The Technomancer

The Technomancer, a 2016 Action RPG, presents a demanding workload that scales significantly with resolution and graphics settings. This analysis of the AMD Ryzen 5 7500X3D and AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT combination reveals a system that is capable of high refresh rates at 1080p but becomes increasingly GPU-bound as resolution climbs. The measured data indicates a clear performance hierarchy across the tested configurations.

Resolution Scaling

The data shows a pronounced impact on frame rates as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At High settings, the average frame rate drops from 128 FPS at 1080p to 84 FPS at 1440p, a reduction of 34.4%. Moving to 4K at High settings yields an average of 46 FPS, which is a 64.1% decrease from the 1080p result. This steep decline suggests that the rendering workload is scaling heavily with pixel count, a typical characteristic for a GPU-intensive title.

The pattern is consistent across all settings. At Low settings, the transition from 1080p to 1440p sees the average FPS fall from 196 to 128, a 34.7% drop. Pushing to 4K Low brings the average down to 70 FPS, a 64.3% reduction from 1080p. This uniformity in scaling percentages across different quality presets indicates that the resolution itself, not the specific graphics features, is the primary driver of the performance cost.

The data suggests that at 1080p, the system has ample headroom, with the GPU not being the sole limiting factor. The 128 FPS average at High and 196 FPS at Low point to a scenario where the CPU may be playing a more significant role in determining the final frame rate. However, as the resolution increases, the GPU's fill rate and shading capabilities become the dominant constraint. The sharp drop to 46 FPS at 4K High demonstrates that the RX 7700 XT is being pushed to its limits at this resolution, making it the clear bottleneck in the system. The 1440p results represent a middle ground, where the GPU is heavily loaded but still able to deliver respectable performance.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT is the central component driving the visual output. Its specifications include 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 432.0 GB/s. The GPU operates at a base clock of 1435 MHz and a boost clock of 2544 MHz, with a game clock of 2171 MHz. These characteristics are directly relevant to the measured performance.

At 4K resolution, the 12 GB VRAM capacity is sufficient for the game's assets, but the bandwidth and raw compute power become critical. The data shows that at 4K Ultra, the average frame rate drops to just 36 FPS. This is a significant performance hit, indicating that the GPU's 35.17 TFLOPS of FP32 compute and 549.5 GTexel/s texture rate are insufficient for the highest settings at this resolution.

The GPU's role shifts from being a capable performer at 1080p to a definitive limiting factor at 4K. The benchmark results indicate that the RX 7700 XT is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming in this title, where it can maintain high average frame rates. The 46 FPS average at 4K High and 54 FPS at 4K Medium are playable but do not reach the smoothness of the lower resolutions. The GPU's 67th percentile ranking among all GPUs reflects its mid-to-high-end positioning, which is consistent with its performance in this specific game.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 7500X3D and the AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT achieves a rank of 1038 out of 2825 tested combos in The Technomancer. This places the system in the 63rd percentile of all tested combinations, indicating a solid, above-average performance profile.

This ranking suggests that while the system is not at the very top tier of performance, it outperforms a majority of other CPU-GPU pairings. The rank is a holistic measure that considers both components' contributions to the final frame rates across all tested resolutions and settings. The data implies that this combo is well-balanced for the game, with neither the CPU nor the GPU severely bottlenecking the other in most scenarios, except for the most extreme 4K Ultra settings. The system's position in the rankings reflects its capability to deliver high frame rates at 1080p and 1440p, which are the more common gaming resolutions, while still being capable of 4K at reduced settings.

FAQ

Q: What is the average frame rate at 1080p with High settings?

A: The AMD Ryzen 5 7500X3D and AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT combination produces an average of 128 FPS at 1920x1080 with High settings.

Q: How does the system perform at 4K resolution?

A: At 3840x2160, the average frame rate varies from 70 FPS at Low settings to 36 FPS at Ultra settings. The High preset yields an average of 46 FPS.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the GPU appears to be the primary limiting factor. The average frame rates of 128 FPS at Low and 84 FPS at High indicate the graphics card is heavily tasked, though the CPU still provides enough headroom to achieve these high numbers.

Q: What is the minimum frame rate recorded in the data?

