The Technomancer

The Technomancer, a 2016 Action RPG, presents a demanding workload that clearly separates CPU and GPU responsibilities depending on resolution. With the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D paired with the AMD Radeon RX 9060, the measured frame rates reveal a system that is heavily GPU-limited at 4K but becomes increasingly CPU-bound as resolution drops. The data shows a classic scaling pattern: at 1920x1080, the combination delivers 157 FPS on Low settings, but this falls to 103 FPS on High and just 80 FPS on Ultra. Moving to 2560x1440, the same settings yield 102, 67, and 52 FPS respectively, while at 3840x2160, the numbers drop to 56, 37, and 29 FPS. The percentage drops between resolutions are substantial, indicating that the Radeon RX 9060’s 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 128-bit bus become the primary constraint at higher pixel counts. The Ryzen 9 9950X3D, with its 16 cores and 32 threads, is not the limiting factor in most scenarios; instead, the GPU’s rendering throughput dictates performance, especially when settings are raised.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K for this combo demonstrates a clear GPU bottleneck at higher resolutions. At 1920x1080 with High settings, the average FPS is 103. At 2560x1440, that same High preset drops to 67 FPS, a reduction of 36 FPS or roughly 35%. Moving to 3840x2160, the High preset averages 37 FPS, which is a further 30 FPS drop from 1440p and a 64% decline from 1080p. This steep curve indicates that the Radeon RX 9060’s compute resources and memory bandwidth are quickly overwhelmed as pixel count increases. The data shows that at 4K High, the system sits just above playable thresholds, but at 4K Ultra, the average falls to 29 FPS, making smooth gameplay unlikely.

The pattern repeats across all settings presets. For Low settings, the progression is 157 FPS at 1080p, 102 FPS at 1440p, and 56 FPS at 4K. The 1080p to 1440p drop is 55 FPS (35%), while the 1440p to 4K drop is 46 FPS (45%). This suggests that even at the lowest graphical preset, the GPU cannot maintain high frame rates at 4K, confirming that the RX 9060 is the limiting component. Medium settings show 120 FPS at 1080p, 79 FPS at 1440p, and 43 FPS at 4K. The scaling here is more linear, with each resolution step costing roughly 40-45% performance. Ultra settings follow the same trend: 80 FPS at 1080p, 52 FPS at 1440p, and 29 FPS at 4K. The Ultra preset at 4K delivers less than half the frame rate of the same preset at 1080p.

What does this scaling say about the limiting component? At 1080p, the CPU’s strong single-thread performance (3dmark single_thread score of 1292) and high boost clock of 5.70 GHz allow the GPU to stretch its legs, but even then, the RX 9060’s 1792 shading units and 64 ROPs cap performance below what the CPU could theoretically feed. At 4K, the GPU’s pixel rate of 191.4 GPixel/s and texture rate of 334.9 GTexel/s are insufficient for high-detail rendering, leading to the observed frame rates. The min FPS data for Medium settings reinforces this: at 1080p Medium, the min is 102 FPS, at 1440p it’s 67 FPS, and at 4K it’s 37 FPS. These minimums show that frame time consistency also degrades with resolution, indicating memory bandwidth pressure from the 288.0 GB/s GDDR6 solution.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D plays a supporting role in The Technomancer, providing ample headroom that the GPU rarely uses to its full potential. This processor features 16 cores and 32 threads, with a base clock of 4.30 GHz and a boost clock of 5.70 GHz. The architecture is Zen 5, built on a 4 nm process at TSMC, and it includes 128 MB of L3 cache. For a game released in 2016, the single-thread performance is more relevant than the multi-thread capabilities. The 3dmark_2_threads score is 2549, and the 3dmark_single_thread score is 1292, both indicating strong per-core performance that should not bottleneck a mid-range GPU like the RX 9060.

The benchmark results for the CPU show a clear hierarchy: multi-threaded workloads are where this chip excels. The cinebench_r23_multicore score is 42018, while the single-core score is 2259. The geekbench_multicore score of 26736 versus single-core of 3064 further illustrates this. In The Technomancer, which is not known for heavy multi-threading, the CPU’s 16 cores are largely idle, but the high boost clock ensures that any single-threaded render thread is processed quickly. The passmark_single_thread score of 4737 places it well above what the game requires at 1080p, where the GPU limits FPS to 157 on Low.

Comparing to nearest rivals, the Ryzen 9 9950X3D has an average benchmark score of 75779, which is 0.1% higher than the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 9755 (75738) and 0.1% higher than the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 9755X3D (75716). It also leads the Intel Core Ultra 9 285 (75488) by 0.4% and the AMD EPYC 8224P (75582) by 0.3%. These deltas are marginal, meaning that swapping to any of these CPUs would have negligible impact on The Technomancer’s frame rates. The data suggests that at 1080p Low, the CPU is not the bottleneck; the GPU is. Even at 1080p Ultra, where the average FPS is 80, the CPU still has headroom, as evidenced by the fact that the same CPU can drive 157 FPS on Low settings.

