The Technomancer

The Technomancer, a 2016 Action RPG, presents a demanding workload that scales significantly with both resolution and graphical fidelity. This analysis examines the measured performance of the AMD Ryzen 5 2600 paired with the AMD Radeon RX 7700, interpreting the data to identify bottleneck characteristics and optimal settings for this specific configuration.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear and expected inverse relationship between resolution and average frame rate. At 1080p with High settings, the combo achieves an average of 117 FPS. Moving to 1440p, the average drops to 77 FPS, a reduction of 34% from the 1080p figure. The transition to 4K is even more pronounced, with the average falling to 42 FPS, which is a 64% decrease from the 1080p High result.

This scaling pattern indicates that the rendering load is scaling heavily with pixel count, as is typical for GPU-bound scenarios. The gap between 1080p and 1440p is 40 FPS, while the gap between 1440p and 4K is 35 FPS. The percentage drops are not linear; the cost of each additional pixel is consistent, but the overall performance impact is substantial. At 4K, the RX 7700 is clearly the limiting factor, as the frame rates fall below the 60 FPS threshold commonly considered smooth for action titles. Even at Low settings, the 4K average of 64 FPS is barely above this target, suggesting that the GPU's compute and memory resources are heavily taxed at this resolution.

The data suggests that the system is strongly GPU-limited at higher resolutions. At 1080p, the frame rates are high enough that the CPU (AMD Ryzen 5 2600) may begin to play a more significant role in determining the maximum achievable FPS. The difference between the 1080p Low (161 FPS) and 1080p High (117 FPS) is 44 FPS, which shows that even at 1080p, the GPU is still responding significantly to settings changes. However, the fact that 1080p Low yields over 160 FPS indicates the CPU is capable enough to feed the GPU at that level, but the GPU's performance ceiling at 1080p is still the primary constraint. The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is a textbook example of a GPU-bound workload, where the number of pixels being shaded and rasterized becomes the dominant performance factor.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7700 is the primary driver of frame rate in this configuration, and the measured data confirms its role. With 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, it has a memory bandwidth of 624.1 GB/s. This is a crucial specification for The Technomancer, as the game's detailed environments and texture work can place a heavy demand on memory bandwidth. The GPU's boost clock of 2459 MHz and game clock of 2041 MHz are the operating frequencies that determine its raw shader throughput, which is rated at 25.18 TFLOPS FP32.

The benchmark results for the RX 7700 show a Passmark G3D score of 20974, placing it in the 58th percentile of all GPUs. Its average benchmark score is 15852. In the nearestRivals list, it is virtually tied with the AMD Radeon R9 370X, which has an average score of 15862 (a deltaPct of -0.1). It is also very close to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti, which scores 16129, placing the RX 7700 1.7% behind it. This indicates that while the RX 7700 is a capable card, its performance class is not at the top tier.

In the context of this game, the GPU's role is clear. At 1440p Medium, the combo achieves 90 FPS, but at 1440p Ultra, it drops to 60 FPS. This 30 FPS penalty for moving from Medium to Ultra settings shows the GPU's sensitivity to the increased shader complexity and memory pressure that Ultra presets introduce. The 4K results further cement this. The 4K High average of 42 FPS is not a playable experience for most users, while 4K Low at 64 FPS is borderline. The RX 7700's 16 GB of VRAM is likely sufficient for the game's assets, but the raw processing power is not enough to maintain high frame rates at 4K with high fidelity settings. The data shows that the GPU is the definitive bottleneck at 4K and the primary constraint at 1440p.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 2600, with its 6 cores and 12 threads, provides the processing foundation for this system. Its base clock of 3.40 GHz and boost clock of 3.90 GHz are modest by modern standards, but its benchmark scores show it is a competent mid-range processor. It scores 1248 in Cinebench R15 multi-core and 5648 in Geekbench multi-core. Its Passmark multithread score is 13160, and its single-thread score is 2239. The processor's percentileVsAllCpus is 75, indicating it outperforms three-quarters of all CPUs in the benchmark database.

The CPU's nearest rivals in the database include the Intel Core Ultra 5 228V, which has an average score of 21440 (a deltaPct of 0.2), and the Intel Core i9-11900H, with a score of 21367 (a deltaPct of 0.5). This places the Ryzen 5 2600 in a performance tier that is competitive with some newer mobile and desktop parts, despite its older architecture.

In the game's measured FPS, the CPU's role is more subtle than the GPU's. The high frame rates at 1080p (e.g., 161 FPS on Low) suggest that the CPU is not a severe bottleneck at lower resolutions. However, the CPU's single-thread performance, which is a critical factor for game logic and draw call submission, may limit the absolute maximum frame rate. The difference between 1080p Low (161 FPS) and 1080p Medium (137 FPS) is significant, but it is likely driven by the GPU's workload. The fact that the average FPS does not exceed 161 FPS at any setting at 1080p could indicate a CPU-imposed ceiling, but it more likely reflects the GPU's performance at that resolution. The CPU's 12 threads are sufficient for a game like The Technomancer, which is not known for extreme multi-core scaling. The data suggests that while the CPU is not the primary limiter at 1440p and 4K, its performance is sufficient to keep pace with the GPU's output in this title.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combination depend heavily on the target resolution and desired frame rate. The data provides a clear matrix of performance across four presets and three resolutions.

