The Technomancer

The Technomancer, a 2016 Action RPG, is notoriously demanding on hardware, and the combination of an AMD Ryzen 7 9700F processor with an AMD Radeon RX 580 graphics card produces a very specific performance profile. The benchmark data shows a system that is almost entirely limited by the graphics card, with the modern 8-core CPU providing more than enough headroom for the game's engine. This pairing results in playable frame rates only at 1080p, with the experience degrading significantly as resolution increases.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS data reveals a classic case of GPU-bound scaling. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 76 FPS. When moving to 1440p, that average drops to 50 FPS, a 34% reduction. Pushing to 4K, the average plummets to 27 FPS, which is a 64% reduction from the 1080p baseline. This steep decline is characteristic of a GPU that is running out of pixel-pushing power, not a CPU bottleneck.

The pattern holds across all settings. At Medium settings, the averages are 58 FPS at 1080p, 38 FPS at 1440p, and 21 FPS at 4K. The scaling from 1080p to 4K shows a 63% performance loss, nearly identical to the Low setting loss. This consistency strongly indicates that the limiting factor is the RX 580's rendering throughput, which scales almost linearly with the number of pixels being drawn.

The most telling data point for the CPU's role is the difference between resolutions at the same settings. The Ryzen 7 9700F, with its 8 cores and 16 threads, is more than capable of feeding the RX 580 frames at 1080p High (50 FPS) and 1440p High (33 FPS). If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see a much smaller FPS delta between these resolutions, as the CPU's workload wouldn't change much. Instead, the FPS drops by 34%, confirming that the GPU is the sole constraint.

At 4K Ultra, the combo manages only 14 FPS, which is effectively unplayable. The difference between the 4K Low (27 FPS) and 4K High (18 FPS) is a 33% drop, showing that the GPU is so saturated that even minor settings changes have a massive impact. The scaling data makes it clear: this system is built for 1080p gaming, and any attempt to move beyond that will result in a poor experience. The 1440p results are borderline at best, and 4K is not a viable option for any settings preset.

FAQ

Q: Can this CPU and GPU combo run The Technomancer at 4K?

A: Technically, yes, but the performance is not acceptable for gameplay. The measured data shows an average of 27 FPS at 4K Low and 14 FPS at 4K Ultra. These frame rates are below the threshold for a smooth experience and indicate that the RX 580 is far too weak for this resolution in this title.

Q: What is the best resolution for this hardware combination in The Technomancer?

A: The data clearly shows that 1920x1080 is the only resolution that provides consistently playable frame rates. At 1080p, even the Ultra preset manages 39 FPS, while the Low preset reaches 76 FPS. This is the only resolution where the combo can deliver a satisfying experience.

Q: How does the RX 580's performance in this game compare to its closest rivals?

A: The RX 580's average benchmark score is 12928, placing it within 0.5% of the AMD Radeon 740M and 0.6% of the AMD FirePro W5100. It is slightly behind the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER, which scores 12986, a 0.4% difference. These are all comparable performers, so this game's results should be similar on those GPUs.

Q: Is the Ryzen 7 9700F a bottleneck for the RX 580 in this game?

A: No. The benchmark results indicate the opposite. The CPU's average benchmark score of 69996 puts it in the 94th percentile, trading blows with high-end chips like the Intel Core i7-14700KF. The FPS scaling patterns across resolutions confirm that the RX 580 is the limiting component, not the processor.

Q: What is the difference in performance between Medium and High settings at 1080p?

A: At 1080p, the Medium preset yields an average of 58 FPS, while High yields 50 FPS. This is a 14% performance cost for moving up one preset tier. The Medium preset also has measured minimum and maximum FPS of 50 and 67, respectively, indicating a playable range.

Q: How does this combo rank among other tested combinations for this game?

A: This specific pairing ranks 2583 out of 2825 total tested combos for The Technomancer. This places it in the bottom 9% of all systems, confirming that while it can handle 1080p, it is a low-performing combination in the broader context of tested hardware.

Settings Recommendations

The optimal experience for this setup is clearly at 1920x1080 resolution. The data shows that the Medium preset is the sweet spot, delivering an average of 58 FPS with a minimum of 50 FPS. This ensures a stable and smooth gameplay experience that stays above the 60 FPS threshold for most of the time, with only occasional dips. The High preset is also viable, with a 50 FPS average, but the lower minimums make it riskier for fast-paced action.

