The Technomancer

The Technomancer, a 2016 Action RPG, presents a demanding workload that clearly separates the capabilities of the CPU and GPU in this test system. The data indicates that the Intel Core i5-14600KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 combination delivers a playable experience primarily at 1080p, with the GPU acting as the primary performance limiter. This analysis breaks down the measured frame rates, component roles, and scaling behavior to provide a definitive verdict on this pairing for this specific title.

FAQ

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

A: This specific combo ranks 1323 out of 1656 tested combinations, placing it in the lower portion of the database for this game.

Q: What is the best performance result achieved by this pairing?

A: The highest average frame rate recorded is 130.5 FPS, which occurs at 1920x1080 resolution with the Low settings preset.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its closest rivals in general benchmark scores?

A: The Intel Core i5-14600KF has an average benchmark score of 49367. Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X, scores 49062, which is 0.6% lower. It is also 0.4% faster than the Intel Core i5-14600K and 0.5% faster than the AMD EPYC 4345P.

Q: How does the GPU compare to its nearest competitors in general benchmark scores?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 has an average benchmark score of 16074. It is 0.5% faster than the AMD Radeon RX 7600S and 1.8% faster than the AMD Radeon Pro W5500. However, it is 1.7% slower than both the AMD Radeon Pro 5600M and the AMD Radeon Pro 5700.

Q: Is the 4K Ultra setting playable with this hardware?

A: No. At 3840x2160 with the Ultra preset, the average frame rate drops to 26.3 FPS, which is below the threshold for smooth, playable performance.

Q: What settings are recommended for a smooth 1080p experience?

A: The High preset at 1920x1080 provides an average of 85.1 FPS, which is a strong playable experience. The Ultra preset at this resolution yields 67 FPS, which is also playable but with a significant performance cost.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 is the decisive factor in this game's performance. With 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus providing 336.0 GB/s of bandwidth, the card's memory subsystem is a key resource. Its TU106 chip, built on the 12 nm process, contains 1920 shading units and operates at a base clock of 1365 MHz with a boost clock of 1680 MHz. These specifications result in a measured performance that places the card in the 58th percentile of all GPUs.

The benchmark results show that the GPU is the primary bottleneck in The Technomancer. The most demanding setting at 4K (Ultra) yields an average of 26.3 FPS, while the least demanding (Low) at 1080p yields 130.5 FPS. This wide performance swing is indicative of the GPU's compute and memory limits being stressed. The RTX 2060’s general benchmark score of 16074, which is 1.7% behind the AMD Radeon Pro 5700, demonstrates its mid-range standing. In this game, the data clearly shows that the GPU’s capabilities are the ceiling for frame rates, especially as resolution and graphical fidelity increase.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-14600KF and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 achieves a rank of 1323 out of 1656 tested combinations in The Technomancer. This ranking places it in the bottom 20% of all tested hardware pairings. This low rank is a direct consequence of the RTX 2060's performance, as it is the limiting component. The CPU, which is a high-end processor, is not the bottleneck.

While the CPU is a top performer, the GPU's mid-range standing prevents this combo from achieving a higher rank. The data shows a clear imbalance; the system’s potential is capped by the GPU's ability to render frames. The rank suggests that for this specific game, the pairing is not optimal for high-refresh-rate or high-resolution gaming. The overall rank of 1323 is a reflection of the relatively low frame rates observed at 1440p and 4K, which are heavily constrained by the RTX 2060.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured frame rates provide a detailed picture of the system's performance across resolutions and settings.

At 1920x1080, the system performs well. The Low preset achieves an average of 130.5 FPS. Medium yields 102.6 FPS, and High drops to 85.1 FPS. The most demanding Ultra preset still manages an average of 67 FPS. This resolution is clearly the sweet spot for this combo, offering playable frame rates across all settings.

Moving to 2560x1440, performance takes a significant hit. The Low preset averages 85 FPS, while Medium drops to 66.4 FPS. The High preset produces 56.7 FPS, and Ultra falls to 45.2 FPS. While Low and Medium are playable, the High and Ultra presets are approaching the lower bounds of a smooth experience, indicating the GPU is struggling with the increased pixel count.

At 3840x2160 (4K), the GPU becomes the definitive bottleneck. The Low preset averages 44.9 FPS, and Medium is 38.2 FPS. High drops to 30 FPS, and Ultra falls to an unplayable 26.3 FPS. These results confirm that 4K gaming is not viable with this graphics card in The Technomancer, as even the lowest settings fail to maintain a consistent 60 FPS.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured data, the optimal experience for this hardware is at 1920x1080 resolution. For players seeking the highest frame rates, the Low preset at 130.5 FPS is the clear choice. However, for a balanced experience, the High preset provides a substantial visual upgrade over Low while still maintaining an excellent average of 85.1 FPS.

The Ultra preset at 1080p offers a playable 67 FPS, but the performance cost relative to High is steep. At 1440p, the High preset’s 56.7 FPS is on the edge of playability; the Medium preset provides a safer 66.4 FPS. For a stable experience at 1440p, Medium is the recommended starting point. At 4K, no preset is recommended for a consistently smooth experience, as even Low averages only 44.9 FPS. The data suggests that 1080p with High settings is the best balance of visual quality and performance.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14600KF is a high-performance processor that is not the limiting factor in this game. It features 14 cores and 20 threads, with a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz. This 14th Gen Core processor (Raptor Lake architecture) has a 24 MB shared L3 cache and supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory. Its general benchmark performance is strong, with a score of 49367, placing it in the 93rd percentile of all CPUs.

The CPU’s benchmarks, such as a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 32889, indicate a massive amount of processing power. In The Technomancer, the CPU is likely providing ample headroom for the GPU to work. The frame rate drops observed when increasing resolution are characteristic of a GPU bottleneck, not a CPU one. The CPU is clearly capable of feeding the RTX 2060 with data, as evidenced by the high frame rates at 1080p. The data suggests that this processor will not be a performance limiter in this title, leaving the GPU as the sole constraint.

Resolution Scaling

The scaling from 1080p to 4K demonstrates a classic GPU-bound scenario. At the High preset, the average frame rate drops from 85.1 FPS at 1080p to 56.7 FPS at 1440p, a significant reduction. At 4K, the frame rate falls further to 30 FPS. This represents a 64.7% drop in performance from 1080p to 4K.

The pattern is consistent across all settings. At Low, the frame rate goes from 130.5 FPS at 1080p to 44.9 FPS at 4K, a 65.6% drop. The consistent proportional decline in performance as resolution increases is a strong indicator that the GPU is the limiting component. A CPU-bound system would show a less dramatic drop at higher resolutions, as the workload would shift more to the graphics card. Here, the data points entirely to the RTX 2060's rendering capabilities being the ceiling, with the CPU having ample performance in reserve. The move from 1440p to 4K results in the most severe frame rate penalty, confirming that the GPU's memory bandwidth and processing power are simply overwhelmed at 4K.