The Technomancer

The Intel Core i3-12100F paired with the Intel Arc B390 produces a constrained experience in The Technomancer, with benchmark data indicating that the combination is heavily limited by the graphics subsystem. The measured frame rates across all resolutions and presets place this combo in the 2500th position out of 2825 tested configurations, underscoring its position near the lower end of the performance spectrum. The data suggests that while the CPU provides adequate processing power, the GPU's shared memory architecture and low benchmark percentile create a significant bottleneck, particularly at higher resolutions.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data for this combination in The Technomancer shows a clear trade-off between visual fidelity and playability. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers an average of 79 FPS, which is the highest frame rate recorded for this combo at any resolution or setting. The Medium preset at the same resolution yields 61 FPS, representing a 23% reduction in performance compared to Low, while the High preset drops further to 52 FPS. The Ultra preset at 1080p falls to 40 FPS, which approaches the threshold where gameplay fluidity may begin to suffer in an action RPG.

Given these numbers, the Medium preset at 1920x1080 appears to be the optimal balance for this hardware combination. The 61 FPS average provides a comfortable margin above the 52 FPS minimum recorded for this setting, and the visual upgrade from Low to Medium is typically substantial in a 2016-era title like The Technomancer. While Low offers a higher frame rate, the Medium preset's 61 FPS average is sufficiently smooth for the genre, and the 52 FPS minimum still maintains acceptable fluidity during demanding scenes.

At 2560x1440, the situation becomes more problematic. The Low preset averages 52 FPS, which is identical to the 1080p High preset result, but the Medium preset drops to 40 FPS with a minimum of 34 FPS. These numbers indicate that 1440p gaming is only viable on the Low preset, and even then, the performance is marginal for an action RPG that may require precise timing. The 4K resolution results are largely unplayable, with even the Low preset averaging only 28 FPS, making any preset above Low at 3840x2160 unsuitable for actual gameplay.

How This Combo Ranks

The benchmark database places this specific CPU-GPU combination at rank 2500 out of 2825 tested combos in The Technomancer. This ranking places the combo in the bottom 11.5% of all tested configurations, indicating that users should expect below-average performance relative to the broader hardware landscape. The comboRankInGame metric is particularly telling because it accounts for the specific interaction between the Intel Core i3-12100F and the Intel Arc B390 within this game's engine, rather than evaluating either component in isolation.

The GPU's percentile ranking of 9th among all tested GPUs provides critical context for this low combo ranking. The Intel Arc B390 scores 1482 in the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 benchmark, placing it in the 9th percentile of all GPUs. The nearest rivals for the GPU include the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX with a score of 1463 (1.3% slower), the NVIDIA GeForce 800M at 1460 (1.5% slower), and the NVIDIA GeForce GT 625 OEM at 1446 (2.5% slower). These comparisons reveal that the Arc B390's performance is clustered with entry-level GPUs from previous generations, which explains why the combo ranks so poorly in a demanding action RPG.

In contrast, the CPU performs much more respectably in isolation. The Intel Core i3-12100F holds a 68th percentile ranking among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 13494. Its nearest CPU rivals include the Intel Core 3 N355 at 13492 (0% difference), the Intel Core i5-9500 at 13452 (0.3% faster), and the Intel Core 5 120UL at 13594 (0.7% slower). This CPU performance suggests that the processor is not the primary limitation in this combo, reinforcing the conclusion that the GPU is the dominant bottleneck in The Technomancer.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390's specifications reveal fundamental constraints that directly impact its performance in The Technomancer. The GPU operates with system shared memory, meaning it has no dedicated VRAM of its own. This architecture makes memory bandwidth "System Dependent," which can severely limit performance in memory-intensive scenarios common in open-world action RPGs. The GPU's base clock of 300 MHz boosts to 2500 MHz, but the shared memory subsystem creates a bottleneck that clock speed alone cannot overcome.

The GPU's compute capabilities are modest by modern standards. With 1536 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 24 raster operation units, the Arc B390 delivers 7.680 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 120.0 GTexel/s of texture fill rate. The pixel rate of 60.00 GPixel/s is adequate for lower resolutions but becomes increasingly strained as resolution increases. The GPU also includes 12 ray tracing cores, though this feature is unlikely to be utilized in The Technomancer, which predates widespread RT implementation in games.

The GPU's 9th percentile ranking among all GPUs is reflected in its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1482. This score places it just barely ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GT 710, which scores 1443, and only 2.7% behind that entry-level card. The performance gap between the Arc B390 and more capable GPUs is substantial, and the measured FPS data in The Technomancer confirms that this GPU struggles to maintain playable frame rates at higher settings and resolutions. The shared memory configuration means that the GPU must compete with the CPU for the same memory resources, potentially causing additional performance degradation in CPU-intensive scenes.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the benchmark data shows a progressive decline in performance as settings increase. The Low preset delivers 79 FPS average, which is the only setting at any resolution to exceed 60 FPS. The Medium preset averages 61 FPS with a minimum of 52 FPS and a maximum of 70 FPS, providing a playable experience with some headroom. The High preset drops to 52 FPS average, and the Ultra preset falls to 40 FPS average. This 39 FPS spread between Low and Ultra at 1080p illustrates the significant impact of graphical settings on this hardware combination.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance drops become more pronounced. The Low preset averages 52 FPS, representing a 34% decrease from the 1080p Low result. The Medium preset averages 40 FPS with a minimum of 34 FPS and a maximum of 46 FPS, showing that even the minimum frame rate at this resolution and setting is below the 1080p High average. The High preset falls to 34 FPS average, and the Ultra preset drops to 26 FPS average. These numbers suggest that 1440p gaming is only viable on the Low preset, and even then, the experience is not ideal for an action RPG requiring responsive controls.

