The Technomancer

Resolution Scaling

The Technomancer places a heavy load on the GPU as resolution increases, and the data for this Intel Core i7-14700KF + NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 combo shows a clear pattern of diminishing returns. At 1080p with Low settings, the system achieves 116.4 FPS, but this drops to 78.4 FPS at 1440p and further to 40.6 FPS at 4K. That represents a 33% drop from 1080p to 1440p and a 65% drop from 1080p to 4K, indicating that the GTX 1070's rendering pipeline becomes the primary constraint as pixel count rises.

The scaling behavior is consistent across all quality presets. With High settings, the average frame rate falls from 77.8 FPS at 1080p to 49.6 FPS at 1440p (a 36% reduction) and then to 29.2 FPS at 4K (a 62% reduction from 1080p). Medium settings show a similar trajectory: 90.6 FPS at 1080p, 61.2 FPS at 1440p, and 32.6 FPS at 4K. The Ultra preset, which is the most demanding, sees the steepest absolute decline, moving from 62.9 FPS at 1080p to 38.2 FPS at 1440p and finally to 19.3 FPS at 4K.

The frame rate drops are not linear, which suggests that memory bandwidth and fill rate play significant roles. The GTX 1070 has 8 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus with 256.3 GB/s of bandwidth. At 4K, the memory subsystem is likely saturated, especially at higher settings. The gap between Low and Ultra at 4K is 21.3 FPS (40.6 vs 19.3), whereas at 1080p the same gap is 53.5 FPS (116.4 vs 62.9). This compression of performance differences at higher resolutions strongly indicates that the GPU is the limiting component, not the CPU.

The Intel Core i7-14700KF, with its 20 cores and 28 threads, is far more powerful than what this game requires. Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 44557 and single-core score of 6290 place it in the 96th percentile of all CPUs. At 1080p Low, the system reaches 116.4 FPS, which is likely near the engine's ceiling given the game's 2016 release date. The CPU's headroom means that resolution scaling is almost entirely a GPU-bound exercise.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo handle The Technomancer at 4K with playable frame rates?

A: The data shows that 4K performance is marginal at best. The best 4K result is 40.6 FPS on Low settings, while Medium drops to 32.6 FPS, High to 29.2 FPS, and Ultra to 19.3 FPS. Only the Low preset approaches playability, and even that falls short of 60 FPS.

Q: What is the best resolution for smooth gameplay?

A: 1080p is the only resolution where this combo consistently delivers high frame rates. At Low settings, it achieves 116.4 FPS, and even the demanding Ultra preset reaches 62.9 FPS. 1440p is playable on Low (78.4 FPS) and Medium (61.2 FPS), but High dips to 49.6 FPS and Ultra to 38.2 FPS.

Q: How does the GTX 1070 compare to its nearest rivals in this context?

A: The GTX 1070 has an average benchmark score of 12331, placing it in the 51st percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA Quadro K4200, scores 12241, a delta of 0.7% — essentially identical. The GTX 1650 SUPER scores 12504, which is 1.4% higher, and the Tesla K20Xm scores 12547, which is 1.7% higher. These are all very close in raw compute.

Q: Is the CPU a bottleneck in this game?

A: No. The i7-14700KF is vastly overqualified for The Technomancer. Its 20 cores and 28 threads, combined with a boost clock of 5.60 GHz, provide far more processing power than this 2016 title can utilize. The CPU's nearest rival, the i7-14700K, scores 70074 in average benchmarks versus 70104 for this chip, a negligible 0% delta. The game's performance scaling with resolution confirms GPU-limited behavior.

Q: What settings preset is most balanced for 1440p?

A: Medium settings at 1440p deliver 61.2 FPS, which is the best balance of visual quality and smoothness. Low settings reach 78.4 FPS but sacrifice visual fidelity, while High drops to 49.6 FPS and Ultra to 38.2 FPS. Medium is the only preset at 1440p that stays comfortably above 60 FPS.

