The Technomancer

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700F and Intel Arc B390 combination delivers a strictly entry-level experience in The Technomancer, with the benchmark data indicating that the GPU is the overwhelming bottleneck across all tested configurations. The measured frame rates place this combo in the bottom percentile of tested systems, ranking 2500 out of 2825 combos for this game.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700F provides substantial processing headroom that the game never fully utilizes. This is an 8-core, 16-thread processor based on the Zen 5 architecture (Granite Ridge), running on the AMD Socket AM5 platform. It operates with a base clock of 3.80 GHz and a boost clock of 5.50 GHz, built on a 4 nm process at TSMC with 8,315 million transistors. The cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 1 MB of L2 per core, and a shared 32 MB L3 cache. Memory support is DDR5 over a dual-channel bus, providing 89.6 GB/s of bandwidth.

General-purpose benchmark scores reflect the CPU's capability. The PassMark multithread score is 36470, while the single-thread score is 4691. Integer math and floating-point math scores are 120788 and 77955, respectively. Data compression and encryption benchmarks reach 421988 and 21488. The processor ranks in the 94th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 69996.

The nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks show how tightly grouped the 9700F is at the top of the stack. It sits 0.2% above the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX (score 69875) and 0.7% above the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X (score 69515). It trails the Intel Core i7-14700KF by 0.2% (score 70163) and the Intel Core i7-14700K by 0.9% (score 69355). These deltas are within noise, meaning the 9700F is effectively equivalent to those high-end parts in raw throughput.

For The Technomancer, this level of CPU performance is far beyond what the frame rate data demands. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 79 FPS average. The gap between 1080p Low and 1080p High is 27 FPS (from 79 to 52), which is a classic sign that the graphics load is the limiting factor. If the CPU were the constraint, the frame rate would remain flat regardless of quality preset. The data shows the opposite, so the CPU is delivering frames faster than the GPU can render them at any setting.

The PassMark physics score of 2122 and the find prime numbers score of 183 are not directly tied to gaming performance in this title, but they do indicate the CPU is not struggling with the workload. The Ryzen 7 9700F is a capable air-cooled part with a 65 W TDP, and it is not the reason for the low frame rates seen in this combination. The GPU is the clear performance ceiling.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is the decisive factor in this combo's ranking, and the data paints a picture of a very weak graphics solution. This is an integrated GPU (IGP) based on the Panther Lake chip with Xe3-LPG architecture, fabricated on Intel's 3 nm process. It has 1536 shading units, 48 TMUs, and 24 ROPs, along with 12 ray tracing cores. The base clock is 300 MHz, boosting to 2500 MHz. Pixel rate is 60.00 GPixel/s, texture rate is 120.0 GTexel/s, and FP32 performance is 7.680 TFLOPS. The TDP is 80 W, and it uses system-shared memory with no dedicated VRAM, meaning bandwidth is system dependent.

The GPU's benchmark presence is minimal. The only listed score is a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 result of 1482. This places the Arc B390 in the 9th percentile among all GPUs, which is exceptionally low. The nearest rivals are all legacy or low-end parts: the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (score 1463, 1.3% slower), the NVIDIA GeForce 800M (score 1460, 1.5% slower), the NVIDIA GeForce GT 625 OEM (score 1446, 2.5% slower), and the NVIDIA GeForce GT 710 (score 1443, 2.7% slower). The Arc B390 is 1.3% to 2.7% faster than these parts, meaning it is competing with decade-old entry-level mobile and OEM graphics solutions.

In The Technomancer, the GPU's limitations are stark. At 1080p Low, the average FPS is 79. Dropping to 1080p Ultra reduces that to 40 FPS, a 49% reduction. The memory situation is critical: with system-shared memory, the GPU must contend with the CPU for bandwidth, and the game's texture and geometry data must be stored in system RAM. This architecture is not designed for high-end gaming, and the benchmark results confirm that.

