The Technomancer

The Technomancer, a 2016 Action RPG, presents an interesting stress profile for the AMD Ryzen 5 5600G and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 combination. The measured frame rates across resolutions and settings reveal a system that is heavily influenced by graphical load, but with enough CPU headroom to push high frame rates at lower resolutions. This analysis breaks down the scaling behavior, component roles, and optimal settings based on the measured data.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent across all settings, indicating that the RTX 3070 becomes the primary limiting factor as pixel count increases. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 124.1 FPS at 1920x1080 to 84.8 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of 31.7%. Moving to 3840x2160, the frame rate drops further to 47.7 FPS, which is a 61.6% decrease from the 1080p baseline. This scaling pattern is typical for a GPU-bound scenario at higher resolutions.

The Low preset shows an even more dramatic absolute drop, from 192.9 FPS at 1080p down to 127.1 FPS at 1440p and finally 66.9 FPS at 4K. The fact that the 4K Low result (66.9 FPS) is still higher than the 4K High result (47.7 FPS) suggests that the GPU’s raw shading and memory throughput are the bottlenecks, not the CPU. At 1080p, the gap between Low (192.9 FPS) and High (124.1 FPS) is 55.4%, but at 4K, that same gap shrinks to 40.2%. This compression indicates that the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU at lower resolutions, but the GPU’s workload becomes so heavy at 4K that the preset differences matter less in absolute percentage terms.

The Medium preset follows the same trend, with 151.1 FPS at 1080p, 97.4 FPS at 1440p, and 54.7 FPS at 4K. The Ultra preset is the most demanding, yielding 98.8 FPS at 1080p, 65.9 FPS at 1440p, and 37.8 FPS at 4K. The data clearly shows that for 4K gaming, the RTX 3070 cannot maintain a smooth 60 FPS on any preset, with even Low settings dipping to 66.9 FPS. For 1440p, High settings are just shy of the 60 FPS mark at 84.8 FPS, while Ultra drops to 65.9 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for high-refresh displays. The 1080p results are the only ones that consistently exceed 60 FPS, with all presets except Ultra staying above 120 FPS.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600G is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 3 architecture, with a base clock of 3.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. Its benchmark scores suggest it is a solid mid-range performer, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 16758 and a single-core score of 2365. The CPU’s percentile ranking of 78 places it above the majority of tested processors, and its average benchmark score of 19983 is nearly identical to the Intel Core i7-11600H, which scores 19949 (a 0.2% delta).

In The Technomancer, the CPU’s role is most apparent at 1080p, where the frame rates are high enough to expose any processing bottlenecks. At Low settings, the 192.9 FPS average suggests that the 5600G is not holding back the RTX 3070. The difference between Low and Medium at 1080p (192.9 vs 151.1 FPS) is 27.7%, which is a larger relative gap than at 4K (66.9 vs 54.7 FPS, a 22.3% difference). This indicates that at lower resolutions, the CPU has enough headroom to process the game’s logic and draw calls, allowing the GPU to work at its maximum potential. The 3DMark single-thread score of 872 and multi-thread score of 5455 further support the idea that the CPU is capable of handling the game’s demands without becoming a limiting factor.

The CPU’s 16 MB of L3 cache and dual-channel DDR4 memory support are sufficient for a game of this era. The Passmark multi-thread score of 19717 and integer math score of 67344 indicate strong general-purpose performance, which translates to consistent frame pacing in CPU-bound sections. However, the data does not show any specific scenario where the CPU becomes the bottleneck, as even the most demanding 4K Ultra preset (37.8 FPS) is clearly GPU-limited. The CPU’s performance is effectively a non-issue for this combination in this game.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 is the dominant component in this pairing, and its performance dictates the overall experience. With 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, offering a bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s, the GPU has ample memory throughput for The Technomancer’s textures and effects. The GPU’s boost clock of 1725 MHz and 5888 shading units provide substantial compute power, reflected in its Passmark G3D score of 22214 and Geekbench Vulkan score of 120664.

