The Technomancer

The Technomancer, an Action RPG released in 2016, presents a specific blend of CPU and GPU demands that this particular configuration—Intel Core i9-14900K paired with NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER—handles with clear, measurable trade-offs. The measured data shows a system that is decisively GPU-bound at higher resolutions, while the processor’s substantial headroom becomes apparent only at 1080p. This analysis walks through the benchmark results, contextualizing each score against the hardware’s known characteristics and its position relative to other tested combinations.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 2560x1440 with High settings for this combo?

A: The measured average FPS at 2560x1440 with High settings is 61 frames per second. This sits comfortably above the 48 FPS average recorded at Ultra settings for the same resolution, indicating that dropping from Ultra to High provides a significant performance buffer.

Q: How does the average FPS at 1080p Low compare to 4K Low?

A: At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the average FPS is 142, while at 3840x2160 with Low settings, the average drops to 51. This represents a 64% reduction in frame rate when moving from 1080p to 4K at the same Low preset, highlighting the extreme resolution scaling pressure on the GPU.

Q: What is the best measured average FPS across all settings and resolutions?

A: The highest measured average FPS is 142, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings. The next closest is 109 FPS at 1080p Medium, showing that the Low preset at 1080p is the only configuration in the data set that breaches the 140 FPS mark.

Q: At which resolution does the game become clearly GPU-limited?

A: The data indicates GPU limitation becomes dominant at 3840x2160. For instance, the average FPS at 4K High is 34, while at 2560x1440 High it is 61. The scaling from 1440p to 4K shows a 44% performance drop, a much steeper decline than the 34% drop observed from 1080p to 1440p at the same High setting.

Q: What is the combo’s rank among all tested configurations for The Technomancer?

A: This combination of Intel Core i9-14900K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER ranks 2609 out of 3696 total tested combos in this game. This places it in the lower third of the performance distribution, which aligns with the RTX 2060 SUPER’s mid-range standing relative to all GPUs.

Q: What is the only 4K setting where the average FPS exceeds 50?

A: The only 4K setting that achieves an average FPS above 50 is Low, with a measured average of 51 FPS. All other 4K settings—Medium at 39 FPS, High at 34 FPS, and Ultra at 26 FPS—fall below this threshold, making Low the only viable option for 4K gameplay in the measured data.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER is the primary performance determinant in The Technomancer for this pairing. Its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus provides 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is a critical asset for texture streaming and geometry at higher resolutions. The GPU’s base clock of 1470 MHz and boost clock of 1650 MHz, combined with 2176 shading units, yield a FP32 compute throughput of 7.181 TFLOPS. These specifications place the card in the 62nd percentile among all GPUs in the database, with an average benchmark score of 18093.

In the measured game data, the GPU’s role is most evident when examining the scaling between resolution presets. At 1920x1080, the RTX 2060 SUPER produces an average FPS of 93 on High settings, but this drops to 73 on Ultra—a 21.5% reduction. Moving to 2560x1440, the High preset averages 61 FPS, while Ultra averages 48 FPS, a 21.3% reduction. At 3840x2160, the High preset averages 34 FPS, and Ultra drops to 26 FPS, a 23.5% reduction. The consistency of this performance gap between High and Ultra across all resolutions indicates that the Ultra preset imposes a similar relative load increase, regardless of resolution, and the GPU responds predictably.

The RTX 2060 SUPER’s nearest rivals in the overall GPU benchmark hierarchy include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Mobile, which scores 18159 on average (a 0.4% delta), and the AMD Radeon Pro 5700 at 18189 (a 0.5% delta). These comparisons show that the RTX 2060 SUPER is positioned within a tight performance band, with no single competitor dominating it by more than 1.6% in aggregate benchmarks. In The Technomancer specifically, however, the measured FPS reveals that the GPU’s 8 GB VRAM capacity becomes a limiting factor at 4K, where even the Low preset only manages 51 FPS. The combination of a 256-bit memory bus and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth is evidently insufficient to maintain high frame rates at 3840x2160 with higher fidelity settings, as the 4K Medium preset yields only 39 FPS average.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a clear and consistent pattern of performance degradation as resolution increases, with the severity of the drop varying by preset. At Low settings, the average FPS moves from 142 at 1920x1080, to 93 at 2560x1440, and finally to 51 at 3840x2160. This represents a 34.5% drop from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 45.2% drop from 1440p to 4K. The cumulative reduction from 1080p to 4K at Low is 64.1%, indicating that the RTX 2060 SUPER’s pixel throughput is the dominant constraint.