The fact that the Arc B390 is an IGP means it has no dedicated VRAM, no power connectors, and a slot width of IGP. It is designed for portable devices, as indicated by the display outputs being "Portable Device Dependent". This is not a discrete gaming card, and the 9th percentile ranking reflects that reality. The GPU is the primary limiter, and no CPU change would materially improve these results.

Resolution Scaling

The measured frame rates show a steep decline as resolution increases, which is entirely consistent with a GPU-bound scenario. From 1080p to 1440p to 4K, the average FPS at each preset drops markedly, and the pattern is uniform across all quality settings.

At Low settings, the progression is 79 FPS at 1080p, 52 FPS at 1440p, and 28 FPS at 4K. That is a 34% drop from 1080p to 1440p, and a 46% drop from 1440p to 4K. The absolute reduction from 1080p to 4K is 51 FPS, meaning the 4K result is only 35% of the 1080p result. This is a severe scaling penalty, indicating that the GPU is overwhelmed by the pixel count at higher resolutions.

At High settings, the pattern is similar: 52 FPS at 1080p, 34 FPS at 1440p, and 19 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 18 FPS (35%), and from 1440p to 4K is 15 FPS (44%). The 4K result is 37% of the 1080p result. At Medium settings, the averages are 61 FPS at 1080p, 40 FPS at 1440p, and 22 FPS at 4K, with the 4K result being 36% of the 1080p result.

Ultra settings show the same behavior but at lower absolute values: 40 FPS at 1080p, 26 FPS at 1440p, and 15 FPS at 4K. The 4K result is 37.5% of the 1080p result. The consistency of these ratios — roughly 35-37% of 1080p performance at 4K — is a strong indicator that the limiting component is the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth, not the CPU. A CPU-bound system would show a much flatter curve because the CPU workload does not scale with resolution.

The data also shows that the gap between Low and Ultra narrows as resolution increases. At 1080p, the difference between Low (79 FPS) and Ultra (40 FPS) is 39 FPS. At 4K, the difference between Low (28 FPS) and Ultra (15 FPS) is only 13 FPS. This is because at higher resolutions, the GPU is so saturated that even reducing the quality settings cannot compensate for the pixel throughput demands. The minimum and maximum FPS values recorded only for Medium settings (19-25 FPS at 4K, 34-46 FPS at 1440p, 52-70 FPS at 1080p) show that frame pacing is relatively stable, but the overall performance is too low for a playable experience at 4K with this combo.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best resolution to play The Technomancer with this combo?*

A: The data shows that 1080p is the only resolution with consistently playable frame rates. At 1080p Low, the average is 79 FPS, and at 1080p Medium it is 61 FPS. At 1440p, all presets drop below 52 FPS, and at 4K all presets are below 28 FPS.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B390 compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The Arc B390 scores 1482 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, which is 1.3% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (1463), 1.5% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce 800M (1460), 2.5% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 625 OEM (1446), and 2.7% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 710 (1443). It ranks in the 9th percentile among all GPUs.

Q: Is the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F the bottleneck in this system?

A: No. The CPU ranks in the 94th percentile and scores 69996 on average, with its nearest rival being the Intel Core i7-14700KF at 70163 (0.2% difference). The frame rate scaling with resolution and settings indicates the GPU is the limiting factor, as performance drops sharply with increased graphics load.

Q: What are the playable settings at 1080p?

A: The measured data shows 79 FPS at Low, 61 FPS at Medium, 52 FPS at High, and 40 FPS at Ultra. Medium is the highest preset with a 60+ FPS average, while High and Ultra are below 60 FPS.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and Ultra at 4K?

A: At 4K, Low averages 28 FPS and Ultra averages 15 FPS, a difference of 13 FPS. This is a much smaller gap than at 1080p, where the difference between Low and Ultra is 39 FPS, showing the GPU is saturated at higher resolutions.

Q: How does the combo rank among all tested systems for this game?

