The Technomancer

The Technomancer, a 2016 Action RPG, presents an interesting case study in hardware scaling due to its age and the high-end nature of the tested components. The combination of the Intel Core i5-14600K and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti produces a wide range of frame rates that shift dramatically based on resolution and quality settings. The data shows a system capable of high refresh rate play at lower resolutions, but one that also hits a clear performance ceiling when pushed to 4K Ultra. The following analysis breaks down the measured results, interpreting the scores in the context of the game’s demands and the hardware’s capabilities, using only the provided data.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS across the three tested resolutions reveals a classic pattern where the graphics card becomes the primary bottleneck as pixel count increases. The most telling data point is at 1080p Low, where the system achieves an average of 273 FPS. This is an exceptionally high frame rate that suggests the CPU is doing the heavy lifting to feed frames, but it also indicates that the GPU is not yet saturated. In contrast, the same Low settings at 4K yield an average of 98 FPS, a drop of 175 FPS. This massive reduction is a direct consequence of the GPU now having to render four times the pixels, shifting the limiting factor from the processor to the graphics card.

Looking at the High preset, the scaling is equally telling. At 1080p High, the average FPS is 179, which is still very high but lower than the Low preset. Moving to 1440p High, the average drops to 117 FPS, and then to 64 FPS at 4K High. The step from 1440p to 4K represents a 53 FPS loss, which is significant. This data suggests that while the RTX 4070 Ti is powerful, the demands of 4K resolution on The Technomancer are substantial. The frame rate at 4K High (64 FPS) is playable, but it shows that the GPU is working near its limit for this title.

The scaling from 1440p to 1080p is also noteworthy. At 1440p High, the average is 117 FPS, but at 1080p High, it jumps to 179 FPS. This 62 FPS increase indicates that the GPU still has headroom at 1440p and that the CPU is capable of pushing more frames when the GPU load is reduced. However, the jump from 1080p Low (273 FPS) to 1080p High (179 FPS) shows that even at 1080p, the graphical settings have a profound impact on the GPU workload. The overall picture is that the system is CPU-limited at 1080p Low, but becomes progressively more GPU-limited as resolution and settings increase, with the most severe bottleneck appearing at 4K Ultra, where the average FPS falls to 50.

How This Combo Ranks

Within the database of tested hardware combinations for The Technomancer, this specific pairing of the Intel Core i5-14600K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti holds a rank of 444 out of 3696 tested combos. This places it in the top 12% of all configurations tested for this game, indicating that it is a high-performing setup. The percentile ranking for the CPU alone is 90, meaning it outperforms 90% of all tested CPUs in the general benchmark suite. The GPU’s percentile is 84, outperforming 84% of all tested GPUs. This high placement for both components translates to a very strong combined result in the game.

The combo rank of 444 out of 3696 is a strong indicator of overall capability, but it’s important to contextualize it with the measured FPS. A rank in the top 12% suggests that the system is capable of delivering a high-quality experience, which is supported by the data showing high frame rates at 1080p and 1440p. However, the rank does not guarantee a flawless experience at maximum settings and resolution, as the 4K Ultra average of 50 FPS demonstrates. The rank reflects the aggregate performance across all tested settings, where the system excels at lower resolutions and settings but is less dominant at the extreme end.

Comparing the components to their nearest rivals shows a balanced performance. The CPU’s average benchmark score of 48618 is nearly identical to the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H, which scores 48698, a delta of only -0.2%. It also closely matches the AMD EPYC 4345P, which scores 48470, putting the i5-14600K 0.3% ahead. This indicates that in general processing power, the i5-14600K is on par with these server-class chips. For the GPU, the RTX 4070 Ti’s average score of 44795 is 0.8% behind the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Mobile, which scores 45152. It is 1.6% ahead of the NVIDIA RTX A6000, which scores 44075. These small deltas suggest that the GPU’s raw compute performance is competitive with other high-end cards, but the in-game results are what matter most for this analysis.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run The Technomancer at a smooth 60 FPS on a 4K monitor?

A: Yes, but not at the highest settings. The measured data shows an average of 64 FPS at 4K High and 75 FPS at 4K Medium. However, at 4K Ultra, the average drops to 50 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target.

Q: What is the highest frame rate achievable with this hardware?

A: The highest measured average FPS is 273, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This shows the system is capable of extreme frame rates when the graphical load is minimized.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor at 1080p?

A: The data suggests the CPU becomes the limiting factor at 1080p Low, where the frame rate of 273 FPS is exceptionally high. This indicates the GPU is not fully saturated and the CPU is driving the frame generation.

Q: Is there a significant performance difference between the Medium and High presets?

A: Yes, the difference is substantial across all resolutions. At 1080p, the average FPS drops from 210 on Medium to 179 on High. At 1440p, it drops from 137 to 117. At 4K, it drops from 75 to 64.

Q: How does the performance at 1440p compare to 4K?

A: The performance is significantly better at 1440p. For example, on High settings, the average FPS is 117 at 1440p compared to 64 at 4K. This represents a 53 FPS advantage for the lower resolution.

Q: What is the performance difference between the Low and Ultra presets at 4K?

A: The difference is dramatic. The Low preset averages 98 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages only 50 FPS. This is a 48 FPS reduction, highlighting the massive GPU workload increase from the Ultra settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of performance across all settings and resolutions. At 1920x1080, the system delivers high frame rates across the board. With Low settings, the average FPS is 273. Moving to Medium, the average drops to 210 FPS, with a minimum of 178 and a maximum of 241. The High preset yields an average of 179 FPS. The Ultra preset brings the average down to 140 FPS. This shows that at 1080p, even the most demanding settings are easily handled, with the Ultra preset still maintaining a high frame rate.

