The Technomancer

The Technomancer pairs a 14-core Intel Core Ultra 5 135H mobile processor with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 desktop-class GPU. This combination is unusual—a high-end graphics card paired with a mid-range mobile CPU—and the benchmark data shows exactly how that pairing behaves across resolutions and settings. The results are heavily GPU-bound at higher resolutions, but the CPU’s capabilities become more apparent at 1080p, where frame rates peak.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core Ultra 5 135H is a Meteor Lake mobile processor with 14 cores and 18 threads. Its base clock is 3.60 GHz, boosting up to 4.60 GHz, and it carries 18 MB of shared L3 cache. With a TDP of 28 W, it is designed for efficiency rather than raw desktop-level performance, but its benchmark scores place it in the 81st percentile of all CPUs tested. In Cinebench R23, it scores 11,875.5 multi-core and 1,700 single-core, while PassMark multithread shows 22,422 and single-thread 3,521.

Against its nearest rivals, the Core Ultra 5 135H is essentially tied with the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X, with a delta of only -0.1%. It trails the Intel Xeon Phi 7210 by 0.5% and the Intel Core i5-13500HX by 0.6%, but beats the AMD Ryzen 5 5600XT by 0.5%. These are negligible differences, meaning the CPU offers performance comparable to a respectable desktop part from a few generations back, despite being a 28 W mobile chip.

In The Technomancer, the CPU’s role shifts depending on the resolution. At 4K, the GPU is the overwhelming bottleneck, and the CPU’s single-thread performance is sufficient to feed the RTX 4090 without major dips. At 1080p, however, the CPU becomes more relevant. The highest frame rate recorded is 234 FPS at 1080p Low settings, which suggests the CPU can push very high frame rates, but it is not limitless. The data indicates that the Core Ultra 5 135H is capable of driving the RTX 4090 to high triple-digit frame rates, but it does not sustain the absolute maximum the GPU could theoretically deliver at 1080p. The 14-core, 18-thread configuration handles the game’s multi-threaded background tasks well, but the game’s primary thread likely relies on the 4.60 GHz boost clock, which is respectable for a mobile chip.

FAQ — 4-6 Q&A pairs answerable from FACT PACK data

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

A: At 4K Ultra, the average FPS drops to 43, which is below 60. For a consistent 60 FPS floor, you need 4K High (55 FPS) or 4K Medium (65 FPS). At 1440p, even Ultra settings average 78 FPS, so 1440p is the safe zone for high settings with this pairing.

Q: How much faster is the RTX 4090’s performance compared to its closest rival in the database?

A: The RTX 4090 has an average benchmark score of 60,347, which is nearly identical to the Intel Arc Pro A60 at 60,326 (0% delta) and the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48 at 60,140 (0.3% faster). It trails the AMD Radeon Pro W6600M by 2.5% and beats the AMD Radeon PRO V710 by 2.9%. These are marginal differences, so the 4090 is effectively in a tight cluster with these workstation parts.

Q: Does lowering settings from High to Low provide a bigger FPS gain at 4K or 1080p?

A: At 4K, dropping from High to Low raises average FPS from 55 to 84, a gain of 29 FPS. At 1080p, the same drop from High (153 FPS) to Low (234 FPS) yields a gain of 81 FPS. The absolute gain is much larger at 1080p, but the percentage improvement is similar, showing that settings scaling is consistent across resolutions.

Q: How does the Core Ultra 5 135H compare to the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X?

A: The Core Ultra 5 135H scores 29,093 on average, while the Ryzen 7 5800X scores 29,123. The delta is -0.1%, meaning the Intel chip is statistically tied with the Ryzen 7 5800X. For The Technomancer, this means the CPU is not a limiting factor when paired with the RTX 4090 at 4K, but its performance is comparable to a desktop CPU from 2020.

Q: What is the max FPS recorded for this combo?

A: The highest average FPS is 234 at 1080p Low settings. The highest recorded max FPS is 207 at 1080p Medium, though the max FPS for Low settings is not listed. The 1080p Medium row shows a range of 153 to 207 FPS, indicating the frame time variance is substantial at lower settings.

Q: Is the RTX 4090’s 24 GB of VRAM a factor in this game?

A: The measured FPS data shows no evidence of VRAM limitations, as even 4K Ultra runs at an average of 43 FPS, which is a performance issue, not a memory capacity issue. The game’s 2016 release date means it likely does not require 24 GB, so the VRAM is not a bottleneck in these results.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured FPS data shows a clear pattern of resolution scaling that reveals the bottleneck shift. At 1080p High, the combo averages 153 FPS. Moving to 1440p High drops that to 100 FPS, a 35% reduction. At 4K High, the average falls to 55 FPS, another 45% drop from 1440p. This steep decline indicates that the RTX 4090 is the primary performance limiter at 1440p and 4K. The GPU’s 1.01 TB/s memory bandwidth and 82.58 TFLOPS FP32 compute are being saturated by the game’s rendering load at higher resolutions.

