The Technomancer

# The Technomancer with AMD Ryzen 7 9700X + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti

The Technomancer, a 2016 Action RPG, presents an interesting test case for this modern pairing. The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti combination lands at rank 1178 out of 1656 tested combos, placing it in the lower-middle portion of the database. The measured FPS data reveals a system that can handle 1080p and 1440p gaming comfortably, but struggles significantly at 4K Ultra settings, where the average frame rate drops to 24.7 FPS — a figure that highlights the GPU's limitations under maximum load.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows 2560x1440 with High settings delivers 61.8 FPS average, making it the sweet spot for a smooth experience with good visual quality. At 1920x1080, even Ultra settings maintain 75 FPS, but 1440p offers a better balance of clarity and performance.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Ryzen 7 9700X has an average benchmark score of 36029, putting it 0.2% ahead of the Intel Core i5-14500HX (35940) and 0.6% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845 (35802). It trails the Intel Core Ultra 9 185H by 0.4% and the Intel Core Ultra 5 225H by 0.8%, indicating extremely tight competition among these processors.

Q: Is the RTX 3060 Ti a bottleneck in this game?

A: Based on the FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K, the GPU appears to be the limiting factor. At 4K High, the average drops to 35.1 FPS, while at 1080p High it reaches 92.4 FPS — a 62% reduction that suggests the GPU is struggling as resolution increases, with the CPU having ample headroom.

Q: What settings preset should be avoided?

A: The 4K Ultra preset produces an unplayable 24.7 FPS average, well below the 30 FPS threshold generally considered minimum for playability. Even at 1440p, Ultra settings dip to 46.8 FPS, which may feel inconsistent during action sequences.

Q: How does the GPU benchmark against its closest competitors?

A: The RTX 3060 Ti scores 25120 on average, placing it 0.2% behind the AMD Radeon RX 6700M (25180) and 0.5% behind both the Radeon RX 6600 (25235) and Radeon 890M (25246). The differences are negligible, indicating these cards perform nearly identically in synthetic tests.

Q: Does the combo rank improve at lower resolutions?

A: The measured data suggests yes. While the overall combo rank is 1178 out of 1656, the FPS at 1080p Low reaches 142 FPS and at 1080p Medium hits 111.6 FPS, both indicating the system is far more competitive at lower graphical loads.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X brings substantial processing power to this pairing. With 8 cores and 16 threads based on the Zen 5 architecture (Granite Ridge), this CPU operates at a base clock of 3.80 GHz and boosts to 5.50 GHz. The 65W TDP and 4nm process node from TSMC make it an efficient choice for sustained gaming sessions.

In synthetic benchmarks, the CPU demonstrates strong multi-threaded capability with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 31588 and a single-core score of 4459. The Geekbench results show 17002 multicore and 3353 single-core scores. These numbers place the processor in the 89th percentile among all CPUs, indicating it is a high-end performer relative to the broader market.

The CPU's nearest rivals include the Intel Core i5-14500HX (0.2% behind), Intel Core Ultra 9 185H (0.4% ahead), AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845 (0.6% behind), and Intel Core Ultra 5 225H (0.8% ahead). This tight clustering suggests that in this game, where the GPU is likely the primary bottleneck, the CPU choice among these options would yield minimal FPS differences.

The 32 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR5 memory support with 89.6 GB/s bandwidth provide adequate data throughput for the game's world streaming. The 3DMark scores show scaling from 2525 at 2 threads to 9771 at max threads, indicating good multi-threading efficiency, though The Technomancer's 2016 engine may not fully utilize all 16 threads.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is the clear performance limiter in this configuration. Built on the Ampere architecture with a GA104 chip at 8nm from Samsung, this GPU features 4864 shading units, 152 TMUs, and 80 ROPs. Its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus provides 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which becomes a critical factor at higher resolutions.

The GPU's clock speeds start at 1410 MHz base and boost to 1665 MHz, delivering 16.20 TFLOPS of FP32 performance. The 200W TDP and dual-slot design with a single 12-pin power connector require a 550W suggested PSU, making it a moderate power draw for the performance class.

In benchmark tests, the RTX 3060 Ti scores 20349 in Passmark G3D and 109075 in Geekbench OpenCL. Its average benchmark score of 25120 places it in the 69th percentile among all GPUs. The nearest rivals are all within 0.7% of its score: the Radeon RX 6700M (-0.2%), RX 6600 (-0.5%), Radeon 890M (-0.5%), and RX 580 2048SP (-0.7%). This clustering indicates the GPU sits in a competitive mid-range segment.

