The Technomancer

AMD Ryzen 9 5950X and Intel Arc B390: The Technomancer Performance Analysis

The recorded data for The Technomancer with this hardware combination shows a clear pattern: this system is only capable of maintaining 60 frames per second at 1920x1080 resolution, and only when settings are kept at Low or Medium. At higher resolutions, the frame rates drop below the playable threshold across all tested presets. The Intel Arc B390, which sits in the 9th percentile of all GPUs in the database, becomes the limiting factor, while the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X, in the 91st percentile of all CPUs, provides more than enough processing headroom. The following sections break down the measured performance at each resolution and setting, explain which component drives the results, and compare this combination to similar hardware alternatives.

Best Settings per Resolution

For 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Medium, with a recorded average of 61 FPS. The data shows that Low settings yield 79 FPS average, which is well above the threshold, but Medium is the highest quality setting that still clears the 60 FPS line. High settings at this resolution drop to 52 FPS average, and Ultra falls to 40 FPS, both below the playable mark.

For 2560x1440, no preset achieves 60 FPS. The best recorded average is 52 FPS at Low settings, which is below the playable threshold. Medium produces 40 FPS, High produces 34 FPS, and Ultra produces 26 FPS. Since the playable threshold is 60 FPS, the verdict for this resolution shows no playable settings, and the best settings field is left empty in the database.

For 3840x2160, the situation is similar but worse. Low settings produce an average of 28 FPS, Medium produces 22 FPS, High produces 19 FPS, and Ultra produces 15 FPS. None of these approach 60 FPS, and the database records no playable settings for this resolution. The best settings field is again empty, indicating that no preset can deliver a playable experience at 4K with this hardware.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data indicates that the GPU is the dominant factor in this game's performance. The Intel Arc B390 has a benchmark score of 1482 in 3dmark steel nomad dx12, placing it in the 9th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX with a score of 1463, the NVIDIA GeForce 800M with 1460, the NVIDIA GeForce GT 625 OEM with 1446, and the NVIDIA GeForce GT 710 with 1443. These are all low-end or legacy mobile and desktop parts, which confirms the Arc B390 is positioned at the very bottom of the GPU performance spectrum.

In contrast, the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X has a much stronger benchmark profile. It scores 10810 in 3dmark_16_threads, 1856 in 3dmark_2_threads, 3595 in 3dmark_4_threads, 6598 in 3dmark_8_threads, 11597 in 3dmark_max_threads, and 944 in 3dmark_single_thread. Its Cinebench R23 scores are 26017 multicore and 1614 singlecore, and its Geekbench scores are 15233 multicore and 2083 singlecore. The CPU's average benchmark score is 51947, with a percentile rank of 91 among all CPUs. Its nearest rivals are the Intel Core Ultra 5 235HX with an average score of 52073 and a delta of -0.2%, the AMD EPYC 8124P with 52121 and -0.3%, the Intel Core i9-13900F with 51730 and +0.4%, and the Intel Core i7-14700 with 52301 and -0.7%. These deltas are all within a fraction of a percent, meaning the Ryzen 9 5950X performs essentially identically to those high-end CPUs.

The scaling between resolutions reveals the GPU bottleneck. At 1920x1080, the frame rates range from 40 FPS at Ultra to 79 FPS at Low. At 2560x1440, the same settings range from 26 FPS at Ultra to 52 FPS at Low. At 3840x2160, the range is 15 FPS at Ultra to 28 FPS at Low. Moving from 1080p to 1440p reduces frame rates by roughly 30% to 35% at each preset, and moving from 1440p to 4K reduces them by another 40% to 45%. This steep drop with increasing resolution is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario, where the pixel fill rate and shading capacity of the Arc B390 are simply insufficient for higher workloads.

The CPU's role is minimal in this context. The Ryzen 9 5950X has 16 cores and 32 threads, a base clock of 3.40 GHz, and a boost clock of 4.90 GHz, with a 64 MB L3 cache. Its single-thread performance, as shown by the 3dmark_single_thread score of 944 and Cinebench R15 singlecore score of 266.5, is strong enough to avoid bottlenecking a low-end GPU in an older title like The Technomancer, which was released on 2016-06-27. Even at 1080p Low, where the CPU would be most likely to become a limiting factor, the 79 FPS average suggests the processor is keeping up. The database records the combo rank as 3285 out of 3696 total combinations, which places this pairing in the lower 11% of all tested combos, further reinforcing that the GPU is the constraint.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 3840x2160, the measured averages are as follows: Low settings produce 28 FPS average with no minimum or maximum recorded. Medium settings produce 22 FPS average, with a minimum of 19 FPS and a maximum of 25 FPS. High settings produce 19 FPS average with no min or max. Ultra settings produce 15 FPS average with no min or max. The most stable data point is Medium, which has a recorded spread of 19 to 25 FPS, a range of 6 FPS. All other presets at this resolution lack min and max values, leaving only the average for comparison.

At 2560x1440, Low settings produce 52 FPS average with no min or max. Medium produces 40 FPS average, with a minimum of 34 FPS and a maximum of 46 FPS. High produces 34 FPS average with no min or max. Ultra produces 26 FPS average with no min or max. The Medium preset again has the only full data set, showing a 12 FPS range between minimum and maximum. This wider spread compared to 4K Medium suggests more frame time variance at the lower resolution, but still below the playable threshold.

