The Technomancer

The Technomancer, a 2016 Action RPG, places a substantial load on the system at higher settings, and the pairing of the Intel Core i5-14400F with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER produces a clear pattern of performance that shifts from CPU-bound at lower resolutions to GPU-bound at 4K. The measured frame rates across three resolutions and four quality presets reveal a component combination that is well-matched for 1440p gaming, but which begins to struggle at 4K Ultra. This analysis examines the scaling behavior, the implications for settings selection, and the specific roles played by the CPU's ten cores and the GPU's 8 GB of GDDR6 memory in shaping the final experience.

Resolution Scaling

The transition from 1080p to 4K produces a dramatic drop in average frame rates, indicating that the rendering load scales heavily with pixel count. At the Low preset, the average FPS falls from 142 at 1920x1080 to 93 at 2560x1440, a reduction of 49 FPS, and then further to 51 at 3840x2160, a total drop of 91 FPS from 1080p to 4K. This steep decline is a classic sign of the GPU becoming the primary limiting factor as resolution increases, since the RTX 2060 SUPER's shading units and memory bandwidth are tasked with filling an exponentially larger number of pixels.

At the High preset, the same pattern holds, with average FPS decreasing from 93 at 1080p to 61 at 1440p and finally to 34 at 4K. The 1440p to 4K step is particularly punishing, cutting performance by 27 FPS, which represents a 44% reduction. This suggests that the transition from 2560x1440 to 3840x2160 pushes the GPU far beyond its comfortable operating range, as the pixel count more than doubles while the GPU's raw throughput remains constant. The data implies that 4K gaming with this combo is only viable at the Low preset, and even then, the 51 FPS average is far from a locked experience.

The scaling from 1080p to 1440p is less severe but still notable. At Medium settings, the average FPS drops from 109 at 1080p to 71 at 1440p, a 38 FPS reduction. This indicates that while the GPU is still heavily involved, the CPU's role becomes more apparent at 1080p, where the i5-14400F's 10 cores and 16 threads can keep up with the GPU's output. At 1440p, the GPU begins to dominate the performance equation, and the FPS drop is more proportional to the increase in pixel count. The fact that 1080p Low yields 142 FPS, which is far beyond the 60 FPS threshold, suggests that the CPU has headroom to spare at that resolution, and the GPU is the limiting factor even at 1080p.

The Ultra preset tells a similar story, with average FPS dropping from 73 at 1080p to 48 at 1440p and then to 26 at 4K. The 4K Ultra result of 26 FPS is barely playable, and the 1440p Ultra result of 48 FPS is below the 60 FPS target that many players prefer. The scaling data strongly suggests that this combination is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, with 4K requiring significant settings compromises. The min FPS values, where available, also reveal that frame pacing can be inconsistent, with the 4K Medium preset showing a min of 33 FPS against an average of 39, indicating occasional stutters that could impact the experience.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the Medium preset at 1440p offers the most balanced experience, delivering an average of 71 FPS with a min of 61 and a max of 82. This places the gameplay comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold for most of the run, and the min FPS of 61 suggests that even the worst-case dips stay playable. The High preset at 1440p achieves 61 FPS on average, which is exactly at the target, but the lack of min FPS data means we cannot confirm whether dips below 60 occur. For players who prioritize smoothness, Medium at 1440p is the safer choice.

At 1080p, the High preset delivers 93 FPS on average, which is more than sufficient for a smooth experience on a 60 Hz or even 144 Hz monitor, though the Ultra preset at 73 FPS is also viable. The Low preset at 1080p hits 142 FPS, but the visual quality loss is likely too severe for a game that benefits from higher detail settings. The data indicates that 1080p High is the sweet spot for this resolution, as it provides a large margin above 60 FPS while retaining the visual improvements of the High preset over Medium.

For 4K, the choices are stark. The Low preset averages 51 FPS, which is playable but not ideal, while the Medium preset drops to 39 FPS with a min of 33, which will feel sluggish. The High preset at 34 FPS and Ultra at 26 FPS are below the playability threshold for most gamers. Therefore, the only reasonable settings recommendation for 4K is Low, and even then, players should expect occasional dips below 60 FPS. The 1440p Medium preset is the best overall compromise, as it maintains a solid frame rate while still offering a significant visual upgrade over Low.

