The Technomancer

Resolution Scaling

The measured frame rates for The Technomancer with the AMD Ryzen 7 9700X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 show a clear and steep drop as resolution increases, which points directly to the GPU as the primary limiting factor at higher settings. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo delivers 192 FPS. Moving to 1440p Low drops that to 123 FPS, a 36% reduction, and 4K Low falls to 67 FPS, which is roughly a third of the 1080p Low result. This pattern is consistent with a GPU-bound scenario where pixel throughput becomes the bottleneck.

The scaling curve is even more pronounced when looking at the High preset. At 1080p High, the system produces 123.9 FPS. At 1440p High, it drops to 83.9 FPS, and at 4K High, it falls to 42.8 FPS. The gap between 1080p and 4K at High settings is a 65% performance loss, which is substantial but not surprising for a game from this era running on modern hardware. The RTX 3070 is clearly being pushed hard at 4K, as evidenced by the fact that even the Low preset at 4K cannot maintain a 60 FPS baseline, landing at 67 FPS.

What the data reveals is that the CPU is not the constraint in this title. The Ryzen 7 9700X, with its 8 cores and 16 threads, has more than enough headroom to feed the GPU at all tested resolutions. The proof lies in the fact that the frame rate scales almost entirely with resolution and settings, not with CPU load. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see diminishing returns when lowering resolution, but the 1080p numbers show massive headroom—192 FPS at Low and 96.5 FPS at Ultra—indicating the processor is never the limiting factor.

The 4K Ultra result of 33.1 FPS is the weakest point in the entire dataset, and it illustrates the futility of running this game at maximum settings at 4K with this GPU. The gap between 4K Medium (52.7 FPS) and 4K High (42.8 FPS) is 9.9 FPS, while the gap between 4K Low (67 FPS) and 4K Medium (52.7 FPS) is 14.3 FPS. This non-linear scaling suggests that the game's Medium preset introduces a significant increase in shading complexity that the RTX 3070 struggles to handle at 4K.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 is the decisive component in this configuration, and its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus with 448.0 GB/s bandwidth is adequate for 1080p and 1440p but becomes a liability at 4K. The GPU's boost clock of 1725 MHz and base clock of 1500 MHz are standard for the Ampere architecture, and the 5888 shading units provide ample compute for a 2016 title like The Technomancer, which was released well before the RTX 3070's 2020 launch.

The benchmark data shows the RTX 3070 operating in its comfort zone at 1080p and 1440p, where it delivers playable to excellent frame rates across all presets. At 1080p Ultra, the combo hits 96.5 FPS, which is smooth for an action RPG. At 1440p Ultra, it drops to 66.2 FPS, still playable but approaching the threshold where some users might prefer lower settings. The 4K results, however, reveal the GPU's memory and bandwidth limitations. At 4K Ultra, the 33.1 FPS result is below the generally accepted playability threshold, and even 4K High at 42.8 FPS is marginal.

The GPU's percentile ranking of 72 among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 28238, places it in solid mid-range territory. Its nearest rival in the benchmark database is the AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT, which scores 27985 (a 0.9% delta), and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti at 27956 (a 1% delta). This indicates the RTX 3070 is slightly ahead of these competitors, but the gap is small enough that the measured FPS differences in this game are more attributable to architectural efficiency than raw compute headroom.

The RTX 3070's 8 GB VRAM is a notable constraint at 4K Ultra, where the game's texture and geometry demands likely exceed the available memory, causing the frame rate to collapse to 33.1 FPS. The transition from 4K High (42.8 FPS) to 4K Ultra (33.1 FPS) represents a 22.7% drop, which is steeper than the drop from 4K Medium to 4K High (19.2%). This suggests the Ultra preset pushes the GPU past a memory or bandwidth threshold, making it the least efficient setting choice at 4K.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run The Technomancer at 4K with playable frame rates?

