The Technomancer

The Technomancer, a 2016 Action RPG, presents a demanding workload for modern hardware. This analysis examines the performance of the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER, using measured frame rate data across three resolutions and four quality presets. The data reveals a configuration that is capable of high-refresh-rate 1080p gaming but begins to strain at higher resolutions, with the GPU emerging as the primary bottleneck.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a clear and predictable pattern as resolution increases, with the most significant performance drop occurring between 1080p and 1440p. At the High preset, the average frame rate falls from 103 FPS at 1920x1080 to 67 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of 36 FPS. Scaling further to 3840x2160 yields an average of 37 FPS, which is 64% lower than the 1080p result. This steep decline indicates that the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER is the limiting component, as the workload becomes increasingly pixel-bound at higher resolutions.

The scaling behavior is consistent across all settings. At the Low preset, the system achieves 157 FPS at 1080p, which drops to 102 FPS at 1440p and 56 FPS at 4K. The Medium preset follows the same trajectory, moving from 120 FPS at 1080p down to 79 FPS at 1440p and 43 FPS at 4K. The Ultra preset, which is the most demanding, starts at 80 FPS at 1080p, falls to 53 FPS at 1440p, and bottoms out at 29 FPS at 4K.

This data suggests that the CPU's role diminishes as resolution increases. At 1080p, the Ryzen 5 5600F, with its 6 cores and 12 threads, is likely feeding the GPU enough data to reach high frame rates, but the GPU's rendering capacity is still the ceiling. The fact that the 4K Ultra setting produces an average of just 29 FPS, which is below the 30 FPS playability threshold, confirms that the RTX 2070 SUPER's 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are insufficient for maximum-quality 4K rendering in this title.

FAQ

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

A: At 1920x1080, the Low preset yields an average of 157 FPS, while the Ultra preset produces 80 FPS. This represents a 77 FPS difference, or roughly 49% lower performance when switching from Low to Ultra.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming?

A: At 3840x2160, the configuration only achieves playable frame rates on the Low preset, with an average of 56 FPS. The Medium preset averages 43 FPS, High averages 37 FPS, and Ultra drops to 29 FPS, which is below a smooth 30 FPS target.

Q: How does the Ryzen 5 5600F's single-thread performance compare to its rivals?

A: The CPU's Passmark single-thread score is 2872. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core i9-12900T, has an average benchmark score of 37112, which is 0.5% higher than the Ryzen's 36945 average, indicating comparable overall performance.

Q: What is the best resolution for a high-refresh-rate monitor?

A: For a 144Hz or higher display, 1920x1080 is the only viable option. The High preset at 1080p averages 103 FPS, which is suitable for a 100Hz monitor, while the Low preset at 157 FPS can drive a 144Hz panel.

Q: Is the GPU a bottleneck in this configuration?

A: Yes, the data indicates the GPU is the primary limiter at higher resolutions. The RTX 2070 SUPER scores 18169 in Passmark's G3D test and has a percentile ranking of 65 among all GPUs, while the CPU has an 85th percentile ranking among all CPUs, suggesting the CPU has more relative headroom.

Q: What is the frame time consistency like on the Medium preset?

A: At 2560x1440, the Medium preset has a minimum FPS of 67 and a maximum of 91, with an average of 79. This shows a 24 FPS variance, which can lead to occasional stutters during intense scenes.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 3 architecture, codenamed Vermeer. It operates with a base clock of 3.00 GHz and a boost clock of 4.00 GHz. This configuration provides strong single-threaded performance, as evidenced by its Passmark single-thread score of 2872. The CPU's overall average benchmark score of 36945 places it in the 85th percentile of all CPUs, indicating it is a capable processor for gaming workloads.

In The Technomancer, the CPU's role appears to be supportive rather than dominant. At lower resolutions where the GPU is less taxed, the 5600F's performance is sufficient to prevent a CPU bottleneck. For instance, at 1080p Low, the system reaches 157 FPS, which suggests the CPU can handle the game's logic and draw calls at high frame rates. The L3 cache of 32 MB shared across the cores helps with data locality, which is beneficial for game engines that rely on frequent memory access.

However, as the resolution increases, the GPU becomes the limiting factor. The RTX 2070 SUPER, with 2560 shading units and a boost clock of 1770 MHz, is tasked with rendering more pixels, and the CPU's advantage becomes less relevant. The data shows that the frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is consistent across all settings, which indicates a GPU-bound scenario. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect a smaller performance delta at higher resolutions, as the CPU workload does not scale linearly with pixel count.

