The Technomancer

# The Technomancer with Intel Core i5-12600KF + Intel Arc B570

The Intel Core i5-12600KF paired with the Intel Arc B570 delivers a mid-range experience in The Technomancer, ranking 2256th out of 2825 tested combos. The data shows a system that can handle 1080p gaming comfortably at most settings, but struggles to maintain playable frame rates at 4K Ultra. The combination of a 10-core Alder Lake processor with a 10 GB Battlemage GPU produces results that place it in the 65th percentile for GPUs and 79th percentile for CPUs, yet the game's demands at higher resolutions expose the graphics card as the primary constraint.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a steep performance drop as resolution increases. At 1920x1080 with High settings, the combo averages 80 FPS, which drops to 52 FPS at 2560x1440 and further to 29 FPS at 3840x2160. That represents a 35% reduction from 1080p to 1440p, and a 64% reduction from 1080p to 4K. The scaling pattern is consistent across all settings, indicating the GPU is the limiting factor rather than the CPU.

Looking at the Low preset, the system achieves 121 FPS at 1080p, 79 FPS at 1440p, and 44 FPS at 4K. The 4K Low result is telling — even with the lowest graphical demands, the Intel Arc B570 cannot reach 60 FPS at 2160p. The gap between Low and Ultra at 4K is substantial: 44 FPS versus 22 FPS, a 50% performance penalty for the highest preset. This wide spread suggests the GPU's 10 GB VRAM and 160-bit memory bus become bottlenecks when pixel count and texture quality increase simultaneously.

At 1440p, the scaling is more forgiving. Medium settings yield 61 FPS, which is playable, and Low reaches 79 FPS. The Ultra preset at 1440p drops to 41 FPS, below the smoothness threshold. The 1080p results are the most favorable: Medium averages 93 FPS, High hits 80 FPS, and even Ultra maintains 62 FPS. The resolution scaling behavior indicates that 1080p is the sweet spot for this combination, with 1440p viable only at Medium or lower settings.

The frame time data available for Medium settings shows consistency: at 1080p, the range is 79 to 107 FPS; at 1440p, it narrows to 52 to 70 FPS; and at 4K, it compresses to 28 to 39 FPS. The diminishing minimum frame rates at higher resolutions reinforce the GPU-bound nature of the system in this title.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination ranks 2256th out of 2825 tested combos for The Technomancer, placing it in the bottom 20% of all configurations. This ranking reflects the GPU's modest standing among tested graphics cards — the Intel Arc B570 sits at the 65th percentile across all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 20556. The CPU, by contrast, performs better relatively, ranking at the 79th percentile among all processors with an average benchmark score of 27799.

The GPU's nearest rivals illustrate its positioning. The Arc B570 scores nearly identically to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile, with a delta of 0.1% in favor of the Intel card. It also sits close to the Intel Arc A750, which is 0.1% ahead, and the AMD Radeon R9 M390X, which trails by 0.5%. The Quadro M4000M is 0.4% behind. These sub-1% differences mean the Arc B570's performance class is tightly clustered, and the measured results in The Technomancer reflect this mid-tier positioning.

For the CPU, the i5-12600KF is nearly indistinguishable from its nearest rivals. It trails the Intel Core i9-10900K by 0.3% and the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D by 0.3%, while leading the AMD Ryzen 5 8500GE by 0.3% and the AMD Ryzen 7 6800U by 0.3%. These delta values are within noise margins, indicating the processor is not a differentiator in this game's performance.

The combination ranking of 2256 out of 2825 suggests that the GPU holds the combo back. Given that the CPU ranks at the 79th percentile and the GPU at the 65th, the pairing skews toward processor-heavy performance. In a game like The Technomancer, which appears to be GPU-limited at higher resolutions, this imbalance manifests as the steep FPS drops observed across resolution scaling.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12600KF brings 10 cores and 16 threads to the configuration, with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 4.90 GHz. This Alder Lake-S processor, built on Intel's 10 nm process, features a 20 MB shared L3 cache and 1.25 MB L2 per core. The 125 W TDP and unlocked multiplier allow for overclocking, though the benchmark data reflects stock operation.

In synthetic tests, the CPU demonstrates strong multi-threaded capability. The Cinebench R23 multicore score of 23391 and Passmark multithread score of 27575 indicate robust parallel performance. Single-thread results are also solid: Cinebench R23 single-core scores 3302, and Passmark single-thread scores 3925. The 3DMark 16-thread score of 7956 aligns closely with the max-thread score of 7952, suggesting the processor's scaling plateaus beyond 16 threads.

For The Technomancer, a 2016 Action RPG, the CPU's capabilities far exceed what the game likely demands. The 1080p Low result of 121 FPS demonstrates that the processor can feed frames well beyond typical display refresh rates. The fact that FPS drops by 50% when moving from 1080p Low to 4K Low — while CPU load presumably stays similar — confirms the GPU becomes the bottleneck first.

The CPU's 79th percentile ranking among all processors means it outperforms roughly four-fifths of tested CPUs. In this game, the i5-12600KF's 10 cores provide ample headroom for background tasks and any CPU-bound scenarios that might arise. The 4.90 GHz boost clock ensures strong single-thread performance, which matters for older game engines that may not scale well across many cores.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in The Technomancer?

A: The data shows 1920x1080 as the most viable resolution. At 1080p, all settings exceed 60 FPS, with Low reaching 121 FPS and Ultra maintaining 62 FPS. At 1440p, only Low and Medium presets stay above 60 FPS, while 4K fails to reach 60 FPS even at Low settings.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B570 compare to its closest GPU rival?

