The Technomancer

The Technomancer, a 2016 Action RPG, presents a fascinating case study when paired with the AMD Ryzen 5 4600G and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti. This combination of an older-generation CPU and a current-generation GPU produces a dataset that reveals distinct bottlenecks and scaling behaviors. The measured frames per second (FPS) across resolutions and settings offer a clear picture of where the system's strengths and limitations lie, making it a valuable data point for understanding hardware interplay in this specific title.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is not linear, and the pattern reveals a classic shift in system limitation. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 190.3 FPS. Moving to 1440p Low, the average drops to 167.3 FPS, a reduction of roughly 12%. However, the transition from 1440p to 4K Low is far more severe, with the average plummeting to 99.6 FPS, a 40% decrease. This steep cliff at 4K indicates that the rendering load at that resolution is overwhelming the GPU, making it the primary limiting factor.

The data suggests that at 1080p, the CPU is likely the primary constraint. The high frame rates, such as 175.9 FPS at Medium and 162.5 FPS at High, suggest the GPU has headroom to render more frames, but the CPU cannot keep up with the game's draw calls and physics calculations at those speeds. This is typical for a game from this era, which may not be optimized for the high thread counts of modern processors.

At 4K, the situation inverts. The GPU's workload becomes so immense that the CPU's speed is less relevant. The difference between the 4K Low (99.6 FPS) and 4K High (66.8 FPS) is 32.8 FPS, showing the massive performance cost of higher visual fidelity at this resolution. The scaling from 1080p to 4K at Ultra settings is particularly telling: 145.4 FPS to 51.8 FPS, a 64% reduction. This demonstrates that the RTX 5070 Ti is the deciding factor at the highest resolution, with the CPU's role diminishing as the pixel count rises.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 1440p with High settings?

A: The benchmark results show an average of 123.9 FPS at 2560x1440 with High settings.

Q: How does the combo perform at 4K with Ultra settings?

A: At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the combo achieves an average of 51.8 FPS, which is the lowest recorded frame rate in the dataset.

Q: Is there a significant performance difference between 1080p and 4K at Medium settings?

A: Yes, the difference is substantial. At 1080p Medium, the average is 175.9 FPS, while at 4K Medium, it drops to 77.8 FPS.

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

A: The highest average FPS is 190.3, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings.

Q: At which resolution and settings does the combo first fail to maintain 60 FPS?

A: The combo falls below 60 FPS only at 4K with Ultra settings, where it averages 51.8 FPS.

Q: How does the 4K High setting performance compare to the 1440p Ultra setting?

A: The 4K High setting averages 66.8 FPS, which is significantly lower than the 1440p Ultra average of 95.3 FPS.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti is a formidable piece of hardware, featuring 16 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 896.0 GB/s. Its boost clock is rated at 2452 MHz. In this game, the GPU's role is clearly defined by the resolution scaling. The data shows that the RTX 5070 Ti is more than capable of handling The Technomancer at 1080p and 1440p, where it often delivers frame rates well above 100 FPS.

The GPU's VRAM capacity of 16 GB is not stressed by a game from 2016, as The Technomancer's textures are unlikely to require such a large frame buffer. The primary factor affecting performance is the GPU's raw computational power, which is taxed heavily at 4K. The high-bandwidth memory is crucial for feeding the GPU's 8960 shading units at high resolutions, and the data indicates that this is where the system's performance ceiling is reached.

