The Technomancer

The Technomancer, a 2016 Action RPG, presents an interesting case study for the Intel Core i7-13700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER pairing. The data shows a combination that is far more capable than the game's requirements demand, yet the measured frame rates reveal a clear hierarchy between the CPU and GPU depending on the resolution and settings. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS data to understand which component is the primary driver of performance in this title.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

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 substantial, with a Cinebench R23 multicore result of 39000 and a single-core score of 5505. This places the chip in the 93rd percentile of all CPUs, indicating it is a top-tier performer that is unlikely to be a bottleneck in most gaming scenarios.

Given the age of The Technomancer, which was released in 2016, the game's threading model is likely not optimized for a 24-thread processor. The data suggests that the CPU's raw power is more than sufficient. For example, at 1080p with Low settings, the combo reaches 154.9 FPS, which is a high frame rate that suggests the CPU is not the limiting factor, even at lower resolutions where CPU load typically increases relative to GPU load. The processor's high single-thread performance, evidenced by a Geekbench single-core score of 2850, is crucial for games that rely on a few heavily-loaded threads. The 3dmark_2_threads score of 2262 and 4_threads score of 4469 further indicate strong performance in lightly-threaded workloads, which is often what older game engines use. In this title, the i7-13700K appears to provide a massive headroom, allowing the GPU to become the primary bottleneck even at 1080p. The CPU's role here is to provide a stable, high-performance foundation that does not interfere with the graphics card's output.

FAQ — 4-6 Q&A pairs answerable from FACT PACK data

Q: What is the best average FPS this combo can achieve at 1080p?

A: The highest average FPS recorded for this pairing is 154.9 FPS, which is achieved at the 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: How does the performance drop when moving from 1440p to 4K on High settings?

A: At 2560x1440 High settings, the average FPS is 66.6. When moving to 3840x2160 High settings, the average FPS drops to 35.1. This represents a significant performance decrease of roughly 47%.

Q: Is the RTX 2070 SUPER a high-performing GPU relative to all others?

A: The GPU's benchmark scores place it in the 65th percentile of all GPUs. Its Passmark G3D score is 18169, and its average benchmark score is 22206, indicating a mid-to-high range performer.

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

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset yields an average of 101.9 FPS, while the Ultra preset yields an average of 50 FPS. This is a difference of 51.9 FPS between the two presets.

Q: How does the CPU's multi-core performance compare to its nearest rival?

A: The Intel Core i7-13700K has an average benchmark score of 47282. Its closest rival, the Intel Core i7-13700KF, has an average score of 47334, which is a delta of -0.1%. This indicates the two are virtually identical in performance.

Q: Does the combo achieve a playable frame rate at 4K Ultra?

A: The measured average FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings is 29.7 FPS. This is below the standard 30 FPS threshold often considered the minimum for playability, suggesting the settings are too demanding for this resolution.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured FPS data shows a classic pattern of GPU-bound scaling. At 1080p High settings, the combo produces 100.8 FPS. Moving to 1440p High, the frame rate drops to 66.6 FPS, and at 4K High, it falls to 35.1 FPS. This steep decline as resolution increases is a clear indicator that the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER is the primary limiting factor. The GPU's memory bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s and its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory are being taxed more heavily at higher resolutions.

The CPU's performance does not scale with resolution in the same way; its workload remains relatively constant. Since the i7-13700K is so powerful, the GPU is saturated at all resolutions. For instance, at 1080p Low, the frame rate is 154.9 FPS, which is much higher than at 4K Low (54.7 FPS). This 100 FPS difference is almost entirely attributable to the GPU's rendering load. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see a smaller difference between resolutions, particularly at lower settings where the GPU has less work to do. The data confirms that the RTX 2070 SUPER is the component that determines the final frame rate in The Technomancer.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

Analyzing the measured rows, the "best experience" depends on the target resolution and the user's preference for visual fidelity versus frame rate. The data provides a clear trade-off.

