The Technomancer

The Technomancer is a 2016 Action RPG that, on this hardware pairing, shows a clear and expected performance curve. The AMD Ryzen 7 7700 and AMD Radeon RX 9060 combination delivers playable frame rates at 1080p and 1440p, but struggles to maintain smooth performance at 4K. The data indicates a system where the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions, while the CPU provides ample headroom for the game's logic.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and tells a clear story about where the limiting component lies. At 1080p with High settings, the combo averages 103 FPS. Moving to 1440p High drops that to 67 FPS, a 35% reduction. The leap to 4K High is far more punishing, landing at just 37 FPS—a 64% decrease from the 1080p result. This pattern of diminishing returns with each resolution increase is classic GPU-bound behavior.

The scaling becomes even more telling when looking at the Low preset. At 1080p Low, the system pushes 157 FPS. At 1440p Low, it still manages 102 FPS, showing strong performance. But at 4K Low, the average collapses to 56 FPS. This is a 64% drop from 1080p to 4K, nearly identical to the High preset's scaling. When a game's frame rate scales almost linearly with pixel count regardless of settings, it confirms that the Radeon RX 9060's rendering throughput is the decisive factor.

The Medium preset data provides additional granularity, with min and max FPS recorded. At 1080p Medium, the average is 120 FPS, with a minimum of 102 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the average falls to 79 FPS, with a minimum of 67 FPS. The 4K Medium result shows an average of 43 FPS and a minimum of 37 FPS. The minimums are particularly telling: at 4K, the system dips to 37 FPS even on Medium, which is below the threshold for smooth gameplay. The data suggests that 4K is not a viable resolution for this title with this combo, regardless of settings.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 9060 is built on the RDNA 4.0 architecture with a Navi 44 chip. Its specifications include 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, delivering 288.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The boost clock sits at 2990 MHz, with a game clock of 2400 MHz. These numbers paint a picture of a mid-range card that can handle 1080p and 1440p gaming but lacks the raw throughput for 4K in demanding titles.

The GPU's benchmark scores support this assessment. It achieves a PassMark G3D score of 17631 and an average benchmark score of 16014, placing it in the 59th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti, which scores 16129, just 0.7% higher. This places the RX 9060 in a competitive position against a well-known previous-generation card, but neither is a 4K powerhouse.

The VRAM configuration is a critical factor. With only 8 GB of GDDR6 memory, the card is likely hitting capacity limits at 4K resolution with higher texture settings. The 128-bit bus width and 288.0 GB/s bandwidth are modest figures for 4K workloads. The data shows that at 4K Ultra, the average FPS drops to just 29, which is essentially unplayable. Even at 4K High, the 37 FPS average suggests the GPU is struggling to fill the frame buffer with complex scenes.

Interestingly, the GPU's compute capabilities are solid. It scores 9919 in PassMark GPU Compute and 88183 in Geekbench OpenCL. The FP32 performance is rated at 21.43 TFLOPS, which is respectable for a card in this class. However, raw compute does not translate directly to rasterization performance in The Technomancer, as evidenced by the 4K results. The card's 1792 shading units and 64 ROPs are sufficient for 1080p and 1440p, but the 4K frame rates show the architectural limits being reached.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 7700 is a Zen 4 architecture processor with 8 cores and 16 threads. It operates with a base clock of 3.80 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz. This CPU is not the limiting factor in this game. The benchmark results show it performs well above what The Technomancer requires, even at lower resolutions where CPU overhead is more pronounced.

In synthetic benchmarks, the Ryzen 7 7700 scores 18760 in Cinebench R23 multicore and 1930 in single-core. Its Geekbench scores are 15371 multicore and 2525 single-core. These numbers place it in the 87th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 40081. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen AI 9 365, which scores 40048 (0.1% lower), and the Intel Core 5 221E, which scores 40144 (0.2% higher). This shows the 7700 is exceptionally well-balanced for a desktop processor.

The CPU's memory bandwidth is rated at 83.2 GB/s with dual-channel DDR5 support. The 32 MB of L3 cache is shared across all cores, providing fast access to frequently used data. For a game like The Technomancer, which was released in 2016 and likely does not utilize more than a few cores effectively, the 8-core/16-thread configuration is overkill. The data supports this: at 1080p Low, where CPU overhead is highest relative to GPU load, the system still achieves 157 FPS. This suggests the CPU is not even close to being a bottleneck.

The evidence for GPU-bound performance is overwhelming. When comparing the 1080p Low result of 157 FPS to the 4K Low result of 56 FPS, the massive drop is entirely attributable to the GPU's pixel processing limits. The CPU's single-thread performance, as measured by PassMark at 4063, is more than sufficient to feed the GPU at any resolution. The Ryzen 7 7700's 65W TDP and 5 nm process node also indicate a highly efficient chip that will not throttle in prolonged gaming sessions.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides clear guidance on the optimal settings for this hardware combination. At 1080p, the High preset delivers 103 FPS, which is excellent for smooth gameplay. The Ultra preset drops to 80 FPS, which is still playable but offers diminishing returns for the performance cost. The Medium preset sits at 120 FPS, providing a good balance. For most players on a 1080p display, High is the sweet spot, offering a significant visual upgrade over Medium while maintaining well over 100 FPS.

