The Technomancer

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X paired with the Intel Arc B370 produces a highly constrained gaming experience in The Technomancer, with benchmark results showing the system consistently operating at frame rates well below the threshold for smooth playability. The data places this combination at rank 3408 out of 3696 tested combos for this title, indicating that the graphics solution, which sits at the 5th percentile among all GPUs, is the dominant limiting factor across every resolution and settings preset measured.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate data reveals a steep performance cliff as resolution increases, clearly identifying the GPU as the bottleneck in this pairing. At 1080p with Low settings, the system achieves an average of 71 FPS, which is the only measured configuration that approaches acceptable playability. Moving to 1440p at the same Low preset drops the average to 47 FPS, a reduction of 33.8% from the 1080p result. At 4K with Low settings, the average falls further to 26 FPS, representing a 63.4% decline from the 1080p baseline.

The scaling pattern across resolutions becomes more punishing at higher settings presets. With High settings, the average frame rate drops from 47 FPS at 1080p to 31 FPS at 1440p, then to 17 FPS at 4K. This progression shows that the performance penalty for each resolution step is not linear but accelerates as the pixel count increases. The 4K High result is only 36.2% of the 1080p High figure, while the 1440p High result retains 66.0% of the 1080p High performance.

The Medium preset shows a similar trajectory, with average frame rates of 55 FPS at 1080p, 36 FPS at 1440p, and 20 FPS at 4K. The minimum frame rates recorded for Medium settings tell a more complete story: at 1080p the minimum is 47 FPS, at 1440p it drops to 30 FPS, and at 4K it bottoms out at 17 FPS. These minimums indicate that even the average figures do not capture the full extent of the stuttering and frame-time inconsistency that would be experienced at higher resolutions.

This resolution scaling behavior is characteristic of a system where the GPU's rendering capacity is exhausted very quickly. The Intel Arc B370, with its 1280 shading units and 20 ROPs, produces a pixel rate of 48.00 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 96.00 GTexel/s. The 4K Ultra preset result of 13 FPS average represents the absolute worst case, where the combination of maximum settings and 3840x2160 resolution overwhelms the GPU entirely. Notably, the scaling between Medium and Ultra at each resolution is relatively consistent — at 1080p, Ultra delivers 67.3% of Medium's frame rate; at 1440p, it delivers 66.7%; and at 4K, it delivers 65.0% — suggesting that the GPU is the consistent constraint across all configurations.

Settings Recommendations

Given the measured data, the only viable settings preset for this system in The Technomancer is Low at 1080p, which produces an average of 71 FPS. This is the sole configuration that exceeds the 60 FPS threshold commonly associated with smooth gameplay. The 1080p Medium preset delivers 55 FPS on average, which may be acceptable for some players but represents a 22.5% performance penalty compared to Low settings at the same resolution.

At 1440p, no settings preset achieves a playable average frame rate. The best 1440p result is Low at 47 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target and would likely exhibit noticeable frame pacing issues. The 1440p Medium preset averages 36 FPS with a minimum of 30 FPS, placing it in the range where action RPG combat would feel sluggish. The 1440p High and Ultra presets, at 31 FPS and 24 FPS respectively, are not recommended for any gameplay scenario.

All 4K configurations are effectively unplayable, with average frame rates ranging from 13 FPS at Ultra to 26 FPS at Low. Even the most performance-oriented 4K preset falls well below the minimum threshold for a responsive gaming experience. The data suggests that players should avoid 4K entirely with this hardware combination.

For users who prioritize visual quality over frame rate, the 1080p High preset at 47 FPS represents the best compromise between image fidelity and responsiveness among the measured configurations. However, the benchmark results indicate that the difference between Medium and High at 1080p is only 8 FPS (55 vs 47), while the jump from Low to Medium costs 16 FPS (71 vs 55). This non-linear scaling suggests that the Medium preset offers diminishing returns relative to its performance cost, making Low the clear recommendation for consistent frame delivery.

FAQ

*Q: What is the highest average frame rate achievable with this CPU/GPU combination in The Technomancer?*

A: The highest measured average is 71 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. This is the only configuration in the dataset that surpasses 60 FPS.

