The Technomancer

The Technomancer, a 2016 Action RPG, presents an interesting test bed for modern hardware. The data for the Intel Core i5-14600KF paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER shows a system that is overwhelmingly GPU-bound at higher resolutions, yet capable of delivering extremely high frame rates at 1080p. The measured results reveal a clear hierarchy of performance across settings and resolutions, making the optimal configuration highly dependent on the target display.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to achieve a high refresh rate experience?

A: At 1920x1080, the combo achieves an average of 194.3 FPS on High settings and 296.6 FPS on Low. Even at the demanding Ultra preset, it maintains an average of 153.2 FPS, indicating that 1080p is well within the system's high-refresh-rate comfort zone.

Q: How does the system perform at 4K with maximum visual fidelity?

A: At 3840x2160 on the Ultra preset, the average frame rate drops to 53.9 FPS. This is the most demanding configuration in the data set and suggests that while playable, it may not fully utilize a high-refresh-rate 4K display.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor at 1440p?

A: The performance scaling indicates a GPU limitation. At 2560x1440, the High preset yields 128.2 FPS, while the Low preset jumps to 190.3 FPS. This substantial increase in frame rate from lowering graphical settings shows that the GPU is the primary bottleneck, as reducing its workload directly translates to higher performance.

Q: How does the Core i5-14600KF compare to its direct predecessor, the Core i5-14600K?

A: The data shows the Core i5-14600KF has an average benchmark score of 49367, which is 0.4% higher than the Core i5-14600K's average score of 49166. This indicates a negligible performance difference between the two processors.

Q: What is the percentile ranking of the RTX 4080 SUPER among all tested GPUs?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER falls in the 88th percentile of all GPUs. This places it in the upper echelon of graphics cards, well ahead of the majority of the competition.

Q: What kind of performance difference is there between the Low and Ultra presets at 1080p?

A: The difference is substantial. The average frame rate nearly doubles, going from 296.6 FPS on Low to 153.2 FPS on Ultra. This 143.4 FPS gap highlights the significant cost of the Ultra preset's visual enhancements.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER is the dominant component in this pairing for The Technomancer. The data clearly shows that the GPU's workload is the primary determinant of frame rate. With 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus providing 736.3 GB/s of bandwidth, the card has ample resources for the game's textures at any resolution. The high boost clock of 2550 MHz and 52.22 TFLOPS of FP32 compute power drive the rendering pipeline, and the benchmark results reflect this.

The role of the GPU becomes apparent when observing the frame rate deltas across different quality presets. At 1920x1080, moving from Low to Ultra settings reduces the average frame rate by 143.4 FPS, from 296.6 to 153.2. This is a direct consequence of increasing the GPU's workload. Similarly, at 2560x1440, the Ultra preset (100.3 FPS) is 90 FPS slower than the Low preset (190.3 FPS). The trend holds at 4K, where the Ultra preset (53.9 FPS) is roughly half the speed of the Low preset (107.0 FPS). These results indicate that the RTX 4080 SUPER is the component being stressed by higher settings, and its performance scales predictably with the graphical load.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate data shows a clear and consistent pattern of scaling as resolution increases. The system's performance is heavily influenced by the number of pixels being rendered, which further confirms the GPU-bound nature of this game. At the High preset, the average frame rate drops from 194.3 FPS at 1080p to 128.2 FPS at 1440p, a reduction of 66.1 FPS. Moving up to 4K, the average falls further to 69.1 FPS, a 59.1 FPS drop from the 1440p result.

This scaling pattern reveals how the limiting component changes. At 1080p, the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU enough data to achieve very high frame rates. However, as the resolution increases, the GPU's rendering workload grows, and it becomes the definitive bottleneck. The frame rate drops at 4K are significant, highlighting the immense processing demand of 3840x2160. For example, at 4K Ultra, the system manages 53.9 FPS, which is a 99.3 FPS drop from the 1080p Ultra result of 153.2 FPS. This shows that while the combo is powerful, the demands of 4K Ultra settings push the GPU to its limits.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-14600KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER ranks 102nd out of 1656 tested combinations in this game. This places the setup in the top 6.2% of all systems, signifying a very high level of performance. The ranking reflects the strength of both components. The CPU's average benchmark score of 49367 places it in the 93rd percentile against all CPUs, and the GPU's average score of 53610 places it in the 88th percentile against all GPUs.

The CPU's standing among its nearest rivals is particularly tight. The Core i5-14600KF scores 0.4% higher than the Core i5-14600K and 0.6% higher than the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X. It trails the AMD EPYC 4345P by 0.5% and the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H by 1.4%. These are all marginal differences, indicating that the processor is performing as expected for its class. The GPU also holds its own, scoring 0.2% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT and 2.9% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti. This solid performance from both components contributes to the strong overall ranking for this specific combo within The Technomancer.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides a clear guide for optimizing the experience with this hardware. For users with a 1080p display, the Ultra preset is a viable option, delivering an average of 153.2 FPS. This offers the highest visual fidelity while still maintaining a frame rate well above 144 Hz. For those seeking maximum competitive performance, the High preset at 194.3 FPS or even Low at 296.6 FPS are available, with the latter providing an exceptionally high refresh rate.

At 2560x1440, the High preset provides an excellent balance, with an average of 128.2 FPS. This is ideal for 144 Hz monitors. The Ultra preset is also very playable at 100.3 FPS, offering a richer visual experience for those who prioritize image quality over a slight reduction in frame rate. The Medium preset at 147.6 FPS and Low at 190.3 FPS are also options for maximizing refresh rate, but the High preset appears to be the sweet spot for most users.

For 4K gaming, the situation is more nuanced. The High preset is the recommended choice, as it is the only 4K setting that achieves an average frame rate above 60 FPS, hitting 69.1 FPS. The Medium preset at 80.1 FPS offers better performance but with a step down in visual quality. The Ultra preset, while visually impressive, dips to 53.9 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target for smooth gameplay on many displays. The Low preset at 107.0 FPS is an option for high-refresh-rate 4K gaming, but it significantly compromises visual fidelity. Based on the data, the High preset at 4K is the most balanced configuration, providing a smooth and visually satisfying experience without sacrificing too much performance.