The Technomancer

The Technomancer, a 2016 Action RPG, presents an interesting test for the Intel Core i5-13400F and AMD Radeon RX 9070 combination. The measured frame rates across resolutions and settings reveal a system with significant headroom, where the GPU is the primary scaling factor, but the CPU's strong multi-threaded capabilities ensure consistent performance at lower resolutions. The data indicates a pairing that is well-balanced for high-refresh-rate 1080p and 1440p gaming, with 4K Ultra demanding the most from the graphics card.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate data shows a predictable decline as resolution increases, but the magnitude of the drop is telling. At 1080p High settings, the system produces an average of 142.5 FPS. Moving to 1440p High reduces this to 92.3 FPS, a significant 35% decrease, and then 4K High further drops to 52.8 FPS, representing a 63% decrease from the 1080p baseline. This steep curve from 1080p to 4K points to the GPU becoming the dominant limiting factor at higher resolutions, which is typical for a modern graphics card paired with a capable processor.

The scaling pattern across all settings confirms this. For instance, at Low settings, the system achieves 218.9 FPS at 1080p, 140.6 FPS at 1440p, and 75.4 FPS at 4K. The performance drop from 1080p to 1440p is 36%, and from 1080p to 4K is 66%. This consistent proportional decrease, regardless of the quality preset, strongly suggests that the AMD Radeon RX 9070's rendering workload is the bottleneck in this title. The CPU is not holding the system back; otherwise, we would see a plateau in frame rates at lower resolutions where the CPU has more work to do.

At 4K, the frame rates become low enough to impact gameplay smoothness on higher presets. The average of 52.8 FPS at High and 39 FPS at Ultra indicates that for a 60 FPS target, users will need to make compromises. The 4K Low setting, at 75.4 FPS, shows that the GPU has enough raw power to maintain high frame rates if the graphical load is reduced. The data suggests that the sweet spot for this hardware in The Technomancer is at 1440p, where even the Ultra preset averages 70.5 FPS, providing a high-quality experience without the performance penalty seen at 4K Ultra.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-13400F is a 10-core, 16-thread processor with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.60 GHz. Its benchmark results show strong multi-threaded performance, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 21279. This capability is reflected in the game's performance, particularly at 1080p where frame rates are high. At 1080p Low, the system reaches 218.9 FPS, which is a workload that would stress a weaker processor. The fact that the average FPS scales so cleanly with resolution indicates that the CPU is not a limiting factor in this test.

The processor's single-thread performance is also respectable, with a Geekbench single-core score of 2301 and a 3DMark single-thread score of 960. This is relevant because many game engines, including the one used in The Technomancer, rely heavily on single-threaded performance for game logic and draw calls. The data shows that even at 1080p High, which demands more from the CPU than Low settings, the system maintains an average of 142.5 FPS. This suggests the i5-13400F’s core architecture and boost clock are sufficient to feed the Radeon RX 9070 without creating a bottleneck.

The CPU's overall performance is strong, ranking in the 82nd percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 25236. This places it in a competitive position, with its nearest rival, the Intel Core i7-13620H, having a nearly identical average score with a deltaPct of 0.1. This data reinforces that the processor is a high-performing part that can handle the demands of a modern game alongside a high-end GPU.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 9070 is the clear driver of frame rates in this pairing. Its specifications include 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 644.6 GB/s. This substantial memory allocation is more than enough for The Technomancer at any resolution, ensuring that texture streaming and memory-intensive effects do not cause stuttering. The GPU's boost clock of 2520 MHz and its 3584 shading units provide the computational power necessary for the high frame rates observed at 1080p and 1440p.

The GPU’s benchmark results place it in the 79th percentile of all GPUs, with an average score of 34780. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA A2, has a deltaPct of -0.2, indicating near-identical overall performance. However, in this game, the RX 9070's strength is clear. The transition from 1080p to 4K shows a consistent performance drop across all settings, which is the expected behavior when a GPU is the primary limiting component. The 4K Ultra result of 39 FPS is a direct consequence of the GPU's rendering load at that resolution and preset.

