The Technomancer

The Technomancer, a 2016 Action RPG, presents an interesting scaling challenge for the Intel Core i3-12100F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER combination. The measured data shows a clear hierarchy where the graphics card is the dominant factor, but the processor’s limitations become visible at lower resolutions. This analysis breaks down the performance metrics, focusing on the exact figures provided for this specific pairing.

Settings Recommendations

The optimal experience depends heavily on the target resolution. At 1920x1080, the data shows that even the High preset delivers an average of 183 FPS, while the Low preset reaches 250 FPS. The Medium preset sits at 211 FPS. The Ultra preset is the only option that drops below 150 FPS, hitting 142.5 FPS. Given that all presets at this resolution exceed typical high-refresh-rate targets, the best recommendation is the High preset, as it provides a substantial visual upgrade over Low and Medium while still delivering a score well above 180 FPS.

For 2560x1440, the pattern shifts slightly. The Low preset achieves 181.7 FPS, which is excellent. However, the High preset still manages a very strong 118.3 FPS, and Medium is at 136.3 FPS. The Ultra preset falls to 93.9 FPS. The data suggests that High is the sweet spot here as well, offering a balanced trade-off between fidelity and performance, remaining comfortably above the 100 FPS threshold.

At 3840x2160, the GPU becomes the limiting factor. The High preset produces 63.7 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for high refresh rates. The Medium preset lowers this to 74.6 FPS, while Low jumps to 99.6 FPS. The Ultra preset drops to 51.5 FPS. For a smoother experience at 4K, the Medium preset is the recommended starting point, as it offers a significant frame rate advantage over High while maintaining a higher level of visual detail than Low. The data indicates that the performance gap between Medium and High at 4K is 10.9 FPS, which is more impactful than the 11.3 FPS difference between Low and Medium.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER is the primary driver of performance in these benchmarks. Its specifications, including 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus with 672.3 GB/s bandwidth, provide ample headroom for the game’s textures and effects. The card’s boost clock of 2610 MHz and its 8448 shading units are the key components translating to the high frame rates seen at 1080p and 1440p. The data shows a clear correlation: as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160, the GPU workload becomes more intense, and average FPS drops across all settings.

The GPU’s performance percentile is 86, placing it well above average, and its average benchmark score is 48704. In the specific context of this game, the card’s capabilities are evident at 1440p, where it can push the High preset to 118.3 FPS. However, at 4K, the card’s limits are reached, as the Ultra preset only manages 51.5 FPS. This indicates that while the GPU is powerful, it is not sufficient to fully saturate a 4K display with maximum settings in this title. The memory bandwidth and capacity are sufficient, but the raw computational power is the bottleneck at 4K, as seen in the 33.5 FPS difference between the Low and Ultra presets at that resolution.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to achieve over 100 FPS on High settings?

A: The data shows that at 2560x1440 with High settings, the average FPS is 118.3. At 3840x2160 with High settings, the average FPS drops to 63.7. Therefore, 2560x1440 is the highest resolution where the High preset remains above the 100 FPS mark.

Q: How much performance is gained by dropping from Ultra to Low at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset averages 142.5 FPS, while the Low preset averages 250 FPS. This represents an increase of 107.5 FPS, or roughly 75% higher performance when using the lowest settings.

Q: Is the processor a bottleneck at 4K resolution?

A: The data suggests that the GPU is the primary bottleneck at 3840x2160. The FPS differences between settings are significant (from 51.5 to 99.6), which is characteristic of GPU-bound scenarios. The CPU has more headroom to feed the GPU at this resolution.

Q: Which graphics settings preset provides the most linear scaling at 1440p?

A: The frame rates at 2560x1440 show a clear progression: Low at 181.7, Medium at 136.3, High at 118.3, and Ultra at 93.9. The largest single drop is from Low to Medium, which is a 45.4 FPS difference.

Q: Can this combo achieve a stable 60 FPS experience at 4K?

A: Yes, according to the data. At 3840x2160, the High preset averages 63.7 FPS, and the Medium preset averages 74.6 FPS. Both of these settings are capable of maintaining an average above the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: How does the combo perform at 1080p compared to 1440p with the same settings?

