The Technomancer

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i7-14700F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 places 1389th out of 1656 tested combinations in The Technomancer. This puts the combo in the lower tier of tested systems, roughly at the 16th percentile of all configurations. The ranking reflects a fundamental mismatch: the CPU is a top-tier modern processor while the GPU is an older, lower-tier graphics card. In an Action RPG like The Technomancer, this means the graphics card becomes the primary constraint on performance, pulling the entire combo's ranking down significantly. The data shows that while the CPU sits in the 94th percentile among all CPUs, the GPU only reaches the 51st percentile among all GPUs. This creates a lopsided system where the potential of the processor is largely untapped in gaming workloads, particularly at higher resolutions where the GPU's workload increases substantially.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700F is a 20-core, 28-thread processor from the Core 14th Gen series, built on the Raptor Lake architecture with a 10 nm process node. It has a base clock of 2.10 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz, with a 33 MB shared L3 cache. In synthetic benchmarks, this CPU demonstrates strong performance: it scores 35,443 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 5,003 in single-core, with a Geekbench multi-core score of 16,571. Its average benchmark score of 54,097 places it just 0.6% behind the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X and 1.1% behind the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D, while being 1.2% ahead of the Intel Xeon Phi 7290 and 1.7% ahead of the AMD EPYC 7313P. In The Technomancer, this level of CPU performance is far more than sufficient to feed the GTX 1070. The game, released in 2016, does not require the multi-core muscle that this processor offers. At 1080p with Low settings, where the GPU load is lightest, the combo achieves 113.7 FPS, but even then, the CPU is not the limiting factor—the GPU's output capacity caps the frame rate. The CPU's 65 W TDP and support for DDR4 and DDR5 memory indicate a flexible, power-efficient platform, but in this specific combination, its gaming contribution is minimal. The benchmark results suggest the i7-14700F is effectively idle in many scenes, waiting for the GTX 1070 to catch up.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 is a Pascal-architecture GPU with 8 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 256.3 GB/s of bandwidth. It has 1,920 shading units, 120 TMUs, and 64 ROPs, with a base clock of 1506 MHz and a boost clock of 1683 MHz. Its memory runs at 2002 MHz (8 Gbps effective). The GPU delivers 6.463 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and a pixel rate of 107.7 GPixel/s. In synthetic tests, it scores 13,498 in Passmark G3D and 47,490 in Geekbench OpenCL, placing it in the 51st percentile of all GPUs. Its average benchmark score of 12,331 is within 1.7% of its nearest rivals: it is 0.7% ahead of the NVIDIA Quadro K4200, 1.3% behind the GeForce GTX 880M, 1.4% behind the GTX 1650 SUPER, and 1.7% behind the Tesla K20Xm. In The Technomancer, the GTX 1070's role is decisive. At 1080p Ultra, the combo hits 61.8 FPS, which is playable but not smooth by modern standards. At 4K Ultra, it drops to 20.8 FPS, clearly unplayable. The GPU's 8 GB VRAM is adequate for this game at most settings, but the raw compute power of the Pascal chip is the bottleneck. The 150 W TDP and single 8-pin power connector suggest a modest power draw, but that does not compensate for the age of the architecture. The GTX 1070 was released in 2016, the same year as The Technomancer, yet its performance in this title shows its limitations at higher resolutions and settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a detailed picture of performance across resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the combo achieves 113.7 FPS at Low settings, 91.1 FPS at Medium, 76.8 FPS at High, and 61.8 FPS at Ultra. This shows a steady, predictable drop as settings increase, with a 45.7% reduction from Low to Ultra. At 2560x1440, the results are 76.5 FPS at Low, 59.9 FPS at Medium, 49.3 FPS at High, and 39.1 FPS at Ultra. The gap between Low and Ultra here is 48.9%, slightly steeper than at 1080p. At 3840x2160, the numbers fall further: 43.2 FPS at Low, 35.0 FPS at Medium, 29.9 FPS at High, and 20.8 FPS at Ultra. The drop from Low to Ultra at 4K is 51.9%, indicating that the GPU is under increasing stress at higher pixel counts. The frame rates at 4K are all below 60 FPS, making the game feel sluggish even at Low settings. The 1080p results are the most usable, with all settings above 60 FPS, though Ultra barely clears that threshold. The 1440p results are marginal: Low and Medium are smooth, but High and Ultra dip below 50 FPS. The data indicates that for a consistent 60 FPS experience, the user must stick to 1080p with Medium or High settings, or 1440p with Low settings.

