The Technomancer

The Technomancer, an Action RPG from 2016, exhibits performance characteristics that clearly delineate the roles of its processing components when paired with the Intel Core Ultra 5 135H and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Mobile. The measured frame rates across resolutions and settings provide a comprehensive look at where the bottleneck lies and how the hardware scales under load.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate progression from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 reveals a predictable shift in system limitation, moving from a CPU-bound scenario at lower resolutions to a GPU-bound scenario at 4K. At 1920x1080 with High settings, the system produces an average of 153 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 at the same settings, the average drops to 100 FPS, a reduction of 53 FPS (or roughly 35%). Scaling further to 3840x2160, the average falls to 55 FPS, another 45 FPS drop (or 45%) from the 1440p result. This steep decline indicates that as pixel count increases, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Mobile becomes the primary limiting factor.

The scaling pattern is even more pronounced at Ultra settings. The system achieves 120 FPS at 1080p, but this plummets to 78 FPS at 1440p, and further to 43 FPS at 4K. The gap between 1080p and 1440p is 42 FPS, while the gap between 1440p and 4K is 35 FPS. This consistent degradation across the resolution spectrum suggests that the game's rendering pipeline is heavily dependent on raw GPU throughput, and the RTX 4090 Mobile, despite its high standing, is fully saturated at higher resolutions.

Conversely, the data at Low settings shows a different trend. At 1080p Low, the system hits 234 FPS, which is a massive jump from the 153 FPS at High. At 1440p Low, it produces 153 FPS, and at 4K Low, it still manages 84 FPS. The relative drop from 1080p to 1440p is 81 FPS, and from 1440p to 4K is 69 FPS. While still significant, the performance at 4K Low (84 FPS) is notably higher than 4K High (55 FPS), indicating that when graphical load is reduced, the GPU has more headroom, but the scaling remains steep. The fact that even at Low settings the 4K frame rate is less than half of the 1080p frame rate strongly implies that the game is exceptionally sensitive to resolution changes, a common trait for titles of its era that did not anticipate the pixel-pushing capabilities of modern hardware.

The Medium settings row provides the only measured minimum and maximum frame rate data, offering a glimpse into frame time consistency. At 1080p Medium, the average is 180 FPS with a minimum of 153 FPS and a maximum of 207 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the average is 117 FPS, with a minimum of 100 and maximum of 135. At 4K Medium, the average is 65 FPS, with a minimum of 55 and maximum of 74. The variance, defined as the difference between max and min, stays relatively consistent around 54, 35, and 19 FPS respectively. This suggests that while the overall frame rate drops, the frame pacing relative to the average remains stable, indicating no sudden spikes in rendering complexity that would cause stuttering.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Mobile is a formidable piece of silicon, built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with a 5 nm process from TSMC. Its specifications include 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 576.0 GB/s. The GPU operates at a base clock of 1335 MHz and a boost clock of 1695 MHz, with memory running at 2250 MHz (or 18 Gbps effective). These figures are crucial in understanding its performance in The Technomancer.

Given the game's release date in 2016, it predates the RTX 40-series by several years. The RTX 4090 Mobile's raw compute power, measured at 32.98 TFLOPS for FP32, is far beyond what the game was designed to utilize. However, the benchmark results show that the GPU is still heavily taxed at 4K resolutions. This is not due to a lack of raw power, but rather the game's rendering engine likely lacks modern optimization techniques, such as efficient use of multi-threaded rendering or advanced draw call batching, that would allow the GPU to work at full efficiency.

The 16 GB VRAM capacity is more than sufficient for The Technomancer, which was designed for consoles with far less memory. The 576.0 GB/s bandwidth ensures that texture streaming and memory allocation are not bottlenecks, even at 4K. The benchmark data supports this; if VRAM capacity or bandwidth were insufficient, we would expect to see severe frame drops or stuttering, particularly at 4K. The measured average of 43 FPS at 4K Ultra, while low, is stable, suggesting that the GPU is consistently processing frames rather than waiting on memory operations.

