The Technomancer

The Technomancer, a 2016 Action RPG, presents an interesting stress test for this pairing of AMD's Ryzen 5 4600G and NVIDIA's GeForce RTX 4090. The data reveals a system where the graphics card's immense power is frequently held back by the processor's older architecture, creating a bottleneck that shifts depending on resolution and settings. This analysis breaks down the measured performance to show exactly where this combo excels and where it leaves performance on the table.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K clearly shows the transition from a CPU-bound state to a GPU-bound one. At 1080p with High settings, the combo produces 166.5 FPS. Moving to 1440p drops this to 139.3 FPS, a 16% reduction, and then to 79.2 FPS at 4K, a further 43% drop. This pattern is classic: at lower resolutions, the CPU has to feed frames as fast as possible, and its limits cap the output. The Ryzen 5 4600G, with its Zen 2 architecture, becomes the limiting factor at 1080p, preventing the RTX 4090 from stretching its legs.

The gap between Low and Ultra settings at each resolution confirms this. At 1080p, the difference between Low (191 FPS) and Ultra (150 FPS) is only 41 FPS, or about 21%. This relatively small spread suggests that even at Low settings, the CPU is struggling to keep up, and the GPU isn't the primary constraint. However, at 4K, the spread widens dramatically: Low yields 117.7 FPS, while Ultra drops to 60 FPS. This is a 57.7 FPS difference, or nearly 49%. At 4K, the GPU's rendering load is so heavy that it becomes the bottleneck, and its performance scales more predictably with the graphical demands of each setting.

The data suggests that for smooth 4K gameplay, the RTX 4090 is still powerful enough for this game, but the CPU's limitation is most pronounced at 1080p. The performance delta between 1080p and 1440p at High settings is 27.2 FPS, while the delta between 1440p and 4K is 60.1 FPS. This indicates that the move to 4K represents a much larger load increase for the GPU, while the CPU's headroom is relatively exhausted at 1080p.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations for The Technomancer, this pairing of the Ryzen 5 4600G and RTX 4090 holds a rank of 209 out of 1656 total combos. This places it in the top 13% of all tested systems for this specific title. While that sounds strong, it's important to consider the context. The RTX 4090 is one of the most powerful consumer GPUs available, and its performance percentile is 91. When paired with a CPU that sits in the 75th percentile, the resulting combo rank of 209 indicates that the processor is holding the system back from its full potential.

The rank suggests that many other combinations, likely those pairing the RTX 4090 with more modern, higher-performance CPUs, achieve better results. The data points to a system that is powerful but not optimally balanced for this game. The 4600G's 6 cores and 12 threads are sufficient, but its older architecture and lower clock speeds prevent it from feeding the RTX 4090 the data it needs to achieve top-tier frame rates. The combo's rank is a direct consequence of this imbalance, showing that while it outperforms the vast majority of systems, it falls short of what the GPU alone is capable of.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 4600G is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 2 architecture. It has a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 4.20 GHz. These specifications are modest by modern standards. In The Technomancer, the CPU's role is to handle game logic, physics, and draw calls. The benchmark results indicate that this processor, while capable, is a significant limiting factor.

Looking at its synthetic benchmarks, the 4600G scores 4889 in 3dmark_max_threads and 13593 in cinebench_r23_multicore. These are respectable scores, but they place it in the 75th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i5-12450H and the AMD Ryzen 3 PRO 5355GE, with a deltaPct of 0.1% and 0% respectively. This shows that its multi-threaded performance is competitive with those chips, but it is far from the top-tier processors that would typically accompany an RTX 4090.

The single-thread performance is a particular concern. A score of 726 in 3dmark_single_thread and 1919 in cinebench_r23_singlecore highlights a weakness. Many modern games, including Action RPGs like The Technomancer, rely heavily on single-core performance for the main game thread. The 4600G's relatively low single-thread score is likely what caps the frame rates at 1080p, where the CPU is the primary bottleneck. The data suggests that a processor with stronger single-core performance would unlock significantly higher frame rates in this scenario.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of performance across resolutions and settings. At 1080p, the combo is clearly CPU-limited. With Low settings, it achieves 191 FPS, which drops to 175.6 FPS at Medium, 166.5 FPS at High, and 150 FPS at Ultra. The performance difference between Low and Ultra is only 41 FPS, indicating that the CPU is the main constraint and that the GPU has plenty of headroom. Even at Ultra, the frame rate is high, but it's not the GPU that's preventing a higher score.

