The Technomancer

The Technomancer, a 2016 Action RPG, presents a demanding workload that clearly separates CPU and GPU responsibilities depending on resolution. This analysis examines the measured performance of the AMD Ryzen 5 5500 paired with the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT, using the provided benchmark data to understand scaling, component roles, and optimal settings. The data shows a system that is capable of high refresh rates at 1080p but becomes increasingly GPU-bound as resolution climbs, with the final ranking placing this combo at 1070 out of 1656 tested configurations.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a predictable and steep performance curve as resolution increases. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo achieves 148.9 FPS, which drops to 98.5 FPS at 2560x1440 and further to 50.7 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 66% performance retention from 1080p to 1440p, and only a 34% retention from 1080p to 4K. The scaling pattern is consistent across all settings presets, indicating that the pixel throughput demand is the primary driver of performance loss.

The transition from 1440p to 4K is particularly punishing. For High settings, the average FPS falls from 62.3 to 35.5, a reduction of 43%. This steep drop-off strongly suggests the system is becoming heavily GPU-limited at 4K, as the Radeon RX 7600 XT's 288.0 GB/s memory bandwidth and 22.57 TFLOPS of FP32 compute are insufficient to maintain fluid frame rates at that pixel count. Conversely, the relatively small gap between 1080p and 1440p results (e.g., 99.9 FPS to 62.3 FPS on High) indicates a more balanced workload where the CPU can still feed the GPU adequately.

The data shows that 4K is not a viable target for this combination if aiming for smooth gameplay, even on Low settings where the average is just 50.7 FPS. The limiting component at this resolution is unequivocally the GPU, as the frame rates scale almost linearly with the number of pixels rendered. At 1080p, the system demonstrates headroom, with the CPU's Zen 3 architecture and 6 cores proving sufficient to push frame rates well past 100 FPS on most presets.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT, with its 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, is a mid-range card that excels at 1080p and handles 1440p reasonably well. The measured data shows its performance ceiling is reached at 4K, where even Low settings yield only 50.7 FPS. The GPU's boost clock of 2755 MHz and game clock of 2470 MHz provide the raw throughput, but the 128-bit memory interface and 288.0 GB/s bandwidth become a bottleneck at higher resolutions.

Comparing the GPU's benchmark scores, the passmark_g3d score of 17132 places it in the 63rd percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 7600, scores 20258, which is 0.6% higher, indicating the XT variant is essentially a marginal improvement. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER scores 19774, putting the RX 7600 XT 1.9% ahead. These small deltas suggest that in The Technomancer, the GPU's performance is consistent with its synthetic benchmarks, with no game-specific anomalies.

The 16 GB VRAM capacity is a notable asset, though in this 2016 title, the measured data does not indicate VRAM capacity is a limiting factor at any tested resolution. The GPU's pixel rate of 176.3 GPixel/s and texture rate of 352.6 GTexel/s are the physical limits that dictate the frame rates seen. At Ultra settings, the card drops to 27.2 FPS at 4K, showing that the most demanding preset overwhelms the silicon. The data suggests that the RX 7600 XT is best suited for 1080p Ultra or 1440p High, where it delivers 75.5 FPS and 62.3 FPS respectively.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500, a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on Zen 3 (Cezanne), provides a solid foundation for this gaming workload. Its base clock of 3.60 GHz and boost clock of 4.20 GHz are adequate for feeding the GPU at lower resolutions. The CPU's passmark_multithread score of 19330 and passmark_single_thread score of 3058 indicate balanced performance, with the latter being crucial for game logic and draw calls.

The CPU's nearest rival, the Intel Core i5-12500, has an average score of 20897, which is only 0.1% higher than the Ryzen 5 5500's 20875. This near-parity is reflected in the game's performance at 1080p, where the CPU is not the bottleneck. However, the CPU's 16 MB of L3 cache and dual-channel DDR4 memory support with 51.2 GB/s bandwidth are modest, which could limit performance in scenes with heavy asset streaming.