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

A: This setup ranks 1391 out of 1656 tested combos for The Technomancer. That places it in the bottom 16% of all configurations, reflecting the GTX 1070's age and mid-range positioning relative to modern GPUs. The CPU is not the limiting factor; the GPU's 51st percentile standing among all GPUs drags the overall ranking down.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700KF is a Raptor Lake Refresh part with 20 cores and 28 threads, built on Intel's 10 nm process. Its base clock of 3.40 GHz and boost clock of 5.60 GHz give it exceptional single-threaded performance, evidenced by a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 6290. Multi-threaded performance is equally strong, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 44557 and a Geekbench multi-core score of 19287. The CPU sits in the 96th percentile of all processors, with an average benchmark score of 70104.

In The Technomancer, the CPU's role is minimal because the game's bottlenecks are elsewhere. The measured FPS data shows that performance scales almost entirely with resolution and settings, not with CPU load. At 1080p Low, the system hits 116.4 FPS, which is likely close to the game's engine limit rather than a CPU ceiling. The i7-14700KF's nearest rivals — the i7-14700K (0% delta), EPYC 9115 (0.3% delta), and Ryzen 9 9950X (-0.4% delta) — all perform within 1.3% of each other in average benchmarks, confirming that this CPU tier is far beyond what a 2016 Action RPG needs.

The CPU's 33 MB of shared L3 cache and 2 MB per-core L2 cache provide ample bandwidth for game logic and asset streaming. With DDR4 and DDR5 memory support on a dual-channel bus, memory bandwidth is not a constraint. The 125 W TDP and unlocked multiplier indicate a high-performance desktop part, but these characteristics have no bearing on The Technomancer's results. The game simply does not stress the CPU enough to differentiate it from lesser processors.

Benchmark results show the i7-14700KF achieves a PassMark multi-thread score of 52425 and a PassMark single-thread score of 4480. These figures are useful for general compute comparisons but do not translate to meaningful differences in this game. The data supports the conclusion that any modern mid-range CPU would produce identical frame rates in The Technomancer when paired with this GTX 1070.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its strongest performance. Low settings produce 116.4 FPS, Medium 90.6 FPS, High 77.8 FPS, and Ultra 62.9 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 53.5 FPS, representing a 46% performance penalty for maximum visual quality. All presets at 1080p are playable, with even the most demanding Ultra setting staying above 60 FPS.

At 2560x1440, performance drops noticeably. Low settings yield 78.4 FPS, Medium 61.2 FPS, High 49.6 FPS, and Ultra 38.2 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra narrows to 40.2 FPS, a 51% penalty. Medium is the only preset that maintains a 60 FPS average, while High and Ultra fall below the smoothness threshold. Low remains well above 60 FPS, making it a viable option for competitive play.

At 3840x2160, the GTX 1070 struggles. Low settings produce 40.6 FPS, Medium 32.6 FPS, High 29.2 FPS, and Ultra 19.3 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra shrinks to 21.3 FPS, a 53% penalty, but all presets fall below 60 FPS. Even Low settings cannot achieve a consistent 40 FPS, and Ultra is effectively unplayable. The 4K results clearly illustrate the GPU's memory bandwidth and fill rate limitations.

The data shows a consistent pattern: each step up in resolution costs roughly 30-40% of the frame rate, while each step up in settings costs 15-25% at the same resolution. The combination of 4K and Ultra is the worst case at 19.3 FPS, which is 83% slower than the best case of 1080p Low at 116.4 FPS. This wide spread indicates that users have significant control over performance via settings adjustments, but resolution is the dominant factor.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of Intel Core i7-14700KF and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 ranks 1391 out of 1656 tested combos for The Technomancer. That places it in the lower 16% of all configurations tested, which is a poor showing for a system with such a powerful CPU. The ranking is dragged down almost entirely by the GPU, which sits in the 51st percentile of all graphics cards with an average benchmark score of 12331.

The CPU's contribution to this ranking is negligible. The i7-14700KF is in the 96th percentile of all CPUs, and its nearest rivals all perform within 1.3% of its average benchmark score. The i7-14700K scores 70074 (0% delta), the EPYC 9115 scores 69887 (0.3% delta), and the Ryzen 9 9950X scores 70420 (-0.4% delta). None of these differences would meaningfully change the in-game ranking.

