The Technomancer

# CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D is a 12-core, 24-thread processor from the 9000 series, built on the Zen 5 architecture with the Granite Ridge codename. Its base clock runs at 4.40 GHz with a boost clock of 5.50 GHz. The processor integrates 128 MB of L3 cache, with 80 KB of L1 cache per core and 1 MB of L2 cache per core. This is a desktop-class chip on the AMD Socket AM5 platform, supporting DDR5 memory in a dual-channel configuration with 89.6 GB/s of memory bandwidth. The processor also includes Radeon Graphics as its integrated GPU, though this game relies on the discrete NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D.

Benchmark results show the CPU's multi-threaded strength: Cinebench R23 multicore scores 47,737, while single-core scores 6,739. Geekbench multicore reaches 22,884 and single-core 3,041. PassMark multithread scores 56,154. The CPU's percentile ranking against all processors is 91, and its average benchmark score is 54,762. The nearest rivals are the Intel Core Ultra 5 245KF (average score 55,093, deltaPct -0.6), meaning the 9900X3D trails by just 0.6% in average benchmark score. The Intel Core Ultra 5 245K sits at 54,053 with deltaPct 1.3, meaning the 9900X3D leads by 1.3%. The Intel Xeon 6505P and Intel Core i7-14700F follow at 53,701 (deltaPct 2) and 53,620 (deltaPct 2.1), respectively.

In The Technomancer, the CPU's role is to maintain frame pacing across scenes. The measured FPS data shows that at 1080p with Low settings, the combo reaches 334 FPS average, which is a massive frame rate that suggests the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU plenty of draw calls. The 12-core configuration with 24 threads handles the game's engine overhead without bottlenecking, especially given that the game released in 2016, well before the CPU's 2025 release date. The high single-thread performance (Cinebench R23 single-core 6,739) helps with game logic and physics calculations that are often single-threaded. The L3 cache of 128 MB is substantial, which can help with texture streaming and scene data caching in an Action RPG that loads varied environments.

The CPU's 3DMark scores provide additional context: 3DMark max threads scores 13,795, 16 threads scores 12,490, 8 threads scores 9,002, 4 threads scores 4,885, 2 threads scores 2,512, and single thread scores 1,269. These results indicate strong scaling across thread counts, which means the CPU can handle both lightly threaded game tasks and heavily threaded background workloads. In The Technomancer, the data shows that at 4K Ultra settings, the average FPS drops to 66, which is likely GPU-bound rather than CPU-bound, but at 1080p Low, the 334 FPS average demonstrates that the CPU is not the limiting factor at lower resolutions.

# GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D is a GeForce 50-series card built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture with the GB202 chip. It features 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, delivering 1.79 TB/s of memory bandwidth. The memory clock runs at 1750 MHz with 28 Gbps effective speed. The GPU's base clock is 2017 MHz with a boost clock of 2407 MHz. The card includes 21,760 shading units, 680 texture mapping units, and 176 raster operation pipelines. It has 170 RT cores and 680 tensor cores. The pixel rate is 423.6 GPixel/s, texture rate is 1,636.8 GTexel/s, and FP32 performance is 104.8 TFLOPS. The card uses a dual-slot design with a 16-pin power connector and requires a 950 W suggested power supply. It connects via PCIe 5.0 x16.

Benchmark results show the GPU's raw compute strength: 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 scores 14,326, Geekbench OpenCL scores 310,674, and Geekbench Vulkan scores 376,915. PassMark G3D scores 44,065, with DirectX 12 at 219 and DirectX 11 at 371. The GPU's percentile ranking against all GPUs is 92, with an average benchmark score of 77,712. The nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT (average score 78,940, deltaPct -1.6), meaning the RTX 5090 D trails by 1.6%. The AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT scores 76,904 with deltaPct 1.1, so the RTX 5090 D leads by 1.1%. The NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB and 16 GB variants score 79,396 and 79,605 with deltaPct -2.1 and -2.4, respectively.

In The Technomancer, the GPU's role is dominant at higher resolutions. At 4K Ultra settings, the average FPS is 66, which is a playable but demanding frame rate. The 32 GB VRAM is far more than this game requires, given its 2016 release, but the card's massive memory bandwidth of 1.79 TB/s helps with high-resolution texture streaming. The RTX 5090 D's boost clock of 2407 MHz provides the raw shading power needed to push the game's effects. At 4K Low settings, the average FPS jumps to 129, showing that the GPU responds strongly to reduced graphical load. This indicates the GPU is the primary bottleneck at 4K, as lowering settings from Ultra to Low nearly doubles the frame rate from 66 to 129 FPS.

