The Technomancer

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

The Intel Core i5-12400 uses 6 cores and 12 threads, with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. This Alder Lake-S processor, built on Intel's 10 nm process, carries an 18 MB shared L3 cache and 80 KB L1 plus 1.25 MB L2 per core. The CPU's benchmark profile shows strong multi-threaded capability: Cinebench R23 multi-core scores 15989, while single-core reaches 2257. The 3DMark multi-thread score of 5890 and 16-thread score of 5873 indicate that the processor can feed a GPU adequately in most gaming scenarios.

For The Technomancer, an Action RPG released in 2016, the CPU's role depends heavily on resolution and settings. At 1080p with Low settings, the recorded average FPS is 68, which is the highest measured value across the entire dataset. This suggests that at lower resolutions and reduced graphical load, the CPU has enough headroom to push frame rates upward. However, the limiting factor shifts clearly when settings increase. At 1080p Ultra, the average drops to 35 FPS, a decrease of nearly half. The GPU, an AMD Radeon RX 570 with 2048 shading units and a boost clock of 1244 MHz, becomes the primary constraint as pixel and shading workloads rise.

The CPU's 72nd percentile ranking among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 18683, places it in a comfortable mid-to-upper tier. Its nearest rivals include the AMD EPYC 7643 (0.1% lower average score), Intel Core i7-1355U (0.3% lower), AMD Ryzen AI 5 330 (0.7% lower), and Intel Core i3-14100F (0.9% higher). These deltas are small, meaning the i5-12400 sits in a tightly clustered performance band. For a game like The Technomancer, which does not demand extreme CPU throughput, this processor delivers sufficient single-thread and multi-thread performance. The recorded data confirms that even at 4K Ultra, where the average FPS is 13, the CPU is not the bottleneck; the RX 570's 4 GB GDDR5 memory and 224.0 GB/s bandwidth simply cannot sustain playable frame rates at that load.

FAQ

Q: What is the best average FPS this combo achieves at 1080p?

A: The highest recorded average FPS for this combination is 68, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings. The CPU's boost clock of 4.40 GHz and 12 threads help sustain this frame rate when graphical load is minimal.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its closest rivals in average benchmark score?

A: The Intel Core i5-12400 has an average benchmark score of 18683. The AMD EPYC 7643 scores 18697 (0.1% lower relative to the i5), the Intel Core i7-1355U scores 18730 (0.3% lower), the AMD Ryzen AI 5 330 scores 18811 (0.7% lower), and the Intel Core i3-14100F scores 18519 (0.9% higher). The differences are all within one percentage point.

Q: Does the RX 570 outperform or underperform its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 570 has an average benchmark score of 28766. The AMD Radeon RX 6800M scores 28874 (0.4% higher), the AMD Radeon R9 M295X scores 28580 (0.7% lower), the AMD Radeon RX 470 scores 28996 (0.8% higher), and the NVIDIA Quadro RTX 8000 scores 28421 (1.2% lower). The RX 570 sits near the middle of this small cluster.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between 1080p Medium and 1440p Medium?

A: At 1920x1080 Medium, the average FPS is 53 with a minimum of 45 and maximum of 60. At 2560x1440 Medium, the average drops to 34 FPS with a minimum of 29 and maximum of 40. That is a 19 FPS reduction, or roughly 36% lower average performance.

Q: Can this combo reach 60 FPS at 4K with any setting?

A: No. The highest average FPS recorded at 3840x2160 is 25, achieved with Low settings. Medium yields 19 FPS, High yields 16 FPS, and Ultra yields 13 FPS. None of these approach 60 FPS.

Q: What do the recorded minimum FPS values indicate about frame pacing?

A: The dataset includes minimum FPS only for Medium settings. At 1080p Medium, the minimum is 45 FPS, which is 15% below the average of 53. At 1440p Medium, the minimum is 29 FPS, 15% below the average of 34. At 4K Medium, the minimum is 16 FPS, 16% below the average of 19. These consistent gaps suggest stable frame delivery without severe stutters.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data shows a clear hierarchy across settings presets. At 1920x1080, Low produces an average of 68 FPS, Medium produces 53 FPS, High produces 45 FPS, and Ultra produces 35 FPS. The step from Low to Medium costs 15 FPS, while the step from Medium to High costs 8 FPS, and High to Ultra costs 10 FPS. The Medium preset at 1080p delivers a balanced experience: 53 FPS average, with a minimum of 45 FPS that stays above common 30 FPS playability thresholds, and a maximum of 60 FPS. This preset likely represents the best experience because it offers a meaningful visual upgrade over Low while retaining smooth frame delivery.

At 2560x1440, the same pattern holds but with lower absolute values. Low averages 45 FPS, Medium averages 34 FPS, High averages 29 FPS, and Ultra averages 23 FPS. The Medium preset at 1440p still provides a playable average above 30 FPS, though the minimum of 29 FPS dips slightly below that threshold. For users prioritizing smoothness over visual fidelity, Low at 1440p is the safer choice, as it stays above 40 FPS on average. At 3840x2160, no preset achieves a playable average. Low peaks at 25 FPS, Medium at 19 FPS, High at 16 FPS, and Ultra at 13 FPS. The data suggests that 4K is not viable for this combination.

