The Technomancer

The Technomancer, a 2016 Action RPG, presents a demanding workload even for modern flagship hardware. This analysis examines the measured performance of the Intel Core i7-14700F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 across a matrix of resolutions and quality presets. The data reveals a system capable of high frame rates, but with performance scaling characteristics that clearly delineate the roles of the CPU and GPU depending on the workload.

Resolution Scaling

The measured frame rates show a predictable, yet steep, decline as resolution increases, highlighting the GPU as the primary bottleneck at higher fidelity settings. At 1920x1080, the system operates at extremely high frame rates, with the Ultra preset delivering an average of 169 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440, the Ultra preset average drops to 110 FPS, a reduction of 59 FPS, or roughly 35%. This trend continues to 3840x2160, where the Ultra preset yields an average of just 61 FPS, a further 49 FPS drop from the 1440p result. This scaling pattern is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario at higher resolutions, where the sheer number of pixels being rendered taxes the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090's immense processing power.

The data for the High preset follows a similar trajectory. At 1080p, the High preset achieves an average of 216 FPS. This falls to 141 FPS at 1440p, a 75 FPS decrease, and then to 77 FPS at 4K, a 64 FPS decrease from 1440p. The percentage drop between 1080p and 1440p is approximately 35%, while the drop between 1440p and 4K is approximately 45%. This indicates that the performance cost of each resolution step becomes more severe at higher base resolutions, a common characteristic of GPU-bound rendering where fill-rate and memory bandwidth constraints become more pronounced.

At the Low preset, the frame rates are exceptionally high, suggesting the system is less constrained by the GPU. The average FPS at 1080p Low is 307. This drops to 215 FPS at 1440p, a 92 FPS decrease. At 4K Low, the average is 118 FPS, a 97 FPS decrease from 1440p. While still a significant drop, the absolute frame rates remain high enough to suggest that the CPU is beginning to play a more significant role in limiting performance at 1080p and 1440p, as the GPU is not being pushed to its absolute limit. The gap between the Low and Ultra presets also narrows as resolution increases, from a 138 FPS difference at 1080p to a 57 FPS difference at 4K, further reinforcing that the GPU becomes the sole limiting factor at 4K.

The 4K Medium preset provides a data point with min and max FPS values: an average of 91 FPS, with a minimum of 77 FPS and a maximum of 104 FPS. This 27 FPS variance between the min and max frames indicates a degree of inconsistency in frame pacing, likely due to complex scenes or transient CPU workloads. In contrast, the 1440p Medium preset shows a tighter window, with an average of 165 FPS and a min/max of 140/190 FPS, a 50 FPS spread. The 1080p Medium preset has an average of 253 FPS with a min/max of 215/291 FPS, a 76 FPS spread. The data shows that while the average frame rate scales with resolution, the frame time variance can also change, which is relevant for understanding overall smoothness.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average frame rate recorded for this CPU and GPU combination in The Technomancer?

A: The highest average frame rate recorded is 307 FPS, which occurs at 1920x1080 with the Low quality preset.

Q: How does the Ultra preset performance at 4K compare to the Medium preset at 1080p?

A: The Ultra preset at 3840x2160 yields an average of 61 FPS, while the Medium preset at 1920x1080 yields an average of 253 FPS. This represents a 192 FPS difference, or approximately 315% higher performance at the lower resolution and settings.

Q: Does the RTX 4090 maintain playable frame rates at 4K with maximum settings?

A: Yes, the data shows an average of 61 FPS for the Ultra preset at 3840x2160. While this is above the 60 FPS threshold commonly considered playable, it is the only preset at 4K to fall below an average of 77 FPS.

Q: Which component appears to be the primary bottleneck at 1080p with the Low preset?

A: At 1080p Low, the average frame rate is 307 FPS. This exceptionally high frame rate suggests the GPU is not fully utilized, and the Intel Core i7-14700F is likely the limiting factor in this specific scenario.

Q: What is the performance difference between the Low and Ultra presets at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset achieves an average of 215 FPS, while the Ultra preset achieves an average of 110 FPS. The Ultra preset is 105 FPS, or approximately 49% slower than Low.

Q: Is there a large frame time variance at 4K Medium settings?

A: The 4K Medium preset shows a minimum of 77 FPS and a maximum of 104 FPS, resulting in a 27 FPS variance around the 91 FPS average. This is a noticeable spread and indicates some frame pacing inconsistency.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is the central component driving the high frame rates observed in the 4K results. Its performance is defined by its massive specifications: 16,384 shading units, 176 ROPs, and a 384-bit memory bus paired with 24 GB of GDDR6X memory. This configuration provides a memory bandwidth of 1.01 TB/s, which is critical for feeding the GPU's 82.58 TFLOPS of FP32 compute power at high resolutions and detailed settings.

The GPU's clock speeds are also a factor in its performance. With a base clock of 2235 MHz and a boost clock of 2520 MHz, the RTX 4090 can sustain high throughput on demanding workloads. The data shows the GPU's capability is most evident when comparing the 4K Ultra result of 61 FPS to the 1080p Low result of 307 FPS. The GPU is clearly capable of rendering the game at 4K, but the Ultra preset demands a significant amount of pixel shading and texture work, leading to a lower, albeit still playable, average.

