The Technomancer

The Technomancer, a 2016 Action RPG, presents a demanding workload that scales distinctly across resolutions and settings. The pairing of an Intel Core i5-9400 with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 produces a dataset that clearly delineates the roles of the CPU and GPU in this specific title. The benchmark results show a broad range of performance, from a very playable 174 FPS at 1080p Low to a more taxing 35 FPS at 4K Ultra, offering a clear picture of the system's capabilities.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a classic pattern of resolution-driven scaling, where the workload transitions from a CPU-bound state to a heavily GPU-bound state. At 1080p with Low settings, the system achieves an average of 174 FPS. This high frame rate suggests that the game is not hindered by the CPU, as it maintains a substantial output. When the resolution is increased to 1440p at the same Low settings, the average drops to 125 FPS, a significant reduction of 49 FPS. This 28% decrease indicates that the GPU is beginning to take on a more substantial role, but the CPU is still keeping pace.

The scaling becomes more pronounced at 4K. At Low settings, the average FPS is 69, a sharp decline from the 125 FPS observed at 1440p. This 44.8% drop is a clear indicator that the GeForce RTX 3070 is becoming the primary limiting factor. The most telling data point for this GPU-bound scenario is the Ultra preset. At 1080p Ultra, the average is 98 FPS; at 1440p Ultra, it falls to 64 FPS, and at 4K Ultra, it plummets to 35 FPS. This progression from 1080p to 1440p represents a 34.7% decrease, and the 1440p to 4K jump is a 45.3% decrease. The linearity of these drops increases as resolution climbs, which is a hallmark of a system that is increasingly reliant on the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-9400 is a 14 nm Coffee Lake part with 6 cores and 6 threads, a base clock of 2.90 GHz, and a boost clock of 4.10 GHz. It has 9 MB of shared L3 cache. The CPU's benchmarks place it in the 47th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 2254. Its nearest rivals show how close the competition is: the Intel Core i7-1068NG7 is merely 0.2% faster, the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 is 0.4% slower, and the Intel Core i3-10305 is 0.4% faster. This tight grouping means the i5-9400 is an average performer in the absolute sense.

In the context of The Technomancer, these specifications have a direct impact. At 1080p with Low settings, the system reports an average of 174 FPS. This is a very high frame rate, and it suggests that the CPU is keeping up with the game's demands. The benchmark data does not show a CPU bottleneck at this resolution. However, the game's performance at 4K with Low settings is 69 FPS, which is lower than the 1080p result. The CPU's role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and scene data; the data shows that the CPU is not the limiting factor at 1080p, as the FPS is high. The fact that the average FPS drops by a larger margin from 1440p to 4K than from 1080p to 1440p is a strong signal that the GPU is the primary constraint at the higher resolution. The CPU's 6 threads and 4.10 GHz boost clock are sufficient for this title, as there are no specific game benchmarks to indicate a bottleneck.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data allows for clear recommendations based on the target resolution and desired frame rate. At 1080p, the Ultra preset provides an average of 98 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. For users with a 60 Hz monitor, the Ultra preset at 1080p is a solid choice. For those with a 144 Hz display, the Medium preset yields an average of 147 FPS and a minimum of 125 FPS, which is a better fit to make good use of high refresh rates. The Low preset at 1080p reaches 174 FPS, which is the highest in the dataset, and this is only for users who prioritize frame rate above all else.

Moving to 1440p, the High preset produces an average of 82 FPS, which is still very playable. The Medium preset at 1440p has an average of 96 FPS and a minimum of 82, which is a better balance for high refresh screens. The Ultra preset at 1440p drops to 64 FPS, which is still playable but not as high as the other presets. For a consistent 60 FPS experience at 4K, the data shows that the Low preset achieves 69 FPS, while the Medium preset is 53 FPS, and the High and Ultra presets are 45 and 35 FPS, respectively. The only 4K setting that comfortably clears 60 FPS is the Low preset. The Medium preset's minimum FPS of 45 is also a sign that there will be noticeable dips. There is no preset that offers a sustained 60 FPS at 4K Ultra, so users who want 4K should be prepared to use the Medium or Low settings to get a playable experience.

