The Technomancer

The Technomancer, a 2016 Action RPG, presents an interesting case for modern hardware. The pairing of the Intel Core i5-12400F with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 is a mix of a capable mid-range CPU with a high-end current-generation GPU. Benchmark data reveals a system that is overwhelmingly GPU-bound at higher resolutions, yet the CPU still plays a crucial role in establishing the performance ceiling at lower settings. The measured frame rates show a clear hierarchy where the GPU’s workload scales dramatically with resolution, while the CPU’s six physical cores provide a stable foundation.

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

The Intel Core i5-12400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Alder Lake architecture. It operates with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. For a game released in 2016 like The Technomancer, this configuration is more than sufficient. The game’s threading model from that era rarely scales beyond a few cores, making the i5-12400F’s strong single-thread performance the key asset. In synthetic benchmarks, the CPU achieves a single-thread score of 909 in 3dmark_single_thread and 2332 in cinebench_r23_singlecore, indicating robust per-core capability that older game engines can leverage effectively.

The data suggests that the CPU is not a bottleneck in most measured scenarios. At 1080p with Low settings, the system produces 249.3 FPS. This high frame rate indicates that the i5-12400F can feed the RTX 5070 with enough data to reach a very high performance tier. The CPU’s 18 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel memory support also contribute to its ability to handle game logic and draw calls without stuttering. However, the CPU’s benchmark percentile of 77 places it in the upper tier of all CPUs, but not the absolute top, which is reflected in its performance ceiling in this test.

The processor’s 65 W TDP and 10 nm process node are efficiency-focused, but the data shows that raw power is not an issue here. When comparing the i5-12400F to its nearest rivals, it is effectively tied with the Intel Core i7-8700K (0.1% delta) and the Intel Core i5-1335U (0.3% delta), while slightly ahead of the AMD EPYC 7773X (1.3% delta) and behind the AMD Ryzen 5 7533HS (-0.7% delta). These negligible differences in average benchmark scores imply that the CPU is not a differentiator in this specific game; the GPU will dictate the final frame rate in most cases.

FAQ — 4-6 Q&A pairs answerable from FACT PACK data

Q: Does the Intel Core i5-12400F bottleneck the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 in The Technomancer?

A: Benchmark results indicate that the CPU is not a limiting factor at higher resolutions. At 4K Ultra, the system achieves 44.5 FPS, which is far below the CPU’s potential output. Only at 1080p Low, where the system reaches 249.3 FPS, does the CPU’s performance become a more significant factor in defining the upper limit, though it still delivers a high frame rate.

Q: What is the performance difference between the Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: The data shows a substantial gap. At 2560x1440 with Low settings, the average FPS is 163.4. Switching to Ultra settings at the same resolution drops the average FPS to 85.4. This represents a significant performance cost for the highest visual fidelity, a reduction of nearly half the frame rate.

Q: How does the RTX 5070 compare to its nearest rival, the RTX 3090, in synthetic benchmarks?

A: According to the GPU’s average benchmark score, the RTX 5070 is 0.6% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090. The average scores are 41687 for the RTX 5070 and 41441 for the RTX 3090, making them statistically equivalent in raw compute performance.

Q: Is the game more demanding on the CPU or GPU at 4K resolution?

A: The data strongly suggests the GPU is the primary bottleneck at 4K. The frame rate drops significantly from 91.3 FPS at Low settings to 44.5 FPS at Ultra settings. This massive performance swing based on graphical settings indicates that the render resolution and pixel shading are taxing the GPU far more than the CPU.

Q: What is the highest average frame rate recorded for this combo?

A: The highest recorded average frame rate is 249.3 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. This shows the pairing’s capability for high-refresh-rate gaming when graphical demands are minimized.

Q: What is the CPU’s multi-threaded performance relative to its single-threaded performance?

A: The i5-12400F shows strong scaling. In Cinebench R23, the multicore score is 16518, while the single-core score is 2332. This represents a roughly 7x increase in performance when all cores are utilized, a sign of good multi-threading efficiency for games that can use more than one or two cores.

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

The frame rate scaling across resolutions provides a clear picture of system balance. Moving from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440, and then to 3840x2160, yields predictable drops that pinpoint the GPU as the primary constraint. At High settings, the system averages 167.9 FPS at 1080p. This drops to 109.1 FPS at 1440p, a reduction of 58.8 FPS. At 4K, the average falls further to 60.5 FPS. This pattern is consistent across all settings, showing that the rendering load increases sharply with pixel count.

The data reveals that the performance penalty for jumping to 4K is severe. At Ultra settings, the frame rate plummets from 130.6 FPS at 1080p to 85.4 FPS at 1440p, and finally to 44.5 FPS at 4K. The delta between 1080p and 4K is a loss of 86.1 FPS. This steep decline is a classic sign of a GPU-bound scenario. The CPU’s job remains relatively constant, but the GPU’s fillrate and shader workload increase exponentially with resolution. The fact that the FPS does not scale perfectly with the pixel count (4K has 4x the pixels of 1080p, but the FPS does not drop to a quarter) suggests that other memory bandwidth factors, such as the 672.0 GB/s available to the RTX 5070, also play a role.