A: Only at Low settings, where it achieves 67 FPS. Medium drops to 52.7 FPS, High to 42.8 FPS, and Ultra to 33.1 FPS. For consistent 60 FPS gameplay at 4K, the Low preset is the only viable option.

Q: What is the best resolution for this CPU-GPU pair?

A: 1440p offers the best balance, with 123 FPS at Low, 95 FPS at Medium, 83.9 FPS at High, and 66.2 FPS at Ultra. All presets at this resolution exceed the 60 FPS threshold, making it the most flexible choice.

Q: How does the RTX 3070 compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RTX 3070 scores 28238 on average, which is 0.9% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT (27985) and 1% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti (27956). It trails the AMD FirePro S7150 (28409) by 0.6%.

Q: Is the CPU holding back the GPU in this game?

A: No. The Ryzen 7 9700X delivers 192 FPS at 1080p Low and 96.5 FPS at 1080p Ultra, showing no signs of CPU limitation. The frame rate scales with resolution in a way that indicates the GPU is the bottleneck at all settings above 1080p Low.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between 1080p and 1440p at High settings?

A: At 1080p High, the combo produces 123.9 FPS. At 1440p High, it drops to 83.9 FPS, a 32.3% reduction. This is a typical scaling factor for a GPU-bound title at these resolutions.

Q: Does the 8 GB VRAM on the RTX 3070 cause issues at 4K?

A: The data suggests yes. The 4K Ultra result of 33.1 FPS is disproportionately low compared to the 4K High result of 42.8 FPS, indicating the Ultra preset likely exceeds the GPU's memory capacity or bandwidth, causing a sharp performance collapse.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its strongest performance across all settings. Low settings produce 192 FPS, Medium 148.7 FPS, High 123.9 FPS, and Ultra 96.5 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 95.5 FPS, which gives users a wide range of choices depending on their refresh rate and visual preferences. Even at Ultra, the 96.5 FPS result is well above the 60 FPS standard, making 1080p Ultra a completely viable option for high-refresh-rate displays.

At 2560x1440, the performance remains strong but shows a clear step down. Low settings yield 123 FPS, Medium 95 FPS, High 83.9 FPS, and Ultra 66.2 FPS. The Ultra preset at 1440p is the first point in the dataset where the frame rate dips close to the 60 FPS threshold, but it still clears it. The 1440p High result of 83.9 FPS is a good target for users who want a balance between visual fidelity and smoothness, as it offers a 17.7% improvement over Ultra while retaining most of the graphical quality.

At 3840x2160, the performance drops significantly. Low settings produce 67 FPS, Medium 52.7 FPS, High 42.8 FPS, and Ultra 33.1 FPS. The 4K results are the only ones where any preset falls below 60 FPS—in fact, all presets except Low fall below this threshold. The 4K Medium result of 52.7 FPS is borderline playable for some users, but the 4K High and Ultra results are best avoided for action gameplay. The gap between 4K Low and 4K Medium is 14.3 FPS, which is the largest single-preset jump at any resolution, indicating that the Medium preset introduces a significant rendering cost.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X is a Zen 5 architecture processor on the AMD Socket AM5 platform, featuring 8 cores and 16 threads with a base clock of 3.80 GHz and a boost clock of 5.50 GHz. Its 32 MB of shared L3 cache and 89.6 GB/s memory bandwidth provide ample data throughput for gaming workloads. The CPU's benchmark scores are impressive, particularly the Cinebench R23 multicore result of 31588 and the single-core result of 4459, which place it in the 89th percentile among all CPUs.

In The Technomancer, the CPU's role is largely supportive, as the game's rendering demands are firmly on the GPU. The measured FPS data shows no evidence of CPU bottlenecking: at 1080p Low, the system reaches 192 FPS, which is far beyond the GPU's ability to maintain at higher settings. The CPU's 16 threads are more than sufficient for a 2016 title, and the game's single-threaded performance is likely well-served by the boost clock of 5.50 GHz.

