The Technomancer

The Technomancer, a 2016 Action RPG, presents a demanding workload that clearly exposes the capabilities and limits of this specific hardware pairing. The combination of an AMD Ryzen 5 9600X processor with an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 graphics card yields a performance profile that is heavily skewed by the GPU's 4 GB of VRAM and its mid-range rendering power. This analysis details how these components interact with the game's settings and resolutions, based strictly on measured data.

How This Combo Ranks

The benchmark data places this combination at rank 3568 out of 3696 tested combos for The Technomancer. This means it outperforms only a small fraction of the tested systems, landing it in the bottom portion of the performance chart. The 3568th rank out of 3696 indicates that the setup is far from optimized for this title, and the vast majority of other tested hardware configurations deliver higher average FPS. The unimpressive ranking is a direct consequence of the GPU being the primary bottleneck in this system, a fact reinforced by the FPS data across all resolutions and settings.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 is the central performance limiter in this configuration. It comes with 4 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 128-bit bus, which is a modest allocation for modern gaming and is a key reason for the low performance in this title. The GPU's base clock is 1485 MHz, boosting to 1665 MHz, and it is built on the Turing architecture with 896 shading units. These specifications, while adequate for basic tasks, are insufficient for demanding modern games at high settings.

The data shows a direct correlation between GPU workload and the FPS numbers. The GTX 1650's pixel rate of 53.28 GPixel/s and texture rate of 93.24 GTexel/s are the primary drivers of the rendering performance. At 1080p with Medium settings, the system achieves an average of 52 FPS, but this drops to 45 FPS on High and 35 FPS on Ultra. This decline is a classic sign of the GPU reaching its limits. The 4 GB VRAM is a significant factor. The game, especially at higher resolutions and Ultra textures, is likely exceeding the VRAM capacity, leading to a performance drop. The data shows a consistent pattern: the more demanding the settings, the lower the average FPS, with the Ultra preset at 4K being nearly unplayable at 13 FPS.

The GPU's overall performance is further highlighted by its percentile rank of 40, meaning it is in the bottom 40% of all GPUs. Its average benchmark score is 7472, and its nearest rivals in the database are the AMD Radeon HD 8850M with a score of 7447 (0.3% difference), the Intel UHD Graphics 750 at 7441 (0.4% difference), and the AMD Radeon R7 350 at 7425 (0.6% difference). It is also just below the Intel Arc A310, which has a score of 7550 (a 1% difference). This data confirms the GTX 1650 is a low-to-mid-tier GPU, and its performance in The Technomancer is in line with its modest standing in the GPU hierarchy. The GPU's 75 W TDP and 250 W suggested PSU are not relevant to the FPS output, but the hardware is simply not designed to push high frame rates in this title.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 9600X is a modern 6-core, 12-thread processor from the 9000 series, built on the Zen 5 architecture. Its high boost clock of up to 5.4 GHz and base clock of 3.9 GHz are far more than sufficient to handle The Technomancer's CPU demands. The CPU's performance in synthetic benchmarks is robust, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 17528.5 and a single-core score of 2183.5. It also scores 14438 in Geekbench's multi-core test and 2923 in single-core. These scores place it in the 81st percentile for all CPUs, meaning it is a highly capable processor.

In this game, however, the CPU is never the bottleneck. The data shows that even at its weakest point—4K Ultra—the system only produces 13 FPS, a number that is entirely GPU-bound. The CPU's raw power is not the reason for the low frame rates. Instead, it is the GPU that is failing to keep up. The CPU's role is to feed the GPU with data, and it does so without being a limiting factor. The 6 cores and 12 threads are more than enough for the game's engine, which is likely not heavily multi-threaded. As a result, the CPU's performance is essentially capped by the GPU's output. The CPU can be seen as a strong component in a system that is unbalanced by a weak GPU for this particular game.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for The Technomancer shows a clear pattern of GPU-bound performance. Here is the exact breakdown of the results.

