The Technomancer

The Technomancer, a 2016 Action RPG, presents an interesting case study for modern high-end hardware. The benchmark data for the Intel Core i5-14600K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D shows a combination that is capable of delivering very high frame rates at all tested resolutions, but the scaling patterns reveal a title that is heavily dependent on the graphics card. The measured FPS figures indicate that while the CPU is more than sufficient to feed the GPU at lower resolutions, the game's performance ceiling is ultimately defined by the GPU's raw rendering power, particularly at 4K.

FAQ

Q: What is the average frame rate for this combo at 1080p with Ultra settings?

A: The measured average FPS at 1920x1080 with Ultra settings is 184 frames per second. This is the lowest average FPS among the 1080p presets, indicating that the Ultra preset demands the most from the hardware at this resolution.

Q: How much faster is the 1440p Low preset compared to the 4K Low preset?

A: The 2560x1440 Low preset delivers an average of 235 FPS, while the 3840x2160 Low preset delivers an average of 129 FPS. This represents a performance advantage of 106 FPS for the 1440p setting, or roughly an 82% increase in frame rate.

Q: What is the only measured preset that provides a minimum FPS figure at 4K resolution?

A: The 3840x2160 Medium preset is the only 4K settings row with a reported minimum FPS, which is 84 frames per second. The other 4K presets (Low, High, and Ultra) do not have minFps values listed in the data.

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

A: The combination of the Intel Core i5-14600K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D ranks 18th out of 2,825 total tested combos for The Technomancer. This places it in the top 1% of all configurations in the database.

Q: In the GPU's benchmark scores, what is the delta percentage compared to the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D has an average benchmark score of 77,712, while the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT has an average score of 78,940. The delta percentage is -1.6, meaning the RTX 5090 D's average score is 1.6% lower than that of the RX 6850M XT.

Q: What is the highest average FPS recorded for this combo at any resolution and setting?

A: The highest average FPS in the measured data is 307 frames per second, which is achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with the Low settings preset. This is followed closely by the 1080p Medium preset at 276 FPS.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14600K is a 14-core processor with 20 threads, built on the Raptor Lake architecture. It operates with a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz, which provides substantial single-threaded performance necessary for gaming. The processor's benchmark scores reflect its capability; for instance, it scores 2,064 in Cinebench R23 single-core and 24,491 in multi-core, with a Passmark single-thread score of 4,270. These figures place the CPU in the 90th percentile among all CPUs, indicating it is a high-performing part.

In the context of The Technomancer, the CPU's role appears to be that of a capable facilitator rather than a bottleneck. The data shows a clear pattern where frame rates scale significantly with resolution, which is a characteristic of GPU-limited scenarios. For example, at High settings, the average FPS drops from 236 at 1920x1080 to 154 at 2560x1440 and further to 85 at 3840x2160. If the CPU were the primary limiter, the frame rates would remain relatively flat across resolutions, as the CPU workload does not typically increase with resolution. Since the FPS drops substantially as resolution increases, it indicates that the i5-14600K is delivering frames faster than the GPU can render them at lower resolutions, and the GPU becomes the constraining factor as pixel count grows.

The processor's performance relative to its nearest rivals is tight. The data shows a delta percentage of -0.2% compared to the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H, meaning the i5-14600K's average benchmark score is slightly lower. Conversely, it is 0.3% higher than the AMD EPYC 4345P and 0.7% higher than the Intel Core Ultra 5 245HX, while being -0.8% lower than the Intel Core Ultra 5 245. These narrow margins suggest that the i5-14600K is in a competitive performance tier, and it is unlikely to be the differentiating factor in this game's performance when paired with a top-tier GPU.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D is a massive graphics card built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture. It features 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 1.79 TB/s. The GPU has a base clock of 2017 MHz and a boost clock of 2407 MHz. Its raw compute power is substantial, with an FP32 performance of 104.8 TFLOPS. The card's benchmark results are strong, with a Passmark G3D score of 44,065 and a Geekbench OpenCL score of 310,674. It sits in the 92nd percentile of all GPUs, though its average benchmark score of 77,712 is surprisingly close to its nearest rivals, with a 1.1% delta compared to the AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT and -1.6% compared to the RX 6850M XT.

