The Technomancer

The Technomancer, a 2016 Action RPG, presents a demanding workload that scales significantly with resolution and graphics presets. Using the AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070, the measured frame rates reveal a configuration that is capable of high-refresh-rate 1080p gaming, very strong 1440p performance, and playable 4K, provided settings are managed. The data shows a clear hierarchy of performance across the four tested presets and three resolutions, offering a comprehensive look at this pairing's capabilities.

Resolution Scaling

The transition from 1080p to 4K shows a predictable and significant drop in frame rates, indicating the increasing load on the GPU. At the High preset, the average FPS falls from 153.3 at 1920x1080 to 100.1 at 2560x1440, a reduction of approximately 35%. Moving from 1440p to 4K, the average FPS drops further to 56.1, a 44% decrease from the 1440p figure. This pattern underscores that at 4K, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 becomes the primary limiting factor, as the pixel count quadruples and demands on the graphics processor escalate sharply.

The scaling factor is consistent across all settings, but the absolute impact is most visible at the lower presets. For instance, at Low settings, the frame rate drops from 231.6 FPS at 1080p to 153.5 FPS at 1440p, and finally to 83.1 FPS at 4K. While the relative percentage drops are similar, the absolute loss in frame rate is more dramatic at higher starting points. This suggests that at 1080p, even with the demanding Ultra preset, the CPU has enough headroom to feed the GPU, but at 4K, the GPU's raw compute and memory bandwidth are the definitive constraints.

The data indicates that 1440p is the "sweet spot" for this hardware combination. The frame rates at this resolution remain high across all presets, with even Ultra hitting 76.4 FPS. This is contrasted with 4K, where the Ultra preset dips below 45 FPS, which is generally considered a less fluid experience. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p is steep but manageable, while the jump to 4K reveals the true cost of rendering this game at such a high pixel count. The benchmark results clearly show that the limiting component shifts from a balanced CPU/GPU load at 1080p to a GPU-bound scenario at 4K.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data allows for a clear prescription of settings based on the target resolution. For 1920x1080, the Ultra preset is the clear recommendation, delivering an average of 120.5 FPS. This is more than sufficient for a smooth experience on a high-refresh-rate monitor, and the performance headroom is substantial. Even the most demanding visual settings are easily handled at this resolution, making it the optimal choice for image quality without compromising fluidity.

At 2560x1440, the High preset offers the best balance between visual fidelity and performance, achieving an average of 100.1 FPS. While the Ultra preset is playable at 76.4 FPS, the High preset provides a significant boost in frame rate. The difference between High and Ultra is often subtle in terms of visual impact, but the performance gain of nearly 24% makes High the more sensible choice for most users. The Medium preset at 116.3 FPS is also viable, but High offers a better visual experience for a relatively small performance cost.

For 3840x2160, the recommendations become more nuanced. The Medium preset, at 64.2 FPS, provides the most consistent playable experience. The High preset, at 56.1 FPS, is also acceptable but pushes closer to the threshold where frame pacing can become more noticeable. The Low preset, at 83.1 FPS, is the only 4K option that breaks the 80 FPS barrier, but it requires a significant sacrifice in visual quality. Given the data, Medium is the recommended starting point for 4K, with High being a viable option for those who prioritize image quality and can tolerate lower but still playable frame rates. The Ultra preset at 43.3 FPS is not recommended due to its sub-45 FPS average.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture and features 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s. The card's boost clock is rated at 2475 MHz, with a base clock of 1920 MHz. These specifications directly influence the game's performance, particularly at higher resolutions where memory bandwidth and raw compute are crucial. The 12 GB VRAM capacity is a key asset for The Technomancer, as it allows the card to handle the high-resolution textures and geometry without running into memory limitations, which could cause stuttering or texture pop-in.

The GPU's benchmark scores place it in the 81st percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 37283. Its nearest rivals in the database include the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56, which scores 37507 and is 0.6% higher, and the NVIDIA GeForce MX570 A, which scores 38008 and is 1.9% higher. This positioning indicates that the RTX 4070 is a strong performer, but not at the absolute top tier. The data from the game itself shows that its performance scales as expected; it is not bottlenecked at 1080p, but it is clearly the limiting factor at 4K Ultra, where the frame rate drops to 43.3 FPS.

