The Technomancer

The Technomancer, a 2016 Action RPG, places distinct demands on a system, and the AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX paired with the AMD Radeon 8050S produces a specific performance profile across resolutions and settings. The measured data reveals a combo that is capable of smooth 1080p and 1440p gameplay at high settings, but which struggles to maintain playable frame rates at 4K with maximum quality. This analysis breaks down the measured results, contextualizes them against rival components, and offers practical settings guidance based strictly on the provided benchmark data.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows 1920x1080 is the strongest resolution, delivering an average of 92 FPS at High settings and 71 FPS at Ultra. At 2560x1440, High settings still produce a solid 60 FPS average, making it a viable option. 3840x2160 is the weakest choice, with the High preset averaging only 33 FPS.

Q: How does the Ryzen 9 8945HX compare to its closest rival, the Intel Core Ultra 9 285HX?

A: The Ryzen 9 8945HX has an average benchmark score of 76212, which is a 0.1% difference from the Intel Core Ultra 9 285HX's score of 76155. This indicates the two CPUs are virtually identical in overall synthetic performance, with a negligible edge for the AMD chip.

Q: Is the Radeon 8050S better than the AMD Radeon Pro W6600M?

A: Yes, but only slightly. The Radeon 8050S has an average benchmark score of 62108, which is 0.3% higher than the AMD Radeon Pro W6600M's score of 61896. This places the 8050S just ahead of that particular rival in the GPU benchmark hierarchy.

Q: What kind of frame rate can I expect at 2560x1440 with Medium settings?

A: The measured data shows an average of 70 FPS at 2560x1440 with the Medium preset. The minimum FPS recorded is 60, and the maximum is 81, indicating a generally stable experience with some fluctuation.

Q: Does the combo rank high among all tested systems for this game?

A: The combo ranks 2087 out of 2825 tested combinations for The Technomancer. This places it in the lower-middle portion of the overall performance leaderboard, suggesting that while it can play the game, many other tested combos deliver higher frame rates.

Q: What is the performance difference between the Low and Ultra presets at 1920x1080?

A: The difference is substantial. At 1920x1080, the Low preset achieves an average of 140 FPS, while the Ultra preset achieves an average of 71 FPS. This represents a significant performance cost for the higher visual fidelity, with the Ultra preset delivering roughly half the frame rate of Low.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon 8050S is the primary driver of frame rates in The Technomancer, and its characteristics directly dictate the performance envelope. This GPU, based on the RDNA 3.5 architecture, operates with a base clock of 1295 MHz and a boost clock of 2800 MHz. It features 2048 shading units, 128 texture mapping units, and 64 render output units, which are the core building blocks for rendering geometry and pixels.

A critical aspect of this GPU is its memory configuration. The Radeon 8050S uses "System Shared" memory, meaning it relies on the system's main RAM rather than dedicated VRAM. This architecture makes its memory bandwidth "System Dependent," which is a crucial factor in a game like The Technomancer. The performance data reflects this dependency; as resolution and settings increase, the demand on memory bandwidth and capacity grows, and the GPU's performance degrades significantly.

This is clearly visible in the measured FPS. At 1920x1080, the GPU has enough bandwidth headroom to deliver a strong 92 FPS average on High settings. However, when the resolution jumps to 3840x2160, the pixel throughput demand quadruples, and the shared memory system becomes a bottleneck. The average FPS at 4K High drops to 33, a 64% decrease from the 1080p High result. This pattern shows that the Radeon 8050S is well-suited for 1080p and capable at 1440p, but its shared memory architecture severely limits its high-resolution performance in this title. The GPU's FP32 compute power of 11.47 TFLOPS is sufficient for the game's core rendering, but the memory subsystem is the limiting factor at higher resolutions. The pixel rate of 179.2 GPixel/s and texture rate of 358.4 GTexel/s are theoretical maxima that are not fully realized due to memory constraints.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured frame rates, the optimal settings balance visual quality with a smooth gameplay experience. For a 60 FPS target, the data provides clear direction.

At 1920x1080, the High preset is the recommended starting point. It delivers an average of 92 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS target and provides headroom for demanding scenes. The Ultra preset, averaging 71 FPS, is also viable and offers the best visual fidelity while still maintaining a playable frame rate. The Low preset at 140 FPS is unnecessary for standard displays and sacrifices too much visual quality.

At 2560x1440, the High preset is the sweet spot, achieving an average of exactly 60 FPS. This makes it the highest quality setting that consistently hits the 60 FPS target. The Medium preset, at 70 FPS, offers a more comfortable margin above 60 FPS and is a safer choice for systems that experience frame rate drops in intense combat. The Ultra preset, averaging 47 FPS, is playable but will feel less smooth and is not recommended for a consistent 60 FPS experience.

