The Technomancer

The Technomancer, a 2016 Action RPG, presents a demanding workload that clearly separates component capabilities. This analysis examines the measured performance of the Intel Core i5-12400 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti, using only the provided benchmark data. The results show a system that is consistently GPU-limited at higher resolutions, while the CPU provides a solid foundation for lower-resolution gameplay. The data indicates a predictable scaling pattern across the three tested resolutions, with the GPU becoming the primary bottleneck as pixel count increases.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a clear and consistent decline as resolution increases, which is the expected behavior for a system where the graphics card is the limiting factor. At 1080p with High settings, the combo achieves an average of 72.4 FPS. Moving to 1440p at the same settings, the average drops to 47.8 FPS, representing a reduction of approximately 34%. At 4K, the average falls further to 24.9 FPS, which is roughly half of the 1440p figure and only about one-third of the 1080p performance. This scaling pattern indicates that the GTX 1660 Ti's rendering throughput is the primary constraint as resolution increases.

The gap between Low and Ultra settings also widens at higher resolutions, but the relative impact of settings shrinks. At 1080p, the difference between Low (108.7 FPS) and Ultra (59.9 FPS) is 48.8 FPS. At 1440p, that spread narrows to 35 FPS, and at 4K, it compresses to just 16 FPS. This suggests that at 4K, the GPU is so heavily saturated that even reducing settings to Low cannot overcome the raw pixel-pushing demand, as the 36.4 FPS at 4K Low is still below the 59.9 FPS at 1080p Ultra. The data points to a system where 1080p is the practical ceiling for smooth gameplay, while 4K is only playable at the lowest settings with significant compromises.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12400 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor from the Alder Lake-S architecture, with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. Its benchmark results show strong multi-threaded performance, with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 15935 and a single-core score of 2249. The CPU's average benchmark score of 19850 places it in the 77th percentile of all CPUs, indicating it is a capable performer for its class. Its nearest rival is the Intel Core i7-9700, which has an average score of 19831, a delta of just 0.1% — effectively a tie. This suggests the i5-12400 offers competitive processing power against older higher-tier chips.

In the context of The Technomancer, the CPU's role appears to be supportive rather than dominant. At 1080p Low, where the GPU has the least work, the system achieves 108.7 FPS, which is a high enough frame rate to suggest the CPU is not a major bottleneck at this resolution. However, the fact that this score is still below the 1440p Low result of 74.2 FPS indicates that the GPU is still the limiting factor even at the lowest settings. The CPU's single-thread performance, evidenced by a 3DMark single-thread score of 910, is likely sufficient to feed the GPU with draw calls and game logic at these frame rates. The 12 threads provide headroom for background tasks and modern game engines, but the data does not show the CPU becoming a limiting factor at any tested resolution.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti is the clear performance limiter in this configuration. It features 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, yielding a bandwidth of 288.0 GB/s. Its base clock is 1500 MHz with a boost clock of 1770 MHz. The GPU's average benchmark score is 13925, placing it in the 55th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 570X, scores 13871, a delta of 0.4% — meaning the GTX 1660 Ti is nearly identical in overall compute capability. However, the GPU's memory capacity and bandwidth are more relevant to The Technomancer's texture-heavy environments.

The benchmark results show that the GPU's performance degrades sharply with resolution. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1061 is modest, and the Passmark G3D score of 12871 confirms its mid-range positioning. At 1080p, the GPU can handle High settings at 72.4 FPS, which is respectable. However, at 1440p, the same settings drop to 47.8 FPS, and at 4K, it falls to 24.9 FPS, which is below the generally accepted threshold for smooth play. The 6 GB VRAM is likely sufficient for 1080p and 1440p textures, but the data suggests that at 4K, the GPU's compute throughput, rather than memory capacity, is the primary constraint, as even Low settings only yield 36.4 FPS.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The dataset provides 12 measured points across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the results are consistently playable. Low settings produce an average of 108.7 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS target. Medium settings deliver 83.9 FPS, High settings drop to 72.4 FPS, and Ultra settings fall to 59.9 FPS. This shows a clear linear progression, with each settings tier costing roughly 10-15% performance. The 1080p Ultra result of 59.9 FPS is just shy of the 60 FPS mark, indicating that a near-maximum experience is possible at this resolution with minor tweaks.

At 2560x1440, the performance becomes more marginal. Low settings achieve 74.2 FPS, which is still smooth. Medium settings drop to 59.0 FPS, exactly at the 60 FPS threshold. High settings produce 47.8 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for fast-paced action. Ultra settings fall to 39.2 FPS, which is noticeably stutter-prone. At 3840x2160, all results are below 40 FPS. Low settings yield 36.4 FPS, Medium gives 28.1 FPS, High provides 24.9 FPS, and Ultra sinks to 20.4 FPS. None of these 4K results are suitable for a smooth experience, confirming that this resolution is beyond the hardware's capabilities.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo ranks 1445 out of 1656 tested combinations in The Technomancer. This places it in the bottom 13% of all tested systems, indicating that while it can run the game, it does so at a level far below the median configuration. The rank reflects the GPU's mid-range status, as the CPU is a relatively strong performer. The combination of a 77th-percentile CPU with a 55th-percentile GPU results in a system that is heavily skewed towards the GPU as the bottleneck. In practical terms, this means the CPU is likely idle waiting for the GPU to finish rendering frames at 1440p and 4K.

Compared to other combos, this setup is best suited for 1080p gaming, where it can achieve high frame rates on High settings. The rank suggests that most other tested systems either have a stronger GPU or a more balanced pairing. The CPU's performance is not the limiting factor, as its nearest rivals, which include the Intel Core i7-9700 and Intel Core i7-8700, show nearly identical average scores. The data indicates that upgrading the GPU would yield the most significant performance improvement for this combo, rather than upgrading the CPU.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured data, the optimal settings for this hardware depend heavily on the target resolution. At 1920x1080, the High preset is the best choice, delivering an average of 72.4 FPS. This provides a solid margin above 60 FPS, ensuring smooth gameplay while maintaining visual fidelity. The Ultra preset at 59.9 FPS is also viable, but the marginal visual gains come at the cost of dropping below the 60 FPS threshold. For players who prefer maximum quality, Ultra is acceptable, but High offers a better balance of performance and image quality.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset is the recommended starting point, achieving 59.0 FPS. This is right at the 60 FPS target and provides a good balance. The Low preset at 74.2 FPS offers a more comfortable frame rate for competitive play, but the visual downgrade is significant. High settings at 47.8 FPS are playable but may feel less responsive. At 3840x2160, no preset is truly playable, but Low at 36.4 FPS is the only option that approaches a tolerable frame rate. The data suggests that 4K is not a practical resolution for this combo, and users should either lower the resolution or accept significant compromises. For the best overall experience, 1080p High is the clear recommendation, as it maximizes the hardware's potential without crossing into performance degradation.