The Technomancer

The Technomancer, a 2016 Action RPG, presents an interesting case study when paired with the Intel Core i3-12100F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D. This combination of a four-core processor with a flagship-class GPU creates a unique bottleneck dynamic that is clearly visible in the measured frame rates. The data indicates that this is not a balanced pairing, and the performance profile shifts dramatically depending on the resolution and settings chosen, revealing the limits of the CPU in a title that is more than a decade old.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a clear and predictable pattern: as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160, average frame rates drop significantly. At High settings, the system delivers 213 FPS at 1080p, which falls to 154 FPS at 1440p, and further to 85 FPS at 4K. This represents a 60% performance drop from 1080p to 4K, a substantial reduction that highlights the increasing load on the GPU as pixel count quadruples. However, the absolute numbers at each resolution tell a more nuanced story about which component is holding the system back.

At 1920x1080, the frame rates are exceptionally high, with even the Ultra preset achieving 184 FPS. This suggests that the RTX 5090 D is not being fully utilized at this resolution, as the CPU is likely the limiting factor. The gap between Low (247 FPS) and Ultra (184 FPS) at 1080p is 63 FPS, which is a 25.5% reduction. This indicates that while the GPU is working harder at higher settings, the CPU is still able to feed it enough frames to maintain very high output. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p at High settings shows a 27.7% drop (from 213 FPS to 154 FPS), which is a more moderate decline than the 44.8% drop seen from 1440p to 4K (from 154 FPS to 85 FPS).

The 4K results reveal a system that is finally allowing the GPU to stretch its legs. At 3840x2160, the difference between Low (129 FPS) and Ultra (66 FPS) is 63 FPS, a 48.8% reduction. This larger percentage gap, compared to the 1080p scaling, suggests that at 4K the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck. The data implies that the RTX 5090 D is capable of pushing far more frames at lower resolutions, but the CPU cannot keep up, whereas at 4K the GPU is working near its limits, making the CPU less of a constraint. The measured frame rates at 4K Medium (99 FPS) and 4K High (85 FPS) show a 14.1% difference, indicating that the GPU is scaling more predictably with settings at this resolution.

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 has a base clock of 3.30 GHz and a boost clock of 4.30 GHz, with a 12 MB shared L3 cache. This is a budget-oriented CPU, and its benchmark scores reflect that positioning. In Cinebench R23, it scores 11860 in multicore and 1674 in single-core tests. Its Passmark multithread score is 14015, and its single-thread score is 3444. These numbers place the CPU in the 68th percentile of all CPUs, indicating it is above average but far from top-tier.

In the context of The Technomancer, a game from 2016, the CPU's four cores and eight threads are likely sufficient for the game's engine, which was designed for older hardware. However, the data suggests that the CPU is still a limiting factor at lower resolutions. The high frame rates at 1080p, particularly the 247 FPS on Low settings, are likely near the maximum that the CPU can deliver. The 3DMark scores show a 4-thread score of 2859 and an 8-thread score of 4026, which are respectable but not exceptional. The fact that the 8-thread score is only 41% higher than the 4-thread score suggests that the CPU does not scale perfectly with additional threads, which could impact performance in games that are not heavily multithreaded.

The CPU's performance relative to its nearest rivals is interesting. The Intel Core 3 N355 has an average benchmark score of 13492, which is essentially identical to the i3-12100F's 13494, with a deltaPct of 0. The Intel Core i5-9500 scores 13452, which is 0.3% lower, while the Intel Core 5 120UL scores 13594, which is 0.7% higher. These are all very close scores, indicating that the i3-12100F is in a competitive performance bracket. However, in gaming, the single-thread performance is often more important, and the i3's single-core score of 1674 in Cinebench R23 is strong for its class. The data implies that the CPU is capable of handling the game logic and draw calls at high frame rates, but its 4-core limit may cause frame pacing issues in more demanding scenarios, although the measured data does not directly show this.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D is a flagship graphics card from the GeForce 50-series, based on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture. It has 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, providing a massive 1.79 TB/s of memory bandwidth. The GPU has 21760 shading units, 680 texture mapping units, and 176 raster operation pipelines. Its base clock is 2017 MHz with a boost clock of 2407 MHz. The card is built on a 5 nm process at TSMC, with a die size of 750 mm² and 92,200 million transistors.

