The Technomancer

The Intel Core i5-13400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER delivers a mid-table performance profile in The Technomancer. The combo ranks 1018 out of 1656 tested combinations, placing it in the 38th percentile of all systems evaluated. This is a position that suggests the pairing is capable of smooth gameplay at mainstream resolutions but will require settings adjustments to maintain high frame rates at 4K. The data indicates a system that is well-balanced for 1080p and 1440p gaming, with the GPU becoming the primary constraint as resolution increases.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank of 1018 out of 1656 places this system in the lower-middle portion of the database. This ranking reflects a hardware pairing that is competent but not exceptional for this specific title. The RTX 2070 SUPER, scoring 22206 in average benchmark performance, sits at the 65th percentile of all GPUs, while the i5-13400F achieves a strong 82nd percentile ranking among CPUs. The combination of a high-percentile CPU with a mid-range GPU results in a system that is more likely to be limited by graphics processing than by processor throughput in The Technomancer.

Compared to its nearest GPU rivals, the RTX 2070 SUPER is tightly clustered. It sits just 0.5% behind the NVIDIA RTX A400 and 0.9% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN Z. The gap widens slightly against the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Mobile, which leads by 2.3%, while the AMD Radeon RX 5700 trails this card by 2.5%. These small deltas indicate that the RTX 2070 SUPER holds its own against a range of contemporary and previous-generation parts, suggesting that the measured frame rates are representative of a competitive graphics solution.

On the CPU side, the i5-13400F is remarkably close to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks. It is virtually tied with the Intel Core i7-13620H, being just 0.1% faster, and sits 0.5% behind the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X3D. The gap to the AMD EPYC 9474F and AMD Ryzen AI 5 PRO 340 is also minimal at 0.5%. This clustering shows that the processor’s performance is not a differentiator in this system; its contribution to the game’s frame rates will be consistent with other CPUs in its class.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-13400F provides the computational foundation for this combo, and its specifications are well suited for a game like The Technomancer. The processor features 10 cores and 16 threads, a configuration that allows for efficient multitasking and handling of modern game engines. Its base clock of 2.50 GHz can boost up to 4.60 GHz, providing a significant single-thread performance headroom when needed. The 20 MB of shared L3 cache is ample for feeding the GPU with game data.

Synthetic benchmarks show the CPU’s scaling characteristics. The 3DMark scores progress from 1880 with 2 threads to 3459 with 4 threads, 5591 with 8 threads, and peak at 7307 with max threads. This scaling suggests that the processor benefits from additional threads up to a point, but the gains diminish beyond 8 threads. Cinebench R23 results show a multicore score of 21279 and a single-core score of 3004, indicating strong performance in both heavily threaded and lightly threaded workloads. The Passmark multithread score of 25032 and single-thread score of 3634 reinforce this balanced profile.

For The Technomancer, an Action RPG, the CPU’s role is primarily to maintain a stable frame pacing and handle AI and game logic. The data suggests that the i5-13400F is unlikely to be the bottleneck at lower resolutions. At 1080p, the measured frame rates are high enough that the CPU’s 82nd percentile ranking and strong single-thread performance are sufficient. The processor’s 10-core, 16-thread configuration provides enough headroom to avoid stutters, even when the GPU is outputting over 150 FPS at low settings.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to play at with this combo?

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 provides the highest average frame rates, with the Low preset hitting 159.2 FPS. 2560x1440 is also viable, with High settings achieving 69 FPS, but 3840x2160 drops below 60 FPS on all presets except Low.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its closest rival?

A: The i5-13400F scores 25236 in average benchmark performance, which is 0.1% higher than the Intel Core i7-13620H and 0.5% lower than the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X3D. Its performance is effectively tied with these parts.

Q: Is the RTX 2070 SUPER a strong performer relative to other GPUs?

A: The GPU scores 22206 in average benchmarks, placing it at the 65th percentile of all GPUs. It is 0.5% behind the NVIDIA RTX A400 and 2.3% behind the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Mobile.

Q: What frame rate can I expect at 1440p with Medium settings?

