The Technomancer

The Technomancer, a 2016 Action RPG, presents a demanding workload that scales heavily with both resolution and graphical presets. The dataset for this analysis pairs the Intel Core Ultra 5 135H mobile processor with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 laptop GPU, providing a clear picture of how this specific combination handles a title from that era across three resolutions and four quality settings. The measured frames per second (FPS) data reveals a system that is capable of smooth gameplay at 1080p but becomes increasingly strained as pixel count rises, with the GPU emerging as the primary performance limiter in most scenarios.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to achieve a 60 FPS average in The Technomancer?

A: Based on the measured FPS data, 1920x1080 is the only resolution where all tested settings achieve at least a 60 FPS average. At 2560x1440, only the Low preset reaches above 60 FPS, with an average of 81 FPS.

Q: How much of a performance drop occurs when moving from 1080p to 4K on the High preset?

A: The average FPS drops from 81 at 1920x1080 to 53 at 2560x1440, and finally to 29 at 3840x2160 on the High preset. This represents a significant decline of 52 FPS, or roughly 64%, when moving from 1080p to 4K.

Q: Which component is more likely to be the bottleneck at 4K resolution?

A: The data suggests the GPU is the limiting factor at 3840x2160. The average FPS ranges from 23 on Ultra to 45 on Low, indicating that the graphics card's rendering capabilities are the primary constraint, as even the lowest settings cannot achieve a 60 FPS average.

Q: Is the Intel Core Ultra 5 135H a strong performer relative to other CPUs in its benchmark class?

A: The CPU holds an 81st percentile ranking among all tested CPUs. Its average benchmark score of 29093 is nearly identical to that of the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X, which is only 0.1% faster, and it is 0.5% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 5 5600XT.

Q: What is the highest average FPS recorded for this combination?

A: The highest average FPS recorded is 124, which was achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with the Low settings preset. This is significantly ahead of the next highest, which is 95 FPS at Medium settings.

Q: Does the RTX 5050 offer a performance advantage over its nearest listed rivals?

A: The RTX 5050's average benchmark score is 21035. It is 1.6% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT, but 0.6% behind the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL and 1% behind the AMD Radeon HD 8970M in average score.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 is built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture and features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 320.0 GB/s. Its core operates at a base clock of 2317 MHz and a boost clock of 2572 MHz. These specifications, while not the most powerful in the current market, are positioned to handle modern games at mainstream resolutions and settings.

In The Technomancer, the GPU's role is clearly defined by the measured FPS data. At 1920x1080, the card demonstrates its capability, delivering a 124 FPS average on Low and an 81 FPS average on High. This indicates that for a 2016 title, the RTX 5050 has ample headroom at this resolution. The memory bandwidth and 8 GB capacity appear sufficient for the game's demands at 1080p, as performance scales predictably with preset changes.

However, the GPU's limitations become apparent at higher resolutions. At 2560x1440, the average FPS on High drops to 53, and at 3840x2160, it falls to 29. This steep decline is characteristic of a GPU being pushed beyond its comfort zone. The 4K results, where even the Low preset only manages a 45 FPS average, strongly indicate that the RTX 5050's raw rendering power is the limiting factor. The data suggests that the 8 GB VRAM and 128-bit memory interface are sufficient for the game's assets, but the GPU's compute throughput, measured at 13.17 TFLOPS FP32, is not enough to maintain fluid frame rates at 4K.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data for The Technomancer shows a clear and consistent pattern of performance degradation as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. This scaling is not linear and reveals where the system's bottleneck lies.

On the High preset, the average FPS drops from 81 at 1080p to 53 at 1440p, a reduction of 28 FPS. Moving from 1440p to 4K, the average FPS falls from 53 to 29, a further reduction of 24 FPS. The performance loss from 1080p to 4K is 52 FPS, or about 64%. This substantial drop indicates a system where the GPU is being increasingly taxed by the growing number of pixels.

The scaling pattern is similar across all presets. At Low settings, the FPS drops from 124 at 1080p to 81 at 1440p and then to 45 at 4K. At Ultra settings, the FPS drops from 64 to 42 to 23 across the same resolutions. The fact that even the Low preset cannot maintain a 60 FPS average at 4K is a strong indicator that the resolution scaling is primarily limited by the GPU's fill rate and processing power, not by the CPU or other system components. The data clearly shows that as resolution rises, the gap between presets narrows in terms of absolute FPS, but the overall performance level drops significantly, confirming the GPU as the primary performance constraint at higher resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

In the comprehensive database of tested hardware combinations for The Technomancer, the pairing of the Intel Core Ultra 5 135H and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 holds a rank of 2247 out of 2825 tested combos. This places the system in the lower half of all tested configurations for this specific title.

