The Technomancer

The Technomancer, a 2016 Action RPG, presents an interesting test for modern hardware. The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER demonstrates a performance profile that is heavily dictated by resolution and graphical preset. The benchmark data reveals a system capable of delivering high refresh rate experiences at 1080p and 1440p, while still maintaining playable frame rates at 4K, with the CPU and GPU each taking on different levels of responsibility depending on the workload.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a clear and predictable trend: as resolution increases, average frame rates decrease. At 1080p with High settings, the combo produces 180 FPS. Moving to 1440p drops this to 118 FPS, a reduction of 62 FPS. The jump to 4K is even more demanding, with the average falling to 65 FPS. This scaling pattern indicates that the system transitions from being heavily CPU-bound at lower resolutions to becoming increasingly GPU-bound at higher ones.

The data suggests that at 1080p, the CPU is the primary limiting factor. The frame rate difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p is substantial, but the sheer headroom available—275 FPS on Low and 180 FPS on High—points to a scenario where the graphics card is not being fully taxed. The CPU’s 14 cores and 5.10 GHz boost clock are sufficient to feed frames quickly, but the rendering load is not high enough to saturate the GPU. As resolution climbs to 1440p and 4K, the pixel fill rate and shading demands increase, shifting the burden onto the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER. The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K at High settings is 115 FPS, highlighting the significant increase in graphical workload.

The 4K results are particularly telling. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS is 51, which is a heavy load for the GPU. The scaling from 4K Low (99 FPS) to 4K Ultra (51 FPS) shows a 48 FPS swing, which is a larger absolute difference than the 1080p swing from Low to Ultra (134 FPS). This indicates that at 4K, the GPU’s compute and memory bandwidth are the dominant factors. The card’s 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus provides 672.3 GB/s of bandwidth, which is critical for handling the high-resolution textures and geometry. The benchmark results indicate that while the system can handle 4K, it is best suited for High or Medium presets to maintain a smooth experience, as the Ultra preset pushes the average down to 51 FPS.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the optimal balance between visual quality and performance is found at the High preset across all resolutions. At 1080p, High delivers 180 FPS, which is more than enough for high-refresh-rate monitors and leaves significant headroom for any background tasks. Moving to 1440p, the High preset produces 118 FPS, which is ideal for 120Hz displays and provides a fluid gaming experience. At 4K, High settings yield 65 FPS, which is comfortably playable on a 60Hz display and offers a substantial visual upgrade over Medium.

The Medium preset is a viable alternative for 4K users who prioritize frame rate stability over maximum visual fidelity. The 4K Medium result of 76 FPS, with a minimum of 64 FPS and a maximum of 87 FPS, shows a tighter frame time distribution than the High preset. This suggests that Medium is the better choice for 4K if you want to ensure you stay above 60 FPS at all times, as the High preset’s average of 65 FPS may dip lower in more demanding scenes. The data for Medium is the only set that includes min and max values, making it the most reliable indicator of frame pacing.

The Ultra preset is only recommended for 1080p and 1440p gaming. At 1080p, Ultra achieves 141 FPS, which is still a high frame rate, while at 1440p, it drops to 92 FPS. These are solid numbers for those who want the highest visual settings. However, at 4K, the Ultra preset’s 51 FPS average is below the 60 FPS threshold that many consider the standard for a smooth experience, making it a less desirable choice. The Low preset is not recommended for any resolution, as the visual compromises are severe, and the performance gains are not as significant as the step up to Medium or High. For a game like The Technomancer, the data clearly shows that High is the "sweet spot" preset, offering the best combination of visual quality and performance.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER is the dominant component in this pairing, particularly as resolution and settings increase. Its architecture, Ada Lovelace, features 8448 shading units, 264 texture mapping units, and 96 ROPs. The card operates at a boost clock of 2610 MHz and delivers a FP32 performance of 44.10 TFLOPS. This raw compute power is what drives the high frame rates seen in the benchmark results, especially at 1440p and 4K where the GPU’s shading and texturing capabilities are fully utilized.

The 16 GB of GDDR6X memory is a significant asset, as it prevents the card from becoming a bottleneck due to memory capacity limits at high resolutions. The memory bandwidth of 672.3 GB/s is also crucial for feeding the GPU’s cores with texture and geometry data. The benchmark results at 4K demonstrate this, with the card maintaining an average of 65 FPS on High settings, a strong showing for a demanding title. The GPU’s performance percentile of 76 indicates that it outperforms the majority of other graphics cards, and its nearest rivals in the benchmark database include the NVIDIA TITAN RTX, which it beats by 1.9% in average score, and the NVIDIA RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell, which it trails by 1.4%.

