The Technomancer

Resolution Scaling

The measured frame rates for The Technomancer show a steep performance curve as resolution increases. At 1920x1080 with High settings, the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 paired with the AMD Radeon 880M delivers 44 FPS on average. Moving to 2560x1440 at High settings drops that to 28 FPS, a reduction of roughly 36%. At 3840x2160 with High settings, the average falls to 16 FPS. That is a 64% loss from the 1080p result.

The Low preset tells a similar story. At 1080p Low, the combo reaches 66 FPS. At 1440p Low, it manages 43 FPS, a 35% drop. At 4K Low, it falls to 24 FPS, a 64% drop from 1080p. The consistent scaling pattern across presets indicates that resolution scaling is nearly linear, which points to the integrated GPU as the primary bottleneck in this configuration.

Medium settings show the same trend with slightly different figures. The 1080p Medium average is 51 FPS, 1440p Medium drops to 33 FPS, and 4K Medium sits at 18 FPS. The 1440p Medium run recorded a minimum of 28 FPS and a maximum of 38 FPS, while the 4K Medium run recorded a minimum of 16 FPS and a maximum of 21 FPS. These ranges confirm that frame pacing stays consistent even when the average is low.

Ultra settings are the most demanding. At 1080p Ultra, the average is 34 FPS. At 1440p Ultra, it drops to 22 FPS. At 4K Ultra, the average is 12 FPS. The gap between Ultra and High at 1080p is 10 FPS, while the gap between Ultra and High at 4K is only 4 FPS. This compression at higher resolutions suggests the GPU is already saturated, so additional settings changes have diminishing returns once the resolution exceeds 1440p.

The data indicates that 1080p is the only resolution where this combo approaches playable frame rates across most presets. At 1440p, only the Low preset stays above 40 FPS. At 4K, every preset falls below 25 FPS, which makes that resolution impractical for this game with this hardware.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon 880M is an integrated GPU based on the RDNA 3.5 architecture, built on a 4 nm process at TSMC. It uses 768 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 16 render output units. The chip includes 12 ray tracing cores, though The Technomancer is not a ray tracing title, so those cores do not factor into the measured results.

The GPU's clock behavior is notable. The base clock is 400 MHz, and the boost clock reaches 2900 MHz. The large gap between base and boost suggests the GPU relies heavily on thermal and power headroom to reach its performance ceiling. In a sustained gaming workload, the actual clock will vary, but the benchmark results reflect the real sustained performance.

Memory is system shared, meaning the GPU uses the same LPDDR5X memory pool as the CPU. The memory bus is quad-channel with a bandwidth of 256.0 GB/s. For an integrated GPU, memory bandwidth is often the limiting factor, and the 256.0 GB/s figure is substantial for an IGP. However, the measured frame rates show that the GPU still struggles with The Technomancer at higher resolutions, which indicates that raw shader throughput, not just memory bandwidth, is the constraint.

The GPU's percentile ranking versus all GPUs is 43, which places it in the lower half of the database. Its average benchmark score is 8436. The nearest rivals in the database are the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 675MX with an average score of 8427 and a delta of 0.1%, the NVIDIA GeForce MX330 with an average score of 8458 and a delta of -0.3%, the AMD Radeon HD 8870M with an average score of 8462 and a delta of -0.3%, and the AMD Radeon R9 M375X with an average score of 8325 and a delta of 1.3%. The Radeon 880M sits within 1.3% of all four rivals, meaning its raw compute performance is essentially equivalent to those older discrete mobile GPUs.

The FP32 throughput is 4.454 TFLOPS, and the pixel rate is 46.40 GPixel/s. The texture rate is 139.2 GTexel/s. These figures explain the 1080p results: 44 FPS at High and 66 FPS at Low are consistent with a GPU in this performance class. The 4K results, where even Low settings only reach 24 FPS, confirm that the GPU lacks the fill rate and shading power for 4K gaming in this title.

DirectX 12 Ultimate is supported, along with OpenGL 4.6 and Vulkan 1.4. The bus interface is PCIe 4.0 x8, which is sufficient for an integrated GPU since it does not need to transfer data across a separate bus. The GPU's TDP is listed at 15 W, which is low, but this is an IGP and the power draw is part of the overall APU package.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 is a 16-core, 32-thread processor based on the Zen 5 architecture with the Strix Halo codename. It is manufactured on a 4 nm process at TSMC with a die size of 2x 70.6 mm². The base clock is 3.00 GHz, and the boost clock reaches 5.10 GHz. The TDP is 55 W, which is modest for a 16-core part and reflects its mobile design.

The cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 1 MB of L2 per core, and 64 MB of shared L3 cache. For gaming, the large L3 cache is often beneficial, as it reduces the need to fetch data from system memory. The memory support is LPDDR5X with a quad-channel bus and 256.0 GB/s bandwidth, which matches the GPU's memory interface. ECC memory is supported, though this is unlikely to matter for gaming performance.

The CPU's benchmark results are strong. In Cinebench R23, it scores 35314 in multi-core and 2044 in single-core. In Geekbench, it scores 20992 in multi-core and 2464 in single-core. The Passmark multi-thread score is 54934, and the single-thread score is 4147. The average benchmark score is 77740, with a percentile ranking of 95 versus all CPUs.

The nearest CPU rivals in the database show the Ryzen AI Max+ 395's position. The AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 9945WX has an average score of 76513 and a delta of 1.6%. The AMD EPYC Embedded 8224P has an average score of 76492 and a delta of 1.6%. The Intel Core i9-14900K has an average score of 79097 and a delta of -1.7%. The AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX has an average score of 76212 and a delta of 2%. The Ryzen AI Max+ 395 is within 2% of all four rivals, which places it in the same performance class as those high-end desktop and mobile processors.

For The Technomancer, the CPU is not the limiting factor. The game is an Action RPG from 2016, and its CPU demands are modest compared to modern titles. The 16-core, 32-thread configuration is far more than this game needs. The single-core performance, measured at 2044 in Cinebench R23 and 2464 in Geekbench, is sufficient to drive the game's game logic and physics without bottlenecking.

The evidence for CPU headroom comes from the resolution scaling data. When the resolution drops from 4K to 1080p, the frame rate improves substantially. At 1080p Low, the average reaches 66 FPS, which is close to what an integrated GPU can deliver. If the CPU were the bottleneck, the frame rate would stay flat regardless of resolution. Instead, the frame rate scales with resolution, which is the signature of a GPU-bound scenario.

The CPU's memory bandwidth of 256.0 GB/s is shared with the GPU. In this configuration, the CPU and GPU compete for the same memory pool. However, The Technomancer's CPU load is light enough that the shared memory contention does not appear to harm frame rates beyond what the GPU alone would deliver.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in The Technomancer?

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 is the only resolution where all presets stay above 30 FPS except Ultra. At 1080p Low, the average is 66 FPS, at Medium it is 51 FPS, and at High it is 44 FPS. At 1440p, only Low stays above 40 FPS with an average of 43 FPS. At 4K, all presets fall below 25 FPS.

Q: How does the Radeon 880M compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The Radeon 880M has an average benchmark score of 8436. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 675MX, scores 8427 with a delta of 0.1%. The NVIDIA GeForce MX330 scores 8458 with a delta of -0.3%. The AMD Radeon HD 8870M scores 8462 with a delta of -0.3%. The AMD Radeon R9 M375X scores 8325 with a delta of 1.3%. All four rivals are within 1.3% of the Radeon 880M.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in this game?

A: The resolution scaling data indicates the GPU is the limiting factor. At 1080p Low, the average is 66 FPS, while at 4K Low it drops to 24 FPS. This 64% reduction as resolution increases is a GPU-bound pattern. The CPU's single-core score of 2044 in Cinebench R23 is more than adequate for this 2016 Action RPG.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between High and Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: At 1080p High, the average is 44 FPS. At 1080p Ultra, the average is 34 FPS. The difference is 10 FPS, which represents a 23% reduction in average frame rate when moving from High to Ultra.

Q: What are the minimum and maximum frame rates recorded at Medium settings?

A: At 1080p Medium, the minimum is 43 FPS and the maximum is 59 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the minimum is 28 FPS and the maximum is 38 FPS. At 4K Medium, the minimum is 16 FPS and the maximum is 21 FPS.

Q: How does the Ryzen AI Max+ 395 rank among CPUs in the database?