The CPU’s memory support includes DDR5 with dual-channel configuration and 89.6 GB/s bandwidth. This is more than sufficient for a game that doesn’t demand excessive memory throughput. The L3 cache of 128 MB helps with game asset streaming, but again, the GPU’s 8 GB VRAM is the more critical factor. In summary, the Ryzen 9 9950X3D’s role in this combo is to provide a stable, high-frequency platform that never holds back the RX 9060. The percentileVsAllCpus of 95 indicates this is a top-tier processor, but its performance in this game is effectively capped by the GPU at all resolutions above 1080p Low.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D and AMD Radeon RX 9060 ranks 1632 out of 2825 tested combos in The Technomancer. This places it in the lower-middle portion of the database, which is surprising given the CPU’s high percentile ranking. The data indicates that the GPU’s performance class, which sits at the 59th percentile vs all GPUs, drags the combo down. The combo rank of 1632 means that 1193 other CPU-GPU pairings deliver higher average frame rates in this specific game. Given the CPU’s strength, this rank is almost entirely attributable to the GPU’s limitations.

The nearest GPU rivals provide context. The Radeon RX 9060 has an average benchmark score of 16014, which is 0.7% lower than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti (16129). It is 1% higher than the AMD Radeon R9 370X (15862) and 1% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 7700 (15852). The gap to the RTX 3060 Ti is small, suggesting that the RX 9060 should perform similarly in The Technomancer. However, the combo rank suggests that the specific pairing with the 9950X3D does not overcome the GPU’s inherent limits. For comparison, the CPU’s rank among all CPUs is 95th percentile, meaning it outperforms 95% of processors. The combo’s rank of 1632 out of 2825 (about 58th percentile) shows a significant drop-off, confirming that the GPU is the weak link.

In practical terms, this combo will deliver playable frame rates at 1080p and 1440p for most settings, but it will struggle at 4K. The data shows that at 4K Medium, the average FPS is 43, which is below the 60 FPS target many players prefer. The combo rank of 1632 suggests that there are many other configurations that offer better performance in The Technomancer, primarily those with more powerful GPUs. This is not a reflection of the CPU, which is top-tier, but rather the RX 9060’s mid-range positioning. The deltaPct values for the CPU’s rivals are all within 0.4%, meaning that choosing any of those CPUs would not change the combo’s rank meaningfully. The GPU’s rivals, however, show that a small improvement in GPU score (like the RTX 3060 Ti’s 0.7% lead) could shift the combo’s standing.

Measured FPS Breakdown

For The Technomancer, the measured FPS data provides a clear picture of performance across three resolutions and four settings presets. Starting at 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers an average of 157 FPS. This is the highest frame rate recorded for this combo, and it indicates that at this resolution and setting, the system has enough headroom for high-refresh-rate monitors. The Medium preset drops to 120 FPS, with a min of 102 and a max of 138. This is still very smooth, and the min FPS suggests that even in demanding scenes, the frame rate stays above 100 FPS. The High preset averages 103 FPS, which is excellent for a game from 2016. The Ultra preset averages 80 FPS, which is still playable but shows a noticeable drop from High.

At 2560x1440, the scaling becomes more pronounced. Low settings average 102 FPS, which is still above 60 FPS and suitable for most displays. Medium settings average 79 FPS, with a min of 67 and a max of 90. This is a solid experience, though the min FPS indicates occasional dips below the average. High settings average 67 FPS, which is right at the edge of smooth gameplay for many users. Ultra settings average 52 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold and may result in noticeable stutter during action sequences. The data shows that at 1440p, the GPU is beginning to struggle with higher presets.

At 3840x2160, the frame rates become marginal. Low settings average 56 FPS, which is just below 60 FPS. Medium settings average 43 FPS, with a min of 37 and a max of 50. This is a significant drop from 1440p Medium, and the min FPS of 37 suggests that gameplay will have noticeable hitches. High settings average 37 FPS, which is barely playable for a slow-paced game but not ideal for an action RPG. Ultra settings average 29 FPS, which is effectively unplayable for most users. The 4K data clearly shows that this GPU is not suited for high-resolution gaming with this title.

