The Technomancer

The AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 combination delivers a high-performance experience in The Technomancer, a 2016 Action RPG. The data set shows this pairing ranks in the 74.6th percentile among all tested system combinations, placing it at position 717 out of 2825. This analysis breaks down the measured performance across three resolutions and four quality presets, providing a detailed view of how this hardware handles the game's engine demands.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX is a 16-core, 32-thread mobile processor based on the Zen 4 architecture, codenamed Dragon Range. It operates with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and can boost up to 5.40 GHz. This high core count and boost capability are significant for The Technomancer, which was released in 2016 and may rely on single-thread performance for game logic. The CPU's strong single-core performance is evidenced by its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 6030 points, while its multi-core score reaches 42713 points in the same test. This positions the processor in the 95th percentile against all CPUs, indicating it is among the top tier of processors available.

When examining the CPU's benchmark rivals, the data shows a very tight competitive cluster. The Intel Core Ultra 9 285HX has an average benchmark score of 76155, which is only 0.1% behind the Ryzen 9 8945HX's average score of 76212. The AMD EPYC Embedded 8224P and AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 9945WX are both 0.4% behind, with scores of 76492 and 76513 respectively. Interestingly, the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D posts a score of 75779, which is 0.6% lower than the 8945HX. These small deltas suggest that for The Technomancer, the CPU is not a bottleneck; the processor has ample headroom to feed the GPU with draw calls and physics calculations.

The benchmark results indicate that this mobile CPU offers desktop-class computational power. In the Passmark suite, its multithread score is 51405, with a single-thread score of 3907. The processor demonstrates exceptional data handling capabilities, with a data compression score of 677755 and a floating-point math score of 117453. For a game like The Technomancer, which involves complex RPG systems and character interactions, the CPU's 64 MB of L3 cache and dual-channel DDR5 memory support with 83.2 GB/s bandwidth provide the necessary infrastructure for smooth gameplay. The 5 nm process node and 13,140 million transistors contribute to its efficiency and performance, though these architectural details matter less than the observed benchmark results.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 is a flagship graphics card built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture, featuring the GB203 chip. It comes equipped with 16 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 960.0 GB/s. The GPU operates at a base clock of 2295 MHz and boosts up to 2617 MHz, with memory running at 1875 MHz (30 Gbps effective). This substantial memory capacity and bandwidth are critical for The Technomancer at high resolutions, as the game's textures and geometry can consume significant video memory. The GPU's 10752 shading units and 336 texture mapping units allow for high fill rates, with a texture rate of 879.3 GTexel/s and a pixel rate of 293.1 GPixel/s.

In terms of raw compute, the RTX 5080 delivers 56.28 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, which is more than sufficient for a game from 2016. Its benchmark performance places it in the 87th percentile against all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 56083. The nearest rivals show interesting comparisons: the AMD Radeon 8060S scores 55757 (0.6% lower), the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB scores 55698 (0.7% lower), and the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X scores 54828 (2.3% lower). The only rival that beats it is the AMD Radeon RX 9070 GRE, which scores 57367, putting it 2.2% ahead of the RTX 5080.

For The Technomancer, the GPU's role is dominant, as evidenced by the frame rate scaling across resolutions. The GPU's 16 GB of VRAM ensures that even at 4K with Ultra settings, there is no memory capacity limitation. The measured data shows that at 1080p, the frame rates are exceptionally high, indicating that the CPU is not holding back the GPU. However, at 4K, the performance drops significantly, which is typical of a GPU-bound scenario. The RTX 5080's support for DirectX 12 Ultimate and Vulkan 1.4 ensures compatibility with the game's rendering needs, though The Technomancer may primarily use older API paths given its release date.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and desired frame rate. At 1920x1080, all settings provide playable frame rates, but the differences are stark. The Low preset delivers an average of 229 FPS, while Medium drops to 176 FPS, High to 150 FPS, and Ultra to 117 FPS. For competitive or high-refresh-rate displays, the Low preset is the best choice, but for a balance of visual quality and performance, the High preset at 150 FPS is recommended. The Medium preset offers a 176 FPS average with a minimum of 150 FPS, making it a safe choice for consistent performance.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates remain high but start to show the GPU's workload. The Low preset yields 150 FPS, Medium delivers 115 FPS, High drops to 98 FPS, and Ultra falls to 77 FPS. For 1440p gaming, the High preset at 98 FPS is the best experience, as it provides excellent visual fidelity while maintaining a frame rate above 60 FPS. The Ultra preset at 77 FPS is also viable, but the 21 FPS drop from High to Ultra may not justify the visual gains. The Medium preset at 115 FPS is the best choice for users with 120 Hz displays, offering a smooth experience with good visuals.

At 3840x2160, the performance becomes more demanding. The Low preset achieves 82 FPS, Medium drops to 63 FPS, High falls to 54 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 42 FPS. For 4K gaming, the Medium preset is the best recommendation, as it provides a 63 FPS average with a minimum of 54 FPS and a maximum of 73 FPS. This is the only preset at 4K that maintains an average above 60 FPS. The High preset at 54 FPS is playable but may experience occasional dips. The Ultra preset at 42 FPS is not recommended for a smooth experience, as it falls below the 60 FPS threshold.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 ranks 717th out of 2825 tested combos for The Technomancer. This places it in the top 25.4% of all system configurations, indicating that this is a high-performing setup. The rank of 717 suggests that there are 716 other combinations that deliver higher frame rates in this specific game, likely including systems with newer or more powerful desktop GPUs. Given the GPU's 87th percentile ranking and the CPU's 95th percentile ranking, the combo's overall rank is slightly lower than either component's individual percentile, which may indicate a slight bottleneck or that other combos with similar components achieve better results in this specific game.

