The Technomancer

The Intel Core i5-9400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 combination delivers a strong performance profile in The Technomancer, but with a clear ceiling at 4K. At 1080p and 1440p, the system is overwhelmingly capable, clearing 60 FPS on every preset. At 3840x2160, the experience becomes more selective, with only Low and Medium settings maintaining the 60 FPS threshold. The data indicates a system that is well-balanced for high-refresh 1440p gaming, but which requires settings compromises for 4K displays.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The recorded measurements show a consistent scaling pattern across resolutions and presets. At 1920x1080, the system performs exceptionally well. The Low preset averages 174 FPS, Medium averages 158 FPS (with a minimum of 135 and maximum of 182), High averages 146 FPS, and Ultra averages 114 FPS. Every setting at 1080p delivers far above the 60 FPS playable threshold, with even the most demanding Ultra preset maintaining a significant margin.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance remains robust. The Low preset averages 146 FPS, Medium averages 112 FPS (minimum 95, maximum 129), High averages 96 FPS, and Ultra averages 75 FPS. All four presets clear 60 FPS, though Ultra begins to show a narrower margin. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 71 FPS, indicating a substantial but manageable impact from settings.

At 3840x2160, the scaling becomes more pronounced. Low averages 80 FPS, Medium averages 61 FPS (minimum 52, maximum 71), High averages 52 FPS, and Ultra averages 41 FPS. The Medium preset sits right at the 60 FPS boundary, making it the most demanding option that still qualifies as playable. High and Ultra fall below the threshold, with average FPS of 52 and 41 respectively. The drop from Medium to High is 9 FPS, while High to Ultra is 11 FPS, showing that the highest settings carry a steep cost at 4K.

CPU and GPU Roles

The performance scaling between resolutions and presets indicates that the GPU is the dominant factor in this combination, particularly at higher resolutions. At 1080p, the system achieves an average of 174 FPS on Low, which is an extremely high frame rate that suggests the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU effectively at this resolution. The low preset at 1080p represents a near-CPU-limited scenario, and the fact that it reaches 174 FPS demonstrates that the Intel Core i5-9400 provides adequate headroom.

As resolution increases, the GPU load grows significantly. Comparing 1080p Low (174 FPS) to 1440p Low (146 FPS) shows a 28 FPS drop, while 1440p Low to 4K Low (80 FPS) shows a 66 FPS drop. This pattern is consistent with a GPU-bound workload at higher resolutions. The CPU's role becomes less critical as the pixel count rises, since the GPU takes on more of the rendering burden.

The preset scaling further supports this interpretation. At 4K, the difference between Low and Ultra is 39 FPS, which is a larger absolute gap than at 1440p (71 FPS difference) or 1080p (60 FPS difference). This indicates that at 4K, the GPU is the primary constraint, and settings changes have a direct and substantial impact on frame rates. The CPU's six threads and 9 MB of shared L3 cache are sufficient to avoid bottlenecking the RTX 3080 in this title, as evidenced by the high frame rates achievable even at 1080p.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Based on the nearest rivals for the CPU and GPU, several hardware combinations would likely produce similar results in The Technomancer. The CPU's average benchmark score of 2254 places it close to several alternatives. The Intel Core i7-1068NG7 scores 2259, a delta of -0.2%, meaning it is effectively identical in performance. The Intel Core i3-10305 scores 2264, a delta of -0.4%, also a near-match. The AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 scores 2246, a delta of 0.4%, and the Intel Core i7-10710U scores 2248, a delta of 0.3%. These CPUs would all perform within a fraction of a percent of the i5-9400, meaning any of them paired with an RTX 3080 would deliver essentially the same frame rates in this game.

On the GPU side, the RTX 3080 has an average benchmark score of 23172. Its nearest rivals are all within 0.4% of this score. The NVIDIA P106-100 scores 23249 (delta -0.3%), the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 16 scores 23250 (delta -0.3%), the AMD Radeon RX 6600M scores 23273 (delta -0.4%), and the AMD Radeon R9 M290X scores 23276 (delta -0.4%). These GPUs would produce nearly identical FPS numbers to the RTX 3080 in The Technomancer. Therefore, a system with any of these CPUs combined with any of these GPUs would show the same resolution and preset scaling pattern, with the same playable settings at each resolution.

The Verdict

The verdict data is clear: this PC can run The Technomancer with a playable experience at all three tested resolutions, but the settings options vary. At 1920x1080, all four presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra) are playable, with the best settings being Ultra at an average of 114 FPS. This is a comfortable margin above the 60 FPS threshold, providing a smooth experience even in demanding scenes.

At 2560x1440, all four presets are also playable. The best settings are Ultra at an average of 75 FPS. This is above the 60 FPS threshold, though the margin is smaller than at 1080p. The Ultra preset at 1440p is the recommended choice for users who want maximum visual quality while maintaining smooth gameplay.

At 3840x2160, only Low and Medium presets are playable. The best settings are Medium at an average of 61 FPS. This is just above the 60 FPS threshold, with a minimum recorded FPS of 52. While this qualifies as playable, users should be aware that frame rates may dip below 60 in demanding moments. High (52 FPS) and Ultra (41 FPS) are not playable by the 60 FPS standard.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-9400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 combination ranks 1223 out of 3696 tested combos in The Technomancer. This places it in the upper third of all tested systems, specifically in the 66.9th percentile. This is a strong ranking, indicating that this particular CPU-GPU pairing performs better than most of the combinations in the database for this game.

The ranking reflects the RTX 3080's substantial GPU power, which outweighs the CPU's mid-range position. The i5-9400 ranks in the 47th percentile among all CPUs, while the RTX 3080 ranks in the 68th percentile among all GPUs. The combined result is a system that performs well above average in this game, driven primarily by the GPU's capability to handle the rendering workload at high resolutions.

Best Settings per Resolution

The best settings for each resolution are defined as the most demanding preset that maintains an average FPS at or above the 60 FPS playable threshold.

At 1920x1080, the best settings are Ultra, with an average FPS of 114. This provides the highest visual quality while still delivering a frame rate nearly double the playable threshold. Users can enjoy maximum settings with a significant performance buffer.

At 2560x1440, the best settings are Ultra, with an average FPS of 75. The Ultra preset at this resolution offers a high level of visual fidelity while staying 15 FPS above the threshold. This is the optimal balance for users with 1440p displays.

At 3840x2160, the best settings are Medium, with an average FPS of 61. This is the only resolution where users must compromise on settings to maintain playability. The Medium preset sits just above the 60 FPS threshold, and the recorded minimum of 52 FPS indicates that some scenes will push the system below the target. Users at 4K should consider whether the visual trade-off from High to Medium is acceptable, as the High preset's 52 FPS average falls short of the playable standard.