The Technomancer

The Technomancer, a 2016 Action RPG, presents an interesting test for modern hardware due to its age and engine characteristics. The combination of the Intel Core i5-12600KF and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 produces a dataset that reveals clear performance hierarchies across resolutions and settings. This analysis examines the measured frames per second (FPS) data to determine optimal configurations, the role of each component, and how this specific pairing ranks against other tested combinations.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data for this combo shows a clear trade-off between visual fidelity and frame rate, with the optimal preset depending heavily on the target resolution. At 3840x2160 (4K), the High preset delivers an average of 70 FPS, which is playable for most action RPGs. However, the Medium preset at 4K yields an average of 82 FPS, with a minimum of 70 FPS and a maximum of 94 FPS, providing a more comfortable margin above 60 FPS while still maintaining decent visual quality. The Ultra preset at 4K drops to 55 FPS average, which falls below the smoothness threshold many players prefer for combat-heavy titles. Low at 4K produces 107 FPS average, but the visual degradation is significant. For 4K, Medium is the best balance, as it offers a 17% improvement over High in average FPS while keeping the minimum above 70 FPS.

At 2560x1440 (1440p), the situation changes. High settings produce an average of 128 FPS, which is excellent for a fast-paced action game. Medium settings at 1440p yield 149 FPS average, with a minimum of 127 FPS and a maximum of 172 FPS. The Ultra preset at 1440p still manages 100 FPS average, which is more than sufficient. Low at 1440p reaches 195 FPS average, likely exceeding most displays' refresh rates. For 1440p, High is the recommended preset, as it provides a substantial visual upgrade over Medium while maintaining an average FPS that comfortably exceeds 120. The gap between High and Medium is 21 FPS, but the visual quality difference in a game like The Technomancer typically justifies the trade-off.

At 1920x1080 (1080p), the CPU becomes more relevant. High settings deliver 195 FPS average, while Medium reaches 229 FPS with a minimum of 194 FPS and a maximum of 263 FPS. Ultra at 1080p produces 152 FPS average, and Low hits 282 FPS. For 1080p, High is the recommended setting because it balances visual quality with a frame rate that exceeds 144 Hz displays. Pushing to Medium gains 34 FPS average, but the visual penalty may be noticeable. The data indicates that 1080p High is the sweet spot, as it already exceeds the refresh rate of most high-end monitors.

Overall, the best experience across all resolutions prioritizes High or Medium settings. At 4K, Medium is the clear winner due to the minimum FPS of 70. At 1440p and 1080p, High provides the optimal mix of image quality and smoothness. Ultra settings are only viable at 1440p and below, and even then, the performance cost is steep. Low settings are not recommended except for competitive play at 1080p, where 282 FPS average could benefit very high refresh rate displays.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is the dominant component in this pairing, and its specifications explain the performance patterns observed in the data. The GPU features 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 716.8 GB/s of memory bandwidth. This memory configuration is more than sufficient for The Technomancer, a game from 2016 that was designed for much older hardware. The 16 GB capacity ensures no VRAM limitations at any resolution tested, even at 4K Ultra where texture memory demands would be highest. The memory clock runs at 1400 MHz with 22.4 Gbps effective speed, which contributes to the high bandwidth figure.

The RTX 4080 has a base clock of 2205 MHz and a boost clock of 2505 MHz, built on the AD103 chip using a 5 nm process from TSMC. The Ada Lovelace architecture includes 9728 shading units, 304 texture mapping units, and 112 raster output units. These specifications translate into a pixel rate of 280.6 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 761.5 GTexel/s. The FP32 performance of 48.74 TFLOPS indicates substantial compute capability, which shows in the benchmark scores. In Passmark G3D, the GPU scores 34457, and in Geekbench Vulkan it scores 263779. These synthetic benchmarks place the RTX 4080 in the 86th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 54247.

The GPU's nearest rivals in the benchmark database include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER with an average score of 54209 and a deltaPct of 0.1, meaning the RTX 4080 is essentially tied with its SUPER variant. The AMD Radeon Pro W5700X scores 54828, putting it 1.1% ahead, while the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB scores 55698, which is 2.6% ahead. The AMD Radeon 8060S scores 55757, 2.7% ahead. These deltas are small, indicating that the RTX 4080 sits in a competitive performance tier. However, in The Technomancer specifically, the measured FPS data shows the GPU's raw power dominates the CPU, especially at lower resolutions where frame rates exceed 200 FPS.