The settings-to-settings comparison is also revealing. At 1080p, moving from Low to Medium costs 37 FPS (157 to 120), from Medium to High costs 17 FPS (120 to 103), and from High to Ultra costs 23 FPS (103 to 80). The largest drop is from Low to Medium, which is typical for a game that increases shadow quality and texture filtering. At 1440p, the drops are more consistent: Low to Medium costs 23 FPS, Medium to High costs 12 FPS, and High to Ultra costs 15 FPS. At 4K, the drops are smaller in absolute terms but larger in percentage: Low to Medium costs 13 FPS, Medium to High costs 6 FPS, and High to Ultra costs 8 FPS. This suggests that at 4K, the GPU is already so constrained that preset changes have diminishing returns.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 9060 is the dominant factor in this combo’s performance in The Technomancer. This GPU features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing 288.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The base clock is 1700 MHz, with a boost clock of 2990 MHz and a game clock of 2400 MHz. The chip is Navi 44, built on RDNA 4.0 architecture at a 4 nm process. With 1792 shading units, 112 TMUs, and 64 ROPs, the RX 9060 is positioned as a mid-range part. The benchmark scores reflect this: the 3dmark_steel_nomad_dx12 score is 3322, and the passmark_g3d score is 17631. The GPU’s percentileVsAllGpus is 59, meaning it performs better than 59% of all GPUs in the database.

In The Technomancer, the GPU’s 8 GB VRAM is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p at all settings, but at 4K, it becomes a limiting factor. The memory bandwidth of 288.0 GB/s is also a constraint, as evidenced by the significant FPS drops when moving to 4K. The GPU’s pixel rate of 191.4 GPixel/s and texture rate of 334.9 GTexel/s are moderate for a 2016 game, but they are not enough to maintain high frame rates at 4K Ultra. The FP32 performance of 21.43 TFLOPS is respectable, but the game’s shading requirements at 4K exceed what this GPU can deliver.

Comparing to nearest rivals, the RX 9060’s average benchmark score of 16014 is 0.7% lower than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti (16129). This indicates that in synthetic tests, the two GPUs are nearly identical. However, in The Technomancer, the measured FPS shows that the RX 9060 struggles at 4K, which might be due to driver optimizations or the game’s specific engine. The RX 9060 is 1% higher than the AMD Radeon R9 370X (15862) and 1% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 7700 (15852). These small deltas suggest that the GPU’s performance is consistent with its closest competitors, but none of them are high-end parts.

The GPU’s DirectX 12 Ultimate support (12_2) and Vulkan 1.4 are modern, but The Technomancer was released before these APIs were widely used, so the game likely runs in DirectX 11 mode. The passmark_directx_11 score of 182 is relatively high, indicating that the GPU handles this API well. However, the passmark_directx_12 score of 44 is much lower, but this is irrelevant for this game. The GPU’s TDP of 132 W and suggested PSU of 300 W are modest, but these specs do not affect in-game performance. The ROP count of 64 and TMU count of 112 directly impact fill-rate and texturing, which are critical for a game with detailed environments like The Technomancer. The data shows that at 4K, the GPU’s fill-rate limitations cause the frame rate to drop below 60 FPS on all settings except Low.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend on the target resolution and desired frame rate. For 1920x1080, the High preset at 103 FPS offers the best balance of visual quality and performance. The Ultra preset at 80 FPS is still smooth, but the 23 FPS drop from High to Ultra may not justify the visual improvements. The Medium preset at 120 FPS is also excellent, and for competitive play or high-refresh-rate monitors, Low at 157 FPS is the best choice. For most users, High at 1080p is recommended, as it provides a clear visual upgrade over Medium while maintaining a three-digit frame rate.

At 2560x1440, the High preset at 67 FPS is the minimum for a smooth experience. The Medium preset at 79 FPS is slightly better, and the Low preset at 102 FPS is ideal for those who prioritize frame rate over visuals. The Ultra preset at 52 FPS is not recommended, as it falls below 60 FPS and may cause noticeable stutter. The data shows that at 1440p, the GPU is the bottleneck, so lowering settings from Ultra to High or Medium yields significant FPS gains. The best experience per the measured rows is the Medium preset, which averages 79 FPS with a min of 67, ensuring that even in heavy scenes, the frame rate stays above 60 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the situation is more challenging. The Low preset at 56 FPS is the only setting that approaches playability. The Medium preset at 43 FPS is borderline, and the High preset at 37 FPS is likely too choppy for an action RPG. The Ultra preset at 29 FPS is unplayable. For 4K users, the Low preset is the only viable option, but even that is below 60 FPS. If 4K is a priority, this combo is not suitable for The Technomancer at any setting above Low. The data suggests that users should either lower the resolution to 1440p for better frame rates or accept the 4K Low experience.

Across all resolutions, the Medium preset provides the most consistent frame times, as evidenced by the min FPS data. At 1080p Medium, the min is 102 FPS; at 1440p Medium, the min is 67 FPS; and at 4K Medium, the min is 37 FPS. This consistency makes Medium the safest choice for a smooth experience. The High preset is also viable at 1080p and 1440p, but at 4K, the average FPS drops below 40. The Ultra preset is only recommended for 1080p, where 80 FPS is still playable. In summary, for this combo, the recommended settings are High at 1080p, Medium at 1440p, and Low at 4K, based on the measured FPS rows. These choices balance visual fidelity with playable frame rates, given the GPU’s mid-range capabilities.