The Technomancer

The Technomancer, a 2016 Action RPG, presents a demanding workload for the Intel Core i7-12700KF and AMD Radeon RX 580 combination. The measured frame rates across resolutions and settings reveal a system where the graphics card is the primary bottleneck, with the CPU providing ample headroom. The data shows a clear hierarchy of performance that is heavily dependent on both resolution and the chosen graphics preset.

Resolution Scaling

The most significant finding is the dramatic impact of resolution on performance. At 1080p, the combination achieves playable frame rates, but this quickly deteriorates as pixel count increases. Moving from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440 at High settings results in a drop from 50.5 FPS to 35.3 FPS, a reduction of about 30%. The scaling is even more severe when jumping to 4K, where the High preset yields only 19.4 FPS. This represents a 62% decrease from the 1080p High result, indicating that the RX 580's rendering pipeline is being overwhelmed by the 3840x2160 resolution.

The pattern strongly suggests a GPU-bound scenario. The performance loss from 1440p to 4K is far greater than the loss from 1080p to 1440p. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS collapses to 15, which is below the threshold for a consistent interactive experience. The data implies that the RX 580, with its memory bandwidth of 256.0 GB/s, becomes the limiting factor at higher resolutions. The CPU's performance, as indicated by its benchmark scores, is not the constraint here; instead, the GPU's fill rate and memory subsystem are struggling to keep up with the increased pixel workload.

Settings Recommendations

Given the measured data, the optimal settings depend heavily on the target resolution. For a smooth 60 FPS experience, the 1080p Low preset is the only configuration that comes close, with an average of 76.6 FPS. However, this sacrifices visual fidelity. The 1080p Medium preset provides a more balanced experience at 57.9 FPS, which is likely the best compromise for 1080p users who want improved visuals without a major performance hit. The High preset at 1080p, at 50.5 FPS, is still playable but represents a significant step down from Medium.

At 1440p, the situation is more constrained. The Low preset achieves 49.5 FPS, which is acceptable for slower-paced gameplay. However, choosing High or Medium at this resolution will result in frame rates in the mid-30s, which may feel less responsive. For 4K, the data is clear: no preset offers a truly playable experience. Even the Low preset at 4K only manages 28.3 FPS, while Ultra dips to 15 FPS. The conclusion is that for the best experience, users should prioritize 1080p with Medium settings, as the performance cost of moving to 1440p or 4K is disproportionately high.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 580 is clearly the decisive component in this pairing. Its 8 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus provides a 256.0 GB/s bandwidth, which is a crucial specification for this game. The benchmark results show that the GPU operates at a base clock of 1257 MHz and a boost clock of 1340 MHz, with a memory clock of 2000 MHz (8 Gbps effective). These clocks, combined with 2304 shading units and 32 ROPs, produce a pixel rate of 42.88 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 193.0 GTexel/s.

The performance data suggests that the RX 580's raw compute power, rated at 6.175 TFLOPS, is insufficient for high-resolution rendering in The Technomancer. The GPU's percentile ranking of 53 places it in the middle of the pack, and its performance is comparable to older cards like the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570. The severe frame rate drops at 4K highlight the GPU's limitations. The data implies that the game is heavily reliant on the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth, and the RX 580 simply does not have enough of either to handle the demands of 4K, even at the lowest settings.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run The Technomancer at 4K?

A: The data shows that at 4K, the average FPS ranges from 15 on Ultra to 28.3 on Low. These results are below playable thresholds, indicating that 4K is not a viable option for this combination.

Q: What is the best settings preset for 1080p?

A: The 1080p Medium preset offers the best balance, with an average of 57.9 FPS. While the Low preset is faster at 76.6 FPS, Medium provides a significant visual upgrade for a moderate performance cost.

Q: How much faster is 1080p compared to 1440p?

A: The performance gap is substantial. At High settings, 1080p (50.5 FPS) is 43% faster than 1440p (35.3 FPS). This indicates a strong GPU bottleneck at higher resolutions.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor?

A: The benchmark results indicate the GPU is the primary bottleneck. The CPU has a high average benchmark score of 35355 and ranks in the 89th percentile of all CPUs, while the GPU's scores are much lower, leading to significant FPS drops at higher resolutions.

Q: What is the most demanding setting in the game?

A: The Ultra preset at 4K is the most demanding, yielding an average of only 15 FPS. This is the lowest frame rate recorded across all tested configurations.

Q: Does the 8 GB VRAM help at 4K?

A: No. Despite having 8 GB of VRAM, the GPU's compute performance and memory bandwidth are insufficient. The 4K results are consistently low across all presets, showing that VRAM capacity is not the saving grace.

How This Combo Ranks

In the benchmark database, this specific combination of the Intel Core i7-12700KF and the AMD Radeon RX 580 is ranked 1524 out of 1656 tested combinations for The Technomancer. This places it in the bottom 8% of all tested systems. This low ranking is a direct consequence of the GPU's performance limitations. While the CPU is a high-end component, the GPU holds the entire system back in this game.

The data suggests that this pairing is unbalanced for this specific title. The CPU has the headroom to push much higher frame rates, but it is constrained by the GPU. This ranking indicates that for a game like The Technomancer, the GPU is the most critical component for achieving a good experience, and the RX 580 is simply not powerful enough to unlock the potential of the i7-12700KF. Users with this pairing should be aware that they are leaving significant performance on the table.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-12700KF is a powerful processor with 12 cores and 20 threads, running at a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. Its benchmark scores are formidable, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 28979 and a single-core score of 4091. This places it in the 89th percentile of all CPUs, and its average benchmark score of 35355 is nearly identical to its nearest rival, the Intel Core i5-14400, which has a delta of just 0.1%.

However, in The Technomancer, the CPU's role is secondary. The measured FPS data shows a pattern of diminishing returns from lower to higher resolutions, which is characteristic of a GPU-bound workload. For instance, at 1080p Low, the system achieves 76.6 FPS, but this is not a reflection of CPU capability; it is the maximum the GPU can produce. The CPU is likely not the bottleneck, as its high single-thread and multi-thread performance can easily handle the game's logic and AI. The data implies that the i7-12700KF is more than capable for this game, and any performance issues are solely due to the RX 580.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following is the complete set of measured average FPS values for this component combination, organized by resolution and settings preset.

1920x1080 (1080p)

• Ultra: 41.5 FPS
• High: 50.5 FPS
• Medium: 57.9 FPS
• Low: 76.6 FPS

2560x1440 (1440p)

• Ultra: 27.6 FPS
• High: 35.3 FPS
• Medium: 37.8 FPS
• Low: 49.5 FPS

3840x2160 (4K)

• Ultra: 15 FPS
• High: 19.4 FPS
• Medium: 23.9 FPS
• Low: 28.3 FPS

These numbers confirm that the combination is only really suitable for 1080p gaming. The step from 1080p to 1440p incurs an average performance penalty of roughly 30-35% across all settings. The step to 4K is even more punishing, with a performance drop of over 60% from the 1080p equivalents. The data tells a clear story: the RX 580 is the limiting factor, and the i7-12700KF's capabilities are wasted at resolutions above 1080p.