The data shows that this combo excels at 1080p and 1440p, where it delivers frame rates that would satisfy most gamers. At 4K, it remains competitive but falls behind the very top-tier configurations. The rank of 717 out of 2825 means that this combo outperforms 2108 other tested combinations, which is a strong showing for a mobile CPU paired with a high-end desktop GPU. The performance gap between this combo and the top-ranked systems is likely due to the mobile processor's thermal and power constraints when paired with a high-power desktop GPU, though the measured data does not directly confirm this.

FAQ

*Q: What is the highest average FPS achieved by this combo in The Technomancer?*

A: The highest average FPS is 229, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with the Low preset. The next highest is 176 FPS at 1080p with Medium settings, followed by 150 FPS at 1080p High and 1440p Low.

Q: How does the RTX 5080 compare to its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 9070 GRE?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 9070 GRE has an average benchmark score of 57367, which is 2.2% higher than the RTX 5080's average score of 56083. All other listed rivals, including the Radeon 8060S, RX 6750 GRE 12 GB, and Pro W5700X, have lower scores than the RTX 5080.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded for this combo at 4K Medium settings?

A: At 3840x2160 with Medium settings, the minimum FPS is 54, with an average of 63 FPS and a maximum of 73 FPS. This is the only 4K preset that provides both minimum and maximum FPS values in the data.

Q: How does the Ryzen 9 8945HX's average benchmark score compare to the Intel Core Ultra 9 285HX?

A: The Ryzen 9 8945HX has an average benchmark score of 76212, which is 0.1% higher than the Intel Core Ultra 9 285HX's score of 76155. The difference is negligible, indicating nearly identical CPU performance.

Q: Which resolution and settings combination yields an average FPS closest to 100?

A: At 2560x1440 with High settings, the average FPS is 98, which is the closest to 100. The next closest is 1440p Ultra at 77 FPS and 4K Low at 82 FPS.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between 1080p Ultra and 4K Ultra?

A: At 1080p Ultra, the average FPS is 117, while at 4K Ultra, it drops to 42 FPS. This represents a 75 FPS decrease, or 64.1% lower performance, when moving from 1080p to 4K at Ultra settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured data shows a clear progression across settings. The Low preset delivers an average of 229 FPS. The Medium preset provides 176 FPS average, with a minimum of 150 FPS and a maximum of 202 FPS. The High preset averages 150 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 117 FPS. This represents a 112 FPS difference between Low and Ultra, indicating that the GPU has significant headroom at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates decrease substantially. The Low preset averages 150 FPS, maintaining the same performance as 1080p High. The Medium preset averages 115 FPS, with a minimum of 98 FPS and a maximum of 132 FPS. The High preset averages 98 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 77 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 1440p at each setting is consistent, with approximately a 35% reduction in average FPS across all presets.

At 3840x2160, the performance becomes more constrained. The Low preset averages 82 FPS, which is a 45.3% decrease from the 1080p Low result. The Medium preset averages 63 FPS, with a minimum of 54 FPS and a maximum of 73 FPS. The High preset averages 54 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 42 FPS. The difference between 1440p and 4K is more pronounced, with an average drop of approximately 44% across settings, showing that the GPU is the primary limiting factor at 4K.

Resolution Scaling

The transition from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440 results in a consistent frame rate reduction. At Low settings, the FPS drops from 229 to 150, a 34.5% decrease. At Medium, it drops from 176 to 115, a 34.7% decrease. At High, it drops from 150 to 98, a 34.7% decrease. At Ultra, it drops from 117 to 77, a 34.2% decrease. This uniform scaling suggests that the GPU is the primary bottleneck, as the CPU performance remains constant across resolutions while the GPU workload increases with pixel count.

The scaling from 2560x1440 to 3840x2160 is more severe. At Low settings, the FPS drops from 150 to 82, a 45.3% decrease. At Medium, it drops from 115 to 63, a 45.2% decrease. At High, it drops from 98 to 54, a 44.9% decrease. At Ultra, it drops from 77 to 42, a 45.5% decrease. This larger percentage drop indicates that the GPU is nearing its limit at 4K, where the pixel count quadruples from 1080p but the frame rate does not scale linearly.

The data indicates that the limiting component shifts with resolution. At 1080p, the high frame rates (117-229 FPS) suggest that the CPU may be a secondary factor, but the GPU is still capable of rendering frames quickly. At 1440p, the frame rates (77-150 FPS) are still high, indicating a balanced system. At 4K, the frame rates (42-82 FPS) show that the GPU is the definitive bottleneck, as the CPU's performance headroom cannot overcome the GPU's rendering limitations at higher resolutions. The overall pattern demonstrates that this combo is well-suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, with acceptable but not exceptional performance at 4K.