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

A: No. The best 4K result is 26 FPS at Low settings, with Medium at 20 FPS, High at 17 FPS, and Ultra at 13 FPS. All 4K configurations fall below playable thresholds.

Q: How does the 1440p Medium preset compare to 1080p Medium in terms of average FPS?

A: The 1440p Medium preset averages 36 FPS, which is 19 FPS lower than the 55 FPS average at 1080p Medium. The minimum frame rate also drops from 47 FPS at 1080p to 30 FPS at 1440p.

Q: What is the performance difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: At 1080p, Low averages 71 FPS while Ultra averages 37 FPS. This represents a 34 FPS reduction, meaning Ultra delivers 52.1% of the Low preset's frame rate.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more responsible for the low frame rates observed?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the limiting component. The Intel Arc B370 ranks at the 5th percentile among all GPUs with an average benchmark score of 1184, while the Ryzen 7 9700X sits at the 86th percentile among CPUs with an average score of 37943. The resolution scaling pattern, where performance drops steeply with increasing pixel counts, is characteristic of GPU-bound scenarios.

Q: What is the best settings preset for maintaining a consistent frame rate?

A: The 1080p Low preset at 71 FPS average is the only measured configuration that provides both high frame rates and likely consistency. The 1080p Medium preset at 55 FPS is the next best option but shows a minimum of 47 FPS.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system shows its strongest results across all settings presets. Low settings produce an average of 71 FPS with no recorded minimum or maximum values. Medium settings average 55 FPS, with a minimum of 47 FPS and a maximum of 63 FPS, indicating a reasonably tight frame time distribution. High settings average 47 FPS with no range data. Ultra settings deliver 37 FPS on average, representing the weakest 1080p result.

Moving to 2560x1440, all average frame rates drop below 50 FPS. Low settings average 47 FPS, which is exactly the same as the 1080p High result, highlighting the significant cost of the resolution increase. Medium settings at 1440p average 36 FPS, with a minimum of 30 FPS and a maximum of 41 FPS. High settings average 31 FPS, and Ultra settings average 24 FPS. The spread between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 23 FPS, slightly smaller in absolute terms than the 34 FPS spread at 1080p.

At 3840x2160, the results are uniformly poor. Low settings average 26 FPS, which is the highest 4K result. Medium settings average 20 FPS, with a minimum of 17 FPS and a maximum of 23 FPS. High settings average 17 FPS, and Ultra settings average 13 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra at 4K is 13 FPS, showing that settings adjustments have a diminished impact at this resolution because the GPU is already saturated. Notably, the 4K High average of 17 FPS matches the 4K Medium minimum of 17 FPS, indicating that the GPU's floor performance is around this level regardless of preset.

The pattern across all resolutions is consistent: the relative performance gap between Low and Ultra narrows as resolution increases. At 1080p, Ultra achieves 52.1% of Low's frame rate. At 1440p, Ultra achieves 51.1%. At 4K, Ultra achieves 50.0%. This consistency suggests that the GPU's rendering pipeline is uniformly stressed across all settings levels, with resolution being the dominant factor in performance degradation.

How This Combo Ranks

The Ryzen 7 9700X plus Intel Arc B370 combination ranks 3408 out of 3696 tested combos in The Technomancer, placing it in the bottom 7.8% of all configurations. This ranking aligns with the GPU's standing in the broader benchmark landscape, where the Arc B370 sits at the 5th percentile among all GPUs. The CPU, by contrast, performs strongly in general benchmarks, ranking at the 86th percentile among all CPUs.

The combination's poor in-game ranking is directly attributable to the GPU's limited capabilities. The Arc B370's average benchmark score of 1184 places it in close competition with older discrete GPUs, with its nearest rivals being the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 (1186, 0.2% faster), ATI Radeon HD 5770 (1190, 0.5% faster), AMD Radeon HD 7650M (1192, 0.7% faster), and AMD FirePro M2000 (1168, 1.4% slower). These rivals are all from a significantly older hardware generation, underscoring the Arc B370's position as an entry-level solution.

