The Technomancer

The Technomancer, a 2016 Action RPG, presents an interesting scaling profile for the Intel Core i5-13400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER combination. The data shows that this pairing is heavily GPU-bound at higher resolutions, but the CPU’s strong single-thread performance keeps frame rates exceptionally high at 1080p. The benchmark results indicate a system that is overkill for 1080p gaming in this title, yet still delivers a smooth experience at 4K with the right settings.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a predictable decline as resolution increases, but the magnitude of that decline reveals where the bottleneck lies. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 262.3 FPS. Moving to 1440p drops that to 192.6 FPS, a reduction of 69.7 FPS. At 4K, the average falls to 105.6 FPS. This steep drop from 1080p to 1440p indicates that the GPU is already being pushed harder, but the CPU is still capable of feeding it frames. The transition from 1440p to 4K shows a further decline of 87.0 FPS, which is a larger absolute drop than the 1080p-to-1440p step. This pattern suggests that while the RTX 4080 SUPER is powerful, the sheer pixel count at 4K begins to dominate the workload.

The scaling from Low to Ultra settings at each resolution reinforces this. At 1080p, the spread between Low (262.3 FPS) and Ultra (152.4 FPS) is 109.9 FPS, showing that the GPU has headroom to handle increased graphical complexity. At 4K, the same Low-to-Ultra spread is 50.5 FPS (105.6 to 55.1 FPS), indicating that the GPU is nearing its limits. The data suggests that at 4K Ultra, the RTX 4080 SUPER is the primary limiting component, as the frame rate drops to 55.1 FPS. Conversely, at 1080p Low, the CPU’s performance ceiling is likely being approached, given the extremely high frame rate of 262.3 FPS.

The percentage drop from 1080p to 4K at High settings is substantial: from 197.1 FPS down to 69.2 FPS, a 64.9% reduction. This confirms that the game’s rendering load scales heavily with resolution, and that the GPU is the dominant factor in determining performance at higher resolutions. The i5-13400F, with its high boost clock, is more than capable of keeping up at lower resolutions, but the GPU’s fill rate and memory bandwidth become the constraining factors as pixel count increases.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-13400F is a 10-core, 16-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.60 GHz. Its benchmark scores indicate strong multi-threaded and single-threaded performance. In Cinebench R23, it scores 21279 points multi-core and 3004 points single-core. This single-core strength is crucial for older game engines like the one powering The Technomancer, which often rely heavily on a few threads.

The benchmark results show that the CPU is not a bottleneck at 1080p. At Low settings, the combo produces 262.3 FPS, which is an extremely high frame rate that requires a capable processor to maintain. The CPU’s PassMark single-thread score of 3634 and 3DMark single-thread score of 960 support this, indicating it can handle the game’s logic and draw calls efficiently. The multi-threaded performance, evidenced by a 3DMark max-thread score of 7307 and a PassMark multithread score of 25032, provides ample headroom for background tasks and any game engine threads that scale beyond a single core.

However, the data shows that the CPU’s influence diminishes as resolution increases. At 4K Ultra, the frame rate drops to 55.1 FPS, which is far below the CPU’s capability. The limiting factor is clearly the GPU rendering the massive number of pixels. The CPU’s role in this combo is to provide a stable, high-FPS foundation at lower resolutions, which it does admirably. Its 20 MB of shared L3 cache and 1.25 MB per-core L2 cache help reduce latency, which is beneficial for maintaining consistent frame times in an action RPG.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER is the clear performance driver in this system. With 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, it offers 736.3 GB/s of bandwidth. Its boost clock of 2550 MHz and 10240 shading units provide immense raw compute power, reflected in its FP32 performance of 52.22 TFLOPS. The benchmark data shows it sits in the 88th percentile of all GPUs, with an average score of 53610.

The GPU’s performance is best illustrated by the 4K results. At 4K High, the combo achieves 69.2 FPS, which is a playable frame rate. The step up to 4K Ultra drops this to 55.1 FPS, showing that the Ultra preset demands significantly more from the GPU. The 16 GB VRAM is not likely a limiting factor at these settings, as the game is from 2016 and would not require that much memory, but the compute load from higher-quality textures and effects is. The GPU’s memory bandwidth of 736.3 GB/s helps maintain performance at 4K, where texture streaming and memory access patterns become more demanding.

