The Technomancer

The Technomancer, a 2016 action RPG, is not typically the first title that springs to mind for modern hardware stress testing, yet its engine responds revealingly to a contemporary mid-range pairing. The combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X CPU and the AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT GPU produces a dataset that highlights the game's distinct scaling behavior and the shifting bottleneck between processor and graphics card as resolution climbs. This analysis draws exclusively from measured frame rate data across three resolutions and four quality presets, alongside the benchmark and specification data for both components.

At 1080p, this combo delivers exceptionally high frame rates, with the Low preset averaging 196 FPS. As resolution increases, those numbers diminish predictably, yet the pattern of decline reveals more than simple pixel count scaling. The data suggests the Ryzen 5 5600X, a 6-core, 12-thread Zen 3 processor with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 4.60 GHz, provides more than enough compute for this title at lower resolutions. Conversely, the Radeon RX 7700 XT, with 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus and a boost clock of 2544 MHz, becomes the primary limiter as pixel count rises. The following sections dissect the role each component plays, how this pairing ranks among thousands of tested combos, and which settings yield the best experience.

FAQ

Q: How does the frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K at High settings?

A: At 1080p High, the average frame rate is 128 FPS. Moving to 1440p High drops this to 84 FPS, a reduction of 44 FPS. At 4K High, the average frame rate further declines to 46 FPS, which is 82 FPS lower than the 1080p result. The data shows a 64% reduction in average FPS from 1080p to 4K High.

Q: What is the performance difference between the Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 1440p, the Low preset averages 128 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 66 FPS. This is a difference of 62 FPS. The Medium preset sits between them at 98 FPS, and the High preset averages 84 FPS.

Q: How does the Ryzen 5 5600X's performance compare to its nearest rival, the Intel Core i7-11700?

A: The Ryzen 5 5600X has an average benchmark score of 21771. The Intel Core i7-11700 has a slightly higher average score of 21891, which translates to a deltaPct of -0.5%. This indicates the two processors are virtually identical in overall synthetic performance, with the Intel part holding a negligible 0.5% advantage.

Q: How does the Radeon RX 7700 XT compare to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 in the GPU benchmark data?

A: The RX 7700 XT has an average benchmark score of 22549, while the GeForce RTX 2080 has an average score of 22895. The deltaPct for the RTX 2080 is -1.5%, indicating the RX 7700 XT is about 1.5% behind the RTX 2080 in these aggregated benchmark results.

Q: Which resolution and setting combination allows the Radeon RX 7700 XT to exceed 100 FPS?

A: The data shows that at 1920x1080, the High preset delivers 128 FPS, Medium delivers 150 FPS, and Low delivers 196 FPS. At 2560x1440, only the Low preset achieves over 128 FPS. The only 4K preset to break 100 FPS is the Low setting with 70 FPS.

Q: Where does this CPU and GPU combination rank among all tested combos in The Technomancer?

A: The combo ranks #1395 out of 3696 tested combinations. This places it in the top 37.8% of all tested combos.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600X is a 6-core, 12-thread processor built on the Zen 3 architecture. It has a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 4.60 GHz. The CPU's benchmark data shows a strong single-threaded performance, with a Passmark single-thread score of 3364 and a 3DMark single-thread score of 917. This kind of single-thread performance is relevant for games like The Technomancer, which was released in 2016 and likely leans on fewer threads.

The data paints a nuanced picture of the CPU's role. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 196 FPS. With such a high frame rate, the CPU's processing speed is likely to be the primary limiter, as the GPU's load at Low settings is relatively light. The 5600X's 12 threads and high boost clock of 4.60 GHz are sufficient to feed the GPU at 196 FPS. The difference between 1080p Low (196 FPS) and 1080p Ultra (100 FPS) is a 96 FPS drop. If the CPU was the sole bottleneck, we would expect the frame rate to stay flat regardless of settings, which it does not. This indicates that as settings increase, the GPU begins handling more work, and frame rate becomes more tied to GPU speed.

Multi-threaded synthetic benchmarks for the 5600X show a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 11838, a Geekbench multi-core score of 9173, and a Passmark multithread score of 21858. While these numbers are impressive for a 6-core part, the game's performance data suggests that single-core strength is more important. The 3DMark 2-thread score is 18345, and the 3DMark 4-thread score is 3363. The 3DMark 8-thread score is 4811, and the 3DMark 16-thread score is 5582. The jump from 4-thread to 8-thread is significant, but the jump from 8-thread to 16-thread is minimal. This suggests the CPU has enough multi-threading headroom for a game from 2019.