A: The Arc B570 scores 20556 on average benchmarks, placing it 0.1% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile and 0.1% behind the Intel Arc A750. The AMD Radeon R9 M390X trails by 0.5%, and the NVIDIA Quadro M4000M is 0.4% behind.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor at 4K resolution?

A: The GPU is clearly the limiting component at 3840x2160. The 4K Low preset averages 44 FPS, while 4K Ultra drops to 22 FPS. The CPU's 79th percentile ranking and strong multi-threaded scores suggest it has ample headroom, but the GPU's 65th percentile ranking and sub-60 FPS results at 4K indicate the graphics card cannot keep up.

Q: What settings should be used for 1440p gaming?

A: Medium settings at 2560x1440 produce 61 FPS average with a range of 52 to 70 FPS. Low settings reach 79 FPS. High settings drop to 52 FPS, and Ultra falls to 41 FPS. For a consistent 60 FPS experience, Medium is the highest viable preset.

Q: How does the i5-12600KF perform against the Ryzen 7 5800X3D?

A: The i5-12600KF trails the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D by 0.3% in average benchmark scores. This negligible difference places both processors within the same performance tier, and the choice between them would not meaningfully affect The Technomancer's frame rates.

Q: What is the highest FPS achievable with this combo?

A: The maximum measured average FPS is 121 at 1920x1080 with Low settings. The Medium preset at 1080p reaches 93 FPS, with a maximum frame rate of 107 FPS observed in the measured range.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B570, built on TSMC's 5 nm process with the Xe2-HPG architecture, provides 2304 shading units, 144 texture mapping units, and 80 raster operations pipelines. The GPU operates at a fixed 2500 MHz base and boost clock, with 10 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 160-bit bus delivering 380.0 GB/s bandwidth. The 150 W TDP and PCIe 4.0 x8 interface complete the specifications.

The GPU's synthetic benchmarks place it at the 65th percentile among all GPUs, with a Passmark G3D score of 14195 and a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2649. The Geekbench OpenCL score of 83514 and Vulkan score of 96844 indicate respectable compute performance. However, the DirectX-specific Passmark scores — 118 for DX11, 72 for DX12, and 65 for DX10 — suggest variable API efficiency.

In The Technomancer, the GPU's 10 GB VRAM appears sufficient for 1080p and 1440p, but the 4K results imply memory bandwidth constraints. The 380.0 GB/s bandwidth, while reasonable for a mid-range card, struggles with the pixel throughput required at 3840x2160. The pixel rate of 200.0 GPixel/s and texture rate of 360.0 GTexel/s provide theoretical ceilings that the measured FPS data shows are not fully realized at higher resolutions.

The GPU's 11.52 TFLOPS FP32 performance positions it solidly in the mid-range segment. Its nearest rival, the RTX 3070 Mobile, scores nearly identically (20534 versus 20556), confirming the Arc B570's competitive standing. The 19,600 million transistors on a 272 mm² die reflect a dense design that delivers consistent performance across the benchmark suite.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides clear guidance for optimal settings at each resolution. At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset achieves 62 FPS, which is playable, but the Medium preset at 93 FPS offers a better balance of visual quality and smoothness. High settings at 80 FPS also provide an excellent experience. For players prioritizing frame rate above all, Low at 121 FPS maximizes responsiveness.

At 2560x1440, Medium is the recommended preset. The 61 FPS average with a 52 to 70 FPS range keeps gameplay fluid, while Low at 79 FPS offers additional headroom for demanding scenes. High settings dip to 52 FPS, which may cause noticeable stutter in action sequences. Ultra at 41 FPS is not recommended for this resolution.

At 3840x2160, no preset achieves 60 FPS. Low at 44 FPS is the most playable option, though it remains below the smoothness threshold. Medium at 33 FPS and High at 29 FPS are marginal, while Ultra at 22 FPS is unsuitable for gameplay. Players prioritizing 4K should consider reducing resolution or accepting lower frame rates.

The best overall experience is 1080p with Medium settings: 93 FPS average with a tight 79 to 107 FPS range. This combination provides smooth performance with moderate visual fidelity. For those wanting maximum quality, 1080p Ultra at 62 FPS remains viable, though the margin above 60 FPS is slim.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete dataset reveals consistent performance scaling across all settings and resolutions. At 1920x1080, the averages are: Low 121 FPS, Medium 93 FPS, High 80 FPS, and Ultra 62 FPS. The Medium preset includes measured variance from 79 to 107 FPS, demonstrating frame pacing stability.

At 2560x1440, the averages drop to: Low 79 FPS, Medium 61 FPS, High 52 FPS, and Ultra 41 FPS. The Medium range spans 52 to 70 FPS, showing a narrower distribution than at 1080p. The step from Low to Medium costs 18 FPS, while Medium to High costs 9 FPS, and High to Ultra costs 11 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the averages are: Low 44 FPS, Medium 33 FPS, High 29 FPS, and Ultra 22 FPS. The Medium preset shows a 28 to 39 FPS range. The jump from Low to Medium costs 11 FPS, Medium to High costs 4 FPS, and High to Ultra costs 7 FPS. The diminishing returns at higher settings indicate the GPU is nearing its limits.

The percentage drops from 1080p to 4K are consistent across settings: Low drops 64%, Medium drops 65%, High drops 64%, and Ultra drops 65%. This uniform scaling confirms the GPU-bound nature of the workload, with the CPU maintaining consistent performance regardless of resolution. The i5-12600KF's 10 cores and 4.90 GHz boost clock ensure it never becomes the limiting factor in this configuration.