The CPU's benchmark positioning provides context for why the system does not perform better. The Ryzen 7 9700X has an average benchmark score of 37943, with its nearest rivals being the Intel Core i9-14901E (37911, 0.1% slower), AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 (37904, 0.1% slower), Intel Core 5 211E (37829, 0.3% slower), and AMD Ryzen AI Embedded P132 (37804, 0.4% slower). This clustering at the top of the CPU performance curve means the processor is not the constraining factor in this game.

The rank of 3408 out of 3696 indicates that the overwhelming majority of tested combinations deliver better performance in The Technomancer. This is consistent with the measured frame rates, which show that even the best configuration (1080p Low at 71 FPS) is only marginally playable, while the majority of presets fall into unplayable territory.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X is a Zen 5 architecture processor built on TSMC's 4 nm process node, featuring 8 cores and 16 threads. Its base clock is 3.80 GHz with a boost clock of 5.50 GHz, and it carries a TDP of 65 W. The processor includes 32 MB of shared L3 cache, with 1 MB of L2 cache per core and 80 KB of L1 cache per core. Memory support is DDR5 with dual-channel configuration and a bandwidth of 89.6 GB/s.

In synthetic benchmarks, the CPU demonstrates strong multi-threading capabilities. It scores 20485 in Cinebench R23 multicore and 2211 in single-core, with Geekbench scores of 17906 multicore and 3023 single-core. The 3DMark results show scaling from 2525 with 2 threads to 9771 with maximum threads, indicating good thread utilization. PassMark results include a multithread score of 37161 and a single-thread score of 4654.

Despite this strong CPU performance, the in-game results show that the processor's capabilities are not the limiting factor. The resolution scaling pattern — where frame rates drop dramatically as resolution increases — is the signature of a GPU-bound workload. At 1080p Low, the 71 FPS average suggests the CPU is capable of feeding frames at a reasonable rate, but this is the only preset where the system approaches smooth performance.

The CPU's 86th percentile ranking among all CPUs, compared to the GPU's 5th percentile, creates a massive imbalance. The Ryzen 7 9700X is capable of driving far more demanding graphics cards, but the Arc B370 cannot translate that processing power into in-game frame rates. The data shows that at 4K Ultra, the system delivers only 13 FPS, which is not a CPU limitation but rather the GPU being overwhelmed by the rendering workload.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B370 is an integrated graphics solution based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, manufactured on Intel's 3 nm process. It features 1280 shading units, 40 texture mapping units, and 20 ROPs, along with 10 ray tracing cores. The GPU operates at a base clock of 300 MHz with a boost clock of 2400 MHz, and its memory is system shared, meaning bandwidth is system dependent. The GPU's TDP is 25 W, and it uses no power connectors, confirming its integrated nature.

The Arc B370's compute capabilities are modest, with an FP32 throughput of 6.144 TFLOPS and FP16 of 12.29 TFLOPS (2:1 ratio). Its pixel rate is 48.00 GPixel/s and texture rate is 96.00 GTexel/s. In the single benchmark recorded, 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, it scores 1184, which places it at the 5th percentile among all GPUs.

This benchmark score contextualizes the in-game results. The Arc B370's nearest rivals in the GPU benchmark database are all legacy parts: the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 (1186, 0.2% faster), ATI Radeon HD 5770 (1190, 0.5% faster), AMD Radeon HD 7650M (1192, 0.7% faster), and AMD FirePro M2000 (1168, 1.4% slower). These comparisons show that the Arc B370 performs at the level of integrated graphics from over a decade ago, which explains its inability to handle The Technomancer at higher settings.

The GPU's system shared memory configuration means that its effective memory bandwidth depends entirely on the host system's DDR5 memory, which runs at 89.6 GB/s for the CPU. This shared memory architecture likely contributes to the performance degradation at higher resolutions, as the GPU must compete with the CPU for memory bandwidth. The 4K results, where even Low settings only achieve 26 FPS, demonstrate that the GPU cannot sustain the fill rate required for high-resolution rendering.