The Technomancer

The Technomancer, a 2016 action RPG, presents an intriguing case study for modern high-end hardware. This analysis examines the measured performance of the AMD Ryzen 7 5800XT paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090. The data reveals a system that can deliver exceptional frame rates, but the scaling patterns expose nuanced bottlenecks and optimization characteristics unique to this title. Benchmark results indicate the combo ranks 126th out of 3696 tested configurations, placing it in the top 3.4% of systems, while the specific scaling from 1080p to 4K provides insight into where the true limits lie for this game.

Resolution Scaling

The measured frame rates show a clear and consistent decline as resolution increases, which is typical for a GPU-bound scenario. At 1080p High, the combination delivers an average of 219 FPS. Moving to 1440p High, the average drops to 144 FPS, and then further to 79 FPS at 4K High. This is a 64% reduction in performance from 1080p to 4K, which strongly indicates that the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 becomes the primary limiting factor as pixel count rises. The GPU's compute and memory resources are being taxed heavily at 4K, and the data shows it is unable to maintain the high frame rates seen at lower resolutions.

Looking at the Low preset, the scaling is even more dramatic. At 1080p Low, the system pushes an average of 254 FPS. At 1440p Low, it hits 220 FPS, and at 4K Low, it still manages an impressive 121 FPS. The fact that the RTX 5090 can exceed 120 FPS at 4K on Low settings confirms the raw power of the GPU. However, the delta between 1080p and 4K on Low is 133 FPS, which is a substantial gap. This suggests that even with the most demanding graphics features disabled, the resolution scaling is still a dominant factor, pointing to the GPU's fill-rate and memory bandwidth as the constraints.

The Ultra preset shows the most significant strain. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS drops to 62, which is the lowest value recorded in the dataset. This is a 36% drop from 4K High and a 64% drop from 1080p Ultra. This steep decline at the highest settings and resolution is a clear sign that the game's ultra-level features (likely heavy post-processing, shadow quality, and texture filtering) place an enormous load on the RTX 5090. The data implies that for a smooth 60 FPS experience at 4K, players would have to step down from Ultra to High, as the 62 FPS average is borderline for standard refresh-rate monitors.

The min FPS values at 4K Medium provide another layer of insight. The average is 93 FPS, with a min of 79 FPS and a max of 107 FPS. This 79 FPS min is notably lower than the 92 FPS average of the High preset, indicating that even on Medium, there are moments of stutter or demanding scenes that pull the frame rate down. This pattern is repeated at 1440p Medium (min 144, avg 169) and 1080p Medium (min 196, avg 231). These minimums suggest that the game's engine has pockets of complexity that are hard for even the RTX 5090 to process quickly, which could be a CPU limitation or a game engine inefficiency.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 5800XT is a Zen 3 (Vermeer) architecture processor, featuring 8 cores and 16 threads. Its base clock is 3.80 GHz and it can boost to 4.80 GHz. This CPU is from the Ryzen 7 5000-series, released in July 2024, and has a 105W TDP. The benchmark results for the CPU show a strong multi-threaded performance, with a 3DMark 16-thread score of 7683 and a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 23794. This is a modern, high-performance processor that is well-suited for gaming and heavy workloads.

How do these CPU capabilities relate to the game's results? The data shows that at 1080p, the system is likely not CPU-limited. At 1080p Low, the average FPS is 254, which is a high frame rate. This suggests the CPU can keep up with the GPU at these settings. However, the gap between 1080p Low and 1440p Low is 34 FPS, and it's 99 FPS from 1080p Low to 4K Low. This scaling is consistent with the GPU taking over as the primary limiter.

The CPU's single-thread performance, as measured by benchmarks like 3DMark single-thread (score of 959) and Cinebench R23 single-core (3359), is solid. Since The Technomancer is a 2016 game, it may rely on fewer threads, so the CPU's strong single-core performance is likely beneficial. The fact that the system reaches 254 FPS at 1080p Low shows that the CPU is not a limiting factor in that scenario. The CPU's 32 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR4 memory support with 51.2 GB/s bandwidth are also consistent with a high-performance platform.

The CPU's nearest rivals in the benchmark database include the AMD Ryzen 7 7840H (avg score 29868, delta 0%), the AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS (avg 29955, delta -0.3%), and the AMD Ryzen 5 9600X (avg 29713, delta 0.6%). The Ryzen 7 5800XT's average benchmark score is 29879, which is within 0.6% of these rivals. This shows the CPU is in a strong competitive position for its era, though these rivals are mostly mobile or newer desktop chips. Its performance is well-balanced for gaming.

The data suggests that the CPU is not the bottleneck in this game for most settings. Even at 4K Ultra, where the FPS is 62, the CPU is likely not the cause, as the GPU is clearly saturated by the high resolution and settings. The CPU's role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and the game's logic, and at 62 FPS, it's certainly capable of doing this. The CPU's performance is more than adequate for this game, and the data suggests that the system is GPU-limited at all resolutions above 1080p.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 is a Blackwell 2.0 architecture GPU, built on a 5 nm process at TSMC. It features 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 1.79 TB/s. The boost clock is 2407 MHz, and the GPU has 21760 shading units, 680 TMUs, and 176 ROPs. This is an extremely powerful GPU, reflected in its 92nd percentile ranking among all GPUs, and an average benchmark score of 79842. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB (score 79605, delta 0.3%) and the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT (score 78940, delta 1.1%).

