The Technomancer

The Technomancer’s benchmark data for the Intel Core i5-9400 and AMD Radeon RX 9070 combo presents a clear case of GPU-bound scaling at lower resolutions transitioning into a more balanced, but still GPU-heavy, load at 4K. The measured average frame rates across the three resolutions and four quality presets show a predictable pattern, but the deltas between settings reveal where the bottleneck shifts.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 1440p and then to 4K follows an expected curve for a modern GPU paired with a six-core CPU from 2018. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo produces 176.9 FPS average, which drops to 143.2 FPS at 1440p and then to 79.1 FPS at 4K. That represents a 19% reduction from 1080p to 1440p, but a 45% reduction from 1440p to 4K. The scaling is not linear, and the severity of the 4K drop indicates that the Radeon RX 9070’s pixel throughput is the primary constraint at that resolution.

Looking at the High preset, the pattern shifts slightly. The 1080p High score is 145.8 FPS, falling to 93.6 FPS at 1440p, and then to 52.2 FPS at 4K. The 1440p to 4K drop here is 44%, which is nearly identical to the Low preset’s 45% drop. This consistency across presets suggests that resolution scaling is largely independent of the quality settings, which is typical for a game that is not heavily reliant on CPU-side geometry processing. The limiting component at 4K is clearly the GPU, as the Radeon RX 9070’s 16 GB of GDDR6 memory and 644.6 GB/s bandwidth are being taxed by the higher pixel count.

The Ultra preset shows the most dramatic scaling. From 109.7 FPS at 1080p, it drops to 72.3 FPS at 1440p, and then to 40.4 FPS at 4K. The 1440p to 4K reduction is exactly 44%, matching the other presets. This uniform percentage across all quality levels reinforces that the resolution itself, not the visual complexity, is the dominant factor in frame rate degradation. The data suggests that if you are targeting 4K, you will need to accept a significant frame rate penalty regardless of the preset, and the High preset’s 52.2 FPS average is the only one that approaches a playable level.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-9400 is a six-core, six-thread processor with a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.10 GHz. It belongs to the Coffee Lake architecture, built on a 14 nm process, and its 9 MB of shared L3 cache is modest by modern standards. In synthetic benchmarks, this CPU scores 7969 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 1125 in single-core, placing it at the 50th percentile against all CPUs. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i3-10305, which is only 0.2% ahead, and the Intel Core i7-8809G, which is 0.6% behind.

For The Technomancer, the CPU’s role appears secondary to the GPU in most scenarios. The 1080p Low preset’s 176.9 FPS average suggests that the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU enough data at lower resolutions, where the frame rate is high but not excessive. However, the fact that the 1080p Ultra preset produces 109.7 FPS, while the 4K Low preset produces 79.1 FPS, indicates that the CPU is not the limiting factor at higher resolutions. The six cores and six threads are sufficient for the game’s threading model, as there is no evidence of a CPU bottleneck causing frame rate stalls at 1440p or 4K.

The processor’s 42.7 GB/s memory bandwidth and dual-channel DDR4 support are adequate for this workload, but they are not exceptional. The benchmark results show that the i5-9400 holds its ground against the i3-10305 and Xeon E-2134, but it does not provide any headroom for future titles that might scale better with additional threads. In this specific game, the CPU’s role is to maintain a stable baseline, which it does, but the frame rate ceiling is determined entirely by the graphics card.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 9070 is the dominant component in this pairing. It features the Navi 48 chip on RDNA 4.0 architecture, fabricated on a 4 nm process by TSMC. It has 53,900 million transistors on a 357 mm² die, and its 16 GB of GDDR6 memory operates over a 256-bit bus, providing 644.6 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU’s boost clock is 2520 MHz, with a game clock of 2070 MHz, and it delivers 36.13 TFLOPS of FP32 performance. It sits at the 79th percentile against all GPUs, with its nearest rival being the NVIDIA A2, which is 0.2% ahead in average benchmark score.

The measured FPS data directly reflects the GPU’s capabilities. At 4K High, the RX 9070 produces 52.2 FPS, which is a playable but not smooth experience for an action RPG. The transition from High to Medium at 4K improves performance to 62.8 FPS, a 20% gain, while dropping to Low yields 79.1 FPS, a 51% improvement over High. This demonstrates the GPU’s sensitivity to shading quality and texture filtering, which are the primary differences between these presets.

