The Technomancer

The Technomancer, a 2016 Action RPG, shows a clear performance hierarchy when paired with the Intel Core i5-14600K and Intel Arc B570. The measured data indicates that this combination is heavily GPU-bound at higher resolutions, while the CPU’s strong multi-threaded capabilities provide a solid foundation for lower-resolution gaming. This analysis walks through the resolution scaling, CPU and GPU roles, and specific FPS measurements to give a complete picture of what this hardware pairing delivers.

Resolution Scaling

The progression from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 reveals a steep performance drop that points directly to the GPU as the limiting component. At 1920x1080 with High settings, the average FPS is 80. Moving to 2560x1440 High reduces that to 52 FPS, a 35% decline. At 3840x2160 High, the average falls to 29 FPS, which is a 63.75% reduction from the 1080p baseline. These are large, consistent drops across each resolution step, indicating that the Intel Arc B570’s rendering throughput—not the CPU—is what determines the frame rate.

The pattern holds across all settings presets. With Low settings, 1080p yields 121 FPS, 1440p drops to 79 FPS (a 34.7% decrease), and 4K falls to 44 FPS (a 63.6% decrease from 1080p). The similarity of these percentage drops—roughly 35% from 1080p to 1440p and another 44-45% from 1440p to 4K—suggests a consistent scaling factor tied to pixel count. The pixel load quadruples from 1080p to 4K, but the FPS does not quarter; instead, it drops to about one-third of the original value. This indicates that while the GPU is the primary bottleneck, there is some headroom elsewhere in the system that prevents the scaling from being perfectly linear.

The data also shows that the spread between Low and Ultra settings widens at higher resolutions. At 1080p, the difference between Low (121 FPS) and Ultra (62 FPS) is 59 FPS. At 1440p, that spread narrows to 38 FPS (Low 79, Ultra 41). At 4K, the spread is just 22 FPS (Low 44, Ultra 22). This compression of the settings range at higher resolutions is a classic sign of GPU saturation: when the GPU is already near its limit at 4K, reducing settings has less impact because the bottleneck is raw pixel throughput rather than specific graphical features.

The 2560x1440 Medium preset provides the only complete min/max data in the set: average 61 FPS, minimum 52, maximum 70. The 18 FPS gap between minimum and maximum suggests some scene complexity variance, but the minimum staying above 50 FPS indicates playable performance even in demanding moments. At 3840x2160 Medium, the average drops to 33 FPS with minimum 28 and maximum 39, showing that 4K Medium is only marginally playable and will dip into the high-20s during heavy action.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 1920x1080 with High settings?

A: The measured average FPS is 80. This is the most balanced setting for this resolution, offering a smooth experience that is 18 FPS above the Medium preset’s average of 93 (note: High is actually lower than Medium in this case, which is unusual and suggests a specific driver or game optimization quirk—see the Measured FPS Breakdown for details).

Q: Is this combo capable of 4K gaming?

A: The data shows 3840x2160 performance is limited. At High settings, the average is 29 FPS, which is below the commonly accepted 30 FPS threshold for playability. The Low preset reaches 44 FPS, but Ultra drops to 22 FPS. For consistent 4K play, only Low settings approach acceptable frame rates, and even then, minimums are not recorded for that preset.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Intel Core i5-14600K has an average benchmark score of 48618, placing it in the 90th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rival, the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H, scores 48698, which is 0.2% higher. The AMD EPYC 4345P scores 48470, a 0.3% difference. The Intel Core Ultra 5 245HX scores 48287, 0.7% lower. These deltas are all within 1%, indicating near-parity with these specific processors in general computing benchmarks.

Q: What are the minimum and maximum FPS at 2560x1440 Medium?

A: The minimum recorded FPS is 52, and the maximum is 70, with an average of 61. This 18 FPS range shows that the game has moderate scene complexity swings, but the minimum stays comfortably above 50 FPS, making this a viable preset for 1440p gaming.

Q: How much VRAM does the Intel Arc B570 have, and does it matter?

A: The GPU has 10 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 160-bit bus, providing 380.0 GB/s of bandwidth. For The Technomancer, a 2016 title, this capacity is more than sufficient. The measured FPS data shows no signs of VRAM-related stutters or crashes across any resolution or preset, so memory is not a limiting factor.

Q: What is the launch MSRP of the GPU?

A: The Intel Arc B570 has a launch MSRP of 219 USD. This is a single mention of cost, and no further pricing analysis is provided.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14600K is a 14-core, 20-thread processor built on the Raptor Lake architecture, with a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz. This is a desktop-class chip with a 125 W TDP, and it features 24 MB of shared L3 cache. In synthetic benchmarks, it achieves a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 24491 and a single-core score of 2064. The multi-core result is strong, placing it in the 90th percentile of all CPUs, while the single-core score of 2064 is respectable but not class-leading.

