The Technomancer

# CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor from the 5000 series, built on the Zen 3 architecture (codename Vermeer) using a 7 nm process. It runs at a base clock of 3.50 GHz and boosts up to 4.40 GHz, with a 65 W TDP. This CPU sits on the AM4 socket and supports DDR4 memory in a dual-channel configuration, giving it a memory bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s. Its cache layout includes 64 KB of L1 per core, 512 KB of L2 per core, and a 32 MB shared L3 pool.

In synthetic benchmarks, the Ryzen 5 5600 posts a single-thread score of 882 in 3DMark and 2584 in Cinebench R23 single-core. Multi-threaded results are stronger: 5659 in 3DMark max threads, 18309 in Cinebench R23 multicore, and 21541 in Passmark multithread. The CPU's percentile ranking against all processors is 74, meaning it outperforms roughly three-quarters of tested CPUs. Its nearest rivals in average benchmark score include the Intel Core Ultra 7 258V (0.1% behind), the AMD Ryzen 5 8500G (0.2% behind), and the AMD EPYC 9454P (0.2% behind) — all within a whisker of each other, so the 5600 is essentially tied with these in general compute.

For The Technomancer, a 2016 Action RPG, the CPU's 6 cores and 12 threads are more than adequate for the game's logic, AI, and physics workloads. The game released well before this CPU launched in April 2022, so it was never designed to stress modern multi-core processors. The 3.50 GHz base and 4.40 GHz boost clocks provide ample single-thread headroom, which matters for older game engines that often rely on one or two primary threads. The L3 cache of 32 MB helps keep frequently accessed data close to the cores, reducing memory latency in scenarios where the game's world state changes rapidly.

Given the measured FPS data in this combo, the CPU is not the bottleneck at any resolution. At 1080p Low, the system hits 179 FPS average, which is far beyond what the game's engine likely needs. Even at 4K Ultra, where the GPU is clearly struggling, the CPU has enough headroom to feed frames. The Passmark data encryption score of 15531 and floating point math score of 38778 suggest the processor handles general arithmetic efficiently, but these are not directly game-relevant; rather, they confirm the chip's overall capability profile. The CPU's 74th percentile ranking means it's a solid mid-range performer, and for a game like The Technomancer, that is more than enough.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Radeon RX 7700 is a RDNA 3.0 architecture GPU (chip Navi 32, codename Wheat Nas) built on a 5 nm process. It features 2560 shading units, 160 texture mapping units, and 96 raster operation units, along with 40 ray tracing cores. The GPU runs at a base clock of 1900 MHz, a game clock of 2041 MHz, and a boost clock of 2459 MHz. Memory is a 16 GB GDDR6 array on a 256-bit bus, delivering 624.1 GB/s of bandwidth. The card's FP32 compute is rated at 25.18 TFLOPS, and it draws up to 200 W with a suggested 550 W PSU.

In synthetic GPU tests, this card scores 20974 in Passmark G3D and 106028 in Geekbench OpenCL. Its percentile ranking against all GPUs is 58, which places it in the upper-mid range. The nearest rivals are the AMD Radeon R9 370X (0.1% faster), the AMD Radeon RX 9060 (1% faster), and the AMD Radeon Pro W5500 (1.1% slower). Interestingly, the RX 7700's average benchmark score of 15852 is nearly identical to the much older R9 370X, though that rival likely achieves its score through different workload characteristics. The RTX 3060 Ti is 1.7% ahead, which is within measurement noise.

For The Technomancer, the GPU's 16 GB VRAM is overkill — the game from 2016 will not approach that capacity even at 4K Ultra. The 256-bit memory bus and 624.1 GB/s bandwidth are more relevant, as the game's texture streaming and scene complexity can benefit from high memory throughput. The clock speeds are high enough to push substantial frame rates at lower resolutions, as evidenced by the 1080p results.

