The Technomancer

The AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 pairing in The Technomancer presents a fascinating case study in system balance for a 2016 action RPG. The measured data shows a combination that dominates at lower resolutions but begins to show its limits as pixel count climbs, revealing a clear shift in which component becomes the primary constraint.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is dramatic and tells a clear story about where the bottleneck lies. At 1080p High settings, the combo produces 150.4 FPS, which falls to 102.1 FPS at 1440p (−32%), and then to 52.7 FPS at 4K (−48% from 1440p). This steep decline is a classic signature of a GPU-bound scenario at higher resolutions.

The pattern is even more striking at Ultra settings. The system delivers 117.9 FPS at 1080p, but this collapses to 75.6 FPS at 1440p and finally 39.3 FPS at 4K. The 4K Ultra result being below 40 FPS indicates that the RTX 4070 is being pushed to its absolute limit, with the resolution scaling curve becoming increasingly non-linear as pixel count doubles.

Interestingly, the Low settings data reveals a different dynamic. At Low, the system achieves 230.1 FPS at 1080p, 152.9 FPS at 1440p, and 81.4 FPS at 4K. The fact that 4K Low is still nearly double the 1080p Ultra result (81.4 vs 117.9) suggests that the GPU, not the CPU, is the limiting factor even at reduced graphical loads. If the CPU were the constraint, we would expect to see the 1080p Low result capped at a similar level to 1080p Ultra, but the 230 FPS ceiling at 1080p Low is far above any other 1080p result, confirming the GPU is the primary bottleneck throughout.

CPU Role

The Ryzen 7 9800X3D brings serious computational muscle to this pairing. With 8 cores and 16 threads, base clock of 4.70 GHz, and boost clock of 5.20 GHz, this Zen 5 Granite Ridge processor is built for high-throughput workloads. Its 96 MB of shared L3 cache is particularly relevant for gaming, as it allows for large amounts of data to be stored close to the cores, reducing latency in scenarios that require frequent memory access.

The benchmark data supports the idea that this CPU is not the limiting factor in The Technomancer. The 3DMark single-thread score of 1212 and multi-thread score of 10067 indicate strong performance across both lightly-threaded and heavily-threaded workloads. The Cinebench R23 results are equally impressive: 34004 multicore and 4800 singlecore. These scores place the CPU in the 90th percentile of all processors, with its average benchmark score of 37780 nearly identical to its nearest rivals.

The CPU's nearest rivals show how close the competition is at the top. The Intel Xeon 6353P scores 37811 (0.1% higher), the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 scores 37831 (0.1% higher), and the Intel Core i9-13900HK scores 38020 (0.6% higher). These minuscule deltas suggest that, despite the 9800X3D being slightly behind in raw average, the gaming-specific advantages of the 3D V-Cache design could manifest in ways that generic benchmarks don't fully capture.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 is the component that ultimately defines this system's 4K capabilities. Built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with the AD104 chip, this GPU features 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus, delivering 504.2 GB/s of bandwidth. Its boost clock of 2475 MHz and base clock of 1920 MHz provide the raw throughput needed for modern titles.

The GPU's 29.15 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is substantial, but the measured FPS data shows that The Technomancer still manages to stress it heavily at 4K. The RTX 4070's percentile ranking of 81 among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 37283, places it solidly in the upper tier. However, its nearest rivals paint an interesting picture: the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 scores 37507 (0.6% higher), while the NVIDIA GeForce MX570 A scores 38008 (1.9% higher). These are unexpected names to find near a modern 40-series card, suggesting that the RTX 4070's specialized features may not translate to universal benchmark dominance.

The 12 GB VRAM capacity is worth noting for a game from 2016. While The Technomancer likely doesn't require that much memory, the headroom ensures that texture-heavy scenes at 4K Ultra won't suffer from memory swapping. The 504.2 GB/s bandwidth becomes increasingly important at 4K, where the GPU must move more data per frame to feed the shading units.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations, this pairing ranks 479th out of 1656 total combos. This places it in the top 29% of all tested systems, which is respectable but not elite. Given the individual component strengths — a top-10 percentile CPU and top-19 percentile GPU — the combo rank suggests that The Technomancer is particularly demanding on the GPU, dragging the overall combination down from what the CPU alone might achieve.

