The Technomancer

The Technomancer, an Action RPG released in 2016, presents a demanding scenario for the AMD Ryzen 7 9700X and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 pairing. The benchmark data indicates a combination that is heavily constrained by the graphics card, especially at higher resolutions and settings. The CPU, a modern 8-core Zen 5 part, appears capable of feeding the GPU, but the GTX 1650's modest specifications limit the overall experience to playable levels only at 1080p with adjusted settings. The following analysis breaks down the measured performance, component roles, and ranking of this specific combo.

FAQ

Q: What is the best average FPS this combo can achieve in The Technomancer?

A: The highest recorded average FPS is 68, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: What is the combo's overall rank among tested hardware combinations?

A: This combo ranks 3568 out of 3696 tested combinations, placing it in the lower 3.5% of all tested systems.

Q: How does the Ryzen 7 9700X's CPU performance compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Ryzen 7 9700X's average benchmark score is 37943, which is just 0.1% ahead of the Intel Core i9-14901E (37911), 0.1% ahead of the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 (37904), and 0.3% ahead of the Intel Core 5 211E (37829). The data shows it is a high-performance CPU, sitting in the 86th percentile of all CPUs.

Q: What is the GPU's performance tier for this game?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650's average benchmark score is 7472, placing it in the 40th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the Intel Arc A310, has an average score of 7550, which is -1% different.

Q: What settings are required to maintain a 60 FPS average?

A: The data does not show any setting combination at any tested resolution that achieves a 60 FPS average. The closest is 1920x1080 with Low settings, which averages 68 FPS.

Q: How much FPS drops from 1080p to 4K at High settings?

A: At High settings, the average FPS drops from 45 at 1920x1080 to 16 at 3840x2160, a reduction of 29 FPS.

Q: What kind of FPS variance is seen at 1080p Medium settings?

A: At 1920x1080 with Medium settings, the average FPS is 52, with a minimum of 44 and a maximum of 60.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X is an 8-core, 16-thread processor based on the Zen 5 architecture (codenamed Granite Ridge) and fabricated on a 4 nm TSMC process. It has a base clock of 3.80 GHz and a boost clock of 5.50 GHz. In synthetic benchmarks, the CPU demonstrates strong multi-threaded capabilities, scoring 20485 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 9824 in 3DMark 16-thread tests. Its single-thread performance is also substantial, with a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2211 and a 3DMark single-thread score of 1280.

For The Technomancer, a game from 2016, the CPU's high single-thread performance (evident from the 3dmark_single_thread score of 1280 and 3dmark_2_threads score of 2525) is more relevant than its multi-threading prowess. The game's engine is likely optimized for fewer threads, and the 9700X's strong per-core performance ensures it won't be a bottleneck at lower resolutions. The CPU's avgBenchmarkScore is 37943, placing it in the 86th percentile of all CPUs, with its nearest rivals being the Intel Core i9-14901E (avgScore 37911, deltaPct 0.1), the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 (avgScore 37904, deltaPct 0.1), and the Intel Core 5 211E (avgScore 37829, deltaPct 0.3). This indicates that the CPU is a top-tier performer, able to handle the game's demands without breaking a sweat. However, the actual FPS numbers in-game show that the GPU is the limiting factor. The data shows that at 1080p Low, the combo achieves 68 FPS, but as resolution increases, the FPS drops significantly, which is a classic indicator of a GPU bottleneck. The CPU's 3dmax_threads score of 9771 and 3dmark_8_threads score of 8184 show a strong scaling from 2 to 8 threads, but the game's performance does not improve correspondingly, further confirming that the CPU is not the primary constraint.

The 9700X's memory bandwidth of 89.6 GB/s and DDR5 support also contribute to its ability to feed the GPU, but the game's performance is not limited by this either. The CPU's 65W TDP and 32 MB of shared L3 cache are ample for this title. In summary, the Ryzen 7 9700X is a powerful processor that provides a solid foundation, but the performance ceiling in The Technomancer is dictated by the GPU, not the CPU.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 is a Turing-architecture GPU with 896 shading units, 56 texture mapping units, and 32 ROPs. It has a base clock of 1485 MHz and a boost clock of 1665 MHz, and is equipped with 4 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 128.1 GB/s. The GPU's FP32 performance is 2.984 TFLOPS, which is a modest figure for modern gaming. In synthetic benchmarks, the GTX 1650 achieves an average score of 7472, placing it in the 40th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals are the AMD Radeon R7 350 (avgScore 7425, deltaPct 0.6) and the Intel Arc A310 (avgScore 7550, deltaPct -1), showing that it sits in a mid-range band.

In The Technomancer, the GPU's limitations are clearly visible. At 1080p Low, the combo reaches an average of 68 FPS, but dropping to Medium yields 52 FPS average, High 45 FPS, and Ultra 35 FPS. This scaling is typical of a GPU that is the primary performance bottleneck. The VRAM of 4 GB is also a factor; at higher settings and resolutions, the game's texture demands can exceed this capacity, leading to performance dips. At 1440p, the average FPS ranges from 23 (Ultra) to 44 (Low), and at 4K, the average FPS drops below 20 for all settings, hitting 16 FPS on High and 13 FPS on Ultra. This shows that the GPU's pixel fill rate and memory bandwidth are insufficient for higher resolutions, making the combo best suited for 1080p gaming. The GTX 1650's 12 nm process and 75 W TDP also indicate a low-power design, which aligns with its performance level.

