The Technomancer

The Technomancer, a 2016 action RPG, presents a demanding workload that scales significantly with both resolution and graphical presets. The measured data for the AMD Ryzen 7 7700 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 shows a system that is capable of high frame rates at 1080p and 1440p but requires careful setting choices to maintain playable performance at 4K. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS across all presets and resolutions to identify the optimal settings and the performance bottlenecks.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data for this CPU and GPU combo in The Technomancer reveals a clear hierarchy of performance across the four tested presets: Low, Medium, High, and Ultra. At 1080p, the differences between presets are significant, but even the most demanding Ultra preset maintains a smooth average of 114 FPS. The jump to High yields an average of 146 FPS, while Medium produces 171 FPS and Low reaches 223 FPS. With such a high ceiling at 1080p, the choice of preset is more about visual fidelity than playability, as even the Ultra preset offers a comfortable margin above standard refresh rates.

However, the scenario changes dramatically at 1440p. The Ultra preset drops to an average of 75 FPS, which is still playable, but the gap to the next tier is substantial. High preset delivers 96 FPS, Medium 112 FPS, and Low 146 FPS. For a balanced experience prioritizing fluidity, the High preset at 1440p emerges as the most compelling option. It offers a significant visual upgrade over Medium while maintaining a frame rate well above 90 FPS, making it suitable for high refresh rate displays. The Medium preset, while faster, sacrifices too much visual detail for the performance gain in most instances.

At 4K, the data shows the system's limitations most clearly. The Ultra preset is the only option that dips below the 60 FPS threshold, averaging just 48 FPS. Medium averages 61 FPS, High averages 60 FPS, and Low averages 91 FPS. Considering the 4K data, the Medium preset is the most balanced recommendation. It is the only preset that achieves an average FPS above 60 while providing a substantial visual upgrade over Low. The High preset is also viable, but its average of 60 FPS is right at the edge, and the Medium preset offers a better safety margin. The data suggests that for the best experience at 4K, one should select Medium settings, as it provides both a smooth average frame rate and a significant improvement over the Low preset.

The measured FPS range for Medium settings also provides insight into frame pacing. At 1080p Medium, the average is 163 FPS, with a minimum of 146 and a maximum of 197. At 1440p Medium, the average is 112 FPS, with a minimum of 95 and a maximum of 129. At 4K Medium, the average is 61 FPS, with a minimum of 52 and a maximum of 71. These figures show that even at the highest resolution, the frame rate remains relatively stable, with the minimum not dropping below 52 FPS, which is a very playable level for the game's genre.

Ultimately, the data suggests the following settings recommendations: for 1080p, any preset from High to Ultra is viable, but Ultra offers the most visually rich experience. For 1440p, the High preset is the sweet spot for performance and quality. For 4K, the Medium preset is the most recommended for a smooth and still visually detailed experience.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 7700 is a desktop processor from the 7000 series, based on the Zen 4 architecture and codenamed Raphael. It features 8 cores with 16 threads, with base and boost clocks of 3.80 GHz and 5.30 GHz, respectively. This CPU is a strong performer, as reflected in its benchmark scores. Its average benchmark score is 40081, which places it at the 97th percentile of all CPUs, showcasing its high-end capabilities.

The CPU's nearest rivals, as indicated by average scores, are the AMD Ryzen AI 9 365, Intel Core 5 221E, AMD Ryzen 9 270, and Intel Core i9-13905H. The Ryzen 7 7700 scores 0.1% higher than the Ryzen AI 9 365, 0.2% lower than the Intel Core 5 221E, 0.4% lower than the AMD Ryzen 9 270, and 0.6% lower than the Intel Core i9-13905H. These are all very close scores, indicating that the CPU performance is broadly similar to these other high-end models.

