The Technomancer

The Technomancer is an Action RPG from 2016 that stresses hardware in an uneven way. This analysis covers the AMD Ryzen 5 7500F and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER pairing. The data shows a combination where the CPU has ample headroom, but the GPU becomes the decisive factor at higher resolutions and settings. The measured frame rates reveal a system that can comfortably handle 1080p, but requires careful settings management to remain playable at 4K.

FAQ

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

A: Based on the measured FPS data, 1920x1080 is the only resolution where all settings presets achieve playable frame rates. At 1080p, the average FPS ranges from 56 (Ultra) to 110 (Low), while at 2560x1440 the range drops to 37-72, and at 3840x2160 it falls to 20-39.

Q: How much of a performance gap exists between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: The difference is substantial. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers an average of 110 FPS, while Ultra drops to 56 FPS. This represents a 54 FPS difference, meaning the Ultra preset nearly halves the frame rate compared to Low.

Q: Is the GTX 1660 SUPER capable of running The Technomancer at 4K?

A: At 3840x2160, the GPU produces an average of 39 FPS on Low settings, 30 FPS on Medium, 26 FPS on High, and 20 FPS on Ultra. The data indicates that only the Low preset approaches acceptable playability, while Medium and above fall below the 30 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay.

Q: How does the Ryzen 5 7500F compare to its closest CPU rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Ryzen 5 7500F has an average benchmark score of 24964. Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 5 8400F, scores 25005, which is 0.2% higher. The Intel Core i7-11850H is 0.1% lower at 24935, and the Intel Core 5 210H trails by 0.4% with a score of 24872.

Q: What is the GPU's percentile ranking among all GPUs?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER sits at the 53rd percentile of all GPUs. Its average benchmark score is 12986, placing it just ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 580 (12928, which is 0.4% lower) and slightly behind the NVIDIA Tesla M2090 (13075, which is 0.7% higher).

Q: Does the CPU bottleneck the GPU in this game at any resolution?

A: The benchmark data suggests the CPU is not the limiting factor. At 1080p Low, the combo reaches 110 FPS, and at 1440p Low it achieves 72 FPS. The frame rate scales consistently with resolution and settings, indicating the GPU is the primary constraint throughout the tested configurations.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 7500F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor from the 7000 series built on the Zen 4 architecture. It operates with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz, which provides strong single-thread performance that The Technomancer can utilize. The CPU's 32 MB of shared L3 cache and 1 MB per-core L2 cache help keep frequently accessed data close to the cores, reducing latency in gameplay scenarios.

In synthetic benchmarks, the Ryzen 5 7500F demonstrates solid multi-threaded capability with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 22799 and a single-core score of 3218. The 3DMark results show scaling from 1902 (2 threads) to 6379 (max threads), indicating that the processor efficiently uses additional threads. This matters for The Technomancer, which can leverage multiple cores for physics and AI calculations, though the game's engine is not exceptionally demanding on CPU resources.

The CPU's percentile ranking of 77 places it above the majority of all CPUs. Compared to its nearest rivals, the Ryzen 5 7500F is essentially tied with the Intel Core i7-11850H (0.1% faster), the AMD Ryzen 5 8400F (0.2% slower), and the Intel Core i7-13620H (0.2% faster). This performance level ensures that the processor will not bottleneck the GTX 1660 SUPER in The Technomancer, as the measured frame rates are consistently GPU-limited.

The 65W TDP and 5 nm process node (TSMC) indicate efficient power delivery, and the CPU supports DDR5 memory with dual-channel configuration. The 83.2 GB/s memory bandwidth and PCIe Gen 5 interface provide ample data transfer capabilities for the GPU. In practice, the Ryzen 5 7500F's job is to feed the GPU with draw calls and game logic, and the benchmark data shows it does so without introducing frame rate ceilings.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER is a Turing-architecture GPU on the 12 nm process node, featuring 1408 shading units, 88 texture mapping units, and 48 raster output units. It operates at a base clock of 1530 MHz with a boost clock of 1785 MHz. The GPU is equipped with 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, delivering 336.0 GB/s of memory bandwidth.

In The Technomancer, the GPU's memory capacity and bandwidth are critical because the game's textures and effects scale with settings. The 6 GB VRAM is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p gameplay, but at 4K the Ultra preset may push memory usage higher. The measured FPS data shows that the GPU is the dominant factor in determining performance across all tested configurations.

The GPU's synthetic benchmark results show a PassMark G3D score of 12699 and a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1278. Its average benchmark score of 12986 places it at the 53rd percentile of all GPUs. The closest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Mobile, scores 12940 (0.4% lower), while the AMD Radeon RX 580 is also 0.4% lower at 12928. The AMD Radeon 740M is 0.9% behind with a score of 12870.