The GPU's benchmarks show a PassMark G3D score of 7880, which is its highest in the DirectX tests, but the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 305 is very low, indicating poor performance in modern graphics workloads. The GTX 1650's memory clock is 2001 MHz (8 Gbps effective), and its 128.1 GB/s bandwidth is a bottleneck for higher resolutions. The data clearly shows that the GPU is the limiting component in this combo, as the CPU's performance is not the constraint.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Ryzen 7 9700X and GTX 1650 ranks 3568 out of 3696 tested combinations in The Technomancer, placing it in the bottom 3.5% of all tested systems. This is a very low rank, reflecting the fact that the GTX 1650 is a low-end GPU from 2019, while the CPU is a high-end 2024 part. The rank is a direct consequence of the GPU's performance, not the CPU. The combo's rank is primarily driven by the GPU's 40th percentile standing, while the CPU is in the 86th percentile. The pairing is unbalanced; a modern high-end CPU with an old, low-end GPU. The data shows that the GPU is the bottleneck, and the rank would be significantly higher with a better GPU.

In comparison to other combos, this rank means that the majority of tested systems outperform it. For context, the CPU alone would rank in the top 14-15% of CPUs, but the GPU drags the entire system down. The combo's performance is limited by the GPU's fill rate, memory bandwidth, and compute capabilities, which are all low by modern standards. The rank of 3568 suggests that users with this configuration will experience significant performance issues in The Technomancer, especially at higher resolutions. The data indicates that the GTX 1650 is a major bottleneck, and any upgrades to the GPU would yield substantial FPS improvements.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of the combo's performance across four resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the combo achieves an average FPS of 68 on Low, 52 on Medium (with a min of 44 and max of 60), 45 on High, and 35 on Ultra. This shows a clear downward trend as settings increase, with a 33 FPS difference between Low and Ultra. The Medium preset offers a playable experience with an average of 52 FPS, but with a minimum that dips to 44 FPS, which may cause noticeable stutters.

At 2560x1440, the performance drops significantly: 44 FPS on Low, 34 FPS on Medium (min 29, max 39), 29 FPS on High, and 23 FPS on Ultra. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is substantial, with an average reduction of about 25-30% across settings. The Medium preset at 1440p yields a 34 FPS average, which is on the edge of playability, but the minimum of 29 FPS could be problematic in action-heavy scenes.

At 3840x2160, the performance is largely unplayable: 24 FPS on Low, 19 FPS on Medium (min 16, max 22), 16 FPS on High, and 13 FPS on Ultra. The game becomes a slideshow at 4K, with the best average being 24 FPS on Low. The data shows that the GTX 1650 is completely overwhelmed at 4K, and even the lowest settings cannot achieve a smooth frame rate. The FPS data shows that the game is only playable at 1080p Low/Medium, with 1080p High being borderline, and any higher resolution or preset results in sub-30 FPS averages.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured data, the best experience is achieved at 1920x1080 with Medium settings. This preset provides an average FPS of 52, with a minimum of 44 and a maximum of 60. The 44 FPS minimum is above the typical 30 FPS target for playability, and the 60 FPS maximum shows that the system can reach the refresh rate of a standard 60Hz monitor in some scenes. Moving to High settings drops the average to 45 FPS, which is still playable, but the margin to 30 FPS is smaller, and in demanding scenes it could dip below. Ultra settings at 1080p yield an average of 35 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target and shows noticeable stutters.

At 1440p, the best option is Medium with an average of 34 FPS, but the minimum of 29 FPS is below the 30 FPS playability target, and the variability could cause a poor experience. High settings at 1440p yield a 29 FPS average, which is not smooth. Therefore, the recommended settings are 1080p Medium, as it offers the best balance of visual quality and frame rate. If a higher frame rate is preferred, 1080p Low yields 68 FPS average, but the visual quality is reduced. The data suggests that the game is best played at 1080p, and the Medium preset is the sweet spot.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling across resolutions is typical of a GPU-bound scenario. At High settings, the average FPS drops from 45 at 1080p to 29 at 1440p, and then to 16 at 4K. This represents a 55% drop from 1080p to 1440p, and an 85% drop from 1080p to 4K. At Low settings, the drop is from 68 FPS at 1080p to 44 at 1440p, and 24 at 4K, a 35% and 65% drop respectively. This scaling shows that the GPU is the limiting factor, as the FPS scales almost linearly with the number of pixels. The CPU's performance is not a bottleneck, as the same CPU with a more powerful GPU would show a much smaller FPS drop at higher resolutions.

The scaling also indicates that the GTX 1650's 4 GB VRAM and 128.1 GB/s bandwidth are insufficient for the higher resolutions. The memory bandwidth is saturated at 1440p, and the frame rate craters at 4K. The fact that the FPS drops are consistent across all settings indicates that the GPU is the sole limiting factor, as the CPU's varying load doesn't affect the frame rate. This resolution scaling analysis confirms that the GTX 1650 is the primary bottleneck, and that the Ryzen 7 9700X is not a limiting factor in this game. The data shows that the system is best suited for 1080p gaming, with any higher resolution requiring significant sacrifices in settings and frame rate.