In the context of The Technomancer, the CPU's role is less likely to be a primary bottleneck than the GPU, given the game's release date and typical engine characteristics. At 1080p, the CPU is likely fast to feed the GPU with frames, as indicated by the very high average FPS numbers across all presets, even at Low. At 1440p, the FPS drops are significant, but the CPU remains capable. The fact that the 1080p Low preset produces an average of 246 FPS, which is extremely high, suggests the CPU is not a limitation at this resolution and that the GPU is the primary factor driving the FPS differences across the various settings.

The CPU's threaded performance is strong, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 18760 and a single-thread score of 1930. This indicates it can handle the game's logic, physics, and AI tasks without bottlenecks. The CPU's base and boost clocks, combined with its modern architecture, provide a solid foundation for the game's scenarios. The data indicates that the CPU is not a limiting factor in this game, as the FPS scales more with resolution and settings than with CPU-bound tasks, which is a typical pattern for an action RPG.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 is the GPU in this combo, with 10 GB of GDDR6X memory and a 320-bit memory bus, providing a high memory bandwidth of 760.3 GB/s. Its base and boost clocks are 1440 MHz and 1710 MHz, respectively. The GPU's performance in benchmarks is also strong, with a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 4407 and a PassMark G3D score of 24766. This places it at the 68th percentile of all GPUs.

The GPU's nearest rivals, according to average scores, are the NVIDIA P106-100, AMD Radeon Pro Vega 16, AMD Radeon RX 6600M, and AMD Radeon R9 M290X. The RTX 3080 scores 0.3% lower than the P106-100, 0.3% lower than the Radeon Pro Vega 16, 0.4% lower than the RX 6600M, and 0.4% lower than the R9 M290X. These are also very close scores, but they are not the primary competitor in this game.

In The Technomancer, the GPU is the dominant factor in achieving high frame rates, especially at higher resolutions and settings. The data shows a clear correlation between the GPU's workload and frame rates. At 1080p, the GPU can produce very high FPS, but it drops as the resolution increases. At 4K, the GPU's performance is significantly more strained, with Ultra settings dropping to 48 FPS. The 10 GB VRAM capacity is sufficient for the game's demands, and the high memory bandwidth helps maintain performance at higher resolutions and settings.

The GPU's performance in this game is also characterized by its ability to scale with settings. The difference between Low and Ultra at 1080p is about 120 FPS, highlighting the impact of the GPU's processing power. At 4K, the difference between Low and Ultra is 43 FPS, which is a significant drop but still shows that the GPU is actively engaged in rendering the game.

The RTX 3080's performance in The Technomancer is strong enough to handle the game at high frame rates in 1080p and 1440p, but at 4K, the card is the limiting factor, requiring a reduction in settings to achieve playable frame rates. The data indicates that the GPU is the primary component that determines the game's performance, especially at higher resolutions.

FAQ

Q: What is the best preset for playing The Technomancer at 4K with this CPU/GPU combo?

A: The data shows that at 4K, the only preset that averages above 60 FPS is Medium, with an average of 61 FPS. High settings average 60 FPS and Ultra drops to 48 FPS. Therefore, the Medium preset is the recommended choice for a smooth experience at 4K.

Q: How does the combo perform at 1080p with the highest settings?

A: At 1080p on Ultra settings, the system achieves an average of 114 FPS, which is very playable and indicates that the GPU is not a bottleneck at this resolution. The CPU is capable of feeding the GPU to reach high frame rates.

Q: What is the average FPS at the Medium preset across the three tested resolutions?

A: At 1080p Medium, the average FPS is 171. At 1440p Medium, the average is 112. At 4K Medium, the average is 61. This shows a consistent scaling pattern as resolution increases.

Q: How does the combo's CPU compare to its nearest rivals in the benchmark database?

A: The AMD Ryzen 7 7700 has an average benchmark score of 40081. It is 0.1% higher than the AMD Ryzen AI 9 365, 0.2% lower than the Intel Core 5 221E, 0.4% lower than the AMD Ryzen 9 270, and 0.6% lower than the Intel Core i9-13905H.

Q: What is the FPS range at the Medium settings and 4K resolution?