The VRAM allocation is not a concern, as 16 GB is more than sufficient for a 2016 game at any resolution. The 128 ROPs and 322.6 GPixel/s pixel rate are the key figures for 4K performance. The data shows that the RX 9070 is capable of exceeding 100 FPS at 1080p on Medium and High presets, but it struggles to maintain 60 FPS at 4K on anything above Medium. This is a GPU-bound scenario, and the benchmark results indicate that the card’s raw compute power is better utilized at lower resolutions where the CPU can keep pace.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations, this pairing of the Intel Core i5-9400 and AMD Radeon RX 9070 ranks 614th out of 1656 combos for The Technomancer. This places it in the top 37% of all tested configurations, which is a respectable position given the age of the CPU. The rank is likely held back by the CPU’s lower single-thread performance compared to newer processors, but the GPU’s high percentile ranking compensates for this in most scenarios.

The nearest CPU rivals, such as the Intel Core i3-10305 and Core i7-8809G, have nearly identical average benchmark scores, with deltas of 0.2% and -0.6% respectively. This means that swapping the i5-9400 for either of those CPUs would not materially change the combo’s rank in this game. The GPU’s nearest rival, the NVIDIA A2, is only 0.2% ahead in average score, and the AMD Radeon HD 7970 is 0.7% behind. This suggests that the RX 9070 is a solid performer, but it is not an outlier in its class.

The combo rank of 614 indicates that there are 613 other combinations that offer better performance in The Technomancer. Given that the data is measured, not estimated, this rank is reliable. The 1080p High score of 145.8 FPS is strong, but the 4K Ultra score of 40.4 FPS is below the 60 FPS threshold that many players consider essential. The ranking reflects the overall balance of the system, and the weak link is clearly the CPU, which limits the combo’s ability to reach the top tier of the database.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured average FPS values, the optimal setting for this combo depends on your target resolution. At 1080p, the Medium preset delivers 159.9 FPS, which is only 9.6% lower than the Low preset’s 176.9 FPS. The High preset at 1080p produces 145.8 FPS, which is still well above 144 Hz, making it the best choice for high-refresh-rate monitors. The Ultra preset drops to 109.7 FPS, which is playable but sacrifices 25% of the High preset’s frame rate for marginal visual gains.

At 1440p, the Medium preset is the sweet spot, with 107.7 FPS, which is comfortably above 60 FPS and close to 100 FPS. The High preset offers 93.6 FPS, which is still excellent, but the Ultra preset falls to 72.3 FPS. For a 1440p 144 Hz display, High is recommended, as it provides a smooth experience without dropping below the 90 FPS mark. The Low preset at 143.2 FPS is unnecessary unless you are chasing maximum frame rates.

At 4K, the situation is more constrained. The High preset’s 52.2 FPS is the only option that is close to playable, but it is below 60 FPS. The Medium preset improves to 62.8 FPS, which is the only measured configuration that crosses the 60 FPS threshold at 4K. The Low preset at 79.1 FPS is the best for smoothness, but it sacrifices visual fidelity. The Ultra preset at 40.4 FPS is not recommended, as it falls below 45 FPS, which is the minimum for a consistent gaming experience in an action RPG. For the best balance of quality and performance at 4K, Medium is the recommended preset, as it achieves 62.8 FPS without dropping to Low settings.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to maintain 60 FPS?

A: At 4K, only the Medium preset achieves above 60 FPS, with 62.8 FPS. At 1440p, all presets except Ultra exceed 60 FPS, with Low at 143.2 FPS, Medium at 107.7 FPS, and High at 93.6 FPS. At 1080p, every preset is above 100 FPS, with High at 145.8 FPS.

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

A: The data indicates the GPU is the primary constraint, as the 1080p Low preset produces 176.9 FPS, but the 1080p Ultra preset drops to 109.7 FPS. The CPU’s six cores and 4.10 GHz boost clock are sufficient to avoid a bottleneck, as evidenced by the high frame rates at Low settings.

Q: How does the RX 9070 compare to its nearest rival in this game?

A: The RX 9070 has an average benchmark score of 34780, which is 0.2% lower than the NVIDIA A2’s 34866. In practical terms, this means the two GPUs perform identically in The Technomancer, and the combo rank would not change if the GPU were swapped.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K Ultra settings?

A: No. The measured 4K Ultra average is 40.4 FPS, which is below the playable threshold. The 4K High preset at 52.2 FPS is also marginal, making 4K Medium the highest preset that exceeds 60 FPS.

Q: Does the CPU’s age affect the frame rate at 4K?

A: No. The 4K frame rates are entirely GPU-bound, as shown by the uniform 44-45% drop from 1440p to 4K across all presets. The i5-9400’s performance is sufficient to feed the RX 9070 at this resolution.

Q: What is the highest FPS this combo can achieve in The Technomancer?

A: The highest measured average is 176.9 FPS at 1080p with Low settings. The High preset at 1080p reaches 145.8 FPS, which is the highest setting with a frame rate above 140 FPS.