The Technomancer

The Technomancer, a 2016 action RPG, presents a demanding workload that scales significantly with resolution and quality settings. For this analysis, the AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX paired with the AMD Radeon 8060S integrated graphics delivers a wide spectrum of performance, ranging from highly playable at 1080p to challenging at 4K. The dataset provides a clear picture of how this mobile combo handles the game, with the CPU's substantial core count and the GPU's shared-memory architecture both playing distinct roles in the final frame rates.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX and the AMD Radeon 8060S ranks 1632 out of 2825 tested combos in The Technomancer. This places it in the lower-middle portion of the performance distribution, indicating that while it is far from the top-tier configurations, it is also not among the weakest. The rank is a direct consequence of the GPU's position in the broader landscape, as the data suggests the graphics solution is more of a limiting factor than the processor in this game.

Examining the individual components provides context for this ranking. The Radeon 8060S holds an 87th percentile ranking among all GPUs, placing it in the upper tier of graphics processors overall. Its nearest rivals, based on average benchmark scores, include the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB, which it trails by a marginal 0.1%, and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080, which is a surprising comparison given the generational gap, with the 8060S being 0.6% slower. The data shows the Radeon 8060S is also ahead of the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X by 1.7% and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 by 2.8%. This suggests that in raw compute potential, the 8060S is a formidable integrated solution, competing with discrete desktop cards.

In contrast, the Ryzen 9 8945HX is a powerhouse. It sits in the 95th percentile of all CPUs, and its nearest rivals include the Intel Core Ultra 9 285HX, which it edges out by a mere 0.1%, and the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D, which it leads by 0.6%. The CPU also outperforms the AMD EPYC Embedded 8224P and the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 9945WX, both by 0.4%. Despite this top-tier CPU performance, the combo's overall rank in this game is dragged down by the GPU. The benchmark results indicate that at higher resolutions, the frame rate is constrained by the graphics processor's ability to render frames, not the CPU's ability to feed it data. Therefore, the 1632nd rank is a reflection of the system's balance; a high-end CPU cannot fully compensate for the GPU's limitations in a graphically intensive title like The Technomancer.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data reveals a clear hierarchy of performance across the four available presets, and the optimal choice depends heavily on the target resolution. At 1920x1080, the system is capable of delivering a fluid experience even at the highest settings. The Ultra preset achieves an average of 80 FPS, which is well above the threshold for smooth gameplay. However, the Medium preset offers a more comfortable margin, with an average of 120 FPS and a minimum of 102 FPS, ensuring consistency during intense combat scenes. The Low preset pushes performance to 157 FPS, which is excellent for high-refresh-rate displays, but the visual fidelity trade-off may not be worthwhile for most users. For a balanced experience at 1080p, the High preset at 103 FPS is a strong recommendation, but for those seeking maximum smoothness without significant visual compromises, Medium is the sweet spot.

At 2560x1440, the demands on the GPU increase substantially. The Ultra preset drops to an average of 52 FPS, which is playable but may feel less responsive in fast-paced action. The High preset, at 67 FPS, provides a better balance, offering a solid frame rate for most displays. The Medium preset, with an average of 79 FPS and a minimum of 67 FPS, is the recommended choice for a consistently smooth experience at this resolution. The Low preset, at 102 FPS, is the only option that approaches the high-refresh-rate territory, but it sacrifices a significant amount of graphical detail. The data suggests that for a 1440p display, the Medium preset is the best compromise between visual quality and performance.

At 3840x2160, the integrated GPU is severely tested. The Ultra preset yields an average of just 29 FPS, which is not suitable for a smooth gaming experience. The High preset, at 37 FPS, is also below the ideal playable range. The Medium preset, at 43 FPS, is the minimum viable option, but it still may exhibit noticeable stuttering. The Low preset, at 56 FPS, is the only setting that provides a consistently playable frame rate at 4K, but it requires a significant reduction in graphical fidelity. Given these results, the recommendation is clear: for the best overall experience, users should target 1080p with High or Medium settings, or 1440p with Medium settings. 4K gaming is only feasible with the Low preset, and even then, the experience is not optimal.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 is steep and revealing. At the High settings, the average frame rate falls from 103 FPS at 1080p to 67 FPS at 1440p, and finally to 37 FPS at 4K. This represents a 36% reduction in performance when moving from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 45% reduction when moving from 1440p to 4K. This pattern is consistent with a GPU-bound scenario, where the rendering load increases exponentially with the pixel count.

