The Technomancer

The Technomancer, a 2016 Action RPG, shows distinct performance scaling across the measured settings and resolutions for the Intel Core Ultra 5 135H and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Mobile combo. The data indicates that the most balanced experience is achieved at 2560x1440 with Medium settings, where the average frame rate of 85 FPS provides a solid margin above display refresh rates while maintaining visual fidelity. At 1920x1080, Medium settings deliver 130 FPS, which is excellent for high-refresh-rate displays, but the jump to High settings at 111 FPS is also viable. The 4K resolution is demanding, with only Low settings reaching a playable 61 FPS average, suggesting that this combo is not ideal for 3840x2160 gaming in this title.

Settings Recommendations

The benchmark data reveals a clear hierarchy in performance across the four preset settings. At 1920x1080, the progression from Low to Ultra yields average frame rates of 169, 130, 111, and 86 FPS respectively. The step from Low to Medium represents a 23% reduction in average FPS, while the step from Medium to High is a 15% reduction, and High to Ultra is a further 23% reduction. This pattern suggests diminishing returns at the highest preset, where the visual uplift from High to Ultra may not justify the 25 FPS average loss.

For the best experience per the measured rows, Medium settings at 1920x1080 offer the most compelling combination of performance and quality. The 130 FPS average is more than double the 60 FPS baseline, providing headroom for demanding scenes. The measured minimum of 110 FPS at this configuration ensures that even the heaviest moments maintain smooth motion. At 2560x1440, Medium settings again emerge as the optimal choice, with an 85 FPS average and a 72 FPS minimum. This resolution provides a sharper image than 1080p while still keeping frame rates well above the 60 FPS threshold.

High settings are a reasonable alternative for users prioritizing image quality over raw frame rates. At 1080p, High produces 111 FPS, which is still exceptionally smooth, and at 1440p it produces 72 FPS, which is just above the 60 FPS target. The data shows that Ultra settings should be reserved for users who demand maximum visual fidelity and can tolerate frame rates in the 56-86 FPS range depending on resolution. At 4K, only Low settings achieve an average above 60 FPS, making it the only viable preset for that resolution.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Mobile is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with a 5 nm process node and contains 22,900 million transistors on a 188 mm² die. Its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory operates across a 128-bit bus, providing 256.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU's base clock runs at 1395 MHz with a boost clock of 1695 MHz, while the memory runs at 2000 MHz with 16 Gbps effective speed. With 4608 shading units, 144 texture mapping units, and 48 raster output units, the GPU delivers 15.62 TFLOPS of FP32 performance. The pixel rate is 81.36 GPixel/s and the texture rate is 244.1 GTexel/s.

The benchmark data shows that the RTX 4070 Mobile's performance in The Technomancer is heavily influenced by the memory subsystem and raw compute throughput. At 4K resolution, the GPU is clearly the limiting factor, as the average frame rates across all settings fall below 61 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra at 4K is 30 FPS, representing a 49% reduction in performance when maxing out the settings. This substantial drop indicates that the GPU's 8 GB frame buffer and 256.0 GB/s bandwidth are strained by the pixel throughput required at 3840x2160.

In the broader context of GPU benchmarks, the RTX 4070 Mobile scores 19,587 in Passmark G3D and 8,399 in Passmark GPU Compute. Its average benchmark score of 27,435 places it in the 73rd percentile of all GPUs. The nearest rivals show close competition, with the AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT matching the score exactly at 27,425 (0% delta), while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 scores 27,565, a 0.5% advantage. The NVIDIA RTX PRO 4000 Blackwell trails by 1.1% with a score of 27,135. These figures suggest that the mobile RTX 4070 delivers desktop-class performance in synthetic tests, but the game-specific data shows its real-world capabilities in this title.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 135H is a 14-core, 18-thread processor from the Meteor Lake architecture, manufactured on Intel's 7 nm process. It features a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.60 GHz, with a TDP of 28 W. The cache hierarchy includes 112 KB of L1 cache per core, 2 MB of L2 cache per core, and 18 MB of shared L3 cache. The CPU supports dual-channel DDR5 memory with a bandwidth of 89.6 GB/s and connects via PCIe Gen 5 with 8 lanes.

In synthetic benchmarks, the Core Ultra 5 135H demonstrates strong multi-threaded capabilities. Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score is 11,875.5, while the single-core score is 1,700. The Passmark multi-thread score reaches 22,422, with a single-thread score of 3,521. These results place the CPU in the 81st percentile of all processors, with an average benchmark score of 29,093. The nearest rivals show minimal differences: the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X scores 29,123 (0.1% higher), the Intel Xeon Phi 7210 scores 29,245 (0.5% higher), the AMD Ryzen 5 5600XT scores 28,940 (0.5% lower), and the Intel Core i5-13500HX scores 29,270 (0.6% higher).

In The Technomancer, the CPU's role is less pronounced than the GPU's at higher resolutions. The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K at identical settings shows the CPU becomes less relevant as the pixel count increases. At 1080p Low, the 169 FPS average suggests the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU with enough draw calls to maintain high frame rates. The 18 threads provide ample parallelism for the game's action RPG mechanics, which typically involve numerous AI-controlled entities and physics calculations. The 4.60 GHz boost clock ensures strong single-threaded performance, which is critical for game logic and scripting.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 5 135H and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Mobile ranks 1,984 out of 3,696 tested combos in The Technomancer. This places the combo in the 46th percentile of all tested configurations, meaning roughly 54% of tested combos perform better in this specific game. The mid-pack ranking is somewhat surprising given the individual components' strong synthetic scores, but it reflects the game's age and its particular optimization patterns.