The GTX 1660 SUPER's FP32 performance of 5.027 TFLOPS and pixel rate of 85.68 GPixel/s indicate its rasterization capabilities. The GPU supports DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, which covers The Technomancer's API requirements. With a 125W TDP and a suggested PSU of 300W, the card is power-efficient for its performance class.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured frame rates across all resolutions and settings provide a clear picture of the system's capabilities in The Technomancer. At 1920x1080, the Low preset achieves an average of 110 FPS, Medium reaches 84 FPS (with a range of 72 to 97), High delivers 72 FPS, and Ultra drops to 56 FPS. These numbers show that 1080p is well within the GPU's comfort zone, with even the most demanding preset maintaining a playable frame rate.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance scales down predictably. The Low preset averages 72 FPS, which is a 38 FPS drop from 1080p Low. Medium averages 55 FPS (ranging from 47 to 63), High averages 47 FPS, and Ultra falls to 37 FPS. At this resolution, the Low and Medium presets remain fully playable, while High and Ultra are acceptable for less demanding players.

At 3840x2160, the GPU begins to struggle. The Low preset averages 39 FPS, which is marginally playable. Medium averages 30 FPS with a range of 26 to 35, placing it on the edge of smoothness. High drops to 26 FPS, and Ultra falls to 20 FPS. These results indicate that 4K gameplay requires significant compromises in settings, and even then, the experience may not be consistently fluid.

The data reveals a consistent pattern of frame rate scaling. At each resolution, the difference between Low and Ultra is roughly a 50% reduction in average FPS. For example, at 1080p, the gap is 54 FPS (110 to 56), at 1440p it is 35 FPS (72 to 37), and at 4K it is 19 FPS (39 to 20). This consistent scaling suggests that the GPU's workload increases proportionally with settings, without any unexpected bottlenecks.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and illustrates the GPU's limitations. At Low settings, the average FPS falls from 110 at 1080p to 72 at 1440p, then to 39 at 4K. This represents a 64.5% reduction from 1080p to 4K. At Medium settings, the drop is from 84 to 55 to 30, a 64.3% reduction. High settings fall from 72 to 47 to 26, a 63.9% reduction, and Ultra goes from 56 to 37 to 20, a 64.3% reduction.

The consistency of these percentage drops across all settings strongly indicates that the GPU is the limiting component. If the CPU were the bottleneck, the frame rate would not scale so predictably with resolution changes. The GTX 1660 SUPER's 6 GB VRAM and 336.0 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for 1080p and 1440p, but at 4K the increased pixel count demands more from the GPU's shading units and memory subsystem.

The scaling factor from 1080p to 1440p is approximately 1.5x the pixel count, and the frame rates reflect this. At Low settings, 110 FPS at 1080p becomes 72 FPS at 1440p, which is a 1.53x reduction. From 1440p to 4K, the pixel count doubles, and the frame rate drops from 72 to 39, a 1.85x reduction. This slight super-linear scaling at 4K suggests that memory bandwidth becomes a more significant constraint at higher resolutions.

For players targeting 4K, the data indicates that only the Low preset (39 FPS) approaches playability, and even that may feel inconsistent. Medium at 30 FPS is borderline, with minimums dipping to 26 FPS. The CPU's strong performance, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 22799, does not compensate for the GPU's workload at 4K, confirming that the GTX 1660 SUPER is the primary constraint in this configuration.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal experience depends on the target resolution. At 1920x1080, the High preset at 72 FPS provides a good balance of visual quality and performance. Players who prefer higher frame rates can use Medium at 84 FPS, which still offers decent visuals. The Ultra preset at 56 FPS is playable but may not be worth the visual gains over High, given the 16 FPS penalty.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset at 55 FPS is the recommended choice, as it maintains smooth gameplay with a minimum of 47 FPS. The High preset at 47 FPS is also viable, though it leaves less headroom for demanding scenes. The Low preset at 72 FPS is excessive for this resolution and sacrifices too much visual quality for marginal performance benefits.

For 3840x2160, the data shows that no preset delivers a consistently smooth experience. The Low preset at 39 FPS is the only option that approaches playability, but even this may suffer from frame pacing issues. The Medium preset at 30 FPS is marginal, with minimums of 26 FPS, which could result in noticeable stutters. Players should consider lowering the resolution to 1440p for a more reliable experience.

The benchmark results indicate that the sweet spot for this combination is 1080p with High or Medium settings. At this resolution, the GPU has sufficient headroom to maintain high frame rates without compromising visual quality. The CPU's performance, which puts it at the 77th percentile, ensures that it will not hold back the GPU in any of these scenarios. For the best balance of visual fidelity and smoothness, the 1080p High preset (72 FPS) or 1440p Medium preset (55 FPS) are the most practical choices based on the measured data.