The Technomancer

The Technomancer, a 2016 Action RPG, presents a demanding workload for the Intel Core i7-12700K and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 combination. The benchmark data shows this pairing is positioned in the lower half of tested configurations, ranking 1384 out of 1656 combos. This indicates that while the CPU is exceptionally strong, the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck, especially at higher resolutions and settings, leading to a generally playable but not consistently smooth experience.

Settings Recommendations

For the best balance of visual fidelity and performance, the High preset at 1920x1080 is the clear recommendation. The measured data shows an average of 80.1 FPS at this setting, which is more than sufficient for smooth gameplay. This provides a 19.4 FPS improvement over the Ultra preset’s 60.5 FPS average, while maintaining a significant visual upgrade over the Medium preset’s 89.5 FPS. The Ultra preset is playable but sits right at the 60 FPS threshold, leaving little headroom for demanding scenes.

At 2560x1440, the High preset is again the optimal choice, delivering 52.1 FPS. While this is below the 60 FPS target, it is the highest visual quality setting that remains comfortably above the 30 FPS playability floor. The Medium preset offers a more stable 61.8 FPS, but the drop to High is a more balanced compromise. The Ultra preset at 37 FPS is playable but noticeably less fluid.

For 3840x2160, the data suggests that only the Low preset, with an average of 41 FPS, is suitable for a consistent experience. The Medium preset drops to 33.3 FPS, and High falls to 29.4 FPS, both of which are on the edge of playability. The Ultra preset at 20.2 FPS is not recommended for any serious gameplay. The GPU’s 8 GB of VRAM and memory bandwidth are insufficient for the demands of 4K Ultra in this title.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 is the defining component in this pairing. Its 8 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus provides a bandwidth of 256.3 GB/s. The data shows that this is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p gaming, but it becomes a major limiting factor at 4K. The GPU’s performance percentile is 51, placing it in the middle of all GPUs, and its benchmark scores show it trailing the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 SUPER by 1.4% in average score. This places it as a capable mid-range card, but one that is not designed for the highest resolutions.

The GPU’s boost clock of 1683 MHz and its FP32 performance of 6.463 TFLOPS are the key raw performance figures. The data shows that the gap between the Low and Ultra settings at 1080p is 58.3 FPS (118.8 vs 60.5), which demonstrates the GPU’s sensitivity to the increased shading and texture work of higher presets. At 4K, the gap is 20.8 FPS (41 vs 20.2), showing that the GPU’s computational limits are being hit hard, with the resolution scaling overwhelming the gains from lower settings.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K clearly identifies the GPU as the limiting component. At the High preset, the average FPS falls from 80.1 at 1080p to 52.1 at 1440p, a drop of 28 FPS. Moving from 1440p to 4K, it falls from 52.1 to 29.4, a further drop of 22.7 FPS. This represents a 63.3% reduction in FPS from 1080p to 4K. This steep decline is characteristic of a system where the GPU is fully saturated.

This is further confirmed by the Low preset. At 1080p, the average is 118.8 FPS. At 1440p, it drops to 76.3 FPS, and at 4K, it is 41 FPS. The scaling from 1440p to 4K is a 46.3% reduction, which is slightly less than at High settings. This indicates that even with reduced graphical load, the GTX 1070 cannot maintain high frame rates at 4K. The CPU, with its 12 cores and 20 threads, is not the bottleneck, as it has ample headroom to feed the GPU at all tested resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i7-12700K and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 ranks 1384 out of 1656 tested combos in The Technomancer. This places it in the bottom 16% of all configurations, which is a direct result of the GPU's mid-range capabilities relative to the high-end CPU. The data shows a significant mismatch, where the CPU’s performance, at the 89th percentile, is vastly superior to the GPU’s, which is at the 51st percentile.

This ranking suggests that the system is well-suited for 1080p gaming, where it performs admirably, but struggles at higher resolutions. The CPU’s strength does not translate into high frame rates at 4K because the GPU is the limiting factor. The combo’s performance is defined by the GPU’s average benchmark score of 12331, which is closely matched by its rivals, including the NVIDIA Quadro K4200, which is only 0.7% faster. This places the GTX 1070 in a specific performance tier that is not sufficient for the most demanding settings in this game.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-12700K is a high-end processor that provides a substantial performance foundation for this combo. With 12 cores and 20 threads, it has a significant amount of parallel processing capability. However, in The Technomancer, the data indicates that the CPU is not the primary constraint. The benchmark scores show its strength, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 29241 and a single-core score of 4128. This performance is reflected in its percentile ranking of 89, placing it above 89% of all CPUs.

The CPU’s role is to feed the GPU with data. At 1080p with Low settings, the system achieves 118.8 FPS, which shows the CPU can handle the game’s logic and draw calls efficiently. The fact that the FPS drops so drastically with resolution scaling confirms that the GPU is the bottleneck, not the CPU. The processor’s high boost clock of 5.00 GHz and its large 25 MB L3 cache ensure that it is not the cause of any stuttering or frame rate dips in the measured scenarios. The CPU is effectively waiting on the GPU to complete its rendering tasks.

Measured FPS Breakdown

1920x1080: The data shows a clear scaling hierarchy. The Low preset averages 118.8 FPS, providing an exceptionally smooth experience. The Medium preset averages 89.5 FPS, a 29.3 FPS reduction. The High preset averages 80.1 FPS, which is still very playable. The Ultra preset averages 60.5 FPS, which is the minimum for a consistent 60 FPS experience.

2560x1440: Performance drops are significant. The Low preset averages 76.3 FPS, dropping 42.5 FPS from 1080p. The Medium preset averages 61.8 FPS, a 27.7 FPS drop from 1080p. The High preset averages 52.1 FPS, a 28 FPS drop. The Ultra preset averages 37 FPS, a 23.5 FPS drop from its 1080p counterpart.

3840x2160: The GPU is clearly overburdened. The Low preset averages 41 FPS, which is the only playable option. The Medium preset drops to 33.3 FPS. The High preset averages 29.4 FPS, and the Ultra preset falls to 20.2 FPS, which is not a viable frame rate for gameplay. The data shows that the GTX 1070 is not capable of delivering a consistent 60 FPS experience at this resolution in The Technomancer.

FAQ

Q: What is the best preset for a 60 FPS experience at 1080p?

A: The High preset is the best choice, delivering an average of 80.1 FPS. The Ultra preset also averages 60.5 FPS, but High provides more headroom for demanding scenes.

Q: Is this combo suitable for 4K gaming in The Technomancer?

A: No. The data shows that even at the Low preset, the average FPS is only 41 at 3840x2160. Higher presets drop below 30 FPS, making them unsuitable for play.

Q: How does the GTX 1070 compare to its nearest rival, the GTX 1650 SUPER?

A: The benchmark data shows the GTX 1070 has an average score of 12331, which is 1.4% lower than the GTX 1650 SUPER's score of 12504.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in this game?

A: The GPU is the limiting factor. The FPS drops significantly with resolution scaling, showing the GPU is saturated, while the CPU has ample performance headroom.

Q: What is the performance gap between the Low and Ultra presets at 1440p?

A: The difference is 39.3 FPS. The Low preset averages 76.3 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 37 FPS.

Q: Where does this combo rank among all tested systems?

A: It ranks 1384 out of 1656 tested combos, placing it in the lower performance tier due to the GPU’s limitations.