The Technomancer

The Technomancer, a 2016 Action RPG, presents a demanding workload for the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 and AMD Radeon RX 580 pairing. The benchmark data reveals a configuration that is heavily constrained by the graphics card, particularly at higher resolutions, but which can still deliver playable frame rates when settings are managed carefully. This analysis explores the measured performance across various presets and resolutions, interpreting what the numbers indicate about the balance between the CPU and GPU in this specific title.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data clearly indicates that the "Ultra" preset is not a viable option for this hardware combination in The Technomancer. At 1080p, the Ultra preset yields an average of 39 FPS, which falls below the generally accepted threshold for smooth gameplay. The situation deteriorates further at higher resolutions, with the Ultra preset dropping to 25 FPS at 1440p and a mere 14 FPS at 4K. Benchmark results suggest that the graphical demands of the Ultra preset overwhelm the RX 580's capabilities, making it unsuitable for a consistent experience.

Conversely, the "Low" preset provides the highest frame rates, with an average of 76 FPS at 1080p, 50 FPS at 1440p, and 27 FPS at 4K. While these numbers are the most fluid, the Low preset typically sacrifices significant visual fidelity. For users seeking a balance between visual quality and performance, the "Medium" preset emerges as the most compelling choice. At 1080p, it achieves an average of 58 FPS with a minimum of 50 FPS, which is a solidly playable range. The step up to 1440p on Medium yields an average of 38 FPS, which is more demanding but still potentially acceptable for players who prioritize resolution over maximum settings.

The "High" preset offers a middle ground, delivering 50 FPS at 1080p and 33 FPS at 1440p. The data suggests that for the best experience on this hardware, the Medium preset at 1080p offers the optimal balance, providing a significant improvement over the Low preset's visuals while maintaining a frame rate that is consistently above 50 FPS. For those with a 1440p monitor, the Medium preset is the only reasonable choice, as the High preset's 33 FPS average is less fluid, and the Ultra preset is unplayable. The recommendation is clear: prioritize the Medium preset to get the most out of this GPU without sacrificing playability.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average frame rate achievable with this CPU and GPU combination in The Technomancer?

A: The highest recorded average frame rate is 76 FPS, which is achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with the Low settings preset. This indicates that the hardware can push well beyond 60 FPS only when the graphical load is minimized.

Q: Can this system run The Technomancer at 4K resolution?

A: While the game is technically playable at 4K, the performance is severely limited. The best average frame rate at 3840x2160 is 27 FPS on the Low preset, and it drops to 14 FPS on the Ultra preset. The data indicates that 4K gaming is not a practical option for this configuration.

Q: How does the performance scale between the Low and Ultra presets at 1080p?

A: The difference is substantial. The average frame rate drops from 76 FPS on Low to 39 FPS on Ultra at 1920x1080. This represents a significant performance cost of nearly 50% for the highest visual quality, confirming that the GPU is the primary bottleneck.

Q: Is the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 a limiting factor in this game?

A: The data suggests the CPU is not the primary bottleneck. The frame rate scales significantly with resolution and settings, which are GPU-bound workloads. The CPU's high performance, indicated by its 85th percentile ranking among all CPUs, appears sufficient to feed the GPU in this title.

Q: What is the average frame rate for the recommended Medium preset at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440 with Medium settings, the average frame rate is 38 FPS, with a minimum of 32 FPS and a maximum of 44 FPS. This level of performance is playable but may not be ideal for fast-paced action sequences.

Q: How does this combination's performance rank compared to other tested system configurations?

A: In the database for The Technomancer, this specific combination of the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 and AMD Radeon RX 580 ranks 2583 out of 2825 tested combos. This places it in the lower percentile of systems tested, indicating that most other configurations deliver higher frame rates.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 580 is unequivocally the dominant factor in determining the performance of this system in The Technomancer. The GPU, based on the GCN 4.0 architecture with a 14 nm process node, has 8 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 256.0 GB/s. Its base clock is 1257 MHz, with a boost clock of 1340 MHz. These specifications, while capable for its generation, are now dated, and the benchmark data reflects this.

The frame rates show a clear and direct correlation with the graphical load. As resolution and settings increase, the frame rate falls proportionally, which is a classic sign of a GPU bottleneck. The GPU's average benchmark score of 12928 places it at the 53rd percentile of all GPUs, and its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Mobile. In this game, the RX 580's 6.175 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is simply not enough to handle the demands of The Technomancer at higher settings. For instance, the drop from 1080p Low (76 FPS) to 4K Low (27 FPS) is a 64% reduction in frame rate, highlighting the GPU's struggle as pixel count increases. The 8 GB of VRAM is likely not the primary issue at these settings, as the performance degradation is consistent across all resolutions, pointing more to raw compute throughput as the limiting factor.

