The Technomancer

The Technomancer, a 2016 Action RPG, presents a demanding workload that clearly separates CPU and GPU responsibilities. For the AMD Ryzen 5 8400F and AMD Radeon RX 9060 combination, the data reveals a system that is firmly GPU-limited at higher resolutions, while the CPU’s strong single-threaded performance ensures high frame rates at 1080p. The benchmark results indicate that this pairing is best utilized at 1440p with Medium settings, where it achieves a balanced 79 FPS average, avoiding the sharp performance penalties of Ultra settings and the visual compromises of Low.

FAQ

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

A: The data suggests 2560x1440 is the sweet spot. At this resolution, the High preset delivers a 67 FPS average, while Medium reaches 79 FPS. This avoids the 4K performance drop, where even High settings only manage 37 FPS, and the 1080p results, which, while faster, do not utilize the GPU as effectively.

Q: How much faster is the 1080p Low preset compared to the 4K Ultra preset?

A: The difference is substantial. The 1080p Low preset achieves an average of 157 FPS, while the 4K Ultra preset averages only 29 FPS. This represents a performance gap of 128 FPS, highlighting the extreme scaling cost from 1080p to 4K at the highest settings.

Q: Is the Ryzen 5 8400F a bottleneck for the RX 9060 at 1080p?

A: The benchmark data suggests that the CPU’s performance is sufficient to feed the GPU at 1080p. The 157 FPS result at Low settings indicates that the CPU is not holding back the frame rate, as the GPU is still able to produce a very high number of frames. The CPU's single-thread score of 951 in 3dmark_single_thread supports this, showing strong per-core performance.

Q: How does the RX 9060 compare to its nearest rivals in raw benchmark scores?

A: The RX 9060's average benchmark score is 16014, which places it nearly on par with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti, which scores 16129, a delta of -0.7%. It is also closely matched with the AMD Radeon RX 7700, which scores 15852, a delta of 1%. This indicates the RX 9060 is positioned in the same performance tier as these cards.

Q: What is the penalty for using the Ultra preset at 1440p instead of the High preset?

A: The cost is significant. Moving from High to Ultra at 2560x1440 drops the average frame rate from 67 FPS to 52 FPS, a decrease of 15 FPS. This is a 22% performance hit for the increased visual fidelity, which may not be worth it for a game like The Technomancer.

Q: Is the 8 GB VRAM of the RX 9060 a limiting factor at 4K?

A: While the data does not explicitly confirm a VRAM capacity issue, the 4K results are very low. The average FPS at 4K Ultra is 29 FPS, and even at Low settings, it only reaches 56 FPS. This suggests the GPU's processing power is the primary limiting factor at this resolution, as the performance scales poorly regardless of the settings level.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 9060 is the central component in determining frame rates for The Technomancer, particularly at higher resolutions. Its performance profile, defined by its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus with 288.0 GB/s bandwidth, and its 1792 shading units, dictates how the game scales with visual demands. The GPU’s boost clock of 2990 MHz and game clock of 2400 MHz provide the raw processing speed, while its 64 ROPs handle the final pixel output.

The measured FPS data shows a clear pattern: as resolution increases, the frame rate drops substantially, which is the classic sign of GPU-bound performance. At 1080p, the GPU is less stressed, allowing for high frame rates. For instance, the High preset at 1080p achieves 103 FPS, while the same preset at 4K drops to just 37 FPS. This indicates that the RX 9060's compute and memory resources are being saturated by the higher pixel count at 4K.

The GPU’s benchmark scores place it in a specific performance tier. Its Passmark G3D score of 17631 and an average benchmark score of 16014 put it in the 59th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti, has a similar average score of 16129, with a delta of -0.7%, showing the RX 9060 is a direct competitor. The GPU's performance in The Technomancer reflects this positioning; it can handle 1440p well but struggles to maintain playable frame rates at 4K, where the pixel fill rate and memory bandwidth become limiting factors.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate data from The Technomancer reveals a steep scaling curve as resolution increases, pointing to the GPU as the primary bottleneck. Moving from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440, the average FPS drops by roughly 35%, and moving further to 3840x2160 results in a total drop of over 60% from the 1080p baseline, depending on the settings preset.