At 3840x2160, achieving 60 FPS is not possible with any measured settings. The Low preset yields an average of 50 FPS, which is the highest frame rate available at this resolution. The Medium preset at 38 FPS and High at 33 FPS are playable for slower-paced exploration but will struggle during action sequences. For 4K gaming, users should accept lower frame rates or consider lowering the resolution. The data suggests that 1440p High is the best overall experience for this combo, offering a significant visual upgrade over 1080p while maintaining a solid 60 FPS average.

How This Combo Ranks

In the grand scheme of tested hardware configurations for The Technomancer, this combo of the AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX and AMD Radeon 8050S holds a rank of 2087 out of 2825 combos. This percentile placement indicates that while this system is fully capable of running the game, it does not sit at the top of the performance charts. The rank suggests that a majority of the 2825 tested combinations deliver higher average frame rates.

This ranking is consistent with the GPU's position in the broader market. The Radeon 8050S has a percentile rank of 89 among all GPUs, meaning it is in the top 11% of video cards. However, the specific demands of The Technomancer, combined with the GPU's shared memory architecture, appear to hold it back relative to other high-performing components. The CPU, on the other hand, is a top-tier part with a 95th percentile ranking, but in a game like this, the GPU is the primary bottleneck. The combo's rank of 2087 shows that the CPU's strength cannot fully compensate for the GPU's limitations in this specific workload, particularly at higher resolutions. This is not a low-end system, but it is a mid-pack performer in the context of all tested combinations for this game.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX is a powerhouse mobile processor, and while The Technomancer is not a CPU-bound title, its capabilities ensure the GPU is not starved of data. This CPU features 16 cores and 32 threads based on the Zen 4 architecture, with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz. This high core count and boost capability are reflected in its strong synthetic benchmark scores, such as a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 42713 and a single-core score of 6030.

In gaming, particularly in an Action RPG like The Technomancer, the CPU handles game logic, physics, and AI. The Ryzen 9 8945HX's high single-thread performance, evidenced by its Cinebench R20 single-core score of 2532, is crucial for maintaining high frame rates. A strong single-core score ensures that the main game thread can be processed quickly, preventing CPU bottlenecks that could lower FPS. The multi-core performance, shown in its Passmark multithread score of 51405, helps with background tasks and any multi-threaded game systems.

The CPU's 64 MB of L3 cache is another asset, as it allows for faster access to frequently used data, reducing latency. The processor's performance is so robust that it sits in the 95th percentile of all CPUs, and its average benchmark score of 76212 is virtually tied with the Intel Core Ultra 9 285HX, which has a delta of just 0.1%. This means that in CPU-intensive tasks, the Ryzen 9 8945HX provides a top-tier foundation. In this game, the data suggests the CPU is more than capable of keeping up with the Radeon 8050S at all settings, ensuring that the frame rate limits are dictated by the GPU and memory subsystem rather than the processor.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following data was measured for The Technomancer using the AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX and AMD Radeon 8050S. The results are presented by resolution and settings preset.

3840x2160 (4K)

• Ultra: The average FPS is 26. This is the lowest performance tier recorded and is not recommended for smooth gameplay.
• High: The average FPS is 33. This setting is playable for slow exploration but will likely feel choppy in combat.
• Medium: The average FPS is 38, with a minimum of 33 and a maximum of 44. This provides a playable, albeit not fluid, experience.
• Low: The average FPS is 50. This is the only 4K setting that approaches playable frame rates, but it requires a significant reduction in visual quality.

2560x1440 (1440p)

• Ultra: The average FPS is 47. This is a playable frame rate, but it lacks the headroom for a consistently smooth 60 FPS experience.
• High: The average FPS is exactly 60. This is the ideal setting for a 60 FPS target at this resolution, offering a balance of quality and performance.
• Medium: The average FPS is 70, with a minimum of 60 and a maximum of 81. This provides a comfortable cushion above 60 FPS and is a very stable option.
• Low: The average FPS is 91. This setting delivers a very high frame rate and is suitable for competitive play or high refresh rate displays.

1920x1080 (1080p)

• Ultra: The average FPS is 71. This enables the highest visual quality with a frame rate that is smooth enough for most players.
• High: The average FPS is 92. This is an excellent setting, providing a high-quality image and a frame rate that easily exceeds 60 FPS.
• Medium: The average FPS is 107, with a minimum of 91 and a maximum of 123. This setting is ideal for high refresh rate monitors, delivering a very fluid experience.
• Low: The average FPS is 140. This is the highest measured frame rate and is best for maximizing performance above all else.