The Technomancer

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

The measured frame rates for The Technomancer with the AMD Ryzen 7 7700 and AMD Radeon RX 6600 show a classic resolution-scaling curve that identifies the GPU as the primary constraint at higher resolutions. At 1080p with Ultra settings, the combo produces 67 FPS average. Moving to 1440p drops that to 44 FPS, a reduction of 23 FPS or roughly 34%. At 4K Ultra, the average falls to 24 FPS, which is less than half of the 1080p result. This steep decline as pixel count increases is the signature of a GPU-bound scenario.

The pattern holds across all settings presets. At High settings, the drop from 1080p to 1440p is from 85 FPS to 56 FPS, a 29 FPS reduction. From 1440p to 4K at High, the average goes from 56 FPS to 31 FPS, another 25 FPS loss. The Low preset tells the same story: 130 FPS at 1080p, 85 FPS at 1440p, and 47 FPS at 4K. In every case, the largest absolute drop occurs when moving from 1440p to 4K, which is expected given the 4K resolution contains roughly 2.25 times the pixels of 1440p.

The data suggests the CPU is not the limiting factor at lower resolutions. At 1080p Low, the combo reaches 130 FPS average. If the Ryzen 7 7700 were the bottleneck, we would expect to see diminishing returns when lowering resolution further, but the frame rates continue to scale substantially with resolution changes. The 8-core, 16-thread processor with a boost clock of 5.30 GHz provides ample headroom. The RX 6600, with its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus delivering 224.0 GB/s bandwidth, becomes the constraint as resolution climbs.

The Medium preset offers the only complete min/max data in the measured set. At 1080p Medium, the average is 100 FPS with a minimum of 85 and maximum of 115. At 1440p Medium, the average drops to 65 FPS with minimum 56 and maximum 75. At 4K Medium, the average is 36 FPS with minimum 31 and maximum 41. The spread between minimum and maximum FPS narrows as resolution increases, from a 30 FPS range at 1080p to a 10 FPS range at 4K. This tightening indicates that at higher resolutions, the GPU is consistently saturated, leaving less variance in frame delivery.

Another observation: the gap between Low and Ultra settings widens with resolution. At 1080p, Low produces 130 FPS versus Ultra's 67 FPS, a 63 FPS difference. At 1440p, the gap is 41 FPS (85 vs 44). At 4K, the gap narrows to 23 FPS (47 vs 24). This convergence at higher resolutions reinforces the GPU-bound conclusion — when pixel throughput is the ceiling, settings adjustments have proportionally less impact on absolute frame rates.

FAQ

Q: What is the best average FPS this combo achieves in The Technomancer?

A: The highest measured average is 130 FPS at 1920x1080 with Low settings. The best 4K result is 47 FPS at Low settings, while the best Ultra preset result is 67 FPS at 1080p.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming in The Technomancer?

A: At 4K, the average FPS ranges from 24 (Ultra) to 47 (Low). The Medium preset delivers 36 FPS with a minimum of 31 and maximum of 41. This indicates playable performance only at Low or Medium settings, with Ultra falling below 30 FPS.

Q: How does the RX 6600's memory configuration affect performance?

A: The GPU has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus with 224.0 GB/s bandwidth. The measured data shows significant FPS drops at 4K across all settings, consistent with the memory bandwidth becoming a limiting factor at higher pixel counts.

Q: Is the Ryzen 7 7700 holding back the RX 6600 in this game?

A: The data does not indicate a CPU bottleneck. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 130 FPS, and the frame rates scale predictably with resolution changes. The 8-core, 16-thread processor with 32 MB shared L3 cache appears sufficient for this title.

Q: What is the FPS difference between High and Ultra settings at each resolution?

A: At 1080p, High averages 85 FPS while Ultra averages 67 FPS, an 18 FPS difference. At 1440p, the difference is 12 FPS (56 vs 44). At 4K, the difference is 7 FPS (31 vs 24). The gap narrows as resolution increases.

Q: Where does this combo rank among all tested combinations?

A: The combo ranks 2872 out of 3696 tested combinations in The Technomancer, placing it in the lower portion of the tested pool at roughly the 22nd percentile.

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

The AMD Radeon RX 6600 is built on the RDNA 2.0 architecture with the Navi 23 chip fabricated on a 7 nm process at TSMC. The GPU contains 11,060 million transistors on a 237 mm² die. Its clock configuration includes a base clock of 1626 MHz, a game clock of 2044 MHz, and a boost clock of 2491 MHz. The memory operates at 1750 MHz with 14 Gbps effective speed. These specifications translate to 8.928 TFLOPS of FP32 compute, 279.0 GTexel/s texture rate, and 159.4 GPixel/s pixel rate.