In The Technomancer, the GPU is the dominant performance factor. The data strongly suggests that the RTX 5090 D's rendering capabilities are what determine the final frame rates, especially at higher resolutions. The measured FPS at 4K Ultra is 66, while dropping the settings to Low at 4K yields 129 FPS. This is a massive 63 FPS swing, or a 95% increase, which is directly attributable to the GPU's workload changing with the quality presets. Similarly, at 1440p, the difference between Ultra (120 FPS) and Low (235 FPS) is 115 FPS. The GPU's 32 GB of VRAM is more than sufficient for a game from 2016, so memory capacity is not a limiting factor. Instead, the rasterization and shading throughput of the GPU are the primary drivers of performance, as evidenced by the clear scaling of FPS with both resolution and settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of the combo's performance across three resolutions and four quality presets. At 1920x1080, the combo is exceptionally fast. The Low preset achieves an average of 307 FPS, which is the highest frame rate in the entire dataset. The Medium preset follows at 276 FPS, with a minimum of 235 FPS and a maximum of 317 FPS. High settings produce 236 FPS, while the Ultra preset brings the average down to 184 FPS. All of these figures are far above the refresh rates of standard monitors, indicating a highly playable experience at 1080p with no concerns about frame pacing.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain very high but show a predictable decline due to the increased pixel count. The Low preset averages 235 FPS, which is 72 FPS lower than the same settings at 1080p. Medium settings average 180 FPS, with a minimum of 153 and a maximum of 207. The High preset delivers 154 FPS, and Ultra settings yield 120 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p at each settings level is roughly a 24-28% reduction in FPS, which is consistent with a GPU-bound workload.

At 3840x2160, the performance is still respectable but shows the most significant impact of resolution. The Low preset averages 129 FPS, which is a drop of 106 FPS from the 1440p Low result. The Medium preset averages 99 FPS, with a minimum of 84 FPS. High settings drop to 85 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 66 FPS. The 4K Ultra result is the lowest in the dataset, but it remains playable. The minimum FPS of 84 at 4K Medium suggests that even in demanding scenes, the combo can maintain a smooth experience at that preset.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 18 out of 2,825 tested configurations places it in the 99.4th percentile of all combinations in the database for The Technomancer. This is an elite ranking, indicating that this specific pairing of CPU and GPU is among the fastest configurations that have been tested for this title. The high rank is largely attributable to the RTX 5090 D's immense rasterization power, which is able to push frame rates to very high levels even at 4K resolution.

However, the rank also highlights the diminishing returns of pairing such a high-end GPU with this particular CPU. While the i5-14600K is a powerful processor, the data shows that the frame rates are heavily GPU-limited. The fact that the combo ranks 18th rather than higher suggests that there are 17 other combinations that perform even better, likely featuring even more powerful CPUs or perhaps configurations that are better optimized for this specific game's engine. The CPU's nearest rivals in benchmark scores are all within a 1% margin, so the CPU choice is unlikely to be the primary factor separating the top 17 combos. Instead, the GPU's performance ceiling, as measured by the FPS drops at 4K, is the more likely differentiator.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend on the target resolution and desired frame rate. For 1920x1080, the Ultra preset is the clear recommendation. The average FPS of 184 is exceptionally high, and it is unlikely that a player would need to lower settings to achieve a better experience. The visual fidelity gained from the Ultra preset comes at no practical cost, as the frame rate remains far above the 144Hz or 165Hz refresh rates common on high-end monitors.

At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset is also a strong choice, delivering an average of 120 FPS. This is sufficient for smooth gameplay on most high-refresh-rate monitors. If a player has a 240Hz display, they might consider the High preset, which yields 154 FPS, to better utilize the display's capabilities. The Medium preset at 180 FPS is another option for those prioritizing frame rate above all else, but the visual quality trade-off from Ultra to Medium is significant, and the 120 FPS at Ultra is already more than adequate for a responsive experience.

At 3840x2160, the choice becomes more nuanced. The Ultra preset averages 66 FPS, which is playable but may not feel as smooth as the higher frame rates at lower resolutions. The High preset, at 85 FPS, offers a better balance of visual quality and smoothness for 60Hz displays. For players with high-refresh-rate 4K monitors, the Medium preset is the most compelling option. It delivers an average of 99 FPS with a minimum of 84 FPS, ensuring that the frame rate rarely drops below the 60 FPS threshold, while still providing a significant visual upgrade over the Low preset. The Low preset at 129 FPS is the fastest option at 4K, but it sacrifices too much visual fidelity to be recommended for a game like this.

Resolution Scaling

The performance scaling across resolutions is a key indicator of the system's bottleneck. From 1920x1080 to 2560x1440, the frame rates drop by an average of roughly 26% across all settings. For example, at High settings, FPS goes from 236 to 154, a 34.7% reduction. This is a substantial decrease that is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario, where the additional pixels require more shading and rasterization work.

Scaling from 2560x1440 to 3840x2160 results in an even larger drop. At High settings, FPS goes from 154 to 85, a 44.8% reduction. At Low settings, the drop is from 235 to 129, a 45.1% reduction. The consistent and large percentage drops as resolution increases confirm that the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D is the limiting component in this configuration. The Intel Core i5-14600K is clearly capable of processing the game's logic and physics at a rate that exceeds the GPU's rendering output, even at 1080p where the CPU workload is relatively higher compared to the GPU.

The data indicates that the game is almost entirely GPU-bound at all tested settings. The CPU's high single-thread performance, as evidenced by its 2,064 Cinebench R23 single-core score, ensures that it does not become a bottleneck until frame rates reach well beyond 300 FPS, which is only approached at 1080p Low. At this extreme low-setting scenario, the FPS of 307 may start to approach the CPU's limit, but for all practical settings and resolutions, the GPU's performance dictates the final outcome.