The GPU's role becomes clear in the measured FPS data. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 179 FPS average, showing the GPU can easily handle the game's light rendering demands. At 4K Ultra, the average drops to 33 FPS, indicating the GPU is the limiting factor at that resolution and settings combination. The RDNA 3.0 architecture's efficiency at lower resolutions is visible in the scaling pattern, but the card's raw throughput caps out when pixel count quadruples. The 58th percentile GPU ranking means it's a competent mid-range card, but The Technomancer at 4K Ultra is simply too heavy for it.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

This specific pairing of the AMD Ryzen 5 5600 with the AMD Radeon RX 7700 ranks 1275 out of 2825 tested combos in The Technomancer. That places it in the 55th percentile of all CPU-GPU pairings tested — slightly above the median, but not a top-tier combination. The rank reflects both components' ability to work together in this specific game, which is older and may not scale perfectly with modern hardware.

The rank of 1275 out of 2825 means this combo outperforms roughly 55% of tested configurations. Given that the CPU is at the 74th percentile and the GPU is at the 58th percentile, the combo's overall position is dragged down by the GPU's more modest standing. In a game like The Technomancer, which was released in 2016 and does not feature demanding modern graphics techniques like ray tracing or heavy tessellation, the GPU's raw rasterization power matters most. The RX 7700's 96 ROPs and 236.1 GPixel/s pixel rate are respectable, but they are not class-leading.

The combo's rank also reflects the balance between the two components. A stronger GPU or a faster CPU might shift the rank higher, but the data shows this pairing is internally consistent — neither component is drastically holding back the other at most settings. The measured FPS numbers support this: at 1440p High, the system produces 77 FPS average, which is smooth for most players. At 1080p Ultra, it hits 92 FPS, showing headroom. The bottleneck shifts to the GPU only at 4K, where even 1080p Ultra performance is cut by more than half.

Compared to the nearest rival combos in the database, there is no direct equivalent data here, but the component-level rivalries provide context. The CPU is tied with the Intel Core Ultra 7 258V, while the GPU is nearly identical to the R9 370X in average score — yet those older or different components would likely produce different game-specific results. The rank of 1275 is a holistic measure that accounts for the specific interaction of these two parts in this game.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

The measured FPS data covers three resolutions (1920x1080, 2560x1440, 3840x2160) and four settings levels (Low, Medium, High, Ultra). At 1080p, the combo delivers strong performance across the board. Low settings yield an average of 179 FPS, Medium produces 137 FPS (with a minimum of 117 and maximum of 158), High gives 117 FPS, and Ultra drops to 92 FPS. These numbers indicate that at 1080p, the system is CPU-bound at Low settings — the GPU has so much headroom that the frame rate is likely limited by the engine's draw call throughput or CPU single-thread performance. As settings rise, the GPU begins to take on more work, but even at Ultra, 92 FPS is well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay.

Moving to 1440p, the scaling is consistent. Low settings average 117 FPS, Medium averages 90 FPS (minimum 76, maximum 103), High averages 77 FPS, and Ultra averages 60 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is roughly 35% at Low settings (179 to 117), reflecting the increased pixel count. At Ultra, the drop is about 35% as well (92 to 60), indicating the GPU is now the primary constraint. The 1440p Ultra result of exactly 60 FPS average is notable — it suggests the system is right at the edge of what a 60 Hz display needs, with some dips likely below that.

At 4K (3840x2160), performance falls significantly. Low settings average 64 FPS, Medium averages 49 FPS (minimum 42, maximum 57), High averages 42 FPS, and Ultra averages 33 FPS. The Medium setting's minimum of 42 FPS shows that even at mid-level quality, there are noticeable frame dips. Ultra at 33 FPS is borderline unplayable for action-oriented gameplay, and even High at 42 FPS will feel stuttery in fast-paced combat. The 4K results clearly show the GPU is the limiting factor, as the CPU has proven it can push well over 100 FPS at lower resolutions.