The data shows that the system is well-optimized for 1440p, where it delivers a high level of performance that remains fluid. At 1080p, the system is clearly capable of very high frame rates, but the CPU may be nearing its limit, as the relative performance gain from 1440p to 1080p is lower than the gain from 4K to 1440p. This suggests that while the RTX 5070 is the main driver of performance, the i5-12400F establishes a ceiling around the 200+ FPS mark in lighter scenes.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

The measured FPS data provides a detailed look at performance across different configurations. At 1920x1080, the system is exceptionally fast. With Low settings, the average FPS is 249.3. Medium settings yield 194.9 FPS, High settings produce 167.9 FPS, and Ultra settings deliver 130.6 FPS. This shows a smooth scaling curve where each preset tier costs approximately 30-50 FPS. The performance at 1080p is high enough to suggest that the i5-12400F is a limiting factor, as the GPU is capable of even higher output.

At 2560x1440, the results are more balanced. Low settings average 163.4 FPS, Medium settings average 128.5 FPS, High settings average 109.1 FPS, and Ultra settings average 85.4 FPS. The scaling here is more linear, with each step from Low to Ultra costing roughly 20-25 FPS. This resolution is the sweet spot for this combo, providing high frame rates with the option for high visual quality. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is significant, but the resulting performance is still excellent for most displays.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is heavily taxed. Low settings average 91.3 FPS, which is still playable. Medium settings drop to 68.2 FPS, and High settings to 60.5 FPS. Ultra settings are the most demanding, yielding an average of 44.5 FPS. The performance gap between Low and Ultra at 4K is 46.8 FPS, which demonstrates the massive impact of the highest quality presets on the RTX 5070. This resolution pushes the GPU to its limits, and the data indicates that users will need to make compromises on settings to maintain a smooth 60 FPS experience.

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

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 is the dominant component in this pairing, and its specifications directly correlate with the measured FPS. The GPU features 12 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 192-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 672.0 GB/s. This memory configuration is critical for high-resolution textures and effects, which is why the performance at 4K is significantly lower than at 1080p. The GPU’s boost clock of 2512 MHz and its 6144 shading units are the primary drivers of its raw compute power, reflected in its 30.87 TFLOPS FP32 performance.

The GPU’s benchmark percentile of 83 places it in the high-end category, and its average benchmark score of 41687 confirms its position. The RTX 5070 is a modern Blackwell 2.0 architecture part, manufactured on a 5 nm process by TSMC. The data shows that in The Technomancer, the GPU’s workload is the definitive bottleneck at 4K and a major factor at 1440p. The difference between 91.3 FPS at 4K Low and 44.5 FPS at 4K Ultra is entirely attributable to the GPU’s rendering load, as the CPU’s workload does not change with these settings.

The GPU’s 250 W TDP and PCIe 5.0 interface ensure it has ample power and bandwidth to perform, but the game’s age means it may not fully utilize the RTX 5070’s newer features. The synthetic benchmark comparison shows the RTX 5070 is 0.2% ahead of the AMD Radeon Pro 5300 and 0.6% ahead of the RTX 3090, but 0.5% behind the NVIDIA Tesla M40 and 0.7% behind the AMD Radeon Pro 580X. These tiny deltas indicate that the GPU is performing as expected for its class, and the FPS variations in-game are due to the game’s specific engine demands.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend heavily on the target resolution and desired frame rate. For a standard 60 FPS experience, the data shows that several presets are viable. At 3840x2160, the High preset delivers 60.5 FPS, which is just above the 60 FPS threshold. This is the highest quality preset that maintains a playable frame rate. The Medium preset at 68.2 FPS offers a small buffer for stability, while the Low preset at 91.3 FPS provides a much smoother experience at the cost of visual fidelity. The Ultra preset at 44.5 FPS is not recommended for 4K gaming, as it falls below the playable threshold.

At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset delivers 85.4 FPS, which is an excellent balance of visual quality and performance. This is the recommended preset for users with 1440p monitors, as it provides a high level of detail without sacrificing smoothness. The High preset at 109.1 FPS is also excellent, offering a significant performance boost for competitive play. For users seeking maximum refresh rates, the Medium preset at 128.5 FPS is a strong choice.

At 1920x1080, all presets are playable, but the Ultra preset at 130.6 FPS is the best choice for most users, as it provides the highest visual quality while still exceeding the refresh rate of most standard 1080p monitors. The High preset at 167.9 FPS is preferable for high-refresh-rate displays, and the Low preset at 249.3 FPS is for those who prioritize maximum FPS above all else. The data indicates that the Medium preset at 194.9 FPS is a good middle ground, but the Ultra preset’s performance is so high that it makes the lower presets less necessary.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the Intel Core i5-12400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 is ranked 302nd out of 1656 tested combos in The Technomancer. This places the pairing in the top 20% of all systems benchmarked. The rank of 302 is notably high, considering the CPU is not a top-tier part. This suggests that the game is heavily GPU-dependent, and the RTX 5070’s strong performance is carrying the combo to a high overall ranking.

This high rank demonstrates the RTX 5070’s raw power. The fact that this combo ranks above many others with more powerful CPUs indicates that the i5-12400F is sufficient to avoid bottlenecking the GPU in this specific game. The rank is also influenced by the game’s age; The Technomancer’s engine does not appear to scale well with very high core counts, so the i5-12400F’s 6 cores are more than adequate.

The data implies that users with this combo are getting near-top-tier performance in this game. The 302nd rank out of 1656 combos means that only 301 other system configurations perform better. Given the GPU’s price point and the CPU’s mid-range status, this rank shows that the hardware is well-matched for this title. The performance is not at the absolute top, but it is far above the median, making this a highly capable system for The Technomancer. The negligible differences between the CPU and its rivals in synthetic benchmarks further confirm that the GPU is the primary reason for this strong ranking.