The Technomancer

The Technomancer, a 2016 Action RPG, presents an interesting case study in how a modern mid-range GPU paired with an older six-core CPU handles a title from the previous console generation. The measured data for the Intel Core i5-9400 and AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT combination reveals a clear performance hierarchy that shifts dramatically depending on the target resolution and quality preset. This analysis will break down the measured FPS to identify where the system’s strengths and limitations lie, and what the numbers imply for a player’s experience.

Resolution Scaling

The most striking observation from the data is how the performance delta between 1080p and 4K expands as the graphics settings are increased. At Low settings, the frame rate drops from 174 FPS at 1920x1080 to 70 FPS at 3840x2160. That represents a 104 FPS difference, or a performance reduction to roughly 40% of the 1080p figure. In contrast, at High settings, the drop is from 128 FPS at 1080p to 84 FPS at 1440p, and finally to 46 FPS at 4K. The scaling from 1080p High to 4K High shows a 64% reduction in frame rate. This pattern suggests that at lower settings, the game’s rendering workload is less demanding, allowing the CPU to become a more significant factor in limiting performance, particularly at 1080p where the GPU can push frames very quickly.

The data further implies that the RX 7700 XT is the primary scaling component as resolution increases. The game’s engine appears to respond predictably to the pixel count. At 4K Ultra, the system manages only 36 FPS, a substantial drop from the 100 FPS seen at 1080p Ultra. This is a 64 FPS difference, indicating that the sheer pixel throughput required at 4K places a massive load on the GPU. The fact that the 4K Medium preset has an average of 54 FPS and a minimum of 46 FPS, while 4K High averages 46 FPS, shows that even a single step up in quality can have a significant impact at this resolution.

The scaling behavior also hints at the CPU’s role. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 174 FPS. This very high frame rate suggests the CPU is still capable of feeding the GPU enough data to maintain high performance, but it is likely near its limit. The gap between 1080p Low (174 FPS) and 1440p Low (128 FPS) is significant, but the more telling comparison is the 1080p High (128 FPS) versus 1440p Low (128 FPS). The identical result at these two very different settings points to a potential CPU bottleneck at 1080p High; the GPU is capable of more, but the processor is holding it back. As resolution climbs to 1440p and 4K, the GPU’s workload increases, and it becomes the clear limiting factor, with the CPU’s influence diminishing.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-9400 is a six-core, six-thread processor from the Coffee Lake architecture, with a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.10 GHz. Its benchmark scores place it at the 47th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 2254. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i7-1068NG7, which scores 2259 (a 0.2% difference), and the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500, which scores 2246 (a 0.4% difference). This data suggests the i5-9400 is a solid, if not spectacular, performer in synthetic tests, sitting in the middle of the pack.

In the context of The Technomancer, the CPU’s role becomes visible in the frame rate plateaus observed at lower resolutions. The fact that the 1080p High preset (128 FPS) produces the same average frame rate as the 1440p Low preset (128 FPS) is a strong indicator that the CPU is the limiting component in both scenarios. The GPU is not being fully utilized at 1080p High because the processor cannot deliver instructions and draw calls fast enough. This is a classic CPU-bound scenario. The six physical cores, without Hyper-Threading, may be a factor in a game from this era, which might not be optimized to take full advantage of more than six threads.

However, the CPU does not appear to be a catastrophic bottleneck. At 1080p Low, the system reaches 174 FPS, showing that the i5-9400 can support very high frame rates when the graphical load is low. The CPU’s performance is adequate for a smooth experience at 60 FPS at most settings, as evidenced by the 4K Medium average of 54 FPS, which is close to that target. The data suggests that the i5-9400’s strength lies in providing a stable foundation, but its age is showing in scenarios where the GPU is capable of far more than 128 FPS, as it caps the system’s potential in less demanding settings.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT is a modern GPU based on the RDNA 3.0 architecture, featuring 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 432.0 GB/s. Its boost clock is 2544 MHz, and it has a substantial 3456 shading units. In synthetic benchmarks, it scores at the 67th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 22549. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080, which scores 22895 (a 1.5% difference), and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Mobile, which scores 22729 (a 0.8% difference). This places the RX 7700 XT in a strong position, slightly above the RTX 2080 in average performance.

The GPU’s role in The Technomancer is clearly the dominant factor in determining performance at higher resolutions. The data shows that the RX 7700 XT is powerful enough to handle 1440p High at 84 FPS, which is a very playable frame rate. The drop to 4K High at 46 FPS demonstrates the immense pressure of rendering at 4K. The 12 GB of VRAM is likely sufficient for the textures and assets used in this game, even at 4K Ultra, as the performance degradation is more consistent with raw compute and fill-rate limitations rather than memory capacity issues.

