The Technomancer

The Technomancer, a 2016 Action RPG, presents an interesting stress test for modern hardware. In this analysis, the pairing of an AMD Ryzen 5 8400F processor with an AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT graphics card yields a robust performance profile across a range of resolutions and settings. The data indicates a system capable of high-refresh-rate 1080p gaming and solid 1440p performance, while 4K gaming requires careful settings management to maintain fluid frame rates. The benchmark results, measured directly, show a clear hierarchy of performance scaling that highlights the GPU as the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions and settings.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this system to achieve high refresh rates?

A: The data shows that at 1920x1080, the system achieves an average of 151.9 FPS on High settings and 179 FPS on Medium. This indicates that 1080p is the target resolution for very high refresh rate displays, potentially exceeding 200 FPS on Low settings (229.2 FPS).

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from 1080p to 1440p?

A: At High settings, the average frame rate drops from 151.9 FPS at 1080p to 101.4 FPS at 1440p. This represents a significant reduction of approximately 33%, showing that the resolution scaling heavily taxes the GPU.

Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming with The Technomancer?

A: The benchmark results indicate that 4K gaming is possible but challenging. At 3840x2160, the system averages 52.4 FPS on High settings and 67.2 FPS on Medium. To achieve a more comfortable 60+ FPS experience, players must use the Medium preset, as the Ultra preset drops the average to 43.8 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU perform relative to other processors in the database?

A: The AMD Ryzen 5 8400F has an average benchmark score of 25064, placing it in the 82nd percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 7 2700X, has a nearly identical average score of 25057, showing a delta of 0%.

Q: What is the GPU's standing compared to other graphics cards?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT holds an average benchmark score of 39647, which places it in the 82nd percentile of all GPUs. This places it in a tight competitive grouping, with its closest rival, the AMD Radeon Pro 575, scoring 39703, a negligible -0.1% difference.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in this game?

A: The performance scaling from 1080p to 4K indicates that the GPU is the primary limiting factor. As resolution increases, the frame rate drops significantly (e.g., from 151.9 FPS to 52.4 FPS at High settings), which is a classic sign of GPU-bound performance, while the CPU's workload remains relatively constant.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT is the driving force behind the frame rates in The Technomancer. Its specifications are substantial, featuring 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 644.6 GB/s. This large frame buffer is crucial for handling the high-resolution textures and complex scenes that the game can present, particularly at 4K where memory demands are highest.

The GPU's clock speeds are also a significant factor. With a base clock of 1660 MHz and a boost clock of 2970 MHz, the card has a wide dynamic range. The "game" clock of 2400 MHz is the typical sustained frequency during gameplay, which is relatively high. This high sustained clock speed allows the GPU to maintain strong performance in compute-heavy scenarios, directly contributing to the high average frame rates observed in the benchmarks.

The relationship between the GPU's capabilities and the game's performance is clear when examining the measured FPS. At 1080p, the system is likely not fully saturating the GPU's capabilities, as the CPU is capable of feeding it enough data. However, as the resolution increases to 1440p and 4K, the pixel throughput demands rise exponentially. The benchmarks show a clear decline in average FPS from 151.9 at 1080p High to 52.4 at 4K High, demonstrating the GPU's workload becoming the dominant factor in determining final performance. The card's 4096 shading units and 128 ROPs are tasked with rasterizing the game's visuals, and the data suggests they are sufficient for excellent 1080p and good 1440p performance, but are stretched at 4K with higher presets.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear and predictable pattern of resolution scaling. This system's performance is heavily dependent on the output resolution, with a significant drop in average frame rates as pixel count increases. This is a textbook example of GPU-bound scaling.

At 1080p, the system is clearly capable of very high frame rates. With the High preset, it achieves an average of 151.9 FPS. This suggests the GPU has ample headroom, and the CPU, with its 6 cores and 12 threads, is able to keep up with the game's logic. Moving to 2560x1440, the average FPS on the High preset drops to 101.4. This is a substantial decrease of about 33%, indicating that the GPU is now working significantly harder to render the additional pixels.

