The Technomancer

The Technomancer, a 2016 Action RPG, presents an interesting case study for modern high-end hardware. This analysis examines the measured performance of the Intel Core i5-14600K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090. The data reveals a combination that is overwhelmingly powerful for this title, often pushing frame rates far beyond typical display refresh rates, and the bottleneck shifts between the CPU and GPU depending on the resolution and settings.

FAQ

Q: What is the overall ranking of this CPU and GPU combination in The Technomancer?

A: The combo ranks 24th out of 1656 tested combinations in the database for this game. This places it in the top 1.5% of all systems, indicating exceptional performance relative to the vast majority of other hardware pairings.

Q: How does the Intel Core i5-14600K compare to its closest rival, the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X, in general CPU benchmarks?

A: The i5-14600K has an average benchmark score of 49166, which is a mere 0.2% higher than the Ryzen 9 5950X's score of 49062. This indicates that despite different architectures and core counts, their overall processing power is statistically equivalent.

Q: What is the performance difference between the RTX 4090 and its nearest rival, the NVIDIA Tesla T4?

A: The RTX 4090 has an average benchmark score of 66473, which is 0.4% lower than the Tesla T4's score of 66733. This places them in a similar performance tier, despite the RTX 4090 being a consumer gaming card and the Tesla T4 being a professional data center solution.

Q: What frame rate can be expected at 1440p with High settings?

A: The measured average frame rate at 2560x1440 with High settings is 142 FPS. This is a very high level of performance, well-suited for high-refresh-rate monitors.

Q: How much of a performance drop occurs when moving from 1080p to 4K at Ultra settings?

A: The average frame rate drops from 169.8 FPS at 1920x1080 to 61.8 FPS at 3840x2160, both at Ultra settings. This represents a significant 64% reduction in performance, highlighting the immense load placed on the GPU at 4K resolution.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more likely to be the limiting factor at 1080p?

A: At 1080p, the frame rates are exceptionally high, with the Low settings hitting 306.6 FPS. This suggests the CPU is the primary limiting factor, as the GPU is capable of rendering frames faster than the processor can feed it data at these lower resolutions.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14600K is a 14-core, 20-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture. It operates on the Intel Socket 1700 platform and features a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz. With 24 MB of shared L3 cache, this processor is well-equipped to handle the demands of modern gaming. Its benchmark results are strong, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32881 and a single-core score of 4642, placing it in the 93rd percentile of all CPUs tested.

In the context of The Technomancer, the CPU's role is primarily to manage game logic, physics, and draw calls. The data from this pairing, particularly at 1080p, shows the i5-14600K is a powerful partner for the RTX 4090. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the system achieves an average of 306.6 FPS. This extreme frame rate, coupled with the high single-core performance of the CPU, suggests that at this resolution, the processor is the component setting the upper limit. The CPU's performance is so high that it can feed the GPU enough data to reach frame rates that are far beyond the refresh rate of most monitors. Its overall average benchmark score of 49166 is nearly identical to its closest rivals, including the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X, which it edges out by 0.2%. This indicates that the CPU provides a very robust foundation for this game, ensuring that it is not a weak link in the system.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is a flagship graphics card based on the Ada Lovelace architecture. It is a massive piece of hardware with 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 1.01 TB/s. Its high core clocks, with a base of 2235 MHz and a boost of 2520 MHz, allow for immense compute throughput. The card's raw power is evident in its 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 9223 and its Passmark G3D score of 38194, placing it in the 91st percentile of all GPUs.