The scaling is even more pronounced at the Ultra settings. Starting at 80 FPS at 1080p, the frame rate drops to 52 FPS at 1440p, and then plummets to 29 FPS at 4K. This translates to a 35% drop from 1080p to 1440p, and a 44% drop from 1440p to 4K. The consistent percentage drops across settings suggest that the limiting factor is the GPU's raw pixel throughput, not any other system bottleneck.

This behavior strongly indicates that the AMD Radeon 8060S is the primary limiting component at higher resolutions. The Ryzen 9 8945HX, with its 16 cores and 32 threads, is more than capable of handling the game's CPU-side logic and draw calls. The data shows that the CPU's performance is not the constraint; rather, the Radeon 8060S's shading units, texture mapping units, and ROPs are overwhelmed by the sheer number of pixels at 1440p and 4K. The frame rate scaling is a textbook example of GPU saturation, where the processor is waiting for the graphics card to finish its work. Consequently, to achieve higher frame rates at 4K, a more powerful discrete GPU would be necessary, as the current setup's performance is fundamentally capped by its graphics rendering capabilities.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to play The Technomancer with this CPU/GPU combo?

A: Based on the measured data, 1920x1080 is the most suitable resolution. At this resolution, the combo can achieve an average of 103 FPS on High settings and 120 FPS on Medium settings, providing a smooth and responsive gaming experience. Moving to 2560x1440 is possible, but the frame rates drop significantly, with the recommended Medium preset averaging 79 FPS.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming in The Technomancer?

A: The data indicates that 4K gaming is challenging. At 3840x2160, only the Low preset achieves a playable average of 56 FPS. The Medium preset drops to 43 FPS, and the High preset to 37 FPS, while the Ultra preset is unplayable at 29 FPS. While technically possible, 4K gaming requires substantial graphical compromises.

Q: How does the Radeon 8060S compare to other GPUs in terms of raw performance?

A: The Radeon 8060S ranks in the 87th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival is the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB, which it trails by just 0.1%. It also performs within 0.6% of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 and is ahead of the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X by 1.7% and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 by 2.8% in average benchmark scores.

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

A: The benchmark results show that the GPU is the limiting factor. The Ryzen 9 8945HX is a top-tier processor, ranking in the 95th percentile of all CPUs. However, the frame rates scale predictably with resolution, dropping as pixel count increases. This pattern indicates that the Radeon 8060S's rendering capabilities are the primary bottleneck, not the CPU.

Q: What is the performance difference between the Low and Ultra presets at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset achieves an average of 102 FPS, while the Ultra preset drops to 52 FPS. This represents a 50 FPS difference, or roughly a 49% reduction in performance when moving from the lowest to the highest quality settings. This shows the significant cost of high-fidelity graphics on this integrated GPU.

Q: Does the data suggest this combo is better for CPU-intensive or GPU-intensive tasks?

A: The data clearly suggests the combo is better suited for CPU-intensive tasks. The Ryzen 9 8945HX's benchmark scores, such as a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 42713, demonstrate exceptional processing power. The GPU, while capable, is not in the same league relative to its peers, as evidenced by its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2162, which leads to the frame rate limitations seen in The Technomancer.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon 8060S, based on the Strix Halo chip with the RDNA 3.5 architecture, is a critical component in this combo. Its performance is defined by a base clock of 1295 MHz and a boost clock of 2900 MHz, which helps drive its rendering capabilities. The GPU features 2560 shading units, 160 texture mapping units, and 64 ROPs. These specifications translate into a pixel rate of 185.6 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 464.0 GTexel/s, which are the figures that ultimately determine how quickly it can fill the screen with detailed textures and effects.