The GPU's percentile ranking of 84 among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 43667, places it in the upper echelon of available hardware. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA RTX A6000, which scores 0.9% higher, and the Quadro M6000, which scores 0.8% lower. This context shows that the RTX 4090 Mobile is performing at the expected level for its class. The performance in The Technomancer, where it fails to maintain 60 FPS at 4K Ultra, demonstrates the game's demanding nature rather than a deficiency of the GPU itself. The GPU is clearly the dominant component at 4K, as evidenced by the significant frame rate drops when increasing resolution, whereas at 1080p, the CPU begins to play a more significant role.

How This Combo Ranks

Within the extensive database of tested combinations, this pairing of the Intel Core Ultra 5 135H and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Mobile holds a combo rank of 821 out of 3696 total combos for The Technomancer. This places it in the top 22% of all tested systems for this specific game. While the absolute frame rates are high, especially at 1080p, the rank suggests that there are many other combinations that achieve even higher performance.

The ranking is a holistic measure that accounts for performance across all resolutions and settings, not just the peak frame rates. The system's strong showing at 1080p and 1440p, where it exceeds 100 FPS on High settings, is counterbalanced by its relative weakness at 4K Ultra, where it drops to 43 FPS. Many other high-end combos, likely featuring more powerful desktop CPUs, would not experience the same CPU bottleneck at lower resolutions, allowing them to achieve higher average scores across the board. The 821st rank out of 3696 means that 821 other combinations are faster, which is a significant number, but it still places this mobile combo well above the median.

The CPU's performance relative to its peers is a key factor. The Intel Core Ultra 5 135H has an average benchmark score of 29093, which places it at the 81st percentile. Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X, scores 29123, a mere 0.1% difference. This indicates that the CPU is not the limiting factor in the combo's ranking; it is performing admirably. The GPU, with an average score of 43667, is also ranked highly at the 84th percentile. The combination of two components that are both above the 80th percentile in their respective fields should theoretically result in a top-tier gaming experience. The fact that it ranks 821st suggests that The Technomancer is a particularly demanding title that punishes the system's specific configuration, likely due to the CPU's architecture or the mobile platform's thermal/power constraints.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a granular view of performance across all settings and resolutions.

At 1920x1080, the system is clearly CPU-limited in most scenarios. Low settings yield an average of 234 FPS, Medium yields 180 FPS (with a min of 153 and max of 207), High yields 153 FPS, and Ultra yields 120 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a consistent decrease of roughly 30-50 FPS per step, indicating that the GPU has ample headroom and the CPU is the primary driver of frame rate.

At 2560x1440, the balance begins to shift. Low settings produce 153 FPS, Medium produces 117 FPS (min 100, max 135), High produces 100 FPS, and Ultra produces 78 FPS. The relative differences between settings are smaller than at 1080p, suggesting the GPU is starting to become more involved, but the CPU still holds significant sway.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is definitively the bottleneck. Low settings yield 84 FPS, Medium yields 65 FPS (min 55, max 74), High yields 55 FPS, and Ultra yields 43 FPS. The frame rate drops are substantial and directly correlate with the increased pixel workload. The GPU is working at its maximum capacity, and the performance scales directly with the graphical fidelity settings.

The data shows that for a smooth 60 FPS experience, the user must consider the resolution. At 4K, only Low settings (84 FPS) and Medium settings (65 FPS) achieve this target. High and Ultra settings fall short. At 1440p, all settings exceed 60 FPS, with Ultra being the only one below 100 FPS. At 1080p, every setting is above 120 FPS, making it the ideal resolution for maximum refresh rate monitors.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run The Technomancer at 4K with a consistent 60 FPS?

A: The data shows that at 3840x2160, the system achieves an average of 65 FPS on Medium settings, but only 55 FPS on High and 43 FPS on Ultra. For a consistent 60 FPS, you would need to use Medium settings or lower, as High and Ultra settings fall below the target.

Q: What is the best resolution to use for a 144Hz monitor?

A: At 1920x1080, all settings exceed 120 FPS, with Low reaching 234 FPS and High reaching 153 FPS. This is the only resolution where the system can fully saturate a 144Hz display with High or Ultra settings.

Q: How does the CPU affect performance at lower resolutions?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 135H becomes the limiting factor at 1080p. The frame rate difference between Low (234 FPS) and Ultra (120 FPS) is 114 FPS, indicating that the CPU's processing power is the primary constraint, as the GPU has plenty of spare capacity.

