The Technomancer

The Technomancer, a 2016 Action RPG, presents an interesting case study for the AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 pairing. The benchmark data reveals a system that delivers high frame rates across the board, but the scaling patterns between resolutions and settings expose the shifting balance of CPU and GPU load. The measured results show a clear story of a capable system, with performance dropping predictably as pixel count increases, yet the magnitude of those drops offers insight into where the bottlenecks lie in this particular title.

Resolution Scaling

The performance delta from 1080p to 4K is substantial, illustrating the GPU-intensive nature of The Technomancer at higher resolutions. At the Ultra preset, the average frame rate falls from 152 FPS at 1080p to 100 FPS at 1440p, a significant 34% reduction. This trend deepens as the resolution increases, with the 4K Ultra result at 55 FPS marking a 64% drop from the 1080p figure. This heavy scaling points directly at the GPU as the primary limiting component at these higher resolutions, as the demand for pixel throughput overwhelms the rendering capabilities of the card.

The data at lower settings paints a different picture. At the Low preset, the performance goes from 298 FPS at 1080p to 195 FPS at 1440p, a 35% decrease, then to 107 FPS at 4K, a further 45% drop. The 4K low result being only 107 FPS, while high, is still far below the 1080p low of 298 FPS, showing the GPU is still a factor. However, the sheer headroom at 1080p suggests that the processor is not the limiting factor there. The data indicates that at lower settings and lower resolutions, the system is nearly always capable of delivering hundreds of frames per second, suggesting the CPU is not a bottleneck.

When looking at the Medium preset, the data shows a similar pattern to High. The 1080p Medium average is 229 FPS, which falls to 149 FPS at 1440p and then 82 FPS at 4K. The presence of min and max frame data for this preset at all resolutions is notable. At 1080p, the frame time delta between min and max is 263 FPS, a significant range. At 1440p, this spread narrows to 145 FPS, and at 4K it is 124 FPS. This tightening of the frame range suggests that as the GPU is more heavily tasked, the overall frame delivery becomes more consistent, which could be a sign of the CPU being less relevant at these higher resolutions.

The data suggests a system that is overkill for 1080p, where the Ryzen 7 9850X3D's powerful core, combined with the RTX 4080's immense throughput, leads to hundreds of frames per second. The GPU is clearly the limiting factor at 4K, but the CPU's strong single-threaded performance provides an exceptional foundation. The key takeaway is that this setup is robust; while 4K Ultra is still heavy on the GPU, the frame rate remains playable.

FAQ

Q: What is the maximum average frame rate achieved in The Technomancer?

A: The highest average frame rate is at the 1080p Low preset, where the system achieves 298 FPS.

Q: How does the system perform at 4K Ultra settings?

A: At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the system achieves an average frame rate of 55 FPS, which is the lowest average recorded in the data.

Q: Is the CPU a limiting factor at 1080p?

A: The data indicates that at 1080p Low, the system reaches 298 FPS, a very high frame rate. This suggests that the CPU is not the limiting factor at this resolution, as the GPU is still capable of producing a high number of frames.

Q: How does the system's performance compare between 1440p and 4K at High settings?

A: At 2560x1440 with High settings, the average frame rate is 128 FPS, while at 3840x2160 with High settings, it drops to 70 FPS. This is a 45% reduction, indicating the GPU is the main factor in the frame rate drop.

Q: What is the difference in average frame rate between the Low and Ultra presets at 1440p?

A: The average frame rate at 1440p for the Low preset is 195 FPS, while the Ultra preset yields 100 FPS, a difference of 95 FPS. This shows the performance cost of the Ultra preset at that resolution.

Q: Is there a frame rate range for the Medium preset at 4K?

A: Yes, at 3840x2160 with Medium settings, the average frame rate is 82 FPS, with a minimum of 70 FPS and a maximum of 94 FPS.

GPU Role

A 16 GB frame buffer and a 256-bit memory bus with 716.8 GB/s of bandwidth. The clock speeds, with a base of 2205 MHz and a boost of 2505 MHz, are high, and the RTX 4080 has 9728 shader units. The 48.74 TFLOPS of FP32 compute is a significant figure that explains the high raw throughput. The card is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with 76 RT cores and 304 tensor cores, but for a 2016 title like The Technomancer, the rendering power is the real focus.

The measured frames per second data shows the GPU's scaling. At 1080p, the frame rates are high, but the falloff to 1440p and 4K shows the GPU’s workload. At 4K, the GPU is clearly the main factor, with the frame rate dropping from 107 FPS at Low to 55 FPS at Ultra. This is a 49% reduction in average frame rate, which is a direct measure of the GPU's rendering load.

