The Technomancer

Measured FPS Breakdown

Starting with the native 4K results, this combination is clearly out of its depth. At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average frame rate drops to 15 FPS, which is effectively a slideshow. Lowering the preset to High brings the average up to 19 FPS, still far below any playable threshold. Medium settings yield an average of 22 FPS, with minimum and maximum readings of 19 and 25 FPS respectively. Even at the lowest possible settings, Low, the average only reaches 28 FPS. No preset at 4K manages to approach the 60 FPS playable threshold, and the data indicates that this resolution should be avoided entirely for this title with this hardware.

Moving down to 2560x1440, the situation improves but remains constrained. At Ultra settings, the average FPS is 26. High settings produce an average of 34 FPS. Medium settings show an average of 40 FPS, with the recorded minimum at 34 FPS and maximum at 46 FPS. Low settings bring the average up to 52 FPS. None of these configurations reach 60 FPS, so 1440p is still not a viable resolution for achieving smooth gameplay. The gap between the Low preset average of 52 FPS and the playable threshold is 8 FPS, which means the system is close but not quite there.

At 1920x1080, the picture becomes more promising. The Ultra preset delivers an average of 40 FPS, which is playable in a pinch but not consistently smooth. High settings average 52 FPS, again just shy of the target. Medium settings hit an average of 61 FPS, with minimum and maximum readings of 52 and 70 FPS respectively. This is the first preset that clears the 60 FPS threshold. Low settings go further, averaging 79 FPS, which provides a comfortable margin for demanding scenes. The data shows a clear progression: as resolution drops, the average FPS climbs steadily, and at 1080p the system finally finds a playable configuration.

CPU and GPU Roles

The recorded data indicates that this game is heavily GPU-bound at higher resolutions, but the CPU becomes more relevant as resolution decreases. At 3840x2160, the GPU is the overwhelming bottleneck. The difference between Low and Ultra presets is only 13 FPS (28 FPS versus 15 FPS), which shows that the graphics card cannot keep up regardless of how much load is shifted to the processor. The Intel Arc B390, with its modest 7.680 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 24 ROPs, simply does not have the raw throughput to handle the pixel count at 4K.

At 2560x1440, the GPU still dominates the performance picture. The scaling from Low to Ultra is 26 FPS (52 FPS down to 26 FPS), which is a larger spread than at 4K. This suggests that the GPU is working harder but still limiting the frame rate. The CPU, the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus with 24 cores and 24 threads, is not the constraint here. Even at Low settings, the GPU cannot push past 52 FPS, indicating that the graphics card is saturated.

At 1920x1080, the balance shifts slightly. The CPU begins to matter more, but the GPU still sets the ceiling. The Low preset averages 79 FPS, which is the highest recorded result in the entire dataset. This is still well below what the CPU is capable of pushing. The Core Ultra 9 290K Plus scores 51,731 in Cinebench R23 multicore and ranks in the 96th percentile among all CPUs. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, is only 0.2% behind in average benchmark score, which shows that the CPU is a top-tier part. The bottleneck at 1080p is still the GPU, but the gap narrows: the difference between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 39 FPS (79 FPS down to 40 FPS), compared to 13 FPS at 4K.

The frame rate differences between resolutions at the same preset reinforce this. For instance, at Medium settings, moving from 4K (22 FPS) to 1440p (40 FPS) to 1080p (61 FPS) shows nearly linear scaling with pixel count. This is classic GPU-bound behavior. The CPU is not the limiting factor in any of these configurations; its role is to feed the GPU, and it does so without issue.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run The Technomancer at 4K?

A: No. The best average FPS at 3840x2160 is 28 FPS on Low settings. Ultra settings average only 15 FPS. No preset at 4K comes close to the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Q: What is the highest playable setting at 1080p?

A: The Medium preset averages 61 FPS, which clears the 60 FPS threshold. The recorded minimum is 52 FPS and the maximum is 70 FPS. Low settings average 79 FPS for an even larger margin.

