The Technomancer

The Technomancer, a 2016 Action RPG, presents a demanding workload for modern hardware, and the combination of the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 and Intel Arc B580 yields a mixed bag of results depending on the target resolution. The data indicates a system that is exceptionally capable at 1080p, adequate for 1440p with settings compromises, and ultimately outmatched at 4K.

Best Settings per Resolution

The most demanding preset that maintains a frame rate at or above the 60 FPS playability threshold varies significantly by resolution.

• 3840x2160 (4K): No preset achieves the 60 FPS target. The highest recorded average FPS is 49 at Low settings, which is well below the playable threshold. The data shows that even the least demanding settings cannot push this combination to a smooth experience at this resolution.
• 2560x1440 (1440p): The best playable setting is Medium, which delivers an average of 69 FPS. This is the only preset above Low that clears the 60 FPS line here. High settings fall just short with an average of 59 FPS, while Ultra drops to 46 FPS.
• 1920x1080 (1080p): The most demanding preset that stays above 60 FPS is Ultra, which achieves an average of 70 FPS. This is the highest quality setting the system can run smoothly at this resolution, with High (90 FPS), Medium (106 FPS), and Low (138 FPS) all providing progressively higher headroom.

FAQ

Q: Can this PC run The Technomancer at 4K resolution?

A: No. The benchmark results for this combination show that no tested settings preset at 3840x2160 achieves the 60 FPS playability threshold. The best average FPS is 49 at Low settings, which is still below the target.

Q: What is the best visual quality setting I can use at 1440p while maintaining 60 FPS?

A: The data indicates that Medium is the best setting for 2560x1440. It delivers an average of 69 FPS, with a minimum of 59 FPS and a maximum of 79 FPS. While High settings average 59 FPS, this is technically below the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: Is the Arc B580 strong enough to handle Ultra settings?

A: At 1920x1080, yes. The Ultra preset yields an average of 70 FPS, which clears the 60 FPS target. However, at 2560x1440, Ultra settings result in an average of 46 FPS, and at 3840x2160, the average drops to 25 FPS, making it unplayable at those higher resolutions.

Q: How does the system perform at 1080p with High settings?

A: The combination runs the High preset at 1920x1080 with an average of 90 FPS. This provides a significant performance buffer above the 60 FPS threshold, suggesting a very smooth experience with room for demanding scenes.

Q: What is the performance difference between Low and Medium settings at 1440p?

A: The data shows a substantial jump. Low settings at 2560x1440 average 90 FPS, while Medium settings average 69 FPS. This represents a roughly 23% decrease in average frame rate when moving from Low to Medium, but Medium remains comfortably playable.

Q: Is there a playable setting at 4K if I turn everything down?

A: No. Even at the lowest tested settings (Low), the average frame rate at 3840x2160 is 49 FPS. This falls short of the 60 FPS playable threshold, meaning this hardware combination cannot provide a playable experience at 4K in The Technomancer.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following data represents the exact measured frame rates for the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 and Intel Arc B580 combination across all tested resolutions and settings.

3840x2160 (4K)

• Low: Average 49 FPS.
• Medium: Average 38 FPS, with a minimum of 32 FPS and a maximum of 44 FPS.
• High: Average 32 FPS.
• Ultra: Average 25 FPS.

2560x1440 (1440p)

• Low: Average 90 FPS.
• Medium: Average 69 FPS, with a minimum of 59 FPS and a maximum of 79 FPS.
• High: Average 59 FPS.
• Ultra: Average 46 FPS.

1920x1080 (1080p)

• Low: Average 138 FPS.
• Medium: Average 106 FPS, with a minimum of 90 FPS and a maximum of 121 FPS.
• High: Average 90 FPS.
• Ultra: Average 70 FPS.

The Verdict

Can this PC run The Technomancer? The answer is a definitive yes, but the experience is highly dependent on the resolution. The verdict by resolution is clear.

At 1920x1080, this system is exceptionally strong. Every single settings preset, from Low to Ultra, clears the 60 FPS playability threshold. The data confirms that players can max out the game's Ultra settings and still enjoy an average of 70 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the system remains capable but requires a compromise. The playable settings are Low and Medium, with the latter being the best choice at an average of 69 FPS. High settings narrowly miss the mark at 59 FPS, while Ultra is not a viable option.

At 3840x2160, the combination is not suitable for playable frame rates. The verdict data shows no playable settings are available, as even the Low preset falls to an average of 49 FPS. For 4K gaming, a more powerful GPU is necessary.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Examining the nearest rivals for both components provides context for what other hardware might deliver a similar experience.

For the CPU, the Intel Core Ultra 5 225's nearest rivals in benchmark scores are the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F (0% difference), AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D (-0.2%), AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 450 (-0.4%), and Intel Core i9-12900T (-0.5%). These processors all sit within a very tight performance band, with a maximum delta of -0.5%. A system using any of these CPUs alongside an Arc B580 would likely produce nearly identical frame rates in The Technomancer.

For the GPU, the Intel Arc B580's closest competitors are the AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP (-0.2% delta), NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 (0.6% delta), NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 (-0.7% delta), and NVIDIA P106-100 (-1% delta). The performance deltas here are also minimal, ranging from -1% to 0.6%. This suggests that swapping the Arc B580 for any of these cards would result in very similar performance characteristics, with the RTX 2080 being a marginal performer. A build with the RTX 2080, for instance, would be expected to land within a fraction of a percent of the Arc B580's scores.

How This Combo Ranks

In the grand scheme of tested hardware combinations for The Technomancer, this pairing of the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 and Intel Arc B580 sits at rank 2787 out of 3696 tested combos. This places it in the lower half of all configurations tested, which aligns with the 4K performance struggles and the 1440p limitations. While it is a strong performer at 1080p, its overall rank is pulled down by the fact that many other, likely more powerful, combinations can handle higher resolutions with greater ease. This rank suggests that while it is a viable gaming system, it is not a top-tier performer for this specific title.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark data reveals how the balance of power shifts between the CPU and GPU as resolution and settings change. The performance scaling tells a clear story about which component is the limiting factor.

At 1920x1080, the system shows massive headroom. The jump from Ultra (70 FPS) to High (90 FPS) is a 20 FPS gain, and down to Low (138 FPS) shows an enormous range of performance. This wide spread indicates the GPU is the primary driver of performance at this resolution, as lowering graphical fidelity has a massive impact on frame rate. The CPU has enough power to feed the GPU at lower settings, but the GPU becomes the bottleneck as settings increase.

Moving to 2560x1440, the CPU's role begins to diminish. The scaling from Low (90 FPS) to Medium (69 FPS) is a 21 FPS drop, and High (59 FPS) to Ultra (46 FPS) shows another 13 FPS drop. The fact that High settings cannot maintain 60 FPS while Low easily exceeds it points to the GPU struggling with the increased pixel count. The CPU is no longer the primary bottleneck; the Arc B580 is now working much harder to fill those pixels.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is unequivocally the limiting factor. The performance is uniformly low across all settings, from a 49 FPS average at Low to a 25 FPS average at Ultra. The scaling between Low and Medium is just an 11 FPS difference, and the absolute numbers are all far below the playable threshold. This indicates that the GPU's raw rendering power is insufficient for 4K in this title, regardless of the CPU's capabilities. The Core Ultra 5 225 is clearly not the bottleneck at this resolution; the Arc B580 simply cannot produce enough frames. The data suggests that for this game, the GPU's workload scales more dramatically with resolution than the CPU's, making the graphics card the critical component for higher-fidelity experiences.