The RTX 4080's role becomes clear when examining the FPS scaling. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 282 FPS average, which is a massive frame rate that indicates the GPU is not fully utilized due to CPU limitations. The GPU's 16 GB VRAM is never a bottleneck in this game, as even the most demanding settings at 4K Ultra only require a fraction of that capacity. The GPU's boost clock of 2505 MHz ensures high sustained performance, and the 320 W TDP is well-supported by the recommended 700 W PSU. The PCIe 4.0 x16 interface provides ample bandwidth for the card's data transfer needs.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS data across resolutions reveals how the workload shifts between CPU and GPU. At 1080p Low, the combo produces 282 FPS average. Moving to 1440p Low, the frame rate drops to 195 FPS, a reduction of 30.9%. At 4K Low, the frame rate falls to 107 FPS, which is a 45.1% drop from 1440p. This scaling pattern indicates that at Low settings, the GPU is the primary limiter even at 1080p, since the frame rate drops significantly as resolution increases.

For Medium settings, the scaling is similar. At 1080p Medium, the average FPS is 229. At 1440p Medium, it drops to 149, a 34.9% decrease. At 4K Medium, the frame rate is 82, a 45.0% drop from 1440p. The minimum FPS at 1440p Medium is 127, and at 4K Medium it is 70, showing that the frame time consistency also degrades with resolution. These percentages suggest that the GPU is the bottleneck across all Medium settings, as the resolution scaling follows the expected pixel count increase.

High settings show a similar trend. At 1080p High, the average is 195 FPS. At 1440p High, it drops to 128 FPS, a 34.4% decrease. At 4K High, the average is 70 FPS, a 45.3% drop from 1440p. The consistency of these percentage drops across settings indicates that The Technomancer scales predictably with resolution, and the RTX 4080 is the limiting factor. The CPU's influence appears minimal, as the frame rate differences are proportional to the pixel count changes.

Ultra settings exhibit the steepest scaling. At 1080p Ultra, the average is 152 FPS. At 1440p Ultra, it drops to 100 FPS, a 34.2% decrease. At 4K Ultra, the average falls to 55 FPS, a 45.0% drop from 1440p. The 4K Ultra result of 55 FPS is the only measurement below 60 FPS in the entire dataset, indicating that this preset pushes the GPU to its limits. The resolution scaling analysis shows that the RTX 4080 is the dominant component in this pairing, with the CPU providing sufficient overhead to avoid bottlenecking even at 1080p Low where frame rates approach 300 FPS.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combos for The Technomancer, this pairing of the Intel Core i5-12600KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 ranks 272nd out of 3696 combinations. This places the combo in the top 7.4% of all tested configurations, which is a strong showing. The rank reflects the overall performance across the measured FPS data, and it indicates that this pairing delivers high frame rates in most scenarios. The combination of a capable mid-range CPU with a high-end GPU proves effective for this game.

The CPU's individual benchmark scores provide context for its contribution. The Intel Core i5-12600KF has an average benchmark score of 27799, placing it in the 79th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i9-10900K with an average score of 27872 and a deltaPct of -0.3, meaning the i9-10900K is 0.3% ahead. The AMD Ryzen 5 8500GE scores 27712, which is 0.3% behind. The AMD Ryzen 7 6800U scores 27887, 0.3% ahead, and the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D scores 27896, 0.3% ahead. These tiny deltas indicate that the i5-12600KF performs nearly identically to its closest competitors in synthetic benchmarks.

The GPU's individual ranking also matters. The RTX 4080 sits in the 86th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 54247. Its nearest rival, the RTX 4080 SUPER, scores 54209 with a deltaPct of 0.1, which is essentially a tie. The AMD Radeon Pro W5700X is 1.1% ahead, the RX 6750 GRE 12 GB is 2.6% ahead, and the Radeon 8060S is 2.7% ahead. These small deltas mean the RTX 4080 performs within a few percentage points of its closest competitors, making the combo's rank in game more dependent on the specific game's optimization.

The combo rank of 272 out of 3696 suggests that while this pairing is strong, there are 271 other combinations that achieve higher FPS in The Technomancer. This could be due to more powerful CPUs or GPUs in other combos. However, for most users, being in the top 7.4% is more than adequate for a smooth gaming experience. The data shows that this combo excels at 1080p and 1440p, with frame rates well above 120 FPS at High settings, and remains playable at 4K with Medium settings.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12600KF is a 10-core, 16-thread processor from the Core 12th Gen series, built on the Alder Lake architecture with a 10 nm process. It has a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 4.90 GHz, with a 125 W TDP. The CPU features 80 KB of L1 cache per core, 1.25 MB of L2 cache per core, and 20 MB of shared L3 cache. This configuration provides strong multi-threaded performance, as evidenced by its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 23391 and single-core score of 3302. In Geekbench, it scores 12137 multi-core and 2157 single-core. The Passmark multi-thread score is 27575, and the single-thread score is 3925.

