The Technomancer

The Technomancer is a 2016 Action RPG that scales in a very telling way when paired with an Intel Core i5-11400F and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER. The measured data shows a system that is heavily GPU-bound at higher resolutions but leaves performance on the table at 1080p, where the CPU begins to assert its influence. This combination delivers a playable experience across the board, but the frame rate curve reveals exactly where the bottleneck shifts.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and linear, indicating a classic GPU limitation as pixel count rises. At High settings, the average FPS falls from 183 at 1920x1080 to 129.1 at 2560x1440, a reduction of 53.9 FPS (approximately 29%). Moving to 3840x2160, the average drops further to 69.6 FPS, which is 113.4 FPS lower than the 1080p result. This represents a 62% performance loss from the lowest to the highest resolution tested, which is characteristic of a GPU that is being pushed to its limits by the 4K pixel workload.

The scaling pattern is consistent across all quality presets. At Low settings, the frame rate falls from 212.9 FPS at 1080p to 186.6 FPS at 1440p, then down to 106.7 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1440p to 4K is 79.9 FPS, which is a 43% reduction. This suggests that even at Low settings, the RTX 4080 SUPER is not fully saturated at 1440p, as the jump to 4K still causes a substantial hit. The data indicates that 1440p is the sweet spot for this pairing, where the GPU can still push high frame rates without being fully overwhelmed, whereas 4K forces the card to work near its maximum capacity.

The Ultra preset tells a similar story. The average FPS at 1080p is 151, dropping to 99.6 at 1440p and 55.7 at 4K. The 4K Ultra result is below the 60 FPS threshold that many consider the baseline for smooth gameplay, confirming that this combo is not ideal for maxed-out 4K gaming in this title. The scaling data points to the GPU as the primary limiting factor at 4K, while the CPU's role becomes more apparent at lower resolutions where frame rates exceed 180 FPS.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER is the dominant component in this pairing, and its specifications explain the measured performance. The card features 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 736.3 GB/s. This memory configuration is more than sufficient for The Technomancer, a game from 2016, and is unlikely to be a limiting factor at any tested resolution. The high bandwidth ensures that texture streaming and data transfer are not bottlenecks, allowing the GPU's compute units to remain active.

The GPU's clock speeds are also relevant. The base clock is 2295 MHz, with a boost clock of 2550 MHz. This boost clock is achieved under load, and the data suggests that the card maintains high frequencies throughout the benchmark runs. The shading units (10240), texture mapping units (320), and render output units (112) are all working in concert to produce the measured FPS. The GPU's 52.22 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is a theoretical peak, but the real-world results show it is capable of handling The Technomancer's DirectX 12 workload efficiently at 1440p.

The RTX 4080 SUPER sits in the 88th percentile of all GPUs according to benchmark aggregates, with an average benchmark score of 53610. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT (avg score 53489, deltaPct 0.2), meaning the 4080 SUPER is roughly 0.2% ahead in synthetic tests. This close margin in synthetic benchmarks does not translate directly to The Technomancer, but it confirms that the GPU is a top-tier part. The card's performance in this game is consistent with its high-end positioning, though the 4K Ultra result shows that even this hardware has limits with older titles that lack modern optimization.

How This Combo Ranks

In the benchmark database, this specific combination of the Intel Core i5-11400F and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER achieves a combo rank of 185 out of 1656 tested combinations. This places it in the top 11.2% of all tested pairs, which is a strong result for a mid-range CPU paired with a high-end GPU. The rank is determined by the average FPS across all tested resolutions and settings, and the data shows that this combo outperforms the majority of systems.

The CPU's individual performance is a factor in this ranking. The Intel Core i5-11400F has an average benchmark score of 17181 and sits in the 75th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 7 5700U (avg score 17189, deltaPct 0) and the Intel Core i7-1260P (avg score 17212, deltaPct -0.2). This means the i5-11400F is essentially tied with these mobile-oriented chips in synthetic tests, which is notable given that the i5 is a desktop part with a 65W TDP. The CPU's 6 cores and 12 threads, with a boost clock of 4.40 GHz, are sufficient to keep the RTX 4080 SUPER fed at most resolutions, but the ranking suggests that a stronger CPU would push this combo higher.

The combo rank of 185 is respectable, but it also highlights the imbalance. The GPU is performing in the 88th percentile, while the CPU is in the 75th. The 13-percentile gap explains why this combo does not crack the top 100. In The Technomancer, the data shows that the CPU limits performance at 1080p Low, where the FPS of 212.9 is high but not as high as a newer CPU might achieve with the same GPU.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides clear guidance on which settings preset to use based on your target resolution. For 4K gaming, the High preset is the only viable option that maintains a reasonable frame rate. The average FPS at 3840x2160 High is 69.6, which is above the 60 FPS threshold. The Medium preset at 4K yields 81.4 FPS, which is smoother, but the visual fidelity difference between High and Medium may not justify the lower quality. The Ultra preset at 4K drops to 55.7 FPS, which is below the ideal threshold for fast-paced action, making it less desirable.

