The Technomancer

The Technomancer, a 2016 Action RPG, presents an interesting case study for the Intel Core i7-14700K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti. This combination, ranked 653rd out of 1656 tested combos, shows a performance profile that shifts dramatically depending on resolution and settings. The data indicates a system capable of high refresh rates at 1080p, while 4K Ultra pushes it to the edge of playability.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear and predictable scaling pattern as resolution increases. At 1080p with High settings, the combo delivers an average of 133.4 FPS. Moving to 1440p at the same settings reduces the average to 85.6 FPS, a drop of approximately 36%. Stepping up to 4K at High settings yields an average of 50.1 FPS, which is about 41% lower than the 1440p result and roughly 62% lower than the 1080p figure. This steep decline indicates that the rendering load is scaling heavily with pixel count, which is expected for a GPU-bound scenario.

The pattern holds across all settings. At Low settings, the frame rate falls from 202.9 FPS at 1080p to 131 FPS at 1440p (a 35% reduction), and then to 75 FPS at 4K (a 43% drop from 1440p). Similarly, at Ultra settings, the averages are 105.1 FPS at 1080p, 66.5 FPS at 1440p, and 37.7 FPS at 4K. The consistency of these percentage drops—roughly 35-40% between each resolution step—suggests that the GPU is the primary limiting component throughout. The CPU, with its 20 cores and 28 threads, is not showing signs of bottlenecking at any resolution, as the frame rate scaling follows the expected GPU workload curve rather than flattening out due to processor limits.

The fact that the gap between Low and Ultra settings narrows as resolution increases further supports this. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 97.8 FPS (202.9 vs 105.1). At 1440p, that gap shrinks to 64.5 FPS (131 vs 66.5). At 4K, the gap is only 37.3 FPS (75 vs 37.7). This compression indicates that at higher resolutions, the raw pixel throughput dominates, making the setting-based differences less impactful on the final frame rate. The limiting component is clearly the GPU’s ability to fill pixels, not the CPU’s ability to feed it data.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti is built on the Ampere architecture with a GA104 chip manufactured on an 8 nm process from Samsung. It features 8 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 608.3 GB/s. This memory configuration is substantial for a game from 2016, and the data suggests it is sufficient for The Technomancer at all tested settings, as no anomalies or disproportionate drops occur that would indicate VRAM exhaustion.

The GPU’s clock speeds are listed with a base of 1575 MHz and a boost of 1770 MHz, with memory running at 1188 MHz (19 Gbps effective). These clocks, combined with 6144 shading units and 192 texture mapping units, deliver a theoretical FP32 performance of 21.75 TFLOPS. In practice, the benchmark results show that this raw compute power translates to strong performance at 1080p and 1440p, where the RTX 3070 Ti can push well past 60 FPS on High settings (133.4 and 85.6 FPS respectively). However, at 4K Ultra, the average of 37.7 FPS reveals the limits of this GPU when tasked with maximum quality at the highest resolution.

The GPU’s overall benchmark standing places it in the 74th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 30849. Its nearest rivals in the aggregate benchmark data include the AMD Radeon RX 590 GME (scoring 30755, a 0.3% delta), the AMD Radeon RX 6700 (31112, -0.8% delta), and the NVIDIA Quadro M5000 (31142, -0.9% delta). These close deltas indicate that while the RTX 3070 Ti is a capable performer, it sits in a competitive mid-to-high tier segment rather than at the absolute top. For The Technomancer specifically, this means the GPU is the deciding factor in whether the game runs smoothly or stutters, particularly at higher resolutions where its 8 GB frame buffer and 608.3 GB/s bandwidth are fully utilized.

How This Combo Ranks

In the context of all tested hardware combinations for The Technomancer, this specific pairing of the Intel Core i7-14700K and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti holds the 653rd position out of 1656 combos. This places it in the upper portion of the distribution, roughly in the 60th percentile of all tested systems. The rank reflects a balance where the CPU is not a limiting factor—the i7-14700K scores in the 96th percentile of all CPUs—but the GPU’s 74th percentile standing holds the combo back from a higher placement.