A: The minimum frame rate recorded is 46 FPS, which occurs at 3840x2160 resolution with Medium settings. This same value is also the average FPS at 4K High, indicating potential for frame drops.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to other tested systems?

A: This specific CPU-GPU combination ranks 1038 out of 2825 tested combos in The Technomancer, placing it in the upper half of all tested configurations.

Q: What is the boost clock of the GPU in this system?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT has a boost clock of 2544 MHz, which is the maximum clock speed it can achieve under load.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 7500X3D, with its 6 cores and 12 threads, operates at a base clock of 4.00 GHz and a boost clock of 4.50 GHz. This processor is built on the 5 nm process and features a shared 96 MB L3 cache, which is a significant amount of fast memory. The CPU's role in The Technomancer becomes evident when analyzing the frame rate scaling across resolutions.

At 1080p, the system achieves an average of 196 FPS at Low settings and 150 FPS at Medium. These high frame rates indicate that the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU with enough data to maintain high performance. The CPU's single-thread score of 3494 in Passmark suggests strong per-core performance, which is often critical for game logic and physics. However, the data shows that as resolution increases, the frame rates drop consistently, implying that the CPU is not the bottleneck at higher resolutions.

The CPU's influence is most apparent at 1080p where the GPU has less work to do per frame. The 128 FPS average at High settings is still very high, but the scaling from Low to High (196 to 128 FPS) shows a 34.7% reduction, which is less steep than the 64% reduction seen when moving from 1080p to 4K at the same settings. This suggests that at 1080p, the CPU is playing a more balanced role, and the GPU's limits are not yet reached. The 89th percentile ranking of the CPU against all others indicates it is a high-performance part, providing a solid foundation for the GPU.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal experience depends on the target resolution. For 1920x1080, the High preset provides an excellent balance with an average of 128 FPS. The Ultra preset, while offering higher visual quality, reduces the average to 100 FPS, which is still smooth but represents a 21.9% performance cost. For players prioritizing maximum frame rates, the Low preset at 196 FPS is available, but the Medium preset at 150 FPS offers a better visual experience with only a 23.5% reduction in performance.

At 2560x1440, the High preset is the recommended choice, delivering an average of 84 FPS. This provides a smooth experience with good visual fidelity. The Ultra preset drops to 66 FPS, which is playable but may not be ideal for fast-paced action. The Medium preset at 98 FPS is a viable alternative for those who prefer higher frame rates, but the visual quality is significantly reduced compared to High. The Low preset at 128 FPS is only recommended for competitive play where frame rate is paramount.

At 3840x2160, the system struggles to maintain high frame rates. The Medium preset yields an average of 54 FPS, which is the most balanced option for 4K, providing a playable experience with reasonable visuals. The High preset at 46 FPS is still playable but approaches the lower limit of smoothness. The Ultra preset at 36 FPS is not recommended, as the frame rate is too low for a fluid experience. The Low preset at 70 FPS is the only way to achieve a higher frame rate at 4K, but it comes with a significant visual compromise.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following data presents the exact average frame rates for each resolution and settings combination:

1920x1080:

• Low: 196 FPS average
• Medium: 150 FPS average (min 128, max 173)
• High: 128 FPS average
• Ultra: 100 FPS average

2560x1440:

• Low: 128 FPS average
• Medium: 98 FPS average (min 84, max 113)
• High: 84 FPS average
• Ultra: 66 FPS average

3840x2160:

• Low: 70 FPS average
• Medium: 54 FPS average (min 46, max 62)
• High: 46 FPS average
• Ultra: 36 FPS average

The data shows a clear and consistent pattern. At each resolution, the frame rate decreases as settings increase from Low to Ultra. The most significant drop occurs between the Medium and Ultra settings at each resolution, with a 33.3% reduction at 1080p (150 to 100 FPS), a 32.7% reduction at 1440p (98 to 66 FPS), and a 33.3% reduction at 4K (54 to 36 FPS). This suggests that the Ultra preset introduces a substantial performance cost, likely due to advanced shading and post-processing effects. The difference between Low and High settings is also notable, with a 34.7% reduction at 1080p and a 34.4% reduction at 1440p, indicating that the High preset's visual improvements come at a consistent relative cost.