The Technomancer

The Technomancer, a 2016 Action RPG, presents a demanding workload for the Intel Core i5-13400F and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti combination. The measured frame rates across resolutions and settings reveal a system where the graphics card is the primary constraint, with the CPU showing significant headroom. This analysis breaks down the performance data, providing context on how this pairing handles the game's various presets and what users can expect from this config.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is severe, confirming that the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti is the limiting component in this setup. At 1080p Low settings, the combo achieves 54.9 FPS, which is the only playable range measured. Moving to 1440p, the same Low preset yields 37.7 FPS, a drop of 31.3% from the 1080p result. Scaling to 4K at Low settings, the average falls to 21.6 FPS, which is a 60.6% reduction from the 1080p baseline. This steep decline indicates that the GPU's 4 GB of GDDR5 memory and 112.1 GB/s bandwidth are saturated as pixel count increases.

The pattern holds for other settings. At Medium preset, performance drops from 40.9 FPS at 1080p to 29.4 FPS at 1440p, and then to 14.2 FPS at 4K. The High preset shows a similar trajectory: 34.2 FPS at 1080p, 21.7 FPS at 1440p, and 14.8 FPS at 4K. The data suggests that the GTX 1050 Ti, with its 768 shading units and 32 ROPs, simply cannot process the geometry and texture loads of 4K resolution in this title. The scaling from 1440p to 4K is particularly punishing, with a 50.7% drop in performance across all presets, highlighting that the GPU's fill rate is exhausted.

Interestingly, the difference between 1080p and 1440p at the High preset is a 36.5% loss, which is less severe than the 50.7% loss seen from 1440p to 4K. This indicates that while 1440p is demanding, the GPU still has some headroom, but 4K pushes it over the edge. The data implies that for this game, the GTX 1050 Ti is only viable at 1080p, and even then, only at lower settings for a smooth experience.

Settings Recommendations

The measured rows indicate that the Low preset at 1080p is the only configuration that provides a consistently playable experience, averaging 54.9 FPS. This is the sweet spot for this hardware combination, as it offers a frame rate that is nearly double the 28.9 FPS achieved at the Ultra preset. The Medium preset at 1080p, with an average of 40.9 FPS, is the next best option, but it requires a compromise on visual fidelity.

The data shows that moving from Low to Medium at 1080p costs 14 FPS, a 25.5% performance penalty. Moving from Medium to High costs another 6.7 FPS, further reducing playability. The Ultra preset at 1080p, at 28.9 FPS, is on the edge of playability, but the data suggests that the visual gains are not worth the performance sacrifice. At 1440p, the Low preset is the only viable option at 37.7 FPS, but this is still below the 60 FPS target that many users prefer.

The analysis suggests that users should prioritize the Low preset at 1080p for the best experience. While the Medium preset is playable, the substantial FPS drop from Low to Medium indicates that the GTX 1050 Ti's 4 GB VRAM is a bottleneck at higher texture qualities. The data indicates that this game is best experienced at Low settings with this GPU, as the higher presets do not deliver a sufficient frame rate to justify the visual improvements.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-13400F is a Raptor Lake-S desktop processor with 10 cores, 16 threads, and a boost clock of 4.60 GHz. Its benchmark scores show a strong multi-threaded capability, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 21279 and a Geekbench multi-core score of 10971. This CPU is capable of handling the processing demands of The Technomancer, as the game is not particularly CPU-intensive. The data shows that the CPU percentile ranking is 82, placing it well above average in synthetic tests.

However, the measured FPS data suggests that the CPU is not the limiting factor in this game. The frame rates are consistently low, even at 1080p Low settings, which is a resolution where the CPU typically has more influence. The sharp FPS drops when increasing resolution to 4K indicate that the GPU is saturated. The CPU's single-thread performance, with a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3004, is more than sufficient for a title from 2016.

The data implies that the i5-13400F has significant headroom in this game. The 10-core, 16-thread configuration is overkill for a title that likely uses fewer threads. The CPU's high L3 cache of 20 MB shared and DDR4/DDR5 memory support do not appear to be influencing the results, as the bottleneck is clearly on the GPU side. The processor's role is to feed the GTX 1050 Ti, and it does so without showing any signs of frame drops attributable to CPU limitations.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-13400F and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti ranks 1642 out of 1656 tested combos for The Technomancer. This places it in the bottom 1% of all configurations, which is a direct reflection of the GPU's age and performance level. The GTX 1050 Ti, with an average benchmark score of 5316 and a percentile ranking of 30, is the primary reason for this low ranking.

