The Technomancer

The Technomancer, a 2016 Action RPG, presents an interesting test for the Intel Core i7-13700K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti. This combination ranks 879th out of 1656 tested combos, placing it in the middle of the pack for this specific title. The data indicates that while the CPU is exceptionally strong, the GPU becomes the primary constraint at higher resolutions and settings, creating a performance profile that shifts dramatically depending on the workload.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 879 out of 1656 tested configurations places it squarely in the 53rd percentile of all tested hardware pairings for The Technomancer. This mid-pack positioning is somewhat surprising given the raw capabilities of the components, but it reflects the game's engine characteristics rather than a deficiency in the hardware. The Intel Core i7-13700K is a high-end processor that sits in the 93rd percentile against all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 47282. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core i7-13700KF, scores 47334, a marginal delta of -0.1%, meaning the K-series part is essentially identical in performance to its KF counterpart.

The CPU's multi-threaded strength is evident from its Cinebench R23 multicore score of 39000 and a single-core score of 5505, indicating that it is far from being a bottleneck in this game. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti, by contrast, holds a 69th percentile ranking among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 25120. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 6700M (score 25180, deltaPct -0.2%) and the AMD Radeon RX 6600 (score 25235, deltaPct -0.5%), showing that the RTX 3060 Ti is tightly clustered with mid-range competitors from the same generation.

In the context of this game, the GPU's mid-tier standing is the decisive factor. The CPU's 16 cores and 24 threads provide ample headroom, but The Technomancer's engine appears to favor GPU throughput. This explains why the combo does not rank higher; the 4K Ultra result of 34.5 FPS pulls the overall standing down compared to pairings with more powerful graphics cards. The data suggests that users upgrading from a weaker CPU to the i7-13700K while keeping the RTX 3060 Ti would see minimal gains in this title, as the limiting factor remains the graphics processor.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is built on the Ampere architecture with a GA104 chip fabricated on Samsung's 8 nm process. It features 4864 shading units, 152 texture mapping units, and 80 raster operation pipelines. The GPU operates at a base clock of 1410 MHz and a boost clock of 1665 MHz, with memory running at an effective speed of 14 Gbps. The 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus provides a bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s, which is adequate for 1080p and 1440p gaming but becomes a limiting factor at 4K.

The card's FP32 performance is rated at 16.20 TFLOPS, and it includes 38 RT cores and 152 tensor cores, though The Technomancer predates widespread ray tracing adoption and does not leverage these features meaningfully. The GPU's pixel rate is 133.2 GPixel/s and texture rate is 253.1 GTexel/s, which are solid figures for its class. In the benchmark data, the RTX 3060 Ti scores 20349 in PassMark G3D and 10006 in GPU compute, placing it below the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2626, which is a more modern test.

For this game, the GPU's role is straightforward: it determines the ceiling for frame rates, especially as resolution increases. At 1080p, the GPU can deliver high frame rates, but the gap between Low and Ultra settings shows where its limits lie. The 8 GB VRAM is sufficient for this title, as it does not appear to cause texture thrashing at any preset, but the raw compute power is what separates the 34.5 FPS Ultra 4K result from the 175.8 FPS Low 1080p result. The GPU's 200 W TDP and dual-slot design are standard for this performance tier, and the PCIe 4.0 x16 interface provides adequate bandwidth.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and reveals the GPU-bound nature of this configuration. At High settings, the average FPS falls from 113.2 at 1920x1080 to 75.0 at 2560x1440, then further to 40.6 at 3840x2160. This represents a 33.7% reduction when moving from 1080p to 1440p, and a 45.9% reduction from 1440p to 4K. The scaling is nearly linear with pixel count, indicating that the RTX 3060 Ti is fully saturated at higher resolutions.

At Low settings, the pattern is similar but with higher absolute numbers: 175.8 FPS at 1080p drops to 112.2 FPS at 1440p (a 36.2% reduction) and then to 63.8 FPS at 4K (a 43.1% reduction from 1440p). The fact that the percentage drops are consistent across settings suggests that the GPU is the limiting factor in all cases, rather than the CPU or memory bandwidth. If the i7-13700K were the bottleneck, we would expect to see a plateau at lower resolutions, but the data shows continuous scaling.

