The Technomancer

The Technomancer, a 2016 Action RPG, presents an interesting case study in hardware scaling when paired with the Intel Core i5-12400F and the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX. The benchmark data reveals a component relationship that shifts dramatically depending on the resolution and settings, with the GPU’s immense power often being the primary driver of performance. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS to understand where the bottlenecks lie and what the data implies about optimizing the experience.

Resolution Scaling

The transition from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 produces a steep and consistent performance curve, indicating a strong reliance on the GPU’s rendering capabilities. At the High preset, the average frame rate drops from 176.3 FPS at 1080p to 116.9 FPS at 1440p, and finally to 61.2 FPS at 4K. This represents a 65.3% reduction in frame rate from 1080p to 4K, a significant hit that underscores the sheer pixel-pushing workload. The data suggests that at 1080p, the system is likely not fully GPU-bound, as the frame rates are exceptionally high, but as resolution increases, the GPU becomes the definitive limiting component.

The scaling pattern is not perfectly linear. Moving from 1080p to 1440p at High settings results in a 33.7% FPS drop, while moving from 1440p to 4K results in a 47.6% drop. This steeper decline at higher resolutions is typical of a GPU that is being pushed closer to its absolute limits, where memory bandwidth and raw compute throughput become more critical. At 4K, the RX 7900 XTX is clearly the determinant of performance, as the CPU’s role diminishes. The data implies that for users targeting high refresh rate monitors at 1080p, the CPU may still have headroom, but for 4K gaming, the experience is entirely dictated by the GPU’s ability to process the increased pixel count.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX, with its 24 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 384-bit bus, provides a massive 960.0 GB/s of memory bandwidth. This is a crucial asset for a game like The Technomancer, which sees a 34.1% performance drop between Medium and Ultra settings at 1080p (209.3 FPS to 139.8 FPS). The high bandwidth and 61.39 TFLOPS of FP32 compute power allow the card to handle the increased texture detail and effects without collapsing. The boost clock of 2498 MHz and game clock of 2365 MHz demonstrate the card’s ability to sustain high throughput under load.

The GPU’s memory capacity of 24 GB is far beyond what a 2016 title would require, indicating that it is not a limiting factor here. Instead, the data shows the card's raw shading power is what drives the frame rates. The 192 ROPs and 6144 shading units are directly responsible for the pixel fill rate and shader processing that the higher presets demand. The benchmark results show that the card’s performance percentile is in the 85th, which is strong, but the data also shows its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti, which it leads by 2% in average benchmark score, and the RTX 4090 Mobile, which trails it by 0.8%. This context suggests the card is a top-tier performer, and the measured FPS in The Technomancer reflects that, particularly at lower resolutions where it can fully stretch its legs.

FAQ

Q: What is the average frame rate at 1920x1080 with the Ultra preset?

A: The measured average FPS at 1080p with the Ultra preset is 139.8 FPS.

Q: How much faster is the Low preset compared to Ultra at 2560x1440?

A: At 1440p, the Low preset achieves 174.1 FPS, while the Ultra preset achieves 92.3 FPS. This makes the Low preset approximately 88.6% faster.

Q: Is the game more demanding at 3840x2160 on Medium settings than at 2560x1440 on Ultra settings?

A: Yes. At 4K Medium, the average FPS is 72.3, which is significantly lower than the 92.3 FPS observed at 1440p Ultra. This indicates that the resolution increase has a more substantial impact on performance than the settings increase in this range.

Q: Does the CPU or GPU appear to be the limiting factor at 3840x2160 with High settings?

A: The data strongly suggests the GPU is the limiting factor. The frame rate at 4K High is 61.2 FPS, and given the massive computational load of 4K, the RX 7900 XTX is the primary determinant of this performance level.

Q: What is the performance difference between the RX 7900 XTX and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Mobile in average benchmark scores?

A: The RX 7900 XTX has an average benchmark score of 44019, which is 0.8% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Mobile’s score of 43667.

Q: What is the combo's rank among all tested combinations for this game?