This ranking is notably lower than what the individual component benchmarks might suggest. The CPU, for instance, holds an 81st percentile ranking among all CPUs, and the GPU holds a 66th percentile ranking among all GPUs. The combination's poor in-game rank, however, indicates that the pairing is not well-optimized for this particular game, or that the game itself is more demanding on the GPU than on the CPU. The 4K performance, where the system struggles to maintain playable frame rates, is likely a major factor in this low ranking.

The combo's rank of 2247 suggests that many other CPU-GPU pairings achieve higher average FPS in The Technomancer. This is not necessarily a reflection of poor component quality, but rather of their combined performance profile in this specific workload. A system with a less powerful CPU but a more powerful GPU would likely rank higher in this game, reinforcing the idea that the RTX 5050 is the limiting factor in this pairing for The Technomancer. The data shows that while each component is respectable on its own, their combination does not produce top-tier results in this particular title.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 135H is a mobile processor from the Core Ultra Series 1, built on the Meteor Lake architecture using a 7 nm process. It features 14 cores and 18 threads, with a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.60 GHz. The CPU also has 18 MB of shared L3 cache and supports dual-channel DDR5 memory with a bandwidth of 89.6 GB/s.

In The Technomancer, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with data and handle game logic. The data suggests that the Core Ultra 5 135H is more than capable of this task, as it does not appear to be the bottleneck at any tested resolution. For example, at 1080p with Low settings, the system achieves a 124 FPS average. This high frame rate, combined with the steep FPS drops when increasing resolution, indicates that the CPU can provide enough data to the GPU to reach its performance limits.

The CPU's own benchmark scores support this interpretation. Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 11875.5 and Passmark multi-thread score of 22422 indicate solid multi-threaded performance. Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X, has a nearly identical average benchmark score, with a deltaPct of only -0.1%. This level of processing power is likely sufficient for a game released in 2016, which would not be designed to utilize the full capabilities of a modern 14-core processor. The CPU's role is therefore to provide a stable platform for the GPU, and the data shows it performs this role without introducing a significant performance bottleneck.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a detailed look at the system's performance across all tested configurations.

1920x1080:

• Low: The average FPS is 124, which is the highest score recorded for this combo.
• Medium: The average FPS is 95, with a minimum of 81 and a maximum of 110.
• High: The average FPS is 81.
• Ultra: The average FPS is 64.

2560x1440:

• Low: The average FPS is 81.
• Medium: The average FPS is 62, with a minimum of 53 and a maximum of 72.
• High: The average FPS is 53.
• Ultra: The average FPS is 42.

3840x2160:

• Low: The average FPS is 45.
• Medium: The average FPS is 34, with a minimum of 29 and a maximum of 39.
• High: The average FPS is 29.
• Ultra: The average FPS is 23.

This data shows a clear hierarchy. At 1080p, all settings are playable, with even the Ultra preset achieving a 64 FPS average. The jump to 1440p introduces a significant performance penalty, with only the Low preset maintaining a frame rate above 60 FPS. At 4K, the system is unable to maintain a 60 FPS average on any preset, and the Ultra preset drops to a 23 FPS average, which is likely not a smooth gameplay experience. The data also shows consistent scaling between presets, with each step from Low to Medium to High to Ultra resulting in a noticeable FPS drop.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combination depend on the target resolution and desired frame rate.

For a smooth 60 FPS experience at 1920x1080, the High preset is the recommended choice. It achieves an average FPS of 81, providing a comfortable margin above the 60 FPS target and allowing for a visually rich experience. The Ultra preset is also viable, with an average of 64 FPS, but it leaves less headroom for demanding scenes. The Medium preset, at 95 FPS, is excellent for users with high refresh rate monitors, while the Low preset, at 124 FPS, is best for competitive play or when maximizing frame rate is the sole priority.

At 2560x1440, the options are more constrained. To maintain a playable frame rate, the Low preset is the only setting that consistently delivers above 60 FPS, with an average of 81 FPS. The Medium preset, with an average of 62 FPS, is borderline playable but may dip below 60 FPS in intense moments, as its minimum is 53 FPS. For a more stable experience, choosing Low is the safer option.

At 3840x2160, no preset achieves a 60 FPS average. The Low preset, with a 45 FPS average, is the only setting that approaches a playable frame rate, though it will not be a smooth 60 FPS experience. The Medium preset at 34 FPS and the High preset at 29 FPS are more suited for screenshots or turn-based gameplay rather than action. For the best experience at this resolution, users must accept a significant compromise in visual quality by using the Low preset, and even then, the performance may be suboptimal for the game's real-time combat.