The Technomancer

The Technomancer, a 2016 Action RPG, presents an interesting case for modern high-end hardware. This analysis examines the measured performance of the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER across a full matrix of resolutions and settings. The data paints a clear picture of a system that is overwhelmingly GPU-bound at higher resolutions, but which reveals significant CPU headroom at 1080p. The following sections break down the measured FPS to interpret what these numbers mean for the limiting component, the role of each part, and the optimal way to play this title.

Resolution Scaling

The most striking trend in the measured data is the dramatic impact of resolution on frame rates, which clearly identifies the GPU as the primary bottleneck in most scenarios. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 296 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 at the same settings, the average drops to 194 FPS, a substantial reduction of 102 FPS. This scaling continues to 3840x2160, where the average falls to 106 FPS. This steep decline from 1080p to 4K is a classic indicator that the rendering workload is overwhelming the graphics card, not the processor.

The pattern holds across all settings presets. At High settings, the frame rate drops from 194 FPS at 1080p to 127 FPS at 1440p, and finally to 70 FPS at 4K. Similarly, at Ultra settings, the average goes from 152 FPS at 1080p to 99 FPS at 1440p and 54 FPS at 4K. The consistent, large delta between each resolution step demonstrates that the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER is the limiting factor. The CPU is capable of feeding frames at a much higher rate than the GPU can render at these higher resolutions.

However, the data also suggests that the CPU's influence becomes more apparent at lower resolutions. The jump from 1440p to 1080p at Low settings is 102 FPS (from 194 to 296), which is a larger absolute gain than the jump from 4K to 1440p (88 FPS, from 106 to 194). This is a sign that as the resolution decreases, the GPU's workload lightens, and the system begins to approach the limits of what the CPU can deliver. The fact that 1080p Low still yields 296 FPS shows the Ryzen 9 9900X3D is not a limiting factor here, but the scaling is beginning to flatten as it approaches its frame-rate ceiling. The difference between 1440p and 1080p at Ultra settings is 53 FPS (from 99 to 152), while the difference between 4K and 1440p is 45 FPS, showing a more balanced scaling curve at higher settings where the GPU is still the primary constraint.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER is the undisputed workhorse of this configuration for The Technomancer. Its role is defined by its massive memory bandwidth and high clock speeds, which directly support the heavy rendering loads at high resolutions. The GPU features a base clock of 2295 MHz and a boost clock of 2550 MHz, with memory running at 1438 MHz (23 Gbps effective). This is paired with 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 736.3 GB/s. This substantial bandwidth is critical for feeding the shaders and texture units at 4K resolution, where the demand for data is highest.

The benchmark results show the GPU is the determining factor for performance at all but the lowest resolution. For instance, at 3840x2160 Ultra, the average FPS is 54, which is a demanding load. The GPU's performance percentile of 86 versus all GPUs, coupled with an average benchmark score of 54209, places it as a high-end part. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080, has an average score of 54247, a delta of -0.1%, indicating they are nearly identical in synthetic tests. This context explains why the RTX 4080 SUPER is able to push The Technomancer to playable frame rates at 4K, but also why it still capitulates to the most demanding Ultra preset, where the average drops to 54 FPS.

The GPU's 16 GB of VRAM is more than sufficient for this game, even at 4K, so memory capacity is not a limiting factor. The performance bottleneck is purely computational. The data indicates that the GPU's shading units and ROPs are working at their limit when rendering at high resolutions. The transition from 1440p Medium (149 FPS) to 4K Medium (82 FPS) shows a 45% reduction in performance, which is a significant drop that correlates with the increase in pixel count. This is a clear sign that the GPU's pixel fill rate and shading power are the primary constraints, not any other system component.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D plays a supporting role in this pairing, providing more than enough computational power to avoid bottlenecking the GPU. With 12 cores and 24 threads based on the Zen 5 architecture, it has a base clock of 4.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.50 GHz. This high-frequency design, combined with a large 128 MB L3 cache, ensures that the game logic and draw calls are processed with minimal latency. The CPU's benchmark scores are impressive, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 47737 and a single-core score of 6739.

The CPU's role becomes evident in the 1080p Low setting result, where the system achieves 296 FPS. This is a scenario where the GPU is not the limiting factor, and the CPU's ability to process frames quickly is on full display. Its percentile versus all CPUs is 91, and its average benchmark score of 54762 puts it in a tight competition with the Intel Core Ultra 5 245KF, which scores 55093 (deltaPct -0.6). This indicates that the 9900X3D is a top-tier processor that can keep up with any modern GPU.

However, the data shows that the CPU is rarely the limiting factor in this game. At 4K Ultra, the FPS drops to 54, which is a GPU-bound scenario. The CPU is waiting for the GPU to finish rendering each frame. The high clock speeds and multi-threading capabilities are not being fully utilized at these resolutions. The CPU's role is to ensure that frame times are consistent and that there are no stutters due to processing delays. The fact that the FPS scales down smoothly with resolution indicates that the CPU is not introducing any significant bottlenecks. The 3DMark results, such as a single-thread score of 1269 and a max-thread score of 13795, confirm that the CPU has the single-core performance needed for gaming and the multi-core power to handle any background tasks without interfering with game performance.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend heavily on the target resolution and desired frame rate. For a smooth 60+ FPS experience at 4K, the High preset is the clear choice, delivering an average of 70 FPS. The Medium preset also achieves a playable 82 FPS, but High offers a better visual quality for a minimal performance cost. The Ultra preset, with an average of 54 FPS, is the only setting that dips below the 60 FPS threshold, making it less desirable for a consistent experience on a high-refresh-rate display.

