The Technomancer

The Technomancer, a 2016 Action RPG, presents an interesting case study for high-end hardware. The combination of the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 produces a dataset that reveals distinct performance ceilings depending on resolution and settings. The measured frames per second (FPS) indicate a system capable of very high refresh rates at 1080p, but one that is progressively constrained as resolution increases, particularly when graphical fidelity is pushed to its maximum. This analysis breaks down the measured performance, contextualizes it within the hardware's known capabilities, and offers a data-driven look at how this specific pairing handles the game's demands.

Resolution Scaling

The performance trajectory from 1080p to 4K is a classic demonstration of how resolution shifts the bottleneck from the CPU to the GPU. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the system delivers an average of 245 FPS. This high frame rate suggests that the CPU and game engine are capable of feeding frames at a very rapid pace, and the GPU is not yet the limiting factor. Moving to 2560x1440 at the same Low settings, the average FPS drops to 160, a substantial 34.7% decrease. This significant drop indicates the GPU is starting to work harder, but the frame rate remains exceptionally high. When resolution is increased to 3840x2160 at Low settings, the average FPS falls to 88, another 45% drop from the 1440p figure. This steep decline clearly establishes the GPU as the primary performance limiter at 4K, even with less demanding settings.

The scaling pattern is consistent across all quality presets. For High settings, the FPS drops from 160 at 1080p to 105 at 1440p (a 34.4% decrease) and then to 58 at 4K (a 44.8% decrease from 1440p). This shows that the relative performance penalty for increasing resolution is similar regardless of the quality preset, although the absolute frame rates are lower with higher settings. The data points to a system where the CPU has ample headroom at lower resolutions, but the RTX 5090's workload becomes overwhelmingly dominant at 4K. The frame rate at 4K High (58 FPS) is just above the 60 FPS target, but the Ultra preset at 4K falls to 45 FPS, indicating that the game's most demanding settings, combined with 4K resolution, create a scenario where even this flagship GPU cannot maintain a smooth 60 FPS. The scaling suggests that for maximum frame rates, 1080p or 1440p are the practical resolutions, while 4K is best reserved for High or Medium settings.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 is a 16-core, 32-thread processor based on the Zen 5 architecture, with a base clock of 3.00 GHz and a boost clock of 5.10 GHz. This is a high-core-count mobile processor with significant multi-threaded capability, as evidenced by its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 35314 and Geekbench multi-core score of 20992. Its single-thread performance is also strong, with a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2044. In a game like The Technomancer, which was released in 2016, the engine's threading model is likely not fully optimized for 32 threads, but the processor's high single-core clock speed and robust architecture ensure it is not a bottleneck at lower resolutions.

The benchmark results support this interpretation. At 1080p Low, the CPU is able to push the frame rate to 245 FPS, a figure that is likely at or near the game engine's practical limit. The fact that the RTX 5090 can render at such high speeds without the CPU holding it back suggests that the Ryzen AI Max+ 395 provides more than enough processing power for this title. Its performance relative to its nearest rivals, such as the Intel Core i9-14900K, which it trails by only 1.7% in average benchmark score, confirms its position as a top-tier processor. The CPU's 64 MB of shared L3 cache and 256.0 GB/s of memory bandwidth also contribute to its ability to feed data to the GPU efficiently, minimizing stutter and ensuring consistent frame delivery, as seen in the 1080p Medium average of 188 FPS with a minimum of 160 FPS. The data suggests that the CPU's role is to provide a high-performance foundation, and it does so effectively, allowing the GPU to become the sole determinant of performance scaling with resolution.

FAQ

Q: What is the maximum average FPS this combo achieves in The Technomancer?

A: The highest measured average FPS is 245, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: Can this system run The Technomancer at 4K with a smooth 60 FPS experience?

A: At 4K with High settings, the average FPS is 58, which is just below 60. With Medium settings, it averages 67 FPS. The Ultra preset at 4K averages 45 FPS, so a locked 60 FPS is only possible by adjusting settings down from Ultra.

Q: How does the RTX 5090's performance compare to its closest rivals?

A: The RTX 5090 has an average benchmark score of 79842, placing it in the 92nd percentile. It is 0.3% ahead of the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB and 0.6% ahead of the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB, but 1.4% behind the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64X.

Q: What is the FPS difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 160 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 82 FPS. This represents a 78 FPS difference, or a 48.8% reduction in average frame rate when moving from Low to Ultra.

Q: Is the CPU or the GPU the limiting factor at 1080p?

A: At 1080p, the CPU appears to be the primary limiter. This is indicated by the very high frame rates (e.g., 245 FPS at Low), which suggest the GPU is not fully saturated, and the CPU's strong single-thread performance (Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2044) is what allows the game to run at such high speeds.

Q: What is the combo's ranking among all tested hardware combinations for this game?