At 1080p, the High preset provides an average of 117 FPS, which is an excellent experience for a fast-paced action RPG. For users with high refresh rate monitors, the Low preset at 161 FPS offers the highest possible frame rate, but the visual compromise may not be worth it. The Medium preset at 137 FPS is a strong middle ground, offering a significant FPS boost over High (20 FPS more) with presumably minor visual differences. The Ultra preset yields 92 FPS, which is still smooth, but the performance cost of Ultra over High is substantial (25 FPS drop). For the best balance of visual quality and performance at 1080p, the High or Medium presets are recommended.

At 1440p, the High preset delivers a solid 77 FPS, which is good for most gaming displays. The Medium preset at 90 FPS is an even better choice for those prioritizing frame rate, as it is 13 FPS faster than High. The Low preset at 117 FPS is the best option for competitive play or very high refresh rate monitors. The Ultra preset at 60 FPS is the minimum for a playable experience, but it is on the edge. For a consistently smooth experience at 1440p, the Medium preset is the recommended choice, as it provides a 90 FPS average while presumably maintaining a reasonable level of graphical detail.

At 4K, the options are limited. The Low preset, with an average of 64 FPS, is the only preset that provides a reliably playable frame rate. The Medium preset at 49 FPS and High at 42 FPS are below the 60 FPS target and may result in a less fluid experience. The Ultra preset at 33 FPS is not recommended for serious gameplay. For 4K, the recommendation is to use the Low preset, as it is the only one that consistently stays above 60 FPS. The performance data strongly suggests that this combination is not suited for high-fidelity 4K gaming.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this setup?

A: The data shows that 1080p provides the highest average frame rates across all settings, with the High preset achieving 117 FPS. 1440p is also viable, with the Medium preset achieving 90 FPS. 4K is only playable at Low settings, with an average of 64 FPS.

Q: How does the Ultra preset compare to High at 1440p?

A: At 1440p, the difference between High and Ultra is 17 FPS, with High averaging 77 FPS and Ultra averaging 60 FPS. The Ultra preset is 22% slower than High in this scenario.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the main bottleneck at 4K?

A: The benchmark data indicates a GPU bottleneck at 4K. The average FPS drops from 117 at 1080p High to 42 at 4K High, a clear sign that the GPU's rendering capabilities are the limiting factor as pixel count increases.

Q: Is the AMD Radeon RX 7700 a high-performance GPU?

A: According to its benchmark scores, the RX 7700 is in the 58th percentile of all GPUs. It is 1.7% slower than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti in average benchmark score, placing it in the mid-to-upper performance tier.

Q: What is the single-thread performance of the Ryzen 5 2600?

A: The CPU has a Passmark single-thread score of 2239 and a Geekbench single-core score of 1154. These scores are modest, which can be a factor in games that are not heavily multi-threaded.

Q: What is the average FPS for 1440p Medium?

A: The measured data shows an average of 90 FPS for the 1440p Medium preset, with a minimum of 76 FPS and a maximum of 103 FPS.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following table details all measured average FPS values for this combination.

| Resolution | Settings | Avg FPS | Min FPS | Max FPS |

| :--------- | :------- | :------ | :------ | :------ |

| 3840x2160 | High | 42 | - | - |

| 3840x2160 | Low | 64 | - | - |

| 3840x2160 | Medium | 49 | 42 | 57 |

| 3840x2160 | Ultra | 33 | - | - |

| 2560x1440 | High | 77 | - | - |

| 2560x1440 | Low | 117 | - | - |

| 2560x1440 | Medium | 90 | 76 | 103 |

| 2560x1440 | Ultra | 60 | - | - |

| 1920x1080 | High | 117 | - | - |

| 1920x1080 | Low | 161 | - | - |

| 1920x1080 | Medium | 137 | 117 | 158 |

| 1920x1080 | Ultra | 92 | - | - |

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 2600 and AMD Radeon RX 7700 is ranked 1367 out of 2825 tested combinations for The Technomancer. This places it in the 48th percentile of all tested systems. This mid-pack ranking is consistent with the individual component benchmarks; the Ryzen 5 2600 is a solid mid-range CPU, and the RX 7700 is a competent, but not top-tier, GPU. The ranking reflects that while this system can handle the game at 1080p and 1440p with good settings, it is not among the highest-performing configurations, particularly at 4K where the GPU's limitations are most apparent. The performance data indicates that this is a balanced pairing, with the GPU being the primary performance limiter in most scenarios, especially at higher resolutions.