The Technomancer

The Technomancer, a 2016 Action RPG, presents a demanding scenario for the Intel Core i7-13700K and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER combination. Benchmark data reveals a system that is decisively GPU-limited, with performance scaling directly tied to resolution and settings. The combo ranks in the 3157th position out of 3696 tested combinations, placing it in the lower percentile of tested hardware pairings for this specific title.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a stark and predictable decline as resolution increases from 1080p to 4K, confirming that the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER is the primary bottleneck. At 1080p with High settings, the combo achieves an average of 72 FPS. Stepping up to 1440p High drops this to 47 FPS, a reduction of 25 FPS. Moving to 4K High further reduces the average to 26 FPS, illustrating the pixel-throughput limitations of the GPU.

This scaling pattern is consistent across all settings presets. At Low settings, the frame rate falls from 110 FPS at 1080p to 72 FPS at 1440p and finally to 39 FPS at 4K. The delta between 1440p and 4K remains significant, indicating that the GPU's rendering capabilities are saturated well before the CPU's processing limits are reached. The data suggests that the i7-13700K, with its 16 cores and 24 threads, is not the limiting factor in any of these scenarios; the GTX 1660 SUPER's 6 GB of VRAM and 192-bit memory bus are the constraints.

The performance drop from 1080p to 1440p is proportionally larger than the drop from 1440p to 4K in terms of raw FPS loss, but the percentage change is consistent with a GPU-bound workload. The RTX 1660 SUPER's boost clock of 1785 MHz and base clock of 1530 MHz are insufficient to maintain high frame rates at higher resolutions. The data shows that for smooth gameplay at 4K, even at Low settings (39 FPS), the system is below the 60 FPS threshold, highlighting a fundamental hardware limitation for this title.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations for The Technomancer, this specific pairing of the Intel Core i7-13700K and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER achieves a rank of 3157 out of 3696 combos. This places it in the bottom 15% of all tested systems, a poor showing that underscores the GPU's inability to leverage the CPU's considerable processing power. The percentile data for the GPU itself is 53, meaning it performs better than 53% of all GPUs in the database, but the raw frame rates in this game tell a different story.

The combo's rank is a direct consequence of the GPU's performance ceiling. The i7-13700K's average benchmark score of 46881 is in the 89th percentile of all CPUs, positioning it as a high-end processor. However, this power is largely untapped in The Technomancer, as the GPU becomes the performance limiter at every resolution and settings combination. The data shows that the system's overall capability is dragged down by the GTX 1660 SUPER, which has an average benchmark score of 12986 and sits in the 53rd percentile.

Comparisons with nearest rivals for the GPU illustrate its mid-range standing. The GTX 1660 SUPER's average score of 12986 is within 0.4% of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Mobile and the AMD Radeon RX 580, and 0.9% ahead of the AMD Radeon 740M. This clustering indicates that the GPU is a solid mid-tier performer, but it is not equipped for the demands of a title like The Technomancer at high resolutions. The rank of 3157 reflects a system that is balanced toward CPU capability but severely hampered by GPU throughput in this specific game.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER is the undisputed performance bottleneck in this configuration. Its specifications, including 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus with 336.0 GB/s of bandwidth, are insufficient for the high-resolution textures and effects of The Technomancer. The GPU's 1408 shading units and 48 ROPs, while adequate for 1080p gaming, are overwhelmed at higher resolutions, as evidenced by the measured FPS data.

The clock speeds of 1530 MHz base and 1785 MHz boost provide a baseline for performance, but the data shows they cannot overcome the memory bandwidth and capacity limitations. The GPU's transistor count of 6,600 million on a 12 nm process from TSMC and a die size of 284 mm² are fixed hardware characteristics. The pixel rate of 85.68 GPixel/s and texture rate of 157.1 GTexel/s are theoretical maximums that the benchmark results show are not fully realized in this game.

