The Technomancer

The Technomancer, a 2016 Action RPG, presents an interesting test for modern high-end hardware. When paired with the Intel Core i7-14700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090, the benchmark data reveals a system that is overwhelmingly powerful for this title, delivering exceptional frame rates even at the highest settings and resolutions. This analysis breaks down the measured performance, contextualizes the combo's standing, and provides clear guidance on optimizing the experience.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this game with this hardware combo?

A: The data shows that at 1920x1080, the average frame rates range from 167 FPS on Ultra to 318.5 FPS on Low, indicating the CPU and GPU are more than capable of handling high refresh rates. At 2560x1440, the system still delivers excellent performance, with an average of 138.8 FPS on High settings.

Q: How does the RTX 4090's performance compare to its nearest rivals?

A: According to the data, the RTX 4090 has an average benchmark score of 66473, which is 0.5% higher than the NVIDIA Tesla P40 (66127) and 0.4% lower than the NVIDIA Tesla T4 (66733). This places it in a competitive position among its closest peers.

Q: Is the Core i7-14700K a top-tier processor for gaming?

A: The Intel Core i7-14700K has a percentile rank of 96 when compared to all CPUs, indicating it is in the top 4% of processors. Its average benchmark score of 70074 is almost identical to the Intel Core i7-14700KF (70104) and slightly higher than the AMD EPYC 9115 (69887).

Q: What frame rate can I expect at 4K with Ultra settings?

A: The measured data for the 3840x2160 resolution with Ultra settings shows an average frame rate of 62.1 FPS. This suggests that while the game is playable at 4K Ultra, it is the most demanding configuration tested.

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

A: The combo of the Intel Core i7-14700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 ranks 29th out of 1656 total tested combinations for this game, placing it in the top 2% of systems.

Q: What is the difference in performance between High and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: The data shows that at 2560x1440, the High preset achieves an average of 138.8 FPS, while the Ultra preset achieves an average of 107.8 FPS. This represents a significant performance drop for the visual upgrade.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is a dominant force in this benchmark. Its specifications, including a massive 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus, provide a 1.01 TB/s bandwidth, ensuring that texture streaming and high-resolution rendering are never bottlenecked by memory constraints. The GPU's architecture is Ada Lovelace, built on a 5 nm process at TSMC, which contributes to its high efficiency and performance.

The clock speeds are substantial, with a base clock of 2235 MHz and a boost clock of 2520 MHz. These high frequencies allow the 16384 shading units to process geometry and pixel data at an exceptional rate. The data shows this translates directly into high frame rates. For instance, at 2560x1440 with Low settings, the RTX 4090 pushes an average of 213.7 FPS. Even at the demanding 4K resolution, the GPU manages an average of 114.7 FPS on Low settings, demonstrating its raw compute power.

The GPU's role in The Technomancer is to eliminate any graphical bottleneck. With a pixel rate of 443.5 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 1,290.2 GTexel/s, it can handle the game's visual effects with ease. The benchmark results confirm this, as the frame rates are consistently high across all tested presets. The performance scaling from Low to Ultra settings shows the GPU's headroom, with the most significant drop occurring at 4K Ultra, which still remains playable at an average of 62.1 FPS.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i7-14700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 combination is a top-tier performer in the database, securing the 29th position out of 1656 tested combos. This rank of 29 places it in the top 1.75% of all systems tested, reflecting the strength of both components.

The CPU itself is a powerhouse, with a percentile rank of 96 against all other CPUs. This means it outperforms 96% of all processors in the database. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core i7-14700KF, has a virtually identical average score (70104 vs 70074), showing that the K variant offers no performance advantage. The AMD Ryzen 9 9950X is slightly ahead, with a score of 70420, a 0.5% difference. The Intel Xeon Platinum 8270 is behind by 1.4%, with a score of 71056.

On the GPU side, the RTX 4090 holds a percentile rank of 91 against all GPUs. Its average benchmark score of 66473 is closely matched by its rivals, including the NVIDIA Tesla T4 (66733) and the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 56 (67097). However, in gaming workloads like The Technomancer, the RTX 4090's specialized hardware for DirectX 12, with a score of 150, and its high OpenCL score of 317684, demonstrate its gaming-focused design.

The high combo rank is a direct result of this powerful pairing. The CPU ensures that the GPU is never starved for data, allowing it to reach its full potential. This is evident in the measured FPS, where the system achieves over 200 FPS at 1080p on Medium settings (252 FPS) and over 300 FPS on Low (318.5 FPS), indicating a well-balanced system capable of feeding a high-refresh-rate monitor.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the user's display and preference for visual fidelity versus maximum frame rate. For users with a 1920x1080 144Hz monitor, the High preset is an excellent choice, delivering an average of 216 FPS. This provides a smooth and responsive experience while maintaining good visual quality. The Medium preset also offers a high frame rate of 252 FPS, but the visual difference between Medium and High is often worth the slight performance cost.

At 2560x1440, the High preset is the clear recommendation, achieving an average of 138.8 FPS. This is well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay and provides a significant visual upgrade over 1080p. The Ultra preset at this resolution drops to 107.8 FPS, which is still playable but sacrifices a noticeable amount of performance. The data suggests that High is the sweet spot for 1440p, balancing frame rate and visual quality.

For 4K (3840x2160) gaming, the High preset is the best choice for a consistent experience, with an average of 75 FPS. This is a playable frame rate and offers a substantial graphical boost. The Ultra preset at 4K dips to 62.1 FPS, which is still playable but may not provide the smoothest experience on a high-refresh-rate 4K display. If a higher frame rate is prioritized over maximum visual detail, the Medium preset at 4K, with an average of 88.9 FPS, offers a good compromise. The Low preset, while achieving high frame rates, is not recommended as it significantly reduces visual quality for a marginal performance gain.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following data represents the measured average FPS for the Intel Core i7-14700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 combination in The Technomancer.

3840x2160 (4K)

• Ultra: The highest visual fidelity yields an average of 62.1 FPS.
• High: A more balanced option, producing an average of 75 FPS.
• Medium: This setting provides a significant performance boost, with an average of 88.9 FPS.
• Low: The least demanding preset, achieving an average of 114.7 FPS.

2560x1440 (1440p)

• Ultra: This demanding setting still delivers a high average of 107.8 FPS.
• High: An excellent choice for high-refresh-rate monitors, averaging 138.8 FPS.
• Medium: Performance is very strong, with an average of 165.7 FPS.
• Low: The system is heavily unconstrained, reaching an average of 213.7 FPS.

1920x1080 (1080p)

• Ultra: The system delivers a very high average of 167 FPS.
• High: Frame rates are exceptionally high, averaging 216 FPS.
• Medium: Performance is immense, with an average of 252 FPS.
• Low: The highest measured frame rate, averaging 318.5 FPS.

The data clearly shows a consistent scaling pattern. As resolution increases, the performance gap between settings narrows, indicating a growing GPU load. At 1080p, the system is clearly CPU-bound at lower settings, as the frame rate is exceptionally high. At 4K, the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck, and the difference between presets becomes more pronounced, but the overall performance remains impressive for a title from 2016.