The GPU's PassMark DirectX scores suggest strong compatibility with the game's rendering API. The DirectX 11 score of 371 is particularly relevant, as The Technomancer likely uses DirectX 11 given its release era. The DirectX 12 score of 219 is lower, which could indicate the game performs better under older API paths.

# Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

The measured FPS data provides clear guidance for settings optimization. At 1080p, the Medium preset delivers 276 FPS average with a minimum of 235 FPS and maximum of 317 FPS. The High preset at 1080p yields 236 FPS average, while Low reaches 334 FPS and Ultra drops to 184 FPS. The Medium preset at 1080p offers a strong balance: it is only 17% slower than Low (334 vs 276 FPS) but likely provides significantly better visual quality. The minimum FPS of 235 at Medium ensures smooth gameplay even during demanding scenes.

At 1440p, the Medium preset again stands out with 180 FPS average, a minimum of 153 FPS, and maximum of 207 FPS. High at 1440p delivers 154 FPS average, Low reaches 235 FPS, and Ultra drops to 120 FPS. The Medium preset at 1440p provides a 46 FPS advantage over High (180 vs 154 FPS) while maintaining a minimum above 150 FPS, which is excellent for high-refresh-rate monitors. Ultra at 1440p still delivers 120 FPS average, which is playable, but the gap between Medium and Ultra (60 FPS) suggests diminishing returns.

At 4K, the Medium preset delivers 99 FPS average with a minimum of 84 FPS and maximum of 114 FPS. High at 4K yields 85 FPS average, Low reaches 129 FPS, and Ultra drops to 66 FPS. The Medium preset at 4K is the recommended choice because it maintains a minimum FPS of 84, which is above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay, while Ultra dips to 66 FPS average without a reported minimum, indicating potentially lower frame dips. The data shows that Medium at 4K is the sweet spot: it offers a 16 FPS advantage over High (99 vs 85 FPS) and a 33 FPS advantage over Ultra (99 vs 66 FPS), while only being 30 FPS slower than Low (99 vs 129 FPS), which is a reasonable trade-off for visual fidelity.

Overall, the Medium preset provides the best experience across all resolutions. At 1080p it delivers 276 FPS, at 1440p it delivers 180 FPS, and at 4K it delivers 99 FPS—all with reported minimums that indicate consistent frame delivery. The Ultra preset's substantial FPS drops (184 at 1080p, 120 at 1440p, 66 at 4K) suggest it is not worth the performance cost, especially at 4K where the average dips below 70 FPS.

# How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

This combo of the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D ranks 9th out of 2,825 tested combinations in The Technomancer. This places it in the top 0.3% of all tested combos, which is an exceptional position. The rank of 9 means there are only 8 other CPU-GPU pairings that achieve higher measured performance in this game. Given the game's 2016 release date, this modern hardware combination is likely far beyond what the developers tested, yet the data confirms it delivers top-tier performance.

The data is measured, not estimated, which adds confidence to the ranking. The combo's performance in The Technomancer is driven by the GPU's ability to handle high resolutions and the CPU's strong single-threaded performance. The rank of 9 out of 2,825 indicates that this pairing is among the absolute fastest for this specific title. The 4K Ultra average FPS of 66 is a solid result for a demanding preset, and the 1080p Low average of 334 FPS shows headroom for high-refresh-rate displays.

The CPU's percentile rank of 91 and GPU's percentile rank of 92 suggest both components are near the top of their respective categories. However, the combo rank of 9 out of 2,825 is even more impressive, indicating that the pairing works particularly well together in this game. The nearest rival CPUs (Intel Core Ultra 5 245KF with deltaPct -0.6) and GPUs (AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT with deltaPct -1.6) have very close average benchmark scores, but in actual game performance, this combo's rank reflects its real-world capability.

# Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured FPS data across resolutions reveals the scaling behavior of this combo. At 1080p Low, the average FPS is 334. Moving to 1440p Low, the average drops to 235 FPS, a 30% decrease. At 4K Low, the average drops to 129 FPS, which is 61% lower than 1080p Low. This steep drop from 1080p to 4K at Low settings indicates that the GPU becomes increasingly limited as pixel count rises, even with minimal graphical effects.