The rank disparity is revealing. The CPU sits in the 90th percentile of all processors, while the GPU is in the 81st percentile. Yet the combination ranks in the 71st percentile of all combos. This gap implies that the game's engine either doesn't fully utilize the CPU's capabilities or that the GPU bottleneck becomes so severe at higher resolutions that the CPU's advantages are rendered moot.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers a wide range of performance depending on settings. Low settings produce 230.1 FPS, Medium drops to 178.2 FPS, High yields 150.4 FPS, and Ultra still manages a smooth 117.9 FPS. All of these results are well above the threshold for competitive play or high-refresh-rate displays.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance scales down predictably. Low settings hit 152.9 FPS, Medium achieves 116.1 FPS, High maintains 102.1 FPS, and Ultra drops to 75.6 FPS. The 1440p results suggest that this resolution is the sweet spot for high-quality gaming, with High settings still comfortably above 100 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the GPU begins to struggle. Low settings produce 81.4 FPS, Medium falls to 64.7 FPS, High drops to 52.7 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 39.3 FPS. The 4K Ultra result is the only measured configuration that falls below 40 FPS, indicating that players targeting 4K will need to make significant compromises in visual quality to maintain playable frame rates.

FAQ

Q: Is the RTX 4070 sufficient for 4K gaming in The Technomancer?

A: The data shows mixed results. At 4K Low settings, the system achieves 81.4 FPS, which is playable. However, 4K Ultra drops to 39.3 FPS, suggesting that 4K requires reduced settings for a smooth experience.

Q: How does this CPU compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Ryzen 7 9800X3D has an average benchmark score of 37780, which is nearly identical to its rivals. The Intel Core i5-13600KF scores 38028 (0.7% higher), while the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 scores 37831 (0.1% higher).

Q: What is the best resolution/settings combination for high refresh rates?

A: At 1080p, all settings deliver above 117 FPS, with Low hitting 230.1 FPS. At 1440p, High settings still achieve 102.1 FPS, making this the highest resolution for 100+ FPS gameplay.

Q: Does the 12 GB VRAM cause any issues at 4K?

A: The measured data shows no VRAM-related stutters or crashes. The GPU maintains playable frame rates at 4K Medium (64.7 FPS) and High (52.7 FPS), suggesting the memory capacity is adequate for this game.

Q: How does the combo rank compare to other tested systems?

A: The combination ranks 479th out of 1656 total combos, placing it in the top 29% of all tested systems. This is a solid mid-to-high tier ranking.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more important for this game's performance?

A: The resolution scaling data indicates the GPU is the primary bottleneck. At 1080p Low, the system reaches 230.1 FPS, but at 4K Ultra it drops to 39.3 FPS, a 83% decrease that points squarely at GPU limitations.

Settings Recommendations

For players prioritizing frame rate, the 1080p Ultra preset at 117.9 FPS offers the best combination of visual quality and smoothness, easily exceeding the 60 FPS standard. Those with 1440p monitors should consider the High preset, which delivers 102.1 FPS and provides a substantial improvement over Medium's 116.1 FPS while still maintaining triple-digit performance.

At 4K, the trade-offs become more severe. The Medium preset at 64.7 FPS is the sweet spot, as it clears the 60 FPS threshold while offering a significant visual upgrade over Low's 81.4 FPS. The High preset at 52.7 FPS is playable for those who prioritize image quality over smoothness, but the Ultra preset's 39.3 FPS result is likely too choppy for most players. The data suggests that 4K Ultra should be avoided unless a lower frame rate is acceptable, as the jump from High to Ultra yields diminishing returns relative to the performance cost.