The Technomancer

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X and Intel Arc B390 combination delivers a very specific performance profile in The Technomancer, one defined by a massive CPU/GPU capability gap. The recorded data shows this pairing ranks 3285th out of 3696 tested combos, placing it in the lower tier of systems for this title. The following analysis breaks down the measured performance, the roles each component plays, and the practical settings for each resolution.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The database places the AMD Ryzen 7 9700X in the 86th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 37943. The nearest rivals are extremely close: the Intel Core i9-14901E scores 37911 (0.1% lower), the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 scores 37904 (0.1% lower), the Intel Core 5 211E scores 37829 (0.3% lower), and the AMD Ryzen AI Embedded P132 scores 37804 (0.4% lower). Any of these processors would produce nearly identical frame rates in The Technomancer when paired with the same GPU, since the performance delta between them is negligible.

The Intel Arc B390 presents a different story. Its average benchmark score is 1482, placing it in the 9th percentile of all GPUs. The nearest rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX at 1463 (1.3% lower), the NVIDIA GeForce 800M at 1460 (1.5% lower), the NVIDIA GeForce GT 625 OEM at 1446 (2.5% lower), and the NVIDIA GeForce GT 710 at 1443 (2.7% lower). These are all older, low-end graphics solutions. In practical terms, a system with the Ryzen 7 9700X but any of these alternative GPUs would produce very similar frame rates in The Technomancer, because the graphics card is the limiting factor in nearly every scenario.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data indicates an extreme imbalance between the two components. The Ryzen 7 9700X, an 8-core, 16-thread Zen 5 processor with a boost clock of 5.50 GHz and a 65 W TDP, is one of the stronger CPUs in the database. The Intel Arc B390, by contrast, is an integrated graphics solution with 1536 shading units, 48 TMUs, and 24 ROPs, delivering 7.680 TFLOPS of FP32 performance. Its 9th percentile ranking among all GPUs confirms it is a very weak graphics processor.

The game's frame rates collapse as resolution increases, which is the classic signature of a GPU-bound title. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the system averages 79 FPS. At 2560x1440 with Low settings, that drops to 52 FPS, a 34% reduction. At 3840x2160 with Low settings, it falls further to 28 FPS. This steep scaling with pixel count shows that the Arc B390's rendering throughput is the dominant constraint. The CPU's immense headroom, evidenced by its 86th percentile ranking, does not translate into higher frame rates because the GPU cannot feed frames fast enough.

The preset scaling reinforces this conclusion. At 1920x1080, moving from Low to Medium costs 18 FPS (79 to 61), from Medium to High costs 9 FPS (61 to 52), and from High to Ultra costs 12 FPS (52 to 40). At 3840x2160, the same progression yields 28, 22, 19, and 15 FPS. The consistent drop across every preset step indicates that the GPU's fixed resources are being exhausted by both resolution and graphical complexity. The CPU, with its 3dmark max threads score of 9771 and Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 20485, is never the bottleneck in this configuration.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination ranks 3285th out of 3696 tested combos in The Technomancer, putting it in the bottom 11% of all systems. This low ranking is entirely attributable to the GPU. The CPU alone would rank near the top of the database, but the pairing with the Arc B390 drags the overall performance down.

The data shows that this combo is only playable at 1920x1080, and only on Low or Medium settings. At 2560x1440, no settings preset reaches the 60 FPS playable threshold. At 3840x2160, performance is severely limited, with even Low settings averaging just 28 FPS. The rank of 3285 reflects this reality: a system that can handle the game at 1080p on reduced settings but cannot approach smooth performance at higher resolutions.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run The Technomancer at 60 FPS on High settings?

A: No. At 1920x1080 with High settings, the average frame rate is 52 FPS, below the 60 FPS threshold. At 2560x1440 with High settings, the average drops to 34 FPS, and at 3840x2160 with High settings, it averages only 19 FPS.

Q: What is the best playable settings preset at 1920x1080?

A: Medium settings at 1920x1080 deliver an average of 61 FPS, with a minimum of 52 FPS and a maximum of 70 FPS. This is the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS at this resolution.

Q: Is the AMD Ryzen 7 9700X or the Intel Arc B390 the limiting factor?

A: The Intel Arc B390 is the limiting factor. The CPU ranks in the 86th percentile among all processors, while the GPU ranks in the 9th percentile. The frame rates scale heavily with resolution and preset, which indicates GPU-bound performance.

Q: Are there playable settings at 2560x1440?

A: No. The best result at 2560x1440 is 52 FPS on Low settings, which is below the 60 FPS playable threshold. Medium settings average 40 FPS, High averages 34 FPS, and Ultra averages 26 FPS.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B390 compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Arc B390 scores 1482 in the database's benchmark. The NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX scores 1463 (1.3% lower), the NVIDIA GeForce 800M scores 1460 (1.5% lower), the NVIDIA GeForce GT 625 OEM scores 1446 (2.5% lower), and the NVIDIA GeForce GT 710 scores 1443 (2.7% lower). All of these GPUs would perform similarly in this game.

Q: What frame rate can be expected at 3840x2160 on Low settings?

A: The average frame rate is 28 FPS at 3840x2160 on Low settings. This is far below the 60 FPS threshold and indicates a poor experience at 4K resolution.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 3840x2160, the system averages 28 FPS on Low settings, 22 FPS on Medium settings (with a minimum of 19 FPS and a maximum of 25 FPS), 19 FPS on High settings, and 15 FPS on Ultra settings. None of these configurations approach playable performance.

At 2560x1440, the averages improve but remain below the 60 FPS threshold. Low settings deliver 52 FPS, Medium settings deliver 40 FPS (with a minimum of 34 FPS and a maximum of 46 FPS), High settings deliver 34 FPS, and Ultra settings deliver 26 FPS.

At 1920x1080, the system finally reaches playable territory. Low settings average 79 FPS. Medium settings average 61 FPS, with a minimum of 52 FPS and a maximum of 70 FPS. High settings drop to 52 FPS, and Ultra settings average 40 FPS. The minimum frame rate recorded on Medium at 1080p is 52 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS average but still within a tolerable range for most players.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, there is no playable preset. The highest average frame rate at this resolution is 28 FPS on Low settings, which is less than half of the 60 FPS threshold.

At 2560x1440, there is also no playable preset. Low settings produce 52 FPS, which is the best result but still 8 FPS short of the playable threshold.

At 1920x1080, the best playable preset is Medium, which averages 61 FPS. This is the only resolution and settings combination that meets the 60 FPS requirement while using the highest possible quality settings. Low settings at 1080p average 79 FPS, but Medium provides a better visual experience while still clearing the threshold.

The Verdict

This PC can run The Technomancer, but only under specific conditions. The verdict by resolution is clear: at 3840x2160, no settings are playable, and the best average is 28 FPS on Low. At 2560x1440, the situation is slightly better but still below the threshold, with Low settings averaging 52 FPS. The system is only fully playable at 1920x1080, where Low and Medium presets both clear 60 FPS. The best settings for this resolution are Medium, which delivers an average of 61 FPS.

The fundamental issue is the pairing. The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X provides more than enough processing power for this game, but the Intel Arc B390's 9th percentile GPU ranking creates a hard ceiling on performance. Users seeking higher resolutions or more graphical fidelity would need to consider a different graphics solution, as the current configuration is firmly limited to 1080p gaming at medium quality.