The FPS breakdown reveals a pattern: at 1080p, the combo is capable of high refresh rate gaming, with Low settings exceeding 170 FPS and Ultra still above 90 FPS. At 1440p, it remains viable for 60 FPS gaming across most settings, with Ultra exactly at 60. At 4K, only Low settings provide a playable average above 60 FPS, and even that is marginal.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K tells a clear story about which component is the bottleneck. At Low settings, the average FPS goes from 179 at 1080p, to 117 at 1440p, to 64 at 4K. That is a 35% drop from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 45% drop from 1440p to 4K. The total drop from 1080p to 4K is 64%, which is less than the theoretical 75% pixel count increase (from 2.07 million to 8.29 million pixels). This suggests that at Low settings, the CPU is still partially limiting performance at 1080p and 1440p, because the frame rate does not drop proportionally to pixel count.

At Ultra settings, the scaling is steeper. The average FPS goes from 92 at 1080p, to 60 at 1440p, to 33 at 4K. That is a 35% drop from 1080p to 1440p, and a 45% drop from 1440p to 4K — the same percentages as Low settings. However, the absolute values are much lower, meaning the GPU is the dominant constraint throughout. The consistent percentage drops across settings indicate that the GPU's rendering workload scales linearly with pixel count, which is typical for a fill-rate-bound scenario.

The key insight is that at 1080p Low, the combo achieves 179 FPS, but at 4K Low, it drops to 64 FPS. If the CPU were the limiting factor, we would expect the frame rate to stay relatively flat as resolution increases, because the CPU workload remains constant regardless of pixel count. Instead, the frame rate drops significantly, proving the GPU is the primary limiter even at Low settings. The CPU's 6 cores and 12 threads are sufficient to feed the GPU at all resolutions, but the RX 7700's 96 ROPs and 236.1 GPixel/s pixel rate are not enough to maintain high frame rates at 4K.

This scaling behavior also explains the combo's rank of 1275 out of 2825. The system is well-balanced for 1080p and 1440p gaming, where it can deliver high frame rates, but it falls short at 4K. For a game like The Technomancer, which was released in 2016 and likely has simpler shaders and texture work than modern titles, the GPU's fill rate becomes the wall. The 16 GB VRAM is irrelevant at these settings — the game likely uses less than 4 GB even at 4K Ultra — so the bandwidth and pixel throughput are what matter.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run The Technomancer at 1080p with high settings?

A: Yes. The measured average FPS at 1920x1080 with High settings is 117 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS target for smooth gameplay. Even at Ultra settings, the average is 92 FPS.

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

A: The data shows 2560x1440 is the sweet spot. At High settings, the average is 77 FPS, and at Ultra, it is exactly 60 FPS. This provides a good balance between visual quality and performance. At 4K, only Low settings exceed 60 FPS (64 FPS average).

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck at 4K?

A: The GPU is clearly the limiting factor at 4K. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 179 FPS, but at 4K Low, it drops to 64 FPS. The CPU workload does not change with resolution, so the significant frame rate drop indicates the GPU cannot keep up with the pixel count.

Q: How does this combo compare to the nearest rival GPUs?

A: The RX 7700 has an average benchmark score of 15852, which is 0.1% behind the AMD Radeon R9 370X, 1% behind the AMD Radeon RX 9060, and 1.7% behind the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti. The AMD Radeon Pro W5500 is 1.1% slower.

Q: Does the CPU's 6-core/12-thread configuration hold back the GPU?

A: No. The CPU's best 3DMark multi-thread score is 5659, and it reaches 179 FPS at 1080p Low, indicating it has enough headroom to feed the GPU. The bottleneck shifts to the GPU at higher resolutions, not the CPU.

Q: What are the minimum FPS numbers at Medium settings?

A: At 1080p Medium, the minimum is 117 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the minimum is 76 FPS. At 4K Medium, the minimum is 42 FPS. These minimums show that even at 4K Medium, the frame rate can dip below 45 FPS.