Resolution Scaling

The resolution scaling behavior reveals the GPU-bound nature of this combo. Moving from 1080p to 1440p at High settings drops the average FPS from 76.8 to 49.3, a 35.8% reduction. Moving from 1440p to 4K at High settings drops it further from 49.3 to 29.9, another 39.4% reduction. The cumulative drop from 1080p High to 4K High is 61.1%, which is significant but not linear—the pixel count quadruples from 1080p to 4K, yet the FPS does not quarter, suggesting some efficiency in the scaling. At Low settings, the drop from 1080p (113.7 FPS) to 4K (43.2 FPS) is 62.0%, while at Ultra, the drop from 1080p (61.8 FPS) to 4K (20.8 FPS) is 66.3%. The steeper drop at Ultra settings indicates that the GPU's shading units and memory bandwidth are saturated more quickly when both resolution and graphical effects increase. The limiting component is clearly the GTX 1070. The CPU, with its 20 cores and 5.40 GHz boost, can easily handle the frame generation at all resolutions. The data shows that the FPS drop is primarily a function of pixel throughput and fill rate, which are GPU-bound. At 1080p Low, the combo reaches 113.7 FPS, but even this is not CPU-limited—the GTX 1070 simply cannot push much higher. The scaling pattern suggests that upgrading the GPU would yield substantial improvements at all resolutions, while upgrading the CPU would have no measurable effect on this game's performance.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution and settings for a smooth 60 FPS experience?

A: At 1920x1080, all settings deliver above 60 FPS: Low at 113.7, Medium at 91.1, High at 76.8, and Ultra at 61.8. At 2560x1440, only Low (76.5) and Medium (59.9) approach or exceed 60 FPS. The data suggests 1080p High is the optimal balance, with a 76.8 FPS average.

Q: How does the combo perform at 4K Ultra settings?

A: At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average FPS is 20.8, which is well below playable thresholds. Even at 4K Low, the average is only 43.2 FPS, indicating that 4K is not viable for this combination in The Technomancer.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in this system?

A: The GPU is the clear bottleneck. The i7-14700F ranks in the 94th percentile among CPUs, while the GTX 1070 ranks in the 51st percentile among GPUs. The FPS scaling across resolutions—dropping 61-66% from 1080p to 4K—is characteristic of a GPU-limited scenario.

Q: How does the GTX 1070 compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The GTX 1070's average benchmark score of 12,331 is 0.7% higher than the Quadro K4200 (12,241), 1.3% lower than the GTX 880M (12,490), 1.4% lower than the GTX 1650 SUPER (12,504), and 1.7% lower than the Tesla K20Xm (12,547).

Q: What is the CPU's synthetic performance relative to other processors?

A: The i7-14700F scores 35,443 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 5,003 in single-core. Its average benchmark score of 54,097 is 0.6% behind the Ryzen 9 9900X (54,450) and 1.1% behind the Ryzen 9 9900X3D (54,681), while 1.2% ahead of the Xeon Phi 7290 (53,469) and 1.7% ahead of the EPYC 7313P (53,206).

Q: Does the combo maintain 60 FPS at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, Low settings achieve 76.5 FPS, and Medium achieves 59.9 FPS, which is just below 60. High (49.3) and Ultra (39.1) fall short. For a strict 60 FPS target, 1440p Low is the only reliable option.