The Technomancer

# How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500 paired with the AMD Radeon RX 9070 ranks 544th out of 1,656 tested combinations in The Technomancer. This places the combo in the 67th percentile of all tested configurations, meaning it outperforms roughly two-thirds of the field while sitting below the top third. The ranking reflects a balanced pairing where neither component is dramatically mismatched for this 2016 Action RPG.

Looking at the raw benchmark data, the combo delivers 145.8 FPS at 1080p High settings, which is a strong result for a game from this era. The percentile position suggests that while the RX 9070 is a modern high-end GPU, the Ryzen 5 5500's mid-range CPU performance prevents the combo from climbing higher in the rankings. The gap between this combo and the top configurations is primarily attributable to CPU-bound scenarios where the 5500's six cores and twelve threads reach their limits.

The measured data shows that the combo handles the game's demands at all tested resolutions, with 4K Ultra still producing 40 FPS. This indicates the pairing is viable for the entire resolution spectrum, though the lower settings at 4K are needed for smoother gameplay. The rank of 544 out of 1,656 is respectable given the CPU's position in the broader processor landscape, where it sits at the 79th percentile among all CPUs.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 9070 brings substantial graphics horsepower to this pairing, featuring 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus with a bandwidth of 644.6 GB/s. The GPU's clock speeds are notable: a base clock of 1330 MHz, a boost clock of 2520 MHz, and a game clock of 2070 MHz. Memory runs at 2518 MHz, translating to 20.1 Gbps effective.

For The Technomancer, the GPU's capabilities are reflected in the measured frames at higher resolutions. At 4K High, the combo achieves 51.9 FPS, while 4K Medium reaches 59.2 FPS. The 4K Low preset jumps to 76.7 FPS, demonstrating that the GPU has substantial headroom when texture and shading demands are reduced. The RX 9070's 3584 shading units and 128 ROPs contribute to its pixel rate of 322.6 GPixel/s and texture rate of 564.5 GTexel/s.

The GPU's compute potential is evident in its benchmark scores, including a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 6,290 and a Geekbench Vulkan score of 165,532. The PassMark G3D score of 25,381 places the GPU at the 79th percentile among all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA A2, has an average score of 34,866, putting the RX 9070 just 0.2% behind. The GPU's FP32 performance of 36.13 TFLOPS suggests it can handle the game's effects-heavy combat sequences without becoming the limiting factor.

The RX 9070's 16 GB VRAM capacity is more than sufficient for The Technomancer's 2016-era texture requirements, even at 4K Ultra settings. The GPU's PCIe 5.0 x16 interface ensures no bandwidth bottlenecks, though the CPU's Gen 3 PCIe support may slightly constrain data transfer in extreme scenarios.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500 is a six-core, twelve-thread processor based on the Zen 3 architecture, codenamed Cezanne, manufactured on TSMC's 7 nm process. It runs at a base clock of 3.60 GHz and boosts up to 4.20 GHz. The CPU's cache hierarchy includes 64 KB of L1 per core, 512 KB of L2 per core, and 16 MB of shared L3 cache.

In The Technomancer, the CPU's role becomes apparent when comparing frame rates across resolutions. At 1080p Low, the combo produces 220.3 FPS, while 1080p Ultra drops to 115.2 FPS. The substantial gap between these settings indicates that the game becomes more GPU-limited at higher presets, but the CPU still has enough headroom to drive high frame rates at lower settings. The 220.3 FPS at 1080p Low suggests the CPU can handle the game's physics and AI calculations without becoming the primary bottleneck.

The Ryzen 5 5500's benchmark results show balanced performance across threading scenarios. Its 3DMark scores range from 836 in single-thread to 5,411 in max-threads, while Cinebench R23 scores are 2,319 single-core and 16,429 multi-core. The PassMark multithread score of 19,330 and single-thread score of 3,058 further characterize the CPU's capabilities. The CPU's average benchmark score of 20,875 places it at the 79th percentile among all CPUs, with its nearest rival, the Intel Core i5-12500, scoring 20,897—a negligible 0.1% difference.