How This Combo Ranks

In the overall database of tested combos for The Technomancer, this configuration of the Intel Core i5-9400 and the RTX 3070 ranks 1629th out of 3696 combinations. This places it in the 44th percentile of all tested combos. This is a relatively high ranking, and it is a strong result. The ranking is a composite measure of the system's overall capability in this game. The GPU's raw performance is high, but the CPU is an average performer that might be holding the system back in some scenarios. The data shows that this combo is not at the top of the rankings, but it is well above the middle of the pack. The high FPS numbers at 1080p and 1440p are the reason for this ranking, while the 4K performance is lower and falls into a more average range.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 is the main driver of performance here. It has a GA104 chip with 5888 shading units, 184 TMUs, and 96 ROPs. Its clock speeds range from a base of 1500 MHz to a boost of 1725 MHz. The memory subsystem is an 8 GB GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus, which gives a bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s. The GPU's 46 RT cores and 184 tensor cores are present but not directly measured in this game's benchmarks. The GPU's benchmark places it in the 61st percentile of all GPUs, with an average score of 17208. Its closest rival is the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT, which is 0.7% slower, and the NVIDIA Tesla K40c, which is 1.5% faster.

The GPU's role is clear in the FPS scaling. At 4K, the average FPS at Low is 69, and at Ultra it is 35. This is a 49.3% drop. At 1440p, the Low preset gives 125 FPS and the Ultra is 64 FPS, a 48.8% drop. At 1080p, the Low preset gives 174 FPS, a 43.7% drop from the 98 FPS of the Ultra. The consistent pattern of the average FPS dropping by roughly 45% to 49% from Low to Ultra settings across all resolutions demonstrates that the GPU is the primary bottleneck. The high minimum FPS of 125 at 1080p Medium, 82 at 1440p Medium, and 45 at 4K Medium also highlights the GPU's ability to maintain a playable frame rate, but the 4K Ultra result of 32 FPS is a clear indication that the GPU is not powerful enough to run the game at its highest settings in 4K.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive look at the performance across the three resolutions and four settings.

At 1920x1080, the Low preset shows an average of 174 FPS. The Medium preset averages 147 FPS, with a minimum of 125 FPS and a maximum of 169 FPS. The High preset averages 125 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 98 FPS. The data shows a clear performance ordering, with Low being the fastest and Ultra being the slowest.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 125 FPS. The Medium preset averages 96 FPS, with a minimum of 82 FPS and a maximum of 110 FPS. The High preset averages 82 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 64 FPS. The scaling is consistent with the 1080p results, but the absolute numbers are lower.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 69 FPS. The Medium preset averages 53 FPS, with a minimum of 45 FPS and a maximum of 61 FPS. The High preset averages 45 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 35 FPS. The 4K Medium preset is the only one with a reported minimum and maximum, showing a 16 FPS range. The High preset's average of 45 FPS is below the 60 FPS target, and the Ultra's 35 FPS is below that.

The data shows that the 1080p resolution is the only one where all presets deliver an average above 90 FPS. The 1440p resolution is the only one where the Medium preset is the only one that stays above 90 FPS. The 4K resolution is only playable at Low and Medium settings.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 1080p Ultra settings?

A: The average FPS at 1080p with Ultra settings is 98 FPS.

2. What is the highest average FPS in the dataset?

A: The highest average FPS is 174, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings.

3. Is the RTX 3070 a bottleneck at 4K?

A: Yes. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS is 32, which is not a smooth experience. The GPU is the limiting factor, as the CPU is likely not the constraint at this resolution.

4. What is the average FPS at 1440p Medium settings?

A: The average FPS at 1440p Medium is 96 FPS, with a minimum of 82 FPS and a maximum of 110 FPS.

5. How does the i5-9400 compare to the i7-10710U in benchmarks?

A: The i5-9400 has an average benchmark score of 2254, which is 0.3% lower than the i7-10710U's score of 2248.

6. What is the difference between the Low and Ultra presets at 1080p?

A: The Low preset has an average of 174 FPS, while the Ultra preset has an average of 98 FPS. This is a 76 FPS difference.