The Technomancer

The Technomancer, a 2016 Action RPG, presents a demanding workload for the Intel Core i5-13400F and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti combination. The benchmark data shows this pairing is positioned in the lower quartile of tested configurations, ranking 1442 out of 1656 combos. The performance profile is heavily dictated by the GPU, with the CPU providing ample headroom even at lower resolutions, making this a classic case of a graphics-limited system in a modern title.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is dramatic and clearly identifies the GPU as the primary bottleneck. At 1080p High settings, the system produces an average of 72.5 FPS. Moving to 1440p High reduces this to 47 FPS, a significant 35% decrease. At 4K High, the average plummets to 25.5 FPS, which is a 65% reduction from the 1080p figure. This steep decline indicates that the GTX 1660 Ti's rendering capabilities are being saturated as pixel count increases.

The scaling pattern across settings confirms this. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 109.3 FPS, but at 4K Low, it falls to 37.5 FPS. Even with the lowest graphical load, the GPU cannot maintain high frame rates at 4K, proving that the resolution is the limiting factor, not the CPU. The data suggests that the i5-13400F, with its 10 cores and 16 threads, is not the constraint in this scenario; the GTX 1660 Ti's 6 GB of VRAM and 288.0 GB/s bandwidth are the ceiling for performance.

The most demanding setting, Ultra, shows the most severe scaling. From 57.1 FPS at 1080p, it drops to 36 FPS at 1440p and then to a nearly unplayable 22.6 FPS at 4K. This pattern is consistent with a GPU that is overwhelmed by the combination of high resolution and high graphical fidelity. The frame rate deltas are steepest between 1080p and 1440p, suggesting that 1440p is the practical limit for this combo if a smooth experience is desired, and 4K is only viable at the cost of significant visual compromises.

Settings Recommendations

For a balance of visual quality and performance, the Medium preset is the clear choice. At 1080p, Medium delivers 88.5 FPS, which is a substantial improvement over High's 72.5 FPS. This suggests that the jump from Medium to High incurs a significant performance cost for relatively modest visual gains. At 1440p, Medium yields 56.9 FPS, which is playable, while High drops to 47 FPS.

The Low preset is the only way to approach high refresh rates. It achieves 109.3 FPS at 1080p and 70.5 FPS at 1440p. However, this comes at a major visual fidelity loss. The data suggests that for most users, the Medium preset offers the best experience, providing a smooth frame rate at 1080p and a playable one at 1440p.

Ultra settings are not recommended for this combination. The frame rates are too low for a smooth experience at any resolution, with 57.1 FPS at 1080p being the only passable result, but 36 FPS at 1440p and 22.6 FPS at 4K being below acceptable thresholds for an action RPG. Users should avoid Ultra and stick to Medium or High, depending on their resolution preference.

How This Combo Ranks

This combination of hardware ranks 1442 out of 1656 tested combos in The Technomancer, placing it in the bottom 13% of all systems. This low ranking is primarily attributable to the GPU's age and performance class. The GTX 1660 Ti sits at the 55th percentile of all GPUs, indicating it is a mid-range performer. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 570X, which scores a 0.4% higher average benchmark, and the NVIDIA Tesla K10, which is 0.7% lower.

The CPU, in contrast, is a strong performer. The Intel Core i5-13400F is at the 82nd percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 25236. Its nearest rivals, such as the Intel Core i7-13620H, score within 0.1% of it. This disparity between a high-performing CPU and a mid-range GPU means the system's overall in-game rank is dragged down by the graphics card. The data shows that the CPU is not the limiting factor; the combo's low rank is a direct result of the GPU's inability to keep up with the game's demands at higher settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a full picture of the combo's capabilities across all tested configurations.

