The Technomancer

The Technomancer, a 2016 Action RPG, presents an interesting scaling challenge for the Intel Core i5-14400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti combination. The data shows this pairing is heavily GPU-limited at higher resolutions, but the CPU’s strong single-threaded performance prevents it from being a bottleneck at 1080p. Benchmark results indicate that the RTX 4070 Ti is the primary driver of frame rates from 1440p upward, while the i5-14400F’s capabilities are only fully taxed at the lowest settings and resolution.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear and predictable pattern: performance degrades as resolution increases, but the rate of that degradation is heavily influenced by the graphics preset. At Low settings, the frame rate drops from 267.6 FPS at 1920x1080 to 97.3 FPS at 3840x2160, a reduction of 63.6%. This steep decline indicates that even at Low settings, the GPU’s rendering workload becomes the limiting factor at 4K. In contrast, at Ultra settings, the drop from 137.9 FPS at 1080p to 52.9 FPS at 4K is a 61.6% decrease, showing that the GPU is consistently the bottleneck regardless of preset.

The most telling evidence of GPU limitation comes from the High preset. At 1920x1080, the system achieves 180.6 FPS, which drops to 118.5 FPS at 2560x1440 and further to 64.3 FPS at 3840x2160. The scaling from 1440p to 4K shows a 45.7% performance loss, a significant jump that points directly at the RTX 4070 Ti’s memory bandwidth and processing power being saturated. The data suggests that the CPU is not a limiting factor at 1440p and 4K, as the frame rates are high enough to indicate the GPU is doing the heavy lifting. At 1080p with Low settings, the 267.6 FPS result is a strong indicator that the i5-14400F can feed the GPU adequately, as this frame rate is far beyond what most displays can show, but it also shows the GPU is no longer the sole bottleneck.

FAQ

Q: What is the maximum average frame rate this combo can achieve in The Technomancer?

A: The highest measured average frame rate is 267.6 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This is the peak performance point in the dataset.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from 1080p to 4K at High settings?

A: At High settings, the average frame rate drops from 180.6 FPS at 1920x1080 to 64.3 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a performance reduction of 64.4%.

Q: Is the RTX 4070 Ti the limiting component at 4K Ultra settings?

A: Yes, the data strongly indicates this. At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the combo produces 52.9 FPS. Given that the CPU is a 10-core, 16-thread processor with a 4.70 GHz boost clock, it is unlikely to be the bottleneck at this resolution; the GPU’s processing limits are the primary constraint.

Q: Does the CPU show any signs of bottlenecking at 1080p?

A: The evidence suggests a partial bottleneck only at the lowest settings. At 1920x1080 Low, the system hits 267.6 FPS, which is exceptionally high. The scaling from Low to Medium at 1080p (267.6 to 210.2 FPS) is a 21.5% drop, which is less than the drop from Medium to High (210.2 to 180.6 FPS), indicating that the CPU may be reaching its limits at very high frame rates.

Q: What is the playable frame rate at 4K with Medium settings?

A: The measured average frame rate at 3840x2160 with Medium settings is 74.2 FPS. This is above the common 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay.

Q: How does the combo rank among all tested configurations for this game?

A: This specific combination of the Intel Core i5-14400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti ranks 190th out of 1656 total tested combos for The Technomancer, placing it in the top 11.5% of all configurations.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti is the dominant factor in these results. With 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus, it offers a memory bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s, which is crucial for handling the texture and geometry data at high resolutions. The GPU’s boost clock of 2610 MHz and its 7680 shading units allow it to process the game’s rendering tasks efficiently. In The Technomancer, the data shows that the GPU’s performance ceiling is reached at 4K, where even at Medium settings (74.2 FPS) it cannot maintain the high frame rates seen at lower resolutions.

