The Technomancer

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core i5-13400F is a 10-core, 16-thread desktop processor based on Raptor Lake architecture, built on Intel's 10 nm process. It carries a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.60 GHz, with a 65 W TDP. The CPU's cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 1.25 MB of L2 per core, and a shared 20 MB L3 pool. Its benchmark profile shows strong scaling from 2 to 16 threads: the 3DMark score rises from 1880 at 2 threads to 5591 at 8 threads, then to 7307 at max threads — a pattern that indicates the chip's hybrid core arrangement is effective at absorbing multithreaded workloads.

In the context of The Technomancer, the CPU's role is secondary but not negligible. The game is a 2016 Action RPG, and the measured frame rates across all settings and resolutions suggest the workload is primarily GPU-bound at higher quality presets. However, the CPU's single-thread performance matters for the game's simulation and AI logic. The Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3004 and Geekbench single-core score of 2301 place the i5-13400F in a strong position for older game engines that rely on one or two primary threads. The PassMark single-thread score of 3634 corroborates this strength.

The CPU's percentile rank of 82 against all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 25236, places it in the upper tier of desktop processors. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i7-13620H (avg score 25201, deltaPct 0.1) and the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X3D (avg score 25365, deltaPct -0.5). The i5-13400F trails the Ryzen 5 5600X3D by a marginal 0.5% in average score, while effectively matching the i7-13620H. This means the CPU delivers compute headroom that far exceeds what The Technomancer can demand, especially given the game's age.

The measured frame rates at 1080p Low — where the CPU is most likely to be a limiting factor — reach 263.8 FPS. At 1080p Ultra, the frame rate drops to 138.8 FPS, a reduction of roughly 47% from Low to Ultra. This gap is largely attributable to GPU load rather than CPU limitations, as the i5-13400F's multithreaded scores (Cinebench R23 multi-core 21279, PassMark multithread 25032) indicate ample capacity. The 16 threads allow the CPU to handle background tasks and game logic without becoming a bottleneck, even when frame rates exceed 200 FPS.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture using TSMC's 5 nm process, with a die size of 379 mm² and 45,900 million transistors. It operates at a base clock of 2340 MHz and a boost clock of 2610 MHz, with memory clocked at 1313 MHz (21 Gbps effective). The GPU is equipped with 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 672.3 GB/s of bandwidth. Its compute resources include 8448 shading units, 264 TMUs, 96 ROPs, 66 RT cores, and 264 tensor cores, yielding 44.10 TFLOPS of FP32 performance.

The GPU's benchmark results show strong DirectX performance: PassMark DirectX 11 scores 278, DirectX 12 scores 119, and DirectX 10 scores 181. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 5569 further confirms the card's capability in modern APIs. The GPU ranks at the 86th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 48704. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA CMP 50HX (deltaPct -0.7) and the Intel Arc A550M (deltaPct -2.1), while it leads the NVIDIA RTX A2000 by 1.6% and the RTX A1000 Mobile by 2.0%.

The Technomancer's graphics engine, being from 2016, does not fully utilize the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER's modern features like ray tracing or DLSS. Instead, the game stresses raw rasterization and memory bandwidth. The 16 GB VRAM is far more than the game requires, and the 672.3 GB/s bandwidth ensures texture streaming at any resolution is never constrained. The GPU's pixel rate of 250.6 GPixel/s and texture rate of 689.0 GTexel/s are the physical limits that dictate the measured frame rates, particularly at higher settings.

The most telling data point is the drop from 4K High (62.1 FPS) to 4K Ultra (48.7 FPS), a 21.6% reduction. This sensitivity to settings indicates the GPU is the primary limiting component at 4K. At 1080p, the GPU is less stressed, allowing frame rates of 263.8 FPS on Low and 178.7 FPS on High. The RTX 4070 Ti SUPER's compute power is sufficient to push The Technomancer well beyond 60 FPS at 4K on High, which is exceptional for a game of this era.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured frame rates, the optimal balance between visual quality and performance depends on the target resolution. At 1080p, the High preset delivers 178.7 FPS, which is only 32% lower than the Low preset's 263.8 FPS but provides substantially better visuals. The Ultra preset at 1080p yields 138.8 FPS, still well above any display refresh rate below 144 Hz. For competitive or high-refresh gameplay, High is the recommended choice at 1080p, as the jump from High to Ultra costs 39.9 FPS (a 22.3% reduction) for marginal visual gains.

