The Technomancer

The Technomancer, a 2016 Action RPG, presents an interesting test for the AMD Ryzen 5 4600G and AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT combination. This pairing of a 6-core Zen 2 processor with a RDNA 2.0 graphics card produces a wide spread of performance across resolutions and settings. The measured data reveals a system that is clearly capable at lower resolutions but begins to strain under the load of 4K Ultra. The benchmark results indicate a configuration where the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck as resolution increases, while the CPU provides a solid foundation for high frame rates at 1080p.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 is steep, clearly identifying the GPU as the limiting component at higher resolutions. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 92.7 FPS at 1080p to 62.4 FPS at 1440p, and then to 35.0 FPS at 4K. This represents a significant reduction of about 62% from 1080p to 4K. The pattern is similar across other presets, with the 4K Ultra setting yielding just 24.6 FPS, a number that is barely playable.

The scaling behavior suggests that the RX 6600 XT, with its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, is being overwhelmed by the pixel count at 4K. The gap between 1080p and 1440p is noticeable but manageable, while the jump to 4K causes a dramatic collapse in performance. For example, the Low preset at 1080p achieves 143.3 FPS, but at 4K it drops to 52.1 FPS. This indicates that even at the lowest settings, the GPU's fill rate and bandwidth are insufficient for 4K gameplay, and the data implies that the Ryzen 5 4600G is not the primary constraint at this resolution.

The data suggests that the sweet spot for this combo is 1440p, where the GPU can still deliver above 60 FPS on High and Medium presets. At 1080p, the system is likely CPU-bound in certain scenarios, given that the Low preset hits 143.3 FPS, which is near the upper limit of what a 6-core processor might sustain. The scaling from 1440p to 4K shows a more significant performance hit than the scaling from 1080p to 1440p, which is typical of a GPU that runs out of memory bandwidth and raw compute power.

Settings Recommendations

The measured rows provide a clear hierarchy of performance across the four presets. At 1920x1080, the Medium preset delivers 107.9 FPS, which is a substantial 31.1 FPS higher than the High preset's 92.7 FPS. The Ultra preset, at 74.8 FPS, is still playable but represents a significant drop from Medium. For a smooth experience at 1080p, the Medium preset appears to offer the best balance, as the jump from Medium to High costs 15.2 FPS, while the jump from High to Ultra costs another 17.9 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset delivers 72.5 FPS, which is comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold. The High preset at 62.4 FPS is also viable, but the Ultra preset falls to 45.5 FPS, which may be too low for fast-paced action. For 1440p, the data suggests that Medium or High are the most appropriate choices, with Medium providing a safer margin. The Low preset at 1440p yields 89.3 FPS, but this likely comes with a significant visual quality trade-off that is not worth the extra frame rate.

At 3840x2160, all presets fail to reach 60 FPS. The Low preset, at 52.1 FPS, is the only one that approaches playability, while Medium and High are stuck at 36.7 and 35.0 FPS, respectively. The Ultra preset at 24.6 FPS is effectively unplayable. For 4K, the recommendation is to use the Low preset if a higher frame rate is desired, but the data clearly shows that this combo is not designed for 4K gaming. The best experience per the measured rows is at 1080p with Medium settings, which provides a high frame rate without sacrificing too much visual fidelity.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT is the workhorse of this configuration, and its specifications directly correlate with the measured results. The GPU has a base clock of 1968 MHz and a boost clock of 2589 MHz, with a game clock of 2359 MHz. It features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 256.0 GB/s. This memory configuration is a likely reason for the significant performance drop at 4K, where the bandwidth becomes a constraint.

The GPU's 2048 shading units and 64 ROPs are responsible for its compute and pixel output capabilities. The pixel rate of 165.7 GPixel/s and texture rate of 331.4 GTexel/s are respectable for a 1080p and 1440p card. The FP32 performance of 10.60 TFLOPS gives it enough raw power to handle most games at high settings in these resolutions. The passmark G3D score of 16461 places it in the 71st percentile of all GPUs, and its average benchmark score of 27985 is nearly identical to that of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti, which has a deltaPct of just 0.1%.

The data shows that the RX 6600 XT's performance is adequate for 1080p and 1440p, but the 4K results are poor. The GPU's memory bandwidth of 256.0 GB/s is likely the limiting factor at 4K, as the frame buffer requirements exceed what a 128-bit bus can efficiently deliver. The VRAM allocation of 8 GB is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p, but at 4K, the game may be exceeding this limit, causing a drop in performance. The benchmark results indicate that this GPU is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, and the measured FPS data confirms this.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combination delivers strong performance across all settings. The Low preset achieves an average of 143.3 FPS, which is the highest measured frame rate in the entire dataset. The Medium preset follows at 107.9 FPS, then High at 92.7 FPS, and Ultra at 74.8 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 68.5 FPS, indicating that the GPU has headroom at this resolution. The 1080p results suggest that the CPU can feed the GPU adequately, as the frame rates are high and consistent.

