The Technomancer

The Intel Core i7-12700K paired with the Intel Arc B370 presents a striking contrast in capabilities when tested in The Technomancer. The CPU is a high-end desktop part from the Alder Lake generation, featuring 12 cores and 20 threads, with a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. It supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory and carries a launch MSRP of $409. The GPU, however, is an integrated graphics solution based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, designed for mobile or portable devices, with a TDP of just 25 W and a boost clock of 2400 MHz. This pairing results in a combination rank of 2603 out of 2825 tested combos in this specific game, placing it in the lower percentile of system configurations measured. The data indicates that the Arc B370 is the definitive bottleneck in this setup, as its performance profile is far below what the Core i7-12700K is capable of supporting.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core i7-12700K is a desktop processor built on the Alder Lake architecture, fabricated on Intel's 10 nm process node. With 12 physical cores and 20 threads, it provides substantial parallel processing power, which is reflected in its synthetic benchmark scores. For instance, it achieves a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 19784 and a Geekbench multicore score of 15790. Its single-threaded performance is also strong, with a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1850.5 and a 3DMark single-thread score of 1043. These numbers place the CPU in the 84th percentile among all tested CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 35287. Its nearest rivals are the Intel Core i5-13600T, Intel Core i7-12700KF, Intel Core i7-13700T, and Intel Core 5 213PE, all of which have average scores within a fraction of a percent of the 12700K.

However, in The Technomancer, the CPU's role is almost entirely subordinated to the GPU. Examining the measured FPS data, the performance scales almost exclusively with the graphics settings and resolution, not with CPU workload. At 1080p with Low settings, the system achieves 71 FPS; at 1080p with Ultra settings, it drops to 37 FPS. This pattern is consistent across all resolutions and settings, indicating that the frame rate is determined by the renderer's workload rather than by any CPU-side computation. The 12 cores and 20 threads of the 12700K are more than sufficient for a game released in 2016, and the CPU's high boost clock of 5.00 GHz ensures that even single-threaded game logic is handled with ease. The data suggests that the CPU is never the limiting factor in this configuration; the Arc B370's limited pixel throughput and shading capacity dictate the final frame counts.

The CPU's 25 MB of shared L3 cache and per-core L1 and L2 caches provide ample bandwidth for game data, but this advantage is moot when the GPU cannot process the frames quickly enough. The 3DMark 16-thread score of 9276 and the max-thread score of 9979 further confirm that the processor has headroom for demanding tasks, yet the measured FPS in The Technomancer never exceeds 71 FPS even at the lowest settings. This is not a reflection of CPU limits but rather the integrated GPU's inability to push more frames. Ultimately, the Core i7-12700K is performing its role as a powerful compute engine, but the system's visual output is wholly constrained by the Arc B370's 1280 shading units and 20 ROPs.

FAQ — 4-6 Q&A pairs answerable from FACT PACK data

Q: What is the combination rank for this CPU and GPU in The Technomancer?

A: The combo ranks 2603 out of 2825 tested combinations, placing it in the bottom portion of the database for this specific game.

Q: How does the Intel Core i7-12700K compare to its nearest rival, the Intel Core i5-13600T?

A: The 12700K has an average benchmark score of 35287, while the i5-13600T scores 35305, a difference of -0.1%. This makes them statistically equivalent in overall synthetic performance.

Q: What is the best average FPS achieved by this combo in The Technomancer?

A: The highest average FPS is 71, which occurs at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. This is the only measured configuration that breaks the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: Does the Intel Arc B370 have a dedicated memory bus or VRAM?

A: No, the Arc B370 uses System Shared memory, meaning its memory size, type, and bus width are all listed as "System Shared" and are dependent on the system's main RAM.

Q: At what settings does the combo drop below 20 FPS at 4K resolution?

A: At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average FPS is 13. With High settings at 4K, the average is 17 FPS. Only Low settings at 4K achieve a higher average, at 26 FPS.