The CPU’s nearest rivals in aggregate benchmarks include the Intel Core i7-14700KF (avg score 70104, delta 0%), the AMD EPYC 9115 (69887, delta 0.3%), the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X (70420, delta -0.5%), and the Intel Xeon Platinum 8270 (71056, delta -1.4%). These negligible differences (all within 1.4%) indicate that the i7-14700K is essentially at parity with its closest competitors, meaning any performance variation in-game would come from the GPU side. The GPU’s nearest rivals, as noted, are also within a 1.2% delta, suggesting that the combo’s rank is not driven by an outlier weakness in either component but rather by their combined mid-tier positioning.

The data shows that this combo is more than adequate for 1080p and 1440p gaming, where it can achieve high frame rates across all settings. The rank of 653 suggests that many other combos, likely featuring higher-end GPUs, outperform it, particularly at 4K where the RTX 3070 Ti’s limitations become apparent. For users targeting 1080p or 1440p, this combo would perform admirably, but for 4K enthusiasts, it would fall short of the top-tier combos.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of performance across three resolutions and four quality settings. At 1920x1080, the combo achieves its highest performance. Low settings produce an average of 202.9 FPS, Medium delivers 156.6 FPS, High reaches 133.4 FPS, and Ultra drops to 105.1 FPS. These numbers indicate that at 1080p, the system is never CPU-bound, as even the highest quality setting maintains a triple-digit frame rate. The spread from Low to Ultra is substantial, showing that settings have a significant impact at this resolution.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance drops but remains strong. Low settings average 131 FPS, Medium 102.8 FPS, High 85.6 FPS, and Ultra 66.5 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p is consistent, with each setting losing roughly 35% of its frame rate. This suggests that the GPU is handling the increased pixel count efficiently, without any unexpected bottlenecks. The Ultra setting at 1440p, at 66.5 FPS, remains comfortably playable for most users.

At 3840x2160, the performance becomes more constrained. Low settings average 75 FPS, Medium 57.9 FPS, High 50.1 FPS, and Ultra 37.7 FPS. The drop from 1440p to 4K is steeper, with losses between 41% and 43% across settings. This indicates that the GPU is nearing its limits at 4K, particularly at higher quality presets. The Ultra result of 37.7 FPS is below the 60 FPS threshold that many consider the baseline for smooth gameplay, suggesting that users targeting 4K would need to lower settings or accept a sub-60 FPS experience.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to maintain 60+ FPS on High settings?

A: At 1440p High, the combo averages 85.6 FPS, while at 4K High it drops to 50.1 FPS. Therefore, 1440p is the highest resolution where High settings maintain a comfortable margin above 60 FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 3070 Ti compare to its closest GPU rivals in aggregate benchmarks?

A: The RTX 3070 Ti has an average benchmark score of 30849. The AMD Radeon RX 590 GME scores 30755 (0.3% higher), the AMD Radeon RX 6700 scores 31112 (-0.8% lower), and the NVIDIA Quadro M5000 scores 31142 (-0.9% lower). All are within 1.2% of each other.

Q: Is the Intel Core i7-14700K a limiting factor in this game?

A: No. The CPU scores in the 96th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 70074. Its nearest rivals, such as the i7-14700KF (70104) and Ryzen 9 9950X (70420), are within 1.4% in performance, indicating the CPU is not the bottleneck in The Technomancer's measured results.

Q: What frame rate can be expected at 1080p with Ultra settings?

A: The measured average FPS at 1920x1080 with Ultra settings is 105.1 FPS. This is well above the 60 FPS target and indicates smooth performance at the highest quality preset for this resolution.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from 1440p to 4K on High settings?

A: At 1440p High, the average is 85.6 FPS. At 4K High, the average is 50.1 FPS. This represents a drop of approximately 41.5%, showing a significant performance penalty for the higher resolution.

Q: Does the combo rank in the top half of all tested systems for this game?

A: Yes. The combo is ranked 653rd out of 1656 total combinations, placing it in the upper half of the distribution, though not near the top.