The RTX 5070 Ti's benchmark scores, such as a passmark_g3d score of 32974 and a percentile of 87 among all GPUs, place it in a high-performance tier. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080, has an identical average benchmark score, with a 0% deltaPct. This suggests that in synthetic tests, the 5070 Ti is on par with the previous generation's flagship, which is a strong indicator of its capabilities. The data confirms that the GPU is the star of this combo, but its potential is often held back by the CPU at lower resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of the combo's performance across all standard presets. At 1920x1080, the frame rates are consistently high. The Low preset yields an average of 190.3 FPS, which is the peak performance for this combo. Medium settings bring the average to 175.9 FPS, and High settings to 162.5 FPS. Even the demanding Ultra preset maintains a solid 145.4 FPS at this resolution, showing that the system is heavily CPU-bound at 1080p, as the GPU is not the limiting factor.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain very playable. The Low preset averages 167.3 FPS, which is still a remarkably high number. Medium settings drop to 142.9 FPS, and High settings to 123.9 FPS. The Ultra preset, which is often a significant performance hit, still manages a respectable 95.3 FPS. This resolution appears to be a sweet spot for this combo, as it offers a good balance between visual fidelity and high refresh rate performance, with the GPU starting to take on more of the workload.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is fully engaged, and the frame rates reflect the immense rendering demand. The Low preset averages 99.6 FPS, which is still quite good. Medium settings reduce the average to 77.8 FPS, and High settings to 66.8 FPS. The Ultra preset drops the average to 51.8 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. This breakdown shows a clear hierarchy of performance, with the system delivering playable results at 4K only on lower presets.

How This Combo Ranks

In the grand database of tested combinations for The Technomancer, this specific pairing of the AMD Ryzen 5 4600G and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti holds a rank of 294 out of 1656 combos. This places it in the top 18% of all tested systems. This ranking confirms the GPU's strength, but it also highlights the potential performance left on the table due to the CPU's limitations.

The GPU's individual performance is stellar, ranking in the 87th percentile among all GPUs. Its average benchmark score of 52086 is nearly identical to the RTX 4080's 52085. However, the CPU, the Ryzen 5 4600G, ranks in the 75th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 17489. The CPU's nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 3 PRO 5355GE, has a matching score with a 0% deltaPct, while the Intel Core i5-12450H is only 0.1% ahead.

This disparity in percentile rankings suggests that the combo's overall rank of 294 is dragged down by the CPU. While the GPU is a top-tier component, the CPU is a mid-range part from an older generation. The data implies that if the RTX 5070 Ti were paired with a higher-performing CPU, the combo's rank in this game would likely be significantly higher. The current rank of 294 indicates that while the system is fast, it is not reaching its full potential due to the processor bottleneck observed at lower resolutions.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured data, the optimal settings depend heavily on the user's target resolution and refresh rate. For 1080p, the Ultra preset is the clear winner. With an average of 145.4 FPS, it provides the best visual experience without sacrificing playability. The frame rate is high enough for any monitor, and the performance cost of moving from High to Ultra is only 17.1 FPS, which is a worthwhile trade-off for the increased visual detail.

For 1440p, the High preset offers the best balance. It achieves an average of 123.9 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold and suitable for high refresh rate displays. While the Ultra preset is also viable at 95.3 FPS, the jump to High provides a substantial 28.6 FPS performance increase with a relatively minor visual compromise. The data suggests that High settings at this resolution deliver a smoother experience that most players will prefer.

For 4K, the choice is more constrained. The High preset averages 66.8 FPS, which is just above the 60 FPS target, but the Medium preset offers a safer margin at 77.8 FPS. To achieve a consistently smooth 4K experience, the Medium preset is the recommended choice. The Ultra preset is not advisable for 4K, as its 51.8 FPS average will result in noticeable stuttering and a less responsive experience.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 4600G is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 2 architecture, with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 4.20 GHz. Its benchmark scores, such as a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 13593 and a single-core score of 1919, show it is a capable mid-range CPU. The data from this game indicates that the CPU is the primary bottleneck at 1080p, where frame rates plateau around 190 FPS regardless of the GPU's potential.

The CPU's role becomes less prominent at higher resolutions. As the GPU's workload increases, the CPU has more time to process game logic and prepare frames. This is evident in the decreasing performance gap between the Low and Ultra presets as resolution increases. At 1080p, the gap between Low and Ultra is 44.9 FPS, while at 4K, the gap grows to 47.8 FPS, but the CPU is no longer the limiting factor; the GPU is.

The Ryzen 5 4600G's 8 MB of shared L3 cache and 12 threads are sufficient for a game from 2016, but its single-thread performance is its weakness. The passmark_single_thread score of 2653 is modest compared to newer CPUs. The data implies that the CPU's architecture, while efficient, prevents the RTX 5070 Ti from fully flexing its muscles at lower resolutions. This is a classic example of a generation gap, where the CPU's age limits the system's overall performance in CPU-bound scenarios.