The Technomancer

The Technomancer, a 2016 Action RPG, presents a demanding workload that scales heavily with resolution and graphical presets. This analysis examines the measured performance of the Intel Core i5-11400F paired with the AMD Radeon RX 7700, using the provided benchmark data to determine the system's strengths, bottlenecks, and optimal configuration.

Resolution Scaling

The benchmark results for this combination reveal a clear and steep performance curve as resolution increases, moving from a highly fluid experience at 1080p to a borderline playable one at 4K. At 1920x1080 with High settings, the system produces an average of 117 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 at the same High preset, the average drops to 77 FPS, a significant 34% reduction. The jump to 3840x2160 at High settings yields only 42 FPS, which is a 45% drop from the 1440p figure and a 64% drop from the 1080p baseline.

This scaling pattern indicates that the AMD Radeon RX 7700 becomes the primary limiting component as resolution climbs. The GPU's raw throughput is being saturated by the increasing pixel count, which is typical for a game with heavy fill-rate requirements. The data shows the GPU is the bottleneck at 4K, as the frame rate falls to levels that suggest the rendering pipeline is at its limit. The delta between Low and Ultra presets further confirms this; at 4K, the gap between Low (64 FPS) and Ultra (33 FPS) is a massive 31 FPS, showing how much headroom the GPU has to trade for visual fidelity.

Conversely, at 1080p, the system appears more balanced. The 179 FPS at Low settings is exceptionally high, but the 117 FPS at High suggests the CPU might be starting to limit performance, as the GPU is capable of far more. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p at High settings (117 to 77 FPS) is a 34% drop, which is slightly less than the theoretical 56% pixel increase, implying the CPU is still contributing to the frame time at the lower resolution. The overall trend is clear: this combo is best suited for high-refresh-rate 1080p gaming, capable of 1440p with adjusted settings, but struggles to maintain a smooth experience at 4K without significant compromises.

Settings Recommendations

Analyzing the measured FPS rows, the optimal balance between visual quality and performance for this hardware is found at the High preset for 1080p and 1440p gaming. At 1920x1080, the High preset delivers 117 FPS, which is a 25 FPS improvement over Ultra (92 FPS) while still offering a substantial visual upgrade over Medium (137 FPS). The data shows that the step from High to Ultra costs 25 FPS, a 21% performance penalty, which may not justify the marginal visual gains in most scenarios. For 1440p, High provides 77 FPS, which is a playable and smooth experience. The jump to Ultra at this resolution drops the average to exactly 60 FPS, which is still technically playable but leaves no headroom for demanding scenes, making High the safer choice for consistent performance.

For 4K gaming, no preset provides a truly ideal experience. The Medium preset, with an average of 49 FPS and a minimum of 42 FPS, is the only option that approaches playability. The High preset at 42 FPS and Ultra at 33 FPS will likely feel choppy and are not recommended. The Low preset at 64 FPS is smooth but requires a significant visual downgrade. Therefore, the recommended configuration is to play at 1080p or 1440p with the High preset. If targeting 4K, users must accept the Medium preset and a frame rate in the 40s, or drop to Low for a more fluid, albeit visually compromised, experience. The data clearly indicates that High is the sweet spot for this GPU and CPU combination.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to play The Technomancer with this hardware?

A: The data shows the strongest performance at 1920x1080, where the High preset achieves 117 FPS. This provides a high refresh-rate experience. 2560x1440 is also viable, with the High preset reaching 77 FPS, but 3840x2160 is not recommended as even the Medium preset only yields 49 FPS.

Q: How much of a performance drop is there from 1080p to 4K?

A: At the High preset, the average frame rate drops from 117 FPS at 1080p to 77 FPS at 1440p, and then to 42 FPS at 4K. This represents a 64% reduction in average FPS from 1080p to 4K, indicating a significant GPU bottleneck at higher resolutions.

Q: Should I use the Ultra preset for the best experience?

A: The benchmark results suggest that the Ultra preset is not optimal for this combo. At 1080p, Ultra yields 92 FPS, which is 25 FPS slower than High. At 1440p, Ultra drops to exactly 60 FPS, leaving no headroom for demanding scenes. The High preset provides a better balance of performance and visual quality.

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

A: At 4K resolution, the GPU is the clear limiting factor, as frame rates drop drastically. At 1080p, the system is more balanced, but the high frame rates at Low settings (179 FPS) suggest that the CPU may start to limit performance when the GPU is not under as much load.

Q: Can this system run the game at 4K?

A: Yes, but only with significant compromises. The data shows that the Medium preset is the highest setting that provides a playable average frame rate (49 FPS). The High (42 FPS) and Ultra (33 FPS) presets will likely result in a stuttery experience.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded for this configuration?