At 2560x1440, the performance scales predictably. The Low settings produce an average of 178 FPS. The Medium preset averages 137 FPS, with a minimum of 116 and a maximum of 158. The High preset averages 117 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 91 FPS. This demonstrates that 1440p is a sweet spot for this combination, offering high frame rates on High settings that are well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is clearly challenged. The Low settings still produce a respectable average of 98 FPS. The Medium preset averages 75 FPS, with a minimum of 64 and a maximum of 87. The High preset averages 64 FPS. The Ultra preset drops to an average of 50 FPS. The data shows a clear trend: at 4K, the player must compromise on settings to maintain high frame rates. The Medium preset is the only one that provides a margin above 60 FPS, while the High preset is right at the threshold.

The data also highlights the consistency of frame times. For the Medium preset, the minimum FPS values are 178 at 1080p, 116 at 1440p, and 64 at 4K. The maximum values are 241, 158, and 87 respectively. This shows that while the average frame rate drops, the frame pacing remains relatively stable for this preset, which is a positive indicator for gameplay smoothness.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti is the primary driver of performance in The Technomancer, especially at higher resolutions. Its 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus provides a memory bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s. This bandwidth is sufficient for the game’s textures and assets at 4K, as evidenced by the playable frame rates at 4K Medium and High. However, the 4K Ultra preset likely demands more memory bandwidth or raw compute power than the card can deliver, leading to the 50 FPS average.

The GPU’s core clocks are a key factor. With a base clock of 2310 MHz and a boost clock of 2610 MHz, the card is running at high frequencies. The architecture, Ada Lovelace, is built on a 5 nm process and features 7680 shading units. This configuration provides 40.09 TFLOPS of FP32 compute power. In this game, this compute power is more than enough for 1080p and 1440p, but the 4K resolution tests the card’s limits. The drop from 98 FPS at 4K Low to 50 FPS at 4K Ultra is a direct result of the increased workload on these shading units.

The GPU’s performance can be further contextualized by its benchmark scores. Its average benchmark score is 44795, placing it in the 84th percentile of all GPUs. It is 1.6% ahead of the NVIDIA RTX A6000 in average score, but 0.8% behind the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Mobile. This shows that while it is a high-end card, it is not the absolute fastest. The in-game data confirms this, as it is unable to maintain 60 FPS at 4K Ultra. The card’s 285 W TDP and 600 W suggested PSU indicate it is a power-hungry component, but this is not a factor in the measured frame rates.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14600K plays a crucial role in ensuring the GPU can reach its potential, particularly at lower resolutions. With 14 cores and 20 threads, it provides substantial processing power. Its boost clock of 5.30 GHz is high, and its 24 MB of shared L3 cache helps keep data flowing. The CPU’s benchmark scores are impressive, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 24491 and a single-core score of 2064. This strong single-core performance is vital for games like The Technomancer, which may not fully utilize all cores.

The CPU’s role is most evident at 1080p Low, where the system reaches 273 FPS. At this point, the GPU is not the bottleneck, and the CPU’s ability to process game logic and draw calls is the determining factor. The i5-14600K’s high boost clock and strong single-thread performance allow it to feed frames to the GPU at an extremely high rate. This is supported by its PassMark single-thread score of 4270. The CPU’s performance is also sufficient at 1440p, where it allows the GPU to reach 178 FPS on Low settings.

The CPU is less of a factor at 4K, where the GPU becomes the clear bottleneck. However, it must still be fast enough to not hinder the GPU. The data shows that at 4K Low, the system still achieves 98 FPS, indicating that the CPU is not holding back the GPU even at this high resolution. The CPU’s average benchmark score of 48618 places it in the 90th percentile, and it is within 1% of its nearest rivals, such as the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H and the AMD EPYC 4345P. This shows that the CPU is a top-tier performer, capable of supporting high-end GPUs in any scenario.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured data, the optimal settings depend on the user's display and performance goals. For 1080p and 1440p displays, the Ultra preset is viable. At 1080p, the Ultra preset averages 140 FPS, and at 1440p, it averages 91 FPS. Both are well above the 60 FPS threshold, providing a highly responsive and visually rich experience. For users with high refresh rate monitors, the High preset at 1440p, with an average of 117 FPS, is an excellent choice, offering a balance between visual quality and speed.

For 4K displays, the recommendation is more nuanced. The Ultra preset, with an average of 50 FPS, is not ideal for a smooth experience. The High preset, at 64 FPS, is playable but may have occasional dips. The Medium preset, with an average of 75 FPS and a minimum of 64 FPS, provides the best experience for 4K gaming. It offers a comfortable margin above 60 FPS, ensuring consistent smoothness. This is the only preset at 4K that offers both high visual fidelity and reliable performance.

The data shows that the Medium preset is a strong option across all resolutions. At 1080p, it delivers 210 FPS, at 1440p it delivers 137 FPS, and at 4K it delivers 75 FPS. This consistency makes it a safe choice for users who prefer to set and forget. For users with 4K displays, the Medium preset is the clear recommendation. For those with 1440p or 1080p displays, the High or Ultra presets can be used to maximize visual quality while maintaining high frame rates. The Low preset offers the highest frame rates but sacrifices too much visual quality to be recommended for general play, except for competitive scenarios where maximum FPS is paramount.