The Technomancer

The Technomancer, a 2016 Action RPG, presents a fascinating test case for modern high-end hardware. The combination of the Intel Core i7-12700KF and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 produces a wide spread of performance across resolutions and settings, revealing a system that is clearly capable of dominating this title at lower loads but which hits a hard wall at the absolute maximum settings. This analysis examines the measured FPS data to understand where the bottlenecks lie and what the results mean for anyone attempting to play this older title on modern components.

How This Combo Ranks

In the benchmark database, this particular pairing of the Intel Core i7-12700KF and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 achieves a combo rank of 266 out of a tested pool of 3696 combinations. This places the system well within the top tier of all tested configurations, representing a top 7.2% finish. The data shows that this is a very high-performing combination, but it is not the absolute fastest; 265 other combinations of CPUs and GPUs outperform it in this specific game. When looking at the components individually, the CPU sits at the 85th percentile versus all other CPUs, while the GPU is at the 86th percentile versus all other GPUs. The near-parity in these percentile rankings suggests that neither component is dramatically dragging the system down, but the combination's overall rank is slightly lower than either individual percentile would suggest, hinting at a potential interaction or specific game engine limitation that prevents the pair from fully realizing their individual strengths.

The composite benchmark scores for the components also provide context. The CPU has an average benchmark score of 35365, and its nearest rival is the Intel Core i7-13700T, which scores 35403, a delta of only -0.1%. This means the 12700KF is essentially matched with that chip. Similarly, the GPU's average score of 54247 puts it within 0.1% of the RTX 4080 SUPER, which scores 54209. This indicates that the system is built around a CPU and GPU that are both at the top of their respective classes, yet the game's engine may not be able to fully utilize both simultaneously, leading to the observed rank of 266 out of 3696.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-12700KF is built on the Alder Lake architecture and features 12 cores and 20 threads. Its base clock is 3.60 GHz, and it can boost up to 5.00 GHz. This is a robust multi-threaded processor, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 28838 and a Geekbench multi-core score of 14367. For a game like The Technomancer, which was released in 2016, the high single-thread performance is often more critical than the multi-threaded capabilities. The CPU's single-thread scores are 1043 on 3dmark, 4071 on Cinebench R23, and 2255 on Geekbench, all of which indicate a very strong single-core foundation.

The benchmark results show that at 1080p with Low settings, the system achieves 286 FPS. This is the highest frame rate in the entire dataset and indicates a scenario where the CPU is not a limiting factor, allowing the GPU to run at full tilt. However, the frame rate at 1080p with Ultra settings drops to 152 FPS. This drop is more likely attributed to the GPU being forced to render more complex effects, but the 12-core, 20-thread CPU is hardly stressed by a title from 2016. The 3dmark 2-thread score of 2065 and the 4-thread score of 4011 further indicate that the CPU has a strong low-threaded performance, which is what a game of this era would primarily utilize. The data suggests that in this title, the CPU is providing more than enough performance headroom, and the limiting factor is almost certainly the GPU or the game engine's ability to draw frames.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is a powerful graphics card with 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 716.8 GB/s. It features 9728 shading units and 76 RT cores, with a boost clock of 2505 MHz. The card's memory is clocked at an effective speed of 22.4 Gbps. This is substantial hardware, and the benchmark data reflects its capacity. The GPU's Passmark G3D score is 34457, and its Geekbench OpenCL score is 214739.

The GPU's role is evident when examining the frame rates at different settings. At 4K, the difference between Low (107 FPS) and Ultra (55 FPS) is a massive 52 FPS. This is a clear indication that the GPU is being heavily taxed by the higher visual fidelity. At 1080p, the gap between the same settings is 134 FPS (286 to 152), which shows the GPU is still the primary driver of performance, but the CPU is also contributing to the high frame rates. The RTX 4080, with its high texture and pixel rates (761.5 GTexel/s and 280.6 GPixel/s), is well-suited to handle most scenarios, but the Ultra preset seems to introduce a rendering load that causes a substantial performance hit. The data shows that the GPU is the dominant component in determining the game's frame rate, with the CPU providing enough power to not bottleneck until the very high FPS ranges.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The benchmark data provides a clear picture of how the system scales across various settings and resolutions. At 1920x1080, the average FPS is 286 on Low, 229 on Medium, 195 on High, and 152 on Ultra. The Medium setting offers a 33 FPS increase over Low, and the High setting is 37 FPS higher than Medium. The Ultra setting is the most demanding, showing a 43 FPS drop from High. The Medium setting has a minimum of 194 FPS and a maximum of 263 FPS.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates are still very high. Low produces 195 FPS, Medium 149 FPS, High 128 FPS, and Ultra 100 FPS. The differences between settings are smaller than at 1080p, but the trend is the same. At this resolution, the Low setting is 46 FPS higher than Medium, and Medium is 21 FPS higher than High. The Ultra setting is 28 FPS below High. The Medium setting has a minimum of 127 FPS and a maximum of 172 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the performance drops significantly. The Low setting produces 107 FPS, Medium 82 FPS, High 70 FPS, and Ultra 55 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is a substantial 52 FPS, making the Ultra setting the only one that dips below 60 FPS. The Medium setting has a minimum of 70 FPS and a maximum of 94 FPS. This data shows a typical scaling curve, but the drop at 4K Ultra is particularly steep, suggesting that the game's Ultra preset is a heavy load for even the RTX 4080.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS achieved by this combination in The Technomancer?

