The Technomancer

The Technomancer, an Action RPG from 2016, presents a unique performance profile for the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 pairing. The benchmark results reveal a system that prioritizes raw frame throughput at lower resolutions but becomes firmly GPU-limited at 4K. This analysis draws exclusively from the measured FPS data and component specifications provided.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a distinct and predictable frame rate decline as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At Medium settings, the average frame rate drops from 130 FPS at 1080p to 85 FPS at 1440p, a reduction of 45 FPS. The descent to 4K is even more pronounced, with the Medium setting yielding only 47 FPS at 3840x2160. This scaling pattern strongly indicates that the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D, with its 16 cores and 32 threads, is not the limiting factor at any resolution. The CPU's raw multi-threaded capability, evidenced by a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 42018, is far beyond what a 2016 title would demand.

The GPU, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060, becomes the dominant constraint as pixel count rises. At 1920x1080 High settings, the combo produces 111 FPS, showing the CPU has ample headroom. The gap between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p is 83 FPS, which highlights the GPU's workload scaling with graphical fidelity. However, at 4K, the Ultra preset only manages 31 FPS, a 72% reduction from the 1080p High result. This suggests that for very high resolution, the RTX 4060 with its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 128-bit memory bus is the primary limiter.

The 4K results are particularly telling. The drop from 61 FPS at Low to 31 FPS at Ultra at 3840x2160 is a 49% performance penalty, which is steep and indicates the GPU is heavily constrained. The data shows a linear relationship between resolution scaling and average FPS, but only up to a point. At 1440p, the CPU still manages to push the RTX 4060 to 110 FPS at Low settings, but at 4K, even the Low preset dips to 61 FPS. This indicates this is a GPU-bound scenario at 4K, with the Ryzen 9 9950X3D's powerful multi-core architecture having minimal impact on the final frame rate.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the optimal balance of visual quality and performance is found at the High preset for most resolutions. At 2560x1440, High yields an average of 72 FPS, which is a smooth experience for most users. The Medium preset provides a small margin above 60 FPS at 85 FPS average, but the High preset's visual improvements likely justify the 13 FPS lower cost. At 1920x1080, High settings achieve an average of 111 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold for a fluid experience. The Ultra preset, while offering the highest visual quality, drops to 86 FPS at 1080p, a 25 FPS reduction from High, indicating a multiplier cost for the additional features.

At 3840x2160, the situation is more delicate. The Medium preset is the highest setting that remains playable, with an average of 47 FPS. This is just below the 60 FPS target, but the Low preset at 61 FPS is the only setting that maintains a consistent 60+ FPS at 4K. Given the 47 FPS average at Medium, and the min FPS of 40, a user could argue for Medium if a 30 FPS experience is acceptable, but for a better experience, Low is the only reliable choice. The Ultra setting at 4K is not playable, with an average of 31 FPS, which is below the 30 FPS standard for a cinematic experience.

For a balanced experience, the data suggests that High settings at 1440p are the best overall compromise. The 72 FPS average is a solid 60+ FPS, and the 1440p resolution offers a significant upgrade over 1080p. The 1080p High setting is also excellent for esports or high-refresh monitors, but the 1440p High provides a superior display of the game's art. The 1080p Ultra setting is arguably a waste of performance, as the 86 FPS result offers diminishing returns over the 111 FPS High.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 plays a central role in these benchmark results, particularly at higher resolutions. With 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, the GPU's bandwidth is 272.0 GB/s. The measured FPS data reveals that this memory configuration is a constraint at 4Kp. The 4K High setting produces 40 FPS, while the 4Kp Medium produces 47 FPS, which is only a 7 FPS difference. This suggests that the GPU's memory bandwidth and capacity are limiting factors, as the rendering load increases the memory pressure.

The GPU's clock speeds, with a base of 1830 MHz and a boost of 2460 MHz, are relatively high, but the 8 GB capacity may not be sufficient for the highest quality textures at 4K. The 4Kp Ultra performance of 31 FPS is a clear indicator of the GPU's limits. The card's 3072 shading units and 48 ROPs are also factors, but the memory subsystem appears to be the primary bottleneck. The RTX 4060's 24 RT cores and 96 tensor cores are present for ray tracing and DLSS, but the measured FPS data does not include ray tracing metrics, so the impact on this title is unknown.