A: At 4K Medium, the minimum FPS is 52 and the maximum is 71, with an average of 61. This shows a reasonable variance, with the frame rate staying within a playable range.

Q: How does the GPU rank compared to all other GPUs in the database?

A: The RTX 3080 is at the 68th percentile of all GPUs, indicating it is a solidly performing mid-high range card. Its average benchmark score is 23172.

Resolution Scaling

The performance data shows a clear and consistent trend of FPS scaling as resolution increases from 1080p to 4K, which is a classic indication of the GPU being the primary bottleneck. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 246 at 1080p to 146 at 1440p, a reduction of 40%, and then to 91 at 4K, a further reduction of 38%. This scaling pattern shows that the GPU is heavily engaged, with the frame rate roughly halving when the pixel count doubles from 1080p to 4K.

At Medium settings, the average FPS drops from 171 at 1080p to 112 at 1440p, a 34% reduction, and then to 61 at 4K, a 45% reduction. The percentage drop from 1440p to 4K is larger than from 1080p to 1440p, indicating that the GPU is becoming more strained as resolution increases. At High settings, the drops are similar: 146 to 96 (34%) and then to 60 (37%). At Ultra, the drops are 114 to 75 (34%) and then to 48 (36%).

This data shows that the scaling from 1080p to 1440p is relatively consistent at around 34-40%, but the scaling from 1440p to 4K is more pronounced, especially at the higher settings, with a 52% drop at Ultra. This indicates that the GPU is the limiting component, especially at higher resolutions and settings. The CPU is capable of driving the game at high frame rates at 1080p, but the GPU is not able to maintain the same performance at 4K, particularly with the more demanding presets.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following table provides the exact measured FPS data for The Technomancer with the AMD Ryzen 7 7700 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 combination across all tested resolutions and settings.

| Resolution | Settings | Average FPS | Minimum FPS | Maximum FPS |

|---|---|---|---|---|

| 1920x1080 | Low | 223 | - | - |

| 1920x1080 | Medium | 171 | 146 | 197 |

| 1920x1080 | High | 146 | - | - |

| 1920x1080 | Ultra | 114 | - | - |

| 2560x1440 | Low | 146 | - | - |

| 2560x1440 | Medium | 112 | 95 | 129 |

| 2560x1440 | High | 96 | - | - |

| 2560x1440 | Ultra | 75 | - | - |

| 3840x2160 | Low | 80 | - | - |

| 3840x2160 | Medium | 61 | 52 | 71 |

| 3840x2160 | High | 60 | - | - |

| 3840x2160 | Ultra | 48 | - | - |

The minimum and maximum FPS values are only available for the Medium preset at each resolution. At 1080p Medium, the minimum is 146 and the maximum is 197, indicating a 51 FPS range. At 1440p Medium, the minimum is 95 and the maximum is 129, a 34 FPS range. At 4K Medium, the minimum is 52 and the maximum is 71, a 19 FPS range. This shows that as resolution increases, the frame pacing becomes more stable, with a smaller range between the minimum and maximum.

For the other presets, only the average FPS is recorded, which is the primary metric for performance.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 7 7700 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 ranks at position 1040 out of 3696 tested combinations in The Technomancer. This places it in the 71st percentile of all tested combos, indicating a strong overall performance for this game. The combo is above average, with the CPU and GPU both being capable of delivering high FPS.

The fact that the combo ranks 1040th out of 3696 shows that there are many other systems that can achieve higher frame rates in this game, but this specific combination is still above the median. The high CPU and GPU benchmarks contribute to this ranking, though the GPU is the more significant factor for this game's performance. The rank is a reflection of the combined system's capability, with the CPU and GPU working together to provide a smooth gaming experience.

The data shows that this system is well-balanced but the GPU is the primary driver for the game's performance. The high rank suggests that the system is well-suited for The Technomancer, delivering high frame rates at 1080p and 1440p and playable frame rates at 4K when settings are adjusted. Among the tested combos, this system is positioned in the top third, indicating it is a robust choice for playing this game.