The Technomancer

The Technomancer, a 2016 Action RPG, presents an interesting case study for the Intel Core i7-14700KF paired with the AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT. The benchmark data, measured directly from this configuration, reveals a system that is heavily balanced towards the CPU, with the GPU acting as the primary bottleneck across all tested resolutions. This analysis will break down the performance characteristics, scaling behavior, and component roles based solely on the provided measurements.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a classic pattern of GPU-bound scaling as resolution increases. At 1080p with High settings, the combination achieves an average of 91 FPS. Moving to 1440p High, the average drops to 60 FPS, a reduction of 34%. At 4K High, the average falls further to 33 FPS, which is 64% lower than the 1080p result. This steep decline indicates that the Radeon RX 5700 XT's rendering capabilities are being saturated as pixel count increases, making the GPU the limiting component.

The scaling pattern is consistent across all settings presets. For Low settings, the average FPS goes from 139 at 1080p, to 91 at 1440p, and finally to 50 at 4K. This represents a 64% total drop from 1080p to 4K, nearly identical to the High preset's drop. The Medium preset shows averages of 107, 70, and 38 FPS across the three resolutions, while Ultra yields 71, 47, and 26 FPS. The uniformity of these percentage drops suggests that the resolution scaling is purely a function of GPU fill rate and pixel throughput, with no meaningful CPU limitation appearing even at 1080p.

What is notable is the absence of a "CPU headroom" region where FPS would plateau. At 1080p Low, the system produces 139 FPS, but this is still well below the theoretical maximum of the i7-14700KF, which has a passmark single-thread score of 4480 and a multithread score of 52425. If the CPU were the limiting factor, we would expect to see similar FPS numbers across different resolutions at the same settings. Instead, the FPS scales inversely with resolution, confirming that the RX 5700 XT's pixel processing pipeline is the bottleneck from 1080p all the way to 4K. The data suggests that even at the lowest resolution tested, the GPU cannot feed frames fast enough to fully utilize the CPU's potential in this game.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT is the clear performance limiter in this configuration. Its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus provides a bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s, which is adequate for 1080p and 1440p gaming but becomes strained at 4K. The measured average FPS at 4K Ultra is just 26 FPS, which is below the threshold for smooth gameplay, indicating that the GPU's compute units and memory subsystem are overwhelmed by the demands of The Technomancer at that resolution.

The GPU's clock speeds are relevant to its performance. The base clock is 1605 MHz, with a game clock of 1755 MHz and a boost clock of 1905 MHz. The fact that the measured performance scales so predictably with resolution suggests that the GPU is operating at its boost clock during these tests, but its raw throughput of 9.754 TFLOPS FP32 is simply insufficient for 4K Ultra in this title. The card's pixel rate of 121.9 GPixel/s and texture rate of 304.8 GTexel/s are the specifications that determine how quickly it can fill the screen and apply textures, and these are the resources that get exhausted at higher resolutions.

Comparing to its nearest rivals in the synthetic benchmark database, the RX 5700 XT has an average benchmark score of 16361, placing it just 0.1% ahead of the AMD Radeon Pro 5600M and 0.3% behind the NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell. This proximity in synthetic scores does not translate to identical gaming performance in The Technomancer, as the measured data shows this GPU struggling at 4K. The card's percentile ranking of 59 against all GPUs indicates it sits in the mid-range of the performance spectrum, which aligns with the observed behavior of being able to handle 1440p High at 60 FPS but falling short at 4K.

The VRAM capacity of 8 GB is a potential concern at 4K, as the game may be exceeding this limit with Ultra textures, causing the GPU to rely on slower system memory. However, the measured FPS drop from High (33 FPS) to Ultra (26 FPS) at 4K is a 21% reduction, which is a more significant penalty than what would be expected from just higher shader complexity. This could indicate that memory pressure is exacerbating the performance decline at the highest settings.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700KF provides a massive amount of computational headroom that goes largely unused in this game. With 20 cores and 28 threads, a boost clock of 5.60 GHz, and a cinebench r23 multicore score of 44167, this processor is far more powerful than what The Technomancer requires. The game, being a 2016 title, likely uses only a few threads for its main game logic and rendering tasks, meaning the i7-14700KF's 28 threads are mostly idle.

The CPU's single-thread performance is also exceptional, with a cinebench r23 single-core score of 6235 and a passmark single-thread score of 4480. This is critical for older game engines that may have a primary game thread that cannot be parallelized. The fact that the FPS does not increase from 4K to 1080p at the same settings suggests that even the primary game thread is not being saturated; otherwise, we would see a plateau where FPS stops rising as resolution drops. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 139 FPS, but this appears to be limited by the GPU's ability to process draw calls and geometry, not by the CPU's calculations.

The i7-14700KF's nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks include the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F, which is 0.2% slower, and the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X, which is 0.9% slower. The Intel Core Ultra 7 265K is 1% faster. These tiny deltas in synthetic scores would not produce meaningful differences in a game like The Technomancer, where the CPU is not the bottleneck. The CPU's percentile rank of 94 against all CPUs confirms it is a top-tier processor, but this ranking is irrelevant to the measured gaming experience here, where the GPU dictates the frame rate.

The processor's 33 MB of shared L3 cache and 2 MB per-core L2 cache provide ample fast storage for game data, but again, this is not a limiting factor in these tests. The data indicates that if the RX 5700 XT were replaced with a more powerful GPU, the i7-14700KF would be able to push significantly higher frame rates, as evidenced by its capability in CPU-bound synthetic tests like passmark physics, which scores 2961.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 1440p High settings?