The 8 GB GDDR6 memory with 224.0 GB/s bandwidth is the most likely constraint at higher resolutions. The Technomancer, released in 2016, was designed for hardware of that era, but the measured results show that 4K rendering still stresses the memory subsystem. At 4K Ultra, the combo delivers only 24 FPS average. Dropping to Low settings at 4K raises this to 47 FPS, a 96% improvement. This substantial gain from settings reduction suggests the GPU is not just bandwidth-limited but also shader-limited at high settings.

The GPU's 1792 shading units and 112 texture mapping units are modest for a modern card but sufficient for a 2016 title. The card achieves a passmark G3D score of 15096 and a passmark GPU compute score of 6554. Its percentile versus all GPUs is 63, indicating it outperforms a majority of tested graphics cards. The nearest rivals show a tight cluster: the NVIDIA Quadro K6000 matches at 0% delta, the GeForce RTX 4050 Mobile is 0.1% behind, the Tesla K20m is 0.3% behind, and the RTX 2000 Ada Generation is 0.4% ahead. This places the RX 6600 in a competitive mid-range position.

The RDNA 2.0 architecture supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The Technomancer was released before these API standards were fully utilized, so the game likely uses older rendering paths. The RX 6600's 28 ray tracing cores are present but likely unused in this title. The card's 64 ROPs deliver a pixel rate of 159.4 GPixel/s, which becomes relevant at 4K where pixel fill rate directly impacts performance. The measured 4K results, ranging from 24 to 47 FPS depending on settings, align with a pixel-rate-bound scenario at the highest resolution.

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

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its strongest performance. Low settings produce the highest average at 130 FPS. Medium settings average 100 FPS with a documented minimum of 85 and maximum of 115. High settings average 85 FPS. Ultra settings average 67 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a 63 FPS drop, representing a 48% reduction from the lowest to highest quality preset. Every 1080p preset except Ultra stays above 85 FPS, meaning High and below provide smooth frame rates for standard 60 Hz displays.

Moving to 2560x1440, the averages decrease across all presets. Low settings yield 85 FPS. Medium averages 65 FPS with a minimum of 56 and maximum of 75. High settings average 56 FPS. Ultra settings average 44 FPS. The Low-to-Ultra gap narrows to 41 FPS, a 48% reduction similar to the 1080p proportion. At this resolution, only the Low preset exceeds 60 FPS, while Medium comes close at 65. High and Ultra fall below the 60 FPS threshold, which may be noticeable on displays with higher refresh rates.

At 3840x2160, the performance drops significantly. Low settings average 47 FPS. Medium averages 36 FPS with a minimum of 31 and maximum of 41. High settings average 31 FPS. Ultra settings average 24 FPS. The Low-to-Ultra gap narrows to 23 FPS, a 49% reduction. None of the 4K presets reach 60 FPS, and only Low exceeds 45 FPS. The Medium preset's minimum of 31 FPS indicates occasional dips below the 30 FPS playability threshold.

Comparing the same preset across resolutions reveals consistent scaling factors. For High settings, 1080p yields 85 FPS, 1440p yields 56 FPS, and 4K yields 31 FPS. The 1440p result is 66% of the 1080p result, and the 4K result is 36% of the 1080p result. For Low settings, the progression is 130, 85, and 47 FPS — the 1440p result is 65% of 1080p, and the 4K result is 36%. This consistency across presets indicates predictable scaling behavior tied primarily to pixel count rather than settings-specific effects.

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

For 1080p displays, the High preset at 85 FPS average offers the best balance. It provides a 27% improvement over Ultra's 67 FPS while delivering substantially better visual quality than Low's 130 FPS. The Medium preset at 100 FPS is also viable for users prioritizing frame rate, with a documented minimum of 85 FPS ensuring consistent performance. Ultra at 67 FPS remains playable but with less headroom for demanding scenes.

At 1440p, the Medium preset at 65 FPS is the recommended choice. It is the only preset at this resolution that exceeds 60 FPS average, and its minimum of 56 FPS keeps the experience above the 30 FPS floor. Low at 85 FPS provides extra headroom but sacrifices visual fidelity. High at 56 FPS and Ultra at 44 FPS fall below the 60 FPS target, making them less suitable for smooth gameplay on standard refresh displays.

For 4K displays, the Low preset at 47 FPS is the practical option. Medium at 36 FPS with a 31 FPS minimum approaches the playability threshold but may experience noticeable stutter. High at 31 FPS and Ultra at 24 FPS are below the 30 FPS playability line for sustained action. The data indicates that 4K gaming with this combo requires accepting Low settings for a reasonably smooth experience.