For Medium settings, the progression is 109 FPS at 1080p, 71 FPS at 1440p, and 39 FPS at 4K. The relative drops are 34.9% from 1080p to 1440p and 45.1% from 1440p to 4K, which closely mirrors the Low preset’s scaling pattern. This similarity suggests that the GPU’s fill rate and memory bandwidth are being saturated in a linear fashion as pixel count increases, with the setting changes having a minimal effect on the scaling ratio. The High preset follows suit: 93 FPS at 1080p, 61 FPS at 1440p, and 34 FPS at 4K, with drops of 34.4% and 44.3% respectively. The Ultra preset shows 73 FPS at 1080p, 48 FPS at 1440p, and 26 FPS at 4K, with drops of 34.2% and 45.8%.

This data indicates that the limiting component at all resolutions is the GPU, not the CPU. The Intel Core i9-14900K, with its 24 cores and 32 threads, has a boost clock of 6.00 GHz and a base clock of 3.20 GHz, and scores 39399.5 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 2262.5 in single-core. These figures place the CPU in the 95th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 79097. Given that the CPU’s nearest rivals in aggregate benchmarks are the Intel Core i9-14900KF (79371 average, -0.3% delta) and the Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus (79574 average, -0.6% delta), the i9-14900K is clearly not the bottleneck. The consistent 34-35% FPS drop when moving from 1080p to 1440p, and the 44-46% drop from 1440p to 4K, are classic signatures of a GPU-bound scenario where the RTX 2060 SUPER’s 7.181 TFLOPS of FP32 compute and 105.6 GPixel/s pixel rate are being fully utilized.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the optimal settings depend heavily on the target resolution and desired frame rate. At 1920x1080, the High preset offers an average of 93 FPS, which is already above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay, while the Medium preset provides 109 FPS. The Ultra preset at 1080p delivers 73 FPS, which is still playable, but the 21.5% performance cost over High is substantial for the visual uplift it provides. For players with a 144Hz monitor, the Low preset at 1080p, with its 142 FPS average, is the only setting that approaches that refresh rate, though the visual quality trade-off is significant.

At 2560x1440, the High preset averages 61 FPS, making it the best balance between fidelity and performance. The Medium preset at 71 FPS offers a 16.4% improvement over High, but the visual difference between Medium and High in an Action RPG like The Technomancer is often noticeable in texture detail and shadow quality. The Low preset at 1440p achieves 93 FPS, which is excellent for competitive play, but the Ultra preset drops to 48 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target and would result in noticeable stuttering during combat sequences. The data suggests that High is the recommended preset for 1440p, as it maintains playability without sacrificing the graphical immersion that the game’s 2016-era visuals rely on.

At 3840x2160, the situation is more constrained. The Low preset averages 51 FPS, which is just above the 50 FPS threshold but still below 60 FPS. The Medium preset averages 39 FPS, and High drops to 34 FPS, with Ultra at 26 FPS. None of these higher presets provide a smooth experience at 4K. The measured minimum FPS for 4K Medium is 33, with a maximum of 45, showing that even the frame time variance is significant. Therefore, the only viable 4K setting in the measured data is Low, which provides a playable but visually reduced experience. For users who prioritize frame rate over resolution, dropping to 1440p High is a far better choice, as it nearly doubles the average FPS from 34 to 61.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of Intel Core i9-14900K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER ranks 2609 out of 3696 tested combos in The Technomancer. This puts the combo in the 29.4th percentile of all tested configurations, meaning that roughly 70% of other CPU-GPU pairings in the database achieve higher average FPS in this game. The ranking reflects the RTX 2060 SUPER’s mid-range position, as the GPU sits in the 62nd percentile overall, but the game’s specific demands and the presence of many higher-end GPUs in the test pool drag the combo’s rank down relative to its CPU’s capabilities.

The CPU’s percentile rank of 95th among all CPUs indicates that the i9-14900K is providing ample compute headroom, but this does little to improve the combo’s standing in a GPU-bound title. The nearest rivals for the CPU in aggregate benchmarks—the Core i9-14900KF (79371 avg, -0.3% delta) and Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus (79574 avg, -0.6% delta)—show that the i9-14900K is within 1% of the top performers, yet the combo rank is still low because the GPU is the limiting factor. The RTX 2060 SUPER’s nearest GPU rivals, such as the RTX 3060 Mobile (18159 avg, -0.4% delta) and Radeon Pro 5700 (18189 avg, -0.5% delta), also occupy a similar performance band, but none of these would dramatically alter the combo’s rank in The Technomancer.

