The Technomancer

# The Technomancer: Intel Core i5-14600KF + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER

This combination of Intel's Core i5-14600KF and NVIDIA's GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER delivers a decidedly mixed experience in The Technomancer, a 2016 Action RPG. The data reveals a pairing where the GPU's age shows clearly at higher resolutions, yet the CPU's modern architecture keeps frame rates surprisingly competitive at 1080p. With a combo rank of 1022 out of 1656 tested combinations, this setup sits in the lower-middle tier of tested systems, suggesting that while playable, it demands careful settings management to achieve smooth performance.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is dramatic and tells a clear story about which component is the limiting factor. At Ultra settings, the average FPS falls from 82.5 at 1920x1080 to 54.3 at 2560x1440, then plummets to 30 at 3840x2160. That represents a 63.6% reduction in performance when moving from 1080p to 4K at Ultra settings. The scaling pattern indicates a GPU-bound scenario at higher resolutions, as the RTX 2070 SUPER's 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 256-bit bus are being pushed to their limits.

Interestingly, the scaling is not perfectly linear across settings. At Low settings, the drop from 155.1 FPS at 1080p to 101.8 at 1440p and 54.1 at 4K shows a less severe percentage decrease (65.1% from 1080p to 4K) compared to Ultra settings. This suggests that at Low settings, the CPU begins to play a more significant role, as the GPU has less work to do. The Intel Core i5-14600KF, with its 14 cores and 20 threads, can keep up with the lower graphical demands, but the RTX 2070 SUPER still becomes the bottleneck at 4K regardless of settings.

The 4K results are telling: even at Low settings, the combo only manages 54.1 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold many consider smooth. At Medium settings, 4K drops to 44.6 FPS, and High settings yield just 37.1 FPS. These numbers indicate that 4K gaming is not a realistic option for this combination in The Technomancer, as even the lowest settings cannot maintain a consistently smooth experience.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank of 1022 out of 1656 places this system in the 61.7th percentile of tested combinations for The Technomancer. This is a middle-of-the-pack result, suggesting that while many systems perform worse, a substantial number of combinations deliver better results. The ranking reflects the RTX 2070 SUPER's age — it sits at the 65th percentile among all GPUs in the database — while the CPU is much stronger, ranking at the 93rd percentile among all CPUs.

The CPU's nearest rivals show how close the competition is at the top of the processor market. The Core i5-14600KF has an average benchmark score of 49367, which is only 0.4% higher than the Core i5-14600K (49166) and 0.6% higher than the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X (49062). The AMD EPYC 4345P is actually slightly ahead at 49595, a 0.5% advantage. These tiny margins demonstrate that the CPU is not the limiting factor in this gaming setup.

On the GPU side, the RTX 2070 SUPER's average benchmark score of 22206 puts it just 0.5% below the NVIDIA RTX A400 (22307) and 0.9% above the GTX TITAN Z (22006). The RTX 4060 Mobile is 2.3% faster, while the AMD Radeon RX 5700 trails by 2.5%. This tight grouping around the RTX 2070 SUPER's performance level explains why the combo rank is not higher — the GPU is the bottleneck, and it competes with other mid-range cards from several generations.

Settings Recommendations

For the best experience measured in the data, 1080p with High settings at 106.1 FPS offers an excellent balance of visual quality and smoothness. This is a significant improvement over Ultra settings at the same resolution, which drops to 82.5 FPS — a 22.2% reduction for what is likely a marginal visual gain. The High preset appears to be the sweet spot for this combination, providing well above 60 FPS while maintaining reasonable graphical fidelity.

At 1440p, the choice becomes more difficult. High settings yield 66.4 FPS, which is still playable, while Medium settings offer 77.5 FPS for those who prefer extra headroom. Ultra at 1440p drops to 54.3 FPS, which may be acceptable for slower-paced games but is not ideal for action sequences. The data suggests that 1440p High is the best balance at that resolution, though players with high-refresh-rate monitors might prefer Medium.

4K gaming is not recommended with this combination, as even Low settings only achieve 54.1 FPS. The data shows that 4K Ultra at exactly 30 FPS is technically playable but will feel choppy during combat. For the smoothest experience, the measured results point to 1080p Low at 155.1 FPS, but this sacrifices too much visual quality for most players. The clear recommendation is 1080p High, which delivers more than double the frame rate of 4K Ultra while maintaining good visual fidelity.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete measured frame rate data reveals consistent patterns across all resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the average FPS ranges from 155.1 at Low to 82.5 at Ultra, with Medium at 122 and High at 106.1. These numbers show that the RTX 2070 SUPER can handle 1080p quite comfortably, with even the most demanding preset staying well above 60 FPS.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance drops are noticeable but manageable. Low settings produce 101.8 FPS, Medium delivers 77.5, High achieves 66.4, and Ultra falls to 54.3. The gap between Low and Ultra at this resolution is 46.7%, which is less than the 46.8% gap at 1080p (from 155.1 to 82.5). This suggests that the GPU is becoming the primary constraint as resolution increases.

