The Technomancer

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D is an 8-core, 16-thread processor built on the Zen 5 architecture (Granite Ridge) using TSMC's 4 nm process. It operates with a base clock of 4.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.20 GHz, with a 120 W TDP. The processor includes a substantial 96 MB of shared L3 cache, which is a defining characteristic of the X3D lineup and directly benefits games that rely heavily on cache residency for scene data and draw calls.

In synthetic workloads, the CPU demonstrates strong scaling from 2 to 16 threads. The 3DMark results show a 16-thread score of 10081, an 8-thread score of 8252, and a 4-thread score of 4669. The single-thread score of 1212 indicates that even when only a few cores are active, the per-core throughput is high. This matters for The Technomancer, a 2016 Action RPG that was designed during an era when quad-core CPUs were the mainstream standard. The game's engine is unlikely to fully utilize all 16 threads, but the high single-thread performance and large cache help maintain consistent frame pacing.

Cinebench R23 results reinforce this profile: a multicore score of 34004 and a single-core score of 4800. The multicore-to-single-core ratio suggests that the CPU can handle heavily threaded workloads when needed, but for this game, the more relevant metric is the single-core and lightly-threaded performance. PassMark single-thread score of 4430 and multithread score of 40009 further confirm that the processor is not a bottleneck in either direction.

The CPU sits at the 90th percentile versus all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 37780. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Xeon 6353P at 37811 (delta -0.1%), the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 at 37831 (delta -0.1%), and the Intel Core i9-13900HK at 38020 (delta -0.6%). The delta percentages are negligible, meaning the 9800X3D is effectively tied with these processors in aggregate benchmark performance. For a game like The Technomancer, which is largely GPU-bound at higher resolutions, this CPU headroom ensures that the graphics card is the limiting factor rather than the processor.

The measured FPS data shows that at 1080p Low settings, the system achieves 147.2 FPS, which is well above the 144 Hz threshold. At 1080p Ultra, it still manages 79.1 FPS. The fact that the CPU can drive these frame rates at lower settings—where the GPU workload is lighter—indicates that the processor is delivering adequate single-thread performance for the game's logic and physics.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

The Technomancer's settings presets produce a clear progression in measured frame rates across all resolutions. At 1920x1080, the Low preset yields 147.2 FPS, Medium drops to 112.9 FPS, High to 95.9 FPS, and Ultra to 79.1 FPS. At 2560x1440, the corresponding values are 94.6, 72.0, 64.1, and 50.9 FPS. At 3840x2160, they fall to 51.0, 42.0, 35.9, and 29.8 FPS.

The High preset provides the most balanced experience. At 1080p, it delivers 95.9 FPS, which is smooth for most displays and only 16.8% slower than Low. The incremental cost of moving from High to Ultra is significant: at 1080p, Ultra is 17.5% slower than High (79.1 vs 95.9 FPS), and at 1440p, Ultra is 20.6% slower (50.9 vs 64.1 FPS). The visual returns from Ultra settings in a 2016 title are typically marginal—shadows and post-processing effects often have diminishing returns—while the performance penalty is substantial.

For users with 144 Hz monitors, the Medium preset at 1080p (112.9 FPS) is the highest setting that approaches refresh-rate parity, though it still falls short. The Low preset at 1080p (147.2 FPS) is the only configuration that fully saturates a 144 Hz display. At 1440p, the Low preset (94.6 FPS) is the only one that exceeds 90 FPS, making it the choice for high-refresh 1440p panels. The High preset at 1440p (64.1 FPS) is adequate for 60 Hz displays and provides a more visually detailed image.

At 4K, the situation changes dramatically. The Low preset (51.0 FPS) is the only setting that maintains a playable frame rate above 50 FPS. Medium (42.0 FPS), High (35.9 FPS), and Ultra (29.8 FPS) all fall below the 60 FPS threshold, and Ultra dips below 30 FPS, which is generally considered the minimum for playability. For 4K users, the Low preset is the recommended choice, as it preserves the resolution while sacrificing graphical fidelity.

The data suggests that the High preset is the sweet spot for 1080p and 1440p gaming, offering a good balance between image quality and frame rate. The measured rows show that the gap between Medium and High is smaller than the gap between High and Ultra, indicating that the Ultra preset imposes a disproportionate performance cost for the last tier of visual enhancements.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured FPS data across resolutions reveals a consistent pattern of scaling that identifies the GPU as the primary bottleneck in this configuration. At High settings, the system produces 95.9 FPS at 1080p, 64.1 FPS at 1440p, and 35.9 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 33.2%, and from 1440p to 4K is 44.0%. This is a classic GPU-bound scaling curve, where the frame rate decreases proportionally with the pixel count.

At Low settings, the scaling is similar: 147.2 FPS at 1080p, 94.6 FPS at 1440p, and 51.0 FPS at 4K. The percentage drops are 35.7% (1080p to 1440p) and 46.1% (1440p to 4K). The fact that the scaling ratio remains nearly constant across different settings presets is a strong indicator that the frame rate is limited by the GPU's fill rate and shading throughput, not by the CPU or memory subsystem.

