The Technomancer

The Technomancer pairs the Intel Core i5-12600KF with the AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT, a combination that lands in the 62nd percentile of all tested system configurations for this title, ranking 1395th out of 3696 combos. This is a mid-table result for a 2016 Action RPG, indicating that while the hardware is modern, the game’s engine presents specific bottlenecks that prevent this pairing from reaching the top tiers. The data shows a system capable of smooth 1080p and 1440p play, but one that struggles to maintain high refresh rates at 4K with maximum settings.

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

The Intel Core i5-12600KF is a 10-core, 16-thread processor based on the Alder Lake architecture, with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 4.90 GHz. Its 20 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel memory support for both DDR4 and DDR5 make it a flexible and capable modern CPU. In synthetic benchmarks, this chip posts a 3DMark single-thread score of 1016 and an 8-thread score of 6128, which are strong figures for a desktop part. The multi-threaded performance is equally robust, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 23391, placing it in the 79th percentile of all CPUs tested.

However, for The Technomancer, the CPU’s role is less about raw multi-threaded throughput and more about consistent single-core performance. The game, released in 2016, does not scale well with the 16 threads available. The benchmark results show that at 1080p Low settings, the combo achieves 196 FPS, but at 1080p Ultra, it drops to 100 FPS. This 96 FPS swing is primarily due to the GPU workload increasing, not the CPU being a limiting factor. The i5-12600KF’s single-thread score of 1016 in 3DMark is more indicative of its ability to feed the GPU in this title. Compared to its nearest rivals, the i5-12600KF’s average benchmark score of 27799 is statistically identical to the Intel Core i9-10900K (27872, deltaPct -0.3) and the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D (27896, deltaPct -0.3). This suggests that for a game like The Technomancer, which is not heavily threaded, upgrading to a more expensive CPU with more cache or cores would yield no measurable benefit in frame rates.

The CPU’s 125W TDP and unlocked multiplier indicate it is a part designed for overclocking, but the data does not suggest that such tuning is necessary here. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS is 36, which is a GPU-bound scenario. The CPU is likely idle waiting for the GPU to render frames. The 3DMark max-thread score of 7952 and PassMark multithread score of 27575 confirm that the processor has plenty of headroom. The bottleneck in The Technomancer is clearly not the central processor, as evidenced by the fact that the FPS scales almost linearly with resolution changes when settings are held constant (e.g., 128 FPS at 1440p High vs. 84 FPS at 1440p High, a 44 FPS drop). This is a classic sign of a GPU-limited workload, where the CPU’s job is simply to keep up with the graphics card’s requests.

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

The AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT is a RDNA 3.0 architecture GPU with 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, providing 432.0 GB/s of bandwidth. Its base clock is 1435 MHz, with a boost clock of 2544 MHz. The 3456 shading units and 96 ROPs give it substantial fillrate capabilities, with a pixel rate of 244.2 GPixel/s. In synthetic benchmarks, it scores 22547 on PassMark G3D, placing it in the 67th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 (avgScore 22895, deltaPct -1.5) and the RTX 4060 Mobile (avgScore 22729, deltaPct -0.8), which shows the 7700 XT is slightly behind the desktop RTX 2080 but ahead of the mobile 4060.

In The Technomancer, the GPU is the dominant factor in performance. The 12 GB VRAM is more than sufficient for this title, even at 4K Ultra, as the game’s textures are not demanding by modern standards. The memory bandwidth of 432.0 GB/s is also adequate, preventing any stuttering or texture pop-in. The measured FPS shows a clear pattern: at 1080p Low, the GPU pushes 196 FPS, but at 1080p Ultra, it drops to 100 FPS. This 49% reduction in performance from Low to Ultra settings highlights the GPU’s sensitivity to the game’s graphical options, particularly shadow quality and draw distance. The GPU’s boost clock of 2544 MHz is high, and the data suggests it is being utilized effectively. At 4K Ultra, the 36 FPS average is a hard ceiling, likely due to the GPU’s raw compute limits rather than any memory or bandwidth bottleneck.

The RX 7700 XT’s performance is consistent with its positioning. It is 1.5% slower than the RTX 2080 in synthetic benchmarks, and this translates directly to the game’s results. The data shows that at 1440p High, the combo achieves 84 FPS, which is a playable frame rate for an action RPG. However, pushing to 4K High drops this to 46 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold many players consider smooth. The GPU’s 245W TDP and dual-slot cooler suggest it is a power-hungry card, but the performance it delivers in this older title is solid for 1080p and 1440p gaming. The 54 ray tracing cores are irrelevant here, as The Technomancer does not support ray tracing, so the GPU’s traditional rasterization performance is what matters.

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

Examining the measured FPS rows, the optimal experience for this combo is at 1440p with Medium settings. The data shows an average of 98 FPS at 1440p Medium, with a minimum of 84 FPS and a maximum of 113 FPS. This provides a 60+ FPS experience with a comfortable margin, ensuring no noticeable drops during combat. While 1440p High achieves 84 FPS, the jump to Medium adds 14 FPS, which is a significant gain for a small visual compromise. At 1080p, the Medium preset also shines, delivering 150 FPS average with a minimum of 128 FPS. This is an excellent choice for high refresh rate monitors, though the visual fidelity at 1080p is lower than 1440p.