For The Technomancer, the GPU's role becomes increasingly dominant as resolution and graphical settings are increased. At 4K Ultra settings, the average frame rate drops to 61.8 FPS. This significant drop from the 169.8 FPS seen at 1080p Ultra indicates that the game becomes heavily GPU-bound at higher resolutions. The RTX 4090 is doing the heavy lifting to render the increased pixel count and visual fidelity. The data shows a clear progression: at 1080p, the system is likely CPU-bound, but by 4K, the GPU is unequivocally the limiting factor. Its performance, while top-tier, is not without comparison, as its average benchmark score of 66473 is only 0.4% behind the NVIDIA Tesla T4, its closest rival. This context shows that even the most powerful consumer GPU is working hard to maintain playable frame rates at the highest settings in this demanding resolution.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database for The Technomancer, this specific pairing of the Intel Core i5-14600K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 achieves a rank of 24 out of 1656 total combinations. This is a stellar result, placing the system in the top 1.4% of all tested configurations. This high rank is a direct reflection of the immense capabilities of both the CPU and GPU. The CPU's 93rd percentile ranking among all processors and the GPU's 91st percentile ranking among all graphics cards combine to create a system that is among the fastest available for this title.

The ranking demonstrates that while there are 23 other combinations that perform better, this setup is within striking distance of the absolute peak of performance. The data implies that the system is exceptionally well-balanced for this game, with neither component holding the other back to a significant degree. The near-parity in performance between the i5-14600K and its closest rivals, such as the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X, confirms that this CPU is a top-tier choice. Similarly, the RTX 4090's performance, while rivaled by professional cards like the Tesla T4, is at the apex of consumer graphics. This combination of a top-tier CPU and a top-tier GPU results in a system that is an elite performer in The Technomancer.

Resolution Scaling

The measured frame rates show a clear and predictable trend as resolution increases, with performance dropping significantly from 1080p to 4K. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 217.3 FPS at 1920x1080 to 142 FPS at 2560x1440, and finally to 79.8 FPS at 3840x2160. This progression illustrates the growing workload on the GPU as the number of pixels rendered increases. The drop from 1440p to 4K is particularly steep, a 44% decrease in frame rate, highlighting the demanding nature of 4K rendering.

This scaling pattern is a classic indicator of a system that transitions from CPU-bound at lower resolutions to GPU-bound at higher ones. At 1080p, the frame rates are so high that the CPU's processing power is the limiting factor. As the resolution increases, the GPU must work progressively harder to fill the additional pixels, and its performance becomes the primary constraint. The data at Low settings further supports this. The system hits 306.6 FPS at 1080p, a frame rate so high that it is almost certainly CPU-limited, but this drops to 117.1 FPS at 4K, a 62% reduction. This significant performance penalty at 4K Ultra (61.8 FPS) confirms that the RTX 4090, despite its immense power, is the component that determines the final frame rate at the highest resolution and settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following data presents the measured average frame rates for the Intel Core i5-14600K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 combination in The Technomancer.

1920x1080:

• At Low settings, the system achieves an average of 306.6 FPS.
• At Medium settings, the average frame rate is 253.7 FPS.
• At High settings, the average frame rate is 217.3 FPS.
• At Ultra settings, the average frame rate is 169.8 FPS.

2560x1440:

• At Low settings, the average frame rate is 214.1 FPS.
• At Medium settings, the average frame rate is 165.4 FPS.
• At High settings, the average frame rate is 142 FPS.
• At Ultra settings, the average frame rate is 109.4 FPS.

3840x2160:

• At Low settings, the average frame rate is 117.1 FPS.
• At Medium settings, the average frame rate is 93.6 FPS.
• At High settings, the average frame rate is 79.8 FPS.
• At Ultra settings, the average frame rate is 61.8 FPS.

The data shows a consistent pattern across all settings. At 1080p, the frame rates are exceptionally high, exceeding 300 FPS at Low settings and remaining above 169 FPS even at Ultra. Moving to 1440p yields a substantial but expected drop in performance, with the system still maintaining very playable frame rates above 100 FPS at all but the Ultra preset. At 4K, the system remains capable, but the frame rates become more demanding on the hardware. The lowest measured average is 61.8 FPS at 4K Ultra, which is still a playable frame rate for many users. This breakdown confirms the system's ability to provide a high-refresh-rate experience at 1080p and 1440p, and a smooth, high-fidelity experience at 4K.