A: The CPU has a percentile ranking of 95 versus all CPUs. Its average benchmark score is 77740. It is 1.7% behind the Intel Core i9-14900K, which scores 79097, and 2% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX, which scores 76212.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 and the AMD Radeon 880M ranks 3608 out of 3696 tested combos for The Technomancer. This places the combo in the bottom 2.4% of all tested configurations. The rank reflects the integrated GPU's limitations rather than the CPU's capabilities.

The CPU is a high-end mobile processor with a 95th percentile ranking, but the GPU is a 43rd percentile part. The massive gap between CPU and GPU performance is the reason this combo ranks so low. The CPU is capable of feeding far more powerful GPUs, but the Radeon 880M cannot translate that CPU headroom into high frame rates in this game.

The measured results confirm this imbalance. At 1080p High, the combo delivers 44 FPS. That is playable, but not spectacular. At 1440p High, it drops to 28 FPS. At 4K High, it falls to 16 FPS. The combo's rank of 3608 reflects the fact that most other tested combinations, which include discrete GPUs, deliver higher frame rates in this title.

The rank also means that out of 3696 combos, only 88 rank lower. Those lower-ranked combos likely use older integrated graphics or low-end mobile GPUs. The Radeon 880M's nearest rivals, such as the GTX 675MX and the MX330, are old discrete parts, and the Radeon 880M matches them in raw score. However, in The Technomancer specifically, the combo's position at 3608 indicates that the game is demanding enough to expose the GPU's weaknesses.

The data suggests that this combo is best suited for 1080p gaming in The Technomancer, where it can achieve 44 FPS at High settings. Pushing to 1440p or 4K results in frame rates that are below 30 FPS for all presets except Low at 1440p, which averages 43 FPS. The combo's rank is a direct consequence of the GPU's performance ceiling, not a reflection of the CPU's processing power.

Settings Recommendations

The measured frame rates provide a clear picture of which settings deliver the best experience for this combo in The Technomancer.

At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers an average of 66 FPS. This is the highest frame rate recorded across all resolutions and presets. The Medium preset averages 51 FPS, which is still smooth. The High preset averages 44 FPS, which is acceptable for an Action RPG. The Ultra preset averages 34 FPS, which is playable but approaching the lower bound of comfort for a game with combat.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 43 FPS. This is the only 1440p preset that stays above 30 FPS. Medium drops to 33 FPS, High drops to 28 FPS, and Ultra drops to 22 FPS. The 1440p Medium run recorded a minimum of 28 FPS, which means there are moments where the frame rate dips below 30 FPS during gameplay.

At 3840x2160, all presets produce averages below 25 FPS. Low averages 24 FPS, Medium averages 18 FPS, High averages 16 FPS, and Ultra averages 12 FPS. These frame rates are not suitable for an action game that requires responsive controls.

The best experience is at 1920x1080 with the Medium preset. It delivers 51 FPS on average, which is a good balance between visual quality and performance. The minimum recorded at this setting is 43 FPS, which means the frame rate stays above 40 FPS even during demanding scenes. The maximum is 59 FPS, so the game occasionally approaches 60 FPS.

For players who prioritize smoothness over visuals, the Low preset at 1080p is the best choice. It averages 66 FPS, which is 15 FPS higher than Medium. The visual difference between Low and Medium in a 2016 game is noticeable but not drastic, and the frame rate improvement is significant.

For players who want the best visuals while maintaining playability, the High preset at 1080p is the recommended choice. It averages 44 FPS, which is playable, and the visual quality is substantially better than Medium. The Ultra preset at 1080p is not recommended because it only delivers 34 FPS, which is a 10 FPS drop from High for a marginal visual improvement.

At 1440p, the Low preset is the only viable option, with an average of 43 FPS. This is playable, but the visual quality at Low settings on a 1440p display will look soft. The Medium preset at 1440p, with an average of 33 FPS and a minimum of 28 FPS, is borderline and may cause frustration during combat encounters.

The data indicates that this combo should be used at 1080p for The Technomancer. The Medium preset provides the best overall experience, balancing the 51 FPS average with the 43 FPS minimum. The Low preset is the fallback for players who need higher frame rates. The High preset is acceptable for players who want better visuals and can tolerate 44 FPS. The Ultra preset is the least recommended, as the 34 FPS average is too close to the 30 FPS threshold for comfortable gameplay.