The GPU's massive 32 GB VRAM is far more than The Technomancer likely requires, given its age. The game was released in 2016, so its texture and geometry demands are not on par with modern AAA titles. This means the 32 GB is not a constraint, and the 1.79 TB/s bandwidth is immense. The performance data shows that the GPU's compute is the primary driver of frame rates. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS of 62 is the lowest measured, indicating the GPU's compute units are the limiting factor. The GPU is also capable of extremely high frame rates at lower resolutions, with 254 FPS at 1080p Low, proof of its raw power.

The RTX 5090's memory clock is 1750 MHz (28 Gbps effective), which is high, but the game's workload is not memory-sensitive. The GPU's texture rate of 1,636.8 GTexel/s and pixel rate of 423.6 GPixel/s are also high. At 4K, the pixel fill rate is likely the bottleneck, as the GPU must process over 8.3 million pixels per frame. The data shows that 4K is a significant load, and the 62 FPS at Ultra is the lowest. This suggests that the RTX 5090's performance is not enough to maintain 60 FPS on the highest settings at 4K, which is a surprising result for such a powerful card.

The GPU benchmarks show a passmark G3D score of 39650 and a Geekbench Vulkan score of 376728. These are high scores, but they don't directly translate to The Technomancer's specific workload. The game is an Action RPG with a heavy emphasis on character rendering, lighting, and effects. The RTX 5090 is likely being used for its raw compute power, but the game's engine has a legacy that doesn't fully utilize the GPU's modern features, such as ray tracing cores (170) or tensor cores (680). This is likely why the GPU, despite its massive performance, is still limited to 62 FPS at 4K Ultra.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 7 5800XT and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 achieves a combo rank of 126 out of 3696 tested combos in The Technomancer. This places the combo in the top 3.4% of all tested systems. This is an excellent ranking, indicating that this is a high-end system that performs well in this game. The combo is performing very close to the top, but it's not the absolute best, which suggests that other combinations might be slightly better, either due to a stronger CPU or a better-balanced configuration.

The system's performance is clearly GPU-bound at higher resolutions, so the ranking is likely influenced by the RTX 5090's performance. The CPU is not a bottleneck, as evidenced by the high frame rates at 1080p. The data indicates that if a user were to pair this GPU with a higher-end CPU, the ranking might not improve dramatically, as the game's limits often are the GPU. However, the ranking is based on the combination, and the data shows that the chosen CPU is sufficient to avoid leaving performance on the table.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS this combo can achieve in The Technomancer?

A: The highest average FPS recorded is 254 FPS at 1920x1080 with Low settings.

Q: Is the RTX 5090 the bottleneck at 4K Ultra?

A: The data shows an average of 62 FPS at 3840x2160 on Ultra, which is the lowest in the dataset. The GPU is the limiting factor at this resolution.

Q: How does the CPU single-thread performance relate to the game?

A: The CPU has a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3359 and a 3DMark single-thread score of 959. These strong scores help maintain high frame rates at lower resolutions.

Q: What is the combo's rank out of all tested combos?

A: The combo is ranked 126 out of 3696 combinations, placing it in the top 3.4% of tested systems.

Q: Are there any settings where the CPU is the bottleneck?

A: At 1080p Low, the system hits a high average of FPS 254, suggesting the CPU is not a bottleneck. The high frame rate implies the game is not CPU-limited.

Q: What is the average frame rate at 1440p Medium?

A: The average is 169 FPS, with a minimum of 144 and a maximum of 195 FPS.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following is the complete list of measured average frame rates from the dataset.

• 3840 x 2160 (4K)
• High: 79 FPS
• Low: 121 FPS
• Medium: 93 FPS (min 79, max 107)
• Ultra: 62 FPS

• 2560 x 1440 (1440p)
• High: 144 FPS
• Low: 220 FPS
• Medium: 169 FPS (min 144, max 195)
• Ultra: 113 FPS

• 1920 x 1080 (1080p)
• High: 219 FPS
• Low: 254 FPS
• Medium: 231 FPS (min 196, max 266)
• Ultra: 173 FPS

The data shows a clear progression: at each resolution, the Low preset offers the highest average FPS, followed by High, then Medium, and Ultra is the most demanding. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 81 FPS (254 to 173). At 1440p, the gap is 107 FPS (220 to 113). At 4K, the gap is 59 FPS (121 to 62). This suggests that the Ultra preset is disproportionately heavy at 1440p, possibly due to specific effects.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the best experience depends on the target refresh rate. For a 60 Hz display, the 4K Ultra setting is borderline, with an average of 62 FPS. If the user wants a stable 60 FPS experience with some headroom, the High preset is the better choice, as it averages 79 FPS. This provides a more comfortable margin above the 60 FPS target, ensuring fewer drops below the refresh rate.

For 1440p, the 1440p Ultra preset offers an average of 113 FPS, which is excellent for high-refresh-rate monitors up to 144 Hz. If the user has a 240 Hz monitor, the High preset yields 144 FPS, but the Low preset gives 220 FPS, which is ideal for competitive play. The Medium preset is a balanced option with 169 FPS, but it doesn't offer a significant advantage over the High preset, which has a higher average and likely better visuals.

At 1080p, the system is capable of high frame rates on all settings. The Ultra preset offers 173 FPS, which is more than enough for a 144 Hz display. The High preset provides 219 FPS, and the Low 254 FPS. For the best balance of visual quality and performance, the High preset is recommended, as it provides a high frame rate without the graphical sacrifices of Low. The Ultra preset is not recommended, as the visual improvement over High is likely minimal for a 44 FPS loss in performance.

Overall, the data suggests that for the Teknoman, the Medium or High presets offer the best balance, while Ultra is only recommended for those who prioritize maximum visual fidelity at lower resolutions. The RTX 5090 is powerful enough to handle the game at high frame rates, but the Ultra preset can strain performance, particularly at 4K.