The Technomancer

The Technomancer, a 2016 Action RPG, presents an interesting case study for the AMD Ryzen 7 5700G and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER pairing. The measured frame rates across resolutions and settings reveal a system with substantial headroom, but one where the balance between CPU and GPU shifts dramatically depending on the workload. The data indicates a configuration that is overwhelmingly GPU-bound at higher resolutions, yet becomes increasingly CPU-limited as resolution drops and frame rates climb.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate progression from 1080p to 4K demonstrates a classic GPU-bound scenario, but with a notable inflection point at the highest resolution. At High settings, the average frame rate at 1920x1080 is 194.8 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440, this drops to 125.2 FPS, a reduction of approximately 35.7%. The scaling continues to 3840x2160, where the average falls to 69.6 FPS, another 44.4% decrease from the 1440p figure. This steep decline from 1440p to 4K strongly indicates that the RTX 4080 SUPER is the primary limiting component at higher resolutions, as the pixel throughput demand outpaces the GPU's rendering capabilities.

The pattern holds across other settings. At Ultra, the average frame rate goes from 152.4 FPS at 1080p to 96.6 FPS at 1440p, and finally to 56.7 FPS at 4K. The 4K Ultra result is particularly telling; it is the only measured configuration that dips below the 60 FPS threshold, suggesting that the combination of maximum graphical fidelity and 4K resolution is too demanding for this hardware. Conversely, at Low settings, the frame rates are exceptionally high, with 235.9 FPS at 1080p, 192.5 FPS at 1440p, and 105.4 FPS at 4K. The relatively smaller gap between 1080p and 1440p at Low settings (a drop of 43.4 FPS) compared to the gap at High settings (a drop of 69.6 FPS) indicates that at lower settings, the CPU begins to play a more significant role, preventing the frame rate from scaling purely with pixel count.

The data shows that the system is most balanced at 1440p. Here, the GPU is still heavily utilized, but the CPU has enough headroom to maintain high frame rates. The 4K results, particularly at Ultra, show a system pushed to its limits, where the GPU's raw compute and memory bandwidth are the deciding factors. For users targeting a smooth experience, the 1440p resolution appears to be the sweet spot, offering a substantial performance margin over 4K without the extreme CPU dependency seen at 1080p.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER is the undisputed performance driver in this configuration. Its 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus provides 736.3 GB/s of bandwidth, which is essential for feeding the 10240 shading units at high resolutions. The GPU's boost clock of 2550 MHz, combined with its 52.22 TFLOPS of FP32 compute, allows it to handle the demanding pixel and shader workloads of The Technomancer. The benchmark data shows that the GPU's performance scales predictably with resolution, a hallmark of a component that is the primary bottleneck in most scenarios.

The GPU's role is most apparent when examining the 4K Ultra result of 56.7 FPS. This figure is not a reflection of CPU limitations, as the Ryzen 7 5700G is more than capable of feeding frames at lower resolutions. Instead, it points to the sheer computational load of 4K Ultra settings overwhelming the RTX 4080 SUPER. In contrast, at 1080p Low, where the GPU workload is minimal, the frame rate of 235.9 FPS is likely constrained by the CPU's ability to issue draw calls and process game logic. The GPU's 80 RT cores and 320 Tensor cores are present, but The Technomancer, being a 2016 title, does not appear to leverage ray tracing, so these resources are likely idle. The card's PassMark G3D score of 34245 and its 88th percentile ranking among all GPUs confirm its high-end status, but the game's age means it cannot fully utilize the card's modern features.

The gap between Low and Ultra settings at each resolution is also informative. At 1080p, the difference is 83.5 FPS (235.9 vs 152.4), while at 4K, the difference is 48.7 FPS (105.4 vs 56.7). This narrowing gap at higher resolutions indicates that the GPU is the limiting factor; when it is already saturated at 4K, reducing settings offers diminishing returns because the bottleneck is the raw pixel throughput, not the shading complexity.

How This Combo Ranks

In the grand scheme of tested hardware combinations, this pairing of the AMD Ryzen 7 5700G and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER achieves a combo rank of 139 out of 1656 tested combos. This places the configuration in the top 8.4% of all tested systems, which is a strong showing. The high rank is primarily attributable to the GPU's immense power, as the CPU is a mid-range part from 2021. The Ryzen 7 5700G's average benchmark score of 25626 puts it in the 83rd percentile of all CPUs, with its nearest rivals including the AMD Ryzen 7 6800U and the Intel Xeon D-2752TER, all within a 0.6% performance delta. This indicates that the CPU is competent but not exceptional.

