The Technomancer

The Technomancer, a 2016 Action RPG, presents a demanding workload for the Intel Core i5-12400F and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 pairing. The measured frame rates across four resolutions and quality presets reveal a system that is consistently GPU-bound, with the GTX 1650's 4 GB of VRAM and modest compute capabilities acting as the primary constraint. This combination ranks near the bottom of the tested database, but the data shows specific settings can yield a playable experience at 1080p.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is dramatic and clearly indicates the graphics card is the limiting factor. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 44.7 FPS at 1920x1080 to 27.5 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of roughly 38%. Pushing further to 3840x2160 at High settings yields just 16 FPS, which is a 64% decrease from the 1080p result. This steep scaling curve is typical of a GPU with limited pixel throughput and memory bandwidth.

The pattern holds across all quality presets. At Low settings, the system manages 65.7 FPS at 1080p, which drops to 44.3 FPS at 1440p and then to 25.6 FPS at 4K. The delta between 1440p and 4K at Low settings is 18.7 FPS, showing that the GPU is overwhelmed by the pixel count regardless of the graphical load. The scaling from Medium to High at 1440p is also telling: 36.1 FPS versus 27.5 FPS, respectively, a 8.6 FPS penalty for the higher preset.

At 4K, the frame rate collapses into the low 20s and teens. The difference between Low (25.6 FPS) and Ultra (15.2 FPS) at 3840x2160 is only 10.4 FPS, suggesting that even the lowest settings cannot compensate for the sheer number of pixels being rendered. This indicates that the GTX 1650's 128-bit memory interface and 128.1 GB/s bandwidth are saturated, making resolution the dominant factor in performance. Benchmark results show that the CPU, a 6-core Alder Lake part with a boost clock of 4.40 GHz, is not the bottleneck here; the frame rate scales almost entirely with GPU workload.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650, built on the Turing architecture with a 12 nm process, is the decisive component in this pairing. Its 4 GB of GDDR5 VRAM on a 128-bit bus is a critical limitation for a game like The Technomancer at higher resolutions and settings. The data shows that enabling Ultra settings at 1440p drops the average to 20.7 FPS, identical to the Medium preset at 4K, which strongly suggests that VRAM capacity or bandwidth is being exhausted, not just raw shader performance.

The GPU's clocks are modest, with a base of 1485 MHz and a boost of 1665 MHz. This translates to a FP32 performance of 2.984 TFLOPS, which is low by modern standards. The measured results align with this compute ceiling: the jump from Medium to High at 1080p costs 5 FPS (49.7 to 44.7), while the jump from High to Ultra costs 12.2 FPS (44.7 to 32.5). This disproportionate penalty at the highest preset indicates that the 896 shading units and 32 ROPs are struggling with the increased shading and fill-rate demands.

The GPU's passmark G3D score is 7880, placing it in the 43rd percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals in aggregate score include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile (deltaPct -0.4) and the AMD Radeon 550X (deltaPct -0.4), which show it is competitive with low-end mobile parts. For The Technomancer, the 4 GB VRAM is sufficient for 1080p Low and Medium presets, where the game allocates less memory, but the data shows that even at 1440p Low (44.3 FPS), the frame rate is halved compared to 1080p Low, underscoring the bandwidth bottleneck. The GTX 1650 is the sole reason this combo cannot achieve high refresh rates; the CPU has ample headroom.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations for The Technomancer, the Intel Core i5-12400F + NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 ranks 1620 out of 1656 total combos. This places it in the bottom 2% of all systems tested, which is a poor showing for a modern CPU. The rank is driven almost entirely by the GPU, as the i5-12400F is a capable processor with a passmark multithread score of 19433 and a percentile ranking of 77 against all CPUs.

The CPU's aggregate benchmark score of 19221 puts it in a dead heat with the Intel Core i7-8700K, which scores 19210 (deltaPct 0.1). It is also 1.3% ahead of the AMD EPYC 7773X (score 18979). This shows the processor is not the weak link. The GPU, however, has an average benchmark score of 8713, which is only slightly better than its nearest rival, the NVIDIA Quadro P2200 (score 8671, deltaPct 0.5). The GTX 1650's percentile of 43 means it is outclassed by more than half of all GPUs.

Given the measured FPS, this ranking is expected. The combo's performance at 1080p High (44.7 FPS) is below the 60 FPS threshold, and at 1440p it struggles to maintain 30 FPS on High settings. The data indicates that the system is only viable for 1080p gaming at Low or Medium settings, which limits its overall standing. The 0.1% delta between the i5-12400F and the i7-8700K confirms that CPU choice has negligible impact on this game's frame rates, as the GPU is the limiting factor in every single measured configuration.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the optimal experience for this hardware is at 1920x1080 with the Low preset, which yields an average of 65.7 FPS. This is the only configuration that approaches a smooth 60 FPS target. The Medium preset at 1080p delivers 49.7 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for fast-paced action, given that The Technomancer is an action RPG with combat that benefits from higher frame rates.

For users prioritizing visual fidelity over smoothness, the High preset at 1080p (44.7 FPS) is the maximum playable setting. The Ultra preset at 1080p drops to 32.5 FPS, which is a significant 12.2 FPS penalty over High for marginal visual gains, and is not recommended. At 1440p, only the Low preset (44.3 FPS) is above 30 FPS; Medium (36.1 FPS) is borderline, while High (27.5 FPS) and Ultra (20.7 FPS) are too slow for consistent gameplay. All 4K resolutions, ranging from 25.6 FPS on Low to 15.2 FPS on Ultra, are unplayable.

The data suggests that the best balance of image quality and performance is the 1080p Medium preset. It provides a 13% improvement over High (5 FPS difference) in terms of frame rate headroom, while the visual difference between Medium and High is often less perceptible than the stutter from dropped frames. If the target is a stable 60 FPS, the Low preset at 1080p is the only choice. The GTX 1650's 4 GB VRAM is fully utilized at 1080p Ultra, which explains the severe frame rate collapse, so avoiding that preset is essential.

FAQ

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

A: The best experience is at 1920x1080 with the Low preset, achieving an average of 65.7 FPS. For better visuals, the Medium preset at 1080p (49.7 FPS) is the highest playable option, while 1440p and 4K are generally too demanding.

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-12400F bottlenecking the GTX 1650 in this game?

A: No. The CPU ranks in the 77th percentile of all processors with a passmark multithread score of 19433, while the GPU ranks in the 43rd percentile. The frame rate drops are consistent with GPU limitations, not CPU performance.

Q: How does this combo compare to other tested systems?

A: It ranks 1620 out of 1656 combos, placing it in the bottom 2% of all tested configurations. This is primarily due to the GPU's low compute performance and 4 GB VRAM.

Q: Can this system handle 1440p gaming in The Technomancer?

A: Only at Low settings, where it averages 44.3 FPS. Medium settings drop to 36.1 FPS, and High settings fall to 27.5 FPS, which is below the playable threshold for a smooth experience.

Q: Why does the frame rate drop so drastically from 1080p to 4K?

A: The GTX 1650 has a 128-bit memory bus and 128.1 GB/s bandwidth. At 3840x2160, the pixel count overwhelms this bandwidth, causing the average frame rate to fall to 16 FPS at High settings, indicating the GPU is the sole limiting component.

Q: What is the performance difference between the Low and Ultra presets at 1080p?

A: At 1080p, Low averages 65.7 FPS while Ultra averages 32.5 FPS. The 33.2 FPS difference shows that the Ultra preset imposes a severe load on the GPU, making Low or Medium the recommended settings.