The Technomancer

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X and Radeon RX 6800 XT combination delivers a highly capable 1440p experience in The Technomancer, with 1080p performance exceeding the needs of standard refresh rate displays. The data shows a consistent scaling pattern across settings, where the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck at 4K, while the CPU's strong multi-threaded performance keeps frame rates high at lower resolutions. This pairing ranks 586th out of 1656 tested combinations for this title, placing it in the upper third of all configs.

FAQ

Q: What is the measured average frame rate at 2560x1440 with High settings?

A: The system produces an average of 92.5 FPS at 2560x1440 on High settings, which is comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay.

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

A: At 1920x1080, the average frame rate drops from 142.4 FPS on High to 111.3 FPS on Ultra, a reduction of approximately 31 FPS for the higher visual fidelity.

Q: Does the CPU or GPU limit performance in this game at 4K?

A: At 3840x2160, the gap between Low (77.9 FPS) and Ultra (40.1 FPS) settings is large, indicating the GPU is the limiting component. The CPU's multi-threaded score of 31588 in Cinebench R23 suggests it is not the bottleneck at this resolution.

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to maintain high refresh rates?

A: At 1920x1080, all settings presets exceed 110 FPS, with Low reaching 213.8 FPS. This makes 1080p the only resolution where the system can fully utilize a 144Hz display across the board.

Q: How does the RX 6800 XT compare to its nearest rival in raw GPU compute?

A: The Radeon RX 6800 XT scores 49982 in the average benchmark, which is 2.6% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER (48704) and 0.5% ahead of the Intel Arc A550M (49737).

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Medium and High at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, Medium settings yield 110 FPS while High settings yield 92.5 FPS, meaning the Medium preset offers 17.5 FPS more at a modest visual quality reduction.

GPU Role

The Radeon RX 6800 XT is the dominant factor in The Technomancer's performance, particularly at higher resolutions. The GPU's 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus provides 512.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is substantial for a 2016 title. The boost clock of 2250 MHz, with a game clock of 2015 MHz, allows the 4608 shading units to process geometry and effects efficiently.

The data reveals that the GPU's role intensifies as resolution increases. At 3840x2160, the frame rate spread between Low and Ultra is 37.8 FPS (from 77.9 down to 40.1), which is a 48.5% drop. This wide variance shows that the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth are being heavily taxed at 4K, especially with Ultra settings that likely increase texture detail and shadow complexity. The GPU's 128 ROPs and 288 TMUs provide a strong baseline, but the pixel rate of 288.0 GPixel/s is the limiting factor at 4K Ultra.

At lower resolutions, the GPU's role shifts from being the absolute bottleneck to providing headroom for the CPU. The Ryzen 7 9700X, with its 8 cores and 16 threads, can feed the GPU effectively at 1080p, as evidenced by the high frame rates. The CPU's 32 MB of shared L3 cache and 89.6 GB/s memory bandwidth are sufficient to avoid stalling the GPU at these settings. However, the GPU's compute power, rated at 20.74 TFLOPS FP32, ensures that it remains the primary driver of frame rate changes when settings are adjusted.

Resolution Scaling

The measured data shows a clear pattern of frame rate degradation as resolution increases, which is typical for a GPU-bound title. Moving from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440 at High settings reduces the average from 142.4 FPS to 92.5 FPS, a 35% performance loss. Scaling further to 3840x2160 yields 51.4 FPS, which is a 44% drop from the 1440p result. This non-linear scaling indicates that the GPU's memory bandwidth and fill rate are progressively overwhelmed.

The scaling behavior differs across settings presets. At Low settings, the 1080p to 4K transition sees a drop from 213.8 FPS to 77.9 FPS, a 63.6% reduction. This steeper decline at Low settings suggests the game is not purely GPU-limited at 1080p Low; the CPU's performance ceiling becomes relevant. The Ryzen 7 9700X's single-thread score of 4459 in Cinebench R23 and multi-thread score of 31588 indicate strong per-core performance, but at 213.8 FPS, the game engine's draw call processing may introduce CPU overhead.

At Ultra settings, the 1080p to 4K scaling shows a drop from 111.3 FPS to 40.1 FPS, a 64% reduction. This is the largest absolute delta among presets and confirms that Ultra settings at 4K are beyond the GPU's comfortable range. The data suggests that the RX 6800 XT is best utilized at 1440p, where it can maintain high frame rates across all presets, while 4K is only viable at Low or Medium settings for acceptable playability.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers exceptional performance across all presets. Low settings produce an average of 213.8 FPS, while Medium reaches 164 FPS. High settings yield 142.4 FPS, and Ultra drops to 111.3 FPS. These numbers indicate that 1080p is not a challenge for this combo, with even the most demanding preset staying well above 100 FPS.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance remains strong but shows more variance between presets. Low settings average 142.2 FPS, which is nearly identical to the 1080p High result. Medium settings produce 110 FPS, High settings deliver 92.5 FPS, and Ultra drops to 72.9 FPS. The 1440p Ultra result is still above 60 FPS, making it a viable option for gamers who prioritize visual quality over raw frame rates.

At 3840x2160, the system struggles to maintain high frame rates on demanding presets. Low settings average 77.9 FPS, which is playable, but Medium drops to 56.8 FPS, and High falls to 51.4 FPS. Ultra settings produce only 40.1 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. This resolution is only recommended for Low settings, where the frame rate remains above 75 FPS.

The data shows a consistent pattern: each settings tier at 1440p closely matches the next tier down at 1080p. For example, 1080p Ultra (111.3 FPS) is nearly identical to 1440p Medium (110 FPS). This suggests that the GPU's raw performance is the primary determinant, with resolution and settings trade-offs being roughly equivalent.

Settings Recommendations

For the best balance of visual quality and performance, the High preset at 2560x1440 is the optimal choice. The measured 92.5 FPS average is smooth, and the visual uplift from Medium is likely noticeable in a 2016 Action RPG with detailed environments. This preset provides a 17.5 FPS improvement over Ultra while maintaining a frame rate that is responsive for combat.

At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset is recommended, as the 111.3 FPS average is still well above the threshold for high refresh rate displays. The performance headroom is sufficient to enable maximum settings without sacrificing playability. For users with 144Hz monitors, the Medium preset at 164 FPS offers the best chance of hitting the refresh rate cap, but Ultra provides a better visual experience at a still-respectable frame rate.

For 4K displays, the Low preset is the only sensible option, with 77.9 FPS average. Medium settings drop to 56.8 FPS, which may be acceptable for slower-paced exploration but could cause judder during intense combat sequences. High and Ultra are not viable at this resolution due to the significant frame rate penalty.

The data indicates that the CPU is not a limiting factor in this game, as the Ryzen 7 9700X's performance is more than adequate for the GPU at all tested settings. The GPU's 16 GB VRAM and 512.0 GB/s bandwidth provide ample resources for the game's textures and effects, even at 4K. Users should prioritize the GPU when adjusting settings, as the frame rate scales predictably with resolution and preset changes.