For 1440p, the High preset is the best balance of quality and performance. The average FPS at 2560x1440 High is 129.1, which is well above any playability concern. The Ultra preset at 1440p delivers 99.6 FPS, which is still smooth and offers the best visual experience. The data shows that 1440p Ultra is the highest quality setting that remains comfortably playable, with the 1440p Medium preset (149.7 FPS) providing a headroom buffer for those who prefer higher frame rates over maximum detail.

At 1080p, the Ultra preset is the recommended choice. The average FPS at 1920x1080 Ultra is 151, which is more than sufficient for any display. The High preset (183 FPS) and Medium preset (192.4 FPS) are also viable, but the Ultra preset offers the full visual experience without sacrificing smoothness. The Low preset at 1080p (212.9 FPS) is only useful for competitive play where maximum frame rates are prioritized over visuals. The data suggests that the system is CPU-limited at 1080p Low, as the FPS does not scale as much from Medium to Low as it does from Ultra to Medium.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this CPU-GPU combo in The Technomancer?

A: The data indicates that 2560x1440 is the optimal resolution. At High settings, it delivers 129.1 FPS, and at Ultra it delivers 99.6 FPS, both of which are smooth. 4K is playable only at High (69.6 FPS) or Medium (81.4 FPS), while 1080p offers high frame rates but is CPU-limited at the Low preset.

Q: How does the RTX 4080 SUPER compare to its closest rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RTX 4080 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 53610, which is 0.2% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT's score of 53489. It is also 2.1% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 7700S (52505) and 2.9% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti (52086).

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-11400F a bottleneck for this GPU?

A: The CPU is a partial bottleneck at lower resolutions. At 1080p Low, the FPS is 212.9, but at 1080p Ultra it drops to 151, showing that the GPU is still the main driver. However, the CPU's 75th percentile ranking versus the GPU's 88th percentile suggests the CPU limits the absolute maximum frame rate at 1080p.

Q: What FPS can I expect at 4K with Ultra settings?

A: The measured average FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings is 55.7. This is below the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay, so it is not recommended for this combo.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to all other tested combinations?

A: This combo ranks 185 out of 1656 tested combinations, placing it in the top 11.2%. This is a strong result, but the gap between the CPU and GPU percentiles prevents a higher ranking.

Q: What is the difference in FPS between Medium and High settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Medium preset delivers 149.7 FPS, while the High preset delivers 129.1 FPS. The difference is 20.6 FPS, with High offering better visuals at a modest performance cost.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-11400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor from the Rocket Lake architecture, built on Intel's 14 nm process. Its base clock is 2.60 GHz, with a boost clock of 4.40 GHz, and it has a 12 MB shared L3 cache. This configuration is adequate for The Technomancer, but the data reveals its limitations. The CPU's average benchmark score is 17181, placing it in the 75th percentile, with its nearest rival being the AMD Ryzen 7 5700U at a deltaPct of 0. The multi-threaded performance is shown in the Cinebench R23 multicore score of 14372, while the single-core score of 2029 indicates that per-thread performance is solid for a 2021 chip.

In The Technomancer, the CPU's role becomes apparent when looking at the 1080p Low preset, where the average FPS is 212.9. This is the highest measured FPS in the dataset, but it is lower than what a top-tier CPU might achieve with the same GPU. The fact that the FPS at 1080p Low is only 61.9 FPS higher than at 1080p Ultra (151) suggests that the CPU is not the sole limiting factor even at the lowest settings. However, the scaling between 1080p and 1440p at Low settings (212.9 to 186.6, a 26.3 FPS drop) shows that the GPU is still handling the 4K workload, while the CPU maintains a steady frame rate.

The CPU's 65W TDP and 14 nm process node mean it runs efficiently, but its 20 PCIe Gen 4 lanes and dual-channel DDR4 memory support (51.2 GB/s bandwidth) are sufficient for the RTX 4080 SUPER's PCIe 4.0 x16 interface. The data shows that the CPU does not hold back the GPU at 1440p High, where the 129.1 FPS result indicates a healthy balance between the two components. The combo rank of 185 reflects this balance, though a CPU with a higher percentile score would likely push the combo higher in the rankings. For the Technomancer specifically, the i5-11400F is a capable partner that allows the RTX 4080 SUPER to shine at 1440p, while at 4K the GPU is clearly the dominant factor.