The Technomancer

The Technomancer, a 2016 Action RPG, presents a demanding workload for the Intel Core Ultra 5 135H and AMD Radeon 760M combination. The measured data reveals a system that is heavily constrained by its integrated graphics, with performance that struggles to maintain playable frame rates even at lower resolutions. This analysis examines the benchmark results, focusing on how the system scales across different settings and what that implies about the hardware's capabilities.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate data shows a steep and consistent drop as resolution increases, which is the classic signature of a GPU-bound scenario. At 1080p with High settings, the combo averages 32 FPS. Moving to 1440p drops that figure to 21 FPS, a 34% reduction. Pushing further to 4K (3840x2160) results in an average of just 11 FPS, which is a 66% drop from the 1080p High result. This scaling pattern indicates that the rendering workload is overwhelming the GPU, and the pixel count is the primary factor limiting performance.

The scaling from Medium settings tells a similar story. At 1080p Medium, the average is 37 FPS. At 1440p Medium, it falls to 24 FPS, and at 4K Medium, it plummets to 13 FPS. The difference between 1080p and 1440p is a 35% decrease, while the jump to 4K represents a 65% decrease from 1080p. This consistent proportional drop across different quality presets reinforces that the bottleneck is the GPU's fill rate and shading capacity, not the CPU or memory bandwidth.

The data implies that the limiting component is unequivocally the AMD Radeon 760M. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see less variation between 1080p and 4K, as the resolution increase would not significantly change the CPU's workload. Instead, the frame rates halve with each major resolution step, demonstrating that the integrated GPU's pixel processing capabilities are exhausted early. The 4K results, ranging from 9 FPS on Ultra to 17 FPS on Low, are all below the threshold for smooth gameplay, suggesting that this resolution is simply not viable for this hardware in The Technomancer.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon 760M is an integrated graphics processor based on the RDNA 3.0 architecture. With a boost clock of 2599 MHz, its performance is directly tied to the system's shared memory. The GPU's memory size, type, and bus width are all listed as "System Shared," and its bandwidth is "System Dependent." This means the GPU is competing with the CPU for the same memory resources, which can further impact performance in memory-intensive scenes.

The GPU's raw compute capabilities are modest. It has 512 shading units, 32 TMUs, and 16 ROPs, with a pixel rate of 41.58 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 83.17 GTexel/s. Its FP32 performance is rated at 5.323 TFLOPS. These specifications are on the lower end for modern gaming, and the benchmark scores reflect this. The GPU's Passmark G3D score is 5310, placing it in the 35th percentile of all GPUs. This puts it in the same performance tier as the AMD Radeon RX 6400 and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770M, according to its nearest rivals, though those are discrete parts.

In the context of The Technomancer, the GPU's role is the sole performance gate. The measured FPS data shows that even at the lowest settings, the system cannot achieve 60 FPS at 1080p. The data suggests that the GPU's VRAM limitation (being shared with the system) and its raw compute power are the primary reasons for the low frame rates. The 4K results, which are all below 20 FPS, point to a GPU that is capable of rendering the image but lacks the bandwidth and processing power to do so at a playable speed.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core Ultra 5 135H and AMD Radeon 760M combination ranks 2817 out of 2825 tested combos for The Technomancer. This places it in the bottom 0.3% of all tested systems, indicating that it is one of the least capable configurations for this title. This ranking is a strong statement about the overall gaming performance of this hardware pairing.

The ranking is heavily influenced by the GPU's low percentile score. The Radeon 760M sits in the 35th percentile of all GPUs, which is low, but the combo's rank is even more extreme. This suggests that the specific combination of this CPU and GPU is particularly ill-suited for The Technomancer, possibly due to the memory-sharing bottleneck or other system-level constraints. The GPU's nearest rivals, like the AMD Radeon RX 6400, are also low-performing, but the combo's rank suggests it is at the very bottom of the barrel for this game.

This poor ranking is a direct consequence of the measured FPS data. With a top average of 48 FPS at 1080p Low, the system fails to deliver a smooth experience in most scenarios. The data indicates that this combo is not designed for gaming at high resolutions or settings, and its performance in The Technomancer is a clear reflection of that limitation. For a user with this hardware, the benchmark results suggest that significant compromises will be required to achieve a playable frame rate.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a granular look at the system's performance across all tested configurations. At 1080p, the results are as follows: Low settings yield an average of 48 FPS, Medium yields 37 FPS (with a range of 32-43 FPS), High yields 32 FPS, and Ultra yields 25 FPS. This shows a clear and expected decline in performance as visual quality increases.