In terms of raw compute, the RTX 5090 D delivers 104.8 TFLOPS of FP32 performance. Its benchmark scores are impressive, with a Passmark G3D score of 44065 and a Geekbench OpenCL score of 310674. The GPU sits in the 92nd percentile of all GPUs, which is near the top of the performance hierarchy. The nearest rivals in terms of average benchmark score are the AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT (76904, 1.1% lower), the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT (78940, 1.6% higher), and the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB (79396, 2.1% higher). These are all significantly less powerful cards, suggesting that the RTX 5090 D is in a performance class of its own.

In The Technomancer, the GPU's role becomes more pronounced at higher resolutions. At 4K, the frame rates are more dependent on the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth. The card's 1.79 TB/s bandwidth is likely sufficient for the game's texture loads, even at Ultra settings. The 32 GB VRAM is far more than any 2016 game would require, so memory capacity is not a bottleneck. The pixel rate of 423.6 GPixel/s and texture rate of 1,636.8 GTexel/s are extremely high, which should allow the GPU to handle the game's rendering demands with ease. However, the measured FPS at 4K Ultra is 66 FPS, which is lower than expected for such a powerful card. This suggests that the game's engine may have inefficiencies that prevent the GPU from reaching its full potential, or that the CPU is still having some impact even at 4K.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of the system's performance across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the results are as follows: Low settings yield an average of 247 FPS, Medium settings produce 225 FPS (with min 191 and max 259), High settings deliver 213 FPS, and Ultra settings result in 184 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 63 FPS, and the Medium preset shows a narrow range between minimum and maximum, indicating consistent performance. The 1080p results are all above 180 FPS, which is excellent for competitive play or high refresh rate monitors.

At 2560x1440, the performance drops noticeably. Low settings average 215 FPS, Medium settings average 180 FPS (with min 153 and max 207), High settings average 154 FPS, and Ultra settings average 120 FPS. The drop from Low to Ultra is 95 FPS, which is a 44.2% reduction. The Medium preset at 1440p shows a wider range (min 153, max 207) compared to 1080p, suggesting more variability in frame times. These numbers indicate that the system is still very capable at 1440p, with all presets delivering over 120 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the performance becomes more moderate. Low settings average 129 FPS, Medium settings average 99 FPS (with min 84 and max 114), High settings average 85 FPS, and Ultra settings average 66 FPS. The drop from Low to Ultra is 63 FPS, which is a 48.8% reduction. This is the largest percentage drop across all resolutions, indicating that the GPU is now the primary bottleneck. The Medium preset at 4K shows a min FPS of 84 and a max of 114, which is a 30 FPS range, suggesting that the game can have significant frame time spikes at this resolution. The 4K Ultra result of 66 FPS is playable but not ideal for a high refresh rate display, and it is clear that the RTX 5090 D is being pushed harder at this resolution.

Comparing the same settings across resolutions, the scaling is consistent. For High settings, the FPS drops from 213 at 1080p to 154 at 1440p (a 27.7% drop) and then to 85 at 4K (a 44.8% drop from 1440p). For Medium settings, the FPS drops from 225 at 1080p to 180 at 1440p (a 20% drop) and then to 99 at 4K (a 45% drop from 1440p). This pattern shows that the transition from 1440p to 4K has a larger performance impact than the transition from 1080p to 1440p, which is typical for GPU-bound scenarios.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 1080p with Ultra settings?

A: The average FPS at 1920x1080 with Ultra settings is 184 FPS. This is a high frame rate that is well-suited for fast-paced gameplay, and it indicates that the CPU is the limiting factor at this resolution, as the GPU has more headroom.

Q: How does the performance at 4K compare to 1440p?

A: At 4K, the average FPS is significantly lower. For example, at High settings, the 4K result is 85 FPS compared to 154 FPS at 1440p, which is a 44.8% drop. This indicates that the GPU is becoming the primary bottleneck as resolution increases, and the system is unable to maintain the high frame rates seen at lower resolutions.

Q: Is the Intel Core i3-12100F a bottleneck for the RTX 5090 D in this game?

A: The data suggests that at 1080p, the CPU is likely the limiting factor, as frame rates are very high but do not scale significantly with settings. At 4K, the GPU becomes the bottleneck, as the frame rates drop more dramatically. The CPU has a Passmark single-thread score of 3444 and a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1674, which are decent but may not be enough to fully feed the RTX 5090 D at lower resolutions.

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo based on the measured data?