A: The highest average FPS is 286 FPS, which is achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: At what setting does the system fail to maintain 60 FPS?

A: The system only fails to maintain 60 FPS at 3840x2160 resolution with Ultra settings, where it averages 55 FPS.

Q: At 1440p, what is the FPS difference between the Low and Ultra settings?

A: At 2560x1440, the Low setting averages 195 FPS, while the Ultra setting averages 100 FPS, a difference of 95 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU's multi-threaded performance compare to its single-threaded performance in this context?

A: The CPU has a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 28838 and a single-core score of 4071, indicating the multi-core performance is effective, but the game likely relies more on the single-threaded performance.

Q: What is the performance delta between the RTX 4080 and its nearest rival in the database?

A: The RTX 4080 has an average benchmark score of 54247, which is 0.1% higher than the RTX 4080 SUPER, its nearest rival.

Q: In the measured FPS data, which setting shows the largest FPS drop in percentage terms from Low to Ultra at 4K?

A: At 4K, the Low setting averages 107 FPS, while Ultra averages 55 FPS, a drop of 52 FPS, which is a 48.6% reduction.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the best experience depends heavily on the target resolution and refresh rate. For 1080p displays, the Ultra preset delivers an average of 152 FPS, which is still very high and will satisfy most high-refresh-rate monitors. However, the drop from 195 FPS at High to 152 FPS at Ultra suggests that the Ultra preset has a significant performance cost. If a 144Hz monitor is the target, the High preset at 1080p (195 FPS) provides a substantial margin for smoother gameplay. The Medium preset at 1080p achieves 229 FPS, which is an extremely high frame rate, but the visual difference between Medium and High might be worth the 34 FPS cost.

At 1440p, the High preset averages 128 FPS, which is ideal for 144Hz monitors. The Ultra preset at 1440p averages 100 FPS, which is still very playable and will be preferable for those who prioritize visual quality over raw frame rate. The Medium preset at 1440p produces 149 FPS, which is a sweet spot for competitive play if the game is used in a setting. For 4K, the 55 FPS at Ultra is below the 60 FPS target, so it is recommended to use the High preset, which yields 70 FPS, for a smoother experience. The Medium preset at 4K (82 FPS) is also a strong choice for maintaining a high frame rate. The Low preset is generally not recommended due to the massive visual sacrifice, but it can be used for maximum performance if needed.

Resolution Scaling

The data shows a clear scaling pattern across resolutions. From 1080p to 1440p, the frame rate drops by 91 FPS at Low (286 to 195), 80 FPS at Medium (229 to 149), 67 FPS at High (195 to 128), and 52 FPS at Ultra (152 to 100). This indicates that the scaling is not proportional; the game becomes less demanding at higher settings, which is a sign that the GPU is becoming the bottleneck. The percentage drop from 1080p to 1440p is 31.8% for Low, 34.9% for Medium, 34.4% for High, and 34.2% for Ultra.

Moving from 1440p to 4K, the frame rates drop again. At Low, from 195 to 107, a 45.1% reduction. At Medium, from 149 to 82, a 45.0% reduction. At High, from 128 to 70, a 45.3% reduction. At Ultra, from 100 to 55, a 45.0% reduction. This near-consistent drop of around 45% across all settings from 1440p to 4K strongly suggests that the GPU is the primary limiting component in this scenario. The CPU has enough headroom to handle the increased resolution, but the GPU's rendering load is the main factor in the performance drop. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p shows a slightly smaller drop, around 34%, which means the CPU is still in play at lower resolutions, but the consistently similar 45% drop at 4K is a classic sign of a GPU-limited title. The data points to the RTX 4080 being the component that determines the frame rate in this game, and the CPU is not a limiting factor until the very high frame rate ranges.