Q: How does the Arc B370's 3DMark Steel Nomad score compare to its nearest rival?

A: The Arc B370 scores 1184, while the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 scores 1186, a delta of -0.2%. The Arc B370 is also -0.5% behind the ATI Radeon HD 5770.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured FPS data for this combo in The Technomancer shows a clear and dramatic scaling pattern across resolutions. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the average FPS is 71. Moving to 2560x1440 at Low settings, the average drops to 47 FPS, a reduction of 24 FPS or approximately 34%. At 3840x2160 with Low settings, the average further drops to 26 FPS, which is a 45 FPS reduction from the 1080p baseline, representing a 63% loss. This steep decline with increasing pixel count is a classic sign of a GPU-bound system. The integrated Arc B370 is being overwhelmed by the sheer number of pixels it must render, and the CPU's high core count and clock speeds cannot compensate for the GPU's limited fill rate.

The pattern holds across all settings. For Medium settings, the average FPS goes from 55 at 1080p to 36 at 1440p and then to 20 at 4K. For High settings, the progression is 47 FPS at 1080p, 31 FPS at 1440p, and 17 FPS at 4K. The relative drop from 1080p to 4K is consistent, hovering around a 60-65% reduction in performance regardless of the quality preset. This uniformity indicates that the limiting factor is the GPU's raw pixel processing capability, which is fixed by its 20 ROPs and 6.144 TFLOPS of FP32 compute. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see a smaller performance gap between 1080p and 4K, as the CPU load would remain constant while the GPU load increases. Instead, the linear scaling suggests that every added pixel directly taxes the GPU, confirming that the Arc B370 is the sole performance limiter.

Furthermore, the absolute FPS values at 4K are unplayable for any modern standard. Even at Low settings, the 26 FPS average is below the threshold for smooth gameplay. At Ultra settings, the 13 FPS average is a slideshow. This data strongly indicates that this combo is not intended for high-resolution gaming, and the Arc B370's 5th percentile ranking among all GPUs reinforces its position as a low-end or integrated graphics solution. The 1080p results, while better, still show limitations, with only the Low preset achieving a playable frame rate. The scaling behavior is a textbook example of a GPU bottleneck, where the CPU's significant resources are left idle while the GPU struggles to keep up with the render workload.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of this combo's capabilities across nine distinct configurations. At 1920x1080, the performance is as follows: Low settings yield an average of 71 FPS, which is the highest score recorded for this combo. Medium settings at 1080p produce an average of 55 FPS, with a minimum of 47 FPS and a maximum of 63 FPS. High settings at 1080p drop to an average of 47 FPS, while Ultra settings further reduce the average to 37 FPS. None of these configurations, except for Low, reach the 60 FPS mark, and the Ultra preset at 1080p is already approaching the territory where frame pacing becomes noticeable.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance degrades consistently. Low settings at 1440p average 47 FPS, which matches the High preset at 1080p, illustrating the direct trade-off between resolution and quality. Medium settings at 1440p average 36 FPS, with a minimum of 30 and a maximum of 41. High settings at 1440p average 31 FPS, and Ultra settings at 1440p average 24 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is roughly 30-35% across all settings, which is expected given the increase in pixel count from approximately 2.1 million to 3.7 million. The minimum FPS values, where provided, show that the system can dip into the low 30s even on Medium settings, indicating inconsistent frame times under load.