The CPU's nearest rivals, such as the Intel Core i7-13620H and AMD Ryzen 5 5600X3D, show that the i5-13400F is competitive in its own right, with a deltaPct of just 0.1% and -0.5% respectively. This indicates that the CPU is not the weak link. The GPU's nearest rivals, including the NVIDIA GeForce 930A and 940M, are also low-end parts, but they are often found in laptops or low-power desktops.

The data shows that this combo is positioned at the very bottom of the performance chart for this game. The 1642nd rank out of 1656 combos means that almost every other hardware pairing tested will deliver higher frame rates. This ranking is a clear indicator that the GTX 1050 Ti is not suited for modern gaming at any resolution above 1080p Low.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti is the definitive bottleneck in this configuration. Its 4 GB of GDDR5 memory, 128-bit bus, and 112.1 GB/s bandwidth are insufficient for the demands of The Technomancer at higher resolutions. The GPU's 2.138 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 66.82 GTexel/s texture rate are low by modern standards, and the data reflects this.

The GPU's clock speeds of 1291 MHz base and 1392 MHz boost are modest, and the 3,300 million transistors on a 14 nm process from Samsung are not enough to handle the game's rendering. The measured FPS drops are directly correlated with the GPU's limitations. At 1080p Low, the GPU can manage 54.9 FPS, but even this requires the lowest settings to achieve. At higher presets, the 4 GB VRAM is likely exhausted, leading to texture swapping and frame drops.

The GPU's benchmark scores, such as a Passmark G3D score of 6340, place it at the 30th percentile of all GPUs. This is a low position, and its nearest rivals are all similarly low-powered parts. The data suggests that the GTX 1050 Ti is only suitable for esports titles or older games at 1080p, and The Technomancer, with its 2016 release date, pushes the card to its limits. The GPU's 75 W TDP and lack of power connectors indicate a low-power design, but this does not compensate for its lack of raw compute power.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 is the only resolution where the frame rates are acceptable. At 1080p Low, the average is 54.9 FPS, which is the highest measured value.

Q: Can this setup handle 4K resolution?

A: No. At 4K, even the Low preset only averages 21.6 FPS, and the Ultra preset drops to 8.6 FPS. These are not playable frame rates.

Q: Which settings preset should I use?

A: The Low preset at 1080p is recommended, as it is the only one that provides a smooth experience. The Medium preset at 1080p averages 40.9 FPS, which is playable but requires a compromise.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck?

A: The GPU is the clear bottleneck. The Intel Core i5-13400F has high benchmark scores, but the low FPS across all settings indicates the GTX 1050 Ti is limiting performance.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to others?

A: It ranks 1642 out of 1656 combos, placing it in the bottom 1% of all tested configurations for this game.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and Ultra at 1080p?

A: The difference is 26 FPS. Low averages 54.9 FPS, while Ultra averages 28.9 FPS. This shows a significant performance cost for the highest preset.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following table details the exact average FPS measurements for each resolution and settings preset combination.

| Resolution | Settings | Avg FPS |

|---|---|---|

| 3840x2160 | High | 14.8 |

| 3840x2160 | Low | 21.6 |

| 3840x2160 | Medium | 14.2 |

| 3840x2160 | Ultra | 8.6 |

| 2560x1440 | High | 21.7 |

| 2560x1440 | Low | 37.7 |

| 2560x1440 | Medium | 29.4 |

| 2560x1440 | Ultra | 17.1 |

| 1920x1080 | High | 34.2 |

| 1920x1080 | Low | 54.9 |

| 1920x1080 | Medium | 40.9 |

| 1920x1080 | Ultra | 28.9 |

The data confirms a consistent pattern: performance scales down as resolution increases, with the most significant drops occurring between 1440p and 4K. The only configuration that approaches a stable 60 FPS is 1080p Low, and even that is not guaranteed. This hardware combination is not recommended for The Technomancer beyond 1080p Low settings.