At Medium settings, the scaling is similar: 1080p delivers 276 FPS, 1440p delivers 180 FPS (35% drop), and 4K delivers 99 FPS (64% drop from 1080p). The High settings show 236 FPS at 1080p, 154 FPS at 1440p (35% drop), and 85 FPS at 4K (64% drop from 1080p). Ultra settings follow the same pattern: 184 FPS at 1080p, 120 FPS at 1440p (35% drop), and 66 FPS at 4K (64% drop from 1080p).

The consistency of these percentage drops across all settings presets is notable. From 1080p to 1440p, the drop is consistently around 30-35% regardless of settings. From 1440p to 4K, the drop is consistently around 45-47% (e.g., 235 to 129 is 45% drop, 180 to 99 is 45% drop, 154 to 85 is 45% drop, 120 to 66 is 45% drop). This uniform scaling behavior indicates that the GPU is the limiting component across all resolutions. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see smaller performance differences at lower resolutions where the CPU is more stressed relative to the GPU.

The fact that FPS drops proportionally with pixel count—roughly 2.25x more pixels from 1080p to 4K, leading to approximately 2.6x lower FPS at Low settings (334 to 129)—suggests that the GPU's shading and memory bandwidth are the primary constraints. The CPU's 12 cores and high boost clock of 5.50 GHz are sufficient to keep up with the GPU's demands, even at 1080p Low where the GPU is producing 334 FPS. This conclusion is supported by the CPU's benchmark scores, which show strong multi-threaded and single-threaded performance that likely exceeds the game's requirements.

# Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

The measured FPS data covers three resolutions (1920x1080, 2560x1440, 3840x2160) and four settings presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra). All data points are measured, not estimated.

At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers an average of 334 FPS with no reported minimum or maximum. The Medium preset delivers 276 FPS average, with a minimum of 235 FPS and maximum of 317 FPS. The High preset delivers 236 FPS average with no reported minimum or maximum. The Ultra preset delivers 184 FPS average with no reported minimum or maximum. The spread from Low to Ultra at 1080p is 150 FPS, showing a 45% reduction in performance when moving from the lowest to highest settings.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset delivers an average of 235 FPS with no reported minimum or maximum. The Medium preset delivers 180 FPS average, with a minimum of 153 FPS and maximum of 207 FPS. The High preset delivers 154 FPS average with no reported minimum or maximum. The Ultra preset delivers 120 FPS average with no reported minimum or maximum. The spread from Low to Ultra at 1440p is 115 FPS, showing a 49% reduction in performance from lowest to highest settings.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset delivers an average of 129 FPS with no reported minimum or maximum. The Medium preset delivers 99 FPS average, with a minimum of 84 FPS and maximum of 114 FPS. The High preset delivers 85 FPS average with no reported minimum or maximum. The Ultra preset delivers 66 FPS average with no reported minimum or maximum. The spread from Low to Ultra at 4K is 63 FPS, showing a 49% reduction in performance from lowest to highest settings.

The Medium preset is the only setting with reported minimum and maximum FPS values at all three resolutions. At 1080p, the minimum is 235 FPS and maximum is 317 FPS, giving a range of 82 FPS. At 1440p, the minimum is 153 FPS and maximum is 207 FPS, giving a range of 54 FPS. At 4K, the minimum is 84 FPS and maximum is 114 FPS, giving a range of 30 FPS. The narrowing range at higher resolutions indicates more consistent frame delivery, which is counterintuitive but may reflect GPU-bound behavior where frame times are more uniform under sustained load.

The data shows that at every resolution, the step from Low to Medium costs roughly 17-23% performance (334 to 276 at 1080p, 235 to 180 at 1440p, 129 to 99 at 4K). The step from Medium to High costs roughly 14-15% (276 to 236 at 1080p, 180 to 154 at 1440p, 99 to 85 at 4K). The step from High to Ultra costs roughly 22-23% (236 to 184 at 1080p, 154 to 120 at 1440p, 85 to 66 at 4K). The largest performance penalty comes from the High to Ultra transition, which is consistent across all resolutions and suggests that Ultra settings include particularly demanding effects. The Medium to High transition is the least costly, making High a viable alternative if visual quality is prioritized over the extra FPS headroom of Medium.