The Technomancer

The Technomancer, a 2016 Action RPG, presents a demanding workload for modern hardware. When paired with the Intel Core i7-14700K and AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT, the benchmark data reveals a system that is heavily GPU-bound at higher resolutions but scales remarkably well at 1080p, offering a versatile experience across different quality presets.

Resolution Scaling

The data shows a classic GPU-bound scaling pattern as resolution increases. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 206.3 FPS. Moving to 1440p drops this to 134.3 FPS, and at 4K it falls to 76.4 FPS. This represents a 63% performance reduction from 1080p to 4K at the lowest settings, indicating that the rendering load is expanding significantly with each pixel increase.

The scaling becomes more severe at higher quality presets. With Ultra settings, the average FPS drops from 108.6 at 1080p to 73 at 1440p, and finally to 39 at 4K. This is a 64% decrease from 1080p to 4K, showing that the combination of resolution and quality settings compounds the stress on the GPU. The gap between 1440p and 4K is particularly stark, with performance nearly halving at Ultra settings.

This scaling behavior strongly suggests that the AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT is the limiting component at 4K, especially with High and Ultra presets where the frame rates dip below the 60 FPS threshold. The Intel Core i7-14700K, with its high single-thread performance, appears to have ample headroom to feed the GPU at lower resolutions, but the GPU's raw throughput becomes the bottleneck as pixel count rises. The transition from 1080p to 1440p is less punishing, suggesting that 1440p is the sweet spot for this pairing, offering a significant visual upgrade without the steep performance penalty seen at 4K.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700K is a 20-core, 28-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture. It features a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz, with 33 MB of shared L3 cache. This processor is in the 96th percentile against all CPUs, indicating it is among the top tier for general processing power. In synthetic benchmarks, it scores 44,534 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 6,287 in single-core, demonstrating exceptional multi-threaded and single-threaded capabilities.

For The Technomancer, the CPU's role is primarily to maintain a high minimum frame rate and ensure consistent frame pacing. The game is not known for being heavily CPU-bound, and the i7-14700K's single-core boost of 5.60 GHz is more than sufficient to handle the game's logic and physics. The data supports this: at 1080p Low settings, the system reaches 206.3 FPS, which is far beyond what the game's engine typically requires. Even at 1080p Ultra, the 108.6 FPS average suggests the CPU is not the bottleneck, as the GPU is still able to produce high frame rates without being starved of data.

The i7-14700K's nearest rivals include the Intel Core i7-14700KF with a deltaPct of 0, indicating virtually identical performance. The AMD Ryzen 9 9950X is only 0.5% faster in average benchmark scores, while the AMD EPYC 9115 is 0.3% slower. These close margins confirm that the i7-14700K is a top-tier performer, and in a game like The Technomancer, its 20 cores and 28 threads provide far more processing capacity than is needed, ensuring that the GPU remains the primary determinant of frame rate across all tested resolutions.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT is built on the RDNA 3.0 architecture with the Navi 32 chip, manufactured on a 5 nm process. It features 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering a bandwidth of 624.1 GB/s. The GPU has a base clock of 1295 MHz and a boost clock of 2430 MHz, with a game clock of 2124 MHz. It sits in the 76th percentile against all GPUs, which is respectable but not flagship-level.

The GPU's performance is clearly the dominant factor in The Technomancer's frame rates. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS drops to 39, which is unplayable for most users. The 16 GB of VRAM is not the issue here, as the game is from 2016 and would not require that much memory even at 4K. Instead, the raw compute throughput of the RX 7800 XT struggles to keep up with the demands of 4K rendering at high quality settings. The data shows a clear linear progression: at 4K, moving from Low (76.4 FPS) to Medium (56.8 FPS) to High (48.2 FPS) to Ultra (39 FPS) shows a steady decline as the GPU's shaders and ROPs are tasked with more complex pixel shading.

Comparatively, the RX 7800 XT's nearest rivals include the AMD FirePro S9300 X2 with a deltaPct of 0.2 and the NVIDIA P104-100 with a deltaPct of -0.4. These are professional or specialized cards, not direct gaming competitors, highlighting that the RX 7800 XT's gaming performance is well-regarded but not top-of-the-line. The GPU's 60 RT cores and 37.32 TFLOPS of FP32 performance are sufficient for 1440p gaming, where it achieves over 73 FPS at Ultra settings, but the 4K Ultra result of 39 FPS indicates that this is not a 4K-centric card for demanding titles.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS achievable with this combo?