The GPU’s role becomes more pronounced at higher resolutions. The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K on High settings shows a 115 FPS drop, which is a direct consequence of the increased pixel and shading workload. The card’s pixel rate of 250.6 GPixel/s and texture rate of 689.0 GTexel/s are the metrics that determine how quickly it can process this workload. The data shows that the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER is a capable 4K card, but it is not without limits, as the Ultra preset at 4K pushes it down to 51 FPS. This suggests that the card is best utilized with High settings at 4K to strike the ideal balance between visual quality and frame rate.

How This Combo Ranks

In the extensive database of tested combinations, this specific pairing of the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER holds a rank of 271 out of 2825 combos for The Technomancer. This places it in the top 10% of all tested systems, indicating a very strong overall performance level. The rank is a composite measure of the system’s capabilities across all tested settings and resolutions, and it reflects the high performance of both the CPU and GPU.

The combo’s high ranking is expected given the individual strengths of its components. The CPU, with its high average benchmark score and 90th percentile ranking, combined with the GPU’s strong performance and 76th percentile ranking, creates a system that excels in this game. The rank of 271 suggests that the pairing is well-balanced for The Technomancer, with neither component holding back the other significantly. This is supported by the FPS data, which shows high frame rates even at demanding 4K settings.

While the combo is not at the absolute top of the list, its position in the 271st spot out of 2825 combos confirms its capability. The top 270 combos likely include configurations with more powerful GPUs, such as the RTX 4090, or higher-end CPUs, but the performance gap is likely small. The data shows that this combo is more than sufficient for a great gaming experience, and its rank confirms that it is a high-performing configuration for The Technomancer. The system’s ability to deliver over 60 FPS at 4K with High settings is a significant achievement and a key contributor to its strong overall rank.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 plays a crucial role in this system, particularly at lower resolutions where its processing power is the main driver of frame rates. With 14 cores and 14 threads, operating at a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.10 GHz, the CPU provides substantial throughput. Its 24 MB of shared L3 cache helps to reduce memory latency, which is beneficial for game logic and physics calculations. The CPU’s architecture, Arrow Lake, is built on a 3 nm process node, which contributes to its efficiency and performance. Its Cinebench R23 multicore score of 32924 and single-core score of 4648 indicate strong multi-threaded and single-threaded capabilities.

The CPU’s influence is most apparent in the 1080p results. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 275 FPS, a figure that is likely limited by the CPU’s ability to issue draw calls and process game state updates. The fact that the frame rate at 1080p High is 180 FPS, compared to 141 FPS at Ultra, shows that the GPU is starting to become a factor, but the CPU is still keeping pace. The CPU’s performance is also highlighted by its benchmark scores, which place it close to rivals like the AMD Ryzen 9 7900, with a delta of -0.5%, and the Intel Core i5-14600K, which it beats by 0.8%. This indicates that it is a high-performing processor that can handle modern game loads.

As resolution increases, the CPU’s role diminishes, and the GPU becomes the bottleneck. The 4K results show a smaller relative difference between the Low and Ultra presets (99 FPS vs 51 FPS) compared to the 1080p results, indicating that the CPU is no longer the limiting factor. However, the CPU’s performance is still important for maintaining minimum frame rates and ensuring smooth gameplay. The data shows that the CPU is a capable partner for the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER, providing enough processing power to prevent it from being held back in most scenarios. The 65W TDP reflects its efficiency, allowing it to deliver high performance without excessive power consumption.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of the system’s performance across a matrix of resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the system is exceptionally fast. On Low settings, it achieves an average of 275 FPS. The Medium preset yields 211 FPS, with a minimum of 180 FPS and a maximum of 243 FPS. High settings produce 180 FPS on average, while Ultra settings bring the average down to 141 FPS. These numbers indicate that at 1080p, the system has more than enough power for any monitor, and users can choose the highest settings without worrying about frame rate.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance remains impressive. The Low preset delivers 180 FPS, and the Medium preset averages 138 FPS, with a minimum of 117 FPS and a maximum of 159 FPS. High settings still provide a very high 118 FPS average, which is ideal for 1440p 120Hz monitors. Ultra settings at 1440p see a drop to 92 FPS, which is still a smooth experience for most users. The transition from 1080p to 1440p results in a performance hit of roughly 35-45% across the different presets, which is a typical scaling factor.

At 3840x2160, the system starts to show its limits. The Low preset averages 99 FPS, making it the only 4K preset that can comfortably support high refresh rates. Medium settings average 76 FPS, with a minimum of 64 FPS and a maximum of 87 FPS, which is a solid result for 4K gaming. High settings drop to 65 FPS, which is still playable but leaves less headroom for demanding scenes. Ultra settings bring the average down to 51 FPS, which is on the lower end of playable. The 4K data shows that the system is best used with the High or Medium presets to ensure a consistent frame rate above 60 FPS. The measured results confirm that this combo is a high-performance pairing, with its strongest performance found at 1080p and its most balanced experience found at 1440p.