The Technomancer

The Technomancer, a 2016 Action RPG, presents an interesting stress profile for the AMD Ryzen 7 7700X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 combination. The measured frame rates across resolutions and settings reveal a system that is overwhelmingly GPU-bound at higher quality presets, but which transitions to a more balanced load as resolution drops and settings are lowered. The data indicates that this pairing can deliver exceptionally high frame rates, even at 4K, with the primary bottleneck shifting from the graphics card to the processor only at the most extreme combinations of low resolution and low settings.

Resolution Scaling

Analyzing the measured FPS data, the impact of resolution on performance is substantial, but the degree of that impact is heavily modulated by the selected graphics preset. At the Ultra preset, dropping from 4K to 1440p yields a performance increase from 61.1 FPS to 108.7 FPS, a jump of 47.6 FPS. Further dropping to 1080p increases the average to 171.8 FPS. This pattern shows that at Ultra settings, the GPU is the primary limiting factor, as the increase in pixel count from 1080p to 4K nearly triples the rendering load, causing a significant frame rate drop.

The scaling is even more dramatic at the Low preset. Here, the RTX 4090 is less burdened by graphical effects, allowing it to push frames faster. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 300.7 FPS, but this plummets to 218.1 FPS at 1440p and further to 116.9 FPS at 4K. The 1080p to 4K transition at Low settings represents a 61% reduction in frame rate (from 300.7 to 116.9 FPS). This steeper decline compared to the Ultra preset (where the 4K score is 64% lower than 1080p) suggests that while the GPU is still the main engine, the lower graphical load at 1080p Low begins to expose the CPU's role in frame generation.

The data for the High and Medium presets fits neatly between these extremes. The progression from 4K to 1080p at High settings goes from 78.1 FPS to 141.6 FPS to 215.9 FPS. This pattern confirms that the RTX 4090 is the dominant component for all but the most CPU-intensive scenarios. The limiting component is clearly the GPU for 4K and 1440p at all settings, and for 1080p at Medium, High, and Ultra. Only at 1080p Low does the Ryzen 7 7700X start to become a more significant factor, as the frame rate ceiling is approached.

FAQ

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

A: The highest measured average frame rate is 300.7 FPS, which is achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with the Low settings preset.

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

A: Yes, the data shows it is very capable at 4K. At 3840x2160 with High settings, it averages 78.1 FPS. Even at the demanding Ultra preset, it maintains an average of 61.1 FPS, which is playable.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from 1080p to 4K at Ultra settings?

A: At the Ultra preset, the average frame rate drops from 171.8 FPS at 1920x1080 to 61.1 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a reduction of 110.7 FPS.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the main bottleneck for this game?

A: For most tested configurations, the GPU is the primary bottleneck. This is evident from the significant frame rate drops as resolution increases, which is a classic sign of GPU limitation. The CPU becomes more relevant only at the 1080p Low setting, where the frame rate is highest.

Q: What is the performance difference between the Low and Ultra presets at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 218.1 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 108.7 FPS. The Ultra preset is roughly half the speed of the Low preset.

Q: How does the combo rank compared to other tested systems for this game?

A: This specific combination of the AMD Ryzen 7 7700X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 ranks 27th out of 1656 tested combos for The Technomancer, placing it in the top 1.6% of tested systems.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 7 7700X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is placed at rank 27 out of 1656 tested combos in The Technomancer. This ranking places it within the top 2% of all systems tested for this specific title, indicating that this pairing is among the most powerful configurations for this game. The high ranking is a direct result of the RTX 4090's immense rendering power, which is well-suited to handling the game's graphical load at high resolutions and settings.

