The Technomancer

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500 paired with the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX delivers a strong performance profile in The Technomancer, with the data showing a clear progression of frame rates that scales predictably with resolution and settings. The measured results place this combination deep within the top tier of all tested system configurations for this game, ranking 576th out of 3,696 total combos. The pairing produces a highly playable experience across all tested settings, with the game’s older engine responding more strongly to the hefty GPU than the CPU, particularly at 1440p and 4K. The benchmark results indicate the geometry of the GPU is the primary driver of performance at higher resolutions, while the six-core processor keeps pace well at 1080p, where the frame cap is reached at the lower settings.

Resolution Scaling

The measured data shows a clear and consistent drop in performance as the resolution increases, which is typical for a GPU-bound game. At the Ultra preset, the average frame rate falls from 139 at 1080p to 91 at 1440p, and then to 50 at 4K. This pattern indicates that the higher resolution workloads are increasingly taxing the Radeon RX 7900 XTX, with the 4K Ultra figure representing a severe 64% reduction in performance compared to the 1080p Ultra result. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p is a 34.5% reduction in average FPS, while the jump from 1440p to 4K is a 45.1% reduction, showing that the most demanding 4K resolution causes the largest drop.

The same trend is visible at the High preset, where the average frame rate falls from 178 at 1080p to 116 at 1440p, a 34.8% drop, and then to 64 at 4K, a 44.8% drop from the 1440p figure. At Medium, the pattern is consistent, with the frame rate dropping from 200 at 1080p to 136 at 1440p, and then to 75 at 4K. This consistent scaling behavior indicates that the GPU is the limiting component across all settings, with the CPU not becoming a significant bottleneck at any resolution in this specific game.

The Low preset demonstrates the highest frame rates at every resolution, with 220 at 1080p, 177 at 1440p, and 97 at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 19.5%, and from 1440p to 4K is 45.2%, which is a larger relative drop at the higher end. This suggests that even at the lowest settings, the GPU's compute and memory bandwidth are still heavily engaged at 4K, with the 960.0 GB/s bandwidth being a factor in maintaining playable frame rates. Overall, the data shows that the RX 7900 XTX is the limiting component in this pairing for The Technomancer, with the CPU not being a major factor in the scaling between resolutions.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data shows that the Medium preset offers the best balance of visual quality and performance for most users. With a 200 average FPS at 1080p, it delivers a smooth experience that is only 9% lower than the Low preset's 220 FPS, while providing substantially better visual fidelity than the Low setting. The Medium preset also maintains a high enough frame rate for competitive or fast-paced play, and the 4K setup still delivers a playable 75 FPS. The High preset at 1080p is also a solid choice, with a 178 FPS average, but the Medium setting is more efficient in terms of frame rate per quality increment.

For users with a 1440p monitor, the High preset is recommended, as it delivers 116 FPS and is only 17.6% lower than the Low preset's 177 FPS, but with a major improvement in visual detail. The Ultra preset at 1440p, with its 91 FPS, is also playable but drops below the 100 FPS mark, which may be a threshold for some players. In the 4K resolution, the Medium preset is the only setting that crosses the 60 FPS threshold, achieving a 75 average, while the High preset drops to 64 FPS and the Ultra preset falls to 50 FPS, which is not ideal for smooth gameplay. The Low preset at 4K, with 97 FPS, is also a viable option for those prioritizing frame rate over graphics.

The Ultra preset is the most demanding, and the data shows that at 1080p it still achieves a solid 139 FPS, but at 4K the 50 FPS average is below the 60 FPS target for many. The High preset is a good choice for those with high refresh rate 1080p monitors, but the Medium preset offers the best mix of frame rate and quality across all resolutions. The data indicates that the Medium preset is the recommended starting point, with the flexibility to drop to Low for the absolute highest frame rates or to raise to High for better detail at 1440p.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX is the dominant component in this pairing for The Technomancer, with its specifications and the measured frame rates making this clear. The GPU features 24 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 384-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 960.0 GB/s. This high memory bandwidth is likely a key factor in the smooth performance at high resolutions, as the game's assets require significant data throughput. The card has 64 shading units, 384 TMUs, and 192 ROPs, with a boost clock of 2498 MHz and a game clock of 2365 MHz, which contribute to its 61.39 TFLOPS of FP32 performance. The benchmark results show a strong GPU compute score of 17689 in PassMark, which reflects its general compute capabilities.

The GPU's performance is also evident in its PassMark G3D score of 31238, which is a high ranking, and its nearest rivals are older models like the NVIDIA TITAN Xp, which is only 1.2% behind in score. This shows that the RX 7900 XTX delivers a top-tier performance for this game, even though its percentile ranking of 64% vs all GPUs is not the highest due to a wider range of newer and older cards. The data also shows the GPU's memory bandwidth is the likely reason why the 4K Medium preset achieves 75 FPS, as the game is not overly complex but still requires substantial bandwidth for the high pixel count.

The RX 7900 XTX's high clock speeds and the RDNA 3.0 architecture allow it to handle the game's demands effectively, but the game's older engine means it does not fully utilize the GPU's potential at lower resolutions. At 1080p, the frame rates are so high that the GPU is not the primary limiter, but the 6-core CPU comes into play. The data indicates that for the most demanding 4K resolution, the GPU is the main factor, and its 24 GB frame buffer ensures no VRAM capacity issues at any setting, with the game's requirements being well below this amount.