A: This specific combination of the Intel Core i5-12400F and the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX ranks 247th out of 1656 total tested combos in The Technomancer.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data offers clear guidance for optimizing the experience without sacrificing visual fidelity unnecessarily. For users with a 1920x1080 display, the High preset at 176.3 FPS offers a fantastic balance of visual quality and performance, especially for high-refresh-rate monitors. While the Low preset reaches 251.6 FPS, the jump to Medium at 209.3 FPS provides a substantial visual upgrade for a smaller performance cost, making it a viable alternative. The Ultra preset at 139.8 FPS is still very playable, but the performance cost over High is notable, suggesting that High is the sweet spot for most users.

At 2560x1440, the High preset delivers a very smooth 116.9 FPS, making it the recommended choice for a premium experience. The Medium preset at 136.1 FPS is also excellent if a higher frame rate is prioritized. The Ultra preset at 92.3 FPS is still above 60 FPS, but the drop from High is significant. For 4K gaming at 3840x2160, the situation changes. The High preset at 61.2 FPS is right at the edge of playability, while the Medium preset at 72.3 FPS provides a more comfortable margin. The Low preset at 95.4 FPS is the only way to get a high refresh rate experience at this resolution, but it requires a major sacrifice in visual quality. The data indicates that High at 4K is the best compromise for a visually rich experience that remains fluid.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the frame rates are exceptionally high across all settings. The Low preset leads with an average of 251.6 FPS, followed by Medium at 209.3 FPS, High at 176.3 FPS, and Ultra at 139.8 FPS. This shows a performance spread of 111.8 FPS between the lowest and highest quality settings, giving users a wide range of options for balancing visuals and speed.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain impressive but begin to show the GPU’s workload. The Low preset averages 174.1 FPS, Medium 136.1 FPS, High 116.9 FPS, and Ultra 92.3 FPS. The relative gap between the settings diminishes slightly, but the order remains consistent. At 3840x2160, the performance curve steepens. The Low preset still manages 95.4 FPS, but Medium drops to 72.3 FPS, High to 61.2 FPS, and Ultra to 48.5 FPS. This final number is the only one that dips below the 60 FPS mark, indicating that the Ultra preset at 4K is too demanding for this combination to maintain a consistently smooth frame rate.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12400F, with its 6 cores and 12 threads, plays a supporting role in this configuration. Its boost clock of 4.40 GHz and single-thread benchmark scores, such as 2332 in Cinebench R23, are more than sufficient for a game from 2016. The data shows that at 1080p, where frame rates are at their highest, the CPU is not a bottleneck, as the GPU is able to produce over 250 FPS at Low settings. The CPU’s performance is adequate to feed the GPU data without limiting its output at these resolutions.

However, the CPU's role becomes less critical as resolution increases. At 4K, the GPU’s rendering time dominates the frame time, making the CPU’s job easier. The benchmark results show the i5-12400F is comparable to the Intel Core i7-8700K, with a deltaPct of 0.1%, and significantly ahead of the AMD EPYC 7773X, with a deltaPct of 1.3%. The data indicates that this CPU is not the limiting factor in The Technomancer, even at lower resolutions, and its performance is well-matched to the high-end GPU, allowing the graphics card to operate near its full potential.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-12400F and the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX ranks 247th out of 1656 tested combos for The Technomancer. This places it in the top 15% of all tested configurations, which is a strong showing. The high rank is primarily driven by the GPU’s immense power, as the CPU, while capable, is not a top-tier part in terms of overall benchmark scores, ranking in the 77th percentile among all CPUs. The GPU, on the other hand, ranks in the 85th percentile among all GPUs.

This ranking suggests that the pairing is well-balanced for this title. The GPU is powerful enough to exploit the CPU’s capabilities at lower resolutions, and the CPU is strong enough to avoid holding the GPU back at higher resolutions. The rank of 247 indicates that while there are many faster combos, likely featuring more powerful CPUs and top-end GPUs, this specific pairing offers a very high level of performance. The data implies that for a 2016 game, this modern combination is overkill in the best way, providing frame rates that far exceed what most monitors can display at standard resolutions.