The Technomancer

The Technomancer, a 2016 Action RPG, presents a demanding workload for this pairing of an Intel Core i5-14400F and a NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650. The measured frame rates across resolutions and presets tell a clear story about a system where the graphics card is the primary bottleneck, and the CPU has ample headroom to spare. The data indicates that this configuration is best suited for 1080p gaming with adjusted settings, as higher resolutions quickly overwhelm the GPU's capabilities.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is severe and exposes the GTX 1650's limitations. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 42.5 FPS at 1920x1080 to 30.5 FPS at 2560x1440, a significant loss. Pushing further to 3840x2160, the average plummets to 16.7 FPS, which is effectively unplayable. This steep decline is characteristic of a GPU that is running out of pixel pushing power, not a system constrained by the processor.

The scaling pattern is consistent across all presets. With Low settings, the drop from 69.8 FPS at 1080p to 43.6 FPS at 1440p is a 26.2 FPS loss. The transition from 1440p to 4K is even more brutal, with the average falling to 26.8 FPS. This indicates that even when the graphical load is reduced, the card cannot maintain playable frame rates at 4K. The difference between 1080p and 1440p suggests that 1440p is only viable on Low settings, and even then, it is on the edge of playability.

The data suggests that the limiting component is the GPU. The frame rate is highly sensitive to resolution changes, which is a hallmark of a system that is fill-rate limited. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see a more moderate drop in performance as resolution increases, because the CPU's workload would remain relatively constant. Instead, the frame rates nearly halve when moving from 1440p to 4K, confirming that the GTX 1650’s 4 GB of VRAM and 128-bit memory bus are being saturated.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14400F is a 10-core, 16-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, and its benchmark scores are not the limiting factor in this game. Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 21914 and single-core score of 3093 are strong indicators of a modern, capable desktop CPU. The processor's high performance is further evidenced by its 88th percentile ranking among all CPUs, meaning it outperforms the vast majority of processors on the market.

In the context of The Technomancer, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and game logic. Given the GPU's low performance, the i5-14400F is likely sitting idle much of the time, waiting for the graphics card to catch up. The processor's boost clock of 4.70 GHz and large 20 MB of L3 cache are more than sufficient for a game from 2016, which is unlikely to utilize all 16 threads effectively. The data shows that the CPU is not a bottleneck, as frame rates scale directly with resolution and settings, which are GPU-dependent variables.

The i5-14400F's nearest rivals in CPU benchmark scores are the Intel Core i7-12800H and the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 7645, with deltaPct values of 0 and 0.2 respectively. This indicates that in a CPU-bound scenario, the i5-14400F would perform on par with these other processors. However, in this specific game with this specific GPU, the CPU's performance is largely irrelevant to the final frame rate, as the GTX 1650 is the clear limiting factor.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 is a Turing-architecture GPU with 4 GB of GDDR5 memory and a 128-bit memory bus. Its benchmark results are modest, with a Passmark G3D score of 7880 and a 43rd percentile ranking among all GPUs. This places it in the lower tier of modern graphics cards, and its performance in The Technomancer reflects this. The GPU's boost clock of 1665 MHz and 2.984 TFLOPS of FP32 compute power are simply not enough for demanding resolutions.

The GPU's memory configuration is a critical weakness. The 4 GB VRAM capacity is likely a major factor in the poor 4K performance, as the game's textures and buffers at that resolution can easily exceed this limit. The 128.1 GB/s of memory bandwidth also becomes a bottleneck, as the GPU has to constantly swap data in and out of its limited VRAM. This is evident in the performance drop from Medium to High settings at 1080p, where the average FPS falls from 51.7 to 42.5, showing that the card struggles with increased memory pressure.

The GTX 1650's nearest rivals in benchmark scores include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile and the AMD Radeon 550X, with deltaPct values of -0.4 for both. This shows that the GTX 1650 is in a performance class with mobile and older workstation GPUs, not with modern desktop gaming cards. In The Technomancer, the GPU is the sole determinant of performance. The data shows that to achieve a playable frame rate, the resolution and settings must be reduced to compensate for the card's fundamental hardware limitations.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run The Technomancer at 4K resolution?

A: No. The data shows average frame rates of 16.7 FPS at High settings and 12.3 FPS at Ultra settings for 3840x2160 resolution. These are well below playable thresholds.

Q: What is the best resolution for this system?

A: 1920x1080 is the only resolution that provides consistently playable results. The average FPS at this resolution ranges from 69.8 FPS on Low settings to 37.9 FPS on Ultra settings.

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-14400F a bottleneck for the GTX 1650?

A: No. The CPU's benchmark scores, including a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 21914, are very high. The frame rates in the game scale with resolution and settings, which indicates the GPU is the limiting component, not the CPU.

Q: How does the GTX 1650 compare to its nearest rivals in this performance class?

A: The GTX 1650 has an average benchmark score of 8713. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile, has a score of 8746, a deltaPct of -0.4. This means the GTX 1650 is essentially on par with these other entry-level GPUs.

Q: What is the most demanding setting for this GPU?

A: The data indicates that Ultra settings are the most demanding. At 1080p, the Ultra preset yields an average of 37.9 FPS, while at 1440p it drops to 22.9 FPS, and at 4K it falls to 12.3 FPS.

Q: Does the game's release date affect its performance on this modern hardware?

A: While the game is from 2016, the performance is still limited by the GPU. The GTX 1650's 4 GB of VRAM and 128-bit memory bus create a bottleneck that a more powerful GPU would alleviate, regardless of the game's age.

How This Combo Ranks

This combination of hardware ranks 1578 out of 1656 tested combos for The Technomancer. This places it in the bottom 5% of all configurations tested, indicating that it is a very low-performing setup for this specific title. This rank is a direct result of the GPU's limitations, as the CPU is a modern, high-performance part.

The rank suggests that the vast majority of other hardware combinations, even those with older or more balanced parts, will deliver better performance in this game. The score is a measure of the entire system's capability, and the GTX 1650 drags the overall ranking down significantly. For context, a CPU like the i5-14400F is in the 88th percentile of all CPUs, but the GPU is only in the 43rd percentile, and the game's demands exacerbate this imbalance.

This ranking is a clear warning for anyone considering a similar build for this game. The data shows that the system is not well-suited for The Technomancer at higher resolutions or settings. To achieve a better rank, a more powerful GPU would be required to complement the i5-14400F's processing power.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides a clear path for the best experience. At 1920x1080, the Low preset is the only setting that guarantees a smooth frame rate, with an average of 69.8 FPS. This should be the default choice for players who prioritize smooth gameplay. The Medium preset still offers a reasonable 51.7 FPS average, which is playable for most people, and is the highest preset that can maintain an average above 50 FPS.

For those who want better visual fidelity, the High preset at 1080p yields an average of 42.5 FPS. This is on the lower end of playable, but acceptable for a slower-paced Action RPG. The Ultra preset is not recommended, as it drops the average to 37.9 FPS, which can lead to noticeable stuttering in demanding scenes. At 2560x1440, only the Low preset is viable, with a 43.6 FPS average; all other presets at this resolution fall below 36.6 FPS, which is not a good experience.

Therefore, the recommended configuration is to play at 1920x1080 with the Medium preset. This provides a good balance between visual quality and performance, maintaining an average frame rate of 51.7 FPS. If the game feels too demanding, dropping to Low settings will provide a significant performance boost to 69.8 FPS, ensuring a very smooth experience. Avoid 4K resolution entirely, as even Low settings only manage a 26.8 FPS average. The data clearly shows that this system is a 1080p gaming machine for this title.