The CPU component, the Ryzen 7 7700X, also performs at a high level relative to other processors. It holds the 89th percentile compared to all CPUs in the database, and its average benchmark score of 34313 is nearly identical to its closest rivals. For instance, it is only 0.4% ahead of the Intel Core i5-13500 and 0.5% ahead of the Intel Core i7-12800HX. While the CPU is not the star of the show here, it is more than sufficient to feed the RTX 4090, ensuring the GPU's performance is not left on the table. The top-tier ranking of this combo reflects the synergy of one of the fastest consumer GPUs with a high-end, current-generation CPU.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured data provides a clear picture of performance across three resolutions and four settings presets.

At 1920x1080, the system delivers extremely high frame rates. With Low settings, it achieves an average of 300.7 FPS. Moving to Medium increases the graphical load, resulting in 252.7 FPS. The High preset yields 215.9 FPS, and the Ultra preset, which is the most demanding, still produces an average of 171.8 FPS. All of these figures are far above the refresh rate of standard monitors, ensuring a very smooth experience.

At 2560x1440, performance remains very strong. The Low preset averages 218.1 FPS, which is still exceptionally high. The Medium preset follows with 168.6 FPS, and the High preset with 141.6 FPS. The Ultra preset at 1440p produces 108.7 FPS, which is still well-suited for high-refresh-rate gaming.

At 3840x2160, the RTX 4090 demonstrates its power. The Low preset manages an average of 116.9 FPS. The Medium preset delivers 91.6 FPS, and the High preset produces 78.1 FPS. The most demanding combination, 4K Ultra, still maintains an average of 61.1 FPS, which is playable for most users, though it represents the most significant challenge for this hardware.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is the central component in this configuration's strong performance. Its core architecture, Ada Lovelace, and its high clocks are key to its capabilities. The GPU has a base clock of 2235 MHz and a boost clock of 2520 MHz, and its 16,384 shading units provide immense computational throughput. With 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus, it has a massive memory bandwidth of 1.01 TB/s. This high bandwidth is crucial for handling the large textures and data loads required at 4K resolution.

The GPU's 128 RT cores and 512 tensor cores are features of the Ada Lovelace architecture, though their direct impact on this 2016 title is likely minimal, as the game does not feature ray tracing or DLSS. However, the raw rasterization performance, which is the primary determinant of FPS in this game, is exceptionally high. The data shows that at 4K High, the GPU maintains an average of 78.1 FPS, and at 4K Low, it reaches 116.9 FPS. The performance scaling from Ultra to Low at each resolution highlights the GPU's role: reducing the graphical settings lessens the load on the GPU, allowing it to render frames more quickly.

The RTX 4090's average benchmark score of 66473 places it in the 91st percentile of all GPUs, and its performance is closely matched by its nearest rivals, such as the NVIDIA Tesla T4, which is only 0.4% slower. This confirms its status as a top-tier graphics card. Its 24 GB of VRAM is also a significant asset, ensuring that memory capacity is not a limiting factor in this game, even with the highest resolution textures.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the user's display and performance goals. For users with a 1080p or 1440p high-refresh-rate monitor (e.g., 144Hz or higher), the Ultra preset is the clear recommendation. At 1080p Ultra, the system averages 171.8 FPS, and at 1440p Ultra, it averages 108.7 FPS. This provides the best visual fidelity while still maintaining frame rates that are well above what is needed for smooth, responsive gameplay.

For users with a 4K display, the High preset is the best choice for a balanced experience. It provides a substantial visual improvement over Medium and Low settings while delivering an average of 78.1 FPS. This is a solid frame rate for a cinematic single-player RPG. Alternatively, the Medium preset at 4K offers 91.6 FPS, which could be preferable for those who prioritize higher frame rates over maximum visual quality.

The Low preset is not recommended for this hardware, as it leaves significant performance on the table. For example, at 1440p, the jump from Low to Ultra is a 109.4 FPS difference in the Ultra preset's favor, while the visual quality improvement is substantial. The data suggests that the system has enough headroom to run the game at its highest settings with playable frame rates at all resolutions. Therefore, the Ultra preset at 1080p or 1440p, and the High preset at 4K, offer the best balance of image quality and performance for this combination.