The Technomancer

The Technomancer, a 2016 Action RPG, presents an interesting stress test for the Intel Core i5-14400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 combination. The benchmark data reveals a system that is clearly capable of delivering smooth gameplay at 1080p, but which begins to show its limitations as resolution increases. The measured FPS values indicate that this pairing is heavily influenced by the GPU’s workload, with the CPU providing a solid foundation that rarely becomes the primary constraint in this specific title.

Resolution Scaling

The transition from 1080p to 4K in The Technomancer demonstrates a classic GPU-bound scenario. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 127.4 FPS, which drops to 84.9 FPS at 2560x1440 and further to 44.5 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a significant 65% reduction in frame rate from 1080p to 4K at Low settings, indicating that the rendering resolution has a profound impact on performance.

The scaling pattern becomes even more pronounced at higher quality presets. With Ultra settings, the average FPS falls from 66.9 at 1080p to 45.8 at 1440p, and then plummets to 23.3 at 4K. This 65% drop between 1440p and 4K at Ultra settings suggests that the RTX 2060’s memory bandwidth and compute resources are being saturated. The data implies that at 4K, the 6 GB VRAM allocation and the 336.0 GB/s bandwidth are likely insufficient for the demands of The Technomancer’s higher detail levels, making the GPU the definitive limiting component.

Interestingly, the scaling from High to Ultra settings at 1080p shows only a 21% performance cost (from 84.8 to 66.9 FPS), whereas the jump from Medium to High at 4K costs 27% (from 37.6 to 27.4 FPS). This suggests that the game’s higher presets introduce effects that are disproportionately expensive at higher resolutions, likely related to texture streaming and post-processing that heavily tax the GPU’s memory subsystem. The data clearly shows that for this combination, 1080p is the sweet spot, with 1440p being playable at lower settings, while 4K remains a challenge even for the most demanding titles.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 provides the most playable experience across all settings, with average FPS ranging from 66.9 at Ultra to 127.4 at Low. At 2560x1440, only Low and Medium settings (84.9 and 67.8 FPS) maintain smooth frame rates, while 4K dips below 44.5 FPS even at Low.

Q: How does the RTX 2060 perform at 4K in this game?

A: At 3840x2160, the average FPS ranges from 23.3 at Ultra to 44.5 at Low. The High preset only manages 27.4 FPS, which is below the generally accepted threshold for smooth gameplay, indicating that 4K is not viable for this GPU in The Technomancer.

Q: Is the i5-14400F a bottleneck at 1080p?

A: The benchmark results do not indicate a CPU bottleneck at 1080p. The frame rates scale consistently with resolution and settings, suggesting that the GPU is the primary limiting factor. The CPU’s 10 cores and 16 threads appear sufficient to feed the GPU in this title.

Q: What is the performance difference between Low and Ultra at 1080p?

A: The average FPS drops from 127.4 at Low to 66.9 at Ultra, representing a 47% reduction in performance. This indicates that the Ultra preset imposes a substantial load on the GPU, but the resulting frame rate remains playable.

Q: How does this combo rank against other tested combinations?

A: The combo ranks 1359 out of 1656 tested combinations in The Technomancer, placing it in the lower half of the benchmark database. This suggests that while it can run the game, many other hardware pairings deliver higher average frame rates.

Q: Does the 6 GB VRAM cause issues at higher resolutions?

A: The significant frame rate drops at 4K (e.g., 27.4 FPS at High) suggest that the 6 GB memory capacity and 192-bit bus width are inadequate for handling the high-resolution textures, leading to performance degradation as the GPU struggles with memory management.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 is the dominant factor in this combo’s performance in The Technomancer. With 1920 shading units, 120 TMUs, and 48 ROPs, the GPU’s raw compute capabilities are clearly being tested by this title. The memory configuration, featuring 6 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus with 336.0 GB/s bandwidth, proves to be a significant limitation at higher resolutions. The data shows that at 4K Ultra, the average FPS drops to 23.3, which is 65% lower than at 1080p Ultra, highlighting how the GPU’s memory subsystem struggles to keep up with the increased pixel and texture demands.

The clock speeds of 1365 MHz base and 1680 MHz boost provide the processing power for the observed frame rates, but the GPU’s 12 nm process node and 160 W TDP suggest it operates within a constrained power envelope. The benchmark scores for the RTX 2060, including a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1242 and a PassMark G3D score of 14111, place it in the 58th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals, such as the AMD Radeon RX 7600S (with a 0.5% delta) and the AMD Radeon Pro 5700 (with a -1.7% delta), exhibit similar performance levels, confirming that the RTX 2060 is a mid-range solution.

At 1440p, the GPU manages 55.9 FPS at High settings, which is playable, but the drop to 45.8 FPS at Ultra shows that the card is near its limits. The data indicates that the RTX 2060’s Turing architecture, while supporting DirectX 12 Ultimate, is not well-suited for the high-resolution demands of The Technomancer. The performance scaling from Low to Ultra at each resolution suggests that the GPU’s compute units are the bottleneck, rather than the CPU, as frame rates consistently fall with increased graphical load.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-14400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 ranks 1359 out of 1656 tested combinations in The Technomancer. This places it in the 82nd percentile of the ranking, meaning that 82% of tested combos perform better in this game. This ranking reflects the GPU’s mid-range standing, as the RTX 2060 sits in the 58th percentile of all GPUs, while the CPU is in the 88th percentile of all CPUs. The data suggests that the GPU is the limiting factor for this combo’s overall performance in this title.