A: For the highest frame rates, 1920x1080 is the best choice, with all presets delivering over 180 FPS. For a balance of visual quality and performance, 2560x1440 is also strong, with Ultra settings at 120 FPS. At 4K, the frame rates are lower but still playable, with Low settings at 129 FPS and Ultra at 66 FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 5090 D's memory bandwidth affect performance?

A: The RTX 5090 D has a memory bandwidth of 1.79 TB/s, which is exceptionally high. This allows the GPU to handle large texture loads and high resolutions without memory-related bottlenecks. The 32 GB of GDDR7 memory is also far more than needed for this game, so memory capacity is not a concern.

Q: What are the minimum FPS values for the Medium preset?

A: The Medium preset has minimum FPS values of 191 at 1080p, 153 at 1440p, and 84 at 4K. These minimums indicate that the game can have frame drops, particularly at higher resolutions, but they are still within a playable range for a 2016 title.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the user's resolution and performance goals. At 1920x1080, the Medium preset offers a balanced experience with an average of 225 FPS and a minimum of 191 FPS. The High preset is also excellent at 213 FPS, and the Ultra preset at 184 FPS is still very smooth. For 1080p, any preset is playable, but Medium or High provides a good balance between visual fidelity and frame rate stability. The Ultra preset at 1080p may be unnecessary given the high frame rates, but it should be noted that the difference between Medium and Ultra is 41 FPS, which is a 18.2% reduction.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset delivers 180 FPS with a minimum of 153 FPS, making it the best choice for high refresh rate monitors. The High preset at 154 FPS is also viable, and the Ultra preset at 120 FPS is still above 60 FPS, making it suitable for standard 60 Hz displays. However, the data shows that the drop from Medium to Ultra is 60 FPS, which is a 33.3% reduction, so users who prioritize frame rate over visual quality should stick with Medium. The Low preset at 215 FPS is the best for competitive play, but it sacrifices visual quality.

At 3840x2160, the Medium preset at 99 FPS is the recommended choice, as it offers a good balance between visual quality and performance. The High preset at 85 FPS is also acceptable, but the Ultra preset at 66 FPS may be too low for some users, especially those with high refresh rate 4K displays. The Low preset at 129 FPS is the best for performance, but it significantly reduces visual quality. Given that the game is from 2016, the Medium preset likely provides a good visual experience at 4K, and the 99 FPS average is smooth. The minimum FPS of 84 at 4K Medium indicates that there may be occasional dips, but they are not severe.

The data suggests that for this combo, the Medium preset is the "sweet spot" across all resolutions. It provides a high average FPS and a minimum FPS that is still above 80 at 1080p and 1440p, and above 80 at 4K. The High and Ultra presets offer diminishing returns in visual quality for a significant performance cost, especially at higher resolutions. Users with 1080p or 1440p monitors can also consider High settings for better visuals, but Medium is the safest recommendation for consistent performance.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i3-12100F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D ranks 108th out of 3696 tested combinations in The Technomancer. This places it in the top 2.9% of all tested combos, which is a strong result. The rank suggests that while the CPU is a bottleneck, the GPU's sheer power is enough to push the system to a high position. The fact that there are 107 other combinations that perform better indicates that some pairings have a more balanced CPU-GPU configuration, likely with more powerful processors that can better feed the RTX 5090 D.

The rank of 108 is particularly interesting given the CPU's modest specifications. The i3-12100F is in the 68th percentile of all CPUs, while the RTX 5090 D is in the 92nd percentile of all GPUs. This asymmetry suggests that the combo's performance is heavily weighted towards the GPU. In a game like The Technomancer, which is not particularly demanding by modern standards, the GPU is able to deliver high frame rates even with a budget CPU. The rank of 108 indicates that the system outperforms the vast majority of other combinations, which is likely due to the RTX 5090 D's dominance.

The nearest CPU rivals to the i3-12100F, such as the Intel Core 3 N355 and Intel Core i5-9500, have nearly identical average benchmark scores, but they might perform differently in gaming due to architectural differences. However, the data does not provide gaming benchmarks for these rivals, so it is not possible to draw direct comparisons. The rank of 108 suggests that the i3-12100F is capable enough to not completely hold back the RTX 5090 D, but the high number of combos above it indicates that a stronger CPU would likely yield better results. The data implies that users with this combo should consider a CPU upgrade if they want to maximize their GPU's potential, especially at lower resolutions where the CPU is the bottleneck.