For players with 4K displays, the data is less forgiving. The High preset at 4K yields 46 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for a game that requires precise timing. The Medium preset at 4K drops to 54 FPS, but the minimum FPS is 46, which means there will be noticeable hitches. The Ultra preset at 4K is not recommended, as the 36 FPS average is below playable thresholds for most users. The Low preset at 4K gives 70 FPS, but the visual downgrade is severe, making the game look dated.

The best balance of visual quality and performance is clearly 1440p Medium. This setting preserves the game’s artistic detail while maintaining a frame rate that is 63% higher than 4K High (98 FPS vs. 46 FPS). At 1080p, the Medium preset is also the sweet spot, as the jump from Medium to High costs 22 FPS (150 to 128), while the jump from Medium to Ultra costs 50 FPS (150 to 100). The data suggests that the Ultra preset is poorly optimized, offering diminishing returns for a massive performance hit. Therefore, the recommendation is to use Medium settings at either 1080p or 1440p, depending on the display’s native resolution, to achieve the smoothest experience.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the Intel Core i5-12600KF and AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT ranks 1395th out of 3696 tested combos in The Technomancer. This places it in the top 38% of all systems, which is a respectable position for a mid-range modern setup. The percentile ranking of 62% for the GPU and 79% for the CPU does not translate directly to the game’s combo ranking, indicating that the game’s engine is not fully utilizing the hardware’s potential. The data shows that this combo outperforms 62% of tested systems, but it is not a top-tier performer.

Compared to other combos, the ranking suggests that the RX 7700 XT is the limiting factor. The CPU is in the 79th percentile, but the combo is only in the 62nd percentile of game performance. This discrepancy is common in older games that are GPU-bound. The 1395th rank means there are 2301 combos that perform better, which likely include more powerful GPUs like the RTX 4080 or RX 7900 XTX. However, for a 1080p or 1440p gamer, this ranking is more than adequate. The combo’s position in the middle of the pack is not a negative; it reflects a balanced system that offers good performance without the need for flagship hardware. The data does not show any other combos in the immediate vicinity of this ranking, but the deltaPct values from the CPU and GPU rivals suggest that swapping the CPU or GPU for a direct competitor would result in a negligible change in ranking.

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

The FPS scaling across resolutions is the clearest indicator of where the bottleneck lies in this system. At High settings, the average FPS drops from 128 at 1080p to 84 at 1440p (a 34% reduction) and then to 46 at 4K (a 45% reduction from 1440p). This is a classic GPU-bound scaling curve. If the CPU were the limiting factor, the FPS would remain relatively constant as resolution increases, since the CPU’s workload does not change with resolution. Instead, the FPS drops proportionally with the increase in pixel count, which is the definition of a GPU-limited scenario.

At Low settings, the scaling is even more pronounced: 196 FPS at 1080p, 128 FPS at 1440p, and 70 FPS at 4K. The 1080p to 1440p drop is 68 FPS, and the 1440p to 4K drop is 58 FPS. This steep decline indicates that the GPU is being pushed to its limits even at Low settings when the resolution increases. The CPU is clearly not the bottleneck, as it is able to maintain high frame rates at 1080p Low (196 FPS), which is well above the refresh rate of most monitors. The data also shows that at 1080p Low, the system is hitting a ceiling around 196 FPS, which could be a CPU limit or a game engine limit, but it is not a practical concern for real-world gaming.

The Medium settings data, which includes minimum FPS values, provides further insight. At 1080p Medium, the minimum FPS is 128, which is higher than the average FPS of 84 at 1440p High. This shows that the GPU’s performance is the primary driver of frame rates. The 4K Medium preset has a minimum FPS of 46, which is the same as the average FPS of 4K High. This suggests that the GPU is consistently hitting a performance wall around 46-54 FPS at 4K, regardless of the settings preset. This is a strong indication that the 12 GB of VRAM and the 432.0 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient, but the raw compute power of the Navi 32 chip is the limiting factor at 4K.

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

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of this combo’s performance in The Technomancer. Starting at 1080p, the Low preset yields an average of 196 FPS, which is the highest score in the entire dataset. The Medium preset delivers 150 FPS average, with a minimum of 128 FPS and a maximum of 173 FPS. The High preset drops to 128 FPS average, and the Ultra preset falls to 100 FPS average. This shows a clear linear progression from Low to Ultra, with each step costing roughly 22-28 FPS.

Moving to 1440p, the Low preset achieves 128 FPS, which is a 68 FPS drop from 1080p Low. The Medium preset averages 98 FPS, with a minimum of 84 FPS and a maximum of 113 FPS. The High preset averages 84 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 66 FPS. The 1440p Medium results are particularly notable, as the minimum FPS of 84 is identical to the average FPS of 1440p High, indicating that Medium settings provide a more stable frame rate experience. The 1440p Ultra preset’s 66 FPS is still playable, but it is 32 FPS lower than the Medium preset.

At 4K, the performance drops significantly. The Low preset averages 70 FPS, which is the only 4K setting that reaches the 60 FPS threshold. The Medium preset averages 54 FPS, with a minimum of 46 FPS and a maximum of 62 FPS. The High preset averages 46 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 36 FPS. The 4K Medium data is the most informative, as the minimum FPS of 46 is the same as the High preset’s average, showing that the game’s performance is highly variable at this resolution. The 4K Ultra preset’s 36 FPS is the worst-case scenario, making it unsuitable for anything other than screenshot purposes. Overall, the data confirms that this combo is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, with 1440p Medium offering the best balance of visual fidelity and frame rate stability.