The Technomancer

The Technomancer, a 2016 Action RPG, presents an interesting challenge for the AMD Ryzen 7 5700X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER pairing. The measured data reveals a system that is clearly capable of delivering smooth gameplay, but the balance between CPU and GPU shifts dramatically depending on your resolution and quality targets. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS across all settings to show exactly where this combo excels and where it hits its limits.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is steep, confirming that the RTX 2060 SUPER becomes the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo produces 141.4 FPS. Moving to 1440p drops that to 93.5 FPS, a 33.9% reduction. Pushing to 4K at Low settings yields 51.5 FPS, which is a 63.6% drop from the 1080p figure. This scaling pattern is typical of a GPU-bound scenario, where the rendering load on the graphics card increases exponentially with pixel count.

The trend is consistent across all settings presets. At High settings, the frame rate falls from 93.1 FPS at 1080p to 60.5 FPS at 1440p, and then to 30.9 FPS at 4K. The gap between 1440p and 4K is particularly telling, as the 4K result at High settings drops below the 30 FPS threshold, making it a poor choice for smooth play. The data suggests that the Ryzen 7 5700X, with its 8 cores and 16 threads, has more than enough headroom to feed the GPU at 1080p, but as resolution increases, the RTX 2060 SUPER's 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth become the bottleneck.

Notably, the scaling between Medium and High at 1440p shows a smaller relative drop (70.2 FPS to 60.5 FPS, a 13.8% decrease) compared to the jump from High to Ultra (60.5 FPS to 47.1 FPS, a 22.1% decrease). This suggests that the Ultra preset introduces effects that are disproportionately heavy on the GPU. At 4K, the Ultra preset drops to 26.9 FPS, which is the lowest measured result in the entire set, indicating that this resolution and preset combination is beyond the practical capabilities of this hardware.

Settings Recommendations

For a 60 FPS target, the clear sweet spot is 1440p with High settings, which delivers 60.5 FPS. This is the only 1440p preset that reaches the 60 FPS mark, making it the recommended configuration for a balanced experience. If you prefer 1080p, you have more flexibility. High settings at 1080p run at 93.1 FPS, leaving ample headroom for a higher refresh rate monitor. The Medium preset at 1080p is also viable at 112.4 FPS, but the visual jump to High is generally worth the 19.3 FPS cost.

For players prioritizing maximum visual fidelity, the Ultra preset at 1080p is playable at 73.1 FPS. This is a solid performance level, though it represents a 21.5% drop from High settings, which may not justify the visual gains depending on your preference. At 1440p, Ultra drops to 47.1 FPS, which is below the ideal smoothness threshold for many players. The data suggests that 4K should be avoided entirely unless you are willing to accept Low settings, which produce 51.5 FPS, or Medium settings at 37.5 FPS, both of which are suboptimal for an action RPG requiring responsive combat.

The Low preset at 1080p, at 141.4 FPS, is the only configuration that approaches high refresh rate territory. This is useful for competitive play, but the visual compromise is significant. The measured data indicates that the RTX 2060 SUPER is best utilized at 1080p with High or Ultra settings, or at 1440p with High settings. The 4K results are only viable at Low settings, and even then, the 51.5 FPS average is marginal.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 7 5700X + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER combination holds a rank of 1228 out of 1656 tested combos in The Technomancer. This places it in the lower-middle portion of the database, which is a slightly surprising result given the individual performance of the components. The CPU itself sits in the 83rd percentile against all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 26214, placing it in the same league as the Intel Core i9-11900KF, which scores 26196 (a 0.1% difference). The GPU, meanwhile, is in the 63rd percentile against all GPUs, with an average score of 19774, closely matching the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 at 19680 (a 0.5% difference).