For The Technomancer, the CPU’s role is primarily to feed the GPU with draw calls and game logic. The measured FPS data shows that at 1920x1080 Low, the average is 121 FPS. This high frame rate indicates that the CPU is capable of handling the game’s single-threaded workload without becoming a bottleneck at lower resolutions. The game is from 2016, a period when most titles did not scale well beyond 4-6 cores, so the 14600K’s high boost clock of 5.30 GHz is likely more relevant than its 14-core count.

The PassMark single-thread score of 4270 and Geekbench single-core score of 2491 both suggest strong per-core performance. In contrast, the PassMark multi-thread score of 38682 shows that the CPU can handle heavy parallel loads, but The Technomancer may not fully utilize all 20 threads. The nearest rival comparisons reinforce this: the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H, a server chip with more cores, scores only 0.2% higher on average, meaning the 14600K’s balance of clock speed and core count is competitive for general workloads.

The data from the measured FPS shows that at 1080p Low, the CPU is not the limiting factor, as the GPU produces 121 FPS. If the CPU were weak, we would expect to see frame rates plateau around 80-100 FPS regardless of settings. Instead, the FPS scales with settings (Low 121, Medium 93, High 80, Ultra 62), which is a GPU-driven pattern. At 4K, the CPU’s role diminishes further, as the GPU is clearly the bottleneck at 29 FPS High. The CPU’s 20 threads and 24 MB L3 cache provide ample headroom for background tasks, but the game itself does not appear to be CPU-bound at any measured resolution.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the data shows a peculiar ordering: Low settings produce an average of 121 FPS, Medium produces 93 FPS, High produces 80 FPS, and Ultra produces 62 FPS. The Medium preset (93 FPS) actually outperforms High (80 FPS) by 13 FPS. This inversion is unusual and suggests that the High preset may enable specific graphical features (such as higher shadow quality or post-processing) that disproportionately impact the Intel Arc B570’s performance. The Medium preset has a minimum of 79 FPS and maximum of 107 FPS, giving a 28 FPS range, which is the widest of any preset at this resolution. This indicates that Medium has more scene-dependent variance than Low or High, though all presets remain playable.

At 2560x1440, the same pattern persists: Low averages 79 FPS, Medium 61 FPS, High 52 FPS, and Ultra 41 FPS. The gap between Medium and High narrows to 9 FPS (from 13 FPS at 1080p), and the gap between High and Ultra is 11 FPS. The Medium preset shows a minimum of 52 and maximum of 70, with an average of 61. This is the only resolution where the minimum FPS for Medium stays above 50, making it the most consistent choice for 1440p gaming.

At 3840x2160, performance becomes marginal. Low averages 44 FPS, Medium 33 FPS (with min 28, max 39), High 29 FPS, and Ultra 22 FPS. The Medium preset’s minimum of 28 FPS means that some scenes will drop below 30 FPS, which can cause noticeable stuttering. The High preset’s 29 FPS average is just below the 30 FPS threshold, so it is not recommended for smooth play. Ultra at 22 FPS is effectively a slideshow. The Low preset at 44 FPS is the only 4K option that maintains an average above 40 FPS, though no minimum is recorded for this preset.

Comparing settings across resolutions: the 1080p Medium (93 FPS) is similar to 1440p Low (79 FPS) in terms of frame rate, but the visual quality differs. The 1440p High (52 FPS) is nearly identical to 4K Low (44 FPS) in performance, but again, the resolution difference is significant. For a balanced experience, the data suggests that 1440p Medium offers the best trade-off between resolution and frame rate, with an average of 61 FPS and a minimum of 52.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B570 is a Battlemage-generation GPU built on TSMC’s 5 nm process, with 19,600 million transistors on a 272 mm² die. It has 2304 shading units, 144 TMUs, and 80 ROPs, with a base and boost clock of 2500 MHz. The memory subsystem consists of 10 GB of GDDR6 on a 160-bit bus, delivering 380.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU’s FP32 performance is 11.52 TFLOPS, and its pixel rate is 200.0 GPixel/s.

In the context of The Technomancer, the GPU is the clear performance limiter at all resolutions above 1080p Low. The measured FPS at 1080p Low (121 FPS) shows that the GPU can produce high frame rates when the workload is light. However, the steep drop to 4K Ultra (22 FPS) reveals that the GPU’s raw throughput is insufficient for high-resolution, high-detail rendering. The 10 GB VRAM is ample for this game, as 2016 titles typically use less than 4 GB at 1080p and even at 4K, the usage rarely exceeds 6 GB. The memory bandwidth of 380.0 GB/s is also adequate, as the game does not show signs of bandwidth throttling in the data.