The GPU’s capability is also evident in the 1080p results, where it achieves 128 FPS on High and 100 FPS on Ultra. These are excellent numbers for a game from 2016. The fact that the GPU can hit 174 FPS at 1080p Low, but is held to 128 FPS at 1080p High, again points to the CPU as a limiting factor. The RX 7700 XT has more than enough headroom to produce higher frame rates, but it is being constrained by the older processor. At 1440p and 4K, the GPU’s workload becomes the primary driver of performance, with the average FPS dropping consistently as resolution and quality settings increase.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete set of measured frame rates provides a detailed picture of the system’s performance envelope. At 1920x1080, the system delivers its highest performance. On the Low preset, it achieves an average of 174 FPS. Moving to Medium, the average drops to 150 FPS, with a minimum of 128 FPS and a maximum of 173 FPS. The High preset averages 128 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 100 FPS. This progression shows a clear, stepwise reduction in frame rate as quality increases, with a 74 FPS difference between Low and Ultra.

At 2560x1440, the performance scales down accordingly. The Low preset averages 128 FPS, which is identical to the 1080p High result. Medium averages 98 FPS, with a minimum of 84 and a maximum of 113. High averages 84 FPS, and Ultra averages 66 FPS. The pattern here shows that the 1440p Low result matches the 1080p High result, reinforcing the CPU bottleneck theory. The GPU is able to maintain high performance, but the CPU is the limiting factor at these lower settings.

The most demanding scenarios are at 3840x2160. The Low preset averages 70 FPS, which is a substantial drop from 1440p Low. Medium averages 54 FPS, with a minimum of 46 and a maximum of 62. High averages 46 FPS, and Ultra drops to 36 FPS. The 4K results show the GPU being pushed to its limits. The gap between 4K Medium and 4K High is 8 FPS, while the gap between 4K High and 4K Ultra is 10 FPS. This indicates that the game’s Ultra preset at 4K is extremely demanding, requiring more from the GPU than it can comfortably deliver for a smooth 60 FPS experience.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average frame rate this combination can achieve?

A: The highest average frame rate recorded is 174 FPS, which occurs at 1920x1080 resolution with the Low settings preset.

Q: Can this system maintain a stable 60 FPS experience at 1440p?

A: Yes, the data shows that at 2560x1440, the High preset achieves an average of 84 FPS, and the Ultra preset achieves 66 FPS. Both are above the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the main bottleneck at 1080p?

A: The data suggests the CPU is the limiting factor at 1080p. This is evidenced by the identical average frame rate of 128 FPS for both the 1080p High and 1440p Low presets, which indicates the GPU is not being fully utilized at the lower resolution.

Q: How does the system perform at 4K resolution?

A: Performance at 3840x2160 is playable but not consistently smooth at high settings. The Low preset averages 70 FPS, Medium averages 54 FPS, and High averages 46 FPS. The Ultra preset averages only 36 FPS.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded for the system?

A: The lowest minimum FPS recorded is 46 FPS, which occurs at both 3840x2160 with Medium settings and is also the average for 3840x2160 with High settings.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Intel Core i5-9400 has an average benchmark score of 2254. This is 0.2% lower than the Intel Core i7-1068NG7 (2259) and 0.4% higher than the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 (2246).

Settings Recommendations

The measured data indicates that the optimal settings depend heavily on the user’s target resolution and desired frame rate. For a 60 FPS target, the 2560x1440 resolution with Ultra settings is a viable option, as it averages 66 FPS. This provides a high-quality visual experience while maintaining a frame rate above the standard target. For players who prioritize higher frame rates, the 1920x1080 resolution with High settings offers a solid balance, delivering an average of 128 FPS, which is excellent for high-refresh-rate monitors.

At 3840x2160, achieving a smooth 60 FPS is not possible with this hardware. The only preset that comes close to 60 FPS is Low, which averages 70 FPS, but this comes with a significant reduction in visual fidelity. The Medium preset at 4K averages 54 FPS, which is a more balanced choice for visual quality, but players will need to accept a frame rate below 60. The data suggests that 1440p Ultra is the best experience for a high-quality, high-performance balance, while 1080p High is ideal for maximizing frame rate without sacrificing too much visual detail.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations for The Technomancer, this specific pairing of the Intel Core i5-9400 and AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT ranks at 1572 out of 3696 total combinations. This placement, which is in the 42nd percentile, is interesting given the GPU’s strong synthetic benchmark scores. The RX 7700 XT ranks in the 67th percentile of all GPUs, and its average benchmark score of 22549 is 1.5% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080. The CPU, however, ranks in the 47th percentile, which is more modest.

The lower in-game ranking compared to the GPU’s standalone percentile suggests that the CPU is holding the system back. The i5-9400’s performance is adequate, but it is not strong enough to allow the RX 7700 XT to reach its full potential in this specific game, particularly at lower resolutions. The data implies that pairing this GPU with a more powerful CPU could yield a significantly higher in-game ranking. The combination’s rank of 1572 out of 3696 places it in the upper half of tested systems, but the performance data suggests there is untapped potential in the GPU that is being constrained by the older processor.