Across all resolutions, the Medium preset consistently provides the most complete performance data with documented minimum and maximum values. This suggests it is the most stable preset in terms of frame delivery. The 1080p Medium result of 100 FPS average with an 85 FPS minimum represents the strongest combination of visual quality and performance stability in the measured set. Users seeking a consistent experience should prioritize Medium at 1080p or 1440p.

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

The AMD Ryzen 7 7700 is an 8-core, 16-thread processor from the 7000 series based on the Zen 4 architecture, codenamed Raphael. It operates on the AMD Socket AM5 platform with a base clock of 3.80 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz. The processor is fabricated on a 5 nm process at TSMC with 6,570 million transistors on a 71 mm² die. Its TDP is 65 W, and it supports DDR5 memory in a dual-channel configuration with 83.2 GB/s bandwidth.

The CPU's benchmark results place it in the 87th percentile versus all CPUs. Its average benchmark score is 40081, with nearest rivals including the AMD Ryzen AI 9 365 at 0.1% ahead, the Intel Core 5 221E at 0.2% behind, the AMD Ryzen 9 270 at 0.4% behind, and the Intel Core i9-13905H at 0.6% behind. In Cinebench R23, the processor scores 18760 in multicore and 1930 in singlecore. The Geekbench scores are 15371 multicore and 2525 singlecore.

For The Technomancer, the CPU appears more than adequate. The game's measured performance shows GPU-bound behavior, with frame rates scaling directly with resolution. At 1080p Low, the combo reaches 130 FPS, which suggests the CPU can feed the GPU well above typical display refresh rates. The processor's 32 MB shared L3 cache and 1 MB per-core L2 cache provide ample data locality for game workloads. The 5.30 GHz boost clock ensures strong single-thread performance, which many games from 2016 rely upon.

The 3DMark thread scaling shows the processor's capabilities: 1049 single-thread, 2043 for 2 threads, 3931 for 4 threads, 6933 for 8 threads, and 8479 for 16 threads. The near-linear scaling from 8 to 16 threads (6933 to 8479, a 22% increase) indicates efficient multi-threading. The Technomancer, as an Action RPG from 2016, may not fully utilize 16 threads, but the strong single-thread and 8-thread performance ensures the CPU is not a bottleneck in the measured results.

The CPU's launch MSRP is $329. Its production status is Active, and it was released on 2023-01-13. The processor includes integrated Radeon Graphics, which are not used given the discrete RX 6600, but this does not affect gaming performance. The PCIe Gen 5 interface with 24 lanes provides ample bandwidth for the GPU, which uses PCIe 4.0 x8.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 7 7700 and AMD Radeon RX 6600 ranks 2872 out of 3696 tested combinations in The Technomancer. This places the combo in the lower 22% of all tested configurations. The ranking reflects the GPU's mid-range positioning rather than the CPU's strong benchmark performance. The RX 6600 sits in the 63rd percentile versus all GPUs, while the Ryzen 7 7700 sits in the 87th percentile versus all CPUs. The discrepancy between these percentiles explains the combo's relatively low ranking — the GPU is the limiting component.

The combo's ranking suggests that many other tested combinations deliver higher frame rates in this title. The 3696 total combinations include systems with more powerful GPUs that would achieve higher FPS across all resolutions and settings. The measured data shows that even at 1080p Low, the combo reaches 130 FPS, which is respectable but not exceptional among the full test pool. The 4K results, ranging from 24 to 47 FPS, likely place the combo well below the median for high-resolution gaming.

The GPU's nearest rivals in benchmark scores (Quadro K6000, RTX 4050 Mobile, Tesla K20m, RTX 2000 Ada Generation) are professional or mobile parts that would not typically be paired with a Ryzen 7 7700 in a gaming desktop. This suggests the combo is a mainstream gaming configuration rather than an enthusiast setup. The rank of 2872 out of 3696 indicates that users seeking higher performance in The Technomancer would need a more powerful GPU, as the CPU provides sufficient headroom.

Despite the low ranking, the measured FPS data shows the combo is playable at 1080p and 1440p with appropriate settings. The 1080p High result of 85 FPS and 1440p Medium result of 65 FPS both exceed the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. The ranking should be interpreted as a relative position among all tested hardware combinations, not as an indication of unplayability. The combo delivers functional performance for a 2016 title at mainstream resolutions, with the understanding that 4K gaming requires Low or Medium settings for acceptable frame rates.