The relationship between the GPU's capabilities and the game's demands is evident in the frame rate data. At 1080p, the GPU is not fully utilized, as evidenced by the high frame rates across all settings. However, as resolution increases, the GPU's compute units and memory subsystem are pushed harder, leading to the observed performance drops. The card's 64 ROPs and 184 TMUs are responsible for pixel and texture processing, respectively, and their performance is a direct contributor to the frame rates seen in the benchmark. The 29.15 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is the raw compute power that the game draws upon for its rendering tasks.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS achievable with this hardware at 1080p?

A: The highest average FPS is 231.6, achieved at the Low settings preset with a resolution of 1920x1080.

Q: At which resolution and settings combination does the frame rate drop below 45 FPS?

A: The only combination that falls below 45 FPS is 3840x2160 with the Ultra settings preset, which averages 43.3 FPS.

Q: How much faster is the Low preset compared to the Ultra preset at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 153.5 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 76.4 FPS. This makes the Low preset roughly twice as fast, offering a 100% performance increase.

Q: What is the average FPS difference between the High and Medium presets at 4K?

A: At 3840x2160, the High preset averages 56.1 FPS, and the Medium preset averages 64.2 FPS. The Medium preset is 8.1 FPS faster than High.

Q: Is the RTX 4070's 12 GB VRAM sufficient for this game at high resolutions?

A: The data shows no indication of VRAM-related performance issues, such as stuttering, even at the highest tested settings. The 12 GB capacity is sufficient for The Technomancer's demands at 4K.

Q: How does the RTX 4070's average benchmark score compare to its closest rival, the RTX 4080 Mobile?

A: The RTX 4070's average benchmark score is 37283, while the RTX 4080 Mobile's average score is 38135. The RTX 4070 is 2.2% behind this rival.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D is an 8-core, 16-thread processor based on the Zen 4 architecture, with a base clock of 4.20 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. It features a large 96 MB shared L3 cache, which is a critical asset for gaming performance. The CPU's benchmark scores are strong, placing it in the 87th percentile of all CPUs with an average benchmark score of 31580. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i7-12700F, which is 0.1% behind, and the AMD Ryzen 9 5980HX, which is 0.3% behind. This indicates that the 7800X3D is a top-tier gaming processor.

In the context of The Technomancer, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and game logic. The data shows that at 1080p, the CPU is more than capable of keeping up with the GPU, as frame rates remain very high even at the Ultra preset (120.5 FPS). The high L3 cache and strong single-thread performance (evidenced by its 3dmark_single_thread score of 959 and Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4115) help ensure that the game's main thread is not a bottleneck. The CPU's 16 threads are more than sufficient for this title, which is not known for heavy multi-threading.

The benchmark results indicate that the CPU is not the limiting factor in this configuration. As resolution increases, the frame rate drops are consistent with a GPU-bound scenario. The CPU's performance is relatively constant across different resolutions, while the GPU's workload scales with pixel count. The 8 cores and 16 threads provide ample processing power for the game's physics and AI, and the high boost clock of 5.00 GHz ensures snappy response times. The data confirms that the Ryzen 7 7800X3D provides a solid foundation for the RTX 4070, allowing the GPU to perform at its full potential up to the point where it becomes the bottleneck at higher resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

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

1920x1080

• Low: 231.6 FPS
• Medium: 181.9 FPS
• High: 153.3 FPS
• Ultra: 120.5 FPS

2560x1440

• Low: 153.5 FPS
• Medium: 116.3 FPS
• High: 100.1 FPS
• Ultra: 76.4 FPS

3840x2160

• Low: 83.1 FPS
• Medium: 64.2 FPS
• High: 56.1 FPS
• Ultra: 43.3 FPS

The data shows a consistent performance hierarchy across all resolutions, with Low being the fastest and Ultra being the slowest. The performance gaps between presets are more pronounced at lower resolutions. For example, at 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 111.1 FPS, while at 4K, the difference is 39.8 FPS. This suggests that the relative cost of higher settings is more significant at lower resolutions where the GPU is not the sole limiting factor. The measured performance places this specific hardware combo at rank 400 out of 1656 total combinations tested for this game, indicating it is a strong performer in the upper quartile of all possible configurations.