The Technomancer

The Technomancer, an Action RPG from 2016, presents a demanding workload for the Intel Core i5-14600KF and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 pairing. The measured frame rates reveal a system where the GPU is the primary constraint across all tested resolutions and settings. The data shows a clear performance hierarchy dictated by both resolution and graphical preset, with the combination's overall ranking near the bottom of the tested pool.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is severe, confirming that the GTX 1650 is the limiting component. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 46.2 FPS at 1920x1080 to 30.9 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of 33.1%. The drop from 1440p to 4K is even more pronounced, with the average at 3840x2160 plummeting to 18 FPS, which is a 41.7% decrease from the 1440p figure. This steep decline indicates the GPU's 4 GB of GDDR5 memory and 128-bit memory bus are overwhelmed by the pixel throughput required at 4K.

Scaling to the Low preset shows the same pattern, though with higher absolute numbers. At 1920x1080 Low, the average is 68.7 FPS, which drops to 45.1 FPS at 2560x1440 and further to 26.6 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 61.3% total reduction from 1080p to 4K. The relative consistency of these drops across presets suggests that the GPU's raw compute and memory bandwidth, not the CPU, are the bottleneck; the i5-14600KF's 14 cores and 20 threads are not being taxed by this title at these settings.

The Ultra preset yields the lowest playability. At 1920x1080, the average is 37.4 FPS, but this falls to 21.3 FPS at 2560x1440 and a mere 9.9 FPS at 3840x2160. The 4K Ultra result is effectively a slideshow, underscoring that this combination is not viable for high-fidelity 4K gaming. The data suggests that the GTX 1650's 2.984 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 32 ROPs are insufficient for the rendering load at higher resolutions, making 1080p the only practical target for this hardware.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14600KF is a high-end desktop processor with a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz. Its benchmark scores are strong, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32889 and a single-core score of 4643, placing it in the 93rd percentile of all CPUs. However, its role in The Technomancer is secondary due to the GPU limitation. The measured FPS data shows no scenario where the CPU appears to be the constraint; the frame rates are directly tied to resolution and preset, which are GPU-bound factors.

The processor's nearest rivals include the Intel Core i5-14600K, which has an average score of 49166 and a deltaPct of 0.4, making the 14600KF slightly slower by 0.4%. It also sits close to the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X, which has an average score of 49062 and a deltaPct of 0.6, indicating the 14600KF is 0.6% faster. These differences are negligible in gaming scenarios, especially when paired with a GTX 1650. The CPU's 14 cores and 20 threads, along with its 24 MB of shared L3 cache, provide ample headroom for game logic and physics, but the GPU's output ceiling of 68.7 FPS at 1080p Low means the CPU's potential is largely untapped.

The fact that the average FPS at 1080p Low is 68.7 FPS, while at 1080p High it is 46.2 FPS, suggests that even at the lowest settings, the GTX 1650 is unable to push frame rates high enough to engage the CPU as a bottleneck. This is a classic case of a balanced mid-range GPU paired with an overqualified CPU, resulting in a system where the graphics card dictates all performance outcomes in this specific title.

FAQ

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

A: The measured average is 46.2 FPS at 1920x1080 with High settings.

Q: How does the GPU's performance compare to its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile?

A: The GTX 1650 has an average benchmark score of 8713, which is 0.4% lower than the RTX 3050 A Mobile's score of 8746. This is a negligible difference in overall compute performance.

Q: What is the highest average FPS achieved by this combination?

A: The highest measured average is 68.7 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in this game?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the limiting factor. Frame rates drop dramatically with increased resolution and settings, while the CPU's high benchmark scores (93rd percentile) suggest it is not the bottleneck.

Q: What is the combo's rank among all tested combinations for this game?

A: The combo ranks 1565 out of 1656 total combinations, placing it in the bottom 5.5% of tested systems.

Q: What is the average frame rate at 4K with Ultra settings?

A: The measured average is 9.9 FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, which is not playable.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the optimal experience for this hardware is at 1920x1080. The Low preset yields an average of 68.7 FPS, which is the smoothest result and ideal for maintaining high frame rates. This is the only setting where the average exceeds 60 FPS, making it the clear choice for responsive gameplay. The Medium preset at 1080p produces an average of 52.9 FPS, which is a playable compromise if visual fidelity is a priority, but it does not guarantee a consistent 60 FPS experience.

For users willing to accept lower frame rates, the High preset at 1080p averages 46.2 FPS, but this is a significant drop from Low. The Ultra preset at 1080p averages 37.4 FPS, which is generally considered too low for a smooth action RPG experience. At 2560x1440, the Low preset offers an average of 45.1 FPS, which is marginally playable, but the High and Medium presets at 30.9 and 36 FPS respectively are less desirable. The 4K resolution is not recommended under any settings, as the highest average (Low preset) is only 26.6 FPS, which is below acceptable playability thresholds.

The data suggests that the GTX 1650's 4 GB of VRAM is a limiting factor at higher settings, and the Low preset at 1080p is the only configuration that fully utilizes the system's potential without hitting major performance walls. For a balanced experience, the Medium preset at 1080p offers a 14.5% improvement in average FPS over High (52.9 vs 46.2), but the Low preset provides a 29.9% improvement over Medium (68.7 vs 52.9). Therefore, the Low preset is the preferred choice for consistent performance.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-14600KF and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 combination ranks 1565 out of 1656 tested combos for The Technomancer. This places it in the bottom 5.5% of all systems, indicating that it is among the weakest configurations for this particular game. The ranking is heavily influenced by the GPU, which has a percentile rank of 43 among all GPUs, meaning it performs better than only 43% of the tested graphics cards. In contrast, the CPU's percentile rank of 93 shows it outperforms 93% of all CPUs, highlighting the stark performance imbalance.

The GPU's nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon 550X and the NVIDIA Quadro P2200, with deltaPct values of -0.4% and 0.5% respectively. This shows the GTX 1650 is statistically tied with these cards in synthetic benchmarks, but its real-world gaming performance in The Technomancer is subpar due to the game's demanding rendering requirements. The combo's low rank is not a reflection of the CPU's capabilities, but rather the GPU's inability to handle the game's workload at higher resolutions and settings. The measured FPS data confirms this, as even the best-case scenario (1080p Low) only achieves 68.7 FPS, which is below the performance of more balanced systems.

In the context of the benchmark database, this combo serves as a clear example of a CPU-bottlenecked system in reverse—the processor is overqualified, but the graphics card holds back the entire platform. The rank of 1565 out of 1656 is a definitive verdict: this is a low-end gaming configuration for this title, suitable only for 1080p gaming at reduced settings. Users seeking better performance would need to prioritize a more powerful GPU over the CPU, as the data shows no scenario where the i5-14600KF's additional cores or higher clock speeds provide any tangible benefit in The Technomancer.