At 1920x1080, the High preset offers a strong balance with an average of 100.8 FPS. This is well above the 60 FPS target and provides a significant visual upgrade over the Low preset, which achieves 154.9 FPS. The Ultra preset at 1080p drops to 82.8 FPS, which is still very playable but offers diminishing returns over High for the performance cost.

For 2560x1440, the High preset is again the recommended choice, delivering an average of 66.6 FPS. This is just above the 60 FPS threshold and is likely the sweet spot for a smooth experience. The Medium preset at 76.5 FPS is also a viable option if a higher frame rate is preferred, but High offers a better visual experience. The Ultra preset at 50 FPS is playable but may feel less smooth.

At 3840x2160, the data suggests that High settings are not viable, as the average FPS of 35.1 is below the 60 FPS target, and Ultra is even worse at 29.7 FPS. The only settings that provide a comfortable frame rate at 4K are Low, with an average of 54.7 FPS, and Medium at 43 FPS. For a 4K experience, the Low preset is the only one that approaches a playable 60 FPS, though it sacrifices visual quality. The data suggests that 1440p High is the best overall experience for this combo, offering a good mix of visual fidelity and performance.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the Intel Core i7-13700K and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER is ranked 1042 out of 1656 tested combos for this game. This places it in the lower-middle portion of the performance spectrum, which is interesting given the individual components' standings. The CPU is in the 93rd percentile, and the GPU is in the 65th percentile.

This ranking suggests that while the CPU is a top-tier part, the GPU is a mid-range part, and the game's performance is heavily dependent on the GPU. The rank of 1042 reflects the GPU's limitations, especially at higher resolutions. The data indicates that many other combos, likely those with more powerful GPUs, would achieve higher frame rates. The ranking highlights that for The Technomancer, the GPU is the deciding factor, and the i7-13700K's high performance does not boost the combo's rank significantly because the RTX 2070 SUPER holds it back. This is a case where a more balanced pairing might have resulted in a higher rank, but the measured data shows this specific combo's position in the database.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

The following is a detailed breakdown of the average FPS for each resolution and settings preset.

1920x1080 (1080p):

• Ultra: 82.8 FPS
• High: 100.8 FPS
• Medium: 121.1 FPS
• Low: 154.9 FPS

2560x1440 (1440p):

• Ultra: 50 FPS
• High: 66.6 FPS
• Medium: 76.5 FPS
• Low: 101.9 FPS

3840x2160 (4K):

• Ultra: 29.7 FPS
• High: 35.1 FPS
• Medium: 43 FPS
• Low: 54.7 FPS

The data shows a consistent scaling pattern. At 1080p, the combo is capable of high frame rates across all settings, with even Ultra exceeding 80 FPS. At 1440p, the frame rates drop, but High remains above 60 FPS. At 4K, the performance is significantly lower, and only the Low preset comes close to the 60 FPS mark. The difference between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 72.1 FPS, while at 4K, the difference is only 25 FPS. This narrowing gap at higher resolutions further confirms that the GPU is the bottleneck, as the setting changes have less of an impact when the resolution is already taxing the GPU heavily.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER is built on the Turing architecture and features a TU104 chip. It has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s. The GPU's base clock is 1605 MHz, with a boost clock of 1770 MHz. Its performance metrics include a Passmark G3D score of 18169 and a 3dmark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1651.

The GPU's role in this game is clearly the limiting factor, as the resolution scaling data shows. The 8 GB of VRAM is likely sufficient for The Technomancer, even at 4K, as the game is from 2016 and is not known for having massive texture requirements. However, the GPU's raw compute power, rated at 9.062 TFLOPS, is the constraint. The measured FPS at 4K Ultra (29.7 FPS) suggests that the GPU's shader units (2560) and texture mapping units (160) are overwhelmed by the combination of high resolution and high detail settings. The GPU's 64 ROPs are responsible for pixel output, and the pixel rate of 113.3 GPixel/s is likely a bottleneck at 4K. The data implies that to achieve higher frame rates, the settings must be lowered to reduce the pixel and texture processing load. The RTX 2070 SUPER, while a capable 1440p card, does not have the headroom to handle 4K Ultra in this title, making it the definitive performance ceiling for this combo.