• 1920x1080: The system performs best here. Low settings produce an average of 109.3 FPS. Medium settings yield 88.5 FPS. High settings achieve 72.5 FPS. Ultra settings drop to 57.1 FPS. All results at this resolution are playable, with even Ultra being above 60 FPS.
• 2560x1440: Performance becomes more variable. Low settings deliver 70.5 FPS, which is smooth. Medium settings produce 56.9 FPS, which is acceptable for most players. High settings fall to 47 FPS, and Ultra drops to 36 FPS, making these modes less fluid.
• 3840x2160: The GPU is overwhelmed at this resolution. Low settings average 37.5 FPS, Medium averages 31.7 FPS, High averages 25.5 FPS, and Ultra averages only 22.6 FPS. None of these results are ideal for a responsive gameplay experience, indicating this resolution is not suitable for this hardware.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run The Technomancer at 4K?

A: The data shows it cannot achieve a smooth frame rate at 4K. The highest average FPS at 3840x2160 is 37.5 FPS on Low settings, with High and Ultra dropping to 25.5 FPS and 22.6 FPS respectively. These are all below the 60 FPS target for a fluid experience.

Q: What is the best resolution for this CPU and GPU combo?

A: 1920x1080 is the best resolution. Every settings preset at 1080p, from Low (109.3 FPS) to Ultra (57.1 FPS), achieves an average frame rate above 57 FPS, making this the only resolution where all options are viable.

Q: How does the GTX 1660 Ti compare to its closest rivals?

A: The GTX 1660 Ti has an average benchmark score of 13925. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 570X, has a score of 13871, which is 0.4% lower. The NVIDIA Tesla K10 is 0.7% slower, with a score of 14029. This indicates the GTX 1660 Ti is a solid mid-range performer.

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-13400F a bottleneck in this game?

A: No. The CPU is at the 82nd percentile of all CPUs, and its performance is not the limiting factor. The frame rates are primarily determined by resolution and settings, which points to the GPU being the bottleneck. The CPU has 10 cores and a boost clock of 4.60 GHz, which is more than sufficient for this title.

Q: What is the difference in performance between Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 70.5 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 36 FPS. This is a difference of 34.5 FPS, showing that Ultra settings nearly halve the frame rate compared to Low at this resolution.

Q: How much faster is the CPU than its nearest rival?

A: The Intel Core i5-13400F has an average benchmark score of 25236. Its closest rival, the Intel Core i7-13620H, has a score of 25201, making the i5-13400F just 0.1% faster. The AMD Ryzen 5 5600X3D is 0.5% faster, with a score of 25365.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-13400F is a 10-core, 16-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture. It has a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.60 GHz, which provides strong single-threaded performance for game logic. Its benchmark results are robust, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 21279 and a single-core score of 3004. The CPU sits at the 82nd percentile of all processors, indicating it is a high-end part.

In the context of The Technomancer, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with data. The benchmark results show that the CPU has ample headroom. The frame rate differences between settings at the same resolution are large (e.g., 109.3 FPS vs. 57.1 FPS at 1080p), which would not be the case if the CPU were the bottleneck. The i5-13400F's L3 cache of 20 MB shared and support for DDR4 or DDR5 memory ensure it can handle the game's demands without issue. The data indicates this processor is not the source of any performance limitations in this specific game.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti is the defining component of this system's gaming performance. It features 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, providing 288.0 GB/s of bandwidth. Its boost clock is 1770 MHz, and it has a pixel rate of 84.96 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 169.9 GTexel/s. The GPU's average benchmark score is 13925, placing it at the 55th percentile of all GPUs.

The measured FPS data shows that the GTX 1660 Ti is the limiting factor in The Technomancer. The performance scales predictably with resolution and settings, but the absolute numbers are low. At 4K Ultra, the GPU produces only 22.6 FPS, which is a direct result of its 6 GB VRAM and compute capabilities being overwhelmed. Even at 1080p Ultra, the card maxes out at 57.1 FPS, which is barely above the 60 FPS threshold. The GPU's 12 nm process node and Turing architecture are dated, and the data reflects that. The GTX 1660 Ti's 5.437 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is the primary constraint, making it the component that determines the overall experience in this game.