The rank of 2609 out of 3696 suggests that for this game, users would benefit more from pairing the i9-14900K with a higher-tier GPU, as the CPU’s 24 cores and 6.00 GHz boost clock are vastly underutilized at 4K where the GPU is clearly saturated. The data shows that even at 1080p Low, where the average FPS reaches 142, the CPU is not the constraint, as the i9-14900K’s single-core performance of 2262.5 in Cinebench R23 and 4697 in Passmark single-thread would support frame rates far beyond what the RTX 2060 SUPER can deliver.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured average FPS across settings is as follows: Low settings produce 142 FPS, Medium produces 109 FPS with a minimum of 93 and maximum of 126, High produces 93 FPS, and Ultra produces 73 FPS. The spread between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 69 FPS, which is the largest absolute gap among all resolutions. The Medium preset’s minimum FPS of 93 matches the High preset’s average, indicating that Medium provides a more stable frame time experience relative to its average than High does relative to its own average.

At 2560x1440, the average FPS values are 93 for Low, 71 for Medium (with min 61 and max 82), 61 for High, and 48 for Ultra. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 45 FPS, which is smaller than at 1080p, but the relative difference is similar. The Medium preset’s minimum of 61 FPS is exactly equal to the High preset’s average, again showing that Medium offers a more consistent frame rate floor. The Ultra preset at 48 FPS is the only setting at 1440p that falls below 60 FPS, making it unsuitable for smooth gameplay.

At 3840x2160, the average FPS values are 51 for Low, 39 for Medium (with min 33 and max 45), 34 for High, and 26 for Ultra. The gap between Low and Ultra at 4K is 25 FPS, which is the smallest absolute difference, but the relative drop from Low to Ultra is 49%, the steepest of any resolution. The Medium preset’s minimum FPS of 33 and maximum of 45 show a wide variance, indicating that even the average of 39 FPS is not representative of a consistent experience. All 4K settings, except Low, fall below the 40 FPS threshold, which is generally considered the minimum for playable frame rates in an Action RPG.

The data also shows that the High preset at 1080p (93 FPS) is equivalent to the Low preset at 1440p (93 FPS), and the High preset at 1440p (61 FPS) is close to the Low preset at 4K (51 FPS), though not equal. This pattern suggests that dropping from High to Low settings provides roughly the same performance headroom as dropping one resolution tier, which is useful for users trying to balance visual quality and frame rate.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i9-14900K, with its 24 cores (including efficiency cores) and 32 threads, has a base clock of 3.20 GHz and a boost clock of 6.00 GHz. The processor’s L3 cache is 36 MB shared, with 2 MB of L2 per core, and it supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory in a dual-channel configuration. In synthetic benchmarks, the CPU scores 39399.5 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 2262.5 in single-core, with a Passmark multi-thread score of 58674 and a single-thread score of 4697. These results place the i9-14900K in the 95th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 79097.

In The Technomancer, the CPU’s role is secondary to the GPU, as evidenced by the identical scaling patterns across resolutions regardless of settings. If the CPU were the bottleneck, the FPS would not drop as dramatically from 1080p to 4K, because the CPU’s workload (physics, AI, game logic) does not scale linearly with resolution. Instead, the data shows that at 1080p Low, the average FPS is 142, which is likely near the GPU’s maximum frame output. The CPU’s single-core performance, which is critical for game engines, is more than sufficient to feed the RTX 2060 SUPER at this frame rate.

The nearest rivals for the i9-14900K in aggregate benchmarks are the Core i9-14900KF (79371 avg, -0.3% delta) and the Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus (79574 avg, -0.6% delta). These small deltas confirm that the i9-14900K is at the top of the CPU performance hierarchy, yet the combo’s rank in The Technomancer is 2609 out of 3696, which is entirely attributable to the GPU. The CPU’s boost clock of 6.00 GHz and its 36 MB of L3 cache provide no tangible benefit in this game at 4K, where the GPU’s 8 GB VRAM and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are the limiting factors.

The data suggests that for The Technomancer, users could achieve nearly identical frame rates with a much less powerful CPU, as the i9-14900K’s capabilities are far beyond what this 2016-era Action RPG requires. However, the CPU’s high single-thread score of 2262.5 in Cinebench R23 does ensure that there are no CPU-induced frame hitches, even at the lowest settings where the GPU is producing 142 FPS. The processor’s 24 cores and 32 threads are largely idle in this game, but they do not introduce any negative performance characteristics, making the i9-14900K a neutral, non-limiting component in this configuration.