The Technomancer

The Technomancer, a 2016 Action RPG, presents an interesting stress test for modern hardware. The data for this configuration—an Intel Core i7-12700K paired with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090—shows a combination that is massively overqualified for the title, yet still reveals distinct performance ceilings and scaling characteristics. The measured results indicate a system capable of extreme frame rates, but the bottlenecks shift dramatically depending on resolution and preset. This analysis breaks down the specific measured FPS data, the role of each component, and how this pairing ranks among thousands of other tested configurations.

FAQ

Q: What is the combo's overall rank in The Technomancer?

A: The Intel Core i7-12700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 combination ranks 88th out of 3696 tested combos in this game, placing it in the top 2.4% of all configurations.

Q: What is the maximum average frame rate achieved with this hardware?

A: The highest average FPS recorded is 288 at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. This indicates the game engine's frame rate ceiling is hit well before the hardware's full potential is utilized at this resolution.

Q: What is the lowest average frame rate recorded, and at what settings?

A: The lowest average FPS is 62 at 3840x2160 (4K) resolution with Ultra settings. This is the most demanding configuration tested, representing the only preset where the average dips below the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: How does the RTX 5090's average benchmark score compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The RTX 5090 has an average benchmark score of 79842. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB, scores 79605, making the 5090 0.3% faster. It is also 1.1% faster than the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT, which scores 78940.

Q: How does the CPU's multi-threaded performance compare to its closest competitor?

A: The Core i7-12700K has an average benchmark score of 35287. Its closest rival, the Intel Core i5-13600T, scores 35305, which is just 0.1% higher, indicating the two processors are nearly identical in overall average performance.

Q: What is the frame time consistency like at 1440p Medium settings?

A: At 2560x1440 with Medium settings, the average FPS is 169, with a minimum of 144 and a maximum of 195. The minimum frame rate exactly matches the average FPS of the High preset at the same resolution.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 is the undisputed performance driver in this configuration. Its specifications are extreme: a 32 GB GDDR7 memory pool on a 512-bit bus provides a massive 1.79 TB/s of bandwidth. The GPU's boost clock of 2407 MHz and its massive 21760 shading units allow for immense compute throughput, rated at 104.8 TFLOPS for FP32 operations. This hardware is designed to obliterate any resolution or settings combination, and in The Technomancer, it does exactly that for the most part.

The GPU's role is most clearly defined at higher resolutions. At 4K, the demand on the renderer increases substantially, and the differences between presets become stark. The data shows a clear progression: Low settings produce an average of 121 FPS, Medium yields 93 FPS, High drops to 79 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 62 FPS. This scaling indicates that the RTX 5090's raw power is the primary factor in determining performance at 3840x2160, as the frame rate is highly sensitive to the graphical workload. The GPU is still so powerful that it exceeds 60 FPS on the most demanding preset, but the headroom is finally being challenged.

The data suggests that at 1080p, the GPU's role diminishes significantly. The average FPS at Low settings is 288, and at High it is 221. These numbers are so high that they suggest the CPU or the game engine itself is becoming the limiting factor, preventing the GPU from rendering even more frames. The RTX 5090 is effectively waiting for work at this resolution, evidence of its enormous capability. Its performance is so far beyond the game's requirements that it saturates the render pipeline, making the GPU's vast memory bandwidth and compute resources largely irrelevant at lower resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

In the grand scheme of tested configurations for The Technomancer, this pairing is elite. The combo rank of 88 out of 3696 places it in the 97.6th percentile of all tested systems. This is a definitive statement that this hardware is overkill for the title, as the vast majority of systems, even high-end ones, will not come close to matching its performance.

This ranking is a direct result of the GPU's dominance. The RTX 5090's average benchmark score of 79842 places it in the 92nd percentile of all GPUs tested on this site. While its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks are professional-grade Tesla cards and mobile Radeon parts, its gaming performance in this title is clearly top-tier. The CPU, while not as dominant, is also a strong performer, sitting in the 84th percentile of all CPUs with an average score of 35287. The combination of a top-10% CPU with a top-8% GPU results in a top-2.4% gaming combo.

The ranking implies that very few other systems can deliver the frame rates seen in the measured data. For instance, achieving a 4K Ultra average of 62 FPS or a 1440p Ultra average of 113 FPS requires this level of hardware. The rank is a holistic measure, but the FPS data makes it clear that the RTX 5090 is the primary reason this combo sits so high. The CPU provides a solid foundation, but the GPU is the component that pushes the system past thousands of others.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured data provides a complete picture of performance across three resolutions and four settings presets. The results are characterized by extremely high frame rates that scale predictably with resolution and settings.