At 2560x1440, the average frame rates drop noticeably. The Low preset yields 89.3 FPS, which is still very playable. Medium delivers 72.5 FPS, High 62.4 FPS, and Ultra 45.5 FPS. The performance gap between Low and Ultra is 43.8 FPS, which is smaller than at 1080p, showing that the GPU is becoming more of a bottleneck. The 1440p results are generally good, with Medium and High providing a smooth experience, while Ultra may require some compromises.

At 3840x2160, the performance collapses. The Low preset is the only one that remains relatively playable at 52.1 FPS. Medium drops to 36.7 FPS, High to 35.0 FPS, and Ultra to 24.6 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra is 27.5 FPS, indicating that the GPU is severely limited at this resolution. The 4K data shows that this combo is not suitable for high-refresh-rate gaming at this resolution, and even the Low preset may struggle in demanding scenes.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 5 4600G and AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT combination ranks 1231 out of 1656 tested combos in The Technomancer. This places it in the lower-middle portion of the database, which is somewhat surprising given the GPU's 71st percentile ranking. The combo's rank of 1231 suggests that many other CPU and GPU pairings outperform it in this specific game, likely due to the game's reliance on certain CPU features or the GPU's limitations at higher resolutions.

The CPU's percentile ranking of 75 places it above average, but its nearest rivals show a tight cluster of performance. The AMD Ryzen 3 PRO 5355GE has a deltaPct of 0%, meaning it performs identically in the average benchmark score. The Intel Core i5-12450H is 0.1% faster, while the Intel Core i3-14100T is 0.8% slower. This indicates that the Ryzen 5 4600G is competitive with these processors, but none of them are particularly strong in this game. The GPU's nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti, is 0.1% faster in the average benchmark score, suggesting that the RX 6600 XT is well-matched with older high-end cards.

The combo's rank of 1231 out of 1656 means that approximately 74% of tested combinations perform better. This is a significant finding, as it suggests that the bottleneck in this system is not just the GPU, but possibly the CPU's performance in this specific title. The game, released in 2016, may not be optimized for the Zen 2 architecture, or it may favor higher single-thread performance, which is not a strength of the 4600G.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS recorded for this combination?

A: The highest average FPS is 143.3, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: Does this combo achieve 60 FPS at 4K with any settings?

A: No, the highest average FPS at 3840x2160 is 52.1 with Low settings, which is below the 60 FPS target.

Q: How does the RX 6600 XT compare to its nearest rival in benchmark scores?

A: The RX 6600 XT has an average benchmark score of 27985, which is 0.1% lower than the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti's score of 27956.

Q: What is the CPU's performance percentile relative to all CPUs?

A: The Ryzen 5 4600G is in the 75th percentile of all CPUs, indicating it performs better than most.

Q: Which resolution provides the best balance of performance and quality?

A: The data suggests 2560x1440 with Medium settings, which delivers 72.5 FPS, is the best balance.

Q: How many cores and threads does the Ryzen 5 4600G have?

A: It has 6 cores and 12 threads, with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 4.20 GHz.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 4600G is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 2 architecture, codenamed Renoir. It has a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 4.20 GHz, with a 65W TDP. The CPU features 8 MB of shared L3 cache and supports dual-channel DDR4 memory with a bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s. These specifications suggest a capable mid-range processor, but its performance in The Technomancer appears to be a limiting factor at lower resolutions.

The CPU's benchmark scores are modest. Its Cinebench R23 multicore score is 13593, and its single-core score is 1919. The Geekbench single-core score is 1575, and the multi-core score is 6093. These numbers are in the 75th percentile of all CPUs, but they are not exceptional. The nearest rivals, such as the Intel Core i3-14100T, show a deltaPct of -0.8%, meaning the 4600G is slightly faster in the average benchmark score. However, the game may not scale well with the CPU's 6 cores, as many titles from 2016 relied more on single-thread performance.

The data suggests that the CPU is adequate for 1080p gaming, as evidenced by the high frame rates at that resolution. However, the combo's rank of 1231 out of 1656 indicates that the CPU may be holding back the GPU in this specific title. The Ryzen 5 4600G's integrated Radeon Vega 7 graphics are not relevant here, as the system uses a discrete GPU. The CPU's 20 PCIe Gen 3 lanes are sufficient for the RX 6600 XT, which uses a PCIe 4.0 x8 interface, but the Gen 3 connection may slightly limit bandwidth. Overall, the CPU provides a solid foundation, but its performance is not the reason for this combo's high frame rates at 1080p.