A: The combo ranks 2500 out of 2825 total combinations, placing it in the bottom 12% of tested systems for The Technomancer.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides clear guidance for the best experience with this hardware. At 1080p, the Low preset delivers 79 FPS average, which is the highest frame rate recorded for this combo. The Medium preset at 61 FPS is the only other configuration that maintains a 60+ FPS average. High drops to 52 FPS, and Ultra falls to 40 FPS.

For a target of 60 FPS or higher, the Medium preset at 1080p is the optimal choice. It provides a 61 FPS average with a minimum of 52 FPS and a maximum of 70 FPS, based on the measured range. This offers the best balance of visual quality and smoothness, as the Low preset (79 FPS) sacrifices visual fidelity for a frame rate that exceeds what is necessary for most displays.

The High preset at 1080p (52 FPS) is borderline, and the Ultra preset (40 FPS) is not recommended for consistent gameplay. At 1440p, the best option is the Low preset at 52 FPS, but this is only marginally playable. The Medium preset at 1440p (40 FPS) and High (34 FPS) are below ideal thresholds. At 4K, no preset achieves a playable frame rate; the highest is Low at 28 FPS, which is a poor experience.

Given the data, the recommended configuration is 1080p with Medium settings. This yields an average of 61 FPS, which is smooth enough for an action RPG, while the measured minimum of 52 FPS indicates that heavy scenes will not drop into unplayable territory. If the user prioritizes frame rate over visuals, the Low preset at 79 FPS is the fallback, but the Medium preset is the sweet spot for this combo.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following are the exact measured average frame rates for each resolution and settings combination:

3840x2160 (4K)

• Low: 28 FPS average
• Medium: 22 FPS average (minimum 19, maximum 25)
• High: 19 FPS average
• Ultra: 15 FPS average

2560x1440 (1440p)

• Low: 52 FPS average
• Medium: 40 FPS average (minimum 34, maximum 46)
• High: 34 FPS average
• Ultra: 26 FPS average

1920x1080 (1080p)

• Low: 79 FPS average
• Medium: 61 FPS average (minimum 52, maximum 70)
• High: 52 FPS average
• Ultra: 40 FPS average

The data shows a consistent ordering across all resolutions: Low is fastest, followed by Medium, then High, then Ultra. The Medium preset is the only quality level with recorded minimum and maximum values, indicating more detailed frame time tracking for that configuration. The gaps between presets are largest at 1080p, where the GPU has more headroom to respond to settings changes, and smallest at 4K, where the GPU is fully saturated.

At 1080p, the spread from Low to Ultra is 39 FPS. At 1440p, the spread is 26 FPS. At 4K, the spread is only 13 FPS. This narrowing confirms that resolution scaling is the dominant factor, and settings changes have diminishing returns as pixel count increases.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo of AMD Ryzen 7 9700F and Intel Arc B390 ranks 2500 out of 2825 tested combinations for The Technomancer. This places it in the bottom 11.5% of all systems tested, a clear indication that this configuration is not competitive for this title.

The ranking is driven almost entirely by the GPU. The CPU is in the 94th percentile among all processors, but the GPU is in the 9th percentile among all GPUs. This massive disparity means the system is severely unbalanced for gaming. The Ryzen 7 9700F could easily support a much more powerful discrete GPU, but the Arc B390 as an integrated solution cannot deliver the frame rates that the CPU is capable of feeding.

The 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 1482 for the Arc B390 places it just above the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX, which is a GPU from the early 2010s. The 9th percentile ranking for the GPU means that over 90% of all GPUs tested outperform it. This is consistent with the in-game results, where even at 1080p Low, the combo only achieves 79 FPS, and at 4K it struggles to reach 30 FPS on any preset.

Compared to the other 2824 combos in the database, this system is in the bottom 325. The high-end CPU does not compensate for the low-end GPU, and the overall experience in The Technomancer is limited to 1080p gaming with reduced settings. The combo's rank of 2500 reflects a system that is fundamentally mismatched for this game, where the GPU is the sole determinant of performance.