At 3840x2160, the results are consistently below 60 FPS across all settings. Low achieves 54.1, Medium manages 44.6, High drops to 37.1, and Ultra bottoms out at exactly 30. The progression from Low to Ultra at 4K shows a 44.5% performance penalty, which is slightly less than at lower resolutions. This indicates that at 4K, the GPU is so heavily loaded that settings changes have diminishing returns — the pixel count itself is the dominant factor.

FAQ

Q: Can this combination run The Technomancer at 60 FPS?

A: Yes, at 1080p with Medium, High, or Ultra settings (122, 106.1, and 82.5 FPS respectively) and at 1440p with Low or Medium settings (101.8 and 77.5 FPS). At 1440p High, it achieves 66.4 FPS, which is also above 60. At 4K, no settings preset reaches 60 FPS, with the closest being Low at 54.1 FPS.

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo?

A: Based on the measured data, 1080p High at 106.1 FPS offers the best combination of smoothness and visual quality. 1440p High at 66.4 FPS is also viable, but 4K is not recommended as even Low settings only reach 54.1 FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 2070 SUPER compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The RTX 2070 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 22206, which is 0.5% below the RTX A400 (22307), 0.9% above the GTX TITAN Z (22006), 2.3% below the RTX 4060 Mobile (22729), and 2.5% above the AMD Radeon RX 5700 (21670).

Q: Is the CPU holding back performance in this game?

A: The data suggests no. The Core i5-14600KF scores 49367 on average benchmarks, ranking at the 93rd percentile among all CPUs. Its nearest rival, the AMD EPYC 4345P, is only 0.5% faster, indicating the CPU has ample headroom for this game.

Q: What settings should be avoided at 1440p?

A: Ultra settings at 2560x1440 produce 54.3 FPS, which is below 60. Players seeking a smooth experience should stick to High (66.4 FPS) or lower settings at this resolution.

Q: Does the game scale well with settings at 1080p?

A: Yes, the 1080p results show a wide range from 155.1 FPS at Low to 82.5 FPS at Ultra, a 46.8% difference. This gives players significant flexibility to adjust for their preferred balance of visual quality and frame rate.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14600KF is a 14-core, 20-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, built on Intel's 10 nm process. Its base clock of 3.50 GHz and boost clock of 5.30 GHz provide substantial single-thread performance, as evidenced by its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4643 and Geekbench single-core score of 2778. The CPU's 24 MB of shared L3 cache and 2 MB per-core L2 cache help with game data access patterns.

In The Technomancer, the CPU's role appears secondary to the GPU, given the frame rate scaling patterns. The processor's multi-core strength is clear from its Cinebench R20 multicore score of 13813 and PassMark multithread score of 38697. Even in the most demanding scenarios, the CPU is unlikely to be the bottleneck, as its 93rd percentile ranking among all CPUs dwarfs the GPU's 65th percentile ranking.

The 125 W TDP and unlocked multiplier indicate this is a performance-oriented processor, though the game's 2016 release date means it likely doesn't utilize all 20 threads effectively. The single-core performance is more relevant here, and the CPU's Cinebench R15 single-core score of 468 suggests strong legacy performance. The data shows this CPU has significant headroom, meaning any performance limitations in this game come from the GPU.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER is based on the TU104 chip using the Turing architecture, manufactured on TSMC's 12 nm process. It features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU's base clock of 1605 MHz and boost clock of 1770 MHz, combined with 2560 shading units, deliver 9.062 TFLOPS of FP32 performance.

In The Technomancer, the GPU is clearly the limiting component at higher resolutions. The 4K results show the card struggling to maintain 60 FPS even at Low settings, with the memory bandwidth and 8 GB VRAM capacity becoming constraining factors. The GPU's 65th percentile ranking among all GPUs (with an average benchmark score of 22206) places it in the mid-range category, which aligns with the observed performance.

The GPU's PassMark G3D score of 18169 and 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1651 indicate solid but not exceptional performance. The 40 RT cores and 320 tensor cores are present but unlikely to be heavily utilized by a 2016 game that predates widespread ray tracing adoption. The 215 W TDP and dual-slot design are typical for this performance class, and the GPU's end-of-life production status explains why it now competes with newer mid-range cards like the RTX 4060 Mobile, which is only 2.3% faster in average benchmarks.