A: The measured average FPS for this combination at 2560x1440 with High settings is 60 FPS.

Q: Is this system capable of 4K gaming in The Technomancer?

A: At 4K, the average FPS ranges from 50 at Low settings to 26 at Ultra settings. The Medium preset achieves 38 FPS, while High achieves 33 FPS. This indicates that 4K is only playable at Low settings, and even then, the frame rate is not ideal for smooth action gameplay.

Q: Which component is the bottleneck in this configuration?

A: The benchmark data clearly shows the AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT is the limiting factor. This is evidenced by the significant FPS drops as resolution increases from 1080p to 4K, while the Intel Core i7-14700KF has ample headroom based on its high synthetic benchmark scores.

Q: How does the performance at 1080p Ultra compare to 1440p High?

A: At 1080p Ultra, the average FPS is 71. At 1440p High, the average FPS is 60. The 1440p High setting provides a lower frame rate despite being a lower quality preset, due to the increased pixel count.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded in the data?

A: The only minimum FPS values recorded are for the Medium preset. At 4K Medium, the minimum is 33 FPS, at 1440p Medium it is 59 FPS, and at 1080p Medium it is 91 FPS.

Q: What is the performance difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the Low preset yields an average of 139 FPS, while the Ultra preset yields an average of 71 FPS. This represents a 49% reduction in frame rate when moving from Low to Ultra settings.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal balance between visual fidelity and playable frame rates is achieved with the Medium preset at 1440p. This setting provides an average of 70 FPS with a minimum of 59 FPS, ensuring a consistently smooth experience. The Medium preset at 1080p also performs well, with an average of 107 FPS and a minimum of 91 FPS, offering a high refresh rate experience if the display supports it.

For users with a 4K display, the Low preset is the only viable option, yielding an average of 50 FPS. While this is below the 60 FPS target, it is the only preset that avoids the sub-40 FPS averages seen at Medium (38 FPS), High (33 FPS), and Ultra (26 FPS). Playing at 4K Low will require accepting significant graphical compromises for a playable frame rate.

The Ultra preset is not recommended at any resolution for this combination. Even at 1080p, it produces an average of only 71 FPS, which is a 34% reduction compared to the High preset's 91 FPS at the same resolution. The visual improvement from High to Ultra does not justify the substantial performance cost, particularly when the High preset at 1440p (60 FPS) offers a higher resolution with a similar frame rate to 1080p Ultra.

The High preset at 1080p offers an excellent experience, with an average of 91 FPS. This is the best choice for users who prioritize frame rate above all else and are playing on a 1080p monitor. For those with 1440p displays, the Medium preset is the sweet spot, as it maintains an average above 60 FPS while providing a higher resolution than 1080p.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete set of measured data provides a clear picture of the system's capabilities across all configurations.

1920x1080 (1080p):

• Low: Average FPS of 139.
• Medium: Average FPS of 107, with a minimum of 91 and maximum of 123.
• High: Average FPS of 91.
• Ultra: Average FPS of 71.

2560x1440 (1440p):

• Low: Average FPS of 91.
• Medium: Average FPS of 70, with a minimum of 59 and maximum of 80.
• High: Average FPS of 60.
• Ultra: Average FPS of 47.

3840x2160 (4K):

• Low: Average FPS of 50.
• Medium: Average FPS of 38, with a minimum of 33 and maximum of 44.
• High: Average FPS of 33.
• Ultra: Average FPS of 26.

The data shows a consistent pattern: at each resolution, the Low preset is significantly faster than Medium, which is faster than High, which is faster than Ultra. The deltas between presets are consistent across resolutions. For example, at 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 68 FPS, at 1440p it is 44 FPS, and at 4K it is 24 FPS. This indicates that the performance scaling between presets is linear, with each step up in quality costing a similar percentage of frame rate.

Notably, the minimum FPS values are only provided for the Medium preset. At 1080p Medium, the minimum is 91 FPS, which is 85% of the average. At 1440p Medium, the minimum is 59 FPS, which is 84% of the average. At 4K Medium, the minimum is 33 FPS, which is 87% of the average. This consistency suggests that the frame pacing is stable, with no severe drops or stutters occurring in the tested scenarios.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i7-14700KF and AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT combination ranks 2741 out of 3696 tested combos in The Technomancer. This places it in the 26th percentile of all tested configurations, meaning that 74% of tested systems perform better in this specific game. This ranking is a direct consequence of the GPU's mid-range capability, as the RX 5700 XT's percentile rank against all GPUs is 59, while the CPU's rank is 94.

The low combo ranking, relative to the CPU's high percentile, highlights the imbalance of this pairing for this game. The i7-14700KF is capable of far more, but the RX 5700 XT holds the system back. The combo's rank of 2741 suggests that many systems with less powerful CPUs but more powerful GPUs achieve higher frame rates in The Technomancer, as this game is clearly GPU-bound.

This ranking also implies that the i7-14700KF's high synthetic scores, such as its 94th percentile ranking and cinebench r23 multicore score of 44167, do not translate to a high in-game rank when paired with a GPU that has a 59th percentile ranking. The data shows that for this game, the GPU's performance is the dominant factor in determining the overall combo ranking. If the GPU were upgraded, the combo's rank would improve significantly, as the CPU would not be a limiting factor. The 2741st place ranking is a realistic assessment of the system's actual gaming performance in this title, reflecting the GPU's inability to keep up with the CPU's potential.