The Technomancer

The Technomancer, a 2016 Action RPG, presents a demanding workload that stresses both modern CPU architectures and GPU rasterization pipelines. The benchmark data for the Intel Core Ultra 5 125H paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 Mobile provides a clear picture of a balanced mobile platform that is capable at 1080p but shows its limitations as resolution scales. This analysis interprets the measured FPS results to define the CPU and GPU roles, ranking relative to other tested hardware, and provides specific settings recommendations based on the observed data.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution and settings combination for this hardware in The Technomancer?

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 at Medium settings delivers an average of 95 FPS, which is the highest frame rate that maintains a comfortable margin over the 60 FPS threshold while using a moderate preset. While Low settings at 1080p reach 124 FPS, the Medium preset offers a better visual quality-to-performance balance.

Q: How much of a performance drop does the game show when moving from 1080p to 4K?

A: At High settings, the average frame rate drops from 81 FPS at 1920x1080 to 53 FPS at 2560x1440, and finally to 29 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a reduction of approximately 64% from the 1080p result at the 4K resolution.

Q: Is the Intel Core Ultra 5 125H a limiting factor in this game?

A: The benchmark results indicate that the CPU is not the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions. The frame rate drops significantly as resolution increases (from 81 FPS at 1080p to 29 FPS at 4K on High settings), which is a classic indicator of GPU limitation. However, the CPU’s 14 cores and 18 threads provide sufficient headroom to prevent major CPU-bound stutters at lower resolutions.

Q: How does the RTX 5050 Mobile compare to its closest rivals in average benchmark score?

A: The RTX 5050 Mobile's average benchmark score of 43268 is nearly identical to the NVIDIA Quadro M6000 24 GB, with a deltaPct of 0.0%. It is also virtually tied with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER, which scores 43223, a difference of only 0.1%.

Q: What is the lowest playable frame rate observed in the measured data?

A: The lowest average frame rate recorded is 23 FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings. The minimum FPS recorded for any test was 29 FPS, which was observed at 2560x1440 and 3840x2160 on Medium settings, indicating that even the minimum frame rates can dip below 30 FPS at high resolutions.

Q: What is the CPU's single-threaded performance level compared to its multi-threaded performance?

A: The CPU achieves a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1647.5 and a multi-core score of 12804.5. This multi-core score is roughly 7.8 times higher than the single-core score, indicating strong scaling across its 14 cores.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 125H is a 14-core, 18-thread mobile processor based on the Meteor Lake architecture. Its configuration, with a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.50 GHz, provides a solid foundation for gaming. In The Technomancer, the CPU’s role is to handle game logic, physics, and the overarching frame pacing. The benchmark data suggests that this processor is well-suited for this task, as frame rates scale predictably with resolution changes, which is not always the case when a CPU is severely underpowered.

The CPU’s performance, as measured by its average benchmark score of 27507, places it in the 79th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 7 5800 and the Intel Core i5-12600K, with the Core Ultra 5 125H performing within 0.3% of both. This indicates that the processor sits in a competitive mid-to-high tier, offering enough computational power to feed a modern GPU at 1080p and 1440p. In specific CPU-bound tests, the Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 12804.5 and single-core score of 1647.5 demonstrate a balanced capability, ensuring that neither heavily threaded nor lightly threaded workloads will cause a significant bottleneck.

At 1920x1080, the difference between Low and Ultra settings is substantial (124 FPS vs 64 FPS), which shows that the game is still responsive to GPU load changes at this resolution. However, the gap between 1080p and 1440p at the same settings (e.g., High: 81 FPS vs 53 FPS) is a larger relative drop, suggesting that the game’s rendering pipeline becomes more heavily dependent on the GPU as pixel count increases. The CPU maintains a consistent frame delivery, as evidenced by the lack of reported minimum FPS data for most settings, which often indicates that the frame time variance is not severe enough to warrant separate tracking. The data supports the conclusion that the Core Ultra 5 125H is a capable gaming CPU that does not introduce a major performance ceiling in this title.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 5 125H and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 Mobile achieves a rank of 2963 out of 3696 tested combos in The Technomancer. This places the combo in the lower portion of the performance distribution, specifically in the 20th percentile of all systems tested. This ranking is likely a reflection of the RTX 5050 Mobile’s position in the GPU hierarchy rather than a deficiency in the CPU.

The GPU’s average benchmark score of 43268 places it in the 83rd percentile of all GPUs, which is a higher relative standing than the combo’s overall rank. This discrepancy suggests that while the GPU is a strong performer in synthetic tests, other factors in the system, or the game’s specific engine characteristics, may be holding back the overall result. The RTX 5050 Mobile is closely matched with the NVIDIA Quadro M6000 24 GB (0.0% delta) and is only 0.9% behind the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Mobile in average score, which is a surprisingly tight grouping for such different hardware tiers.