In The Technomancer, the CPU's role is secondary to the GPU, but it still matters at lower resolutions. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 282 FPS average, which is the highest measurement in the dataset. This high frame rate suggests that the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU enough data to reach these levels. However, the CPU's performance is not the bottleneck at any resolution tested, as the frame rate scaling with resolution follows the GPU's expected performance curve. The CPU's 16 threads are more than sufficient for a game from 2016, which likely uses fewer than 8 threads effectively.

The CPU's benchmark scores indicate it performs near its rivals. The i5-12600KF has an average benchmark score of 27799, with the nearest rival Intel Core i9-10900K scoring 27872, a difference of -0.3%. This means the i9-10900K is only slightly faster. The AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D scores 27896, also 0.3% ahead. These small differences suggest that swapping the CPU for a rival would have minimal impact on The Technomancer's frame rates, as the GPU is the limiting factor in most scenarios. The CPU's 20 MB of L3 cache and dual-channel memory support for DDR4 and DDR5 provide adequate memory bandwidth for the game's data requirements.

The CPU's role becomes more apparent when comparing frame rates at 1080p Low versus 1080p Ultra. At Low, the average is 282 FPS, while at Ultra it is 152 FPS. This 46% reduction in frame rate is due to the increased GPU load, not CPU limitations. The fact that 1080p Low exceeds 280 FPS indicates the CPU can handle the game's logic and draw calls without becoming a bottleneck. Even at 1080p Ultra, the 152 FPS average is high enough that the CPU is likely still not the primary constraint. The data suggests that this CPU is well-matched with the RTX 4080 for this game, providing enough headroom for the GPU to perform at its full potential.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 3840x2160, the measured FPS shows a clear hierarchy across settings. Ultra settings produce an average of 55 FPS, which is the lowest in the dataset. High settings increase the average to 70 FPS, a 27.3% improvement over Ultra. Medium settings deliver 82 FPS average, with a minimum of 70 FPS and a maximum of 94 FPS. This represents a 17.1% improvement over High. Low settings achieve 107 FPS average, which is 30.5% higher than Medium. The progression from Ultra to Low at 4K is linear, with each step down in settings providing a substantial frame rate increase. The Medium preset's minimum of 70 FPS ensures that even the slowest frames remain above the 60 FPS playability threshold, making it the recommended choice for 4K.

At 2560x1440, the FPS values are significantly higher. Low settings produce 195 FPS average, while Medium settings yield 149 FPS with a minimum of 127 FPS and a maximum of 172 FPS. High settings achieve 128 FPS average, and Ultra settings drop to 100 FPS. The delta between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 95 FPS, showing a 48.7% reduction. The Medium preset's minimum of 127 FPS is particularly notable, as it maintains a high floor even during intense scenes. High settings at 1440p provide 128 FPS average, which is ideal for 120 Hz displays. The data shows that 1440p High is the best balance of visual quality and performance, as the frame rate exceeds the refresh rate of most gaming monitors.

At 1920x1080, the FPS numbers reach their peak. Low settings achieve 282 FPS average, which is the highest measurement across all resolutions and settings. Medium settings produce 229 FPS average, with a minimum of 194 FPS and a maximum of 263 FPS. High settings deliver 195 FPS average, and Ultra settings drop to 152 FPS. The delta between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 130 FPS, a 46.1% reduction. The Medium preset's minimum of 194 FPS ensures that frame rates never drop below the refresh rate of most high-end monitors. Even Ultra settings at 1080p maintain 152 FPS average, which is sufficient for 144 Hz displays. The data indicates that 1080p High is the recommended preset, as it provides 195 FPS average while maintaining good visual quality.

The full dataset shows consistent behavior across resolutions. At each resolution, the frame rate decreases as settings increase from Low to Ultra. The minimum FPS values are only recorded for Medium settings at each resolution, showing 70 FPS at 4K, 127 FPS at 1440p, and 194 FPS at 1080p. These minimums are all well above the 60 FPS threshold, except for 4K Ultra which does not have a recorded minimum but averages 55 FPS. The maximum FPS values follow a similar pattern, with 94 FPS at 4K Medium, 172 FPS at 1440p Medium, and 263 FPS at 1080p Medium. The frame time consistency improves as resolution decreases, which is expected given the lower GPU load. Overall, the measured FPS breakdown confirms that this combo excels at 1080p and 1440p, with acceptable performance at 4K when settings are managed appropriately.