At 3840x2160, the performance is largely unplayable across all settings. The Low preset averages 28 FPS, which is below the threshold for smooth gameplay. The Medium preset averages 22 FPS with a minimum of 19 FPS and a maximum of 25 FPS, while the High preset averages 19 FPS and the Ultra preset drops to 15 FPS. The 4K results demonstrate that this combination is not suitable for high-resolution gaming, with even the lowest settings failing to achieve 30 FPS. The data shows a clear pattern: the Arc B390's shared memory and limited compute resources cannot handle the pixel throughput required at 4K resolution.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution and settings combination for this hardware?

A: Based on the measured FPS data, 1920x1080 with the Medium preset provides the best balance, averaging 61 FPS with a minimum of 52 FPS. The Low preset at 1080p offers higher performance at 79 FPS, but the Medium preset's visual quality improvement justifies the frame rate trade-off.

Q: How does this combo compare to other tested configurations?

A: This combination ranks 2500th out of 2825 tested combos in The Technomancer, placing it in the bottom 11.5% of all configurations. The GPU's 9th percentile ranking among all GPUs is the primary factor in this low position.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the main bottleneck in this game?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the primary limitation. The Intel Core i3-12100F ranks in the 68th percentile among CPUs, while the Intel Arc B390 ranks in the 9th percentile among GPUs. The CPU's performance is comparatively strong, suggesting the GPU cannot keep pace.

Q: Can this hardware run the game at 4K resolution?

A: No. The 4K results show an average of 28 FPS on Low settings, 22 FPS on Medium, 19 FPS on High, and 15 FPS on Ultra. None of these results approach playable frame rates for an action RPG.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B390 compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The Arc B390 scores 1482 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, which is 1.3% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (1463), 1.5% ahead of the GeForce 800M (1460), and 2.7% ahead of the GeForce GT 625 OEM (1446). This places it among entry-level GPUs from previous generations.

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

A: At 1920x1080, the Low preset averages 79 FPS while the Ultra preset averages 40 FPS, representing a 39 FPS difference. This demonstrates the significant performance cost of higher graphical settings on this hardware.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i3-12100F is a 4-core, 8-thread processor from the Core 12th Gen series, based on the Alder Lake architecture. It operates with a base clock of 3.30 GHz and a boost clock of 4.30 GHz, with a TDP of 58 W. The CPU's cache configuration includes 80 KB of L1 cache per core, 1.25 MB of L2 cache per core, and 12 MB of shared L3 cache. These specifications provide solid single-threaded performance, which is important for older game engines like the one powering The Technomancer.

The CPU's benchmark results demonstrate its capabilities. In Cinebench R23, it scores 11860 in multicore and 1674 in single-core tests. The Geekbench results show 7252 in multicore and 1932 in single-core. The 3DMark results indicate scaling from 1659 in 2-thread tests to 4051 in 16-thread tests, with the 4-thread score of 2859 being particularly relevant for gaming workloads. The PassMark single-thread score of 3444 confirms strong per-core performance, which is crucial for games that rely heavily on a few threads.

The CPU's 68th percentile ranking among all CPUs and its average benchmark score of 13494 place it in the mid-range of processors. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core 3 N355 with an identical score of 13492, the Intel Core i5-9500 at 13452 (0.3% slower), and the Intel Core 5 120UL at 13594 (0.7% faster). This performance level suggests that the CPU is more than capable of feeding the GPU in most gaming scenarios, but in this particular combo, the GPU's limitations prevent the CPU from reaching its potential.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of performance degradation as resolution increases. At the Low preset, performance drops from 79 FPS at 1080p to 52 FPS at 1440p (a 34% decrease), and further to 28 FPS at 4K (a 65% decrease from 1080p). This scaling suggests that the GPU is becoming increasingly pixel-bound at higher resolutions, as the shared memory architecture struggles to provide sufficient bandwidth for the increased pixel count.

The Medium preset shows a similar trend: 61 FPS at 1080p, 40 FPS at 1440p (a 34% decrease), and 22 FPS at 4K (a 64% decrease). The consistency of these percentage drops across settings indicates that the bottleneck is resolution-dependent rather than setting-dependent. This is characteristic of a GPU that is limited by its memory subsystem and raw pixel throughput rather than by shading complexity.

The High and Ultra presets show even steeper declines. High drops from 52 FPS at 1080p to 34 FPS at 1440p (a 35% decrease) and 19 FPS at 4K (a 63% decrease). Ultra drops from 40 FPS at 1080p to 26 FPS at 1440p (a 35% decrease) and 15 FPS at 4K (a 63% decrease). The uniform scaling across all settings strongly suggests that the Intel Arc B390's pixel rate of 60.00 GPixel/s is the limiting factor, as this specification cannot keep pace with the increasing pixel demands of higher resolutions regardless of the graphical preset chosen.

The resolution scaling analysis confirms that this combination is best suited for 1080p gaming. The frame rate drops from 1080p to 1440p are substantial, and the 4K results are uniformly unplayable. The data indicates that the GPU's shared memory configuration and limited compute resources make it fundamentally unsuitable for high-resolution gaming, while the CPU's strong single-threaded performance ensures that it is not the primary constraint in this scenario.