The combo’s rank of 2963 out of 3696 indicates that a majority of tested systems perform better in this specific game. This could be due to the game’s age; The Technomancer was released in 2016, and newer hardware may handle its engine more efficiently. However, the data also shows that the RTX 5050 Mobile is a modern part with a high percentile rating, so the lower combo rank is more likely a result of the CPU not being a top-tier part (79th percentile) combined with the game’s specific optimization. The deltaPct values for the GPU’s rivals are all within 1%, meaning that the RTX 5050 Mobile is in a very tight performance cluster, and small variations in game-specific optimization could shift its position.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of performance across three resolutions and four quality presets. At 1920x1080, the RTX 5050 Mobile delivers a very playable experience. Low settings produce an average of 124 FPS, which drops to 95 FPS on Medium, 81 FPS on High, and 64 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset shows a minimum FPS of 81, ensuring that the frame rate stays consistently high.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates decrease significantly. Low settings average 81 FPS, Medium averages 62 FPS (with a minimum of 53 FPS), High averages 53 FPS, and Ultra averages 42 FPS. These numbers show that 1440p is still viable for gaming, especially on Medium and High settings, but the Ultra preset begins to strain the GPU.

At 3840x2160 (4K), the GPU is heavily taxed. Low settings average 45 FPS, Medium averages 34 FPS (with a minimum of 29 FPS), High averages 29 FPS, and Ultra drops to an average of 23 FPS. None of the 4K presets achieve a consistent 60 FPS, and even the Low preset falls short of a smooth 60 FPS target. The data shows a clear linear progression where each settings tier costs a specific amount of performance, regardless of resolution. For example, the difference between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 60 FPS, while at 1440p it is 39 FPS, and at 4K it is 22 FPS. This indicates that the absolute cost of Ultra settings is constant, but its relative impact on the base frame rate is much larger at higher resolutions.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 Mobile is the dominant component in this pairing for The Technomancer. With 8 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 128-bit bus, it provides a memory bandwidth of 384.0 GB/s, which is sufficient for this game’s textures at 1080p and 1440p. The GPU’s core configuration includes 2560 shading units and 32 ROPs, with a boost clock of 1500 MHz. This hardware allows for a theoretical pixel rate of 48.00 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 120.0 GTexel/s.

The GPU’s role is clearly shown in the FPS scaling. As resolution increases, the frame rate drops in a manner consistent with a GPU-bound scenario. The GPU’s average benchmark score of 43268 puts it in the 83rd percentile, which is a strong showing. However, its nearest rivals are older workstation cards like the Quadro M6000, which suggests that while the RTX 5050 Mobile is efficient, it does not have the raw throughput of higher-end modern desktop parts. The 16,900 million transistors on a 149 mm² die give it a high density, but the 50 W TDP limits its sustained performance compared to larger, more power-hungry desktop GPUs.

In this game, the GPU’s 8 GB VRAM is likely sufficient for the Low and Medium presets at all resolutions, but the High and Ultra presets at 4K may be approaching the memory limit, which could contribute to the low average FPS figures of 29 and 23. The benchmark results show that the RTX 5050 Mobile is a competent 1080p and 1440p GPU, but it is not designed for 4K gaming in demanding titles like The Technomancer.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal experience is achieved at 1920x1080 with Medium settings, which yields an average of 95 FPS and a minimum of 81 FPS. This provides a smooth, high-refresh-rate experience with a good balance of visual fidelity. For users preferring a higher visual quality, the High preset at 1080p offers 81 FPS on average, which is still very playable and only a slight step down in smoothness.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset is the best choice, with an average of 62 FPS and a minimum of 53 FPS. This is the only 1440p preset that maintains an average above 60 FPS. The High preset at 53 FPS is playable but may experience occasional dips. The Ultra preset at 1440p (42 FPS) is not recommended for a consistently smooth experience.

For 3840x2160, the data shows that this GPU is not suitable for high-quality 4K gaming in this title. The Low preset at 4K provides an average of 45 FPS, which is the only 4K option that is marginally playable, though it will not hit 60 FPS. The Medium preset at 34 FPS and High at 29 FPS are below the threshold for smooth gameplay. Therefore, users should stick to 1080p Medium or High for the best experience, or 1440p Medium if they prefer a higher resolution.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K is a clear indicator of a GPU-bound system. At High settings, the average FPS drops from 81 at 1920x1080 to 53 at 2560x1440, a 34.6% decrease, and then to 29 at 3840x2160, a further 45.3% decrease. This pattern of increasing percentage drops with each resolution step is typical of a GPU that is running out of pixel throughput.

The data shows that the performance cost of rendering more pixels is the primary limiting factor. For instance, at Low settings, the drop from 1080p (124 FPS) to 1440p (81 FPS) is 43 FPS, while the drop from 1440p to 4K (45 FPS) is 36 FPS. This suggests that while the GPU is heavily stressed, it is not hitting a hard wall until 4K, where even the lowest preset cannot maintain 60 FPS.

The fact that the CPU’s performance (79th percentile) is relatively strong compared to the GPU’s (83rd percentile) reinforces the conclusion that the RTX 5050 Mobile is the bottleneck. If the CPU were the limiting factor, the frame rates would be more consistent across resolutions, as the CPU’s workload does not scale with pixel count in the same way. The measured data clearly shows that the GPU is the component that dictates overall performance, and users should adjust resolution and settings expectations accordingly.