The Ultra preset is generally not recommended for this combo, as it produces 48 FPS at 1440p and 73 FPS at 1080p, which are playable but not optimal. The gap between Medium and Ultra at 1080p is 36 FPS (109 vs 73), which is a substantial performance cost for the incremental visual gains. The data suggests that Ultra is intended for more powerful GPUs, and the RTX 2060 SUPER is better utilized at Medium or High presets.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER is built on the Turing architecture and features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s. This memory configuration is a key factor in the game's performance at higher resolutions, as The Technomancer's textures and geometry require significant memory throughput. The GPU's base clock is 1470 MHz with a boost clock of 1650 MHz, and its 2176 shading units deliver a FP32 performance of 7.181 TFLOPS. These specifications place the GPU in the 62nd percentile of all GPUs based on benchmark scores, with an average benchmark score of 18093.

In the context of this game, the GPU's role becomes increasingly dominant as resolution rises. At 1080p, the CPU can feed the GPU efficiently, and the RTX 2060 SUPER is able to produce high frame rates, such as 142 FPS at Low settings. However, at 4K, the GPU's 8 GB of VRAM and its compute throughput become the bottleneck, as evidenced by the 34 FPS average at High settings. The memory bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s is sufficient for 1440p, but at 4K, the demand for texture data and pixel fill rates exceeds what the GPU can deliver, leading to the severe frame rate drops observed.

The GPU's nearest rivals in terms of average benchmark score include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Mobile, which is 0.4% faster, and the AMD Radeon Pro 5700, which is 0.5% faster. The RTX 2060 SUPER is also 1.5% slower than the AMD Radeon RX 460 and 1.6% slower than the Intel Arc A770M, although these differences are minimal. This indicates that the GPU is positioned in a competitive performance tier, but it is not a high-end part. The TU106 chip, with 10,800 million transistors and a die size of 445 mm², is a mature design that offers solid 1080p and 1440p performance, but it lacks the headroom for 4K gaming.

The GPU's 272 tensor cores and 34 RT cores are not directly relevant to The Technomancer's rendering, as the game does not utilize ray tracing or DLSS, but they contribute to the GPU's overall capabilities. The measured FPS data shows that the GPU is the limiting factor at 4K, as the CPU's performance is likely sufficient to handle the game's physics and AI at that resolution. The 8 GB VRAM is also a consideration, as some modern games require more, but The Technomancer's 2016 release date means it likely does not exceed this limit at the tested settings.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-14400F and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER ranks 2609 out of 3696 tested combos in The Technomancer, placing it in the 29th percentile of all tested systems. This is a middling rank, reflecting that many other CPU-GPU pairings achieve higher frame rates in this game. The rank is likely driven by the GPU's limitations at higher resolutions, as the CPU is a strong performer, ranking in the 83rd percentile of all CPUs with an average benchmark score of 32279. The GPU, in contrast, ranks in the 62nd percentile of all GPUs, which is lower than the CPU's percentile.

This disparity suggests that the combo is CPU-heavy, meaning the i5-14400F has more performance headroom than the RTX 2060 SUPER can utilize. At 1080p, this is not an issue, as the GPU is still the bottleneck, but at 4K, the GPU's lack of power becomes the limiting factor. The rank of 2609 out of 3696 indicates that roughly 29% of tested combos perform better, which is a reflection of the GPU's age and tier. The RTX 2060 SUPER was released in 2019 and is now end-of-life, so it is not surprising that many newer GPUs outperform it.

The CPU's nearest rivals in terms of average benchmark score include the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840U, which is 0.1% faster, and the Intel Core i9-11900, which is 0.2% faster. The i5-14400F is also 0.2% faster than the AMD Ryzen 7 6800HS and 0.5% faster than the Intel Core i7-12800H. These small deltas indicate that the CPU is well-matched with its peers, and its performance is not a weakness in this combo. The combo rank is therefore primarily a function of the GPU's performance, and players seeking higher frame rates would need to pair the CPU with a more powerful GPU.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14400F 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 4.70 GHz. It has 20 MB of shared L3 cache and supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory, although the memory bandwidth is not specified in the data. The CPU's benchmark scores are strong, with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 21645 and a single-core score of 3055, placing it in the 83rd percentile of all CPUs. Its average benchmark score of 32279 is competitive with its nearest rivals, as detailed in the previous section.

