The Technomancer

The Technomancer, a 2016 action RPG, presents an interesting test for the Intel Core i5-11400F paired with the AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT. This combination of a 6-core, 12-thread Rocket Lake processor and a 7nm RDNA 2.0 GPU delivers a wide range of performance, from highly playable esports-level framerates at 1080p to a heavy slideshow at 4K Ultra. The data indicates a system that is clearly capable but requires careful settings management to hit its target framerate, particularly at higher resolutions.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core i5-11400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Rocket Lake architecture, built on a 14 nm process. It has a base clock of 2.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz, with a 12 MB shared L3 cache. This configuration is a solid mid-range desktop part, and its benchmark scores reflect a strong balance between single and multi-threaded workloads. It achieves a Geekbench single-core score of 1979 and a multi-core score of 7579, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core result of 14372. Its Passmark single-thread score is 2981, and its multi-thread score is 16908. This processor sits at the 75th percentile among all CPUs, placing it just 0.2% behind the Intel Core i7-1260P and 0.2% ahead of the Intel Core i5-1240U, according to its average benchmark score.

In The Technomancer, the CPU’s role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and game logic. The benchmark results suggest that at 1080p, the i5-11400F is more than capable of keeping up, as evidenced by the high framerates achieved. The data shows a 144.5 FPS average at 1080p Low, which indicates that the CPU is not the primary bottleneck at that resolution. However, the game’s engine, from 2016, is unlikely to scale perfectly across all 12 threads. The CPU’s performance is still a key factor, but the measured FPS data suggests that the graphics card becomes the limiting factor as resolution and settings increase. The processor’s 3DMark scores, including a 5652 for max threads and a 868 for single thread, show a capable part that should not hold back the RX 6600 XT in most scenarios within this title.

FAQ — 4-6 Q&A pairs answerable from FACT PACK data

Q: What is the best resolution to play The Technomancer with this CPU and GPU combo?

A: Based on the measured data, 1920x1080 is the only resolution where the combo consistently delivers high framerates across all settings, with a minimum average of 73.5 FPS at Ultra. At 2560x1440, performance dips below 60 FPS on the Ultra preset, and at 3840x2160, it drops below 60 FPS on all presets.

Q: How does the i5-11400F compare to its direct rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The i5-11400F's average benchmark score of 17181 is essentially tied with the AMD Ryzen 7 5700U (17189), showing a 0% delta. It is also within 0.2% of the Intel Core i7-1260P and the Intel Core Ultra 7 164U, indicating very similar overall processing power.

Q: What is the highest playable settings preset at 2560x1440?

A: The data shows that at 2560x1440, the High preset achieves an average of 63.4 FPS, which is above the standard 60 FPS threshold. The Medium preset is slightly higher at 68.4 FPS, but Ultra drops to 47.8 FPS, making High the most demanding playable option from the measured rows.

Q: Is the RX 6600 XT more powerful than the GTX 980 Ti?

A: The average benchmark score for the RX 6600 XT is 27985, which is 0.1% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti's score of 27956. This indicates the RX 6600 XT is marginally faster in this combined metric.

Q: How much of a performance hit is moving from 1080p to 1440p on High settings?

A: At 1920x1080 High, the average FPS is 92.5. At 2560x1440 High, the average FPS is 63.4. This represents a drop of 31.5% in average framerate when moving up in resolution.

Q: Does the 1080p Low preset provide a framerate suitable for high refresh rate monitors?