At 1440p, the situation becomes more nuanced. The High preset yields 67 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for fast-paced action. The Medium preset offers 79 FPS, which is a better target for smoothness. Interestingly, the data shows that the jump from Medium to High at 1440p costs 12 FPS, which may be worth it for players who prioritize visual fidelity. However, the Low preset at 102 FPS is surprisingly strong, indicating that the game scales well when GPU load is reduced.

For 4K displays, the recommendation is straightforward: avoid Ultra and High presets. The 4K Ultra average of 29 FPS is unplayable, and the 4K High average of 37 FPS is borderline. The Medium preset at 43 FPS is marginally better but still below the 60 FPS target for smooth gameplay. The only viable 4K option is Low, which averages 56 FPS. Even this is not ideal, as the minimum FPS is not recorded but the average suggests occasional dips below 50 FPS. Players with 4K displays should either lower the resolution to 1440p or accept the Low preset at 4K.

The best overall experience per the measured rows is 1080p High. This preset provides 103 FPS, which is well above the threshold for smooth, responsive gameplay. It also offers a substantial visual improvement over Medium, making it the recommended choice for the majority of users. For 1440p users, Medium at 79 FPS is the most balanced option, as it maintains playability without sacrificing too much visual quality.

How This Combo Ranks

In the benchmark database, this combination of the AMD Ryzen 7 7700 and AMD Radeon RX 9060 ranks 1632 out of 2825 tested combos for The Technomancer. This places it in the bottom half of all tested systems, which is somewhat surprising given the individual component strengths. The rank suggests that many other combinations deliver higher frame rates in this specific title.

The ranking reflects the GPU's limitations at higher resolutions. While the CPU is in the 87th percentile of all processors, the GPU is only in the 59th percentile. This imbalance means the combo's overall performance is dragged down by the graphics card, particularly in a game like The Technomancer that is heavily GPU-dependent. The CPU's 0.1% performance delta against the AMD Ryzen AI 9 365 and -0.2% against the Intel Core 5 221E shows it is competitively positioned, but the GPU's 0.7% deficit against the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is the more relevant comparison for gaming.

The 1632 rank out of 2825 combos means roughly 42% of tested systems perform better. This is not a poor result, but it indicates that for The Technomancer specifically, pairing a stronger GPU with a mid-range CPU would yield better results. The data suggests the Ryzen 7 7700 is underutilized in this configuration, as it has significant headroom that the RX 9060 cannot fully exploit at higher resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete measured data set provides a comprehensive view of performance across all resolution and settings combinations.

At 1920x1080, the system performs admirably across all presets. Low settings produce an average of 157 FPS, which is exceptional. Medium settings average 120 FPS, with a minimum of 102 FPS and a maximum of 138 FPS. High settings average 103 FPS, and Ultra settings average 80 FPS. The 1080p results show a clear performance hierarchy, with each settings tier costing roughly 20-25% in frame rate.

At 2560x1440, the performance drops are noticeable but acceptable. Low settings average 102 FPS, maintaining a triple-digit result. Medium settings average 79 FPS, with a minimum of 67 FPS and a maximum of 90 FPS. High settings average 67 FPS, and Ultra settings average 52 FPS. The 1440p results show that the system can handle the resolution comfortably at lower presets, but Ultra becomes marginal at 52 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the system struggles. Low settings average 56 FPS, which is the only preset approaching playability. Medium settings average 43 FPS, with a minimum of 37 FPS and a maximum of 50 FPS. High settings average 37 FPS, and Ultra settings average 29 FPS. The 4K results confirm that this combo is not suited for 4K gaming in The Technomancer, as even the lowest settings fail to maintain a consistent 60 FPS.

The data also reveals that the Medium preset at 4K has recorded minimum and maximum values, showing a spread of 13 FPS. This variance indicates inconsistent frame pacing, which can be more noticeable than a low average. The 1080p Medium preset, by contrast, shows a tighter spread of 36 FPS between minimum and maximum, suggesting more stable performance at lower resolutions. The 1440p Medium preset shows a spread of 23 FPS, which is moderate.

Overall, the measured FPS data provides a clear picture: this combo excels at 1080p, performs well at 1440p, and fails to meet playability standards at 4K. The Ryzen 7 7700 provides robust CPU performance that is never the limiting factor, while the Radeon RX 9060's 8 GB VRAM and 128-bit memory bus cap its potential at higher resolutions. For players targeting 1080p or 1440p, this is a solid configuration. For 4K, other hardware should be considered.