The Technomancer

The Technomancer is a demanding action RPG, and the data shows that the Intel Core Ultra 5 235 and Intel Arc B580 combination delivers a playable experience at 1080p and 1440p, but fails to hit the 60 FPS target at 4K. The benchmark results provide a clear picture of how this system scales across resolutions and presets, revealing a configuration that is well-balanced for high-refresh-rate 1080p gaming and capable of solid performance at 1440p, while 4K remains out of reach for smooth gameplay.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system demonstrates strong performance across all settings. With Low settings, the average frame rate reaches 138 FPS. Moving to Medium, the average drops to 106 FPS, with a minimum of 90 FPS and a maximum of 121 FPS. High settings produce an average of 90 FPS, and even the most demanding Ultra preset maintains an average of 70 FPS. This indicates that at 1080p, the CPU and GPU combination has ample headroom, keeping frame rates well above the 60 FPS playability threshold even at maximum graphical fidelity.

At 2560x1440, performance scales down as expected. Low settings yield an average of 90 FPS, which is still excellent for competitive play. Medium settings deliver an average of 69 FPS, with a minimum of 59 FPS and a maximum of 79 FPS, placing it just barely above the 60 FPS target. High settings produce an average of 59 FPS, which dips below the playable threshold. Ultra settings are significantly more demanding, reducing the average to 46 FPS. The data shows a clear performance cliff between Medium and High settings at this resolution, making the choice between visual quality and frame rate a critical one.

At 3840x2160, the system struggles to maintain playable frame rates. Low settings produce an average of 49 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target. Medium settings drop further to an average of 38 FPS, with a minimum of 32 FPS and a maximum of 44 FPS. High settings average just 32 FPS, and Ultra settings bring the system to its knees with an average of only 25 FPS. None of the 4K presets achieve a 60 FPS average, confirming that this resolution is not viable for smooth gameplay with this hardware.

The measured data reveals a consistent pattern: the gap between Medium and High settings is significant at every resolution. At 1080p, the drop from Medium to High is 16 FPS, while at 1440p it is 10 FPS, and at 4K it is 6 FPS. This suggests that the game’s High preset introduces a substantial computational load that disproportionately impacts the GPU.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data indicates that the Intel Arc B580 is the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions, while the Intel Core Ultra 5 235 provides sufficient processing power to keep up at 1080p. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p shows a predictable decrease in frame rates across all settings, which is typical of GPU-bound scenarios. For example, at High settings, the average FPS drops from 90 at 1080p to 59 at 1440p, a reduction of roughly 34%. This steep decline points to the GPU being the limiting factor, as the resolution increase directly translates to more pixel shading work.

When moving from 1440p to 4K, the performance hit becomes even more pronounced. At High settings, the average FPS falls from 59 to 32, a reduction of about 46%. This further confirms that the Arc B580’s rendering capabilities are saturated at 4K, regardless of the CPU’s performance. The CPU, with its 14 cores and 14 threads, is unlikely to be the constraint, as its benchmark scores place it in the 89th percentile among all CPUs. The data shows that at 1080p Low, the system achieves 138 FPS, which suggests the CPU can feed the GPU with frames efficiently at lower resolutions.

The preset scaling also reveals the GPU’s role. At 1080p, dropping from Ultra to Low increases the average FPS from 70 to 138, a difference of 68 FPS. This wide range indicates that the GPU’s workload scales dramatically with visual settings. At 4K, the same preset change only yields a 24 FPS difference (from 25 to 49), suggesting that at such high resolutions, the GPU is already operating near its limits and even lower settings cannot fully compensate. The system’s performance is therefore dictated by the Arc B580, with the Ultra 5 235 playing a supporting role that becomes less relevant as resolution increases.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Looking at the nearest rivals for the CPU, the Intel Core Ultra 5 235 performs almost identically to the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375, which has an average benchmark score of 46030 compared to the Ultra 5’s 46062, a negligible delta of 0.1%. The Intel Core i9-13900HX is also a close match, with a score of 46098, just 0.1% higher. The AMD EPYC 4364P and AMD EPYC 7303 both score around 45970 and 45960 respectively, placing them within 0.2% of the Ultra 5 235. In practice, any of these processors would deliver nearly identical frame rates in The Technomancer, meaning the gaming experience would be indistinguishable when paired with the same GPU.

