The Technomancer

The Technomancer pairs the Intel Core i7-14700F with the Intel Arc B370, a combination that ranks 2603rd out of 2825 tested combos for this Action RPG. This places the pairing in the bottom portion of the database, around the 92nd percentile from the bottom, or roughly the 8th percentile from the top, indicating that this system will struggle to deliver a smooth experience at most settings. The measured frame rates across resolutions and presets confirm this positioning, with the data showing a clear pattern of performance limitations that favor lower resolutions and reduced graphical loads.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo’s rank of 2603 out of 2825 tested combinations places it in the lower tier of all systems evaluated for The Technomancer. This is a low standing, meaning the majority of tested hardware configurations outperform this pairing in this specific game. The rank is not an isolated metric; it is directly supported by the measured FPS data, which shows averages that fall below typical playability thresholds at higher resolutions. For context, the CPU itself is a strong performer, with an average benchmark score of 53620 and a percentile rank of 91 against all CPUs, meaning it outperforms 91% of tested processors in general compute tasks. However, the GPU is the limiting factor here, holding a percentile rank of just 5 against all GPUs, meaning it outperforms only 5% of tested graphics cards. This massive disparity between the CPU’s high standing and the GPU’s low standing explains the combo’s overall weak ranking in a game that depends heavily on graphics processing. The data suggests that the CPU’s capabilities are largely untapped, as the GPU becomes the bottleneck in nearly every scenario. Benchmark results indicate that while the i7-14700F can handle the game’s logic and physics, the Arc B370 cannot keep up with the rendering demands, especially as resolution and settings increase. The combo’s rank is therefore a reflection of the GPU’s limitations, not the CPU’s, and any analysis of this pairing must account for that imbalance.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of how this combo performs across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the lowest resolution tested, the system achieves an average of 71 FPS on Low settings, which is the only preset that reaches a clearly playable level. Moving to Medium at 1080p, the average drops to 55 FPS, with a minimum of 47 FPS and a maximum of 63 FPS, indicating some frame pacing variability but still maintaining a mostly smooth experience. High settings at 1080p yield an average of 47 FPS, which dips below the 60 FPS threshold many users prefer, while Ultra settings produce an average of 37 FPS, which is approaching the lower boundary of playability for an Action RPG. At 2560x1440, the performance degrades further. Low settings produce an average of 47 FPS, which is playable but not smooth, while Medium averages 36 FPS with a minimum of 30 FPS and a maximum of 41 FPS. High settings at 1440p drop to 31 FPS, and Ultra falls to 24 FPS, both of which are below comfortable playability. At 3840x2160, the results are largely unusable for gaming. Low settings average 26 FPS, Medium averages 20 FPS with a minimum of 17 FPS and a maximum of 23 FPS, High averages 17 FPS, and Ultra averages just 13 FPS. These numbers show a clear and consistent scaling pattern: each step up in resolution or settings reduces the average FPS by a significant margin. The data also shows that the gap between Low and Ultra settings widens as resolution increases. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 34 FPS (71 to 37), at 1440p it is 23 FPS (47 to 24), and at 4K it is 13 FPS (26 to 13). This pattern indicates that the GPU is overwhelmed at higher resolutions, and even dropping to Low settings cannot salvage playability at 4K.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to play The Technomancer with this combo?

A: Based on the measured FPS, 1920x1080 is the only resolution where the combo achieves playable frame rates across multiple settings. At 1080p Low, the average is 71 FPS, and at 1080p Medium, it is 55 FPS, both of which are acceptable for most players. At 2560x1440, only Low settings reach an average of 47 FPS, which is borderline, while at 3840x2160, all settings average below 30 FPS.

Q: How does the Ultra preset compare to High at 1920x1080?

A: At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset produces an average of 37 FPS, while High produces an average of 47 FPS. This is a difference of 10 FPS, or roughly a 21% reduction in average frame rate when moving from High to Ultra. The data suggests that the visual gains from Ultra come at a significant performance cost for this GPU.

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

A: The data strongly indicates the GPU is the limiting factor. The Intel Core i7-14700F has a percentile rank of 91 against all CPUs and an average benchmark score of 53620, while the Intel Arc B370 has a percentile rank of just 5 against all GPUs and an average benchmark score of 1184. The FPS drops across resolutions follow a pattern typical of GPU-bound scenarios, where increasing resolution reduces frame rates proportionally, suggesting the GPU cannot keep up with rendering demands.

Q: What is the lowest average FPS recorded for this combo?