The GPU’s percentile ranking of 72 places it ahead of most graphics cards, and its average benchmark score of 28238 is competitive. It sits just below the AMD FirePro S7150 (28409, a -0.6% delta) and above the AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT (27985, a 0.9% delta). This positioning suggests the RTX 3070 is a strong performer, but the measured FPS in The Technomancer shows that it struggles with the game’s heaviest settings. At 4K Ultra, the GPU can only manage 37.8 FPS, which is a clear sign that the game’s visual fidelity at that preset exceeds what the GPU can handle for smooth gameplay.

The scaling from Medium to High at 4K (54.7 to 47.7 FPS) shows a 14.7% drop, while the jump from High to Ultra (47.7 to 37.8 FPS) is a more significant 26.2% reduction. This suggests that the Ultra preset introduces features that disproportionately tax the GPU, likely related to shadows, reflections, or post-processing effects. The 8 GB VRAM is not directly indicated as a limiting factor in the data, but the GPU’s overall compute and memory bandwidth are clearly the primary constraints at higher resolutions. The GPU’s DirectX 12 score of 85 in Passmark is notably low, but the game’s performance at 1080p High (124.1 FPS) shows that the GPU can deliver excellent results when the resolution is more manageable.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured frame rates, the optimal balance of visual quality and performance depends on the target resolution. For 1920x1080, the High preset at 124.1 FPS is the best choice, as it provides a smooth experience well above the 60 FPS threshold while maintaining solid visual fidelity. The Medium preset (151.1 FPS) is also viable for players seeking higher refresh rates, but High offers a better visual return for the 21.6% performance cost. The Ultra preset at 98.8 FPS is still playable, but the performance hit relative to High is 25.6%, making it less appealing unless the user prioritizes maximum eye candy.

At 2560x1440, the High preset at 84.8 FPS is the recommended starting point, as it comfortably exceeds 60 FPS and provides a good visual experience. The Medium preset (97.4 FPS) is a strong alternative for those who want more headroom, while the Ultra preset (65.9 FPS) is close to the 60 FPS target but may exhibit stutters in demanding scenes. For 3840x2160, the Low preset at 66.9 FPS is the only option that maintains a playable frame rate, but it comes with significant visual compromises. The Medium preset (54.7 FPS) is borderline, and High (47.7 FPS) and Ultra (37.8 FPS) are not recommended for smooth gameplay. The data suggests that 1440p High is the sweet spot for this combination, offering a balance of visual quality and performance without sacrificing responsiveness.

FAQ

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

A: The data indicates that 2560x1440 with High settings (84.8 FPS) provides the best balance, as it stays well above 60 FPS while offering better visuals than 1080p. At 4K, even Low settings only achieve 66.9 FPS, making it a less viable option.

Q: How much faster is 1080p compared to 4K on High settings?

A: At High settings, the average frame rate at 1080p is 124.1 FPS, which is 160.2% higher than the 47.7 FPS seen at 4K. This highlights the significant performance cost of rendering at 4K on this GPU.

Q: Does the CPU bottleneck the GPU at 1080p?

A: No, the data shows that at 1080p Low, the system reaches 192.9 FPS, indicating the Ryzen 5 5600G has enough headroom. The CPU’s Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2365 and multi-core score of 16758 suggest it is well-suited for feeding the RTX 3070 at this resolution.

Q: Is the Ultra preset worth the performance hit at 1440p?

A: The Ultra preset at 1440p yields 65.9 FPS, which is 28.7% lower than the High preset’s 84.8 FPS. Given the relatively small visual gains typically associated with Ultra over High, the performance cost makes High the more sensible choice.

Q: How does the RTX 3070 compare to its nearest rival in raw benchmarks?

A: The RTX 3070’s average benchmark score of 28238 is 0.9% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT (27985) and 1% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti (27956). It trails the AMD FirePro S7150 by 0.6% (28409).

Q: What is the highest playable frame rate at 4K?

A: The highest average frame rate at 3840x2160 is 66.9 FPS, achieved with Low settings. This is the only 4K preset that clears the 60 FPS threshold, while Medium (54.7 FPS) and above fall below it.