The Technomancer

The Technomancer, a 2016 Action RPG, presents an interesting test for modern high-end hardware. With the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D and AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX, the data shows a combination that is capable of delivering very high frame rates across all resolutions, though the game's demanding Ultra preset still poses a challenge at 4K. This analysis breaks down the measured performance, the roles of the CPU and GPU, and how to get the best experience.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to achieve a 60 FPS average on Ultra settings?

A: The data shows the combo achieves a 61.5 FPS average at 3840x2160 with High settings, but only 49.8 FPS at 4K with Ultra. To hit 60 FPS on Ultra, you must drop to 2560x1440, where the average is 87.4 FPS.

Q: How much of a performance jump is there from 4K to 1440p on High settings?

A: Moving from 3840x2160 to 2560x1440 on High settings nearly doubles the frame rate, with the average jumping from 61.5 FPS to 118.2 FPS. This is a significant increase of 56.7 FPS.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more of a bottleneck at 1080p Low settings?

A: At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo produces an extremely high average of 269.7 FPS. This indicates the GPU is not heavily taxed, and the CPU's strong single-thread performance is likely the primary factor limiting frame rates at this level.

Q: How does the Ryzen 9 9950X3D's gaming performance compare to its non-3D counterpart?

A: Based on average benchmark scores, the 9950X3D is 1.8% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X. Its nearest rival is the Intel Xeon Platinum 8270, which it leads by 0.9%.

Q: What is the GPU's performance percentile ranking?

A: The Radeon RX 7900 XTX sits in the 85th percentile for all GPUs. Its average benchmark score is 44019, placing it slightly behind the AMD Radeon Pro 580 (by -0.4%) and ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Mobile (by 0.8%).

Q: What is the total L3 cache available on this CPU?

A: The AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D features a substantial 128 MB of shared L3 cache. This large cache is a key architectural feature for gaming performance.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX is the driving force behind the frame rates in The Technomancer. Its 24 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 384-bit bus provides a massive 960.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is crucial for feeding the high-resolution textures and geometry at 4K. This is reflected in the measurable gains from Low to Ultra settings, where the GPU's compute power is increasingly utilized.

The GPU's high boost clock of 2498 MHz and game clock of 2365 MHz allow its 6144 shading units to process the game's visuals at a rapid pace. This is evident in the scaling: at 1920x1080, the average FPS scales from 269.7 on Low to 139 on Ultra. This demonstrates that the card has enough raw throughput to handle the game's most demanding visual effects at lower resolutions without breaking a sweat.

However, the game's Ultra preset at 4K proves to be a significant challenge. The average FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings drops to 49.8, indicating that the GPU's pixel and texture fill rates (479.6 GPixel/s and 959.2 GTexel/s, respectively) are being pushed to their limits. The 24 GB VRAM capacity is likely not the bottleneck, but rather the sheer number of pixels and effects that the GPU must process in real-time. The data suggests that for a consistently smooth 60 FPS experience at 4K, you will need to dial back from the Ultra preset.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal balance between visual fidelity and performance depends heavily on your target resolution.

For 3840x2160 (4K), the High preset is the clear choice. It delivers an average of 61.5 FPS, which is just above the 60 FPS target for a smooth experience. The Medium preset offers a higher 71.9 FPS average and could be used if you prefer a more comfortable margin above 60 FPS, but High provides the best visual quality that remains playable. The Ultra preset's 49.8 FPS average is too low for a consistent experience on a high-refresh-rate 4K display.

At 2560x1440 (1440p), the Ultra preset becomes viable. The 87.4 FPS average is well above the 60 FPS threshold and will make full use of a high-refresh-rate monitor. This is the sweet spot for maximizing visual quality, as the GPU has enough headroom to run the most demanding settings. For those with a 144Hz or higher display, the High preset at 118.2 FPS is also an option, but the visual jump to Ultra is generally worth the performance trade-off.

For 1920x1080 (1080p), all presets are playable, but the Ultra preset is the only one that makes sense for a high-end setup. The 139 FPS average is more than enough for any display, and there is no reason to reduce settings when the GPU is clearly not bottlenecked. The lower presets, while achieving higher frame rates, sacrifice visual quality for performance that provides no practical benefit at this resolution.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific configuration of the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D and AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX ranks 216th out of 1656 tested combos for The Technomancer. This places it in the top 13% of all tested hardware pairings, indicating a very strong overall performance level. The high ranking reflects the synergistic pairing of a top-tier CPU and GPU.

The data shows that this combo is not an outlier, but rather a consistent high performer. While it doesn't reach the absolute top of the charts, it outperforms the vast majority of other systems. This suggests that in The Technomancer, this pairing hits a very good balance where neither component is holding the other back to a significant degree, allowing for the high frame rates seen in the measured results. The 4K Ultra result is the only area where the system's performance falls short of a high-refresh-rate target, but its overall rank shows it is a formidable setup for this title.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D provides the computational foundation for this system. With 16 cores and 32 threads based on the Zen 5 architecture, it can easily handle any background tasks and game logic that The Technomancer throws at it. Its high boost clock of 5.70 GHz and strong single-thread performance, evidenced by a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 8430, are critical for games that are not fully optimized for many cores.

The CPU's most defining feature is its massive 128 MB of shared L3 cache. This helps keep frequently accessed data close to the cores, reducing latency and improving performance in scenarios that are sensitive to memory access times. This is where the 9950X3D distinguishes itself from a standard 9950X, as the larger cache can provide a tangible benefit in gaming workloads. The benchmark data confirms this, showing the 9950X3D is 1.8% ahead of the 9950X in average score.

In this game, the CPU's role becomes more apparent at lower resolutions. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the average FPS of 269.7 is exceptionally high and suggests the CPU is the primary limiter, as the GPU is not heavily burdened. The processor's high single-thread score (849 in Cinebench R15) and multi-thread capabilities (6018 in Cinebench R15) ensure it is not a bottleneck in almost all gaming scenarios, allowing the RX 7900 XTX to perform to its full potential at higher resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following data represents the exact measured average FPS for this hardware combination.

3840x2160 (4K):

• Low: 98.0 FPS
• Medium: 71.9 FPS
• High: 61.5 FPS
• Ultra: 49.8 FPS

2560x1440 (1440p):

• Low: 174.3 FPS
• Medium: 139.1 FPS
• High: 118.2 FPS
• Ultra: 87.4 FPS

1920x1080 (1080p):

• Low: 269.7 FPS
• Medium: 208.3 FPS
• High: 178.1 FPS
• Ultra: 139.0 FPS

The data reveals a predictable performance curve. At 1080p, the frame rates are extremely high, with even the Ultra preset providing 139 FPS. As resolution increases to 1440p, the GPU workload grows, and the gap between presets narrows. At 4K, the Ultra preset falls below the 60 FPS threshold, while the High preset just manages to stay above it. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 4K shows a 48.2 FPS drop (from 98.0 to 49.8), highlighting the significant cost of the highest visual settings at this resolution.