A: The measured data shows an average of 76.5 FPS at 2560x1440 with Medium settings. This is a comfortable frame rate for smooth gameplay.

Q: Will the CPU bottleneck the GPU at 1080p?

A: At 1080p Low, the system reaches 159.2 FPS, which is high. The CPU’s strong single-thread score of 3634 in Passmark suggests it can keep up with the GPU’s output at this resolution.

Q: How much of a performance drop occurs when moving from 1080p to 4K?

A: At High settings, the average FPS drops from 100.8 at 1080p to 39.3 at 2160p. This represents a significant 61% reduction, indicating the GPU is the limiting factor at higher resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured frame rates across resolutions and settings reveal a consistent pattern of performance scaling. At 1920x1080, the system is clearly GPU-bound at higher settings but shows impressive headroom. The Low preset delivers an average of 159.2 FPS, which drops to 123.3 FPS at Medium, 100.8 FPS at High, and 80.5 FPS at Ultra. These figures show a smooth progression, with each settings tier costing roughly 20-25% performance relative to the previous one.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain playable across all presets. Low settings yield 99.3 FPS, Medium provides 76.5 FPS, High gives 69 FPS, and Ultra drops to 50.8 FPS. The transition from 1080p to 1440p costs approximately 38% performance at Low settings, but only about 32% at High settings. This suggests that the GPU is beginning to become a more significant factor as pixel count increases.

At 3840x2160, the system struggles to maintain high frame rates. Low settings produce 57.2 FPS, which is still playable, but Medium drops to 45.9 FPS, High to 39.3 FPS, and Ultra falls to 30.3 FPS. These numbers indicate that 4K gaming is only feasible with the Low preset for a consistently smooth experience. The RTX 2070 SUPER’s 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for 1440p, but the 4K resolution pushes the GPU to its limits.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K clearly identifies the GPU as the primary limiting component in this combo. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 159.2 at 1080p to 99.3 at 1440p and finally to 57.2 at 4K. This represents a 38% reduction from 1080p to 1440p and a further 42% reduction from 1440p to 4K. The scaling is not linear, which indicates that the GPU is being progressively more stressed as resolution increases.

At High settings, the pattern is similar but with a steeper drop. The average FPS falls from 100.8 at 1080p to 69 at 1440p and 39.3 at 4K. The percentage drops are 32% and 43% respectively. This suggests that at higher quality presets, the GPU’s rendering workload becomes more demanding, and the gap between resolutions widens. The CPU’s performance remains constant across resolutions, so the diminishing returns are entirely attributable to the graphics card.

The data shows that the i5-13400F is not the bottleneck at any resolution. The CPU’s 10 cores and 16 threads, along with its high single-thread performance, are sufficient to feed the GPU at all tested settings. The evidence for this is that the frame rate differences between resolutions are consistent with pure GPU workload scaling. If the CPU were the limiting factor, the frame rates would plateau at lower resolutions, which they do not.

Settings Recommendations

For the best balance of visual quality and performance, the Medium preset at 2560x1440 is the optimal choice. The measured 76.5 FPS average provides a smooth experience while maintaining a reasonable level of graphical fidelity. This setting avoids the steep performance penalties of the Ultra preset, which drops to 50.8 FPS at the same resolution. The Medium preset also maintains a comfortable margin above the 60 FPS threshold, which is important for action RPGs.

At 1920x1080, the High preset is the recommended option. The 100.8 FPS average provides excellent smoothness and the visual upgrade over Medium is noticeable. The Ultra preset at 1080p yields 80.5 FPS, which is still playable, but the performance cost is not justified when the High preset offers a 25% frame rate improvement. For players with high refresh rate monitors, the Low preset at 1080p delivers 159.2 FPS, which could be used for competitive play.

For 4K gaming, the Low preset is the only viable option for a consistently playable experience. The 57.2 FPS average is just below the 60 FPS target but remains smooth enough for most players. The Medium preset at 4K drops to 45.9 FPS, which may cause noticeable stutter in fast-paced combat. Given the 8 GB memory capacity of the RTX 2070 SUPER, sticking to 1440p Medium or High is the most balanced approach for this hardware combination.