The Technomancer

The Technomancer, a 2016 Action RPG, presents a distinct challenge for the AMD Ryzen 7 7700 and Intel Arc B370 pairing. The measured frame rates across resolutions and settings reveal a configuration heavily constrained by its graphics subsystem, with the data indicating that the integrated GPU is the primary bottleneck in nearly all scenarios. The benchmark results show a system that can achieve playable frame rates at lower resolutions but struggles to maintain fluidity as graphical demands increase.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a predictable and steep decline as resolution increases from 1080p to 4K, confirming that the Intel Arc B370's rendering capabilities are the limiting factor. At the High preset, the average frame rate drops from 47 FPS at 1920x1080 to 31 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of 34%. Pushing further to 3840x2160, the average falls to just 17 FPS, which represents a 64% decrease from the 1080p baseline. This scaling pattern indicates that the GPU is being saturated by the increasing pixel count, with the processor having ample headroom to feed it.

The scaling trend is consistent across all settings presets. At Low settings, the average FPS goes from 71 at 1080p, to 47 at 1440p, and finally to 26 at 4K. Similarly, at Ultra settings, the numbers drop from 37 at 1080p, to 24 at 1440p, and to 13 at 4K. The consistency of this drop-off, regardless of the preset, points to a purely pixel-bound scenario. The CPU's role in this equation is minimal; the Ryzen 7 7700 has more than enough throughput to handle the game's logic at all tested resolutions, as evidenced by the fact that even at the highest resolution, the frame rate is not recovering, which would be the case if the CPU were the bottleneck.

The data suggests that the limiting component is unequivocally the GPU. The frame rate collapse at 4K, with averages dipping into the low 20s and even the teens, demonstrates that the Intel Arc B370 is overwhelmed by the fill-rate and shading demands of 3840x2160. The scaling from 1440p to 4K is particularly punishing, with a 45% drop in performance at High settings, further solidifying that the integrated graphics solution is the primary constraint in this configuration.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B370 is an integrated graphics processor (IGP) based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, and its role in these results is defined by its modest specifications. With a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2400 MHz, it operates with a power limit of just 25 W. The GPU has 1280 shading units, 40 texture mapping units, and 20 raster operation units, which are the fundamental building blocks for rendering geometry and pixels. The system shared memory configuration, where the GPU uses the main system's DDR5 RAM, means that its performance is also dependent on system memory bandwidth, which is a significant limitation for a game like The Technomancer.

The GPU's 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1184 places it in the 5th percentile of all GPUs, indicating its position at the very bottom of the performance spectrum. This score is nearly identical to that of the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570, which has an average score of 1186, a delta of -0.2%. This comparison underscores the Arc B370's performance class, which is more akin to an entry-level discrete GPU from over a decade ago than a modern gaming solution. The data clearly shows that the GPU's capabilities in terms of raw pixel and texture throughput are insufficient for the demands of a 2016 title at high resolutions.

The relationship between the GPU's clocks and the measured FPS is direct. The boost clock of 2400 MHz is the maximum frequency, but the sustained performance in a real-world workload will be lower, especially given the 25 W TDP limit. The game's performance is likely constrained by both the compute throughput of the 1280 shading units and the memory bandwidth available to the IGP. The results at 4K, where the average FPS is between 13 and 26 depending on the preset, strongly suggest that the GPU is running at its maximum capacity and cannot keep up with the rendering demands.

How This Combo Ranks

In the context of all tested hardware combinations for The Technomancer, the pairing of the AMD Ryzen 7 7700 and Intel Arc B370 ranks at position 2603 out of 2825 total combos. This places it in the bottom 8% of all configurations, which aligns with the GPU's low percentile ranking among all graphics cards. The high rank of the CPU, which is in the 87th percentile of all CPUs, is completely negated by the GPU's performance, resulting in a combo that is heavily constrained by its weakest link.

The combo's rank of 2603 means that the vast majority of other tested systems, even those with much older or less capable CPUs, outperform this configuration in this specific game. This is because the game's frame rate is almost entirely dependent on the graphics card. The CPU's 8 cores and 16 threads, based on the Zen 4 architecture, are more than sufficient for a game from 2016, but they cannot compensate for the GPU's inability to render frames quickly. The data indicates that this combination is poorly balanced for gaming, as the processor's potential is left largely untapped.

The gap between the combo's rank and what the CPU alone would suggest is stark. While the Ryzen 7 7700 has a high average benchmark score of 40081, putting it in the 87th percentile, the combo's performance is in the bottom percentile. This discrepancy is a clear indicator that the graphics solution is the sole bottleneck. The benchmark results show that a user with a much weaker processor but a stronger, even older, dedicated GPU would likely achieve a better frame rate in The Technomancer than this combination.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the optimal settings for this configuration prioritize resolution over graphical fidelity. At 1920x1080, the Low preset achieves an average of 71 FPS, which is the only setting that provides a truly fluid experience. The Medium preset at 1080p yields 55 FPS, which is still playable but begins to show the system's limitations. High at 1080p drops to 47 FPS, and Ultra falls to 37 FPS, indicating that the game becomes increasingly demanding with each step up in quality.