The most demanding scenario is 4K (3840x2160). Here, the High preset yields an average of just 52.4 FPS. This sharp decline, from 151.9 to 52.4 FPS as resolution scales from 1080p to 4K, strongly indicates that the Radeon RX 9070 XT is the bottleneck. The CPU's performance is not degrading with resolution; it is the GPU's rendering pipeline that is being saturated. The scaling from High to Ultra at 4K further confirms this, as the Ultra preset (43.8 FPS) is 16% slower than High (52.4 FPS), showing that the additional effects and detail levels place an even greater burden on the GPU. The data suggests that for the smoothest 4K experience, reducing the resolution or settings is necessary to alleviate the GPU's workload.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured frame rates, the optimal settings depend entirely on the target resolution and desired frame rate. The data provides a clear trade-off between visual fidelity and performance.

For 1920x1080, the High preset (151.9 FPS) is the recommended choice for most users. It provides a high level of visual detail while still delivering frame rates well above the 144Hz refresh rate threshold, which is ideal for competitive or fast-paced gameplay. The Ultra preset (119.6 FPS) is also viable and offers the maximum visual quality, though it sacrifices some headroom. The Medium preset (179 FPS) and Low preset (229.2 FPS) are best suited for players prioritizing the absolute highest frame rates, potentially for esports-style play.

At 2560x1440, the High preset (101.4 FPS) is the sweet spot. It delivers a smooth, high-refresh-rate experience that is well-suited for most monitors. The Ultra preset (79.5 FPS) remains playable and offers enhanced visuals, and it is a good choice for users with 144Hz displays who prefer higher fidelity. The Medium preset (114.8 FPS) is a solid alternative for those who want a bit more performance headroom.

For 3840x2160, the Medium preset (67.2 FPS) is the strongest recommendation. It is the only preset that consistently delivers an average above 60 FPS, which is the baseline for a smooth gaming experience. While the High preset (52.4 FPS) is playable, it may feel less fluid to some. The Ultra preset (43.8 FPS) should generally be avoided at this resolution unless the user prioritizes visual quality over frame rate stability. In summary, the data suggests a simple rule: use High for 1080p and 1440p, and Medium for 4K.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following table details the exact average frame rates measured for each resolution and settings combination.

1920x1080

• The Ultra preset delivers an average of 119.6 FPS.
• The High preset delivers an average of 151.9 FPS.
• The Medium preset delivers an average of 179 FPS.
• The Low preset delivers an average of 229.2 FPS.
• Analysis: This resolution offers the most headroom, with all presets surpassing the 60 FPS threshold. The difference between Low and Ultra is 109.6 FPS, highlighting the scaling of visual effects on the GPU.

2560x1440

• The Ultra preset delivers an average of 79.5 FPS.
• The High preset delivers an average of 101.4 FPS.
• The Medium preset delivers an average of 114.8 FPS.
• The Low preset delivers an average of 149.4 FPS.
• Analysis: Performance remains strong at 1440p. The High preset sits comfortably above 100 FPS, making it an excellent choice for high-refresh-rate gaming. The Ultra preset remains above 60 FPS, ensuring a playable experience with maximum settings.

3840x2160

• The Ultra preset delivers an average of 43.8 FPS.
• The High preset delivers an average of 52.4 FPS.
• The Medium preset delivers an average of 67.2 FPS.
• The Low preset delivers an average of 79.4 FPS.
• Analysis: The 4K resolution proves to be the most demanding. The data shows a clear need to adjust settings, as the High and Ultra presets fall below the 60 FPS target. The Medium preset is the only one to provide a consistently smooth experience. The scaling here is severe, with a 35.6 FPS difference between Low and Ultra, demonstrating the GPU's limits at this pixel density.