A: The highest average FPS recorded is 206.3 at 1920x1080 with Low settings.

Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming in The Technomancer?

A: It can, but only at lower settings. At 4K Low, it achieves 76.4 FPS, but at 4K Ultra, it drops to 39 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS standard for smooth gameplay.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from 1080p to 1440p?

A: At High settings, the average FPS drops from 135.6 at 1080p to 89.3 at 1440p, a 34% decrease. At Ultra, the drop is from 108.6 to 73, a 33% decrease.

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

A: The data indicates the GPU is the limiting factor at higher resolutions. At 1080p, the system can reach over 200 FPS, showing the CPU has ample headroom. The performance decline as resolution increases is characteristic of GPU-bound scenarios.

Q: What is the average FPS at 1440p Ultra?

A: The average FPS at 2560x1440 with Ultra settings is 73.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested combinations?

A: This combo is ranked 641 out of 1656 tested combinations for this game, placing it in the top 39% of all systems tested.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers outstanding performance across all presets. Low settings yield an average of 206.3 FPS, which drops to 159.4 at Medium, 135.6 at High, and 108.6 at Ultra. These numbers indicate that the i7-14700K and RX 7800 XT combination is well-suited for high-refresh-rate 1080p gaming, with even the most demanding preset staying above the 100 FPS mark.

Moving to 2560x1440, performance remains strong but shows the GPU's workload increasing. Low settings produce 134.3 FPS, Medium 103.1 FPS, High 89.3 FPS, and Ultra 73 FPS. The 1440p Ultra result is particularly notable, as it remains above the 60 FPS threshold, making this resolution the most balanced for visual quality and smoothness.

At 3840x2160, the GPU begins to struggle with higher presets. Low settings manage 76.4 FPS, which is playable, but Medium drops to 56.8 FPS, High to 48.2 FPS, and Ultra to 39 FPS. The 4K Ultra result is the only configuration that falls below 40 FPS, indicating that this resolution is only viable with Low or Medium settings for a consistent experience.

Settings Recommendations

The best experience for this combo is at 2560x1440 with High settings, delivering an average of 89.3 FPS. This provides a significant visual upgrade over 1080p while maintaining a frame rate that is well above the 60 FPS standard, with enough headroom to handle demanding scenes without noticeable stutter. The 1440p High preset offers the optimal balance between image clarity and smoothness.

For users prioritizing maximum frame rates, 1080p with Low settings at 206.3 FPS is the clear choice, though this sacrifices visual fidelity. At 1080p Ultra, the 108.6 FPS average is still excellent and provides a much richer visual experience, making it a strong alternative for those with high-refresh-rate monitors who want both speed and quality.

At 4K, the data suggests using Low settings to achieve 76.4 FPS, as Medium (56.8 FPS) and High (48.2 FPS) fall below the 60 FPS threshold, which can lead to a less fluid experience. The 4K Ultra preset at 39 FPS is not recommended for general gameplay, as the frame rate is too low for a responsive experience. Overall, 1440p High is the recommended preset for the best overall experience, with 1080p Ultra as a strong alternative for those seeking higher frame rates without sacrificing too much visual detail.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i7-14700K and AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT combination ranks 641 out of 1656 tested combos for The Technomancer. This places it in the 61st percentile, meaning it outperforms the majority of systems tested for this game. Given that the CPU is in the 96th percentile and the GPU in the 76th percentile, the ranking reflects a balanced system where the GPU is the limiting factor in more demanding scenarios.

The rank is respectable but not top-tier, which aligns with the GPU's mid-to-high-end positioning. The combination of a high-end CPU with a strong mid-range GPU yields a system that excels at 1080p and 1440p but falls short at 4K Ultra. The data suggests that this combo is an excellent choice for gamers who prioritize high frame rates at mainstream resolutions, and its ranking indicates that it handles The Technomancer's requirements effectively, even if it is not the absolute fastest configuration available.