The rank of 1228 suggests that while each component is competent on its own, their combined performance in this specific game is not exceptional. The game’s engine, released in 2016, may not be fully optimized for modern multi-core processors or the Turing architecture. The CPU’s 8-core, 16-thread configuration is powerful, but The Technomancer may not scale perfectly with that many threads. The GPU’s Turing architecture, with 2176 shading units, is capable, but the game’s rendering pipeline may not leverage all of its features. The data shows that this combo is beaten by a significant number of other pairings, likely those with more powerful GPUs that can handle the game’s higher resolution demands better.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo shows strong performance across all presets. Low settings produce an average of 141.4 FPS. Medium settings yield 112.4 FPS. High settings run at 93.1 FPS. The Ultra preset, the most demanding, still manages an average of 73.1 FPS. All 1080p results are above 70 FPS, making this the most comfortable resolution for this hardware.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates drop substantially. Low settings average 93.5 FPS, which is still very smooth. Medium settings produce 70.2 FPS, which is acceptable. High settings hit 60.5 FPS, the exact target for many players. Ultra settings fall to 47.1 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for a fast-paced game. The 1440p results show a clear step down from 1080p, but High settings remain a viable option.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is pushed to its limits. Low settings average 51.5 FPS, which is the only 4K preset that approaches playability. Medium settings drop to 37.5 FPS. High settings fall to 30.9 FPS, which is below the standard for smooth gameplay. Ultra settings produce a marginal 26.9 FPS, which is not recommended for any serious play. The 4K data clearly shows that the RTX 2060 SUPER is not designed for this resolution in this game, even at the lowest quality settings.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run The Technomancer at 4K?

A: Yes, but only at Low settings, where it averages 51.5 FPS. Medium settings drop to 37.5 FPS, High to 30.9 FPS, and Ultra to 26.9 FPS, which are all below the ideal smoothness threshold.

Q: What is the best settings preset for 1440p?

A: High settings, which produce an average of 60.5 FPS, is the only 1440p preset that reaches the 60 FPS target. Ultra settings at 1440p drop to 47.1 FPS, which is a significant compromise.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Ryzen 7 5700X has an average benchmark score of 26214, which is nearly identical to the AMD Ryzen 5 7600X (26272, a -0.2% difference) and the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 6850U (26262, a -0.2% difference). It is also only 0.1% higher than the Intel Core i9-11900KF.

Q: Is the Ultra preset worth the performance cost at 1080p?

A: Ultra at 1080p runs at 73.1 FPS, while High runs at 93.1 FPS. The 20 FPS difference is a 21.5% drop, which may be noticeable on a high refresh rate monitor. The choice depends on whether you prioritize visual effects or frame rate smoothness.

Q: What is the performance difference between Low and Medium at 4K?

A: Low averages 51.5 FPS, while Medium averages 37.5 FPS. This is a 14 FPS difference (a 27.2% drop), making Low the only viable option for 4K play.

Q: How does the GPU rank compared to other similar cards?

A: The RTX 2060 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 19774, which is 0.5% higher than the RTX 2070 (19680) and 0.3% higher than the GTX TITAN (19706). It sits in the 63rd percentile of all GPUs.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 5700X is a Zen 3 architecture processor with 8 cores and 16 threads, running at a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 4.60 GHz. It has a 32 MB shared L3 cache and supports dual-channel DDR4 memory with a bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s. The CPU’s benchmark scores are strong, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 22620 and a single-core score of 3193. Its PassMark multi-thread score is 26612, and it sits in the 83rd percentile against all CPUs.

In The Technomancer, the CPU’s role appears to be secondary to the GPU at higher resolutions. At 1080p, the CPU is likely providing enough throughput to allow the GPU to reach its maximum potential, as evidenced by the high frame rates at Low settings (141.4 FPS). However, the 3dmark 2-thread score of 1821 and single-thread score of 921 suggest that the game may not heavily utilize all 16 threads. The 8-core design provides a solid foundation, but the game’s 2016 release date means it may be more dependent on single-thread performance. The CPU’s 65 W TDP and 7 nm process node make it an efficient choice, but the data indicates that the GPU is the limiting factor in most scenarios, especially at 1440p and 4K where the frame rate drops are primarily driven by the graphics card’s rendering capabilities.