A: The lowest average FPS recorded is 13 FPS, which occurs at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings. This is the most demanding configuration tested and results in a frame rate that is far below playable levels.

Q: Are there any settings at 2560x1440 that reach 60 FPS?

A: No. The highest average FPS at 2560x1440 is 47 FPS, achieved with Low settings. Medium settings average 36 FPS, High averages 31 FPS, and Ultra averages 24 FPS. None of the tested presets at this resolution reach 60 FPS.

Q: How much does the average FPS drop from 1080p Low to 4K Low?

A: At 1080p Low, the average FPS is 71. At 4K Low, the average FPS is 26. This represents a drop of 45 FPS, or approximately a 63% reduction in average frame rate when moving from 1080p to 4K at the same settings.

Resolution Scaling

Resolution scaling is a critical factor for this combo, and the data reveals a steep decline in performance as pixel count increases. Starting from 1920x1080 Low at 71 FPS, the average drops to 47 FPS at 2560x1440 Low, a reduction of 24 FPS or roughly 34%. Continuing to 3840x2160 Low, the average falls to 26 FPS, which is a further reduction of 21 FPS from the 1440p result, or about 45% less than 1440p and 63% less than 1080p. This scaling pattern is consistent across all settings. For Medium, the averages are 55 FPS at 1080p, 36 FPS at 1440p, and 20 FPS at 4K. For High, the averages are 47 FPS at 1080p, 31 FPS at 1440p, and 17 FPS at 4K. For Ultra, the averages are 37 FPS at 1080p, 24 FPS at 1440p, and 13 FPS at 4K. The relative drops from 1080p to 1440p are roughly 30-35% across settings, while the drops from 1440p to 4K are roughly 45-50%. This non-linear scaling suggests that the GPU’s rendering capabilities are being saturated at higher resolutions. The fact that the percentage drop increases as resolution climbs indicates that the Intel Arc B370 is running out of fill rate and shading power. The GPU has a pixel rate of 48.00 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 96.00 GTexel/s, which are modest figures for modern gaming. At 4K, the sheer number of pixels to process overwhelms these rates, leading to the very low averages seen in the data. The frame time data for Medium settings shows this strain clearly: at 1080p, the minimum is 47 FPS and maximum is 63 FPS, at 1440p the minimum is 30 FPS and maximum is 41 FPS, and at 4K the minimum is 17 FPS and maximum is 23 FPS. The widening gap between minimum and maximum at lower resolutions narrows at higher resolutions, indicating that the GPU is consistently hitting its limits rather than experiencing occasional spikes. This scaling analysis points to the GPU as the sole bottleneck, as the CPU’s performance does not degrade with resolution. The i7-14700F’s high benchmark scores, including a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 35122 and a single-core score of 4958, indicate it can feed the GPU with data, but the GPU cannot process it fast enough at higher resolutions.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B370 is a low-power integrated graphics solution, and its specifications explain the measured performance in The Technomancer. The GPU has a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2400 MHz, with 1280 shading units, 40 texture mapping units, and 20 raster operation units. It also includes 10 ray tracing cores. The GPU’s average benchmark score is 1184 from a single 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, and its percentile rank is 5, meaning it is among the weakest GPUs in the database. Its nearest rivals include the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570, with an average score of 1186 and a deltaPct of -0.2%, and the ATI Radeon HD 5770, with an average score of 1190 and a deltaPct of -0.5%. These comparisons show that the Arc B370 performs at a level similar to graphics cards from over a decade ago, which is consistent with its low FPS results in this game. The GPU’s memory is listed as "System Shared," meaning it uses part of the system’s main RAM instead of dedicated VRAM. This shared memory configuration can lead to bandwidth limitations, especially at higher resolutions where more texture data needs to be accessed. The memory bandwidth is described as "System Dependent," which means it varies based on the platform, but the lack of dedicated memory is a clear disadvantage. The GPU’s FP32 performance is 6.144 TFLOPS, which is modest for rendering complex scenes. The data shows that the GPU’s role in this combo is to be the primary limiter. At 1080p Low, the GPU can manage 71 FPS, but as settings increase to Medium, High, and Ultra, the average FPS drops by 16, 24, and 34 FPS respectively, showing that each graphical enhancement taxes the GPU heavily. The GPU’s low ROP count of 20 is particularly relevant for resolution scaling, as ROPs handle pixel output. At 4K, the 20 ROPs must process over 8 million pixels per frame, which explains the sub-30 FPS averages across all settings at that resolution. The boost clock of 2400 MHz is relatively high, but the low shading unit count and shared memory architecture prevent it from translating into competitive frame rates. The GPU’s DirectX 12 Ultimate support and Vulkan 1.4 API compatibility do not help in this case, as the game’s performance is bounded by raw hardware throughput, not feature support.