Q: Is the RTX 4090 Mobile powerful enough for this game?

A: The GPU is very capable, but the game is demanding. At 4K Ultra, it only produces 43 FPS. However, its 16 GB of VRAM and 576.0 GB/s bandwidth are not bottlenecks, as the frame rates are stable. The low scores are due to the game's rendering engine, not GPU deficiencies.

Q: What does the combo rank of 821 out of 3696 mean?

A: It means that this specific CPU and GPU combination is faster than 2,875 other tested combos for this game, but slower than 821 others. It places the system in the top 22% of all tested configurations, which is a strong result, but not the absolute best.

Q: Are the frame rates stable, or are there major drops?

A: The Medium settings rows provide minimum and maximum FPS data. At 1080p, the range is 153-207 FPS (average 180). At 1440p, the range is 100-135 FPS (average 117). At 4K, the range is 55-74 FPS (average 65). The variance scales proportionally with the average, indicating stable frame pacing without severe stutters.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 135H is a 14-core, 18-thread processor based on the Meteor Lake architecture, built on a 7 nm process. It has a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.60 GHz, with a 28 W TDP. Its cache configuration includes 112 KB of L1 per core, 2 MB of L2 per core, and a shared 18 MB of L3 cache. This mobile processor is designed for efficiency and versatility, as evidenced by its integrated Arc Xe-LPG graphics, but it is also capable of significant compute performance.

In The Technomancer, the CPU's role is paramount at lower resolutions. The benchmark results show that at 1080p, the system can produce up to 234 FPS on Low settings, a figure that is far beyond what the GPU would be able to render if it were the limiting factor. This is strong evidence that the CPU is driving the frame rate, and the GPU is waiting for the CPU to submit draw calls and game logic. The CPU's performance in synthetic benchmarks, such as a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 11875.5 and a single-core score of 1700, shows it is a capable part. Its average benchmark score of 29093 places it at the 81st percentile, just 0.1% behind the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X.

However, the data reveals a potential bottleneck. The difference between 1080p and 1440p performance at High settings is a 53 FPS drop (from 153 to 100). This is a significant decrease, but it is not as steep as the drop from 1440p to 4K (45 FPS, from 100 to 55). This suggests that the CPU is keeping up with the GPU's demands at 1440p, but at 1080p, the CPU is the primary limiter. The 14 cores and 18 threads are likely not fully utilized by a game from 2016, which may rely more heavily on a few fast cores. The single-core performance, while strong, may not be sufficient to feed the RTX 4090 Mobile at full speed in this specific title, leading to the lower-than-expected frame rates at 1080p compared to what the GPU could theoretically achieve.

Settings Recommendations

The optimal settings for this system depend heavily on the target resolution and refresh rate. For users with a 1080p 60Hz or 144Hz display, the data suggests that High settings are the sweet spot. At 1080p High, the system produces 153 FPS, which is well above 144Hz and leaves headroom for demanding scenes. Ultra settings at 1080p yield 120 FPS, which is still excellent, but the visual difference between High and Ultra may not justify the 33 FPS loss for most users. If maximizing visual fidelity is the priority, Ultra at 1080p is viable.

For 1440p displays, Medium or High settings are recommended. Medium settings produce 117 FPS, which is ideal for high-refresh-rate monitors. High settings produce 100 FPS, which is also very smooth and offers better visual quality. Ultra settings at 1440p dip to 78 FPS, which is still playable but may not be ideal for fast-paced action. The measured minimum of 100 FPS at Medium suggests that even in heavy scenes, the frame rate will not drop below that threshold, ensuring a consistent experience.

For 4K displays, the recommendation is more restrictive. To maintain a stable 60 FPS, Medium settings are the highest option, producing an average of 65 FPS with a minimum of 55. Low settings provide a comfortable 84 FPS, offering a significant performance buffer. High and Ultra settings (55 and 43 FPS respectively) are not recommended for a smooth experience, as they fall below the 60 FPS threshold. Given that the game is from 2016, the visual jump from Medium to High at 4K may be subtle, making Medium the best balance of fidelity and performance for this resolution.