The Technomancer

The Technomancer, an Action RPG released in 2016, exhibits a performance profile with the Intel Core i7-12700K and Intel Arc B580 that is heavily dictated by resolution and preset selection. The measured data reveals a system that can deliver high refresh rate experiences at 1080p, remains very playable at 1440p, but struggles to maintain smooth framerates at 4K. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS across all resolutions and settings, interprets the scaling behavior, and contextualizes the combination's rank against other tested hardware.

Resolution Scaling

The data indicates a significant and predictable drop in average FPS as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. This scaling behavior is critical for understanding the balance between the CPU and GPU.

At 1080p with Low settings, the system achieves 138 FPS. Moving to 1440p Low drops this to 90 FPS, a reduction of 48 FPS. At 4K Low, the average falls further to 49 FPS. This pattern shows that the pixel throughput demand increases sharply with resolution, and the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck.

The scaling from 1080p to 4K is more pronounced at higher settings. With High settings, the average FPS drops from 90 at 1080p to 59 at 1440p and then to 32 at 4K. This steep decline at 4K, representing a 64% reduction from the 1080p figure, suggests that the GPU's rendering capabilities are stretched to their limits at 3840x2160. The data implies that the Arc B580 is not designed to handle this title at maximum resolution with high visual fidelity, as the frame rate falls below the standard threshold for smooth gameplay.

The scaling from 1440p to 4K is particularly severe. At Medium settings, the FPS drops from 69 to 38, a 45% decrease. At Ultra settings, it drops from 46 to 25, a 46% decrease. This consistent pattern across all settings confirms that the GPU is the limiting component at 4K. The GPU's performance is being constrained by its rendering throughput, not the CPU's ability to feed it data.

The data also shows that the CPU is more capable at lower resolutions. At 1080p Low, the 138 FPS result indicates that the CPU can keep up with the GPU's output. However, the GPU's limitations become evident at 4K, where even the Low setting only achieves 49 FPS. This indicates that the GPU is the bottleneck for all resolutions above 1080p, and its performance ceiling is the primary factor in determining playable framerates.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combination depend heavily on the target resolution.

For 1920x1080, the data shows that even Ultra settings deliver 70 FPS, which is a playable experience. However, the Medium setting at 106 FPS provides a much smoother experience with a 36 FPS advantage over Ultra. The Low setting at 138 FPS offers the highest framerate, but the High setting at 90 FPS still provides a solid balance. For players with a high refresh rate monitor, the Low setting at 138 FPS is the best choice to fully utilize the display. The Medium setting at 106 FPS is a strong recommendation for those who want a balance between visual quality and smoothness.

At 2560x1440, the console-level of performance drops. The Medium setting delivers 69 FPS with a minimum of 59 FPS, which is close to a stable 60 FPS and is the recommended preset for a smooth experience. The High setting at 59 FPS is also acceptable, but the Medium preset offers a better margin for frame time consistency. Ultra at 46 FPS is not recommended for smooth play, as it dips below the standard 60 FPS threshold.

For 3840x2160, the data suggests that this combination is not well-suited for demanding gameplay. The Low preset at 49 FPS is the only setting that approaches playability, but it still falls short of a 60 FPS target. Medium at 38 FPS and High at 32 FPS are both below the 30 FPS minimum for playable, and Ultra at 25 FPS is not recommended. The data indicates that users should avoid 4K with this configuration, or drastically reduce visual settings to maintain a minimum FPS.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS measured for this combination?

A: The highest average FPS is 138 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings.

Q: How does the frame rate at 1440p compare to 1080p?

A: At Medium settings, the average FPS drops from 106 at 1080p to 69 at 1440p, a decrease of 37 FPS. With High settings, it drops from 90 to 59.

Q: Is it possible to achieve a 60 FPS average at 4K with this setup?

A: No. The highest average FPS at 3840x2160 is 49 FPS, achieved with Low settings. All other settings deliver 38 FPS or less.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded at 2560x1440 Medium settings?

A: The minimum FPS at 2560x1440 Medium settings is 59 FPS.

Q: Which setting at 1080p provides the highest minimum FPS?

A: The data shows the minimum FPS for the 1080p Medium preset is 90 FPS. The minimum FPS for other 1080p presets is not listed in the data.

Q: What is the Ultra preset performance at 1440p?

A: The Ultra preset at 2560x1440 achieves an average FPS of 46.

