The Technomancer

The AMD Ryzen 5 9600X and AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT combination delivers a revealing performance profile in The Technomancer, a 2016 Action RPG. The benchmark data maps a clear hierarchy: at 1080p the system provides high refresh rates, but 4K Ultra demands far more than this pairing can sustain. The results also clarify the division of labor between the Zen 5 processor and the RDNA 2 graphics card, showing where each component becomes the limiting factor.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Ryzen 5 9600X is built on the Zen 5 architecture, codenamed Granite Ridge, and resides in the Ryzen 9000 series. It features 6 cores and 12 threads, a base clock of 3.90 GHz, and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz. The processor has a 65 W TDP and is manufactured on TSMC’s 4 nm process. Its cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 1 MB of L2 per core, and 32 MB of shared L3. The CPU supports DDR5 memory over a dual-channel bus and reaches a memory bandwidth of 89.6 GB/s; ECC memory is supported.

In synthetic benchmarks, the 9600X posts a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 17528.5 and a single-core score of 2183.5. Geekbench results show a multi-core score of 14438 and a single-core score of 2923. The 3DMark suite reports 7585 for 16 threads, 4649 for 4 threads, 6726 for 8 threads, and a max-thread score of 7590. A single thread score in 3DMark is 1253. PassMark’s multithread score is 30027, with a single-thread score of 4570. The CPU’s percentile vs all CPUs is 81, placing it in the upper fifth of processors tested. Its average benchmark score is 29713.

The nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755GE, which has an average score of 29656 and a delta of 0.2%, meaning the 9600X is 0.2% ahead. The AMD Ryzen 7 7840H averages 29868, 0.5% behind the 9600X. The AMD Ryzen 5800XT has an average of 29879, 0.6% behind. The AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS is 0.8% behind at an average of 29955.

For a game like The Technomancer, which is an Action RPG from 2016, the CPU’s 6-core/12-thread configuration is generally sufficient. The game is not known for heavy multi-threading, but the 9600X’s strong single-core performance, reflected in its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2183.5, helps maintain frame pacing. The data shows that at 1080p Low, the system reaches 142 FPS average, which indicates that at lower resolution and settings, the CPU is capable of pushing frame rates well beyond typical display refresh rates. However, the CPU’s performance headroom is not fully utilized at higher resolutions, where the GPU becomes the more significant constraint.

FAQ

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

A: The average FPS at 1920x1080 with High settings is 93 FPS. The minimum FPS is not recorded for this setting, but the average is 93.

Q: What is the average FPS at 4K (3840x2160) with Ultra settings?

A: The average FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings is 26 FPS. This is the lowest average among all measured settings and resolutions.

Q: How does the CPU's Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 17528.5 relate to its performance in The Technomancer?

A: The 9600X’s multi-core score indicates strong overall CPU performance. In-game, the CPU is not the primary bottleneck at 1080p, as evidenced by the 142 FPS average at Low settings, which remains well above 60 FPS. The game’s performance is more constrained by the GPU at higher resolutions.

Q: What is the GPU's 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT has a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1804. This score reflects the GPU’s DirectX 12 performance, which is relevant for modern titles.

Q: What is the GPU's average benchmark score and percentile?

A: The GPU has an average benchmark score of 24442 and a percentile of 40 when compared to all GPUs. This places the RX 6600 XT in the mid-range performance tier.

Q: What is the difference in average FPS between 1080p and 4K at High settings?

A: At 1080p High, the average FPS is 93. At 4K High, the average FPS is 33. This represents a 60 FPS drop, illustrating the significant impact of resolution on frame rate for this system.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured FPS data shows a clear pattern: as resolution increases, the average frame rate falls dramatically. At 1080p Low, the system produces 142 FPS. At 1440p Low, the average drops to 93 FPS, and at 4K Low, it falls to 51 FPS. This progression indicates that the RX 6600 XT is the limiting component at higher resolutions, as the GPU’s workload scales with pixel count.

At High settings, the scaling is even more pronounced. 1080p High yields 93 FPS, 1440p High yields 61 FPS, and 4K High drops to 33 FPS. The transition from 1080p to 4K at High settings results in a 60 FPS loss, which is a 64.5% drop. This is a substantial reduction, and it shows that the GPU is being heavily taxed.

The CPU’s role becomes less significant as resolution increases. At 1080p, the CPU can deliver high frame rates, as seen in the 142 FPS at Low. However, at 4K, the GPU is the bottleneck, and the CPU’s performance is not the limiting factor. This is typical behavior for a system where the GPU is the weaker component.

The data also shows that the gap between Low and Ultra settings at each resolution is substantial. At 1080p, Low yields 142 FPS, while Ultra yields 73 FPS. At 4K, Low yields 51 FPS, while Ultra yields 26 FPS. This indicates that settings have a significant impact on performance at all resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

The measured FPS values are organized by resolution and settings.