The rank position suggests that The Technomancer may be more sensitive to certain hardware characteristics than raw compute power. The game's 2016 release date means it predates many modern optimization techniques for multi-core processors and high-end GPUs. The combo's 14-core CPU may not be fully utilized, and the RTX 4070 Mobile's advanced features such as ray tracing cores and tensor cores are irrelevant since the game does not support these technologies. The ranking indicates that older, high-clock-count CPUs paired with mid-range GPUs from the same era might achieve better frame rates due to better compatibility.

When interpreting this rank, it is important to note that it reflects the specific interaction between the CPU, GPU, and the game engine. The combo's 73rd percentile GPU score and 81st percentile CPU score do not translate to a similarly high percentile in game performance. This discrepancy highlights that synthetic benchmarks do not always predict real-world gaming performance, especially for titles with unique engine characteristics. The data shows that this combo is capable but not exceptional for this particular game.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a consistent pattern of performance degradation as resolution increases. At Low settings, the average frame rates are 169 FPS at 1080p, 110 FPS at 1440p, and 61 FPS at 4K. This represents a 35% drop from 1080p to 1440p and a further 45% drop from 1440p to 4K. The total reduction from 1080p to 4K at Low settings is 64%, indicating that the GPU is the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions.

At Medium settings, the frame rates are 130 FPS at 1080p, 85 FPS at 1440p, and 47 FPS at 4K. The 1080p to 1440p drop is 35%, consistent with the Low settings pattern, while the 1440p to 4K drop is 45%. The 4K average of 47 FPS falls below the 60 FPS threshold, making Medium settings unplayable at that resolution. At High settings, the averages are 111 FPS at 1080p, 72 FPS at 1440p, and 40 FPS at 4K, with a 35% drop from 1080p to 1440p and a 44% drop from 1440p to 4K.

The resolution scaling analysis shows that the frame rate roughly halves when going from 1080p to 4K, which is consistent with the 4x increase in pixel count. However, the consistent 35% drop from 1080p to 1440p is less than the theoretical 44% reduction in pixel count (from 2.07 million to 3.69 million pixels), suggesting that the CPU or other system components provide some headroom at 1440p. The larger drop from 1440p to 4K aligns more closely with pixel count expectations, confirming that the GPU becomes fully saturated at 4K. This data indicates that the RTX 4070 Mobile is the limiting component across all resolutions, with the CPU providing sufficient performance up to 1440p.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured average frame rates show a clear hierarchy across settings. Low settings produce the highest average at 169 FPS, followed by Medium at 130 FPS, High at 111 FPS, and Ultra at 86 FPS. The Medium settings row includes minimum and maximum values of 110 FPS and 149 FPS, respectively, indicating a 39 FPS variance throughout the benchmark run. This variance suggests that some scenes are significantly more demanding than others, but the minimum still remains well above playable thresholds.

At 2560x1440, the average frame rates are 110 FPS at Low, 85 FPS at Medium, 72 FPS at High, and 56 FPS at Ultra. The Medium settings row again provides additional data with a minimum of 72 FPS and a maximum of 97 FPS. The 25 FPS variance at 1440p Medium is proportionally similar to the 1080p Medium variance. The Ultra setting at 1440p drops below 60 FPS average, making it a questionable choice for smooth gameplay, while High settings maintain a 72 FPS average that is suitable for most displays.

At 3840x2160, the average frame rates are 61 FPS at Low, 47 FPS at Medium, 40 FPS at High, and 31 FPS at Ultra. The Medium settings row provides a minimum of 40 FPS and a maximum of 53 FPS, showing a 13 FPS variance. None of the settings at 4K achieve a consistent 60 FPS average, with only Low settings reaching that threshold exactly. The Ultra setting's 31 FPS average is barely playable, and the High setting's 40 FPS average is borderline. The data clearly shows that 4K is not a realistic target for this combo in The Technomancer, except at the lowest quality preset.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows that 2560x1440 with Medium settings provides an 85 FPS average with a 72 FPS minimum, offering a good balance between image quality and smoothness. At 1920x1080, Medium settings deliver 130 FPS, which is ideal for high-refresh-rate displays.

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

A: Only at Low settings, which produces a 61 FPS average. Medium settings drop to 47 FPS, High to 40 FPS, and Ultra to 31 FPS. The data suggests that 4K is only viable at the lowest quality preset.

Q: How does the RTX 4070 Mobile compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The GPU scores 19,587 in Passmark G3D, matching the AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT exactly. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 scores 0.5% higher, while the NVIDIA RTX PRO 4000 Blackwell is 1.1% lower. The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 20 is 1.5% higher.

Q: What is the CPU's percentile ranking and its nearest competitor?

A: The Core Ultra 5 135H ranks in the 81st percentile of all CPUs with an average benchmark score of 29,093. Its nearest rival is the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X, which scores 29,123, a 0.1% difference. The Intel Core i5-13500HX is 0.6% higher.

Q: How much performance is lost when increasing from 1080p to 4K?

A: At Low settings, the average frame rate drops from 169 FPS at 1080p to 61 FPS at 4K, a 64% reduction. At Medium settings, the drop is from 130 FPS to 47 FPS (64% reduction). At High settings, it drops from 111 FPS to 40 FPS (64% reduction).

Q: Where does this combo rank among all tested configurations in this game?

A: The combo ranks 1,984 out of 3,696 tested combos, placing it in the 46th percentile. This means about 54% of tested combinations perform better in The Technomancer, despite the components' strong individual synthetic benchmark scores.