At 1440p, the impact of the increased resolution is severe. Low settings average 32 FPS, Medium averages 24 FPS (with a range of 21-28 FPS), High averages 21 FPS, and Ultra drops to 16 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 16 FPS, which is a 50% performance penalty for the highest quality preset.

At 4K, the system is overwhelmed. Low settings are the only playable option, with an average of 17 FPS. Medium settings average 13 FPS (with a range of 11-15 FPS), High drops to 11 FPS, and Ultra is nearly unplayable at 9 FPS. The data shows that even the lowest settings at 4K are below the minimum threshold for a good experience, making this resolution impractical for the hardware.

The data also reveals a consistent relationship between settings at each resolution. The delta between Low and Medium is roughly 9-11 FPS, while the delta between High and Ultra is about 7-8 FPS. This suggests that the cost of moving from Low to Medium is similar across resolutions, but the absolute frame rates are so low at 4K that these differences are less noticeable. The only scenario where the system approaches a "playable" 30 FPS is at 1080p Low, with 48 FPS being the best result in the entire dataset.

FAQ

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

A: The highest average FPS recorded is 48, which occurs at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming in The Technomancer?

A: No. The highest average FPS at 3840x2160 is 17 on Low settings, with Ultra settings yielding only 9 FPS. All 4K results are far below playable thresholds.

Q: How does the GPU's performance compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The AMD Radeon 760M has an average benchmark score of 6019. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 6400, has a score of 6001, representing a 0.3% difference. This indicates they are statistically tied in overall performance.

Q: What is the CPU's percentile ranking among all CPUs?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 135H is in the 81st percentile of all CPUs, indicating it is a relatively high-performing processor for general tasks.

Q: What is the FPS range for 1080p Medium settings?

A: The measured data shows a minimum of 32 FPS and a maximum of 43 FPS, with an average of 37 FPS at 1920x1080 with Medium settings.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in this game?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the limiting factor. The frame rates drop dramatically with resolution increases, which is a classic sign of a GPU bottleneck, despite the CPU's strong 81st percentile ranking.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 135H is a 14-core, 18-thread processor based on the Meteor Lake architecture. It has a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.60 GHz. With an 18 MB shared L3 cache and a Passmark single-thread score of 3521, it is a capable CPU for general computing. Its multi-threaded performance is also strong, as evidenced by its 22,422 Passmark multithread score and its 81st percentile ranking.

However, the CPU's role in The Technomancer is secondary. The benchmark data shows that the GPU is the clear bottleneck, as the frame rates scale inversely with resolution. If the CPU were the limiting factor, we would see less variation between 1080p and 4K. The fact that performance drops by over 50% from 1080p to 4K at every settings level confirms that the CPU has enough headroom to feed the GPU, but the GPU is unable to process the frames fast enough.

The CPU's specifications, such as its 14 cores and 18 threads, are more than sufficient for a game released in 2016. The data implies that the processor is not struggling with the game's logic or physics. Instead, the integrated GPU's lack of dedicated VRAM and limited compute units are what hold the system back. The CPU's high percentile ranking relative to the GPU's low ranking (35th percentile) further emphasizes this imbalance. The processor is a high-end mobile part, while the graphics solution is a basic integrated unit, making the GPU the definitive limiting factor in this pairing.

Settings Recommendations

Given the measured data, the recommended settings for this hardware prioritize frame rate over visual fidelity. The only way to achieve a consistently smooth experience is to use the lowest settings at 1080p. The 1080p Low preset, with an average of 48 FPS, is the only configuration that approaches a playable 60 FPS and is the only viable option for action-heavy gameplay.

The 1080p Medium preset, averaging 37 FPS, is a more visually appealing option but comes with a significant performance cost. It is a better choice for players who prefer visual quality over a high frame rate, as 37 FPS is still within the range of playability for some, but it is not ideal. The 1080p High and Ultra presets, at 32 and 25 FPS respectively, are best avoided due to the noticeable drop in smoothness.

At 1440p and 4K, the data shows that the system is not suitable for this game. Even the lowest settings at 1440p only achieve 32 FPS, and 4K is entirely unplayable. For the best experience, users should stick to 1080p and select Low settings. This provides the highest average frame rate and the most responsive gameplay. The data clearly suggests that sacrificing visual fidelity is necessary to unlock the system's full potential in The Technomancer, and the performance gap between Low and the next preset at 1080p is significant enough to warrant the compromise.