At 1440p, the High preset produces 118.3 FPS, which is ideal for 120 Hz monitors. The Medium preset hits 137.7 FPS, while Ultra drops to 94 FPS — still playable but approaching the threshold where frame pacing becomes noticeable. The data shows that High at 1440p is the sweet spot, offering a 24.3 FPS advantage over Ultra while maintaining visual fidelity close to the maximum. Low at 1440p reaches 179.3 FPS, but the visual compromise is unnecessary given the GPU's headroom.

At 4K, the situation changes. High delivers 62.1 FPS, which is just above the 60 FPS target. Medium provides 73 FPS, and Low reaches 100.6 FPS. Ultra drops to 48.7 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold and not recommended for smooth gameplay. The data indicates that High is the best preset at 4K, balancing the game's visual features with a playable frame rate. If the user prefers a higher frame rate, Medium at 73 FPS offers a 17.5% improvement over High with a modest reduction in quality. For users with VRR displays, Ultra's 48.7 FPS might be acceptable, but the measured data suggests High is the safer choice for consistent 60 FPS gameplay.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to play The Technomancer with this hardware?

A: Based on the measured data, 1440p High provides the best balance, achieving 118.3 FPS. At 4K High, the frame rate is 62.1 FPS, which is also playable, but 1440p offers a 90.5% higher frame rate with a smaller pixel count.

Q: How much performance is lost when going from High to Ultra settings?

A: At 1080p, High yields 178.7 FPS and Ultra yields 138.8 FPS, a reduction of 39.9 FPS (22.3%). At 1440p, the drop is from 118.3 to 94 FPS, a 24.3 FPS loss (20.5%). At 4K, High gives 62.1 FPS and Ultra gives 48.7 FPS, a 13.4 FPS loss (21.6%).

Q: Is the CPU a bottleneck at any resolution?

A: The data suggests no. Even at 1080p Low, where the CPU is most stressed, the frame rate reaches 263.8 FPS. The i5-13400F's 16 threads and single-thread score of 3004 in Cinebench R23 provide ample headroom for this 2016 game.

Q: Does the GPU's 16 GB VRAM matter for The Technomancer?

A: The measured data shows no VRAM-related performance dips, as the game's texture requirements are well below 16 GB. The GPU's 672.3 GB/s bandwidth is the more relevant factor for high-resolution texture streaming.

Q: What frame rate can be expected at 4K with Medium settings?

A: The measured average is 73 FPS, which is 17.5% higher than High's 62.1 FPS. This makes Medium a viable option for users who prioritize frame rate over visual fidelity at 4K.

Q: How does this GPU compare to its nearest rival in terms of average score?

A: The RTX 4070 Ti SUPER has an average benchmark score of 48704. It trails the NVIDIA CMP 50HX by 0.7% and the Intel Arc A550M by 2.1%, while leading the NVIDIA RTX A2000 by 1.6% and the RTX A1000 Mobile by 2.0%.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals the GPU-bound nature of The Technomancer. At High settings, the frame rate drops from 178.7 FPS at 1080p to 118.3 FPS at 1440p (a 33.8% reduction) and then to 62.1 FPS at 4K (a 47.5% reduction from 1440p). The total drop from 1080p to 4K is 116.6 FPS, representing a 65.2% decrease. This steep decline is characteristic of a GPU-limited scenario, where the rendering resolution directly impacts the workload.

At Low settings, the scaling is even more pronounced. The frame rate goes from 263.8 FPS at 1080p to 179.3 FPS at 1440p (a 32.0% drop) and then to 100.6 FPS at 4K (a 43.9% drop from 1440p). The total reduction from 1080p to 4K is 163.2 FPS, a 61.9% decrease. This pattern holds across all settings presets, confirming that the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER's rasterization throughput is the primary constraint as resolution increases.

The scaling factor between 1080p and 4K is approximately 4x the pixel count, yet the frame rate does not drop by 4x. At High settings, the 4K frame rate (62.1 FPS) is 34.7% of the 1080p frame rate (178.7 FPS). This non-linear scaling indicates that the GPU's memory bandwidth and texture units are not fully saturated at 1080p, allowing the card to deliver disproportionately high frame rates at lower resolutions. At 4K, the GPU approaches its limits, as evidenced by the Ultra preset's 48.7 FPS — the only measured data point below 60 FPS.

The data strongly suggests that the CPU is not a limiting factor at any resolution. The i5-13400F's multithreaded performance (Cinebench R23 multi-core 21279) and the game's age mean the CPU can easily feed the GPU at all tested resolutions. The bottleneck shifts entirely to the GPU at 4K, where the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER's 44.10 TFLOPS of FP32 compute is pushed to its limits by the game's unoptimized rendering path. This analysis is supported by the 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 5569, which indicates the GPU's DirectX 12 performance is strong but not unlimited.