The GPU’s superiority is clear when comparing its average benchmark score of 53610 to its nearest rivals. It outperforms the AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT (53489) by 0.2%, the AMD Radeon Pro W6600M (53414) by 0.4%, and is 2.1% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 7700S (52505). While these deltas are small, they indicate that the RTX 4080 SUPER is at the top of its class. In this game, the GPU is the component that dictates the experience at 1440p and 4K, with the data showing that lowering settings from Ultra to High provides a significant FPS boost without a proportional loss in visual quality.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows that 1440p provides an excellent balance. At High settings, the combo achieves 124.8 FPS, which is well above the 4K High result of 69.2 FPS and still looks sharp. For maximum frame rates, 1080p is the choice, but it may be overkill for most displays.

Q: Does the CPU bottleneck the GPU at 4K?

A: No. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS is 55.1, which is far below what the CPU can handle. The bottleneck is the GPU rendering the high pixel count. The CPU’s strong single-thread score of 3004 in Cinebench R23 ensures it can keep up with the game’s logic at any resolution.

Q: How much of a performance difference is there between High and Ultra settings?

A: At 1080p, the drop from High (197.1 FPS) to Ultra (152.4 FPS) is 44.7 FPS. At 1440p, the drop is 23.1 FPS (124.8 to 101.7 FPS). At 4K, the drop is 14.1 FPS (69.2 to 55.1 FPS). The relative cost of Ultra is smaller at higher resolutions, but the absolute frame rate becomes lower.

Q: Is the RTX 4080 SUPER overkill for 1080p gaming?

A: The data suggests yes. At 1080p Low, the combo produces 262.3 FPS. Even at Ultra, it hits 152.4 FPS. These frame rates are far beyond what most 1080p monitors can display, indicating the GPU has significant headroom at this resolution.

Q: What is the combo’s rank among all tested configurations?

A: This specific combo (Intel Core i5-13400F + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER) ranks 113th out of 1656 tested combos, placing it in the top 6.8% of all configurations tested.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-13400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER earns a rank of 113 out of 1656 tested combos. This places it in the top 6.8% of all configurations, a very strong result. The high rank is primarily driven by the GPU’s exceptional performance, as the RTX 4080 SUPER sits in the 88th percentile of all GPUs. The CPU, while not the top performer, is strong enough to avoid becoming a limiting factor, ranking in the 82nd percentile of all CPUs.

The data shows that this combo is well-balanced for this game. The CPU’s performance is adequate to feed the GPU at lower resolutions, and the GPU’s power dominates at higher resolutions. The rank of 113 suggests that there are 112 other combos that perform better, likely featuring more powerful CPUs or GPUs, but this pairing offers a high level of performance that will satisfy most users. The delta between the CPU and its nearest rivals is minimal (0.1% vs. Intel Core i7-13620H, -0.5% vs. AMD Ryzen 5 5600X3D), meaning CPU choice has little impact on this game’s performance relative to the GPU.

Settings Recommendations

For the best experience according to the measured data, the High preset offers the optimal balance of visual fidelity and frame rate. At 1440p High, the combo delivers 124.8 FPS, which is smooth and responsive. At 4K High, it still achieves a playable 69.2 FPS. The Ultra preset provides diminishing returns, as the FPS drops to 55.1 at 4K, which may be below the target for some users with high refresh rate displays. The Medium preset is a viable alternative for those seeking higher frame rates, offering 150.5 FPS at 1440p and 82.4 FPS at 4K.

Given the game’s age, the visual difference between High and Ultra is likely minimal, but the performance cost is measurable. The data suggests that High is the sweet spot. For users with 1080p monitors, even the Ultra preset at 152.4 FPS is more than sufficient, so they can max out the settings without concern. For 4K users, High is recommended to maintain a stable 60+ FPS experience, as the drop from 69.2 to 55.1 FPS when moving to Ultra is noticeable.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete measured FPS data for this combo is as follows:

At 1920x1080, the average frame rates are:

• Low: 262.3 FPS
• Medium: 227.4 FPS
• High: 197.1 FPS
• Ultra: 152.4 FPS

At 2560x1440, the average frame rates are:

• Low: 192.6 FPS
• Medium: 150.5 FPS
• High: 124.8 FPS
• Ultra: 101.7 FPS

At 3840x2160, the average frame rates are:

• Low: 105.6 FPS
• Medium: 82.4 FPS
• High: 69.2 FPS
• Ultra: 55.1 FPS

These figures demonstrate a clear scaling pattern. The largest absolute deltas between settings occur at 1080p, where the GPU has the most headroom. The smallest deltas occur at 4K, where the GPU is the limiting factor. The data confirms that this is a high-performance combo capable of delivering excellent frame rates across all resolutions, with the user’s choice of settings dependent on their display’s capabilities and preference for visual quality over raw FPS.