At 3840x2160, the results are largely nominal. Low settings at 4K average 26 FPS, which is the playable ceiling for this resolution. Medium settings at 4K average 20 FPS, with a minimum of 17 and a maximum of 23. High settings at 4K average 17 FPS, and Ultra settings at 4K average 13 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at 4K is only 13 FPS, which is a much smaller absolute difference than at 1080p, where the gap is 34 FPS. This compression of the performance range at higher resolutions indicates that the GPU is so heavily saturated at 4K that even reducing the quality settings cannot fully compensate for the pixel load. The data as a whole shows a system that is only viable for 1080p gaming at Low or Medium settings, with any higher resolution or quality preset resulting in sub-optimal frame rates.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combo of the Intel Core i7-12700K and Intel Arc B370 ranks 2603 out of 2825 tested combinations in The Technomancer. This places it in the 93rd percentile from the bottom, or roughly the 8th percentile from the top, meaning it performs worse than the vast majority of other system configurations tested in this game. Given the quality of the CPU, this rank is almost entirely attributable to the GPU. The Core i7-12700K is in the 84th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 35287. Its nearest rivals—the i5-13600T, i7-12700KF, i7-13700T, and Core 5 213PE—are all within 0.4% of its score, confirming that the processor is a top-tier part.

In contrast, the Intel Arc B370 is in the 5th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 1184. Its nearest rivals are the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570, ATI Radeon HD 5770, AMD Radeon HD 7650M, and AMD FirePro M2000, all of which are older or lower-end parts. This massive disparity between the CPU's high percentile and the GPU's low percentile explains the poor combo rank. The system is essentially a high-end processor saddled with an entry-level graphics solution, and The Technomancer is a GPU-intensive title that heavily penalizes this imbalance. The rank of 2603 out of 2825 is not a reflection of the CPU's capabilities but rather a direct consequence of the GPU's inability to render frames at a competitive rate.

The data suggests that if this CPU were paired with a more capable GPU, the combo rank would improve substantially. The i7-12700K's strong multicore performance, evidenced by its Passmark multithread score of 34404 and Cinebench R20 multicore score of 12229, would pose no bottleneck in a game from 2016. However, as measured, the system is firmly in the bottom tier of results. The 2825 total combos tested include a wide range of CPUs and GPUs, and this specific pairing falls into the lowest 8% of that distribution. This ranking is a critical metric for users to understand: the CPU is not the issue, and any upgrade path would focus entirely on replacing or supplementing the integrated GPU with a dedicated solution.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

Based on the measured FPS data, the only configuration that provides a consistently playable experience is 1920x1080 with Low settings, which achieves an average of 71 FPS. This is the only preset in the entire dataset that exceeds the 60 FPS threshold, making it the clear choice for smooth gameplay. The next best option is 1920x1080 with Medium settings, which averages 55 FPS with a minimum of 47 FPS. While not perfectly smooth, this setting offers a significant visual improvement over Low while maintaining a frame rate that is acceptable for most players. The 47 FPS minimum indicates that there will be occasional dips, but the overall experience is likely preferable to the visual downgrades of Low.

At 2560x1440, no setting achieves a fully playable frame rate by modern standards. Low settings at 1440p average 47 FPS, which is on par with High settings at 1080p, but the higher resolution does not provide a substantial visual benefit for this GPU. Medium settings at 1440p average 36 FPS, which is borderline playable but will feel sluggish in action sequences. The minimum FPS of 30 on Medium settings at 1440p suggests that the system can stutter significantly during intense scenes. For 4K resolution, the data is clear: all settings produce average FPS below 30, with Ultra at 13 FPS and High at 17 FPS. These are unplayable and should be avoided entirely.

Given the data, the recommended configuration is 1920x1080 with Medium settings. This provides a balance between visual fidelity and performance, with an average FPS of 55 and a maximum of 63. The 47 FPS minimum is acceptable for a game of this era, and the Medium preset likely includes moderate texture and shadow quality that will look noticeably better than Low. For players who prioritize frame rate above all else, Low settings at 1080p are the only option that guarantees a stable 60+ FPS experience. Ultra settings at any resolution are not recommended, as they produce frame rates below 40 FPS even at 1080p, and the visual gain is unlikely to justify the performance loss. The data strongly suggests that this combo is best suited for 1080p gaming at Medium or Low settings, with no viable path to higher resolutions without a significant performance penalty.