At 2560x1440, the system offers more headroom. The High preset averages 127 FPS, which is excellent for high-refresh-rate monitors. The Ultra preset, at 99 FPS, is also a very strong option, providing the best visual fidelity while still staying above the 90 FPS mark. For gamers who prioritize maximum frame rates, the Medium preset at 149 FPS is a viable choice, but the visual trade-off from High is often not worth it. The Low preset at 194 FPS is only useful for competitive play where every frame counts, as the visual quality is significantly reduced.

At 1920x1080, the system is so powerful that it can handle any preset with ease. The Ultra preset averages 152 FPS, which is more than enough for a smooth experience. The High preset at 194 FPS and Medium at 227 FPS are also excellent options. The Low preset at 296 FPS reflects the CPU's strength but is generally unnecessary. The recommended path is to use the High preset for the best balance of visual quality and performance, or Ultra if the display can take advantage of the higher frame rate. The data shows that High is the "sweet spot" across all resolutions, offering a significant visual upgrade over Medium while maintaining a comfortable performance margin over Ultra.

How This Combo Ranks

In the grand scheme of all tested hardware combinations for The Technomancer, this specific pairing of the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER ranks at position 177 out of 2825 total combos. This places it in the top 6.3% of all tested systems, a strong showing that underscores its high-end status. The rank is a composite measure of performance across all resolutions and settings, and it confirms that this combo is significantly faster than the vast majority of systems tested.

This high rank is a direct result of the balance between the CPU and GPU. The Ryzen 9 9900X3D ensures that the system is never held back by processor limitations, allowing the RTX 4080 SUPER to perform to its full potential. While the GPU is the primary driver of frame rates, the CPU's strength ensures that it can consistently feed the GPU with data, preventing any dips in performance that could lower the overall rank. The result is a system that excels in both CPU-bound and GPU-bound scenarios, leading to a very high aggregate score.

The rank of 177 out of 2825 indicates that while this is a top-tier configuration, there are still 176 combos that perform better. These likely include more powerful GPUs, such as the RTX 4090, or potentially other high-end CPUs. However, the data shows that this combo is more than capable of delivering an excellent gaming experience in The Technomancer, with the performance headroom to handle the game at maximum settings at high resolutions. The data confirms that this is a well-matched pairing that avoids significant bottlenecks.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS this combo achieves in The Technomancer?

A: The highest average FPS is 296, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: Can this system run The Technomancer at 4K with a playable frame rate?

A: Yes. At 3840x2160, the High preset averages 70 FPS and the Medium preset averages 82 FPS. The Ultra preset is the only one that falls below 60 FPS, with an average of 54 FPS.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the main bottleneck at 1440p with Ultra settings?

A: The GPU is the main bottleneck. At 2560x1440 Ultra, the combo averages 99 FPS. The CPU has the headroom to deliver more frames, as evidenced by its performance at lower resolutions, but the GPU's rendering workload is the limiting factor.

Q: How does the RTX 4080 SUPER's performance compare to its closest rival, the RTX 4080?

A: According to the benchmark data, the RTX 4080 SUPER has an average score of 54209, while the RTX 4080 has an average score of 54247. This represents a delta of -0.1%, indicating that the two GPUs perform nearly identically in synthetic benchmarks.

Q: What is the best settings preset to use for a 60+ FPS experience at 4K?

A: The High preset is the best choice, as it delivers an average of 70 FPS at 3840x2160. The Medium preset also works at 82 FPS, but High provides a better balance of visual quality and performance.

Q: What is the combo's overall rank among all tested systems for this game?

A: The combo ranks 177 out of 2825 tested combinations.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following table provides the exact measured average FPS for each resolution and settings preset.

| Resolution | Settings | Avg FPS | Min FPS | Max FPS |

|:--------- |:------- |:------ |:------ |:------ |

| 3840x2160 | High | 70 | -- | -- |

| 3840x2160 | Low | 106 | -- | -- |

| 3840x2160 | Medium | 82 | 69 | 94 |

| 3840x2160 | Ultra | 54 | -- | -- |

| 2560x1440 | High | 127 | -- | -- |

| 2560x1440 | Low | 194 | -- | -- |

| 2560x1440 | Medium | 149 | 126 | 171 |

| 2560x1440 | Ultra | 99 | -- | -- |

| 1920x1080 | High | 194 | -- | -- |

| 1920x1080 | Low | 296 | -- | -- |

| 1920x1080 | Medium | 227 | 193 | 262 |

| 1920x1080 | Ultra | 152 | -- | -- |

This breakdown confirms the analysis. The system is exceptionally fast at 1080p, offering high frame rates on any preset. As resolution increases, the frame rates drop predictably, with the GPU becoming the clear limiting factor at 1440p and 4K. The data provides a comprehensive view of the system's capabilities, allowing users to make informed decisions about their preferred settings.