If the CPU were the limiting factor, the frame rate would not scale as dramatically with resolution. Instead, the 1080p frame rates would plateau at a CPU-determined ceiling, and the differences between resolutions would compress. The data shows no such plateau—the frame rate continues to rise at 1080p, reaching 147.2 FPS at Low settings, which is well below the CPU's theoretical maximum.

The 4K results are particularly telling. At Ultra settings, the system produces only 29.8 FPS, which is below the 30 FPS threshold for playability. The AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT, with its 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus (288.0 GB/s bandwidth), is clearly stressed at 4K. The GPU's 2048 shading units and 64 ROPs are insufficient for the pixel workload at 4K Ultra, even with the high-clocked CPU providing all the geometry and draw calls the GPU needs.

The resolution scaling analysis also shows that the CPU's 96 MB L3 cache and high single-thread performance are not the limiting factors. The consistent frame rate drops across all resolutions and presets indicate that the GPU is the component that needs to be upgraded for better 4K performance. Conversely, at 1080p Low, the 147.2 FPS result shows that the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU far more frames than the GPU can render at higher resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D and the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT ranks 1079 out of 1656 tested combos in The Technomancer. This places the system in the 65th percentile of all tested configurations, meaning roughly 35% of combos perform better and 65% perform worse.

This rank reflects a significant mismatch between the CPU and GPU tiers. The Ryzen 7 9800X3D is a top-tier processor, sitting at the 90th percentile versus all CPUs, while the RX 7600 XT sits at the 63rd percentile versus all GPUs. In a game like The Technomancer, which is heavily GPU-bound at higher resolutions, the GPU's percentile ranking is the more predictive factor for the combo's overall position.

The combo rank of 1079 indicates that while the CPU provides ample headroom, the GPU holds the system back in this title. The measured FPS data confirms this: at 1080p High, the system achieves 95.9 FPS, which is respectable but not exceptional for a system with a high-end CPU. Combos ranked above 1079 likely pair the RX 7600 XT with a more modest CPU, or pair the 9800X3D with a more powerful GPU.

The delta between the CPU and GPU percentiles is striking. The CPU is in the 90th percentile, while the GPU is in the 63rd percentile. This 27-percentage-point gap suggests that the CPU is overqualified for the GPU in this configuration. In CPU-bound scenarios (low resolution, low settings), the combo would rank much higher, but in the game's typical usage at higher resolutions, the GPU dictates the outcome.

The 1079 rank out of 1656 combos means the system is in the middle of the pack, not at the bottom. This is because the RX 7600 XT, despite being a mid-range GPU, still delivers playable frame rates at 1080p and 1440p across most settings. The system's weakness is at 4K Ultra (29.8 FPS), where it falls below playability thresholds, which likely drags the combo rank down relative to systems with higher-end GPUs.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT is built on the RDNA 3.0 architecture (Navi 33 chip, codenamed Hotpink Bonefish) using TSMC's 6 nm process. It features 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, delivering 288.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU operates at a base clock of 1980 MHz, a game clock of 2470 MHz, and a boost clock of 2755 MHz. Memory runs at 2250 MHz (18 Gbps effective). The card has 2048 shading units, 128 TMUs, 64 ROPs, and 32 ray tracing cores, with a 190 W TDP.

The 16 GB VRAM is notable for a card in this performance class. The Technomancer, released in 2016, was designed for consoles with 8 GB of shared memory, so 16 GB is more than sufficient for this title. The VRAM capacity does not appear to be a limiting factor in any of the measured results. Instead, the GPU's computational throughput—measured at 22.57 TFLOPS FP32 and a pixel rate of 176.3 GPixel/s—is the constraining factor.

The GPU's benchmark results show a PassMark G3D score of 17132, placing it at the 63rd percentile versus all GPUs. Its nearest rivals in aggregate performance are the AMD Radeon RX 460 (20088, delta 0.3%), the AMD Radeon RX 7600 (20258, delta -0.6%), and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER (19774, delta 1.9%). The delta percentages indicate that the RX 7600 XT is statistically tied with these cards in overall benchmark scores.

In The Technomancer, the measured FPS results align with the GPU's mid-range positioning. At 1080p, the card delivers between 79.1 and 147.2 FPS depending on settings, which spans the range from 60 Hz gaming to 144 Hz gaming. At 1440p, the range is 50.9 to 94.6 FPS, and at 4K, it drops to 29.8 to 51.0 FPS. The 4K Ultra result of 29.8 FPS is the clearest indicator that the GPU is overextended at this resolution and settings combination.

The GPU's clock speeds are high for the segment, with a boost of 2755 MHz, but the relatively narrow 128-bit memory bus limits bandwidth to 288.0 GB/s. This bandwidth constraint becomes more apparent at higher resolutions, where the memory system must feed more pixels. The measured FPS drops from 1440p to 4K—approximately 44% at High settings—reflect this bandwidth limitation.

The Ray Tracing cores (32) and DirectX 12 Ultimate support are forward-looking features, but The Technomancer is a 2016 title that does not use ray tracing. The GPU's performance in this game is therefore determined by its traditional rasterization capabilities, which are adequate for 1080p and 1440p but insufficient for 4K Ultra.