The Technomancer

The Technomancer, a 2016 Action RPG, presents an interesting test for a modern flagship pairing. With the AMD Ryzen 9 7900X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090, the data reveals a system that is heavily GPU-bound at higher resolutions but showcases immense CPU headroom at 1080p. The benchmark results indicate that this combo is capable of delivering exceptional frame rates, though the game’s age and engine limitations become apparent in the scaling patterns.

Resolution Scaling

The progression from 1080p to 4K shows a classic GPU-bound curve. At 1920x1080 with Ultra settings, the combo achieves 176.7 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 drops that to 116 FPS, a 34.4% reduction. At 3840x2160, the average falls to 59.6 FPS, which is a 48.6% drop from the 1440p figure and a 66.3% drop from the 1080p result. This steep decline indicates that the RTX 5090 is the primary limiting factor as pixel count increases.

The gap between settings narrows as resolution rises. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 126.2 FPS (302.9 vs 176.7). At 4K, that gap compresses to 60.4 FPS (120 vs 59.6). This compression is a clear sign that the GPU's rendering workload dominates at higher resolutions, minimizing the impact of CPU-driven settings. The data shows a system that can handle 4K High at 77.8 FPS, but users targeting 4K Ultra will need to accept a sub-60 FPS experience.

Interestingly, the scaling between Medium and High is relatively modest. At 4K, Medium produces 96.3 FPS while High yields 77.8 FPS, a 19.2% difference. The jump from High to Ultra is more punishing, with a 23.4% drop at 4K (77.8 to 59.6). This suggests that the Ultra preset introduces rendering features that disproportionately tax the GPU.

Settings Recommendations

For a balanced experience, the data points to High settings as the sweet spot. At 1440p, High delivers 147.4 FPS, which is excellent for high-refresh-rate displays. At 4K, High maintains 77.8 FPS, comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. The Ultra preset at 4K drops to 59.6 FPS, which is borderline for many players who prefer a locked 60 FPS.

If maximizing frame rate is the priority, Low settings at 1440p produce 222.9 FPS, while 1080p Low reaches 302.9 FPS. These figures suggest the game becomes CPU-bound at lower settings and resolutions, as the GPU has ample headroom. The Medium preset offers a reasonable middle ground, with 169.8 FPS at 1440p and 96.3 FPS at 4K, but High provides a better visual quality-to-performance ratio based on the measured rows.

At 1080p, even the most demanding Ultra preset yields 176.7 FPS, meaning users with 1080p monitors can max out the game without concern. For 4K users, the recommendation is clear: stick with High for a playable 77.8 FPS, or drop to Medium for a smoother 96.3 FPS if visual fidelity is less critical. The data does not support Ultra at 4K for those who prioritize frame rate consistency.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 7900X is a 12-core, 24-thread processor based on the Zen 4 architecture. Its base clock of 4.70 GHz and boost clock of 5.60 GHz are substantial, and the benchmark results reflect a CPU that is far from being a bottleneck in this game. The 3DMark scores show strong scaling from 2 threads (2137) to 16 threads (10972), indicating good multi-threaded performance that older titles rarely exploit fully.

The Cinebench R23 multicore score of 43695 places this CPU in the 93rd percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals, such as the Intel Core Ultra 5 235 and AMD Ryzen 9 5900XT, show average scores within 0.5% of the 7900X, confirming that this processor is at the top of its class. However, The Technomancer, being a 2016 title, likely uses few cores, meaning the single-thread performance is more relevant here.

The PassMark single-thread score of 4238 and Cinebench R23 single-core score of 6168 suggest strong per-core performance. At 1080p Low, the combo reaches 302.9 FPS, which is likely near the game engine's internal limit. The CPU's 64 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR5 memory support (83.2 GB/s bandwidth) provide ample bandwidth for this workload. The data indicates that at 1440p and above, the CPU is not the limiting factor, as frame rates scale predictably with resolution changes.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combos for The Technomancer, this pairing of the Ryzen 9 7900X and RTX 5090 holds the 13th rank out of 1656 combos. This is a top 0.8% placement, indicating that the system is among the fastest configurations tested for this game. The high rank is primarily driven by the GPU's raw horsepower, as the CPU's contribution is secondary at most resolutions.

The combo's ranking reflects the RTX 5090's position in the GPU hierarchy, where it sits in the 94th percentile of all GPUs. The GPU's nearest rivals, such as the RTX 5090 D and RTX 5050 Mobile, show average scores within 0.2% of the 5090, highlighting the slim margins at the top of the performance stack. This rank suggests that for The Technomancer, very few other combinations would deliver meaningfully higher frame rates.

Given the game's age, the 13th place ranking is notable. It implies that newer, more powerful CPUs or GPUs might not exist or have been tested, but among the 1656 combos, this setup is near the peak. Users with this configuration can expect performance that matches or exceeds the vast majority of other systems, as the data shows only 12 combinations outperforming it.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 is the dominant component in this pairing. With 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, it offers a massive 1.79 TB/s of bandwidth. This memory capacity is far beyond what The Technomancer requires, but it ensures no VRAM-related stuttering even at 4K Ultra. The GPU's base clock of 2017 MHz and boost clock of 2407 MHz, combined with 21760 shading units, provide the computational muscle for high frame rates.

The GPU benchmarks show a PassMark G3D score of 39650 and a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 14411, placing it in the 94th percentile. Its nearest rivals in the database are the RTX 5090 D (0.1% delta) and RTX 5050 Mobile (0.2% delta), which are effectively identical in average score. The GPU's 104.8 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is more than adequate for a 2016 title.

In this game, the GPU is the clear bottleneck at 4K, as the frame rate drops from 120 FPS on Low to 59.6 FPS on Ultra. The 32 GB VRAM is never a limitation, but the rasterization workload at 4K Ultra proves demanding. The data shows that the RTX 5090's performance is consistent with its top-tier positioning, delivering 77.8 FPS at 4K High and 147.4 FPS at 1440p High, making it the primary driver of the combo's high ranking.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows 1440p High provides an excellent balance at 147.4 FPS. For 4K, High settings at 77.8 FPS are playable, while Ultra drops to 59.6 FPS.

Q: Can this system handle 4K Ultra settings?

A: Yes, but at 59.6 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold. For a smoother experience, the data suggests using High settings at 4K for 77.8 FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 5090 compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The RTX 5090 has an average benchmark score of 84306, which is 0.1% ahead of the RTX 5090 D and 0.2% ahead of the RTX 5050 Mobile. It is 1.3% ahead of the AMD Radeon PRO W6600.

Q: Is the Ryzen 9 7900X a bottleneck in this game?

A: No. At 1080p Low, the combo reaches 302.9 FPS, and the CPU's 93rd percentile ranking suggests it is not limiting performance at any resolution tested.

Q: What is the combo's ranking among all tested systems?

A: The combo ranks 13th out of 1656 tested configurations for The Technomancer, placing it in the top 0.8% of all results.

Q: How much VRAM does the RTX 5090 have, and is it sufficient?

A: The RTX 5090 has 32 GB of GDDR7 memory. This is far more than The Technomancer requires, as the game was released in 2016 and the data shows no memory-related performance issues.