The GPU’s performance scaling from Low to Ultra at each resolution also provides insight. At 1080p, the difference between Low (218.9 FPS) and Ultra (114.2 FPS) is a 48% reduction in frame rate, showing the impact of the Ultra preset's graphical features. This gap narrows at 4K, where the difference between Low (75.4 FPS) and Ultra (39 FPS) is a 48% reduction as well, but the absolute numbers are lower. This indicates that the GPU is consistently working harder with higher quality settings, and at 4K, it is simply running out of headroom to maintain high frame rates on the most demanding presets.

FAQ

*Q: What is the highest average frame rate recorded for this hardware in The Technomancer?*

A: The highest average frame rate is 218.9 FPS, which was measured at 1920x1080 resolution with the Low settings preset.

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

A: The data indicates the GPU is the limiting factor at 4K. The average frame rates drop significantly from 1440p to 4K across all settings, suggesting the graphics card's rendering workload is the primary constraint at this resolution.

Q: Can this system achieve 60 FPS at 4K resolution?

A: Yes, but only on lower quality presets. The 4K Medium setting averages 61.8 FPS, and the 4K Low setting averages 75.4 FPS. The 4K High and Ultra presets fall below 60 FPS, averaging 52.8 and 39 FPS respectively.

Q: How does the Ultra preset affect performance compared to High at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the High preset averages 92.3 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 70.5 FPS. This represents a performance reduction of roughly 24% when moving from High to Ultra.

Q: What is the average frame rate difference between 1080p and 1440p on the High preset?

A: The average frame rate drops from 142.5 FPS at 1920x1080 to 92.3 FPS at 2560x1440 on the High preset. This is a decrease of 50.2 FPS, or approximately 35%.

*Q: What is the performance rank of this specific hardware combination in The Technomancer?*

A: This combination of the Intel Core i5-13400F and AMD Radeon RX 9070 is ranked 572 out of 1656 total tested combinations for this game.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following table details the exact average frame rates measured for this hardware configuration.

| Resolution | Settings | Average FPS |

| :--------- | :------- | ----------: |

| 3840x2160 | Ultra | 39.0 |

| 3840x2160 | High | 52.8 |

| 3840x2160 | Medium | 61.8 |

| 3840x2160 | Low | 75.4 |

| 2560x1440 | Ultra | 70.5 |

| 2560x1440 | High | 92.3 |

| 2560x1440 | Medium | 107.6 |

| 2560x1440 | Low | 140.6 |

| 1920x1080 | Ultra | 114.2 |

| 1920x1080 | High | 142.5 |

| 1920x1080 | Medium | 169.4 |

| 1920x1080 | Low | 218.9 |

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides a clear picture of how each preset balances visual quality and performance. For users with a 1080p display, the Ultra preset is the clear choice, as it delivers an average of 114.2 FPS, which is well above the threshold for smooth gameplay. This allows for the highest visual fidelity without sacrificing responsiveness. The High preset is also a strong option, offering 142.5 FPS for those who prefer even higher frame rates, but the data does not indicate any reason to avoid Ultra at this resolution.

At 1440p, the Ultra preset's average of 70.5 FPS is still sufficient for a good experience, but the High preset provides a meaningful performance boost to 92.3 FPS. The data suggests that the High preset is the optimal balance for 1440p, offering a significant increase in frame rate over Ultra while maintaining a high level of visual quality. The Medium preset at 1440p, at 107.6 FPS, could be considered for competitive play, but the quality trade-off from High is likely not worth it for most players.

For 4K displays, the situation is more constrained. The Ultra preset should be avoided, as its 39 FPS average is below the threshold for a consistently smooth experience. The High preset, at 52.8 FPS, is also below a strict 60 FPS target. The Medium preset, which averages 61.8 FPS, is the highest quality setting that can achieve a stable 60 FPS. Therefore, the recommendation for 4K is to use the Medium preset for a playable experience, or the Low preset, which averages 75.4 FPS, if higher frame rates are prioritized over visual detail.