Q: Is 1440p playable with this hardware?

A: No. The best average at 2560x1440 is 52 FPS on Low settings. Medium averages 40 FPS, High averages 34 FPS, and Ultra averages 26 FPS. All fall short of 60 FPS.

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

A: The Arc B390 has an average benchmark score of 1,482 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12. Its closest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX with a score of 1,463, which is 1.3% behind. The GeForce 800M is 1.5% behind, the GeForce GT 625 OEM is 2.5% behind, and the GeForce GT 710 is 2.7% behind. The Arc B390 ranks in the 9th percentile among all GPUs.

Q: How does the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The CPU has an average benchmark score of 84,003. It is 0.2% ahead of the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, 1.1% ahead of the AMD EPYC 4584PX, and 1.2% ahead of the AMD EPYC 9135. It is 1.3% behind the AMD EPYC 7F72. It ranks in the 96th percentile among all CPUs.

Q: Does the CPU or GPU matter more for this game?

A: The GPU is the dominant factor at all tested resolutions. The scaling between presets and resolutions shows that the graphics card limits performance. The CPU is high-end and not a bottleneck, but the GPU's low performance ceiling prevents higher frame rates.

The Verdict

The verdict from the database is clear: this system can run The Technomancer at 1920x1080 with Medium or Low settings, both of which clear the 60 FPS threshold. The best playable configuration is Medium at 1080p, which averages 61 FPS. Low at 1080p averages 79 FPS, offering more headroom. High at 1080p averages 52 FPS, which is below the threshold. Ultra at 1080p averages 40 FPS, which is not recommended.

At 2560x1440 and 3840x2160, there are no playable settings. The verdict data lists no playable settings at either resolution. The best result at 1440p is 52 FPS on Low, and the best at 4K is 28 FPS on Low. Both are far below the 60 FPS target. If you have this hardware, plan to play at 1080p. The game is an Action RPG from 2016, and the measured data suggests that the GPU, not the CPU, is the limiting factor.

How This Combo Ranks

This combination of the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and the Intel Arc B390 ranks 3,285 out of 3,696 tested combos in The Technomancer. That places it in the bottom 11% of all combinations in the database. The CPU is a top performer, ranking in the 96th percentile among all CPUs, but the GPU drags the overall ranking down significantly. The Arc B390 ranks in the 9th percentile among all GPUs, which is near the bottom of the distribution.

The disparity between the two components is stark. The CPU outperforms its nearest rivals by small margins, while the GPU is only slightly ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX, GeForce 800M, GeForce GT 625 OEM, and GeForce GT 710. These are all entry-level or older graphics solutions. The measured FPS data reflects this: the system struggles to maintain playable frame rates above 1080p, and even at 1080p, only Medium and Low presets are viable.

In practical terms, the rank means that most other tested combinations will deliver better performance in this game. If you are building a system specifically for The Technomancer, this pairing is heavily unbalanced. The CPU is overkill for the GPU's capabilities in this title. The data does not indicate that the CPU is holding back performance; rather, the GPU is the clear weak link.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, there are no settings that achieve 60 FPS. The database records no playable settings and no best setting. The highest average is 28 FPS on Low, which is not viable for smooth gameplay.

At 2560x1440, the same situation applies. No playable settings are recorded. The best average is 52 FPS on Low, still 8 FPS short of the threshold. Medium, High, and Ultra all average below 40 FPS.

At 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Medium. It averages 61 FPS, with a minimum of 52 FPS and a maximum of 70 FPS. This is the recommended configuration for the best balance of visual quality and smoothness. Low averages 79 FPS and is also playable, but it sacrifices visual fidelity. High averages 52 FPS and Ultra averages 40 FPS, both below the threshold.

The database records the best settings for 1080p as Medium, with an average FPS of 61 at that setting. This is the only resolution where the system meets the playable threshold, and Medium is the highest preset that does so. If you prefer a higher frame rate buffer, Low provides an average of 79 FPS, but Medium is the most demanding preset that still clears 60 FPS.