The Ultra preset tells a more cautionary tale: 90.6 FPS at 1080p, 58.3 FPS at 1440p, and 34.5 FPS at 4K. The 4K Ultra result is below 35 FPS, which is generally considered the threshold for playable frame rates in an action RPG. The Medium settings follow the same trend, with 135.0 FPS at 1080p, 88.2 FPS at 1440p, and 46.2 FPS at 4K. The data clearly indicates that the RTX 3060 Ti, despite its 448.0 GB/s bandwidth, cannot sustain high frame rates at 4K for this title, and users should target 1440p or 1080p for a smoother experience.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the configuration delivers strong performance across all presets. The Low preset achieves an average of 175.8 FPS, which is more than sufficient for high-refresh-rate monitors. Medium settings yield 135.0 FPS, High settings produce 113.2 FPS, and Ultra settings still manage 90.6 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 85.2 FPS, a 48.5% reduction, indicating that the game's visual fidelity options have a significant impact on the GPU workload at this resolution.

Moving to 2560x1440, the averages are 112.2 FPS on Low, 88.2 FPS on Medium, 75.0 FPS on High, and 58.3 FPS on Ultra. The Ultra preset at 1440p drops below 60 FPS, which may be a concern for users with 60 Hz displays, but the High preset remains comfortably above that threshold. The difference between Low and Ultra at this resolution is 53.9 FPS, a 48.0% reduction, which is consistent with the 1080p scaling.

At 3840x2160, the results become more constrained. Low settings average 63.8 FPS, which is playable, but Medium drops to 46.2 FPS, High to 40.6 FPS, and Ultra to 34.5 FPS. The Ultra preset at 4K is 45.9% slower than the Low preset, and the absolute numbers suggest that 4K gaming is only viable with the Low or Medium settings. The High preset at 4K, at 40.6 FPS, is borderline for a game that requires responsive controls, while the Ultra preset is likely to feel sluggish.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal balance between visual quality and performance depends on the target resolution. For 1080p displays, the Ultra preset at 90.6 FPS is the recommended choice, as it provides the best visual experience while remaining well above the 60 FPS threshold. Users with high-refresh-rate monitors (144 Hz or above) might prefer the High preset at 113.2 FPS, which still offers excellent visual fidelity while allowing for smoother motion.

For 1440p, the High preset at 75.0 FPS is the sweet spot, delivering a solid frame rate for most gaming scenarios. The Ultra preset at 58.3 FPS is also viable, particularly for users who prioritize image quality over a small FPS deficit, but it falls below 60 FPS and may be noticeable on fast-moving scenes. The Medium preset at 88.2 FPS is a safer choice for competitive play, though it sacrifices some shadow and texture quality.

At 4K, the data suggests that users must make significant compromises. The Low preset at 63.8 FPS is the only option that consistently stays above 60 FPS, but it substantially reduces the game's visual richness. The Medium preset at 46.2 FPS is the highest setting that remains playable, but users should be prepared for occasional frame drops. The High and Ultra presets at 40.6 and 34.5 FPS respectively are not recommended for this title, as the frame rates are too low for an action RPG where timing is critical. In summary, the best experience per the measured rows is achieved by using Ultra at 1080p, High at 1440p, and Medium at 4K.

FAQ

Q: How does this combo rank against other tested configurations for The Technomancer?

A: The Intel Core i7-13700K + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti ranks 879th out of 1656 tested combos, placing it in the 53rd percentile of all tested hardware pairings for this game.

Q: What is the highest average FPS achievable with this setup at 1080p?

A: The highest average FPS at 1920x1080 is 175.8, achieved with the Low settings preset. The Ultra preset delivers 90.6 FPS at the same resolution.

Q: Is the RTX 3060 Ti sufficient for 4K gaming in The Technomancer?

A: The data shows that at 3840x2160, only the Low preset reaches a playable average of 63.8 FPS. Medium averages 46.2 FPS, High 40.6 FPS, and Ultra 34.5 FPS, indicating 4K gaming requires significant settings reductions.

Q: How does the RTX 3060 Ti compare to its nearest GPU rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RTX 3060 Ti has an average benchmark score of 25120. The AMD Radeon RX 6700M scores 25180 (deltaPct -0.2%), the AMD Radeon RX 6600 scores 25235 (deltaPct -0.5%), and the AMD Radeon 890M scores 25246 (deltaPct -0.5%), showing the RTX 3060 Ti is marginally slower than these competitors.

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

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 112.2 FPS while the Ultra preset averages 58.3 FPS, a difference of 53.9 FPS representing a 48.0% reduction in performance.

Q: What are the clock speeds of the CPU and GPU in this combination?

A: The Intel Core i7-13700K has a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti has a base clock of 1410 MHz and a boost clock of 1665 MHz.