Measured FPS Breakdown

1920x1080

• Low: 138 FPS average.
• Medium: 106 FPS average, 90 FPS minimum, 121 FPS maximum.
• High: 90 FPS average.
• Ultra: 70 FPS average.

2560x1440

• Low: 90 FPS average.
• Medium: 69 FPS average, 59 FPS minimum, 79 FPS maximum.
• High: 59 FPS average.
• Ultra: 46 FPS average.

3840x2160

• Low: 49 FPS average.
• Medium: 38 FPS average, 32 FPS minimum, 44 FPS maximum.
• High: 32 FPS average.
• Ultra: 25 FPS average.

This data shows a clear gradient: performance scales down as resolution increases, and the gap between Low and Ultra presets widens at higher resolutions. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 68 FPS, while at 4K, the difference is only 24 FPS. This suggests that at 4K, the GPU is so heavily loaded that the preset choice has a smaller relative impact on performance.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i7-12700K and Intel Arc B580 combination holds a rank of 2787 out of 3696 tested combos in The Technomancer. This means the combination is in the 75th percentile of performance, which is a below-average ranking for the game. This suggests that while the hardware is capable, the game's performance is not optimal for this particular pairing.

The rank is likely a result of the GPU's performance in this title. The Arc B580's 68th percentile ranking against all GPUs indicates that it is an average performer in general, but the title may be particularly demanding on its architecture. The CPU's ranking is more robust, with a 84th percentile against all CPUs, confirming that the CPU is not the limiting factor in this gaming scenario.

The data shows that the combination's rank is lower than what might be expected from the CPU's strong benchmark scores, emphasizing that the GPU is the dominant factor in this game's performance. The 75th percentile rank suggests that many other hardware combinations can outperform this setup in The Technomancer, particularly those with more robust GPUs.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-12700K is a 12-core, 20-thread processor based on the Alder Lake architecture. It has a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. The CPU is a strong performer, ranking in the 84th percentile against all CPUs. Its multi-core performance is strong, with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 19784. The single-core performance is also strong, with a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1850.5 and a Geekbench single-core score of 2308.

In The Technomancer, the CPU's role is to feed frames to the GPU. At 1080p, the system achieves high framerates, indicating the CPU can handle the game's CPU load. The CPU's performance in this game is not the primary bottleneck, as evidenced by the frame rates at 1080p being high. The data shows that at 1080p Low, the system can hit 138 FPS, which is a very high frame rate and indicates the CPU is not limiting the game's performance.

The CPU's 12 cores and 20 threads are more than sufficient for a game released in 2016. The game is not a multi-threaded title, so the CPU's high single-thread performance is the more important attribute. The CPU's boost clock of 5.00 GHz will help in the game's engine if it is single-threaded.

The CPU's performance in gaming is further evidenced by its 3DMark 16-thread score of 9276 and 2-thread score of 2065. These scores show that the CPU can provide high instruction throughput, which is beneficial in game. The CPU's cache is 25 MB of shared L3, which helps with data locality.

The CPU's performance is not a limiting factor in The Technomancer. The GPU is the primary factor in the game's frame rate, as the CPU is capable of producing high frames at lower resolutions, and the framerate is limited by the GPU's performance at higher resolutions.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B580 is a discrete graphics card based on the Xe2-HPG architecture, built on a 5 nm process. It features 2560 shading units and 80 ROPS. The GPU's clock speed is 2670 MHz, and it has a memory bandwidth of 456.0 GB/s from 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus. The GPU has a 68th percentile ranking against all GPUs, indicating it is a mid-range performer.

In The Technomancer, the GPU is the primary bottleneck. The data shows that the frame rate scales significantly with resolution. At 1080p, the GPU can deliver high framerates, but as resolution increases, the FPS drops dramatically. The 4K results, with a maximum of 49 FPS, demonstrate the GPU's limitations at high resolutions.

The GPU's VRAM is not a factor at the tested settings, as the game is not demanding. The 12 GB of VRAM is more than adequate for the game. The GPU's performance is also affected by its architecture, which is not optimized for this specific title.

The GPU's performance is the key driver of the combo's ranking. The 68th percentile GPU score is below the average, and the 75th percentile rank of the combination, indicates the GPU's performance is below the average for the game. The GPU's performance is in this game is a limiting factor for the overall experience, especially at 4K.

The GPU's data shows that it is a capable card for 1080p and 1440p gaming, but it fails to provide a smooth experience at 4K in this particular game. The GPU's performance is the primary factor in the frame rate, and the CPU's capability allows the GPU to be the limiting factor.