The Technomancer

The Technomancer, a 2016 Action RPG, presents an interesting stress test for the pairing of the Intel Core i5-9400 and the AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT. The benchmark data reveals a system that is capable of delivering high frame rates but is clearly subject to the shifting balance between CPU and GPU load as resolution and settings change. This analysis breaks down the measured performance to understand where this combination excels and where it struggles.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and tells a clear story about the limiting component. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves 173.9 FPS. Moving to 1440p Low drops that to 143.1 FPS, a significant 30.8 FPS decrease, and then to 4K Low, it falls to 74.6 FPS. This represents a 99.3 FPS total decline from 1080p to 4K, indicating that the GPU is being increasingly taxed as pixel count rises.

The pattern is consistent across all settings. With High settings, performance goes from 145.2 FPS at 1080p to 91 FPS at 1440p and finally to 49.3 FPS at 4K. The scaling is not linear; the jump from 1440p to 4K is particularly punishing, with a 41.7 FPS drop in High settings, compared to a 54.2 FPS drop when moving from 1080p to 1440p. This suggests that at 4K, the Radeon RX 6800 XT is overwhelmed by the pixel throughput requirements of the game, making it the definitive bottleneck.

At 1080p, the data implies a more balanced load. The difference between Low (173.9 FPS) and High (145.2 FPS) is a 28.7 FPS gap, which is substantial but not massive. This indicates that the Core i5-9400 can keep feeding frames to the GPU at this resolution, but the GPU is still the primary driver of performance. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p is more moderate than the drop to 4K, showing that the GPU's headroom is being consumed. The component limiting performance is clearly the GPU, with its role becoming more dominant as resolution increases.

How This Combo Ranks

Within the benchmark database, this specific CPU-GPU combination holds a rank of 644 out of 1656 tested combos for The Technomancer. This places it in the top 38.9% of all combos, indicating a performance level that is above the median but not elite. The rank of 644 suggests that while the RX 6800 XT is a powerful card, the i5-9400 may be holding the system back from achieving a higher position in the rankings.

The GPU's individual standing is strong, with a percentile of 87 versus all GPUs, meaning it outperforms 87% of other graphics cards in synthetic benchmarks. In contrast, the CPU's percentile is 50, placing it squarely in the middle of the pack. This disparity is telling. The GPU is a top-tier component, but it is paired with a mid-range processor. The combo rank of 644 reflects this mismatch, showing that the system's overall performance is dragged down by the CPU's relative weakness. The data suggests that in this game, a more powerful CPU could unlock more of the GPU's potential, pushing the combo rank higher.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to maintain a high frame rate?

A: At 1080p, the combo delivers excellent performance across all settings, with even Ultra settings hitting 111.5 FPS. This is the resolution where the system is most comfortable.

Q: How does the i5-9400's core count affect the game's performance?

A: The i5-9400 has 6 cores and 6 threads. While this is sufficient for many games, the benchmark data shows that the GPU is often the bottleneck, suggesting the CPU is not the primary performance limiter in most scenarios.

Q: Is the RX 6800 XT's 16 GB of VRAM a factor in this game?

A: The game is from 2016, and the measured FPS data does not indicate any VRAM-related stuttering or performance cliffs. The 16 GB of memory is likely more than sufficient for The Technomancer at any of the tested settings.

Q: What is the performance difference between Low and Ultra settings at 4K?

A: The average frame rate at 4K Low is 74.6 FPS, while at 4K Ultra it drops to 37.8 FPS. This is a 36.8 FPS difference, which is substantial and makes Ultra settings at 4K less playable.

Q: How does this combo's rank compare to other systems tested in this game?

A: It ranks 644th out of 1656 combos. This is a solid mid-to-high tier ranking, but it is not at the top, indicating that other pairings of CPUs and GPUs can achieve higher frame rates.

Q: Does the CPU's boost clock of 4.10 GHz help in this game?

A: The Core i5-9400 has a boost clock of 4.10 GHz. The benchmark results, which show high frame rates at 1080p, imply that the CPU is capable of keeping up with the GPU at that resolution, but its mid-pack percentile of 50 suggests it may not be the strongest partner for this high-end GPU.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive look at performance across three resolutions and four settings presets.