The GPU's performance is also reflected in its benchmarks. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2302 and the Passmark G3D score of 19545 show a mid-range performance level. The GPU's percentile rank of 61 out of all GPUs indicates it is a solid mid-range option, not a high-end part. The comparison to the AMD Radeon HD 7790, which is only 0.2% behind, and the Radeon 780M, which is 0.3% behind, shows the RTX 4060's performance is close to a few older integrated graphics. This reflects the card's target market.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a detailed look at the combo's performance across resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the frame rates are high: Low yields 169 FPS, Medium yields 130 FPS, High yields 111 FPS, and Ultra yields 86 FPS. The Medium setting has a min of 110 FPS and a max of 149 FPS, showing consistency. The gap between Low and Medium is 39 FPS, while the gap between High and Ultra is 25 FPS. This scaling indicates that the GPU has enough headroom at 1080p, but the Ultra preset takes a significant toll.

At 2560x1440, the results are more constrained. Low yields 110 FPS, Medium 85 FPS, High 72 FPS, and Ultra 56 FPS. The Medium setting shows a min of 72 FPS and a max of 97 FPS, making it a stable 60 FPS experience. The drop from 1080p to 1440p at High is 39 FPS (111 to 72), which is a 35% reduction. This shows the GPU's limits as the pixel count increases.

At 3840x2160, the performance is the most limited. Low yields 61 FPS, Medium 47 FPS, High 40 FPS, and Ultra 31 FPS. The Medium setting has a min of 40 FPS and a max of 53 FPS, which is a narrow range. The 4K High is only 40 FPS, which is a 55% reduction from the 1440p High of 72 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 4K at High is from 111 to 40 FPS, a 64% drop. This confirms that the RTX 4060 is the limiting component at 4Kp. The data shows that, in this 2016 title, the GPU is the bottleneck rather than the CPU.

How This Combo Ranks

In the context of all tested hardware combos for The Technomancer, this pairing of AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 ranks at position 1984 out of 3696. This places the combo in the bottom half of the tested hardware combinations. The CPU itself is in the 95th percentile of all CPUs, which is a high score, but the GPU is only in the 61st percentile. This disparity explains the ranking: a powerful CPU is paired with a mid-range GPU, and the game's graphics engine is more dependent on the GPU.

The CPU's average benchmark score is 75779, with a delta of 0.1% compared to the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 9755 and the Ryzen 7 PRO 9755X3D. The CPU is only 0.4% ahead of the Intel Core Ultra 9 285, which shows the CPU's high performance. However, the GPU's average score of 17639 is only 0.2% ahead of the AMD Radeon HD 7790 and 0.3% behind the Radeon 780M. This close performance to an older card and an integrated GPU highlights the mid-range nature of the RTX 4060.

The rank of 1984 out of 3696 suggests that there are many combos that perform better. This is likely because the GPU is not strong enough for the CPU. The 16-core, 32-thread CPU with a high clock speed of 5.70 GHz is a top-tier part, but the game is not CPU-intensive. The 4Kp results show that the RTX 4060 is the limiting factor, and the combo rank reflects this. The data indicates that for a game like Technomancer, the GPU is more important than the CPU, and this combo's rank is a consequence of that.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for a 60 FPS experience with this combo?

A: At 2560x1440 Medium settings, the combo averages 85 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS target. At 1920x1080, all settings from Low (169 FPS) to Ultra (86 FPS) exceed 60 FPS. At 3840x2160, only Low (61 FPS) reaches 60 FPS, while Medium is 47 FPS.

Q: Is 4K Ultra playable with the RTX 4060?

A: No. The Ultra setting at 3840x2160 yields an average of 31 FPS, which is below the 30 FPS standard for a cinematic experience. The Medium setting produces 47 FPS, so 4K with this GPU is only comfortable on Low (61 FPS).

Q: How does the Ryzen 9 9950X3D affect performance in this game?

A: The CPU's high multi-threaded performance, evidenced by a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 42018, is not a limiting factor. The game is GPU-bound, as shown by the large FPS drops at higher resolutions, while the CPU has no visible impact.

Q: What is the GPU's position among its rivals?

A: The RTX 4060's average score of 17369 is 0.2% higher than the AMD Radeon HD 7790 and 0.3% lower than the Radeon 780M. It sits in the 61st percentile of all GPUs, indicating a mid-range part.

Q: What is the difference in FPS between 1080p High and 1440p High?

A: The 1080p High setting yields 111 FPS, while 1440p High yields 72 FPS. This is a 39 FPS drop, or a 35% reduction, when moving from 1080p to 1440p.

Q: What is the lowest FPS recorded in the data?

A: The minimum FPS values are only provided for the Medium settings. At 3840x2160 Medium, the minimum is 40 FPS; at 2560x1440 Medium, it is 72 FPS; and at 1920x1080 Medium, it is 110 FPS.