A: The AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 combination ranks 551st out of 2825 tested combos for The Technomancer, placing it in the top 19.5% of all systems tested.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of performance across three resolutions and four quality presets. At 1920x1080, the system is exceptionally fast. The Low preset yields an average of 245 FPS. The High preset averages 160 FPS, and the Medium preset averages 188 FPS with a minimum of 160 FPS and a maximum of 216 FPS. The most demanding Ultra preset at 1080p still manages a very high average of 125 FPS. These numbers show that at 1080p, the system can easily drive high-refresh-rate monitors, with even the most demanding settings staying well above 120 FPS.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain high but show a clear step down. The Low preset averages 160 FPS. The High preset averages 105 FPS. The Medium preset provides a solid 123 FPS average, with a minimum of 104 FPS and a maximum of 141 FPS. The Ultra preset drops to an average of 82 FPS. This resolution offers a good balance between visual fidelity and performance, with High and Medium settings comfortably exceeding 100 FPS. At 3840x2160, the GPU's workload becomes the dominant factor. The Low preset averages 88 FPS. The Medium preset averages 67 FPS, with a minimum of 57 FPS and a maximum of 78 FPS. The High preset averages 58 FPS. The Ultra preset is the most demanding, averaging only 45 FPS. This breakdown shows that while 4K is playable, it requires compromises in settings to achieve a consistent 60 FPS experience, and the Ultra preset is not viable for smooth gameplay.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested hardware combinations for The Technomancer, this specific pairing of the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 achieves a rank of 551 out of 2825 total combos. This places it in the 80.5th percentile of all tested systems, indicating that it delivers above-average performance for this game. While the top 20% of systems outperform it, this ranking is respectable, especially considering the high resolution and settings at which it was tested. The ranking suggests that while the hardware is very powerful, there are other combinations that yield even higher frame rates in this specific title, potentially due to differences in CPU architecture or driver optimizations that favor the game's engine.

The CPU's performance relative to its rivals helps contextualize this ranking. The Ryzen AI Max+ 395's average benchmark score of 77740 places it 1.6% ahead of the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 9945WX and 2% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX, but 1.7% behind the Intel Core i9-14900K. This indicates that the CPU is highly competitive but not the absolute fastest in synthetic benchmarks, which may translate to slightly lower frame rates in CPU-bound scenarios compared to systems with the i9-14900K. The GPU, similarly, is not the top performer in its own benchmarks, as it trails the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64X by 1.4%. The combination of these two very strong, but not class-leading, components results in a system that is firmly in the upper echelon of performance, but not at the very top of the rankings for this game.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend heavily on the target resolution and desired frame rate. For 1920x1080, the Ultra preset is the clear recommendation, as it provides an average of 125 FPS, ensuring a smooth and visually rich experience on any monitor. The High preset at 160 FPS is also excellent for competitive play or very high refresh rate displays, but the visual gains from Ultra come at a relatively small performance cost at this resolution. For 2560x1440, the High preset is the best balance, offering an average of 105 FPS with high visual fidelity. The Medium preset is also a strong choice, with a 123 FPS average and a minimum of 104 FPS, which is ideal for gamers who prioritize frame rate stability over the highest graphical details. The Ultra preset at 82 FPS is playable but may not be ideal for fast-paced action.

At 3840x2160, the choice is more constrained. The Medium preset, with an average of 67 FPS, is the best option for a 60 FPS experience, as it provides a comfortable margin above the target and its minimum of 57 FPS is close to 60. The High preset, averaging 58 FPS, is borderline, as it will dip below 60 FPS at times. The Low preset at 88 FPS is the only way to get a high refresh rate at 4K, but it comes with a significant visual compromise. The Ultra preset at 45 FPS is not recommended for smooth gameplay. Therefore, for a balanced 4K experience, the Medium settings provide the best combination of visual quality and performance. For the best overall experience, playing at 1440p with High settings offers the best mix of high frame rates and graphical fidelity.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 is a flagship graphics card with 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, providing a massive 1.79 TB/s of memory bandwidth. Its architecture, Blackwell 2.0, is built on a 5 nm process and contains 92,200 million transistors. The GPU has a boost clock of 2407 MHz and features 21760 shading units. Its raw compute power is substantial, with an FP32 performance of 104.8 TFLOPS. These specifications make it an exceptionally powerful card, and its role in The Technomancer is to provide the rendering horsepower needed for high resolutions and detailed settings. The 32 GB of VRAM is far more than this 2016 title requires, ensuring there are no memory capacity limitations even at 4K.

The benchmark data clearly shows the GPU's influence on performance. As resolution increases from 1080p to 4K, the average FPS drops proportionally, which is a classic sign of a GPU-bound workload. At 4K Ultra, the GPU is fully saturated, resulting in a 45 FPS average. The GPU's performance relative to its nearest rivals is tightly grouped; it is 0.3% ahead of the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB and 0.6% ahead of the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB, but 1.4% behind the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64X in average benchmark score. This indicates that while the RTX 5090 is a top-tier card, it is not the absolute fastest in every scenario. Its high memory bandwidth and large frame buffer do, however, allow it to handle the most demanding settings without stuttering, as evidenced by the 1080p Medium minimum FPS of 160. The GPU's role is to be the primary driver of visual quality, and it does so effectively, though the game's engine and CPU ultimately set the ceiling at lower resolutions.