A: Yes, the 1920x1080 Low preset yields an average of 144.5 FPS. This is the only measured configuration that breaks the 144 FPS barrier, making it the sole preset in the data that is appropriate for a 144Hz display.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

In the database of tested hardware combinations for The Technomancer, this specific pairing of the Intel Core i5-11400F and AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT holds the rank of 1235 out of a total of 1656 combos. This places it in the lower half of all tested systems, which is a notable finding given the individual component performance. The RX 6600 XT sits in the 71st percentile of all GPUs, and the i5-11400F is in the 75th percentile of all CPUs. Despite both components being above average, their combined rank of 1235 suggests that this particular game is either heavily GPU-bound at high settings or that the system is limited by other factors in the test environment. The rank implies that a significant number of other CPU/GPU pairings produce higher average framerates in this specific title. It is a reminder that raw component strength does not always translate directly to in-game performance, especially in an older title like The Technomancer. The low rank, relative to the component percentiles, suggests that the game's engine may not be fully utilizing the hardware's potential, or that the RX 6600 XT's performance is being constrained in ways not apparent from its synthetic benchmark scores.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of performance across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the system is strongest. The Low preset delivers an average of 144.5 FPS. Moving to Medium, the average drops to 108.5 FPS. The High preset sees a further reduction to 92.5 FPS. The most demanding Ultra preset still maintains a solid 73.5 FPS average. This resolution offers a playable experience across the board.

At 2560x1440, performance scales down predictably. The Low preset yields a 90.1 FPS average, which is still very good. The Medium preset drops to 68.4 FPS, and the High preset to 63.4 FPS. The Ultra preset falls below the 60 FPS threshold with a 47.8 FPS average. This resolution is viable for all but the highest settings.

At 3840x2160, the RX 6600 XT begins to struggle. The Low preset produces a 51.4 FPS average. The Medium preset drops to 40.4 FPS. High is lower still at 31.1 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 24.7 FPS. None of the 4K presets meet the 60 FPS standard, and even the Low preset is not consistently smooth. The data shows a clear limit for this combo at 4K.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K is steep and tells a clear story about where the bottleneck lies. On the High preset, the average framerate drops from 92.5 FPS at 1080p to 63.4 FPS at 1440p, a 31.5% reduction. Moving from 1440p to 4K, it drops again from 63.4 FPS to 31.1 FPS, a 51% reduction. This pattern of increasingly severe drops as resolution increases is a classic sign of a GPU-bound scenario. The RX 6600 XT simply lacks the raw pixel-pushing power to maintain high framerates at 4K.

On the Low preset, the scaling is similar. It goes from 144.5 FPS at 1080p to 90.1 FPS at 1440p, and then down to 51.4 FPS at 4K. The fact that even the Low preset cannot hold 60 FPS at 4K confirms that the GPU is the primary limiting factor. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see smaller differences between resolutions, as the CPU's workload would remain relatively constant while the GPU's workload increases. The data shows the opposite, with a significant performance collapse at 4K. This indicates that the i5-11400F has sufficient headroom, and the AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT is the component determining the upper limits of this system's performance in The Technomancer.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

For a 1080p display, the data supports using the Ultra preset without hesitation. The 73.5 FPS average is well above the smooth 60 FPS target and leaves room for demanding scenes. If a higher refresh rate is a priority, the High preset at 92.5 FPS is an excellent choice, offering a significant boost in smoothness for a modest drop in visual fidelity. The Medium and Low presets are largely unnecessary at this resolution, as they sacrifice too much visual quality for framerates that are already high.

For 2560x1440, the High preset is the clear recommendation. The 63.4 FPS average is just above the 60 FPS threshold, providing a good balance between visual quality and performance. The Medium preset, at 68.4 FPS, is a viable alternative for those who prefer a larger safety margin for framerate fluctuations, but the visual cost may not be worth the 5 FPS gain. The Ultra preset should be avoided, as its 47.8 FPS average will not provide a consistently smooth experience.

For 3840x2160, the data suggests that this is not a viable resolution for this combo. The best-case scenario, the Low preset, only manages a 51.4 FPS average, which is below the 60 FPS target. The other presets are all well below playable framerates. Given the measured results, the recommendation is to stick to 1440p or 1080p for this game. The 4K results are indicative of the GPU's limitations and should be used only for static screenshots or if a framerate in the 20-50 range is somehow acceptable. The best overall experience, per the measured rows, is at 1920x1080 on the High or Ultra preset, or 2560x1440 on the High preset.