The Technomancer

The Technomancer, a 2016 Action RPG, presents a demanding workload that scales significantly with resolution. When paired with the Intel Core i7-13700K and AMD Radeon RX 9060, the data reveals a system that excels at 1080p but struggles to maintain playable frame rates at 4K. The performance curve shows a classic GPU-bound scenario at higher resolutions, while the high-end CPU ensures headroom is never the limiting factor at lower settings.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a steep and consistent drop as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 103 FPS at 1080p to 67 FPS at 1440p, a reduction of 36 FPS. Pushing further to 4K, the average plummets to 37 FPS, representing a 64% decrease from the 1080p baseline. This pattern indicates that the rendering load is scaling almost entirely with pixel count, which is a hallmark of a GPU-limited workload.

The scaling behavior is even more pronounced at the lower preset levels. With Low settings, the system achieves 157 FPS at 1080p, but this drops to 102 FPS at 1440p and only 56 FPS at 4K. The relative drop from 1080p to 4K is 64%, which is nearly identical to the High preset's drop. This consistency suggests that the game's engine applies resolution scaling in a linear fashion, and the Radeon RX 9060's performance ceiling is being hit regardless of the visual complexity.

The Medium preset data, which includes minimum and maximum frame times, provides additional insight. At 1080p, the average is 120 FPS with a minimum of 102 FPS, showing a solid frame time distribution. At 1440p, the average is 79 FPS with a minimum of 67 FPS, and at 4K, the average is 43 FPS with a minimum of 37 FPS. The widening gap between average and minimum FPS at higher resolutions suggests that frame pacing becomes less consistent as the GPU nears its limits, leading to potential stutter in demanding scenes.

The Ultra preset shows the most dramatic scaling, with an average of 80 FPS at 1080p that falls to 52 FPS at 1440p and a mere 29 FPS at 4K. The 4K Ultra result is particularly telling, as it falls below the generally accepted threshold for smooth gameplay. The data suggests that the Radeon RX 9060 is the primary bottleneck at 4K, and the Core i7-13700K's processing power is largely irrelevant at that resolution, as the GPU is unable to keep up with the pixel throughput demands.

How This Combo Ranks

Within the database of 2,825 tested CPU and GPU combinations for The Technomancer, this pairing of the Intel Core i7-13700K and AMD Radeon RX 9060 secures a rank of 1,632. This places it in the lower-middle portion of the performance distribution, which is somewhat surprising given the strength of the individual components. The ranking indicates that while the CPU is a top-tier performer, the GPU's capabilities are holding this specific combo back from a higher standing.

The 1632nd rank out of 2825 combos means that roughly 42% of tested systems perform better in this title. This is a clear signal that for a game like The Technomancer, the graphics card's raw rendering power is the dominant factor in determining overall system performance. The CPU's high benchmark scores do not translate into a top-tier gaming rank because the game's engine is not heavily CPU-bound, especially at higher resolutions where the GPU becomes the clear limiting factor.

The data implies that users looking to improve this combo's standing in The Technomancer would need to focus on the GPU rather than the CPU. Swapping the Radeon RX 9060 for a more powerful graphics card would likely yield a significant jump in the ranking, whereas upgrading the CPU would provide minimal gains. The current rank reflects a system that is well-balanced for general productivity but is only mid-pack for this specific gaming workload.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-13700K is a 16-core, 24-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz. Its benchmark scores are formidable, including a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 30,745 and a single-core score of 2,116. The processor's 30 MB of shared L3 cache and support for DDR4 and DDR5 memory provide a strong foundation for gaming and multitasking.

In the context of The Technomancer, the CPU's role appears to be secondary to the GPU. The FPS data shows that the system is capable of very high frame rates at 1080p Low (157 FPS), which suggests that the CPU is not a bottleneck at that resolution. The processor's high single-thread performance, evidenced by a Geekbench single-core score of 2,529, ensures that the game's main logic thread is well-served.

The Core i7-13700K's multi-threading capabilities, reflected in a Passmark multithread score of 45,887, are unlikely to be fully utilized by a game from 2016. The Technomancer's engine likely relies on a few primary threads, meaning the 24 threads available are more than sufficient. The data supports this, as the FPS at 1080p Low is exceptionally high, indicating the CPU can feed frames to the GPU far faster than the GPU can render them at higher resolutions.