How This Combo Ranks

In the comprehensive database of tested hardware combinations for The Technomancer, the pairing of the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 and the AMD Radeon RX 580 occupies the 2583rd position out of 2825 total configurations. This rank places it in the bottom 10% of all tested systems, signifying that this hardware combination delivers frame rates that are significantly lower than the majority of other pairings. This low ranking is not a reflection of the CPU's capability but rather a direct consequence of the GPU's performance ceiling.

The CPU itself is very capable, ranking in the 85th percentile of all CPUs with an average benchmark score of 36938. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F and the AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D, with performance deltas of 0% and -0.2% respectively. This indicates that the processor is a strong performer, but it is being held back by the GPU in this gaming scenario. The combo rank clearly demonstrates an imbalance: a top-tier CPU is paired with a mid-range GPU from a previous generation, and the game's performance is dictated by the latter. The data implies that upgrading the graphics card would yield a massive improvement in this game, while a CPU upgrade would have a negligible effect.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of how performance degrades as resolution increases, confirming the GPU as the primary bottleneck. The most telling comparison is on the Low preset, where the average frame rate drops from 76 FPS at 1080p to 50 FPS at 1440p, a 34% reduction. Moving to 4K, the frame rate plummets to 27 FPS, a further 46% drop from the 1440p figure. This pattern is consistent across all settings presets.

For instance, on the Medium preset, the average frame rate goes from 58 FPS at 1080p to 38 FPS at 1440p and finally to 21 FPS at 4K. This scaling behavior is characteristic of a system where the GPU's rendering capabilities are being exhausted. If the CPU were the limiting factor, we would expect to see less variation in frame rates across different resolutions, as the CPU's workload would remain relatively constant. Instead, the frame rate drops almost linearly with the increase in pixel count, which is a definitive sign of GPU-bound performance. The data strongly implies that to improve frame rates, the graphical resolution or settings must be reduced, as the CPU has ample headroom to handle the game's logic and physics at all tested resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following is a detailed breakdown of the measured average frame rates for the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 and AMD Radeon RX 580 in The Technomancer.

At 1920x1080, the performance ranges from a playable 76 FPS on Low to a demanding 39 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset achieves an average of 58 FPS, with a minimum of 50 FPS and a maximum of 67 FPS. The High preset delivers 50 FPS on average. This resolution is the only one where the system can consistently achieve frame rates above 60 FPS, and only on the Low preset.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates drop significantly. The Low preset averages 50 FPS, while the Medium preset averages 38 FPS (min 32, max 44). The High preset falls to 33 FPS, and the Ultra preset drops to 25 FPS. This resolution is playable on Low and Medium settings, but the lower frame rates will be noticeable.

At 3840x2160, the system is severely challenged. The Low preset is the only one that approaches playability, with an average of 27 FPS. The Medium preset drops to 21 FPS (min 18, max 24), High falls to 18 FPS, and Ultra is unplayable at 14 FPS. The data shows a clear and consistent degradation in performance as resolution increases, making 4K gaming impractical for this hardware.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 is a modern, high-performance processor that is not the bottleneck in The Technomancer. It features 10 cores and 10 threads, with a base clock of 3.30 GHz and a boost clock of 4.90 GHz. The processor's substantial 20 MB of shared L3 cache and support for DDR5 memory provide a robust platform for gaming. Its benchmark scores are excellent, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 25891 and a single-core score of 3655, placing it in the 85th percentile of all CPUs.

In this game, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with data and handle game logic. The frame rate data indicates that the CPU is more than capable of this task. If the CPU were the limiting factor, the frame rates would be low even at 1080p Low settings. However, the system achieves 76 FPS at 1080p Low, which shows the CPU is not holding back the GPU at that setting. The performance drop is almost entirely attributable to the GPU's inability to render at higher resolutions and settings.

The CPU's performance is comparable to its nearest rivals, including the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F and the AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D, with a performance delta of 0% and -0.2%, respectively. This suggests that, in a system with a more powerful GPU, this CPU would perform on par with these other strong options. The data confirms that any performance issues in The Technomancer are due to the AMD Radeon RX 580, not the Intel Core Ultra 5 225. The processor provides a solid foundation, but it is constrained by the graphics card's capabilities in this title.