The CPU's performance relative to its rivals is very tight. Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 7 4800H, has an average score of 21749 (deltaPct 0.1%), while the Ryzen 5 PRO 6650U scores 21874 (deltaPct -0.5%). The Intel Core i7-11700 scores 21891 (deltaPct -0.5%), and the AMD EPYC 9554P scores 21899 (deltaPct -0.6%). The 5600X is within 0.6% of all these parts. This suggests the CPU is a very consistent performer, and any differences in game FPS would be more attributable to the GPU than to the CPU.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT is the primary driver of this game's visual output. It features 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, offering a memory bandwidth of 432.0 GB/s. Its base clock is 1435 MHz, with a game clock of 2171 MHz and a boost clock of 2544 MHz. The GPU has 3456 shading units, 216 texture mapping units, and 96 ROPs. Its compute power is rated at 35.17 TFLOPS FP32.

The GPU's role becomes clearer when analyzing the frame rate scaling. At 1080p Ultra, the combo hits 100 FPS. At 1440p Ultra, it falls to 66 FPS. At 4K Ultra, it drops to 36 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p is a 34% reduction, and from 1440p to 4K is a 45% reduction. These percentages are larger than what would be expected from pixel count alone, which indicates the GPU is a bottleneck as resolution increases. The 12 GB of VRAM is a relevant asset for 4K textures, but at 4K Ultra, the game still only manages 36 FPS. This is likely due to the compute load exceeding the GPU's capabilities.

The GPU's synthetic benchmark scores are robust, with a Passmark G3D score of 22547 and a Geekbench OpenCL score of 138383. Its percentile ranking is 67, placing it above the median of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals in the dataset are the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Mobile (avgScore 22435, deltaPct 0.5%), the RTX 4060 Mobile (avgScore 22729, deltaPct -0.8%), the RTX 2080 (avgScore 22895, deltaPct -1.5%), and the AMD Radeon RX 5700 (avgScore 22170, deltaPct 1.7%). The RX 7700 XT is very close to all of these, with the RTX 2080 holding a small edge. This grouping of scores suggests the RX 7700 XT is a solid performer, but not a class leader.

How This Combo Ranks

The combined CPU and GPU pair has a comboRankInGame of #1395 out of 3696 tested combos. This means the combo is in the top 37.8% of all tested systems. Given the CPU's percentile rank of 75 (75th percentile of all CPUs) and the GPU's percentile rank of 67 (67th percentile of all GPUs), the combined rank is very consistent with both parts. The combo rank being lower than either part's individual percentile suggests that this game may be more sensitive to GPU performance than to CPU, pushing the combo slightly down the order.

The fact that the GPU's nearest rivals include the RTX 4060 Mobile and the RTX 2080, both strong cards, indicates the RX 7700 XT is a competitive part. Yet the combo's rank at 1395 is not in the top 1000. This implies many systems with stronger GPUs or better balanced CPU/GPU combinations outperform this one in The Technomancer. The 5600X's 75th percentile is good, but not top-tier, and the GPU's 67th percentile is a bit lower. The combined rank of 1395 reflects that.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K shows a clear trend of GPU-bound behavior. Here is the data for the High setting across the three resolutions:

• 1080p High: 128 FPS
• 1440p High: 84 FPS
• 4K High: 46 FPS

The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 44 FPS (a 34.4% reduction). The drop from 1440p to 4K is 38 FPS (a 45.2% reduction). The percentage drop from 1080p to 4K is 64.1%. This is a substantial drop that scales with the pixel count. For instance, 4K has four times the pixels of 1080p; if the game were perfectly CPU-bound, the frame rate would remain flat. The fact that it drops 64% shows that as resolution increases, the GPU becomes the dominant limiter.

The Low preset shows the same trend:

• 1080p Low: 196 FPS
• 1440p Low: 128 FPS
• 4K Low: 70 FPS

The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 68 FPS (34.7%). From 1440p to 4K is 58 FPS (45.3%). The percentage drop from 1080p to 4K is 64.3%, almost identical to the High preset. This indicates that the scaling is purely resolution-driven, not setting-driven. The game is GPU-bound at all settings when resolution increases.