For the GPU, the Intel Arc B580’s nearest rivals are a mixed group. The AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP has an average score of 23061, which is 0.2% higher than the Arc B580’s 23021. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 scores 22895, about 0.6% lower, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 scores 23172, which is 0.7% higher. The NVIDIA P106-100 is also listed with a score of 23249, 1% higher. The deltaPct values are all under 1%, indicating that these GPUs would produce very similar frame rates in this game. A user with an RTX 3080 would see marginally better performance, but the difference would be within a few frames per second at most resolutions. The RTX 2080, being slightly slower, would likely result in frame rates a couple of FPS lower than the Arc B580.

The Verdict

Based on the verdictByResolution data, this PC can run The Technomancer at 60 FPS or higher at 1920x1080 and 2560x1440, but not at 3840x2160. At 1080p, all four presets—Low, Medium, High, and Ultra—are playable, with the Ultra preset achieving an average of 70 FPS. This makes 1080p the optimal resolution for this system, as it allows for maximum visual quality without sacrificing smoothness.

At 1440p, only Low and Medium settings are playable. The Medium preset hits an average of 69 FPS, which clears the 60 FPS threshold, while High and Ultra fall short at 59 FPS and 46 FPS respectively. For gamers who prioritize frame rate over graphical fidelity, 1440p Medium is a viable option, but those seeking higher quality settings will need to drop to 1080p.

At 4K, the system fails to reach 60 FPS on any preset. The best result is 49 FPS on Low settings, which is still below the playable threshold. As such, 4K gaming is not recommended with this configuration. The combination of the Core Ultra 5 235 and Arc B580 is best suited for 1080p gaming, with 1440p as a secondary option if settings are adjusted accordingly.

Best Settings per Resolution

For 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, which achieves an average of 70 FPS. This is the recommended setting for users who want the best visual experience without compromising on frame rate. The system has enough headroom at this resolution to handle the game’s highest quality settings.

For 2560x1440, the best playable preset is Medium, with an average of 69 FPS. This setting provides a good balance between image quality and performance, though it comes close to the 60 FPS minimum with a recorded minimum of 59 FPS. Users who want a more stable frame rate could opt for Low settings, which average 90 FPS, but Medium offers a significant visual upgrade for only a modest performance cost.

For 3840x2160, there is no preset that meets the 60 FPS requirement, so no best settings can be recommended. The highest average FPS achieved is 49 on Low, which is still below the playable threshold. Users attempting 4K will need to accept sub-60 FPS performance or consider reducing the resolution.

FAQ

Q: Can this PC run The Technomancer at 4K with playable frame rates?

A: No. At 3840x2160, the highest average frame rate is 49 FPS on Low settings, and all other presets fall below 40 FPS. The system does not meet the 60 FPS playable threshold at any 4K setting.

Q: What is the best settings preset for 1440p gaming?

A: Medium is the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS, achieving an average of 69 FPS. High settings drop to 59 FPS, which is below the playable threshold.

Q: How much performance difference is there between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, Low settings average 138 FPS, while Ultra settings average 70 FPS. This represents a difference of 68 FPS between the two extremes.

Q: Is the Intel Arc B580 or the Intel Core Ultra 5 235 the main bottleneck at higher resolutions?

A: The GPU is the primary bottleneck. The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is steep across all settings, indicating that the Arc B580’s rendering capabilities are the limiting factor at higher resolutions.

Q: How does the Intel Core Ultra 5 235 compare to its nearest rivals in terms of performance?

A: The Ultra 5 235 has an average benchmark score of 46062, which is within 0.2% of the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375, Intel Core i9-13900HX, AMD EPYC 4364P, and AMD EPYC 7303. Performance differences would be negligible in gaming.

Q: What is the recommended resolution for this system?

A: 1920x1080 is the recommended resolution, as all presets including Ultra achieve an average of 70 FPS or higher. 2560x1440 is also viable with Medium settings, but 4K is not playable.