The GTX 1070's nearest rivals are equally close. The Quadro K4200 scores 12241 (0.7% delta), the GTX 880M scores 12490 (-1.3% delta), and the GTX 1650 SUPER scores 12504 (-1.4% delta). These GPUs would all produce nearly identical frame rates in The Technomancer, meaning the combo's rank is representative of a broad mid-range GPU class rather than a specific card.

At rank 1391 of 1656, the combo is positioned below most modern configurations but above the lowest-performing legacy hardware. The 1656 total combos include many high-end modern GPUs that achieve far higher frame rates. For a 2016 game, this ranking reflects the age of the GTX 1070 rather than any deficiency in the CPU, which is among the fastest available.

Settings Recommendations

For players targeting 60 FPS, the data shows that 1080p is the only resolution where this combo can consistently reach that target across multiple presets. At 1080p, Low (116.4 FPS), Medium (90.6 FPS), High (77.8 FPS), and Ultra (62.9 FPS) all exceed 60 FPS. The best experience at 1080p is High settings, which offers a strong balance of visual quality and performance headroom, staying 17.8 FPS above the 60 FPS threshold.

At 1440p, the options narrow. Medium settings (61.2 FPS) is the only preset that stays above 60 FPS, while Low (78.4 FPS) is also smooth but visually basic. High (49.6 FPS) and Ultra (38.2 FPS) fall short of the 60 FPS target and may feel less fluid. For users who prefer 1440p, Medium is the recommended preset, as it provides the best quality while maintaining playability.

At 4K, no preset achieves 60 FPS. Low (40.6 FPS) is the only setting that approaches playability, while Medium (32.6 FPS) and High (29.2 FPS) are borderline, and Ultra (19.3 FPS) is not recommended. Users who insist on 4K should stick to Low settings and accept a sub-60 FPS experience, or reduce resolution to 1440p for smoother gameplay.

The overall recommendation is to prioritize resolution over settings. The data shows that dropping from 1080p Ultra (62.9 FPS) to 1440p Medium (61.2 FPS) yields nearly identical frame rates with higher resolution, but the visual impact of resolution is more significant than minor settings adjustments. For the best experience, 1080p High or 1440p Medium are the sweet spots, depending on display capability.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 is a Pascal architecture GPU with 1920 shading units, 120 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. Its base clock of 1506 MHz and boost clock of 1683 MHz deliver 6.463 TFLOPS of FP32 performance. The 8 GB of GDDR5 memory runs at 2002 MHz with an effective 8 Gbps data rate, providing 256.3 GB/s of bandwidth over a 256-bit bus. These specifications place the card in the 51st percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 12331.

In The Technomancer, the GPU is the defining component. The measured FPS data shows that performance degrades predictably with resolution and settings, which is characteristic of a fill-rate and bandwidth-limited card. At 4K Ultra, the card produces just 19.3 FPS, while at 1080p Low it reaches 116.4 FPS. This 6x performance spread demonstrates that the GPU has enough raw compute for low-resolution gaming but lacks the bandwidth and memory capacity for high-resolution, high-fidelity workloads.

The GTX 1070's nearest rivals in benchmark scores are all within 1.7% of its average. The Quadro K4200 scores 12241 (0.7% delta), the GTX 880M scores 12490 (-1.3% delta), and the GTX 1650 SUPER scores 12504 (-1.4% delta). These cards would produce nearly identical results in The Technomancer, confirming that the GTX 1070's performance class is well-defined and consistent.

The GPU's 16 nm process node and 7,200 million transistors on a 314 mm² die reflect its 2016 design. Its 150 W TDP and single 8-pin power connector make it relatively power-efficient for its performance level. The card supports DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, which covers the API requirements of The Technomancer. For this game, the GTX 1070's performance is adequate for 1080p and 1440p gaming but insufficient for 4K, making it a mid-range solution that has aged gracefully but cannot compete with modern high-end GPUs.