The Technomancer

The Intel Core i5-9400 paired with the Intel Arc B370 is a combination that sits at the very bottom of the performance hierarchy for The Technomancer. With a combo rank of 2603 out of 2825 tested configurations, this system is strictly for low-resolution, low-detail play. The data indicates that this pairing is heavily constrained by the integrated-class GPU, which lacks dedicated memory and relies on system RAM. This is not a build for high refresh rates or high-fidelity visuals; it is a setup that will get the game running at playable, albeit modest, frame rates only after significant graphical compromises.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data reveals a clear, linear relationship between graphical presets and performance across all resolutions. The most significant finding is the stark difference between Low and Ultra settings. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers an average of 71 FPS, which is the only truly fluid experience this combination can offer. In contrast, the Ultra preset drops to an average of 37 FPS, which is a substantial 34 FPS reduction. This suggests that the Ultra preset imposes a load that the Arc B370 cannot handle without major frame drops, making it unsuitable for consistent gameplay.

For a 1080p display, the data clearly points to the Low preset as the only viable option for a smooth experience. The 71 FPS average is comfortable and ensures the game remains responsive. The Medium preset at 55 FPS is a significant downgrade from Low, but it is still playable. However, the 47 FPS average at High makes it a borderline choice. Given the data, the ideal experience at 1080p is achieved with Low settings, sacrificing visual fidelity for a stable and high frame rate. If a user insists on better visuals, Medium is the maximum acceptable trade-off, as the High preset's performance is too close to the 47 FPS floor to be reliable.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance drops become more pronounced. The Low preset still manages a decent 47 FPS average, making it the only playable setting at this resolution. Medium drops to 36 FPS, and High falls to 31 FPS, both of which are below the threshold for smooth action gameplay. The Ultra preset at 24 FPS is effectively unplayable. Therefore, at 1440p, the Low preset is the sole recommendation. For 4K (3840x2160), the data shows that all presets are below playable thresholds. The Low preset manages only 26 FPS, and Medium is 20 FPS. None of these meet the standard for a playable action RPG, so this resolution should be avoided entirely.

The data suggests that the best experience for this combo is to prioritize frame rate over visual quality. The performance gap between Low and Medium is roughly 20-30%, while the visual difference is often less impactful in fast-paced action. The recommendation is to start with the Low preset at 1080p and adjust from there. The Medium preset can be attempted if the 55 FPS average feels sufficient, but users should be prepared for it to drop below 60 FPS in busier scenes. There is no scenario in the measured data where High or Ultra presets provide an acceptable frame rate for a smooth experience.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank for this configuration in The Technomancer is 2603 out of 2825 total tested combinations. This places it in the bottom 8% of all systems tested, indicating that it is one of the weakest configurations for this particular game. This ranking is a direct result of the GPU's performance profile. The Intel Arc B370's average benchmark score sits at a very low 1184 in 3DMark Steel Nomad, placing it in the 5th percentile of all GPUs. This indicates that the GPU is the primary bottleneck, as its raw rendering power is extremely limited.

The CPU, while not powerful by modern standards, is not the limiting factor in this pairing. The Intel Core i5-9400 has an average benchmark score of 2254, placing it in the 47th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i7-1068NG7 (deltaPct -0.2) and the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 (deltaPct 0.4), showing that its compute performance is adequate for a mid-range processor from its generation. However, the GPU's performance is so low that it drags the entire combination down to the bottom of the rankings. The GPU's nearest rivals are the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 (deltaPct -0.2) and the AMD Radeon HD 7650M (deltaPct -0.7), which are both legacy parts from over a decade ago.

This ranking is not a reflection of the CPU's capability but rather a warning about the GPU's severe limitations. The data shows that this combo is not suitable for demanding games like The Technomancer at higher settings. The 2603rd place ranking is a clear indicator that users should expect significant compromises. The system is effectively performing at a level comparable to integrated graphics from a much older era. Any expectation of high-detail gaming is unrealistic; the primary goal should be to achieve a playable frame rate, which is only possible at the lowest settings and resolutions.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B370 plays the decisive role in this combo's performance, and its specifications explain the measured results. The GPU, based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, has 1280 shading units, 40 texture mapping units, and 20 render output units. Its boost clock is rated at 2400 MHz, with a base clock of 300 MHz. While these clock speeds are respectable, the GPU's fundamental limitation is its memory configuration. The Arc B370 uses System Shared memory, meaning it has no dedicated VRAM and must draw from the system's main memory pool.

This shared memory architecture is the primary reason for the poor performance. The memory bandwidth is listed as System Dependent, which in practice is far slower than the dedicated GDDR6 or GDDR5 memory found on discrete graphics cards. This severely hampers the GPU's ability to feed its processing units with data, especially at higher resolutions and texture settings. The low pixel rate of 48.00 GPixel/s and texture rate of 96.00 GTexel/s are direct consequences of this memory bottleneck, limiting how quickly the GPU can fill the screen with data.