In The Technomancer, the CPU's role is most evident at 1080p, where the GPU is less likely to be the bottleneck. The 1080p Low preset achieves 142 FPS, which is a high frame rate that requires the CPU to process game logic and draw calls efficiently. The i5-14400F's 16 threads are well-suited for this task, and the data shows that the CPU can keep up with the GPU at this resolution. However, as resolution increases, the CPU's importance diminishes, and the GPU becomes the dominant factor. At 4K, the CPU's performance is likely sufficient, as the 34 FPS average at High settings is clearly limited by the GPU, not the CPU.

The CPU's 10 cores, with a mix of performance and efficiency cores, provide a good balance for gaming. The base clock of 2.50 GHz is modest, but the boost clock of 4.70 GHz ensures high single-threaded performance when needed. The 20 MB L3 cache is shared across all cores, which helps with data locality in games that use multiple threads. The CPU's TDP of 65 W is relatively low, making it an efficient choice, and its support for ECC memory is a feature not commonly found in consumer CPUs.

The measured FPS data does not show any signs of CPU bottlenecking, as the frame rates scale consistently with resolution and settings. If the CPU were the limiting factor, we would expect to see similar FPS across different resolutions at the same settings, but instead, we see a clear decline as resolution increases. This confirms that the CPU is not the primary constraint in this game, and the combo rank is more reflective of the GPU's performance.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the Low preset achieves an average of 142 FPS, which is the highest measured value in the dataset. The Medium preset averages 109 FPS, with a min of 93 and a max of 126, indicating a stable experience. The High preset averages 93 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 73 FPS. These results show that 1080p is well within the capabilities of this combo, with even the Ultra preset exceeding the 60 FPS threshold.

Moving to 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 93 FPS, which is a 49 FPS drop from 1080p Low. The Medium preset averages 71 FPS, with a min of 61 and a max of 82, providing a playable experience. The High preset averages 61 FPS, which is right at the 60 FPS target, and the Ultra preset averages 48 FPS. The 1440p results indicate that Medium is the optimal setting, as it maintains a comfortable margin above 60 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 51 FPS, which is the only 4K setting that approaches playability. The Medium preset averages 39 FPS, with a min of 33 and a max of 45, which will result in noticeable stuttering. The High preset averages 34 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 26 FPS, both of which are too low for smooth gameplay. The 4K data clearly demonstrates the GPU's limitations, as even the Low preset cannot maintain a locked 60 FPS.

The min and max FPS data is only available for the Medium preset across all resolutions. At 1080p Medium, the min is 93 and the max is 126, showing a tight range. At 1440p Medium, the min is 61 and the max is 82, which is a wider spread but still acceptable. At 4K Medium, the min is 33 and the max is 45, indicating significant frame time variance that could be distracting. This suggests that the Medium preset at 4K is not recommended, as the frame pacing issues are more pronounced at that resolution.

FAQ

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

A: Based on the measured FPS, 2560x1440 at the Medium preset provides an average of 71 FPS with a min of 61, making it the best balance of visual quality and performance. 1920x1080 at High also works well, with an average of 93 FPS.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming in The Technomancer?

A: At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 51 FPS, which is playable but not smooth. The Medium preset drops to 39 FPS, and the High and Ultra presets fall to 34 and 26 FPS respectively, so 4K is only viable at Low settings.

Q: How does the RTX 2060 SUPER compare to its nearest rivals in terms of benchmark scores?

A: The RTX 2060 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 18093, which is 0.4% lower than the RTX 3060 Mobile, 0.5% lower than the Radeon Pro 5700, 1.5% lower than the Radeon RX 460, and 1.6% lower than the Intel Arc A770M.

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-14400F a limiting factor in this game?

A: The data does not indicate CPU bottlenecking, as frame rates decline consistently with resolution increases. The CPU ranks in the 83rd percentile of all CPUs, and its 10 cores and 16 threads are sufficient for this game.

Q: What is the combo's rank among all tested combinations in The Technomancer?

A: The combo ranks 2609 out of 3696 tested combos, placing it in the 29th percentile. This rank is primarily influenced by the GPU's performance, which is in the 62nd percentile of all GPUs.

Q: What are the GPU's memory specifications and how do they affect performance?

A: The GPU has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus with 448.0 GB/s bandwidth. This is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p, but at 4K, the memory bandwidth and capacity become a limiting factor, contributing to the low frame rates observed.