The Ryzen 5 5600F's memory bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s and support for DDR4 memory are adequate for this title. The 7 nm process node and 65W TDP make it an efficient processor, but the benchmark results show that its performance is on par with rivals like the Intel Core Ultra 5 225, which has an average score of 36938, a negligible 0% delta. This suggests that the 5600F is a well-rounded CPU, but its capabilities are not fully utilized in this game at higher resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Ryzen 5 5600F and the RTX 2070 SUPER ranks 1620 out of 2825 tested combos in The Technomancer. This places it in the 57th percentile of all tested configurations, meaning it outperforms a majority of systems but is not in the top tier. This ranking reflects the GPU's mid-range standing; the RTX 2070 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 20282 and sits in the 65th percentile of all GPUs.

The CPU's ranking is notably higher than the combo's overall rank. The Ryzen 5 5600F's 85th percentile rank indicates that the processor is a stronger component than the GPU in this pairing. The nearest GPU rivals, such as the NVIDIA Quadro M4000M with a score of 20480 and a -1% delta, and the Intel Arc B570 with a score of 20556 and a -1.3% delta, show that the RTX 2070 SUPER is competitive but not class-leading. This suggests that the combo's overall rank is dragged down by the GPU's performance ceiling.

In practical terms, this ranking means that users with this combo will experience good performance at 1080p and acceptable performance at 1440p, but they will be outperformed by systems with higher-tier GPUs. The data shows that the combo is well-balanced at lower resolutions, where the CPU can push the GPU to its limits, but at 4K, the GPU's limitations become apparent, resulting in an average FPS that falls below 60 on all presets. The 1620 rank out of 2825 combos is a solid mid-pack result, indicating that this is a dependable but not exceptional pairing for this specific game.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this configuration depend heavily on the target resolution and desired frame rate. For 1080p gaming, the High preset offers an excellent balance of visual quality and performance, averaging 103 FPS. This is significantly smoother than the Ultra preset's 80 FPS, while still providing a high level of graphical fidelity. The Low preset at 157 FPS is the only option for those seeking maximum refresh rates on a 144Hz monitor, but it comes with a substantial reduction in visual quality.

For 1440p, the data recommends the High preset as well. It averages 67 FPS, which is playable and only slightly below the 60 FPS target. The Medium preset offers a higher average of 79 FPS, with a minimum of 67 FPS, making it a viable alternative for users who prioritize smoother motion over visual detail. The Ultra preset at 53 FPS is borderline, and the Low preset at 102 FPS is overkill for most 60Hz displays.

At 4K, the situation is more constrained. The only preset that maintains a playable frame rate is Low, averaging 56 FPS. The Medium preset at 43 FPS is playable but may have noticeable stutters, as indicated by its minimum of 37 FPS. The High preset at 37 FPS is marginal, and the Ultra preset at 29 FPS is not recommended for a smooth experience. For the best overall experience at 4K, the Low preset is the only sensible choice, sacrificing visual effects to maintain a stable frame rate.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following is a complete breakdown of the measured average FPS for the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER in The Technomancer.

At 1920x1080, the Low preset produces an average of 157 FPS. The Medium preset averages 120 FPS, with a minimum of 102 FPS and a maximum of 139 FPS. The High preset averages 103 FPS. The Ultra preset is the most demanding, yielding an average of 80 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 102 FPS. The Medium preset averages 79 FPS, with a minimum of 67 FPS and a maximum of 91 FPS. The High preset averages 67 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 53 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 56 FPS. The Medium preset averages 43 FPS, with a minimum of 37 FPS and a maximum of 50 FPS. The High preset averages 37 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 29 FPS.

These numbers illustrate a clear hierarchy of performance across resolutions and settings. The 1080p Low setting is the only configuration that exceeds 150 FPS, while the 4K Ultra setting is the only configuration that falls below 30 FPS. The data shows a consistent performance scaling, with the Medium preset at each resolution providing a middle ground between the Low and High presets in terms of average FPS. The minimum FPS data points, available only for the Medium preset, show that frame pacing is generally consistent, with the 4K Medium setting having a larger variance (37 to 50 FPS) compared to the 1440p Medium (67 to 91 FPS) and 1080p Medium (102 to 139 FPS).