The optimal recommendation from the recorded rows is 1920x1080 Medium. This preset keeps the average FPS above 50, maintains a minimum above 45 FPS, and provides a 15% FPS drop from average to minimum, which is consistent with the other Medium presets. For users who prefer higher visual fidelity, High at 1080p offers 45 FPS average, which remains playable, but the margin to 60 FPS is lost. The Ultra preset at 1080p, at 35 FPS average, is the least attractive option among the 1080p presets because the visual gains over High are typically modest while the performance cost is steep.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of Intel Core i5-12400 and AMD Radeon RX 570 ranks 3523 out of 3696 tested combos in The Technomancer. This places the combo in the bottom 5 percent of all tested configurations, which is consistent with the measured FPS data. The RX 570, despite its 74th percentile ranking among all GPUs, is an older Polaris architecture card with 4 GB of GDDR5 memory. The game's demands at higher resolutions and settings quickly overwhelm this GPU.

The CPU's strong benchmark scores do not compensate for the GPU's limitations in this title. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 68 FPS, which is respectable, but the ranking reflects performance across all measured settings and resolutions. At 4K Ultra, the combo manages only 13 FPS, which drags the overall ranking down significantly. The data shows that this combo is best suited for 1080p gaming at Low to Medium settings, where it can deliver frame rates in the 45 to 68 FPS range.

Compared to other combos in the database, the i5-12400 and RX 570 pairing sits near the bottom, which suggests that most other tested combinations deliver higher average performance in this game. The GPU's nearest rivals, including the RX 470 (0.8% higher average score) and RX 6800M (0.4% higher), would likely produce similar results in The Technomancer, given the small benchmark deltas. The rank of 3523 out of 3696 indicates that this combo is at the lower end of the performance spectrum for this title.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a steep performance drop as resolution increases. At 1080p Low, the average is 68 FPS. Moving to 1440p Low reduces the average to 45 FPS, a 34% decrease. Moving to 4K Low reduces it further to 25 FPS, a 44% decrease from 1440p and a 63% decrease from 1080p. This scaling pattern indicates that the GPU is the limiting component. If the CPU were the bottleneck, the FPS drop from 1080p to 1440p would be smaller, because the CPU workload would remain roughly constant while the GPU workload increases.

The same pattern appears across all settings. At Medium, 1080p averages 53 FPS, 1440p averages 34 FPS (36% lower), and 4K averages 19 FPS (44% lower from 1440p). At High, 1080p averages 45 FPS, 1440p averages 29 FPS (36% lower), and 4K averages 16 FPS (45% lower). At Ultra, 1080p averages 35 FPS, 1440p averages 23 FPS (34% lower), and 4K averages 13 FPS (43% lower). The consistent percentage drops across all settings, roughly one-third from 1080p to 1440p and another 43 to 45 percent from 1440p to 4K, point to a GPU-bound scenario at every resolution.

The RX 570's 256-bit memory bus and 224.0 GB/s bandwidth become increasingly insufficient as pixel count rises. The GPU's pixel rate of 39.81 GPixel/s and texture rate of 159.2 GTexel/s are fixed hardware limits that the game's rendering workload pushes against at higher resolutions. The CPU, with its 12 threads and boost clock of 4.40 GHz, has ample headroom, as evidenced by the 68 FPS at 1080p Low, which is the ceiling of the recorded data. The resolution scaling analysis confirms that upgrading the GPU would yield the largest FPS gains for this combo, while the CPU would not need to be replaced.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its best results. Low settings produce an average of 68 FPS. Medium settings produce an average of 53 FPS, with a minimum of 45 FPS and a maximum of 60 FPS. High settings produce an average of 45 FPS. Ultra settings produce an average of 35 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 33 FPS, which represents a 49% reduction in average frame rate.

At 2560x1440, performance drops across the board. Low settings average 45 FPS. Medium settings average 34 FPS, with a minimum of 29 FPS and a maximum of 40 FPS. High settings average 29 FPS. Ultra settings average 23 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 22 FPS, a 49% reduction, matching the 1080p ratio.

At 3840x2160, the combo falls below playable thresholds. Low settings average 25 FPS. Medium settings average 19 FPS, with a minimum of 16 FPS and a maximum of 22 FPS. High settings average 16 FPS. Ultra settings average 13 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 12 FPS, a 48% reduction, consistent with the other resolutions.

The Medium preset is the only one with complete min and max data at every resolution. The minimum FPS values are 45 at 1080p, 29 at 1440p, and 16 at 4K. The maximum FPS values are 60 at 1080p, 40 at 1440p, and 22 at 4K. The spread between minimum and maximum is 15 FPS at 1080p, 11 FPS at 1440p, and 6 FPS at 4K. This narrowing spread at higher resolutions suggests that the GPU's workload becomes more uniform as it reaches its limits, with less variation in frame times.

The recorded data shows that the combo's performance envelope spans from 13 FPS at 4K Ultra to 68 FPS at 1080p Low. The average FPS values across all 12 measured configurations produce a median of 30 FPS (between the 29 FPS at 1440p High and 34 FPS at 1440p Medium). This median value indicates that, across typical usage scenarios, the combo hovers near the 30 FPS playability line, with only the 1080p Low and Medium presets providing comfortable margins above it.