At 4K Ultra, the combo averages only 20 FPS, a figure that is unplayable for most users. Even at 1440p Medium, the average FPS of 55 is barely acceptable, with a minimum of 47 FPS indicating potential stuttering. The GPU's FP32 performance of 5.027 TFLOPS is a measure of its compute capability, but the game's reliance on fill rate and memory bandwidth is more critical here. The data clearly shows that the GTX 1660 SUPER is a capable 1080p card, but its role in this combo is to limit the system to lower resolutions for acceptable performance.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of the combo's performance across resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the system delivers playable frame rates across all settings. Low settings yield an average of 110 FPS, Medium drops to 84 FPS with a minimum of 72 and maximum of 97, High achieves 72 FPS, and Ultra falls to 56 FPS. This resolution is clearly the sweet spot for this hardware, with all settings except Ultra providing a comfortable margin above the 60 FPS target.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance drops significantly. Low settings still deliver a playable 72 FPS average, but Medium falls to 55 FPS with a minimum of 47 FPS. High settings average 47 FPS, and Ultra drops to 37 FPS. The data indicates that 1440p is only viable at Low settings for a consistent 60+ FPS experience, with Medium and High being playable but not smooth, and Ultra being marginal.

At 3840x2160, the system struggles across the board. Low settings yield an average of 39 FPS, Medium drops to 30 FPS with a minimum of 26 and maximum of 35, High averages 26 FPS, and Ultra plummets to 20 FPS. These figures confirm that 4K is not a viable resolution for this combo in The Technomancer, as even the lowest settings cannot maintain a stable 40 FPS. The data shows a clear hierarchy: 1080p is the target resolution, 1440p is possible with reduced settings, and 4K should be avoided.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in The Technomancer?

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 is the optimal resolution. At High settings, the combo averages 72 FPS, and at Medium it averages 84 FPS with a minimum of 72 FPS. This is the only resolution where all settings presets maintain playable frame rates.

Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming in The Technomancer?

A: No. At 4K, even Low settings only produce an average of 39 FPS. Medium settings drop to 30 FPS, High to 26 FPS, and Ultra to 20 FPS. None of these are suitable for smooth gameplay.

Q: How does the GTX 1660 SUPER compare to its closest rivals in terms of benchmark scores?

A: The GTX 1660 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 12986. This is 0.4% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Mobile and AMD Radeon RX 580, and 0.9% higher than the AMD Radeon 740M. It is 0.7% lower than the NVIDIA Tesla M2090.

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

A: The GPU is the clear limiting factor. The Intel Core i7-13700K has an average benchmark score of 46881, placing it in the 89th percentile of all CPUs. The GTX 1660 SUPER, with a score of 12986 and 53rd percentile ranking, is the performance bottleneck at all resolutions.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, Low settings produce an average of 72 FPS, while Ultra settings produce an average of 37 FPS. This is a difference of 35 FPS, showing the significant impact of graphical presets on performance.

Q: What is the combo's rank among tested systems for this game?

A: The combo ranks 3157th out of 3696 tested combinations for The Technomancer. This places it in the lower portion of the ranking, reflecting the GPU's limitations.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-13700K is a high-end processor whose capabilities far exceed what the GTX 1660 SUPER can utilize in The Technomancer. With 16 cores, 24 threads, and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz, the CPU is more than capable of handling the game's processing demands. Its benchmark scores, such as a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 30745 and a Geekbench multicore score of 19429, demonstrate its immense computational power.

However, the measured FPS data shows that the CPU is not the bottleneck. The consistent frame rate drops with increasing resolution are a classic sign of GPU limitation. The CPU's 30 MB of shared L3 cache and support for DDR4 and DDR5 memory provide ample bandwidth for feeding the GPU, but the GPU's 6 GB VRAM and 336.0 GB/s bandwidth are insufficient for the game's high-resolution assets.

The CPU's performance in synthetic benchmarks, such as a Passmark multithread score of 45887 and a single-thread score of 4333, indicates it can handle any gaming workload. Its 89th percentile ranking among all CPUs confirms its high-end status. In this combo, the i7-13700K is effectively waiting for the GPU, meaning that upgrading the GPU would yield substantial performance gains in The Technomancer, while upgrading the CPU would not. The data supports a verdict that this is a mismatched pairing, with the CPU's potential wasted by the GPU's constraints.