The GPU’s role is most evident when observing the frame rate scaling across presets at a fixed resolution. At 2560x1440, the frame rate ranges from 92.8 FPS at Ultra to 179.8 FPS at Low. This 94% difference demonstrates how much headroom the GPU has when graphical load is reduced. The RTX 4070 Ti’s 40.09 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is sufficient to push high frame rates at 1440p, but the 4K results show its limits. The 52.9 FPS at 4K Ultra is a clear indicator that the game’s most demanding settings are too heavy for this GPU to maintain a 60 FPS average, while the 97.3 FPS at 4K Low shows it can handle the resolution when settings are reduced.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combination is exceptionally fast. Low settings produce an average of 267.6 FPS. Medium settings yield 210.2 FPS, a 21.5% decrease from Low. High settings result in 180.6 FPS, which is a 14.1% drop from Medium. Ultra settings bring the average down to 137.9 FPS, a 23.6% reduction from High. These numbers show a consistent step-down as graphical fidelity increases, with the largest single gap occurring between Medium and Low.

Moving to 2560x1440, the averages are still high but show a clear shift. Low settings deliver 179.8 FPS, Medium settings produce 136.6 FPS, High settings reach 118.5 FPS, and Ultra settings drop to 92.8 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p at High settings is a 34.4% performance loss, indicating that the GPU is beginning to feel the pressure of the higher pixel count.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is firmly in charge. Low settings average 97.3 FPS, Medium settings reach 74.2 FPS, High settings drop to 64.3 FPS, and Ultra settings fall to 52.9 FPS. The difference between 1440p and 4K at High settings is a 45.7% loss, reinforcing that the RTX 4070 Ti’s memory bandwidth and compute power are the limiting factors. The progression from 4K Low to 4K Ultra shows a 45.6% decrease in performance, demonstrating the heavy cost of the game’s highest settings on the GPU.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14400F provides the processing backbone for this combo. With 10 cores and 16 threads, it offers strong multi-threaded performance, as evidenced by its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 21914. Its single-core performance is also notable, with a Cinebench R23 score of 3093, which is critical for game logic and physics. The CPU’s boost clock of 4.70 GHz and its architecture (Raptor Lake) contribute to its ability to handle the game’s demands.

In The Technomancer, the CPU’s role becomes apparent at 1080p with lower presets. At 1920x1080 Low, the system achieves 267.6 FPS. This high frame rate suggests the CPU is able to issue draw calls and process game state quickly enough to keep the GPU busy. However, the fact that the frame rate does not scale linearly with resolution at the same settings suggests the CPU is not a major limiting factor at higher resolutions. The data shows that at 4K, even with Low settings, the frame rate is 97.3 FPS, which is likely limited by the GPU’s pixel throughput rather than the CPU’s processing power. The i5-14400F’s Passmark single-thread score of 3723 indicates it can handle the game’s single-threaded elements without becoming a bottleneck, but the 1080p Low result of 267.6 FPS is the only point where the CPU might be approaching its limits.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured frame rates, the optimal experience depends on the target resolution. For 4K gaming, the High preset provides an average of 64.3 FPS, which is just above the 60 FPS target. However, Medium settings at 4K offer a more comfortable margin at 74.2 FPS, making it the recommended choice for a smooth and visually detailed experience without pushing the GPU to its limits. The Ultra preset at 4K falls below the 60 FPS threshold at 52.9 FPS, so it is not recommended for consistent playability.

At 2560x1440, the High preset delivers 118.5 FPS, which is excellent for high-refresh-rate monitors. The Ultra preset at 92.8 FPS is also viable for those who prioritize visual fidelity, as it remains well above 60 FPS. For 1920x1080, all presets are playable, but the High preset at 180.6 FPS provides a balanced mix of visual quality and high performance, while Ultra at 137.9 FPS still offers a smooth experience. The data suggests that for the best balance of visual quality and performance, Medium at 4K and High at 1440p are the standout choices.

How This Combo Ranks

In the overall ranking for The Technomancer, this specific combination of the Intel Core i5-14400F and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti holds the 190th position out of 1656 tested combos. This places it in the top 11.5% of all configurations, indicating a high-performing setup. The CPU’s average benchmark score is 32508, which is nearly identical to its nearest rival, the Intel Core i7-12800H, which has an average score of 32513 and a deltaPct of 0. The GPU’s average benchmark score is 44900, which is slightly below the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Mobile’s score of 45152, a deltaPct of -0.6. This ranking suggests that while the RTX 4070 Ti is powerful, it is not the absolute top-tier GPU, and the i5-14400F is a solid mid-range to high-end processor. The 190th rank reflects a combination that is well above average and capable of handling demanding titles like The Technomancer at high settings, but it is not the absolute fastest setup available.