1920x1080:

• Low: 142 FPS average
• Medium: 109 FPS average, with min 93 and max 126
• High: 93 FPS average
• Ultra: 73 FPS average

2560x1440:

• Low: 93 FPS average
• Medium: 71 FPS average (min 61, max 82)
• High: 61 FPS average
• Ultra: 48 FPS average

3840x2160:

• Low: 51 FPS average
• Medium: 39 FPS average (min 33, max 45)
• High: 33 FPS average
• Ultra: 26 FPS average

These values show a consistent scaling. At 1080p, the system is capable of high frame rates, with the Ultra setting still providing a playable 73 FPS. At 1440p, the Ultra setting drops to 48 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold. At 4K, even the Low setting only reaches 51 FPS, and the Ultra setting drops to 26 FPS, which is not smooth for a fast-paced action RPG.

The min and max values for Medium settings are provided: at 1080p, min 93 and max 126; at 1440p, min 61 and max 82; at 4K, min 33 and max 45. These ranges indicate frame variance, with the 4K Medium setting having a range of 12 FPS.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT is based on the RDNA 2.0 architecture and the Navi 23 chip. It has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, with a bandwidth of 256.0 GB/s. The GPU’s base clock is 1968 MHz, its boost clock is 2589 MHz, and its game clock is 2359 MHz. The memory clock is 2000 MHz, which translates to 16 Gbps effective.

The GPU has 2048 shading units, 128 TMUs, and 64 ROPs, and features 32 ray-tracing cores. It achieves a pixel rate of 165.7 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 331.4 GTexel/s. The FP32 performance is 10.60 TFLOPS, and FP16 is 21.21 TFLOPS (2:1). The GPU’s TDP is 160 W.

In benchmarks, the RX 6600 XT has a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1804. Geekbench OpenCL score is 80503, Vulkan score is 72417, and Metal score is 88720. PassMark G3D score is 16461, and GPU Compute score is 7520. The GPU’s percentile is 40, with an average benchmark score of 24442.

The GPU’s nearest rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1630, which has an average score of 24277 and is 0.7% behind; the Intel Arc A350M with a score of 24647 and is 0.8% ahead; the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Ti with a score of 24236 and is 0.8% behind; and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER with a score of 24170 and is 1.1% behind.

The VRAM capacity of 8 GB is sufficient for The Technomancer at 1080p and 1440p, but at 4K, the GPU’s compute and memory bandwidth are insufficient to deliver high frame rates. The 4K results, with an average FPS of 33 at High and 26 at Ultra, indicate that the GPU is the primary limiting factor at this resolution. The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is significant, which is consistent with a GPU that is not designed for 4K gaming.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

The measured data provides a clear basis for setting recommendations. At 1080p, the system can handle High settings with an average of 93 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS threshold. For a smoother experience, Medium settings at 1080p yield 109 FPS average, with a minimum of 93 FPS, which ensures a more consistent frame rate. The Ultra setting at 1080p averages 73 FPS, which is still playable, but the High setting offers a better balance of visual quality and performance.

At 1440p, the Medium setting provides an average of 71 FPS, with a minimum of 61 FPS, which is just above the 60 FPS threshold. High settings at 1440p average 61 FPS, which is borderline. For 1440p, Medium is the best choice for a smooth experience, as the Ultra setting drops to 48 FPS, which is below the playable threshold.

At 4K, the data shows that the system struggles. The Low setting averages 51 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target. The Medium setting averages 39 FPS, and High averages 33 FPS. Ultra averages 26 FPS. At 4K, the system cannot deliver a smooth experience at any setting, so players should consider lowering the resolution to 1440p for a better experience.

Based on the measured rows, the best overall experience is at 1080p Medium, which provides a high frame rate with a good balance. For players with a 1440p monitor, Medium settings are recommended. For 4K, the game is not playable at high frame rates, so using 1080p or 1440p is advisable.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 9600X and AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT has a rank of 2643 out of 3696 tested combinations in The Technomancer. This places the system in the lower half of the tested hardware, indicating that while it can handle the game at 1080p and 1440p, it is not a top-tier configuration for this title.

The rank of 2643 out of 3696 means that about 71.5% of the tested combos outperform this system. This is a significant finding, as it suggests that the RX 6600 XT is not a high-end GPU and the game is demanding at higher resolutions. The CPU’s performance is strong, but the GPU’s limitations are the main factor in the overall ranking.

The data shows that at 1080p, the system performs well, with average FPS above 93 at High and above 60 at Ultra, which is competitive. However, at 4K, the system falls to the bottom tier, with average FPS below 51 at Low. This disparity in performance across resolutions is a key characteristic of this combo.

The ranking is also influenced by the game’s optimization. The Technomancer is a 2016 title, and its engine may not be well-optimized for modern hardware, leading to performance that is not as high as more recent titles. The data shows that the system’s performance is not limited by the CPU, but by the GPU’s ability to handle the game’s rendering workload at higher resolutions.

In summary, this combo is a good choice for 1080p gaming, offering high frame rates and a smooth experience. At 1440p, it can be playable with Medium settings. At 4K, it is not a viable option for this game, as the GPU is not powerful enough. The rank of 2643 out of 3696 reflects this limited performance at higher resolutions.