The CPU's nearest rivals in the benchmark database include the Intel Core i5-14500HX (avg score 35940, delta 0.2%), the Intel Core Ultra 9 185H (avg score 36165, delta -0.4%), and the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845 (avg score 35802, delta 0.6%). These comparisons show the 9700X is competitive with recent laptop and desktop parts, but the differences are small enough that they would have minimal impact on game performance in a GPU-bound title like The Technomancer.

The CPU's power efficiency is notable, with a 65 W TDP, which is low for a high-performance desktop processor. This allows for sustained boost clocks without thermal throttling, which is beneficial for maintaining consistent frame rates in longer gaming sessions. The 8-core, 16-thread configuration is also future-proof for games that scale beyond 8 threads, though The Technomancer does not appear to leverage this capability based on the FPS data.

Settings Recommendations

For the best experience with this combo, the data points to 1440p Medium as the optimal balance between visual quality and performance. The 95 FPS result at this setting is smooth, and the step up to High (83.9 FPS) is only an 11.7% reduction, which may be worth it for users who prioritize graphics. However, 1440p High at 83.9 FPS is arguably the sweet spot, as it remains well above 60 FPS and provides a significant visual upgrade over Medium.

At 1080p, users should target Ultra settings, as the 96.5 FPS result is excellent for high-refresh-rate monitors. The gap between 1080p Ultra and 1080p High is 27.4 FPS, making Ultra the clear choice for those with 144 Hz displays. For users with 60 Hz displays at 1080p, even the Medium preset at 148.7 FPS is overkill, so Ultra is recommended without hesitation.

At 4K, the recommendations are more constrained. Low settings at 67 FPS is the only preset that maintains a 60 FPS baseline, but the visual compromise is significant. Medium at 52.7 FPS is acceptable for slower-paced exploration but may feel choppy in combat. The data strongly suggests that 4K is not the intended use case for this GPU in this game, and users should either drop to 1440p or accept the Low preset if they insist on 4K resolution.

The Ultra preset at any resolution above 1080p is not recommended. At 1440p Ultra, the 66.2 FPS result is playable but offers diminishing returns over High, which is only 17.7% slower. At 4K Ultra, the 33.1 FPS result is below the minimum threshold for smooth gameplay in an action RPG, making it an impractical choice. The best overall experience is 1440p High, which balances the GPU's capabilities with the game's visual fidelity.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 combination ranks 787 out of 1656 tested combos in The Technomancer. This places it in the upper-middle tier of the benchmark database, which is consistent with the GPU's 72nd percentile ranking and the CPU's 89th percentile ranking. The combo's performance is solidly above the median, but it is not in the top tier, primarily due to the RTX 3070's limitations at 4K resolution.

The rank of 787 out of 1656 means this combo outperforms roughly 52% of tested configurations. This is a respectable position for a mid-range GPU paired with a high-end CPU, and it reflects the game's GPU-bound nature. The CPU's high percentile ranking does not translate into a higher combo rank because the game does not heavily utilize the processor's capabilities. Instead, the combo rank is driven almost entirely by the GPU's performance, which is strong at 1080p and 1440p but weak at 4K.

The fact that this combo sits just below the middle of the pack suggests that many other tested configurations feature more powerful GPUs, which would naturally achieve higher frame rates in this GPU-bound title. However, for users with 1080p or 1440p displays, the combo's performance is more than adequate, as evidenced by the 96.5 FPS at 1080p Ultra and 83.9 FPS at 1440p High. The rank is a reflection of the entire resolution range being tested, including 4K, where the RTX 3070 is clearly out of its depth.

In summary, this combo is a capable performer for The Technomancer at mainstream resolutions, but it falls behind in the 4K segment. The rank of 787 out of 1656 is a fair assessment of its overall standing, and users should focus on the 1080p and 1440p results when evaluating this configuration for their specific display setup.