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700F is a high-end desktop processor that plays a supporting role in this combo, providing ample compute power that the GPU cannot fully utilize. The CPU has 20 cores and 28 threads, with a base clock of 2.10 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz. It is based on the Raptor Lake architecture and is built on a 10 nm process. Its cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 2 MB of L2 per core, and 33 MB of shared L3 cache. The CPU’s benchmark results are strong across the board: it scores 35122 in Cinebench R23 multi-core, 4958 in single-core, 19620 in Geekbench multi-core, and 2429 in single-core. Its average benchmark score is 53620, with a percentile rank of 91, meaning it outperforms nearly all other CPUs in the database. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Xeon 6505P with a score of 53701 and a deltaPct of -0.2%, and the AMD Ryzen 9 7900X with a score of 53288 and a deltaPct of 0.6%. In The Technomancer, the CPU’s role is to handle game logic, physics, and draw calls, but the measured FPS data shows that the CPU is never the bottleneck. This is evident from the resolution scaling pattern: if the CPU were limiting performance, FPS would remain roughly constant across resolutions, as the CPU’s workload does not change significantly with resolution. Instead, FPS drops sharply from 1080p to 1440p to 4K, which is a classic GPU-bound signature. Furthermore, the CPU’s high multi-threaded and single-threaded scores suggest it can easily maintain frame times well above what the GPU can deliver. For example, at 1080p Ultra, the GPU produces 37 FPS, but the CPU is capable of far more, as indicated by its Passmark single-thread score of 4257 and multi-thread score of 41317. The CPU’s 28 threads are largely idle in this scenario, as the game’s rendering demands are not CPU-intensive at these low frame rates. The data suggests that pairing this CPU with a stronger GPU would yield significantly higher FPS, but with the current GPU, the CPU’s performance is wasted. The CPU’s 65 W TDP and support for DDR4 and DDR5 memory indicate it is a power-efficient and flexible platform, but these attributes do not translate into better gaming performance when the GPU is this weak. In summary, the CPU is a high-performing component that is severely underutilized in this combo, and its role is to provide a solid foundation that the GPU cannot take advantage of.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the recommended settings for this combo depend on the user’s target resolution and tolerance for frame rate dips. At 1920x1080, Low settings offer the best experience with an average of 71 FPS, which is smooth and responsive. Medium settings at 1080p are also viable, with an average of 55 FPS and a minimum of 47 FPS, which should be playable for most users, though there may be brief stutters in heavy scenes. High settings at 1080p drop to 47 FPS, which is borderline; users who prioritize visual fidelity over smoothness might accept this, but it is not ideal for an Action RPG that requires quick reactions. Ultra settings at 1080p, with an average of 37 FPS, are not recommended, as the frame rate is too low for comfortable gameplay. At 2560x1440, only Low settings provide a playable experience, with an average of 47 FPS. Medium settings at 1440p average 36 FPS, which is below the 40 FPS threshold many consider the minimum for playable frame rates. High and Ultra settings at 1440p, with averages of 31 and 24 FPS respectively, should be avoided. At 3840x2160, no settings are recommended, as even Low settings average only 26 FPS, and the maximum average across all presets is 26 FPS. The data shows that the combo’s sweet spot is 1080p with Low or Medium settings, where the GPU can maintain frame rates above 50 FPS. For users who want to maximize visual quality while keeping FPS above 40, 1080p High is the only option, but it comes with a 47 FPS average. The measured minimum FPS values for Medium settings at 1080p (47 FPS) and 1440p (30 FPS) highlight the importance of considering frame time consistency. At 1080p Medium, the minimum is still within a playable range, but at 1440p Medium, the minimum of 30 FPS indicates significant drops that could disrupt gameplay. Therefore, the safest recommendation is to play at 1080p Low for the most consistent experience, or 1080p Medium if a slightly lower average FPS is acceptable. The data does not support any settings at 1440p or above for a satisfying gameplay experience, as all presets at those resolutions fail to reach an average of 50 FPS. Users should also note that the GPU’s shared memory architecture may cause additional stuttering in scenes with high texture detail, so sticking to Low or Medium settings at 1080p will help mitigate potential memory bandwidth issues.