The transition from the Low to Medium preset at 4K results in a 27 FPS drop (118 to 91 FPS). The jump from Medium to High results in a further 14 FPS drop (91 to 77 FPS). Finally, the jump from High to Ultra results in a 16 FPS drop (77 to 61 FPS). This indicates that each settings tier has a tangible impact on the GPU's workload. The RTX 4090's 24 GB of VRAM is not a limiting factor in these tests, as the game's requirements are well within the card's capacity, allowing it to focus on compute and shading tasks. The data confirms the GPU is the dominant performance driver, especially as resolution and settings are increased.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured frame rates, the optimal settings depend on the user's target resolution and performance goals. For 4K displays, the High preset provides the best balance, achieving an average of 77 FPS. This is a meaningful improvement over the Ultra preset's 61 FPS, offering a 16 FPS increase in performance for a likely minor visual fidelity loss. The data suggests that for a locked 60 FPS experience at 4K, the Ultra preset is sufficient, but the High preset offers more headroom and a smoother experience.

At 2560x1440, the High preset is an excellent choice, delivering an average of 141 FPS. This is well above the 110 FPS of the Ultra preset, making it a strong option for high-refresh-rate monitors. The Ultra preset at 1440p is also viable for users prioritizing maximum visual quality, as 110 FPS is still a very smooth experience. For competitive play or maximum frame rates, the Medium preset at 1440p, at 165 FPS, is a compelling option, though the High preset offers a better balance of visual quality and performance.

At 1920x1080, all presets produce very high frame rates, from 169 FPS on Ultra to 307 FPS on Low. The Ultra preset at 1080p is the recommended choice, as it allows users to experience the game's maximum visual fidelity while still maintaining an average of 169 FPS. The High preset at 216 FPS offers a significant boost for high-refresh-rate 1080p displays, but the visual difference between High and Ultra may be less noticeable at this resolution. The data indicates that the CPU becomes more of a factor at 1080p, but the GPU still has ample power to deliver a top-tier experience with the highest settings.

How This Combo Ranks

In the global database of tested combinations for The Technomancer, the Intel Core i7-14700F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 pair holds a combo rank of 103 out of 3,696 tested combinations. This places it in the top 3% of all tested systems, indicating that it is a very high-performing configuration for this title. The relative performance is expected, given that the RTX 4090 is in the 88th percentile for all GPUs, and the i7-14700F is in the 91st percentile for all CPUs.

The GPU's benchmark scores are notable. It has an average benchmark score of 60,347, which places it in the 88th percentile. Its nearest rivals in the GPU database include the Intel Arc Pro A60, which scores 60,326 (a 0% delta), and the AMD Radeon Pro W6600M, which scores 61,896 (a -2.5% delta). This shows that while the RTX 4090 is a top-tier consumer card, its average benchmark score is comparable to some professional workstation GPUs in the database.

Similarly, the CPU's average benchmark score is 53,620. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Xeon 6505P with a score of 53,701 (a -0.2% delta) and the AMD Ryzen 9 7900X with a score of 53,288 (a 0.6% delta). This indicates that the i7-14700F's raw processing power is on par with several high-end server and desktop CPUs. The combination of these two top-percentile components results in a system that ranks exceptionally well for The Technomancer, confirming its suitability for high-resolution, high-settings gaming.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following is a detailed breakdown of the measured average frame rates for all tested configurations.

At 1920x1080, the system demonstrates its highest performance ceiling. The Low preset achieves an average of 307 FPS. The Medium preset averages 253 FPS, with a minimum of 215 FPS and a maximum of 291 FPS. The High preset averages 216 FPS. The Ultra preset, the most demanding at this resolution, averages 169 FPS.

At 2560x1440, performance remains very high but shows a clear step down from 1080p. The Low preset averages 215 FPS. The Medium preset averages 165 FPS, with a minimum of 140 FPS and a maximum of 190 FPS. The High preset averages 141 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 110 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is heavily taxed, and frame rates are more moderate. The Low preset averages 118 FPS. The Medium preset averages 91 FPS, with a minimum of 77 FPS and a maximum of 104 FPS. The High preset averages 77 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 61 FPS, which is the lowest average frame rate recorded in this dataset.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700F plays a crucial role in ensuring the GPU can reach its full potential, particularly at lower resolutions and settings. This processor features 20 cores and 28 threads, based on the Raptor Lake architecture. Its high core count is well-suited for modern games, and its boost clock of 5.40 GHz provides strong single-threaded performance for game logic and physics.

The benchmark data for the CPU shows its capabilities: a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 35,122 and a single-core score of 4,958. Its Geekbench multi-core and single-core scores are 19,620 and 2,429, respectively. These scores place the i7-14700F in the 91st percentile for all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 53,620, making it a powerful component.

In The Technomancer, the CPU's influence is most apparent at 1080p. At this resolution, the GPU is less burdened, and the frame rate ceiling is set by the CPU's ability to process and submit draw calls. The jump from 216 FPS at 1080p High to 141 FPS at 1440p High shows a 75 FPS drop, which is a 35% reduction. This is a significant drop, but the high absolute frame rates suggest the CPU is still keeping up. However, at 1080p Low, the 307 FPS average suggests the CPU is nearing its practical limit for this game engine, as the GPU is certainly capable of rendering more frames if the CPU could provide them. The CPU's L3 cache of 33 MB (shared) and support for DDR4 and DDR5 memory help to minimize data bottlenecks, ensuring a steady flow of information to the GPU. The data shows that while the RTX 4090 is the star for visual fidelity, the i7-14700F is a robust foundation that prevents the system from being CPU-limited in most gaming scenarios, except for the most extreme low-settings, high-frame-rate cases.