The RTX 4080's 16 GB of VRAM is a substantial amount for a game released in 2016, but the data does not indicate any memory limitations. The memory bandwidth of 716.8 GB/s is more than sufficient for the textures and geometry that The Technomancer would present. The GPU’s strong performance in the passmark benchmarks, with a G3D score of 34457 and a Passmark GPU compute score of 20671, aligns with the high frame rates observed. The RTX 4080 is a high-end piece of hardware that is not a limiting factor in this game, even at the highest settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system shows very high frame rates. The Low preset averages 298 FPS, which is the peak for the entire benchmark. The Medium preset averages 229 FPS with a range from 194 to 263 FPS. High settings bring the average down to 195 FPS, and the Ultra preset yields an average of 152 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 1080p is a 51% reduction in average frame rate, showing the significant cost of the high settings.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain high but show a clear drop. The Low preset averages 195 FPS, which is 35% lower than the 1080p Low. Medium settings average 149 FPS, with a min of 127 and a max of 172 FPS. High settings yield an average of 128 FPS, and the Ultra preset produces 100 FPS. The difference between the 1080p and 1440p results at the Ultra preset is a 34% reduction, and the data shows the GPU is starting to become a more significant factor.

At 3840x2160, the system is able to handle the game at all presets, though the frame rates are lower. The Low preset averages 107 FPS, Medium averages 82 FPS with a range of 70 to 94 FPS, High averages 70 FPS, and Ultra averages 55 FPS. The Ultra preset at 4K is the only average below 60 FPS, but it is still a playable frame rate. The data shows a clear and consistent performance pattern across all settings and resolutions.

Settings Recommendations

For the best experience, the data suggests that the Medium or High presets are the most balanced. At 1080p, the Medium preset provides an average of 229 FPS, which is well above the refresh rates of most monitors. The High preset at 1080p is still at 195 FPS, and the Ultra is at 152 FPS. However, the Medium preset at 1440p yields 149 FPS, which is a good target for high refresh rate gaming, while the High preset at 1440p at 128 FPS is also excellent.

At 4K, the High preset at 70 FPS is a solid target for a smooth experience. The Medium preset at 4K, with an average of 82 FPS, is slightly better. The Ultra preset at 4K, at 55 FPS, is the most demanding and might be considered for a cinematic experience but is not ideal for fast-paced action. The data suggests that for the best balance of visual quality and performance, the Medium or High presets are the most suitable, as they both provide high frame rates even at 4K.

The frame time data for the Medium preset shows a low volatility, with the min and max frames being close at 1080p, 1440p, and 4K. This indicates a consistent frame rate, which is important for a responsive gaming experience. The High and Ultra presets do not have min/max data in the set, but the average frame rates are still high. The recommendation is to use the Medium or High presets to get a combination of high average frame rates and stable frame times.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D has 8 cores and 16 threads, with a base clock of 4.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz. The CPU's performance is strong, as shown by its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 22807 and single-core score of 2228. The PassMark single-thread score of 4704 and multi-thread score of 41318 further indicate a high-performance processor. The 96 MB of L3 cache is also a feature of the X3D line, which can be beneficial for certain game workloads.

The CPU's role in this game is less of a bottleneck than the GPU at higher resolutions. At 1080p Low, the system reaches 298 FPS, which is a very high frame rate. This suggests the processor is fully capable of feeding frames to the GPU. The CPU's performance in the PassMark data compression test, at 474501, and integer math at 123140, are indicative of its strong general-purpose performance. The nearest rival in terms of average benchmark score, the Intel Core i9-14900, is only 0.5% different in score, showing the Ryzen 7 is in a competitive position.

The data shows that the CPU can handle the game's workloads at all settings. The fact that the frame rate drops from 298 FPS to 152 FPS when going from Low to Ultra at 1080p is a GPU. The CPU is not the cause of the drop. At 4K, the CPU is even less of a factor, as the GPU is the sole bottleneck. The Ryzen 7 9850X3D is a powerful processor that is not holding back the RTX 4080 in The Technomancer.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 ranks at 213 out of 3696 tested combos in The Technomancer. This places it in the top 5.8% of all systems tested, a strong position. The high ranking is a result of the CPU's and GPU's high-performance capabilities. The CPU. The GPU is a very powerful card, and the combination is a good one for this game.

The rank of 213 shows that there are many other systems that can also perform well, but this combo is still a very good. The fact that the frame rates are so high, even at 4K, suggests that the system is well-balanced for this game. The 213 rank is a data point that indicates the system is in the top tier of performance.

The performance of this combo confirms the high-end hardware. The CPU and GPU are a good pair, with the CPU's strong single-threaded performance and the GPU's high frame rates. The combo's rank in this game is a good indicator of its overall capabilities.