The Technomancer

The Technomancer, a 2016 action RPG, presents an interesting test for modern hardware. This analysis examines the performance of the Intel Core i7-14700KF paired with the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT, using measured FPS data and benchmark scores. The data shows a combination that is exceptionally strong at high refresh rates, yet encounters limitations at the most demanding 4K Ultra settings.

FAQ

Q: What is the overall performance rank of this CPU and GPU combination in The Technomancer?

A: The combo ranks 875th out of 3696 tested combinations, placing it in the top 23.7% of all systems tested for this specific game.

Q: How does the Intel Core i7-14700KF compare to its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F?

A: The i7-14700KF has an average benchmark score of 70163, which is 0.2% higher than the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F's score of 69996, indicating a near-identical level of CPU performance.

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

A: The AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT holds a percentile rank of 55, meaning it performs better than 55% of all GPUs in the database across various benchmark tests.

Q: What is the highest average FPS recorded for this combo in the game?

A: The highest average FPS is 233, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: What is the lowest average FPS recorded for this combo in the game?

A: The lowest average FPS is 43, recorded at 3840x2160 resolution with Ultra settings.

Q: Does the CPU or GPU appear to be the limiting factor at 1080p Low settings?

A: At 1080p Low, the average FPS is 233. Given the CPU's high single-thread score of 6235 in Cinebench R23, this high frame rate suggests that CPU performance is a key enabler, though the 233 FPS figure likely represents a cap imposed by the game engine or a measure of CPU-bound performance.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700KF is a 20-core, 28-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, built on Intel's 10 nm process node. It operates with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz. The processor's substantial cache hierarchy includes an 80 KB L1 cache per core, a 2 MB L2 cache per core, and a shared 33 MB L3 cache. Its benchmark scores are formidable: it achieves a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 44167 and a single-core score of 6235. In Geekbench, it scores 21462 multi-core and 2578 single-core.

This processor's performance is highly competitive. Its average benchmark score of 70163 places it in the 94th percentile of all CPUs. The data shows it is virtually tied with the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F (0.2% faster) and the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX (0.4% faster). It also edges out the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X by 0.9%, while being 1% slower than the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K.

In The Technomancer, the CPU's role is most apparent at lower resolutions and settings where the GPU is not the bottleneck. The game's engine appears to scale well with the processor's strong single-thread performance, as evidenced by the high frame rates achieved at 1080p. The i7-14700KF's robust multi-core capabilities, demonstrated by its Cinebench R20 score of 18550, provide ample headroom for modern workloads, though for this specific title, single-thread speed is more critical for achieving maximum frame rates.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT is built on the RDNA 4.0 architecture and features the Navi 48 chip, manufactured on TSMC's 4 nm process. It comes equipped with 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 644.6 GB/s. The GPU's clock speeds are listed as a base of 1660 MHz, a game clock of 2400 MHz, and a boost clock of 2970 MHz. Its memory operates at an effective speed of 20.1 Gbps.

The GPU's raw compute capabilities are substantial, with 4096 shading units, 256 TMUs, and 128 ROPs. It offers 48.66 TFLOPS of FP32 performance. In synthetic benchmarks, it scores 7260 in 3DMark Steel Nomad (DX12) and 26795 in Passmark G3D. However, its overall percentile rank is 55, and its average benchmark score is 13543. This score places it in a peculiar position, as its nearest rivals include older cards like the AMD Radeon HD 7770M and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570, with deltas of 0.1% and 0.2%, respectively.

This apparent contradiction between its modern specifications and its low percentile rank likely stems from the database's benchmark composition. The GPU's performance in The Technomancer, however, is much more representative of its modern hardware. At 4K Ultra, it manages an average of 43 FPS, which is a demanding scenario. Its 16 GB frame buffer is crucial for handling high-resolution textures, and the data shows it can scale effectively when settings are lowered, achieving 83 FPS at 4K Low.

How This Combo Ranks

The combined performance of the Intel Core i7-14700KF and AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT in The Technomancer results in a rank of 875 out of 3696 tested combinations. This places the system in the top 23.7% of all configurations tested, indicating a high-performing setup for this title.

