The Technomancer

The Technomancer, a 2016 Action RPG, places significant stress on modern hardware, and the combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 demonstrates a clear performance hierarchy. The measured data indicates that this pairing is heavily GPU-bound at higher resolutions, with the processor's six Zen 3 cores providing sufficient headroom while the graphics card struggles to maintain playable frame rates beyond 1080p. Benchmark results show a system that is best suited for 1080p gaming, where it can achieve playable performance at lower settings, but it falls short of a smooth experience at higher resolutions or demanding presets.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and reveals a system that is firmly constrained by its graphics processor. At 1080p with High settings, the combo averages 45 FPS, which drops to 29 FPS at 1440p and plummets to just 16 FPS at 4K. This represents a significant 64% reduction in frame rate when moving from 1080p to 4K at High settings, showing that the GTX 1650 is simply not equipped to handle the pixel count of 4K resolutions in this title.

The scaling pattern is consistent across all settings presets, confirming the GPU as the primary bottleneck. At Low settings, the frame rate falls from 68 FPS at 1080p to 44 FPS at 1440p and then to 24 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1440p to 4K is particularly punishing, with a 45% performance loss even at Low settings. This steep decline at 4K indicates that the 4 GB VRAM and 128-bit memory bus of the GTX 1650 are overwhelmed by the sheer data throughput required at that resolution.

The data suggests that 4K is not a viable option for this combination, as even the lowest settings produce an average of only 24 FPS, which would result in a stuttering and unresponsive experience. The transition from 1080p to 1440p is more manageable, with a 35% performance hit at High settings (from 45 to 29 FPS), but this still puts the system below the 30 FPS threshold that many consider the minimum for playable action RPGs. The limiting component here is undeniably the GPU, as the CPU's performance metrics (a Passmark multithread score of 20363 and single-thread score of 2941) suggest it has ample processing power for a game from this era, leaving the graphics card as the sole bottleneck in the rendering pipeline.

Settings Recommendations

The optimal experience for this hardware combination is found at 1080p with Low settings, which yields an average of 68 FPS. This is the only configuration that approaches the smooth 60 FPS target, providing a playable experience without major frame pacing issues. The jump to Medium settings at 1080p brings the average down to 52 FPS, which is still respectable, and the measured minimum of 44 FPS suggests that while there are dips, the gameplay remains largely fluid during most scenes.

For users seeking better visual fidelity, 1080p High settings at 45 FPS is a compromise that maintains playability, though it falls short of the fluidity offered by lower presets. The Ultra preset at 1080p, with an average of 35 FPS, is generally not recommended as it approaches the lower bounds of acceptable performance for an action-oriented game where responsiveness is critical. The data shows a clear trade-off: each step up the settings ladder costs roughly 13-17 FPS at 1080p, making the Low preset the clear winner for achieving the best frame rate.

At 1440p, the situation becomes more challenging. The Low preset averages 44 FPS, which is playable but not ideal, while Medium drops to 34 FPS and High falls to 29 FPS. None of the 1440p configurations reach the 60 FPS mark, and the Ultra preset at 23 FPS is not a viable option. The 4K resolution should be avoided entirely, as even the best-case scenario at Low settings only manages 24 FPS. Based on the measured rows, the recommended configuration is 1080p with Low settings for the best experience, with 1080p Medium serving as a reasonable alternative for those willing to trade some smoothness for improved visuals.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D brings six cores and twelve threads to the table, operating at a base clock of 3.00 GHz and a boost clock of 4.00 GHz. This Zen 3 architecture, codenamed Vermeer, provides a substantial amount of processing power that is well-suited for gaming workloads. The processor's Passmark multithread score of 20363 and single-thread score of 2941 place it in the 85th percentile of all CPUs, indicating strong performance relative to the broader market.

In the context of The Technomancer, the CPU appears to be more than adequate for the task. The game, released in 2016, is unlikely to utilize all twelve threads effectively, but the six cores provide solid baseline performance. The large 96 MB shared L3 cache is a notable feature of the 5500X3D, and while its impact on this specific title is not directly measured in the FPS data, it typically benefits gaming performance by reducing memory latency. The dual-channel DDR4 memory support with a bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s provides sufficient data throughput to avoid starving the CPU cores.

