The Technomancer

The Technomancer pairs a 6-core, 12-thread Intel Core i5-12400 with a 4 GB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti. This is a combination where the GPU’s age and memory capacity define the experience, while the CPU provides a stable foundation that rarely becomes the bottleneck. The measured frame rates across resolutions and settings confirm that this is a 1080p-oriented pairing, and even then, only at lower quality presets.

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

The Intel Core i5-12400 is a desktop processor from the Core 12th Gen series, built on Alder Lake architecture with a 10 nm process. It operates with 6 cores and 12 threads, a base clock of 2.50 GHz, and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. The CPU has an 18 MB shared L3 cache and a 65 W TDP. Its benchmark scores show a strong mid-range performer: the Cinebench R23 multicore score is 15935, and the single-core score is 2249. In PassMark’s multithread test, it scores 18747, and its single-thread score is 3456.

The data indicates that the i5-12400 is not the limiting factor in this combo. Its percentile ranking against all CPUs is 77, meaning it outperforms a majority of processors. The nearest rivals include the Intel Core i7-9700 with an average score of 19831 (a delta of 0.1%), the Intel Core i7-8700 at 19894 (delta -0.2%), and the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 5995WX at 19928 (delta -0.4%). The i5-12400’s average benchmark score is 19850, placing it within a tight 0.4% band of these alternatives. For an action RPG like The Technomancer, which relies on consistent frame pacing rather than extreme thread counts, the 12 threads and high boost clock ensure the CPU can feed the GPU without stutter. The single-thread performance, evidenced by a 3DMark single-thread score of 910, is particularly relevant for game logic and physics that are not fully parallelized.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti is a Pascal architecture GPU built on a 14 nm process by Samsung. It features 768 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 32 raster output units. The base clock is 1291 MHz, with a boost clock of 1392 MHz. The memory configuration is critical: 4 GB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 112.1 GB/s. The memory clock runs at 1752 MHz, or 7 Gbps effective.

This GPU’s performance profile is modest. Its percentile ranking against all GPUs is 30, and its average benchmark score is 5316. The nearest rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce 930A with an average score of 5317 (delta 0%), the NVIDIA GeForce 940M at 5297 (delta 0.4%), and the AMD Radeon R7 240 at 5280 (delta 0.7%). The 4 GB VRAM is the primary constraint in The Technomancer. At 4K Ultra settings, the average FPS is 10.6, which is unplayable. Even at 1080p Ultra, the average FPS is 29, indicating the GPU is overwhelmed. The 128-bit memory bus and 112.1 GB/s bandwidth struggle to feed the framebuffer at higher resolutions and detail levels. The GPU’s DirectX 12 score in PassMark is 26, which is low, but the game’s engine appears to scale more with raw fill rate and memory bandwidth than API features.

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

The measured FPS data shows a steep decline as resolution increases, clearly pointing to the GPU as the bottleneck. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 57 FPS, which is the only playable setting in the entire dataset. Moving to 1080p Medium drops to 42.8 FPS, and High reduces it further to 34.2 FPS. At 1080p Ultra, the average falls to 29 FPS.

Scaling up to 1440p, the numbers become marginal. At 1440p Low, the average is 37.5 FPS, which is a 34% drop from the 1080p Low result. At 1440p High, the average is 25.2 FPS, and at 1440p Ultra, it drops to 20.8 FPS. The trend indicates that even at lower settings, the GPU’s fill rate is insufficient for 1440p.

At 4K, the results are almost academic. The 4K Low average is 20.6 FPS, which is a 64% drop from 1080p Low. The 4K Medium average is 13.1 FPS, High is 11.1 FPS, and Ultra is 10.6 FPS. This pattern—where FPS halves roughly with each doubling of pixel count—is a classic sign of a GPU-limited scenario. The CPU’s performance is consistent across resolutions, so the frame rate collapse is entirely attributable to the GTX 1050 Ti’s inability to process the increased pixel load. The 4 GB VRAM also likely causes texture thrashing at 4K, further reducing performance.