The GPU's memory configuration is uniquely tied to the system's main memory. It uses "System Shared" memory, meaning its frame buffer is carved out of the system's DDR5 RAM. The bandwidth is listed as "System Dependent," which means its performance is contingent on the speed and configuration of the host system's memory. This is a crucial factor in The Technomancer, as the game's visual complexity requires substantial memory bandwidth. The shared memory architecture is a likely contributor to the performance scaling seen across resolutions, as the GPU must compete with the CPU for memory access.

In the context of The Technomancer, the Radeon 8060S's performance is the primary determinant of playability. The measured frame rates show that it is capable of delivering high FPS at 1080p, but its limitations become apparent as resolution increases. The GPU's 87th percentile ranking and its proximity in benchmark scores to discrete cards like the RX 6750 GRE and RTX 5080 are notable, but in this specific game, the shared memory and integrated nature of the chip cap its real-world performance. The 14.85 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is substantial, but it is insufficient to maintain high frame rates at 4K with high-quality settings, as the data confirms.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX is a high-end mobile processor that provides the computational foundation for this system. It 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 configuration allows it to excel in multi-threaded workloads, as evidenced by its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 42713 and a PassMark multi-thread score of 51405. In The Technomancer, this processing power ensures that the game's AI, physics, and game logic are handled without becoming a bottleneck.

The CPU's substantial 64 MB of L3 cache and its DDR5 memory support with a bandwidth of 83.2 GB/s also play a role in feeding the GPU with data. At lower resolutions like 1080p, where the GPU is less saturated, the CPU's speed and cache are crucial for maintaining high frame rates. The data shows that at 1080p with the Low preset, the system achieves 157 FPS, which is likely a scenario where the CPU is able to feed frames to the GPU as fast as it can render them. However, as resolution increases, the GPU becomes the limiting factor, and the CPU's role diminishes.

Despite its power, the Ryzen 9 8945HX cannot overcome the GPU's limitations. Its 95th percentile ranking and its performance against rivals like the Intel Core Ultra 9 285HX (0.1% faster) and the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D (0.6% faster) show that it is among the best mobile processors available. However, in a game like The Technomancer, the graphics card determines the final frame rate at higher resolutions. The CPU's role is to ensure that the system never experiences a CPU-side bottleneck, allowing the GPU to operate at its maximum potential, even if that potential is limited at 4K.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured frame rates provide a comprehensive view of the system's performance across all tested configurations. At 1920x1080, the system is clearly at its best. The Low preset delivers an average of 157 FPS, making it exceptionally smooth. The Medium preset follows with an average of 120 FPS, a minimum of 102 FPS, and a maximum of 138 FPS, offering a strong balance. The High preset achieves 103 FPS, while the Ultra preset is still respectable at 80 FPS. These numbers show that at 1080p, the combo can handle any settings the user prefers, with only the most demanding Ultra preset falling below the 100 FPS mark.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance drops are significant. The Low preset averages 102 FPS, which is still very playable. The Medium preset averages 79 FPS, with a minimum of 67 FPS and a maximum of 90 FPS, providing a stable experience for most monitors. The High preset averages 67 FPS, which is on the edge of smoothness for some users. The Ultra preset drops to 52 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for fast-paced action. The data shows that 1440p is the highest resolution where the Medium preset can hold a consistent frame rate above 60 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the integrated GPU is pushed to its limits. The Low preset is the only one that maintains a playable average, at 56 FPS. The Medium preset drops to 43 FPS, with a minimum of 37 FPS and a maximum of 50 FPS, which will result in noticeable stuttering. The High preset averages 37 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 29 FPS, both of which are below the threshold for a smooth gaming experience. The breakdown confirms that 4K gaming is only feasible with significant graphical compromises, and the system is best utilized at 1080p or 1440p for a more satisfying experience.