The benchmark results show that this processor is not the limiting factor in this combination. Comparing its average benchmark score of 37018 to its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F, which scores 36945, shows a delta of just 0.2%, indicating that the 5500X3D performs essentially identically to that chip. This level of performance is more than sufficient to feed the GTX 1650 with frame data, and the FPS scaling across resolutions confirms that the GPU is the bottleneck. Even at 1080p Low, where the CPU would be most likely to become a constraint, the 68 FPS average indicates that the processor has headroom to spare.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 ranks 2738 out of 2825 tested combos in The Technomancer, placing it in the bottom 3% of all configurations. This is a poor ranking that reflects the GPU's limitations rather than any deficiency in the CPU. The rank of 2738 out of 2825 means that only 87 other combinations perform worse in this specific game, highlighting just how constrained this setup is.

The ranking is heavily influenced by the GTX 1650's position in the GPU hierarchy. The graphics card sits in the 40th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 7472, and its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon HD 8850M (scoring 7447, a 0.3% delta) and the Intel Arc A310 (scoring 7550, a -1% delta). This places the GTX 1650 at the entry-level tier of graphics cards, which is consistent with the low combo ranking in a demanding title like The Technomancer.

The CPU's strong performance (85th percentile, average score 37018) does little to boost the combo ranking because the game is clearly GPU-bound. Even a much faster processor would not improve the frame rates in this configuration, as the GTX 1650 is the limiting factor at all resolutions. The data shows that this combo is best suited for 1080p gaming at lower settings, and its ranking reflects that reality. Users with this hardware should temper their expectations and focus on optimizing settings to achieve the best possible experience within the GPU's capabilities.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 is the decisive component in this combination, and its specifications explain the performance ceiling observed in the measurements. This Turing-architecture GPU features 896 shading units, 56 texture mapping units, and 32 render output units, operating at a base clock of 1485 MHz and a boost clock of 1665 MHz. The 4 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 128-bit bus provides a bandwidth of 128.1 GB/s, which is modest by modern standards and becomes a major constraint in higher resolutions.

The GPU's benchmark scores paint a picture of a budget-oriented card. Its Passmark G3D score of 7880 and DirectX 12 score of 35 (out of a possible scale) indicate that while it can handle older titles, it struggles with more demanding workloads. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 305 is particularly low, suggesting that the card is not well-equipped for modern rendering techniques. The GPU's compute performance, measured at 3048 in Passmark GPU Compute, is also limited, with FP32 throughput of 2.984 TFLOPS.

In The Technomancer, the GTX 1650's 4 GB VRAM is likely a significant limitation at 4K, where the game's textures and geometry require more memory than is available, leading to the very low frame rates observed (16 FPS at High, 13 FPS at Ultra). The 128-bit memory bus and 128.1 GB/s bandwidth become bottlenecks at higher resolutions, as the card simply cannot feed the GPU with data fast enough. The performance scaling from 1080p to 4K shows a consistent halving of frame rates with each resolution step, which is typical of a card that is memory-bandwidth limited rather than compute limited.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution and settings for this hardware combo in The Technomancer?

A: The data shows that 1080p with Low settings provides the best experience, averaging 68 FPS. This is the only configuration that approaches the 60 FPS target, while 1080p Medium averages 52 FPS and 1080p High averages 45 FPS.

Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming in The Technomancer?

A: No. Even at Low settings, the average frame rate at 4K is only 24 FPS, with High settings dropping to 16 FPS and Ultra to 13 FPS. These results are below playable thresholds for an action RPG.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in this combination?

A: The GPU is the clear bottleneck. The Ryzen 5 5500X3D has a Passmark multithread score of 20363 and sits in the 85th percentile of CPUs, while the GTX 1650 is in the 40th percentile of GPUs. The FPS scaling across resolutions confirms the GPU limits performance.

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

A: It ranks 2738 out of 2825 combos in The Technomancer, placing it in the bottom 3% of all tested configurations. This reflects the GTX 1650's entry-level performance tier.

Q: What is the performance difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: At 1080p, Low settings average 68 FPS while Ultra settings average 35 FPS, a difference of 33 FPS. This is a substantial drop that makes Ultra settings less desirable for smooth gameplay.

Q: Does the CPU's large cache help in this game?

A: The Ryzen 5 5500X3D has a 96 MB shared L3 cache, which is a notable feature. However, the data does not show that it overcomes the GPU bottleneck, as the frame rates are consistently limited by the GTX 1650 across all settings and resolutions.