Compared to its nearest rivals, the Core i7-13700K's average benchmark score of 46,881 is nearly identical to the AMD Ryzen 9 5900 (46,971, deltaPct -0.2) and the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 375 (47,022, deltaPct -0.3). It is also marginally ahead of the AMD Ryzen 9 7845HX (46,654, deltaPct 0.5) and the Intel Xeon w3-2535 (46,653, deltaPct 0.5). These negligible deltas indicate that in a CPU-bound scenario, the choice between these processors would have minimal impact on frame rates. However, since The Technomancer is GPU-bound, the CPU's raw power is not the deciding factor in the measured FPS.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system demonstrates a wide range of performance across the four presets. Low settings deliver an average of 157 FPS, providing a very smooth experience. Medium settings drop to 120 FPS, with a minimum of 102 FPS and a maximum of 138 FPS. High settings yield 103 FPS, while Ultra settings reduce the average to 80 FPS. All 1080p results are highly playable, with even the Ultra preset maintaining a comfortable frame rate.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance impact is clear. Low settings still deliver a strong 102 FPS. Medium settings average 79 FPS, with a minimum of 67 FPS and a maximum of 90 FPS. High settings drop to 67 FPS, which is still acceptable for many players. Ultra settings fall to 52 FPS, which begins to approach the lower bounds of smooth gameplay for a fast-paced action RPG.

At 3840x2160, the system's limitations become evident. Low settings manage an average of 56 FPS, which is playable but not ideal. Medium settings average 43 FPS, with a minimum of 37 FPS and a maximum of 50 FPS. High settings drop to 37 FPS, and Ultra settings fall to 29 FPS. The 4K Ultra result is the only configuration where the average FPS drops below 30, which is generally considered the minimum for a playable experience in a single-player title.

The Medium preset is the only setting for which minimum and maximum FPS data is provided across all resolutions. At 1080p, the range is 102-138 FPS, at 1440p it is 67-90 FPS, and at 4K it is 37-50 FPS. This data shows that the frame rate variance remains relatively consistent as a percentage of the average, indicating that the game's performance scaling is predictable and does not introduce unexpected spikes in rendering complexity.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 9060 is built on the RDNA 4.0 architecture with the Navi 44 chip. It features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 288.0 GB/s. The GPU has a base clock of 1700 MHz, a game clock of 2400 MHz, and a boost clock of 2990 MHz. Its benchmark scores include a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 3,322 and a Passmark G3D score of 17,631.

The GPU is the clear bottleneck for this combo in The Technomancer. The FPS data shows a strong correlation between resolution and performance, which is the primary indicator of GPU limitation. The GPU's 59th percentile ranking among all GPUs and its average benchmark score of 16,014 highlight that it is a mid-range part, not designed for extreme 4K gaming.

With 8 GB of VRAM, the Radeon RX 9060 may also face capacity constraints at higher resolutions and settings. While the measured FPS data does not include VRAM usage, the significant performance drop at 4K Ultra suggests that the GPU is struggling with both memory bandwidth and capacity. The 128-bit memory bus is relatively narrow, which can limit performance in memory-intensive scenarios.

Compared to its nearest rivals, the Radeon RX 9060's average score of 16,014 is very close to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti (16,129, deltaPct -0.7), the AMD Radeon R9 370X (15,862, deltaPct 1), and the AMD Radeon RX 7700 (15,852, deltaPct 1). The performance parity with the RTX 3060 Ti, a card from a previous generation, indicates that the RX 9060 is positioned as a solid 1080p and entry-level 1440p card. The data confirms that for The Technomancer, the GPU's raw throughput is the limiting factor, and its capabilities dictate the playable resolution and settings.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal experience for the Intel Core i7-13700K and AMD Radeon RX 9060 combo depends heavily on the target resolution. At 1920x1080, the High preset offers an excellent balance, providing an average of 103 FPS. This is a significant improvement over the Ultra preset's 80 FPS, while offering a substantial visual upgrade over Medium's 120 FPS. For players with high refresh rate monitors, the Medium preset at 120 FPS will provide the smoothest experience, but High is the sweet spot for visual fidelity and performance.

At 2560x1440, the High preset is the recommended choice, yielding an average of 67 FPS. This is playable and looks significantly better than the Medium preset's 79 FPS. The Ultra preset at 52 FPS is also playable, but the drop from High may not justify the visual gains for a game of this era. Players prioritizing frame rate should consider Medium, which stays above 60 FPS, but High offers the best overall experience without dipping below 60 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the situation is more challenging. The Low preset is the only one that maintains an average above 30 FPS, at 56 FPS. The Medium preset averages 43 FPS, which is playable but may exhibit stutter in busy scenes, as indicated by the 37 FPS minimum. The High and Ultra presets at 37 FPS and 29 FPS respectively are not recommended for a smooth experience. For 4K gaming, the Low preset is the only viable option, and players will need to accept significant visual compromises.

The data suggests that the system is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming. At 1080p, the High preset is the recommended setting for most users, offering a high frame rate with good visual quality. At 1440p, High remains the best choice, delivering near-60 FPS performance. For 4K, the Low preset is the only playable option, and even then, the frame rate is not ideal for a fast-paced action RPG. The measured rows indicate that the Ultra preset is only recommended at 1080p, where it offers a still-respectable 80 FPS.