For example, at High settings, the average FPS falls from 103 at 1080p to 67 at 1440p, and then to 37 at 4K. This pattern is consistent across all settings. At Low settings, the drop is from 157 FPS at 1080p to 102 FPS at 1440p and then to 56 FPS at 4K. The consistent scaling ratio indicates that the limiting component is the GPU's ability to process and output pixels, not the CPU.

This behavior confirms that the Ryzen 5 8400F is not the limiting factor in this game. The CPU's strong single-threaded performance, evidenced by its 3dmark_single_thread score of 951 and Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2943, is sufficient to keep up with the GPU at lower resolutions. The frame rate drops are almost entirely attributable to the increased rendering load on the RX 9060. The data suggests that for a smooth experience, 1440p is the practical ceiling for this combination, as 4K performance falls below the 60 FPS threshold even on the Low preset.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a detailed look at the system's performance across different resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the system is capable of very high frame rates. The Low preset averages 157 FPS, Medium averages 120 FPS with a minimum of 102 FPS, High averages 103 FPS, and Ultra averages 80 FPS. This shows that at 1080p, the RX 9060 has ample headroom, and even the most demanding Ultra preset remains well above 60 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the performance is still solid but the GPU begins to feel the load. The Low preset delivers a strong 102 FPS average. The Medium preset averages 79 FPS, with a minimum of 67 FPS, which is still smooth for most displays. The High preset averages 67 FPS, and the Ultra preset drops to an average of 52 FPS. This resolution offers a good balance between visual fidelity and performance, with High and Medium being the most viable options.

At 3840x2160, the RX 9060 is clearly overburdened. The Low preset is the only one that approaches playability, with an average of 56 FPS. The Medium preset averages 43 FPS with a minimum of 37 FPS, which will result in noticeable stuttering. The High preset averages 37 FPS, and the Ultra preset drops to a low 29 FPS average. These results show that 4K is not a viable option for this hardware combination in The Technomancer, as even the lowest settings cannot maintain a consistent 60 FPS.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 8400F plays a supporting role in The Technomancer, providing the necessary processing power to avoid becoming a bottleneck. With 6 cores and 12 threads based on the Zen 4 architecture, its performance is strong for gaming. Its base clock of 4.20 GHz and boost clock of 4.70 GHz ensure high single-threaded throughput, which is critical for older game engines like the one used in The Technomancer.

The CPU's benchmark scores confirm its capability. Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 20851 and single-core score of 2943 indicate a balanced processor that excels in both multi-threaded and single-threaded tasks. The 3dmark_max_threads score of 6165 and 3dmark_16_threads score of 6091 show that it can handle the game's threading demands without issue. Its Passmark single-thread score of 3685 is particularly relevant for this game, as it suggests the CPU can quickly process game logic and draw calls.

The data shows that the CPU is not the primary constraint. The frame rate scaling across resolutions is consistent with a GPU-bound scenario. The Ryzen 5 8400F's performance puts it in the 77th percentile of all CPUs, and its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 5 7500F, has a nearly identical average score (24964 vs 25005, a delta of 0.2%). This level of performance is more than adequate to support the RX 9060, ensuring that the GPU is the limiting factor in this pairing.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for the AMD Ryzen 5 8400F and AMD Radeon RX 9060 combination in The Technomancer depend on the target resolution and desired frame rate.

For a 1440p experience, the Medium preset is the best choice. It provides a solid average of 79 FPS, with a minimum of 67 FPS, ensuring a smooth and consistent gameplay experience. The High preset is also viable, with an average of 67 FPS, but it offers no performance headroom for demanding scenes. The Ultra preset should be avoided, as the 52 FPS average is below the 60 FPS target for smooth action.

For 1080p, players have more freedom. The High preset is an excellent choice, delivering a 103 FPS average that is well above the 60 FPS threshold. The Medium preset offers an even higher 120 FPS average, which is beneficial for high-refresh-rate monitors. The Ultra preset, at 80 FPS, is also playable and offers the highest visual quality without dropping below 60 FPS.

For 4K, the data suggests that this hardware combination is not suitable for a good experience. Even the Low preset only manages a 56 FPS average, which is borderline. The Medium preset's 43 FPS average and the High preset's 37 FPS average are too low for a playable experience. The Ultra preset's 29 FPS average is unplayable. Users should stick to 1440p or lower for this game.