FAQ

Q: What is the best setting for this combo to achieve a playable frame rate?

A: The only setting that achieves a 60 FPS average is 1080p Low, which measures 57 FPS. At 1080p Medium, the average drops to 42.8 FPS, which is playable but not smooth.

Q: Can this combo handle 1440p gaming?

A: The data suggests it cannot. Even at 1440p Low, the average FPS is 37.5, and at 1440p High, it falls to 25.2 FPS. These are below the 60 FPS target for a smooth experience.

Q: How does the GTX 1050 Ti compare to its nearest rivals in benchmark scores?

A: The GPU’s average benchmark score is 5316. It is essentially tied with the NVIDIA GeForce 930A, which scores 5317 (delta 0%). It is 0.4% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce 940M (5297) and 0.7% ahead of the AMD Radeon R7 240 (5280).

Q: Is the i5-12400 a bottleneck in this game?

A: No. The CPU’s average benchmark score of 19850 is within 0.4% of the top rival, the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 5995WX (19928). The FPS drops across resolutions are consistent with GPU limitations, not CPU stalls.

Q: What is the FPS difference between 1080p Low and 4K Low?

A: The 1080p Low average is 57 FPS, while the 4K Low average is 20.6 FPS. This represents a 64% reduction in performance.

Q: How much VRAM does the GPU have, and why does it matter?

A: The GPU has 4 GB of GDDR5 memory. In The Technomancer, this is a limiting factor, as the frame rates drop significantly at high settings where texture data exceeds the available memory.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-12400 and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti ranks 1633 out of 1656 tested combos for The Technomancer. This places it in the 1.4% percentile of all tested configurations, meaning it is one of the lowest-performing combos in the database. The ranking reflects the GPU’s age and the game’s demanding nature at higher resolutions. The CPU’s strong benchmark position (77th percentile among all CPUs) does not compensate for the GPU’s 30th percentile rank. In practice, this combo is positioned for 1080p low-to-medium settings, and any attempt to push beyond that will result in sub-30 FPS averages. The gap between the CPU’s capability and the GPU’s output is substantial; the i5-12400 could handle a significantly more powerful graphics card without becoming a bottleneck.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following table details the average FPS at each resolution and settings combination. All data points are measured, with no variance data provided.

| Resolution | Settings | Avg FPS |

|------------|----------|---------|

| 3840x2160 | High | 11.1 |

| 3840x2160 | Low | 20.6 |

| 3840x2160 | Medium | 13.1 |

| 3840x2160 | Ultra | 10.6 |

| 2560x1440 | High | 25.2 |

| 2560x1440 | Low | 37.5 |

| 2560x1440 | Medium | 26.6 |

| 2560x1440 | Ultra | 20.8 |

| 1920x1080 | High | 34.2 |

| 1920x1080 | Low | 57.0 |

| 1920x1080 | Medium | 42.8 |

| 1920x1080 | Ultra | 29.0 |

The data shows that the only configuration exceeding 50 FPS is 1080p Low. The drop from Low to Medium at 1080p is 14.2 FPS (from 57.0 to 42.8), and the drop from Medium to High is 8.6 FPS (from 42.8 to 34.2). The transition from High to Ultra at 1080p costs 5.2 FPS (from 34.2 to 29.0). At 1440p, the gap between Low and Medium is 11.1 FPS (from 37.5 to 26.6), and the gap between High and Ultra is 4.4 FPS (from 25.2 to 20.8). At 4K, the difference between Low and Medium is 7.5 FPS (from 20.6 to 13.1), and the difference between High and Ultra is only 0.5 FPS (from 11.1 to 10.6), suggesting that the GPU is entirely saturated at that resolution. The performance cliff between 1080p and 4K is steep; even the lowest settings at 4K produce a frame rate that is 36% of the 1080p Low result. This combo is best suited for 1080p gaming with reduced graphical fidelity, and the measured data provides no evidence that higher resolutions are viable.