The Technomancer

Resolution Scaling

The Technomancer presents a demanding workload at higher resolutions, and the measured FPS data for the Intel Core i9-14900K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti combo illustrates a classic GPU-bound scenario as pixel count increases. At 1080p with High settings, the system achieves 91.5 FPS. Moving to 1440p at the same settings, the average drops to 61.9 FPS, a reduction of roughly one-third. The scaling to 4K is steep; at 3840x2160 with High settings, the average falls to 30.6 FPS, which is exactly half the 1080p figure. This pattern indicates that the RTX 3060 Ti's rendering capabilities are the primary constraint at higher resolutions, while the CPU has ample headroom.

The data shows a clear trend across all quality presets. At Low settings, the jump from 1080p to 1440p sees a decline from 144.1 FPS to 91.5 FPS, and at 4K it drops further to 48.4 FPS. This consistent scaling behavior suggests that the game's engine is heavily reliant on fillrate and memory bandwidth as resolution increases, rather than being limited by game logic or simulation threads. The gap between 1080p and 1440p is substantial, but the most punishing transition is from 1440p to 4K, where the pixel count quadruples and the FPS nearly halves in most cases.

The limiting component at 1080p appears to be the GPU as well, given the high frame rates, but the CPU is not entirely idle. With a 24-core, 32-thread processor clocked at a base of 3.20 GHz and a boost of 6.00 GHz, the i9-14900K is unlikely to bottleneck any modern title, let alone a 2016 Action RPG. Benchmark results indicate that at 1440p and 4K, the FPS differences between settings are primarily driven by the GPU's ability to process the increased geometry and texture loads. For instance, at 4K, the difference between Low and High settings is 17.8 FPS, while at 1080p, that same settings gap is 52.6 FPS, highlighting how the GPU becomes more saturated at higher resolutions.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is the central figure in this combo's performance, and its specifications directly explain the observed FPS numbers. The card features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, yielding a bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s. This memory configuration is adequate for 1080p and 1440p gaming, but at 4K with Ultra settings, the card's 8 GB capacity and bandwidth are pushed to their limits, which aligns with the measured 27.5 FPS average. The GPU's core clocks are set at a base of 1410 MHz and a boost of 1665 MHz, with memory running at 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective). These clocks are moderate for the Ampere architecture, and the card's 16.20 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is a key metric for rasterization-heavy titles like The Technomancer.

The RTX 3060 Ti's position in the market is reflected in its benchmark scores. It scores 20349 in Passmark G3D and 10006 in Passmark GPU Compute, placing it in the 69th percentile among all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 6700M with a delta of -0.2%, and the AMD Radeon RX 6600 with a delta of -0.5%. This suggests the 3060 Ti is a solid mid-range performer, but it is not designed to handle 4K Ultra settings in demanding titles. The data confirms this, as the 4K Ultra result of 27.5 FPS is below the 30 FPS threshold often considered the minimum for playable frame rates.

The card's DirectX 12 Ultimate support (12_2) and 38 RT cores are irrelevant for this game, as The Technomancer was released before ray tracing became a standard feature. Instead, the card's raw rasterization power and memory bandwidth are the key factors. At 1080p Low, the card achieves 144.1 FPS, which is near the refresh rate of many high-refresh monitors, but at 4K High, the 30.6 FPS result indicates the card is thoroughly saturated. The GPU's transistor count of 17,400 million on an 8 nm Samsung process gives it a density of 44.4M / mm², which is efficient but not exceptional by modern standards. The 200 W TDP and dual-slot design are typical for this performance class, and the 1x 12-pin power connector is a standard requirement.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i9-14900K is a high-end desktop processor that provides more than enough computational power for this game. With 24 cores and 32 threads, it far exceeds the requirements of a 2016 Action RPG. The CPU's base clock of 3.20 GHz and boost clock of 6.00 GHz are exceptional, and its 36 MB of shared L3 cache ensures that game data is readily accessible. The processor's Raptor Lake architecture, built on a 10 nm process, delivers strong single-thread performance, which is crucial for game logic and physics calculations. In Passmark Single Thread tests, it scores 4697, and in Cinebench R23 Single Core, it scores 7040.

The data shows that the CPU is not a bottleneck in this combo. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 144.1 FPS, which is a high frame rate that would require a capable CPU to maintain. However, the CPU's benchmark scores indicate it has substantial headroom. It scores 49872 in Cinebench R23 Multicore and 20370 in Geekbench Multicore, placing it in the 97th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rival, the AMD EPYC 7413, has an average score of 80041 with a delta of -0.3%, meaning the i9-14900K is essentially on par with a server-grade chip in synthetic benchmarks.

The CPU's role in The Technomancer is to feed the GPU with draw calls and manage the game's simulation. With 24 cores, the game's main thread can run on a dedicated performance core, while background tasks are handled by the efficiency cores. The 125 W TDP is modest for the performance on offer, and the processor supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory, though the benchmark data does not specify which was used. The boost clock of 6.00 GHz is particularly useful for maintaining high minimum frame rates, though the measured data only provides average FPS. The CPU's integrated UHD Graphics 770 is not used in this discrete GPU setup, but its presence does not affect the results.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of how this combo performs across resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the system delivers a wide range of frame rates. On Low settings, it averages 144.1 FPS, which is exceptionally smooth. Medium settings reduce this to 109 FPS, High settings to 91.5 FPS, and Ultra settings to 72.5 FPS. This scaling indicates that the GPU is the primary variable, but even at Ultra, the frame rate is above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay.

At 2560x1440, the performance drops are noticeable but still playable. Low settings average 91.5 FPS, which is identical to the 1080p High result, suggesting a direct trade-off between resolution and quality. Medium settings average 73.7 FPS, High settings average 61.9 FPS, and Ultra settings drop to 46.1 FPS. The 1440p results are consistent with a mid-range GPU that can handle this resolution with some settings turned down.

The 4K results at 3840x2160 are the most demanding. Low settings average 48.4 FPS, which is playable but not ideal. Medium settings average 41.8 FPS, High settings average 30.6 FPS, and Ultra settings average 27.5 FPS. These numbers indicate that the RTX 3060 Ti is not suitable for 4K gaming in this title beyond Low settings. The difference between Low and Ultra at 4K is 20.9 FPS, which is a significant performance hit for increased visual fidelity. The data shows that the most balanced configuration for this combo is 1440p with High settings, offering 61.9 FPS and a good visual experience.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations, this pairing of the Intel Core i9-14900K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti ranks 1224 out of 1656 combos for The Technomancer. This ranking places it in the lower half of all tested systems, which is somewhat surprising given the high-end CPU. The rank suggests that the GPU is the limiting factor, as many other combos with lower-end CPUs but faster GPUs would score higher in this game. The percentile position indicates that approximately 74% of tested combos achieve higher average frame rates, despite the i9-14900K being in the 97th percentile of all CPUs.

The discrepancy between the CPU's high rank and the combo's low rank underscores the GPU-bound nature of this title. The RTX 3060 Ti, while a capable card in the 69th percentile of all GPUs, is not a top-tier performer for 4K gaming. The combo's rank of 1224 suggests that users with this setup should prioritize GPU upgrades for better performance in The Technomancer. The data is measured, not estimated, which adds credibility to these results. For comparison, the CPU's nearest rivals, such as the Intel Core i9-14900KF with a delta of 0.7%, would perform identically in this game, as the GPU remains the bottleneck. The GPU's nearest rivals, including the AMD Radeon RX 6600 with a delta of -0.5%, would show similar frame rates, confirming that this combination's performance is tightly clustered with other mid-range GPUs paired with high-end CPUs.