The Technomancer

The Technomancer, a 2016 Action RPG, presents a demanding workload that heavily favors GPU throughput. Testing the Intel Core i7-12700K with the AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT reveals a configuration that is capable of high refresh rates at 1080p but becomes progressively more GPU-bound as resolution increases. The measured data indicates that this combo sits in the 57th percentile of all tested combinations, suggesting a balanced pairing where neither component is a consistent bottleneck across all settings.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and clearly identifies the Radeon RX 6700 XT as the limiting factor at higher resolutions. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 110.8 FPS at 1920x1080 to 72.1 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of 34.9%, and then further down to 38.7 FPS at 3840x2160. This trajectory shows the GPU struggling to maintain playable frame rates as pixel count increases, with the 4K result being less than half of the 1080p figure.

The scaling pattern is consistent across all quality presets. When moving from 1080p to 4K, the Low preset drops from 172.2 FPS to 63.1 FPS, while the Medium preset drops from 130.3 FPS to 46.1 FPS. The Ultra preset suffers the largest relative loss, falling from 89.4 FPS at 1080p to just 29.6 FPS at 4K. This consistent decline across presets confirms that resolution, rather than graphical complexity, is the primary driver of performance loss.

The data suggests that 1440p is the practical ceiling for this combination if the goal is to maintain a smooth experience. At 2560x1440, the High preset delivers 72.1 FPS, which is acceptable for most gameplay, while the Ultra preset drops to 55.5 FPS. At 4K, even the Low preset only achieves 63.1 FPS, indicating that the GPU is saturated by the pixel count alone, leaving little headroom for visual enhancements.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT features 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, providing 384.0 GB/s of bandwidth. This memory configuration is a key factor in the game's performance, as The Technomancer appears to be sensitive to memory throughput. The GPU's base clock of 2321 MHz and boost clock of 2581 MHz, with a game clock of 2424 MHz, are relatively high for the RDNA 2.0 architecture, which helps maintain performance in less demanding scenes.

The GPU's specifications directly correlate with the measured FPS drops at higher resolutions. With 2560 shading units and 64 ROPs, the card has substantial compute resources, but the 192-bit memory bus becomes a bottleneck when rendering at 4K. This is evidenced by the 38.7 FPS result at High settings, which is a significant drop from the 72.1 FPS at 1440p. The memory bandwidth of 384.0 GB/s is sufficient for 1440p but insufficient for the 8.3 million pixels in 4K.

The GPU's position in the benchmark hierarchy reinforces its mid-range status. With a percentile rank of 77 among all GPUs, it sits just behind the Radeon RX 6800 in average benchmark score, which is 0.7% higher. Interestingly, the nearest rivals include older cards like the Radeon HD 7950 and RX 480, which have identical average scores (34050 and 34059 respectively) but are 1% behind. This suggests that while the RX 6700 XT is modern, its performance profile is not dramatically superior to much older hardware in this specific title.

How This Combo Ranks

Among the 1656 tested combinations, this pairing of the Intel Core i7-12700K and AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT achieves a rank of 944. This places it in the bottom half of all configurations, which is surprising given the individual component strengths. The rank suggests that while each part is capable on its own, their combination does not produce top-tier results in The Technomancer, likely due to the game's specific engine characteristics.

The CPU's performance data provides context for this ranking. The Core i7-12700K achieves a single-thread score of 4013 in Passmark, which is a strong result, and a multi-thread score of 34404. However, the game appears to rely more heavily on GPU performance, as evidenced by the FPS scaling. The CPU's percentile rank of 89 among all processors indicates it is a high-end part, yet the combo rank of 944 out of 1656 shows that pairing it with this GPU does not yield top-tier results.

This ranking implies that other CPUs, possibly with different core configurations or older architectures, might pair better with the RX 6700 XT in this specific game. The CPU's nearest rivals, such as the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845 with a 0.3% higher average score, do not show significant performance differences. The bottleneck is clearly not the CPU, as even at 1080p Low settings, the combination achieves 172.2 FPS, which is far from CPU-limited territory.