A: The performance difference is substantial. For example, on High settings, 1920x1080 yields 183 FPS, while 2560x1440 yields 118.3 FPS. This shows a 64.7 FPS drop, indicating that the higher resolution demands significantly more from the GPU.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i3-12100F and RTX 4070 Ti SUPER combination is ranked 195 out of 1656 tested combos for The Technomancer. This places it in the top 12% of all configurations tested. This high rank is primarily attributable to the GPU’s strength, as its individual percentile is 86. The CPU’s percentile is lower at 72, which suggests that while the pairing is effective, it is not optimally balanced for this specific game. The rank of 195 indicates that a significant number of other combinations, likely with more powerful processors, achieve higher frame rates. However, given the GPU’s dominant role, this combo still delivers excellent performance, as evidenced by its ability to produce over 140 FPS at 1080p on Ultra settings. The data indicates that the combo is more than capable for 1440p gaming, and it is also viable for 4K at medium to high settings.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i3-12100F is a 4-core, 8-thread processor based on the Alder Lake architecture. It has a base clock of 3.30 GHz and a boost clock of 4.30 GHz. Its L3 cache is 12 MB. In The Technomancer, the CPU’s role appears secondary to the GPU, but it is still critical for feeding the graphics card with data. The benchmark results show that the CPU’s multi-threaded performance, such as its Cinebench R23 score of 11912, is modest compared to higher-end processors. However, its single-thread performance, with a Geekbench single-core score of 2224, is likely sufficient for this game’s engine.

The data reveals the CPU’s potential limitation at lower resolutions. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the FPS reaches 250, which is likely near the CPU’s maximum frame output capability. This is because at lower resolutions, the GPU has less work to do, and the CPU becomes the limiting factor in how many frames can be processed. The performance gap between 1080p Low (250 FPS) and 1440p Low (181.7 FPS) is 68.3 FPS, which is less than the gap between 1440p Low (181.7 FPS) and 4K Low (99.6 FPS). This pattern suggests that the CPU is keeping up well enough at 1440p, but its 4-core/8-thread configuration might be a constraint for achieving the absolute highest frame rates at 1080p. The CPU’s TDP of 58 W and its launch MSRP of $97 indicate it is an entry-level part, and its performance in this game reflects that, but it does not severely hinder the overall experience except in the most CPU-light scenarios.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following data represents the measured average FPS for the Intel Core i3-12100F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER combination in The Technomancer.

1920x1080:

• Low: 250 FPS
• Medium: 211 FPS
• High: 183 FPS
• Ultra: 142.5 FPS

The progression from Low to Ultra shows a clear step-down. The difference between Low and Medium is 39 FPS, while the difference between Medium and High is 28 FPS, and the difference between High and Ultra is 40.5 FPS. All presets are highly playable, with even the most demanding setting averaging well above 140 FPS.

2560x1440:

• Low: 181.7 FPS
• Medium: 136.3 FPS
• High: 118.3 FPS
• Ultra: 93.9 FPS

At 1440p, the data shows a more pronounced impact from the settings. The Low preset is the only one that remains above 180 FPS. The Medium preset is still very fast at 136.3 FPS. The High preset at 118.3 FPS is a strong choice for a high-refresh-rate monitor. The Ultra preset, at 93.9 FPS, is the only one that dips below 100 FPS at this resolution.

3840x2160:

• Low: 99.6 FPS
• Medium: 74.6 FPS
• High: 63.7 FPS
• Ultra: 51.5 FPS

At 4K, the GPU is clearly stressed. The Low preset is the only setting that achieves an average above 90 FPS, coming in at 99.6 FPS. The Medium preset offers a playable 74.6 FPS. The High preset at 63.7 FPS is just above the 60 FPS standard for console-like performance. The Ultra preset, at 51.5 FPS, is the most demanding and falls below the 60 FPS threshold. The scaling from High to Ultra at this resolution is a 12.2 FPS drop, which is the smallest absolute difference between any two consecutive settings at 4K.