The Ultra preset shows a different but still GPU-bound trend:

• 1080p Ultra: 100 FPS
• 1440p Ultra: 66 FPS
• 4K Ultra: 36 FPS

The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 34 FPS (34%). From 1440p to 4K is 30 FPS (45%). The drop from 1080p to 4K is 64%. The percentage is consistent. This reinforces that the GPU is the limiting factor at all resolutions when the setting is Ultra, and even at Low, the CPU is not the bottleneck at 1440p and 4K.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of performance. The table below outlines the average FPS for each resolution and setting:

| Resolution | Settings | Avg FPS | Min FPS | Max FPS |

|------------|----------|---------|---------|---------|

| 3840x2160 | High | 46 | - | - |

| 3840x2160 | Low | 70 | - | - |

| 3840x2160 | Medium | 54 | 46 | 62 |

| 3840x2160 | Ultra | 36 | - | - |

| 2560x1440 | High | 84 | - | - |

| 2560x1440 | Low | 128 | - | - |

| 2560x1440 | Medium | 98 | 84 | 113 |

| 2560x1440 | Ultra | 66 | - | - |

| 1920x1080 | High | 128 | - | - |

| 1920x1080 | Low | 196 | - | - |

| 1920x1080 | Medium | 150 | 128 | 173 |

| 1920x1080 | Ultra | 100 | - | - |

The Medium preset is the only one with min and max FPS data. At 1080p Medium, the average is 150 FPS with a min of 128 and max of 173. At 1440p Medium, the average drops to 98 FPS with a min of 84 and a max of 113. At 4K Medium, the average is 54 FPS with a min of 46 and max of 62. This min-max spread indicates a variance of 45 FPS at 1080p, 29 FPS at 1440p, and 16 FPS at 4K. The lower variance at 4K suggests that the frame pacing becomes more consistent when the GPU is heavily loaded.

The Low settings show the highest frame rates. At 1080p Low, the 196 FPS is the best result of any configuration. The Ultra settings show the lowest. At 4K Ultra, only 36 FPS is achieved, which is not a smooth experience for an action RPG. The High preset sits between Medium and Ultra, offering a balanced 46 FPS at 4K.

Settings Recommendations

For the best experience in The Technomancer, the data suggests a clear hierarchy based on desired frame rate and resolution.

For 1080p, the High preset delivers 128 FPS, which is excellent for a smooth experience. The Medium preset delivers 150 FPS, even smoother, but the visual difference between High and Medium may be negligible to many players. The Ultra preset at 100 FPS is also very good, and given the game is from 2016, Ultra settings will look great. For 1080p, any preset from High to Ultra is playable, but the Ultra preset provides the best visual quality with a still-very-playable 100 FPS. The Low preset at 196 FPS is excessive for most displays.

For 1440p, the High preset at 84 FPS is the best balance, offering fluid frame rates without sacrificing too many visual details. The Medium preset at 98 FPS is also strong, providing a higher frame rate at a slight visual cost. The Ultra preset at 66 FPS is still playable, but it is approaching the lower threshold for a smooth action RPG. 84 FPS is preferable to 66 FPS, but 66 FPS is still within a playable range.

For 4K, the situation is more challenging. The Ultra preset at 36 FPS is not a good experience for a game that relies on responsive combat. The High preset at 46 FPS is better, but still not ideal. The Medium preset at 54 FPS with a min of 46 is the best compromise. The Low preset at 70 FPS is the only way to achieve a consistently smooth frame rate at 4K. If a player prioritizes visual fidelity, the Medium preset is the recommended choice, as it offers a 54 FPS average with a 46 FPS minimum, which is the lowest of the three playable settings. However, for a responsive action game, the Low preset at 70 FPS is the optimal choice.

The data shows that the Medium preset consistently provides the best balance of frame rate and visual quality across all resolutions, with the 4K Medium being the only 4K setting with a min FPS data point at 46 FPS. If the goal is to maintain a 60 FPS average, the 4K High at 46 FPS does not manage it, but the 4K Medium at 54 FPS does. Therefore, the recommended preset for 4K is Medium. For 1440p, High is recommended for its balance, and for 1080p, High or Ultra are both excellent, with Ultra offering the highest fidelity without dropping below 100 FPS.