The rank indicates that while the CPU is capable of supporting higher-end GPUs, the RTX 2060 holds back the system’s potential in The Technomancer. The measured FPS at 1080p Medium (101.6 FPS) and High (84.8 FPS) are respectable, but the combo’s ranking is dragged down by its poor performance at 4K. The data shows that this pairing is best suited for 1080p gaming, where it can achieve high frame rates, but it falls behind in higher-resolution scenarios. The ranking relative to other combos suggests that users seeking better performance in The Technomancer would need to pair the i5-14400F with a more powerful GPU, as the CPU’s benchmark scores (e.g., Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 21914) indicate it is not the bottleneck.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14400F plays a supporting role in this combo’s performance in The Technomancer. With 10 cores and 16 threads, the CPU provides ample parallel processing power for the game’s logic and AI. The base clock of 2.50 GHz and boost clock of 4.70 GHz ensure that single-threaded tasks are handled efficiently, as evidenced by the PassMark single-thread score of 3723 and Geekbench single-core score of 2333. The 20 MB shared L3 cache helps reduce memory latency, which is beneficial for game workloads.

The benchmark data shows that the CPU is not a limiting factor in this title. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 127.4 FPS, which is well above the refresh rate of most monitors. The fact that frame rates scale consistently with resolution and settings indicates that the GPU is the primary bottleneck. The CPU’s 88th percentile ranking among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 32508, places it slightly above its nearest rivals, such as the Intel Core i7-12800H (deltaPct of 0) and AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 7645 (deltaPct of 0.2). This suggests that the i5-14400F is more than capable of handling the demands of The Technomancer.

The CPU’s 65 W TDP and Intel Socket 1700 compatibility make it a power-efficient choice for gaming systems. The data indicates that the CPU’s performance in this game is sufficient to keep the GPU fed with data, as there are no significant frame rate drops that would indicate a CPU bottleneck. The measured FPS values across all resolutions and settings suggest that the i5-14400F provides a solid foundation, but the overall performance is ultimately dictated by the RTX 2060’s capabilities.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for The Technomancer reveals a clear performance hierarchy based on resolution and settings. At 1920x1080, the combo delivers excellent performance across all presets. The Low preset achieves an average of 127.4 FPS, which is ideal for high-refresh-rate monitors. Medium settings yield 101.6 FPS, while High produces 84.8 FPS. The Ultra preset, while the most demanding, still manages a respectable 66.9 FPS, ensuring smooth gameplay.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance drops are noticeable but manageable. Low settings achieve 84.9 FPS, Medium delivers 67.8 FPS, and High produces 55.9 FPS. The Ultra preset drops to 45.8 FPS, which is still playable but approaches the lower limit for smooth motion. At 3840x2160, the performance becomes challenging. Low settings average 44.5 FPS, Medium drops to 37.6 FPS, High falls to 27.4 FPS, and Ultra plummets to 23.3 FPS. These numbers clearly show that 4K is not a viable option for this combo in The Technomancer, as even the lowest settings barely reach the threshold for acceptable frame rates.

The data shows a consistent pattern: as resolution increases, the frame rate drops disproportionately at higher settings. For example, at 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 60.5 FPS, while at 4K, the difference is only 21.2 FPS. This suggests that at lower resolutions, the GPU has enough headroom to render higher-quality effects, but at 4K, it becomes saturated and the settings have less impact on the final frame rate.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo in The Technomancer depend on the target resolution. For 1080p gaming, the High preset (84.8 FPS) offers the best balance between visual quality and performance. The Ultra preset (66.9 FPS) is also viable, providing higher visual fidelity while maintaining a frame rate that is above the 60 FPS threshold. For users with 144 Hz monitors, the Medium preset (101.6 FPS) or Low preset (127.4 FPS) would be more suitable to take full advantage of the display’s refresh rate.

At 1440p, the Medium preset (67.8 FPS) is recommended for a smooth experience, as it provides a good compromise between visual quality and frame rate. The High preset (55.9 FPS) is playable but may exhibit noticeable stuttering on some displays. The Low preset (84.9 FPS) is ideal for competitive play or users who prioritize frame rate over visual fidelity. The Ultra preset (45.8 FPS) should be avoided unless the user is willing to tolerate lower frame rates.

For 4K gaming, the data suggests that this combo is not suitable for a smooth experience. The Low preset (44.5 FPS) is the only option that approaches playability, but even this falls short of the 60 FPS target. Users attempting 4K should consider lowering the resolution to 1440p or reducing the settings to the absolute minimum. The benchmark results clearly indicate that the RTX 2060 is the limiting factor at this resolution, and no setting combination can overcome the GPU’s hardware limitations.