The CPU's 65 W TDP and dual-channel DDR4 memory support with 51.2 GB/s bandwidth are adequate for this game. The 5500's performance in The Technomancer suggests that at 1440p and above, the GPU becomes the dominant factor, while at 1080p with lower settings, the CPU's six cores are sufficient to maintain high frame rates without excessive strain.

FAQ

Q: What is the combo's overall ranking in The Technomancer?

A: The AMD Ryzen 5 5500 + AMD Radeon RX 9070 ranks 544th out of 1,656 tested combos, placing it in the 67th percentile of all configurations tested.

Q: How does the RX 9070 compare to its closest GPU rival?

A: The RX 9070's average benchmark score is 34,780, which is 0.2% lower than the NVIDIA A2's 34,866 score. The GPU sits at the 79th percentile among all GPUs.

Q: What frame rate does the combo achieve at 1080p with High settings?

A: At 1920x1080 with High settings, the combo delivers an average of 145.8 FPS, while the same resolution at Low settings reaches 220.3 FPS.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor at 4K resolution?

A: At 3840x2160, frame rates range from 40 FPS at Ultra to 76.7 FPS at Low, indicating the GPU is the primary constraint at this resolution, whereas the CPU has sufficient headroom.

Q: What are the Ryzen 5 5500's closest CPU rivals in terms of benchmark scores?

A: The Intel Core i5-12500 scores 20,897 (0.1% higher), the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4655GE scores 20,900 (0.1% higher), and the AMD EPYC 7J13 scores 20,845 (0.1% lower).

Q: How much VRAM does the RX 9070 have, and what is its memory bandwidth?

A: The RX 9070 features 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 644.6 GB/s with memory clocked at 2518 MHz (20.1 Gbps effective).

Resolution Scaling

The measured data reveals how the combo's performance scales across resolutions. At 1080p High, the average frame rate is 145.8 FPS; at 1440p High, it drops to 95.3 FPS; and at 4K High, it falls to 51.9 FPS. This represents a 34.6% drop from 1080p to 1440p, followed by a 45.5% drop from 1440p to 4K. The scaling pattern indicates that the GPU becomes increasingly dominant as resolution increases.

At Low settings, the progression is steeper: 220.3 FPS at 1080p, 141.5 FPS at 1440p, and 76.7 FPS at 4K. The 1080p Low result of 220.3 FPS suggests the CPU can push frame rates well beyond display refresh rates, while the 4K Low result of 76.7 FPS shows the GPU still has substantial bandwidth to fill. The Ultra preset tells a different story: 115.2 FPS at 1080p, 74.9 FPS at 1440p, and 40 FPS at 4K.

The scaling ratios between presets at the same resolution are informative. At 1080p, Low to Ultra represents a 47.7% reduction in frame rate, while at 4K, the same preset transition reduces performance by 47.8%. This consistency suggests that the GPU is the limiting component across all resolutions, as the CPU's influence becomes less pronounced at higher pixel counts. The data indicates that for 4K gameplay, users should target Medium or Low settings to maintain playable frame rates above 60 FPS.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and desired frame rate. At 1080p, all presets deliver playable performance, with Low achieving 220.3 FPS, Medium at 169.1 FPS, High at 145.8 FPS, and Ultra at 115.2 FPS. For 1080p users with high refresh rate displays, High settings provide an excellent balance of visual quality and performance, while Ultra remains viable for those prioritizing image fidelity.

At 1440p, the Medium preset delivers 109.9 FPS, while High produces 95.3 FPS and Ultra drops to 74.9 FPS. The Medium setting is the sweet spot for 1440p, offering smooth gameplay with good visual quality. For users with 60 Hz displays, Ultra at 74.9 FPS exceeds the refresh rate threshold, making it a viable choice. The Low preset at 141.5 FPS is available for competitive play or for users who prioritize maximum frame rates.

At 4K, the situation is more constrained. Ultra produces 40 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target for smooth gameplay. High at 51.9 FPS approaches playability but may exhibit stutter in demanding scenes. Medium at 59.2 FPS is the recommended setting for 4K, as it nearly hits the 60 FPS target while maintaining acceptable visual quality. Low at 76.7 FPS provides the smoothest 4K experience, though at a significant visual cost. For the best overall experience across all resolutions, the Medium preset offers the most consistent performance-to-quality ratio, particularly at 1440p where it achieves 109.9 FPS.