For players who prioritize frame rate over visual fidelity, the Low preset at 1080p is the best choice, hitting 76 FPS on average. This provides a significant performance buffer and is ideal for competitive play or if the user has a 144Hz monitor. The Ultra preset is not recommended for general play, as its 39 FPS average will feel sluggish and inconsistent.

At 1440p, the choices are more constrained. The Low preset is the only reasonable option, with a 50 FPS average, though it will be less stable than the 1080p Medium experience. The High and Medium presets at 1440p (33 and 38 FPS respectively) are in a questionable range for action RPGs. 4K is not recommended at any setting; even the Low preset's 27 FPS average is too low for a comfortable experience.

The practical recommendation is to play at 1080p with Medium settings. This provides the best balance of visual quality and performance, ensuring the game remains fluid. If a higher frame rate is desired, dropping to Low settings will provide a substantial boost. There is no benefit to using the High or Ultra presets, as they consume significant performance for marginal visual gains on this hardware.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F and the AMD Radeon RX 580 ranks 2583 out of 2825 tested combos for The Technomancer. This places it in the bottom 9% of all tested systems, which is a low standing. This ranking is a direct result of the RX 580's age and performance level, rather than a deficiency in the CPU.

The CPU itself is a top-tier performer. Its average benchmark score of 69996 places it in the 94th percentile of all CPUs, and its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X and the Intel Core i7-14700K, with performance deltas of less than 1%. This indicates that the Ryzen 7 9700F is not the limiting factor in this pairing.

The GPU, however, is the anchor. The RX 580's average benchmark score of 12928 places it in the 53rd percentile of all GPUs. This mid-range standing, combined with the game's heavy demands, results in the low overall rank. The combo's performance is essentially defined by the GPU's capabilities; the CPU is merely along for the ride, providing a stable platform without bottlenecking.

This low rank doesn't mean the system is useless for this game. It simply means that in the context of all hardware tested, it sits near the bottom. The data shows that this rank is a consequence of the GPU being a generation behind, and the system will perform admirably at 1080p, even if it can't compete with higher-end configurations in the rankings.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 580 is the defining component in this benchmark. Its performance characteristics fully dictate the gaming experience. The GPU features 8 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 256.0 GB/s. This memory configuration is sufficient for 1080p textures but is a limiting factor at higher resolutions where more data needs to be moved.

The GPU's clocks are set at a base of 1257 MHz and a boost of 1340 MHz. These are modest clocks for the Polaris 20 chip, and they cap the raw compute throughput at 6.175 TFLOPS. This level of compute performance is simply not enough to handle the rendering load of The Technomancer at high resolutions or settings, as evidenced by the dramatic FPS drops.

The VRAM capacity, while listed as 8 GB, is not the primary bottleneck. The 4K results show that even at Low settings, which use less texture memory, the average FPS is only 27. This indicates that the limiting factor is the raw shading and texture processing power of the GPU, not its memory capacity. The 32 ROPs and 144 TMUs are insufficient for the pixel fill rate required at 4K.

The GPU's performance is further contextualized by its benchmark scores. The PassMark G3D score of 8813 and the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1005 are low figures that align with its 53rd percentile ranking. The nearest rivals, such as the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER, have nearly identical average scores, confirming that this is a lower-mid-range part. The GPU is the definitive bottleneck, and all performance scaling in this game can be attributed to its limitations.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following is the complete set of measured frame rate data for The Technomancer using the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F and AMD Radeon RX 580.

1920x1080:

• Low: Average 76 FPS. This is the highest performance setting measured.
• Medium: Average 58 FPS, with a minimum of 50 FPS and a maximum of 67 FPS.
• High: Average 50 FPS.
• Ultra: Average 39 FPS.

2560x1440:

• Low: Average 50 FPS.
• Medium: Average 38 FPS, with a minimum of 32 FPS and a maximum of 44 FPS.
• High: Average 33 FPS.
• Ultra: Average 25 FPS.

3840x2160:

• Low: Average 27 FPS.
• Medium: Average 21 FPS, with a minimum of 18 FPS and a maximum of 24 FPS.
• High: Average 18 FPS.
• Ultra: Average 14 FPS.

The data shows a clear and consistent degradation in performance as resolution and settings increase. The 1080p Low to 4K Ultra transition represents a change from a very playable 76 FPS to a slideshow-like 14 FPS. The 1440p Medium and High presets offer playable but not ideal frame rates, while 4K is entirely unplayable. The performance is predictable and strictly tied to the GPU's workload, confirming the analysis of a GPU-bound system.