At 1440p, the balance shifts slightly. Low settings yield 164.2 FPS, Medium 153 FPS, High 139.3 FPS, and Ultra 108.6 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is now 55.6 FPS, showing that the GPU is starting to play a more significant role. However, the CPU is still a factor, as the difference between Low and Medium is only 11.2 FPS, suggesting the processor is still struggling to keep up with the higher frame rates requested at lower settings.

At 4K, the GPU becomes the definitive bottleneck. Low settings produce 117.7 FPS, which is still very playable. Medium drops to 92.7 FPS, High to 79.2 FPS, and Ultra to exactly 60 FPS. This is a clear demonstration of GPU scaling. The RTX 4090's performance is now directly tied to the rendering load. The 60 FPS at Ultra is a solid result for a 2016 title at 4K, but notably, the CPU's limitation is no longer the primary issue here.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is a behemoth of a graphics card. It features 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus, providing a massive 1.01 TB/s of bandwidth. Its boost clock is 2520 MHz, and it has 16384 shading units. These specifications make it an absolute monster for rendering, and its performance percentile of 91 reflects that.

In this game, the GPU's role is to render the scene, handle textures, and manage post-processing effects. The data shows that it performs its role exceptionally well, particularly at higher resolutions. The 4K results, where it manages 60 FPS at Ultra and 117.7 FPS at Low, are proof of its raw power. The RTX 4090's nearest rivals, such as the NVIDIA Tesla T4 and AMD Radeon Pro Vega 56, have an average score delta of -0.4% and -0.9% respectively, indicating that the RTX 4090 is slightly ahead of those in synthetic benchmarks.

However, the GPU's performance is often hamstrung by the CPU. At 1080p, the RTX 4090 is not being fully utilized. The data shows that the GPU is capable of far more than the 191 FPS it achieves at Low settings; the CPU simply cannot feed it instructions fast enough. This is a classic case of a high-end GPU being paired with a mid-range CPU. The RTX 4090's 24 GB of VRAM is far more than any game from 2016 would need, but it ensures that the card is future-proof and can handle any texture-heavy scenario without issue.

FAQ

Q: Is this combo playable at 4K Ultra settings?

A: Yes, the data shows an average of 60 FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings. This is exactly at the threshold for smooth gameplay, making it a playable, though not high-refresh-rate, experience.

Q: Why is the frame rate at 1080p not much higher than at 1440p?

A: At 1080p, the CPU becomes the limiting factor. The Ryzen 5 4600G's single-thread performance caps the frame rate. For example, at High settings, it achieves 166.5 FPS at 1080p and 139.3 FPS at 1440p, a difference of 27.2 FPS, which is less than the 60.1 FPS difference seen between 1440p and 4K.

Q: What is the biggest bottleneck for this system in The Technomancer?

A: The data indicates the CPU is the primary bottleneck at lower resolutions. The Ryzen 5 4600G, with a 75th percentile ranking, cannot keep up with the RTX 4090's capabilities. At 4K, the GPU becomes the limiting factor, as its rendering load increases.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to other tested systems?

A: It ranks 209th out of 1656 combos for this game. This puts it in the top 13% of all tested systems, but it is not a top-tier result, largely due to the CPU's limitations.

Q: Is the RTX 4090's massive VRAM useful for this game?

A: While The Technomancer from 2016 will not need 24 GB of VRAM, the amount ensures that the card will not run out of memory, even with maximum texture settings. The data shows that the GPU's performance is not hampered by memory capacity in any of the tested settings.

Q: What is the performance difference between Low and Ultra settings at 4K?

A: At 3840x2160, Low settings produce 117.7 FPS, while Ultra settings produce 60 FPS. This is a 57.7 FPS difference, or a 49% reduction in performance when moving to the highest quality settings.