This ranking is a direct consequence of the interplay between the two components. The CPU's top-tier 94th percentile performance ensures it is not a limiting factor. The GPU, despite its mid-pack overall percentile, demonstrates strength in this specific game. The combination of a powerful CPU and a capable GPU allows for high frame rates at most settings, but it also reveals that the GPU is the primary bottleneck at the most demanding settings, such as 4K Ultra.

The fact that the combo is not ranked higher suggests that other systems, likely with more powerful GPUs, achieve better performance in the absolute highest fidelity scenarios. However, the data shows that this pairing delivers a very smooth experience for the vast majority of settings and resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of the system's performance across three resolutions and four quality presets.

At 1920x1080, the system is exceptionally fast. With Low settings, it reaches an average of 233 FPS. This drops to 179 FPS on Medium settings, which is still remarkably high. On High settings, the average is 153 FPS, and even at Ultra, it maintains a strong 119 FPS average. The consistency is also notable; the Medium preset has a minimum FPS of 152 and a maximum of 205.

Moving to 2560x1440, performance remains excellent. The Low preset yields an average of 152 FPS. Medium settings drop to 117 FPS, with a min/max range of 99 to 134 FPS. High settings produce an average of 100 FPS. At Ultra, the average falls to 78 FPS, which is still very playable for most users.

At 3840x2160, the GPU begins to show its limits. Low settings average 83 FPS, which is good for 4K. Medium settings average 64 FPS, with a range of 55 to 74 FPS. The High preset averages 55 FPS. The Ultra preset is the most demanding, resulting in an average of 43 FPS, which may not be smooth enough for all players.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the user's display resolution and performance targets.

For 1920x1080, the Ultra preset is recommended. At an average of 119 FPS, it provides a high-fidelity experience while maintaining a frame rate well above the 60 FPS threshold. The High preset is also excellent, offering 153 FPS for competitive or high-refresh-rate displays. The data shows that even the most demanding preset is highly playable at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the High preset is the sweet spot, providing a 100 FPS average that balances visual quality with a high, smooth frame rate. The Medium preset, at 117 FPS, is an alternative for users who prefer even higher frame rates. The Ultra preset, at 78 FPS, is still viable and provides the best visual experience, but the High preset offers a more comfortable performance margin.

For 3840x2160, the Medium preset is the recommended choice. With an average of 64 FPS and a minimum of 55 FPS, it offers a playable experience that is close to the 60 FPS target. The High preset, at 55 FPS, is also playable but may experience occasional dips below 60 FPS. The Ultra preset, at 43 FPS, is not recommended for smooth gameplay and should be reserved for screenshots or non-action sequences.

Resolution Scaling

The performance scaling from 1080p to 4K highlights the shifting bottleneck between the CPU and GPU.

From 1080p Low (233 FPS) to 1440p Low (152 FPS), there is a 34.8% drop in frame rate. This significant decline suggests that the system is moving from a CPU-limited state at 1080p to a more balanced state at 1440p. The CPU is so powerful that it can feed the GPU with enough data to reach 233 FPS at 1080p, but as resolution increases, the GPU's rendering load becomes more significant.

Scaling from 1440p Low (152 FPS) to 4K Low (83 FPS) results in a 45.4% drop. This is a clear sign that the GPU is becoming the primary limiting factor. The rendering workload at 4K is roughly four times that of 1080p, and the GPU's compute units are saturated.

The trend is even more pronounced at Ultra settings. From 1080p Ultra (119 FPS) to 1440p Ultra (78 FPS), the drop is 34.5%. From 1440p Ultra (78 FPS) to 4K Ultra (43 FPS), the drop is 44.9%. This consistent pattern across all settings confirms that the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT is the performance bottleneck at higher resolutions. The CPU, with its 94th percentile ranking, provides ample headroom and does not impede performance, allowing the GPU's workload to scale directly with resolution. The data indicates that users of this combo should target 1440p for high-refresh gaming and use 4K with Medium settings for a balance of quality and playability.