The GPU’s synthetic benchmarks place it in the 65th percentile of all GPUs, with an average score of 20556. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile, scores 20534 (0.1% lower), while the Intel Arc A750 scores 20582 (0.1% higher). The AMD Radeon R9 M390X scores 20662 (0.5% higher). These deltas are all under 1%, indicating that the B570 performs at a similar level to these specific GPUs in general benchmarks. However, in The Technomancer, the measured FPS shows that the B570’s performance is heavily influenced by settings and resolution, with a 5.5x difference between the best case (1080p Low, 121 FPS) and worst case (4K Ultra, 22 FPS).

The GPU’s 2500 MHz clock speed is consistent across base and boost, which helps maintain predictable performance. The 80 ROPs handle pixel fill rate well, but the 160-bit memory bus limits memory bandwidth compared to wider-bus competitors. In practice, this means that the GPU struggles with the higher memory pressure of 4K resolution, as evidenced by the 29 FPS average at 4K High. The GPU’s 150 W TDP and dual-slot design are typical for this performance class, and the PCIe 4.0 x8 interface is sufficient for the game’s data transfer needs.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution. At 1920x1080, the Medium preset offers an average of 93 FPS with a minimum of 79 FPS, which provides a smooth experience without the performance inversion seen at High. The Ultra preset at 62 FPS is playable but not necessary, as the visual difference between Medium and Ultra is often subtle in a 2016 title. The High preset’s 80 FPS average is odd because it is lower than Medium, so users should avoid High and choose Medium instead for better performance.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset is the clear winner: 61 FPS average, 52 FPS minimum, and 70 FPS maximum. This is the only 1440p preset that maintains a minimum above 50 FPS, making it the most consistent choice. The High preset at 52 FPS average is acceptable, but its lower minimum (not recorded) could dip into the high-40s, which may cause noticeable hitches. The Low preset at 79 FPS is the fastest, but it sacrifices visual fidelity. For a balance of quality and performance, Medium is recommended.

At 3840x2160, no preset achieves a consistently playable frame rate. The Low preset at 44 FPS is the best option, but the lack of a recorded minimum means we cannot guarantee it stays above 30 FPS. The Medium preset has a minimum of 28 FPS, which is below the playable threshold. The High and Ultra presets at 29 and 22 FPS respectively are not recommended. If 4K is the goal, the Low preset is the only viable choice, and even then, users should expect occasional drops below 40 FPS.

The data suggests that 2560x1440 Medium is the sweet spot for this combo, offering a 61 FPS average with a minimum of 52 FPS. This provides a smooth, consistent experience that is well above the 30 FPS threshold. For users prioritizing frame rate over resolution, 1920x1080 Medium at 93 FPS is the best option, as it offers a high refresh rate experience. The High preset should be avoided at all resolutions due to its unusual performance penalty compared to Medium.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-14600K + Intel Arc B570 combination ranks 2256 out of 2825 tested combos in The Technomancer, placing it in the 20th percentile of all tested systems. This means that about 80% of other CPU-GPU pairings achieve higher average FPS in this game. The rank reflects the GPU’s limitations at higher resolutions, as the CPU is more than capable of handling the game’s demands.

The low rank is primarily driven by the B570’s performance at 2560x1440 and 3840x2160. At 1080p, the combo’s 121 FPS Low and 93 FPS Medium are respectable, but many other GPUs in the same price or performance class can achieve higher frame rates. The 4K performance is particularly weak, with the 29 FPS High average being far below what top-tier GPUs can deliver. The CPU’s 90th percentile ranking in synthetic benchmarks does not translate to a high in-game rank because The Technomancer is GPU-bound at most settings.

The combo’s rank of 2256 out of 2825 indicates that it is better suited for 1080p gaming than for higher resolutions. In comparison to the B570’s nearest GPU rivals, the Intel Arc A750 scores 0.1% higher in synthetic benchmarks, which might translate to a slightly better in-game rank, but the data does not provide specific in-game comparisons. The CPU’s nearest rivals, such as the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H (0.2% higher score), would not change the in-game outcome because the CPU is not the bottleneck. Therefore, this combo’s ranking is almost entirely determined by the GPU’s measured FPS across the three resolutions.

In summary, the data shows that this combo is a competent 1080p performer, capable of high frame rates on Medium settings, but it falls short at 1440p and 4K due to GPU limitations. The CPU provides ample headroom, but it cannot compensate for the GPU’s rendering throughput constraints. Users seeking a higher rank should consider a more powerful GPU, while those satisfied with 1080p gaming will find this combo adequate. The rank of 2256 out of 2825 places it in the lower third of tested combinations, so expectations should be tempered for demanding titles at high resolutions.