At 1920x1080, the lowest resolution tested, the system shows its best performance. With Low settings, it achieves an average of 68 FPS. This is the only setting where the frame rate is consistently smooth. Medium settings drop the average to 52 FPS, with a minimum of 44 FPS and a maximum of 60 FPS. High settings lower the average further to 45 FPS. The most demanding preset, Ultra, brings the average down to 35 FPS. This data shows that even at 1080p, such a demanding game cannot maintain a high frame rate at the highest settings.

At 2560x1440, the impact of the GPU is more pronounced. The Low settings average drops to 44 FPS, a 24 FPS decrease from 1080p. Medium averages 34 FPS and High dips to 29 FPS. The Ultra setting is nearly unplayable and only can be played at an average of 23 FPS. The trend is clear: the GPU is struggling with the increased pixel count.

At 3840x2160, the system is severely limited. The Low settings average is 24 FPS, which is a notable drop from 1080p. Medium averages 19 FPS, with a range of 16 to 22 FPS. High settings are at an average of 16 FPS, and Ultra is a barely playable 13 FPS. These numbers confirm that the GTX 1650's VRAM and bandwidth are just not sufficient for 4K rendering in this title.

Resolution Scaling

The data reveals a stark relationship between resolution and performance. From 1080p to 1440p, the average FPS at Low settings drops from 68 to 44, a 35% decrease. From 1440p to 4K, it drops from 44 to 24, a 45% decrease. This trend is consistent across all settings. At High settings, the drop is from 45 FPS at 1080p to 29 FPS at 1440p (a 36% decrease) and then 16 FPS at 4K (a 45% decrease). At Medium, the average goes from 52 to 34 to 19.

The pattern indicates which component is the bottleneck. The consistent and significant FPS drops as the resolution increases demonstrate that the GPU is the limiting factor. The CPU is not the cause, as the resolution scaling is a classic GPU-bound behavior. The 4 GB VRAM is a primary suspect, as higher resolutions require more VRAM for textures and frame buffers, and the GTX 1650's limited capacity and 128-bit bus are likely causing a severe performance penalty. The data shows that this is a GPU-bound system, and the CPU is not the means of improving performance at higher resolutions.

FAQ

Q: How does the AMD Ryzen 5 9600X compare to the nearest rival CPUs in the database?

A: The Ryzen 5 9600X has an average benchmark score of 29713. Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755GE, has a score of 29656, which is a 0.2% difference. The AMD Ryzen 7 7840H is 0.5% slower, and the AMD Ryzen 7 5800XT is 0.6% slower, while the AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS is 0.8% faster. The 9600X is slightly above the lower-scoring rivals.

Q: How does the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650's performance compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The GTX 1650 has an average score of 7472. This is 0.3% above the AMD Radeon HD 8850M (score 7447) and 0.4% above the Intel UHD Graphics 750 (score 7441). It is 0.6% faster than the AMD Radeon R7 350 (score 7425), but 1% slower than the Intel Arc A310 (score 7550). The GTX 1650 sits in a small performance cluster.

Q: What is the best average FPS achieved in this game with this hardware?

A: The highest average FPS is 68, achieved at 1920x1080 on Low settings. The lowest average FPS is 13, achieved at 3840x2160 on Ultra settings.

Q: Does the CPU become a bottleneck at any resolution or setting?

A: No. The CPU is a high-end processor with a strong multi-threaded score of 17528.5 in Cinebench R23. The FPS drops are consistent with the GPU being the limiting component. The CPU is not the reason for the low frame rates.

Q: Is the system able to run the game at 4K?

A: The data shows that it can run the game, but not at a playable level. The highest average FPS at 4K is 24 on Low, and it drops to 13 FPS on Ultra. These numbers are far below the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay.

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

A: At 1080p High, the average FPS is 45. At 4K High, it is 16 FPS. This is a 64% decrease in performance. The drop is a clear indication of the GPU's inability to handle the higher resolution.