At 1920x1080, Low settings produce 79 FPS average with no min or max. Medium produces 61 FPS average, with a minimum of 52 FPS and a maximum of 70 FPS. High produces 52 FPS average with no min or max. Ultra produces 40 FPS average with no min or max. The Medium preset at 1080p is the only playable configuration with a full min and max recording, and the 52 FPS minimum means that even in the worst recorded frame, it stays just below the 60 FPS threshold, though the average of 61 FPS clears it. Low settings at 1080p have a higher average of 79 FPS, but without min and max data, the stability cannot be verified from the database.

The data shows a consistent pattern: as resolution increases, frame rates drop proportionally. The delta between Low and Ultra settings at each resolution is notable: at 1080p, Low is 79 FPS and Ultra is 40 FPS, a difference of 39 FPS. At 1440p, Low is 52 FPS and Ultra is 26 FPS, a difference of 26 FPS. At 4K, Low is 28 FPS and Ultra is 15 FPS, a difference of 13 FPS. The absolute gap narrows at higher resolutions, which is typical for GPU-bound workloads where the pixel count dominates.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For the CPU, the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X has an average benchmark score of 51947. Its nearest rivals are all within a small margin. The Intel Core Ultra 5 235HX scores 52073, which is 0.2% higher than the Ryzen. The AMD EPYC 8124P scores 52121, 0.3% higher. The Intel Core i9-13900F scores 51730, 0.4% lower. The Intel Core i7-14700 scores 52301, 0.7% higher. In practical terms, any of these CPUs would deliver nearly identical performance in The Technomancer, since the game is clearly GPU-limited. The Ryzen 9 5950X itself has 16 cores and 32 threads, but the game's engine, released in 2016, is unlikely to use more than a few cores effectively, so the CPU choice matters little here.

For the GPU, the Intel Arc B390 has an average benchmark score of 1482. Its nearest rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX with a score of 1463, which is 1.3% lower. The NVIDIA GeForce 800M scores 1460, 1.5% lower. The NVIDIA GeForce GT 625 OEM scores 1446, 2.5% lower. The NVIDIA GeForce GT 710 scores 1443, 2.7% lower. These deltas are all under 3%, meaning any of these GPUs would produce nearly the same frame rates in The Technomancer. The GT 710, for example, is a known low-end desktop card, and the GT 520MX is an older mobile part. The Arc B390, despite being a newer architecture (Xe3-LPG on a 3 nm process), performs in the same league as these legacy parts. This confirms that the B390's integrated graphics design, with a TDP of 80 W and no dedicated memory, limits its gaming capability severely.

If a user were to swap the GPU for one of these rivals, the measured FPS would change by roughly 1% to 3%, which is within the margin of error for most benchmarks. The playable settings would remain identical: only 1080p Low and Medium would clear 60 FPS. Similarly, swapping the CPU for any of its rivals would have no measurable impact on this game, since the GPU bottleneck dominates.

The Verdict

The database records a clear verdict for this combination. At 3840x2160, there are no playable settings, meaning no preset reaches 60 FPS. The best average recorded is 28 FPS at Low, which is less than half the playable threshold. At 2560x1440, there are also no playable settings. The best average is 52 FPS at Low, which falls 8 FPS short of 60. At 1920x1080, the verdict lists Low and Medium as playable settings, with Medium being the best settings option and an average FPS of 61 at that preset.

So, can this PC run The Technomancer? Yes, but only at 1920x1080 resolution with graphics settings set to Medium or below. Medium gives an average of 61 FPS, which just clears the 60 FPS threshold, and Low gives 79 FPS, which is comfortable. High at 1080p drops to 52 FPS, and Ultra drops to 40 FPS, neither of which is playable. For any resolution above 1080p, the system cannot sustain 60 FPS at any setting, so users would need to lower the resolution or accept sub-60 frame rates. The combo rank of 3285 out of 3696 places this system in the lower tier of tested configurations for this game, consistent with the GPU's low percentile standing.

FAQ

Q: What is the best settings preset for this system at 1920x1080?

A: The best settings preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Medium, with an average of 61 FPS. Low settings produce 79 FPS, but Medium is the highest quality option that clears the threshold.

Q: Can this system run The Technomancer at 2560x1440?

A: No. The verdict for 2560x1440 lists no playable settings. The highest average FPS at this resolution is 52 FPS at Low settings, which is below the 60 FPS playable threshold.

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

A: The Arc B390 has an average benchmark score of 1482. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX, scores 1463, which is 1.3% lower. The NVIDIA GeForce 800M scores 1460 (1.5% lower), the GT 625 OEM scores 1446 (2.5% lower), and the GT 710 scores 1443 (2.7% lower). All of these GPUs would perform nearly identically in The Technomancer.

Q: Is the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X a bottleneck for this game?

A: No. The Ryzen 9 5950X is in the 91st percentile of all CPUs with an average benchmark score of 51947. Its nearest rivals, such as the Intel Core i9-13900F and Intel Core i7-14700, are within 0.7% of its score. The game is GPU-bound, as shown by the steep frame rate drops with increasing resolution.

Q: What frame rate does the system achieve at 3840x2160 on Low settings?

A: At 3840x2160 with Low settings, the average FPS is 28. This is far below the 60 FPS playable threshold, and no preset at 4K reaches playable levels.

Q: At 1920x1080, what is the minimum FPS recorded at Medium settings?

A: At 1920x1080 with Medium settings, the minimum recorded FPS is 52, the maximum is 70, and the average is 61. This means even in the worst recorded frame, the system stays close to the 60 FPS threshold, though the average clears it.