The Technomancer

The Technomancer, a 2016 Action RPG, presents an interesting test case for the Intel Core i7-14700KF and AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX combination. The measured frame rates across resolutions and settings reveal a system with substantial headroom, where the GPU becomes the primary scaling factor. The data indicates that this pairing is overwhelmingly capable of delivering smooth gameplay at every tier, with the performance ceiling being dictated by the graphics card's workload rather than the processor's capabilities.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate progression from 1080p to 4K clearly illustrates the GPU-bound nature of this title. At the High preset, the average FPS drops from 176.4 at 1920x1080 to 112.6 at 2560x1440, a reduction of approximately 36%, before falling further to 60.6 at 3840x2160. This represents a total decrease of about 65.6% from 1080p to 4K, a steep curve that indicates the rendering pipeline is scaling heavily with pixel count.

The pattern is consistent across all settings. For the Low preset, the system delivers 268.1 FPS at 1080p, which drops to 174.1 at 1440p and 93.5 at 4K. The Medium preset follows suit with 206.5 at 1080p, 137.3 at 1440p, and 74.4 at 4K. Even the demanding Ultra preset maintains high playability, starting at 141.1 at 1080p, falling to 91.4 at 1440p, and settling at 48.6 at 4K.

These figures suggest that the limiting component at lower resolutions is not the CPU. At 1080p, the frame rates are exceptionally high, indicating that the processor is feeding the GPU without bottlenecking. The dramatic drop at 4K, particularly the 48.6 FPS at Ultra, points to the Radeon RX 7900 XTX being the decisive factor. The game's engine appears to scale predictably with resolution, making the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth the primary constraints at higher pixel counts.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700KF is a 20-core, 28-thread processor from the Raptor Lake-R family, with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz. Its architecture is based on a 10 nm process from Intel, and it supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory over a dual-channel bus. With 33 MB of shared L3 cache and 2 MB of L2 cache per core, the processor has a substantial cache hierarchy.

In the context of The Technomancer, the CPU's role appears to be secondary. The benchmark results show that at 1080p Low, the system achieves 268.1 FPS. This high number indicates the CPU is capable of handling the game's logic and draw calls without creating a performance ceiling. The processor's single-thread performance, as evidenced by a Geekbench single-core score of 2972 and a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 6290, is strong enough to keep up with the GPU's output at lower resolutions.

The multi-threaded capabilities are also notable. The processor scores 44557 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 52425 in Passmark multithread, but the game's reliance on these capabilities is likely limited. The data shows that the CPU does not become a bottleneck at any tested resolution or setting, as the FPS scales consistently with the GPU's workload. The processor's 125 W TDP and unlocked multiplier suggest it is designed for high sustained performance, which is beneficial for maintaining consistent frame delivery in action-oriented scenes.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX is the clear workhorse for this game. It features 24 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 384-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 960.0 GB/s. The GPU has 6144 shading units, 384 texture mapping units, and 192 raster operation units, with a boost clock of 2498 MHz and a game clock of 2365 MHz. Its RDNA 3.0 architecture, fabricated on a 5 nm process, enables a peak FP32 performance of 61.39 TFLOPS.

The GPU's role is evident in the resolution scaling data. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS is 48.6, which is below the 60 FPS threshold often considered optimal for smooth gameplay. This is not a reflection of the CPU's capability but rather the GPU's raw compute and memory bandwidth being taxed by the game's settings. The transition from High to Ultra at 4K results in a drop from 60.6 to 48.6 FPS, a 19.8% reduction, suggesting that the Ultra preset imposes additional shading and post-processing loads that the Radeon RX 7900 XTX handles with difficulty at this resolution.

Conversely, the GPU shows its strength at lower resolutions. At 1440p High, the system produces 112.6 FPS, and at 1080p High, it reaches 176.4 FPS. These numbers indicate that the GPU is well-suited for high-refresh-rate monitors at 1440p and below. The 24 GB VRAM is unlikely to be a limiting factor for The Technomancer, given its 2016 release date, but the memory bandwidth of 960.0 GB/s is crucial for maintaining high frame rates as resolution increases.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations, this pairing holds a combo rank of 234 out of 1656 combinations. This places it in the top 14.1% of all tested combos, which is a strong position. The percentile data for the individual components supports this ranking. The CPU sits at the 96th percentile among all tested CPUs, while the GPU is at the 85th percentile among all tested GPUs.

The CPU's nearest rivals provide context. The Intel Core i7-14700K has an average benchmark score of 70074, which is virtually identical to the i7-14700KF's 70104, showing a negligible delta of 0%. The AMD EPYC 9115 scores 69887, which is 0.3% lower. The AMD Ryzen 9 9950X scores 70420, which is 0.4% higher. This indicates that the processor is performing as expected for its class, with no anomalous behavior affecting the game's results.

For the GPU, the nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon Pro 580 at 44195 (0.4% higher), the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Mobile at 43667 (0.8% lower), and the NVIDIA Quadro M6000 at 43313 (1.6% lower). The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti scores 44900, which is 2% higher. These deltas are all within a few percentage points, suggesting that the Radeon RX 7900 XTX is competitively positioned within its performance class.

The overall combo rank of 234 reflects a system that is well above average for this game, though not at the absolute top. The data suggests that there are combinations that can achieve higher frame rates, particularly at higher resolutions, but this pairing remains highly capable for a title like The Technomancer.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and desired frame rate. At 3840x2160, the High preset is the best choice for a smooth experience, delivering an average of 60.6 FPS. The Ultra preset at this resolution drops to 48.6 FPS, which may be acceptable for some users but is generally below the 60 FPS target. The Medium preset at 74.4 FPS is also viable, but High offers a better visual-to-performance balance, as the jump from Medium to High results in a smaller FPS penalty than the jump from High to Ultra.

At 2560x1440, the High preset provides an excellent 112.6 FPS, making it the recommended setting for high-refresh-rate displays. The Ultra preset at 91.4 FPS is also playable, but the difference in visual fidelity may not justify the 18.8% drop in performance. For those prioritizing maximum frame rates, the Medium preset at 137.3 FPS or Low at 174.1 FPS are viable options, but High offers the best combination of image quality and speed.

At 1920x1080, all presets are playable, with the High preset at 176.4 FPS being the recommended choice. The Ultra preset at 141.1 FPS is also excellent for 1080p, and the drop from High is modest. The data shows that the system has enough headroom at this resolution to run Ultra without significant compromise, making it a viable option for users who prefer maximum visual settings.

FAQ

Q: What is the average frame rate at 1440p with High settings?

A: The measured average FPS at 2560x1440 with High settings is 112.6.

Q: Is the 4K Ultra preset playable with this hardware?

A: At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average FPS is 48.6, which is below the 60 FPS target but may be acceptable for some users.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Intel Core i7-14700KF has an average benchmark score of 70104, which is 0% different from the Intel Core i7-14700K at 70074.

Q: What is the GPU's percentile rank among all tested GPUs?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX is at the 85th percentile among all tested GPUs.

Q: What is the best preset for 1080p gaming?

A: At 1920x1080, the High preset delivers 176.4 FPS, but the Ultra preset at 141.1 FPS is also recommended for maximum visual quality.

Q: How does the combo rank compare to other tested combinations?

A: This pairing ranks 234 out of 1656 tested combinations, placing it in the top 14.1% of all combos.