At 2560x1440, the situation becomes more difficult. The Low preset is the only one that maintains an average above 40 FPS, hitting 47 FPS. Medium drops to 36 FPS, High to 31 FPS, and Ultra to 24 FPS. For a smoother experience at this resolution, the Low preset is the only viable option, as the higher presets will introduce noticeable stutter and lag. The data shows that the gap between Low and Ultra at 1440p is a significant 23 FPS, which is more than a 50% performance penalty.

The 3840x2160 resolution is not recommended for this combination. Even at the Low preset, the average FPS is only 26, which is below the threshold for comfortable play. The Medium preset at 4K shows a minimum FPS of 17 and a maximum of 23, indicating significant frame time inconsistency. The High and Ultra presets are unplayable, with averages of 17 and 13 FPS respectively. The best experience per the measured data is to play at 1080p with the Low preset, which offers the highest frame rate and smoothest gameplay, or at 1080p Medium if visual quality is prioritized over maximum FPS.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution and settings combo for this system in The Technomancer?

A: According to the measured data, the best experience is at 1920x1080 with the Low preset, which yields an average of 71 FPS. For a balance of quality and performance, the Medium preset at 1080p is also viable, with an average of 55 FPS.

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

A: No. The benchmark results show that at 3840x2160, even the Low preset only achieves an average of 26 FPS. The Ultra preset is unplayable at 13 FPS average, indicating that the Intel Arc B370 is not capable of 4K rendering in this title.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B370 compare to its nearest rivals in terms of performance?

A: The GPU's 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 1184 is nearly identical to that of the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570, which scores 1186, a delta of -0.2%. It is also within 1% of the ATI Radeon HD 5770 and AMD Radeon HD 7650M.

Q: Is the AMD Ryzen 7 7700 the bottleneck in this system?

A: No. The CPU is in the 87th percentile of all CPUs tested, with a high average benchmark score of 40081. The frame rates are consistently low across all resolutions, indicating that the integrated GPU is the limiting component.

Q: What is the difference in performance between the Low and Ultra presets at 1080p?

A: The Low preset averages 71 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 37 FPS. This represents a 34 FPS difference, or a 48% reduction in performance when moving to the highest quality settings.

Q: What is the combo's overall rank among all tested systems for this game?

A: The AMD Ryzen 7 7700 + Intel Arc B370 combination ranks 2603 out of 2825 tested combos, placing it in the bottom 8% of all configurations for The Technomancer.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 7700 is a high-end desktop processor with 8 cores and 16 threads, based on the Zen 4 architecture. It has a base clock of 3.80 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz, with a TDP of 65 W. The CPU's benchmark scores are strong, with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 18760 and a single-core score of 1930. Its Geekbench scores are equally impressive, with a multicore score of 15371 and a single-core score of 2525. These results place the CPU in the 87th percentile of all CPUs, indicating that it is a very capable processor.

In the context of The Technomancer, the CPU's role is to handle game logic, physics, and AI, which are tasks that it performs with ease. The game's release in 2016 means it was designed for CPUs with far fewer cores and lower clock speeds. The Ryzen 7 7700's 8 cores and 16 threads are vastly overqualified for this workload. The data supports this, as the frame rates do not improve when the resolution is lowered, which is the expected behavior when a CPU is the limiting factor. Instead, the frame rates scale directly with resolution, confirming that the GPU is the bottleneck.

The CPU's performance relative to its nearest rivals further demonstrates its capability. It has an average benchmark score of 40081, which is nearly identical to the AMD Ryzen AI 9 365 (40048, delta 0.1%) and the Intel Core 5 221E (40144, delta -0.2%). It is also on par with the AMD Ryzen 9 270 (40246, delta -0.4%) and the Intel Core i9-13905H (40313, delta -0.6%). This shows that the Ryzen 7 7700 is a top-tier processor, and its performance is not a factor in the low frame rates observed. The processor's high single-thread performance, as indicated by its Cinebench R15 single-core score of 308, is also beneficial for older game engines that may rely on fewer threads.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following is the complete breakdown of measured average FPS for all tested resolution and settings combinations.

1920x1080:

• Ultra: 37 FPS average
• High: 47 FPS average
• Medium: 55 FPS average (minimum 47, maximum 63)
• Low: 71 FPS average

2560x1440:

• Ultra: 24 FPS average
• High: 31 FPS average
• Medium: 36 FPS average (minimum 30, maximum 41)
• Low: 47 FPS average

3840x2160:

• Ultra: 13 FPS average
• High: 17 FPS average
• Medium: 20 FPS average (minimum 17, maximum 23)
• Low: 26 FPS average

The data illustrates a clear hierarchy of performance. At 1080p, the system can provide a playable experience at all settings, with the Low preset breaking the 60 FPS mark. The step to 1440p cuts the frame rate by roughly a third at each preset, making the Low preset the only one that stays above 45 FPS. The jump to 4K further halves the performance, rendering the game unplayable at any setting. The Medium preset at 4K has a narrow frame time window, with a minimum of 17 and maximum of 23 FPS, which would result in a stuttery experience. These numbers definitively show that the Intel Arc B370 is the sole determinant of performance in this combination.