At 1080p Low, the combo hits 234 FPS, but at 4K Low it drops to 84 FPS. That is a 64% reduction, which is even steeper than the High settings drop. This suggests that at Low settings, the GPU is less stressed, but the CPU’s ability to feed frames becomes more of a factor at 1080p. The fact that 1080p Low (234 FPS) is not double the 1440p Low (153 FPS) shows that the CPU is beginning to cap performance at the lowest resolution. The 1080p Medium row shows a max FPS of 207 and a min of 153, indicating frame pacing issues that are typical of CPU-bound scenarios.

The data indicates that the RTX 4090 is the bottleneck from 1440p upward, while the Core Ultra 5 135H starts to become a secondary limiter at 1080p. The 89.6 GB/s memory bandwidth of the CPU and its 18 MB L3 cache are sufficient for 4K, but at 1080p the game’s draw calls and physics may tax the CPU’s single-core performance. The 234 FPS ceiling at 1080p Low is respectable but not the absolute maximum that a desktop flagship CPU would allow with this GPU.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 5 135H and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 ranks 588th out of 2,825 tested combos in The Technomancer. This places it in the top 21% of all configurations tested. The rank is driven primarily by the GPU, which sits in the 88th percentile of all GPUs, while the CPU is in the 81st percentile. The combo’s rank suggests that while the RTX 4090 is a top-tier part, the mobile CPU holds the overall score back from the absolute top tier.

Compared to other combos that might pair the RTX 4090 with a faster desktop CPU, this configuration would likely rank lower, but the data only shows the rank itself. The 588th position out of 2,825 indicates that many other combos achieve higher average FPS, likely due to having more powerful CPUs. However, the rank is still strong—this setup outperforms the majority of systems tested, which is expected given the RTX 4090’s dominance. The GPU’s nearest rivals in benchmark scores are all workstation-class parts (Arc Pro A60, Radeon Pro Vega 48), which are not typically used for gaming, so the RTX 4090’s gaming performance is likely higher than its raw compute score suggests.

The rank of 588 also reflects the game’s age. The Technomancer, released in 2016, is not particularly demanding by modern standards, so even a mid-range CPU can achieve high FPS with a top-tier GPU. The combo’s rank would be lower in a more CPU-intensive modern title, but in this game, the RTX 4090 carries the weight.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of performance across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its highest frame rates. Low settings average 234 FPS, Medium averages 180 FPS with a range of 153 to 207, High averages 153 FPS, and Ultra averages 120 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 114 FPS, showing that settings have a massive impact at 1080p.

At 2560x1440, performance drops significantly. Low averages 153 FPS, Medium averages 117 FPS with a range of 100 to 135, High averages 100 FPS, and Ultra averages 78 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 75 FPS, which is smaller than at 1080p, indicating that the GPU is becoming more of a limiting factor.

At 3840x2160, the RTX 4090 is clearly the bottleneck. Low averages 84 FPS, Medium averages 65 FPS with a range of 55 to 74, High averages 55 FPS, and Ultra averages 43 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra is 41 FPS, the smallest absolute spread across all resolutions. This confirms that at 4K, the GPU’s raw compute and memory bandwidth are the primary constraints, and the CPU’s performance is largely irrelevant.

The min and max FPS data is only provided for Medium settings. At 1080p Medium, the range is 153 to 207, a 54 FPS variance. At 1440p Medium, the range is 100 to 135, a 35 FPS variance. At 4K Medium, the range is 55 to 74, a 19 FPS variance. This decreasing variance with resolution is another indicator that the CPU is causing frame time spikes at lower resolutions, while the GPU smooths out the frame delivery at higher resolutions.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

For the best balance of visual quality and frame rate, the Medium preset at 1440p is the sweet spot. It averages 117 FPS with a minimum of 100 FPS, ensuring smooth gameplay. The 100 FPS minimum is well above the 60 FPS threshold for most displays, and the 135 FPS maximum shows there is headroom. At 1440p Medium, the game will look noticeably better than Low, and the performance is still excellent.

If you prioritize frame rate over visuals, 1080p Medium is the best choice. It averages 180 FPS, with a minimum of 153 and a maximum of 207. This guarantees high refresh rate gaming on a 144Hz or 165Hz monitor. The 153 FPS minimum is still exceptionally high, so you will rarely see a dip below the refresh rate of most gaming monitors.

At 4K, the data suggests that Medium is the highest playable setting. It averages 65 FPS with a minimum of 55 FPS, which is borderline for a 60Hz display. If you have a VRR display, the 55 FPS minimum is acceptable, but for a fixed 60Hz panel, you may notice occasional stutter. 4K High averages 55 FPS, which is below 60, so it is not recommended for a smooth experience. 4K Ultra at 43 FPS is only suitable for screenshots or cinematic gameplay, not for action-oriented play.

For users with a 1440p 144Hz monitor, 1440p High at 100 FPS is a viable option, but Medium at 117 FPS provides a better frame time consistency due to the higher minimum FPS. The Ultra preset at 1440p averages 78 FPS, which is playable but offers diminishing returns over High. The data shows that the jump from Medium to High at 1440p costs 17 FPS, while the jump from High to Ultra costs 22 FPS, making Ultra the least efficient setting.