The GPU's FP32 performance is rated at 6.144 TFLOPS, which is a modest figure. However, the architectural inefficiency from the shared memory system means that this theoretical peak is rarely achieved in real-world gaming. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1184 confirms its low standing, placing it in the 5th percentile of all GPUs. This data suggests that the GPU is not designed for gaming at all, but rather for basic graphical output in a portable device. The "Portable Device Dependent" display output and the 25 W TDP further confirm its role as an integrated-class solution, not a gaming part. In The Technomancer, this manifests as the severe frame rate drops seen when moving from 1080p to 1440p and 4K.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for The Technomancer shows a consistent pattern of performance degradation as resolution and settings increase. At 1920x1080, the Low preset yields an average of 71 FPS, which is the highest score recorded for this combo. The Medium preset drops to 55 FPS, with a minimum of 47 FPS and a maximum of 63 FPS. High averages 47 FPS, and Ultra drops to 37 FPS. This represents a 48% performance loss from Low to Ultra at 1080p.

At 2560x1440, the performance is significantly lower. Low averages 47 FPS, which is a 34% drop from the 1080p Low score. Medium averages 36 FPS, with a range of 30 to 41 FPS. High drops to 31 FPS, and Ultra falls to 24 FPS. The 1440p Low setting matches the 1080p High setting, showing that the resolution increase has a similar impact to raising the detail level. This is indicative of a GPU that is heavily resolution-bound.

The 4K (3840x2160) results are uniformly poor. Low averages 26 FPS, Medium 20 FPS (with a range of 17 to 23), High 17 FPS, and Ultra 13 FPS. None of these scores are playable for an action RPG. The data shows that the system cannot handle the pixel count of 4K, regardless of the visual preset. The performance drops are drastic; for example, moving from 1080p Low to 4K Low reduces the average frame rate by 63%. This confirms that the Arc B370's memory bandwidth is insufficient for high-resolution rendering.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals a GPU that is almost entirely bandwidth-limited. At the Low preset, the average FPS drops from 71 at 1080p to 47 at 1440p, a 34% reduction. Moving from 1440p to 4K, the average drops from 47 to 26, another 45% reduction. The scaling is not linear, indicating that the shared memory system becomes increasingly less efficient as the resolution demands more data. The 4K Low score of 26 FPS is less than half of the 1080p Low score of 71 FPS.

This scaling pattern is a classic sign of a GPU with insufficient memory bandwidth. The system's shared memory, which has a "System Dependent" bandwidth, cannot keep up with the increased data throughput required at higher resolutions. The CPU, with its 42.7 GB/s memory bandwidth, is not the limiting factor here; the GPU's interface to that memory is the bottleneck. The data suggests that even at the lowest settings, the GPU is struggling to feed its cores with texture and geometry data, and this struggle is exacerbated by every increase in pixel count.

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K at the Medium preset is equally telling. The average FPS falls from 55 to 20, a 64% reduction. This is a larger percentage drop than from Low to Medium, demonstrating that the higher texture detail levels at Medium further stress the limited memory bandwidth. The conclusion is clear: this combo is designed for 1080p gaming only. Any attempt to scale up to 1440p or 4K results in a disproportionate loss of performance, confirming that the Intel Arc B370 is the limiting component. The CPU's performance headroom is irrelevant because the GPU cannot utilize it at higher resolutions.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to play The Technomancer with this hardware?

A: The measured data shows that 1920x1080 is the only viable resolution. At 1080p, the Low preset achieves an average of 71 FPS, while the Medium preset gets 55 FPS. At 2560x1440, the Low preset drops to 47 FPS, and at 3840x2160, even the Low preset only manages 26 FPS, which is not playable.

Q: Can this combo run The Technomancer at 4K resolution?

A: No. The data shows that all 4K presets are below playable thresholds. The best 4K result is 26 FPS at the Low preset, with Ultra dropping to 13 FPS. These frame rates are too low for a smooth action RPG experience.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the main bottleneck in this system?

A: The GPU is the primary bottleneck. The Intel Arc B370's 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 1184 places it in the 5th percentile, while the Core i5-9400's average benchmark score of 2254 places it in the 47th percentile. The GPU's shared memory configuration severely limits its performance, while the CPU has enough compute power to feed it.

Q: How much of a performance difference is there between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: The difference is significant. The Low preset averages 71 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 37 FPS. This is a 34 FPS drop, representing a 48% performance loss. The Ultra preset is not recommended because the frame rate is too low for consistent smoothness.

Q: What is the best graphics preset to use for a smooth 60 FPS experience?

A: The only preset that exceeds 60 FPS in the data is the Low preset at 1920x1080, which averages 71 FPS. The Medium preset at 1080p averages 55 FPS, which is below 60 FPS. While it is close, the Low preset is the only one that guarantees a frame rate above 60 FPS.

Q: Does the Intel Arc B370 have dedicated video memory?

A: No. The GPU's memory configuration is listed as "System Shared" for size, type, and bus width. Its bandwidth is "System Dependent," meaning it relies on the system's main RAM. This shared memory architecture is a major reason for the low performance, as it lacks the dedicated high-speed memory found on discrete graphics cards.