At 1920x1080:

• Low: 288 average FPS
• Medium: 259 average FPS (min 220, max 298)
• High: 221 average FPS
• Ultra: 173 average FPS

The 1080p results are CPU-bound. The 67 FPS difference between Low and Ultra is significant, but even the lowest number is far beyond what any display can show. The Medium preset data, with a minimum of 220 FPS, shows excellent frame pacing.

At 2560x1440:

• Low: 220 average FPS
• Medium: 169 average FPS (min 144, max 195)
• High: 144 average FPS
• Ultra: 113 average FPS

1440p is the sweet spot for this hardware, offering a balance between GPU load and high refresh rates. The scaling is consistent, with each settings step costing roughly 25-30% performance. The High preset's average of 144 FPS aligns perfectly with common 144Hz monitor refresh rates.

At 3840x2160:

• Low: 121 average FPS
• Medium: 93 average FPS (min 79, max 107)
• High: 79 average FPS
• Ultra: 62 average FPS

4K is where the RTX 5090's power is fully engaged. The Ultra preset average of 62 FPS is the only result below 100 FPS, highlighting the massive workload increase at this resolution. The scaling from Low to Ultra is a 49% performance drop, showing the GPU is now the primary bottleneck.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is dramatic and reveals the nature of the limiting component. Moving from 1080p Low to 4K Low, the average FPS drops from 288 to 121, a reduction of 58%. Similarly, on the High preset, performance falls from 221 FPS at 1080p to 79 FPS at 4K, a 64% reduction.

These steep declines indicate a shift from a CPU-bound scenario to a GPU-bound one. At 1080p, the frame rate is artificially capped by the CPU's ability to feed the GPU game state data. The RTX 5090 is so fast that it renders frames faster than the CPU can issue draw calls, leading to a plateau. As resolution increases, the GPU's rendering workload grows, and it takes longer to produce each frame. This allows the CPU to keep up, and the GPU becomes the definitive limiting factor.

The scaling pattern is typical of a game with a simple engine and a very powerful GPU. The difference between 1440p and 4K is more pronounced than the difference between 1080p and 1440p. For example, on High settings, 1080p to 1440p is a 35% drop (221 to 144 FPS), but 1440p to 4K is a 45% drop (144 to 79 FPS). This confirms that the GPU is being increasingly saturated as pixel count rises, and its massive 1.79 TB/s memory bandwidth is crucial for maintaining these high frame rates at 4K.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-12700K serves as the foundational piece for this system. Its specifications are robust for a modern gaming CPU: 12 cores and 20 threads on the Alder Lake architecture, with a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. It also features a 25 MB shared L3 cache. In synthetic benchmarks, it demonstrates strong multi-threaded capabilities with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 19784 and a single-core score of 1850.5.

In The Technomancer, the CPU's role is to provide a stable platform for the GPU. The data shows that at 1080p, the CPU is the limiting factor. The fact that the Low preset yields 288 FPS and the High preset yields 221 FPS is more of a reflection of the GPU's workload than the CPU's limits. The CPU is likely hitting a thread or engine-level bottleneck at these frame rates, preventing the GPU from reaching its true maximum.

The CPU's performance is sufficient to feed the RTX 5090 at 1440p and 4K, where the GPU becomes the bottleneck. At these resolutions, the CPU's 20 threads and high boost clock ensure it is not the cause of any frame rate drops. Its average benchmark score of 35287 places it in the 84th percentile, and its performance is nearly identical to the Intel Core i5-13600T, which has an average score of 35305 (a 0.1% difference). This indicates that while the CPU is strong, it is not the star of the show; its role is to get out of the GPU's way.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured data, the optimal settings depend heavily on the target resolution and refresh rate.

For 4K, the High preset is the recommended choice for a balance of visual quality and performance. With an average of 79 FPS, it provides a smooth experience on a 60Hz or 75Hz display, and it is a significant upgrade over the 93 FPS Medium preset. The Ultra preset, at 62 FPS, is also playable but offers diminishing returns for the performance cost, and it is the only setting that drops below the 60 FPS line.

For 1440p, the High preset is the clear winner. Its average of 144 FPS is a perfect match for 144Hz monitors, providing a buttery-smooth experience. The Ultra preset at 113 FPS is also excellent for high refresh rate gaming, but the 31 FPS drop from High might not justify the minor visual gains for competitive play. The Medium preset's minimum of 144 FPS shows it can also hold this framerate, but High offers superior visuals for the same average FPS.

For 1080p, the Ultra preset is the only sensible choice. With an average of 173 FPS, it is the most visually demanding option and still delivers frame rates far beyond the refresh rate of any standard monitor. Lower presets, like Low at 288 FPS, are entirely pointless as they sacrifice visual fidelity for frame rates that cannot be displayed. The High preset at 221 FPS is also excessive. The data shows that the CPU, not the GPU, is the limiting factor at this resolution, so maxing out the settings is the best way to utilize the available hardware resources.