At 1920x1080, the system shows its strength. Low settings yield an average of 173.9 FPS. Medium settings produce 157 FPS, a 16.9 FPS reduction. High settings deliver 145.2 FPS, and Ultra settings still manage a very playable 111.5 FPS. The scaling here is smooth, with each settings tier providing a clear step down in performance.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates drop but remain mostly respectable. Low settings produce 143.1 FPS. Medium settings average 107.2 FPS, which is a significant 35.9 FPS drop from Low. High settings hit 91 FPS, and Ultra settings average 73.9 FPS. The jump from Low to Medium is the most pronounced at this resolution, suggesting a substantial increase in GPU load.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is pushed hard. Low settings deliver 74.6 FPS on average. Medium settings fall to 61.7 FPS. High settings average 49.3 FPS, and Ultra settings drop to a challenging 37.8 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium is 12.9 FPS, while the gap between High and Ultra is 11.5 FPS. This shows that at 4K, every increase in settings has a major impact on performance, and only Low settings provide a consistently smooth experience.

Settings Recommendations

For a smooth and responsive experience, the data points to a few clear options. At 1080p, the Ultra preset is the best choice, as it delivers an average of 111.5 FPS, well above the 60 FPS threshold, while providing the highest visual fidelity. This allows the user to take full advantage of the monitor's refresh rate without compromising on graphics.

At 1440p, the High preset is the sweet spot. It provides an average of 91 FPS, which is still very fluid, and offers a good balance between visual quality and performance. The Ultra preset at 73.9 FPS is also playable, but High is recommended for those who prefer a higher frame rate buffer. The Medium preset at 107.2 FPS is also a strong option, but High is a better balance.

At 4K, the choices are more constrained. The Low preset is the only one that consistently delivers a smooth experience, with an average of 74.6 FPS. The Medium preset at 61.7 FPS is borderline playable, but High (49.3 FPS) and Ultra (37.8 FPS) fall below the ideal playability threshold. For a 4K experience, users must be prepared to sacrifice visual settings to maintain performance.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-9400 is a 6-core, 6-thread processor from the Coffee Lake architecture, with a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.10 GHz. Its synthetic benchmark scores show a mid-range standing, with a percentile of 50 versus all CPUs. Its average benchmark score of 2305 places it very close to rivals like the Intel Core i3-10305, which has a deltaPct of 0.2, and the Intel Core i3-1125G4, also at 0.2.

In The Technomancer, the CPU's role appears to be secondary to the GPU. The high frame rates at 1080p, even with a mid-range CPU, suggest that the game is not heavily CPU-bound at that resolution. The fact that the GPU is the clear bottleneck at 4K, with frame rates dropping dramatically, reinforces this. The CPU's 6 cores and 6 threads are sufficient to feed the GPU at lower resolutions, but its overall mid-pack performance suggests it is not the ideal partner for a high-end card like the RX 6800 XT. The data implies that the CPU is not a limiting factor for the game's performance at most settings, but its lower relative strength compared to the GPU is a defining characteristic of this pairing.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT is the dominant component in this pairing. It features 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 512.0 GB/s. The GPU has a base clock of 1825 MHz and a boost clock of 2250 MHz. Its synthetic benchmark performance is strong, with a percentile of 87 versus all GPUs and an average benchmark score of 49982. This places it near rivals like the Intel Arc A550M (deltaPct 0.5) and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER (deltaPct 2.6).

The GPU's role in The Technomancer is clearly to be the primary driver of frame rates. The benchmark data shows that its performance scales directly with resolution and settings. At 4K Ultra, it produces 37.8 FPS, while at 1080p Low, it produces 173.9 FPS. This huge 136.1 FPS swing is entirely dependent on the load placed on the GPU. Its 16 GB of VRAM is not a limiting factor in this game, as the frame rates do not show any signs of memory-related bottlenecks. The RX 6800 XT's high-end performance is evident, but its pairing with a mid-range CPU means that its full potential is not always realized, particularly at lower resolutions where the CPU may not be able to keep up. The data shows that the GPU is the star of the show, but it is somewhat constrained by its partner.