The combination's rank of 139 suggests that while the RTX 4080 SUPER is a top-tier component, the Ryzen 7 5700G holds the overall score back from being even higher. A system with a more powerful, modern CPU would likely rank higher, as the GPU would have more headroom to stretch its legs in CPU-light scenarios. However, for The Technomancer specifically, the rank confirms the GPU's ability to dominate the workload. The game is not particularly CPU-intensive, so the Ryzen 7 5700G's 8 cores and 16 threads are sufficient to avoid becoming a major bottleneck, allowing the RTX 4080 SUPER to carry the system to a high ranking. The data shows that this combo is far more capable than the vast majority of systems, making it a very high-performance pairing for this title.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average frame rate achievable with this hardware at 1080p?

A: The highest measured average frame rate is 235.9 FPS, which is achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings.

Q: Can this combination maintain 60 FPS at 4K with maximum settings?

A: No. At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the measured average frame rate is 56.7 FPS, which falls just short of the 60 FPS target.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from 1440p High to 4K High?

A: The average frame rate drops from 125.2 FPS at 2560x1440 High to 69.6 FPS at 3840x2160 High, a loss of 55.6 FPS.

Q: Which resolution offers the best balance of visual quality and performance?

A: Based on the data, 2560x1440 with High settings provides a strong balance, yielding 125.2 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold and offers a significant visual upgrade over 1080p.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the primary bottleneck at 1080p Low settings?

A: At 1080p Low, the frame rate of 235.9 FPS is exceptionally high, and the minimal GPU workload suggests the AMD Ryzen 7 5700G is the limiting factor, as its 8 cores and 16 threads are tasked with processing the game's logic at a rapid pace.

Q: How does the 4K Ultra performance compare to the 1080p Ultra performance?

A: The 4K Ultra average frame rate of 56.7 FPS is significantly lower than the 1080p Ultra average of 152.4 FPS, representing a 62.8% reduction in performance.

Settings Recommendations

For users prioritizing a consistent 60 FPS experience, the 4K High preset is the optimal choice, delivering an average of 69.6 FPS. This provides a solid margin above the 60 FPS threshold while maintaining a high level of visual fidelity. Pushing to 4K Ultra is not recommended, as the average frame rate of 56.7 FPS risks noticeable stuttering and dips below the target. At 1440p, the High preset is the clear winner, offering a superb 125.2 FPS average. This is the recommended resolution for high-refresh-rate monitors, as it combines excellent visual quality with a frame rate that can fully utilize a 120Hz or 144Hz display. The 1440p Medium preset, at 151.1 FPS, is a viable alternative for those who prioritize even higher frame rates, but the visual difference between Medium and High is often substantial.

At 1080p, all presets deliver extremely high frame rates. The Ultra preset at 152.4 FPS is the best choice for players with 144Hz monitors, as it provides the maximum visual quality while still exceeding the refresh rate. The High preset at 194.8 FPS and Medium at 217.4 FPS are suitable for 240Hz displays, but the visual trade-offs may not be worth the extra frames. The Low preset at 235.9 FPS offers the absolute highest frame rate but should be avoided unless the user has a very high refresh rate display and is sensitive to input lag. The data indicates that the Ryzen 7 5700G and RTX 4080 SUPER combination is powerful enough that users should prioritize High or Ultra settings at all resolutions, with 4K Ultra being the only setting that requires compromise.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 5700G, with its 8 cores and 16 threads, plays a supporting but crucial role in this configuration. Its base clock of 3.80 GHz and boost clock of 4.60 GHz provide adequate single-threaded performance, as evidenced by its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2930. However, the game's performance data suggests that this CPU is not the primary driver of frame rates in most scenarios. At 4K Ultra, where the GPU is saturated, the CPU's role is minimal. Conversely, at 1080p Low, the CPU becomes a more significant factor, as the high frame rates of 235.9 FPS begin to test its limits.

The CPU's Zen 3 architecture and 16 MB of L3 cache are sufficient for the game's demands, but its 65W TDP and memory bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s are modest compared to the GPU's capabilities. The Ryzen 7 5700G's average benchmark score of 25626 and its 83rd percentile ranking place it in the upper-midrange of desktop processors. Its nearest rivals, such as the AMD Ryzen 7 6800U and Intel Xeon D-2752TER, are all within a 0.6% performance delta, highlighting that the CPU is a balanced performer. The data shows that in The Technomancer, the CPU is rarely the bottleneck, except at very high frame rates and low graphical settings. For this game, the Ryzen 7 5700G provides more than enough computational headroom to complement the RTX 4080 SUPER, ensuring that the GPU's performance is not artificially limited. The system's overall rank of 139 out of 1656 combos reflects this synergy, where the CPU adequately supports a much more powerful GPU.