At 1080p Low settings, the system hits 148.9 FPS, suggesting the CPU can handle high frame rates. The 3dmark_single_thread score of 836 and cinebench_r23_singlecore score of 2319 indicate strong single-core performance for a 2022 release. In The Technomancer, the CPU's role is to maintain consistent frame pacing, and the data shows it does so effectively at 1080p, where the GPU is the primary driver. At 1440p and 4K, the CPU becomes less relevant as the GPU's pixel processing takes precedence, evidenced by the proportional FPS drops that track pixel count rather than CPU capability.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides clear guidance for optimal settings based on target resolution and desired frame rate. At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset delivers 75.5 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for high-refresh-rate monitors. The High preset at 99.9 FPS offers a better balance, while Low at 148.9 FPS is suitable for competitive play. For most users at 1080p, High is the recommended preset, as it provides nearly 100 FPS while maintaining visual fidelity.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset yields 75.5 FPS, which is the sweet spot for this resolution. High drops to 62.3 FPS, which is still acceptable for slower-paced RPGs, but Medium offers a more comfortable margin. The Ultra preset at 46.7 FPS is borderline, and Low at 98.5 FPS sacrifices too much visual quality for the performance gain. The recommendation is to use Medium at 1440p.

For 3840x2160, the data shows no preset achieves a consistently smooth experience. Low at 50.7 FPS is the only option above 30 FPS, but it is marginal. High at 35.5 FPS and Medium at 43.2 FPS are playable only in non-demanding scenes, while Ultra at 27.2 FPS is not recommended. Given the results, 4K gaming with this combo requires compromising heavily on settings, and users should consider dropping to 1440p for a better experience.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations, this specific pairing of the AMD Ryzen 5 5500 and AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT achieves a rank of 1070 out of 1656 total combos for The Technomancer. This places it in the lower-middle tier of all tested systems, which is consistent with the mid-range nature of both components. The ranking reflects that while the system is competent at 1080p, it struggles at higher resolutions compared to more powerful configurations.

The combo's rank is influenced by the GPU's 63rd percentile standing among all GPUs and the CPU's 79th percentile among all CPUs. The GPU is the weaker link in this pairing, as its performance at 4K is particularly poor relative to higher-tier cards. The rank suggests that there are 585 tested combos that perform better, likely featuring more powerful GPUs or CPUs that can sustain higher frame rates at 1440p and 4K. The data does not provide a breakdown of the top combos, but the percentile scores indicate that the CPU is above average while the GPU is slightly below average, resulting in a combined performance that is below the median.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The exact measured average FPS values are as follows:

At 1920x1080, the Low preset achieves 148.9 FPS, Medium achieves 113.3 FPS, High achieves 99.9 FPS, and Ultra achieves 75.5 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 73.4 FPS, showing a significant performance cost for higher visual quality.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset achieves 98.5 FPS, Medium achieves 75.5 FPS, High achieves 62.3 FPS, and Ultra achieves 46.7 FPS. The spread narrows to 51.8 FPS, indicating the GPU becomes more of a constraint as resolution increases.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset achieves 50.7 FPS, Medium achieves 43.2 FPS, High achieves 35.5 FPS, and Ultra achieves 27.2 FPS. The spread is only 23.5 FPS, demonstrating that at 4K, the GPU is so heavily loaded that even reducing settings yields limited gains.

The data shows a consistent pattern: the relative performance difference between Low and Ultra shrinks as resolution increases. At 1080p, Ultra is 49% slower than Low. At 1440p, Ultra is 53% slower than Low. At 4K, Ultra is 46% slower than Low. This indicates that at 4K, the GPU's raw compute limits are the primary factor, and settings adjustments have diminishing returns. For the best experience, users should target 1080p High or 1440p Medium, as these provide the most balanced frame rates relative to visual quality.