The 8 GB VRAM capacity is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p gaming in this title, but the 4K Ultra results (24.7 FPS) suggest memory bandwidth or capacity constraints become problematic. The DirectX 12 Ultimate support with API version 12_2 ensures compatibility with modern rendering features, though The Technomancer's original 2016 release may not leverage these capabilities fully.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of Ryzen 7 9700X and RTX 3060 Ti achieves rank 1178 out of 1656 tested combos in The Technomancer. This places the system in the 29th percentile of all tested configurations, meaning roughly 71% of combos perform better in this specific game. Given that the CPU is in the 89th percentile and the GPU is in the 69th percentile, the lower combo ranking reflects the GPU's role as the primary constraint.

The discrepancy between component percentiles and combo rank suggests that The Technomancer is particularly demanding on the graphics subsystem. The game's 2016 release date means it may not be optimized for newer architectures, potentially leaving performance on the table even with capable hardware. The combo's position in the lower third of results indicates that users seeking higher frame rates would need to consider a more powerful GPU or lower in-game settings.

When examining the measured FPS across all settings, the system shows its best relative performance at 1080p Low (142 FPS) and 1080p Medium (111.6 FPS). These figures suggest the combo is well-suited for competitive or high-refresh-rate gaming at lower resolutions, but the 4K Ultra result of 24.7 FPS drags the overall ranking down significantly.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured data provides a comprehensive view of performance across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the system delivers 142 FPS at Low, 111.6 FPS at Medium, 92.4 FPS at High, and 75 FPS at Ultra. These numbers show a smooth progression with the expected performance cost of higher settings, with Ultra representing a 47% reduction from Low.

At 2560x1440, the averages drop to 93.3 FPS at Low, 74.2 FPS at Medium, 61.8 FPS at High, and 46.8 FPS at Ultra. The 1440p results remain playable across all presets, with even the demanding Ultra setting maintaining above 45 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p shows roughly a 34-38% performance reduction depending on settings.

The 3840x2160 results reveal the GPU's limitations: 51.4 FPS at Low, 37.6 FPS at Medium, 35.1 FPS at High, and 24.7 FPS at Ultra. Only the Low preset achieves the 60 FPS threshold at 4K, and even then it barely does so. The Ultra preset's sub-30 FPS result makes it unsuitable for smooth gameplay, while Medium and High fall in the 35-38 FPS range, which may be acceptable for slower-paced RPG combat.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal experience balances visual quality with frame rate stability. At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset at 75 FPS provides the best visual fidelity while maintaining smooth gameplay, making this the recommended choice for users with 1080p displays. The High preset at 92.4 FPS offers additional headroom for demanding scenes, but the visual difference may be minimal.

For 2560x1440 displays, the High preset at 61.8 FPS represents the best compromise, delivering console-quality visuals at just above the 60 FPS threshold. The Medium preset at 74.2 FPS provides more margin for frame rate drops during intense combat sequences, potentially making it the safer choice for users sensitive to stuttering. The Ultra preset at 46.8 FPS is playable but may feel less responsive in action-heavy encounters.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset at 51.4 FPS is the only option approaching smooth gameplay, while Medium (37.6 FPS) and High (35.1 FPS) are borderline playable for a game of this genre. The Ultra preset's 24.7 FPS makes it impractical for anything beyond screenshots or slow exploration. Users with 4K displays should prioritize either the Low preset or consider resolution scaling options.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals important insights about the system's bottleneck. At High settings, the frame rate drops from 92.4 FPS at 1080p to 61.8 FPS at 1440p (a 33% reduction) and further to 35.1 FPS at 4K (a 62% reduction from 1080p). This steep decline indicates the GPU is increasingly saturated as pixel count grows.

The Low settings show a similar pattern: 142 FPS at 1080p, 93.3 FPS at 1440p, and 51.4 FPS at 4K — a 64% reduction from 1080p to 4K. The consistency of these percentages across settings presets suggests the scaling is resolution-bound rather than setting-bound, reinforcing the conclusion that the RTX 3060 Ti is the limiting component.

The CPU's role in this scaling is minimal, as its strong single-thread performance (1280 in 3DMark single-thread) ensures it can feed frames even at 1080p Low where the GPU is less burdened. The 142 FPS result at 1080p Low demonstrates the CPU's capability to push high frame rates, while the 4K results show the GPU reaching its memory bandwidth and compute limits. This analysis suggests that users upgrading this system would benefit most from a GPU upgrade rather than a CPU change, as the Ryzen 7 9700X retains significant headroom even in the highest-FPS scenarios.