Settings Recommendations

For the best balance of visual quality and performance, the High preset at 2560x1440 is the recommended configuration. This setting yields 72.1 FPS, which is comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay, and provides a significant visual upgrade over the Medium preset. The Medium preset at 1440p offers 87 FPS, but the jump to High is worth the 15 FPS loss for improved graphical fidelity.

At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset is viable, delivering 89.4 FPS. This allows users with 1080p monitors to experience the game at its highest visual settings while maintaining a high frame rate. The High preset at this resolution provides 110.8 FPS, which is ideal for high refresh rate displays. The data shows that at 1080p, the CPU and GPU combination has enough headroom to push maximum settings.

For 4K displays, the Low preset is the only option that approaches playability, with 63.1 FPS. The Medium preset at 46.1 FPS and High at 38.7 FPS are both below the 60 FPS target, while Ultra at 29.6 FPS is not recommended for action gameplay. Users with 4K monitors should consider lowering resolution to 1440p for a better experience, as the difference in image quality is often less noticeable than the difference in frame rate.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the performance envelope is wide, spanning from 89.4 FPS at Ultra settings to 172.2 FPS at Low settings. The progression is linear: Low delivers 172.2 FPS, Medium 130.3 FPS, High 110.8 FPS, and Ultra 89.4 FPS. These numbers indicate that the game is not CPU-limited at this resolution, as even the highest settings maintain high frame rates.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates drop but remain respectable. Low settings deliver 108.6 FPS, providing a smooth experience that exceeds 100 FPS. Medium settings produce 87 FPS, while High settings achieve 72.1 FPS. The Ultra preset falls to 55.5 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target but still playable for some users who prioritize visual quality.

At 3840x2160, the performance is severely constrained. Low settings yield 63.1 FPS, which is the only preset that stays above 60 FPS. Medium settings drop to 46.1 FPS, High to 38.7 FPS, and Ultra to 29.6 FPS. These results clearly show that 4K gaming is not a strength of this configuration, and users should expect to make significant compromises at this resolution.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-12700K provides 12 cores and 20 threads, with a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. This Alder Lake architecture, built on a 10 nm process, delivers strong single-thread performance with a Passmark single-thread score of 4013. The multi-thread score of 34404 indicates substantial parallel processing capability, though this is not heavily utilized by The Technomancer.

The CPU's role in this game is primarily to feed the GPU with data, and its performance is more than adequate for this task. At 1080p Low settings, the combination achieves 172.2 FPS, which is likely near the game's engine limit. The CPU's 3DMark scores show scaling from 1043 in single-thread to 9979 in max-thread tests, confirming its capability across various workloads.

The benchmark data suggests that the CPU is not a limiting factor in any of the measured configurations. Even at 4K Ultra, where the GPU is clearly the bottleneck at 29.6 FPS, the CPU has ample headroom. The CPU's launch MSRP of $409 positions it as a high-end desktop part, and its performance in this game aligns with that positioning, though the combo's overall rank of 944 indicates that the GPU holds back the system's potential.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest playable setting at 1080p?

A: The Ultra preset delivers 89.4 FPS at 1920x1080, which is the highest setting tested and provides a smooth experience.

Q: Can this combination handle 4K gaming?

A: At 3840x2160, only the Low preset exceeds 60 FPS with 63.1 FPS. Medium, High, and Ultra settings produce 46.1, 38.7, and 29.6 FPS respectively, which are not ideal for action gameplay.

Q: Which resolution provides the best balance of quality and performance?

A: The High preset at 2560x1440 offers 72.1 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS target while providing good visual fidelity. This represents the best compromise between image quality and smoothness.

Q: How does the CPU's performance compare to its rivals?

A: The Intel Core i7-12700K scores 35684 on average, which is 0.3% lower than the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845 and 0.6% higher than the Intel Core i7-13700T. Its performance is closely matched with these alternatives.

Q: What is the GPU's memory configuration and why does it matter?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT has 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus with 384.0 GB/s bandwidth. This configuration is sufficient for 1440p but becomes a limiting factor at 4K, as evidenced by the steep FPS drops.

Q: How does this combo rank against all tested combinations?

A: This pairing ranks 944 out of 1656 total combinations, placing it in the lower half of all tested configurations. This is despite the CPU ranking in the 89th percentile, indicating the GPU's performance profile in this game limits the overall result.