FAQ

Q: What is the best settings preset for a high refresh rate 1080p monitor?

A: The 1080p Low preset delivers the highest average frame rate at 220 FPS, but the Medium preset at 200 FPS is a good trade-off for better visuals. The High preset at 178 FPS is also a strong choice for those with a 144Hz monitor, while the Ultra preset at 139 FPS is still above the common 120Hz refresh rate.

Q: Can this combo maintain 60 FPS at 4K with the highest settings?

A: No, the Ultra preset at 4K yields an average of 50 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target. However, the High preset at 64 FPS and the Medium preset at 75 FPS both clear the 60 FPS threshold, so a slight reduction in settings is needed for a stable 4K experience.

Q: How does the RX 7900 XTX compare to its closest rivals in this game?

A: The GPU's nearest rival is the NVIDIA TITAN Xp, which is 1.2% faster in average benchmark score, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB is 0.4% slower. The AMD FirePro D300 is 1.2% slower, and the NVIDIA Quadro K5200 is 1% slower, showing the RX 7900 XTX is a strong performer in this range.

Q: Is 24 GB of VRAM enough for The Technomancer at 4K?

A: Yes, the 24 GB frame buffer is more than sufficient for this game at any resolution. The game is from 2016, and the memory usage is well within the 24 GB capacity, so there are no VRAM limitations, and the bandwidth is the more important factor for high-resolution performance.

Q: Why does the FPS drop so much from 1440p to 4K?

A: The drop is due to the increased pixel count and the GPU's workload. For example, the High preset goes from 116 FPS at 1440p to 64 FPS at 4K, a 44.8% reduction. The GPU is the limiting factor, and the 4K resolution significantly increases the demand on the RX 7900 XTX's memory bandwidth and compute units.

Q: What is the ranking of this combo in the game?

A: The AMD Ryzen 5 5500 and RX 7900 XTX combo ranks 576 out of 3696 tested combinations, placing it in the top 15.6% of all configs, which is a strong showing for playing a 2016 action RPG.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor from the 5000 series, based on the Zen 3 architecture. Its base clock is 3.60 GHz with a boost clock of 4.20 GHz, and it has a 16 MB L3 cache. The CPU's performance in synthetic benchmarks is strong, with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 16429 and a single-core score of 2319. Its PassMark multithread score is 19330, and its single-thread score is 3058, placing it at the 73rd percentile of all CPUs. The nearest rivals are the Intel Core i7-10700F, which is 0.5% faster, and the Intel Core i5-12500 at 0.4% faster, indicating the Ryzen is a competitive choice.

In this game, the CPU's role is less critical than the GPU, as the data shows that the frame rates at 1080p are high enough that the CPU is not the main bottleneck. The 1080p Low preset achieves 220 FPS, and the Ultra preset at 139 FPS, which is below the CPU's theoretical limits, suggesting the GPU is still the primary limiter at this resolution. The CPU's 6 cores and 12 threads are sufficient for the game's engine, which does not require extreme multi-threading, and the single-thread performance is adequate for the game's logic.

The CPU's benchmark scores, such as the PassMark physics score of 896 and the integer math of 65001, show it is a capable mid-range processor. The TDP of 65 W is low, but the CPU's role in this game is to keep up with the GPU, and the data shows there is no CPU-induced performance issues. The average benchmark score for the CPU is 19593, which is close to its nearest rivals, and the 3DMark 8-thread score of 4593 indicates good multi-threading for the game's engine. Overall, the Ryzen 5 5500 is a solid match for the RX 7900 XTX, even though the GPU does most of the heavy lifting in this title.

Measured FPS Breakdown

1080p (1920x1080):

• Low: 220 average FPS, the highest of all settings.
• Medium: 200 average FPS, with a min of 170 and a max of 230.
• High: 178 average FPS, still very high.
• Ultra: 139 average FPS, the lowest at 1080p but still smooth.

1440p (2560x1440):

• Low: 177 average FPS, a 19.5% drop from 1080p Low.
• Medium: 136 average FPS, with a min of 116 and a max of 157.
• High: 116 average FPS, a solid 60+ frame rate.
• Ultra: 91 average FPS, still above 60.

4K (3840x2160):

• Low: 97 average FPS, the only setting above.
• Medium: 75 average FPS, with a min of 64 and a max of 86.
• High: 64 average FPS, just above 60.
• Ultra: 50 average FPS, the only setting below 60.

The data shows that the Medium settings have the most detailed min/max data, with the 1440p Medium showing a 116 min and 157 max, indicating a 41 FPS variance. The 1080p Medium has a min of 170 and a max of 230, a 60 FPS variance, while the 4K Medium shows a 22 FPS variance (64 to 86). The High and Medium presets are generally the most stable, with the Ultra settings being the most demanding and producing the lowest frames. The overall pattern is consistent: the GPU is the primary limiter, and the CPU is sufficient to support the frame rates. For a game from 2016, this modern combo delivers exceptionally high performance, with the 1080p Low setting reaching 220 FPS and the 4K Ultra setting still able to run at 50 FPS.