 1440p). The diminishing percentage drops at higher resolutions indicate the GPU is increasingly the limiting factor, while the CPU has more time to prepare frames. Across all settings, the 4K to 1080p ratio ranges from roughly 2.7x to 2.8x, consistent with the pixel count difference of 4x, meaning the scaling is not purely pixel-bound but also affected by settings-specific workloads.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its highest frame rates. Low settings produce 206.4 FPS average, Medium drops to 162.6 FPS, High reaches 139.8 FPS, and Ultra sits at 105.1 FPS. The step from Low to Medium costs 43.8 FPS, while the step from High to Ultra costs 34.7 FPS. This suggests that the game's Ultra preset adds significant rendering workload beyond High, likely through increased draw distances or shadow quality that taxes the GPU more than the CPU.

At 2560x1440, the averages are 137.2 FPS on Low, 106.2 FPS on Medium, 91.7 FPS on High, and 68.1 FPS on Ultra. The gap between Low and Medium narrows to 31.0 FPS, while High to Ultra costs 23.6 FPS. The 1440p results show the GPU beginning to feel the resolution load, but the combo still maintains playable frame rates even at Ultra, which is notable for a 2016 title running on modern hardware.

At 3840x2160, the averages drop to 75.2 FPS on Low, 54.9 FPS on Medium, 47.3 FPS on High, and 41.1 FPS on Ultra. The Low to Medium gap is 20.3 FPS, and High to Ultra is 6.2 FPS. At 4K, the GPU is clearly the limiting component, as the frame rate differences between settings compress, indicating that the renderer is saturated regardless of quality level. The i3-12100F's role diminishes at this resolution, as the GPU's 37.32 TFLOPS of FP32 compute becomes the bottleneck.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data indicates that High settings at 1440p offer the most balanced experience for this combo. The 91.7 FPS average at 1440p High is smooth, while the 68.1 FPS at Ultra shows a 25.7% performance penalty for what is likely a marginal visual gain in a game of this era. At 1080p, High settings at 139.8 FPS are excellent, but the CPU's 4-core limit may cause frame pacing inconsistencies at such high rates, as the processor's 3DMark 16-thread score of 4,051 and 8-thread score of 4,026 suggest it has limited headroom for feeding the GPU.

For 4K gaming, High settings at 47.3 FPS are borderline playable, but Medium at 54.9 FPS is a safer choice for maintaining a smoother experience. The 4K Ultra result of 41.1 FPS falls below the 60 FPS threshold that many players target, and the 6.2 FPS difference between High and Ultra at this resolution does not justify the visual upgrade. The data suggests that Medium at 4K provides the best compromise, offering 54.9 FPS average, which is within striking distance of 60 FPS.

At 1080p, Medium settings at 162.6 FPS are the sweet spot for high-refresh-rate displays, as the jump to High costs 22.8 FPS while providing diminishing returns. The Low preset at 206.4 FPS is only useful for competitive play, but the visual degradation is likely too severe for this single-player Action RPG. Overall, the combo performs best when the GPU is moderately loaded, avoiding both CPU-bound low settings and GPU-bound Ultra settings.

FAQ

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested systems in The Technomancer?

A: The Intel Core i3-12100F and AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT ranks 633rd out of 1,656 tested combinations, placing it in the upper-middle tier of the database.

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in The Technomancer?

A: The data shows 1440p High at 91.7 FPS offers the best balance of visual quality and performance. At 4K, Medium at 54.9 FPS is the most playable option, while 1080p High at 139.8 FPS works well for high-refresh displays.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor at 1080p?

A: The 1080p Low result of 206.4 FPS suggests the CPU is the constraint, as the i3-12100F's 4-core configuration with a 3DMark 4-thread score of 2,859 cannot feed the GPU fast enough at very high frame rates. At 4K, the GPU is clearly the bottleneck.

Q: How much performance is lost from 1080p to 4K at High settings?

A: At High settings, the average frame rate drops from 139.8 FPS at 1080p to 91.7 FPS at 1440p (a 34.4% reduction) and then to 47.3 FPS at 4K (a 48.4% reduction from 1440p).

Q: Does the RX 7800 XT's 16 GB VRAM matter for this game?

A: The 16 GB GDDR6 memory with 624.1 GB/s bandwidth is more than sufficient for The Technomancer, a 2016 title. The frame rate consistency across settings suggests VRAM capacity is not a limiting factor at any resolution tested.

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

A: The i3-12100F's average benchmark score of 13,516 is 0.1% slower than the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3975WX, 0.4% faster than the Intel Core i7-1250U, 0.6% faster than the Intel Core i3-10105, and 1.8% slower than the Intel Core i7-7700K.