A: The only measured minimum FPS values are for the Medium preset. The lowest recorded minimum is 42 FPS at 3840x2160, with higher minimums of 76 FPS at 2560x1440 and 117 FPS at 1920x1080.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following data was measured for the Intel Core i5-11400F and AMD Radeon RX 7700 combination.

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its highest performance. The Low preset achieves an average of 179 FPS. Moving up the settings ladder, the Medium preset averages 137 FPS, with a minimum of 117 FPS and a maximum of 158 FPS. The High preset averages 117 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 92 FPS. This shows a linear progression of performance cost as visual fidelity increases, with a 87 FPS difference between the Low and Ultra presets.

At 2560x1440, performance scales down as expected. The Low preset provides an average of 117 FPS. The Medium preset averages 90 FPS, with a minimum of 76 FPS and a maximum of 103 FPS. The High preset averages 77 FPS, and the Ultra preset drops to an average of 60 FPS. This resolution provides a good balance for High settings, maintaining a playable 77 FPS average.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is heavily taxed. The Low preset averages 64 FPS, making it the only setting that maintains a comfortable frame rate. The Medium preset averages 49 FPS, with a minimum of 42 FPS and a maximum of 57 FPS. The High preset drops to an average of 42 FPS, and the Ultra preset falls to an average of 33 FPS. The performance difference between Low and Ultra at this resolution is 31 FPS, highlighting the extreme cost of the highest settings.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7700, based on the RDNA 3.0 architecture, is the primary driver of frame rates in this game, particularly at higher resolutions. The benchmark data shows its performance is directly correlated with the rendering load. The GPU's 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus provides a memory bandwidth of 624.1 GB/s, which is sufficient for the textures and assets in The Technomancer, even at 4K. This is supported by the smooth scaling from Low to High settings, where memory capacity is not a limiting factor.

The GPU's clock speeds are also relevant. With a base clock of 1900 MHz and a boost clock of 2459 MHz, the card is able to sustain high throughput. However, the data shows that at 4K, the card is hitting its compute limits, as frame rates plateau and drop significantly with the Ultra preset. The card's 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2865 and Passmark G3D score of 20974 place it in a specific performance tier, and its 58th percentile ranking versus all GPUs indicates it is a mid-to-high-range performer. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti, has an average score that is 1.7% higher, showing the RX 7700 is in a competitive position. The fact that performance drops by 64% from 1080p to 4K at High settings confirms that the GPU's pixel fillrate and shader processing are the main constraints in this title.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-11400F plays a supporting role in this configuration, providing the processing power to feed the GPU. With 6 cores and 12 threads, it offers a solid foundation for modern games. Its boost clock of 4.40 GHz is sufficient to handle the game's logic and draw calls, as evidenced by the high frame rates at 1080p. The CPU's Cinebench R23 multicore score of 14340 and single-core score of 2024 are indicative of its capability. Its 71st percentile ranking versus all CPUs shows it is above average in performance.

The data suggests that the CPU is not the primary bottleneck in this game, except perhaps at 1080p with lower graphical settings. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 179 FPS, which is an extremely high frame rate. The fact that the frame rate does not scale linearly with resolution from 1080p to 1440p (a 34% drop for a 56% pixel increase) implies that the CPU is helping to maintain performance at the lower resolution. However, as resolution increases, the GPU becomes the limiting factor, and the CPU's role diminishes. The CPU's memory bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s and support for DDR4 memory are sufficient for the game's requirements. While the CPU's average benchmark score is 17177, it is not the determining factor for the frame rate dips seen at 4K, which are clearly caused by the GPU.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested hardware combinations for The Technomancer, this specific pairing of the Intel Core i5-11400F and AMD Radeon RX 7700 ranks 1275 out of 2825 tested combos. This places it in the 45th percentile of all configurations, indicating a solidly mid-pack performance. This ranking is a holistic measure that takes into account the combined capabilities of both the CPU and GPU across all tested resolutions and settings.

This ranking suggests that while the individual components are capable, the combination is not at the top of the performance charts. The GPU's 58th percentile ranking and the CPU's 71st percentile ranking combine to create a system that is greater than the sum of its parts in some scenarios but not a top-tier contender. The data shows that the system is well-balanced for 1080p and 1440p gaming, but its performance at 4K pulls its overall ranking down. The combo's rank of 1275 out of 2825 means there is a significant number of more powerful combinations available, likely featuring higher-end GPUs that can handle 4K more effectively. However, for its intended use case of high-refresh-rate 1080p or solid 1440p gaming, this combo delivers performance that is in line with its position in the rankings.