The Technomancer

The Technomancer, a 2016 Action RPG, presents an interesting test for the AMD Ryzen 5 4600G paired with the AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT. The measured data reveals a configuration that is heavily influenced by resolution and settings, with the GPU frequently acting as the primary constraint. This analysis breaks down the observed performance metrics to understand the dynamics of this specific combination.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is dramatic and clearly indicates the GPU is the limiting component at higher resolutions. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 93.1 FPS at 1920x1080 to 59.8 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of roughly 36%. The decline continues to 32.2 FPS at 3840x2160, which is a 65% drop from the 1080p result. This steep scaling curve is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario where the rendering load increases exponentially with pixel count.

The data suggests that at 1080p, the system has enough headroom to push high frame rates, but the RX 5700 XT begins to struggle as the resolution increases. The gap between Low and Ultra settings also widens at higher resolutions, indicating that the GPU's compute and memory bandwidth are being saturated. The transition from 1440p to 4K is particularly punishing, with High settings losing nearly half its frame rate, showing that 4K is not a viable target for this combo in demanding scenes. The pattern confirms that the Ryzen 5 4600G is not the bottleneck at these higher resolutions; the Radeon RX 5700 XT's rendering capabilities are the primary factor limiting performance.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT, with its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, provides a substantial 448.0 GB/s of memory bandwidth. This is a critical resource for The Technomancer, which appears to be sensitive to texture loading and memory throughput. The GPU's boost clock of 1905 MHz and game clock of 1755 MHz allow for solid performance at lower resolutions, but the data shows its limits are quickly reached. The card's 2560 shading units and 64 ROPs are tasked with the heavy lifting, and at 4K Ultra, the average FPS of 26.6 demonstrates the hardware is overwhelmed.

The GPU's VRAM capacity appears sufficient for the tested settings, as there are no anomalies suggesting memory swapping. However, the performance cliff between Medium and Ultra at 4K (40.1 FPS down to 26.6 FPS) points to a compute limitation rather than a memory capacity issue. The card's percentile ranking of 68 among all GPUs and its average benchmark score of 24731 place it in the mid-to-upper tier, but the measured results in this specific game show it is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming. The GPU's role is clearly defined: it delivers excellent performance at 1080p, good performance at 1440p, but it is not powerful enough for a smooth 4K experience in this title.

Settings Recommendations

The benchmark data provides a clear hierarchy for optimizing the gaming experience. At 1920x1080, the High preset offers an excellent balance, delivering an average of 93.1 FPS. This is a significant jump from the Ultra preset's 69.5 FPS, with a visual quality difference that is often marginal in fast-paced action. For players seeking maximum smoothness, the Low preset at 137.5 FPS is an option, but the Medium preset at 109.4 FPS is a strong middle ground.

At 2560x1440, the High preset becomes the recommended choice, as it is the only setting that maintains an average above 60 FPS, hitting 59.8 FPS. The Medium preset at 71.3 FPS is also playable, but High is preferable if the display supports it. The Ultra preset at 50 FPS may be acceptable for some, but the frame rate drop is noticeable. At 3840x2160, the results are less favorable. The Low preset at 52.8 FPS is the only playable option, while Medium at 40.1 FPS and High at 32.2 FPS are below the threshold for a smooth experience. The Ultra preset at 26.6 FPS is not recommended. The data implies that for this combo, the best experience is found at 1080p High or 1440p High, with 4K reserved for Low settings if the resolution is a priority.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this CPU and GPU combo in The Technomancer?

A: Based on the measured data, 1920x1080 offers the best performance, with the High preset achieving an average of 93.1 FPS. 2560x1440 is also viable at High settings with an average of 59.8 FPS.

Q: How does the Ultra preset compare to High at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, Ultra produces an average of 69.5 FPS, which is significantly lower than the High preset's 93.1 FPS. The performance cost of Ultra is substantial.

Q: Is 4K gaming possible with this configuration?

A: Yes, but only at Low settings, which yields an average of 52.8 FPS at 3840x2160. Higher settings at 4K result in average frame rates below 40.1 FPS, which is not ideal for smooth gameplay.

Q: Which setting provides the largest performance jump?

A: At 1080p, the jump from High to Low is the largest, with an increase from 93.1 FPS to 137.5 FPS. At 1440p, the same transition goes from 59.8 FPS to 94 FPS.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in this game?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the primary bottleneck, especially at higher resolutions. The FPS drops significantly as resolution increases, which is a classic sign of GPU limitation.

Q: What is the combo's ranking among all tested combinations?

A: This specific combo ranks 1235 out of 1656 tested combinations, placing it in the lower-middle portion of the database.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 4600G, with its 6 cores and 12 threads, provides a solid foundation for gaming. Its base clock of 3.70 GHz and boost clock of 4.20 GHz, coupled with an 8 MB shared L3 cache, are sufficient to feed the RX 5700 XT at lower resolutions. The CPU's benchmark scores, such as a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 13593 and a single-core score of 1919, indicate a capable processor. However, the measured FPS data suggests that the CPU is not the limiting factor in The Technomancer.

Evidence for this is seen in the resolution scaling. If the CPU were the bottleneck, the frame rates would remain relatively constant across resolutions. Instead, the average FPS drops dramatically from 1080p to 4K, which is a hallmark of GPU-bound performance. The CPU's 75th percentile ranking versus all CPUs and its average benchmark score of 17489 confirm it is a competent mid-range part. At 1080p Low, the system reaches 137.5 FPS, which is likely near the CPU's practical limit for this game, but at higher resolutions, the GPU's workload takes precedence. The Ryzen 5 4600G's role is to provide enough processing power to avoid holding back the GPU at mainstream resolutions, and the data shows it fulfills this role adequately.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The exact measurements provide a comprehensive view of the performance envelope. At 1920x1080, the average FPS values are 137.5 for Low, 109.4 for Medium, 93.1 for High, and 69.5 for Ultra. This demonstrates a clear and consistent scaling where each higher preset costs a noticeable amount of performance.

Moving to 2560x1440, the averages are 94 for Low, 71.3 for Medium, 59.8 for High, and 50 for Ultra. The impact of resolution is clear, with the 1080p High result of 93.1 FPS being nearly identical to the 1440p Low result of 94 FPS. This suggests that the GPU's workload is comparable between these two configurations.

At 3840x2160, the averages drop to 52.8 for Low, 40.1 for Medium, 32.2 for High, and 26.6 for Ultra. The 4K Ultra result is the lowest recorded, at less than a quarter of the 1080p Low result. The data shows that the performance hierarchy is consistent across all resolutions, with Low always being the fastest and Ultra the slowest. The scaling between settings also becomes more pronounced at higher resolutions, indicating that the GPU is the primary determinant of frame rate.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Ryzen 5 4600G and RX 5700 XT holds a rank of 1235 out of 1656 tested combos in The Technomancer. This places it in the 25th percentile of all tested systems, meaning that roughly three-quarters of the combinations in the database deliver higher average performance. This ranking is a direct reflection of the measured FPS data, which shows the GPU struggling at higher resolutions.

The ranking is more a commentary on the GPU's age and capability rather than a flaw in the pairing. The RX 5700 XT, with its 68th percentile ranking among all GPUs, is a mid-range performer in the current landscape. When paired with a CPU that is in the 75th percentile, the overall system is balanced but not high-end. The combo's performance is adequate for 1080p and 1440p gaming, as evidenced by the frame rates, but it is not competitive with top-tier systems in this database. The data suggests that while this is a functional pairing, it does not stand out among the broader pool of tested configurations.