The Technomancer

The Technomancer, a 2016 Action RPG, presents an interesting case study in system scaling. When paired with the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 and AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT, the measured data reveals a configuration that is heavily influenced by resolution and settings. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS to understand where the bottlenecks lie and how to best optimize the experience.

Resolution Scaling

The transition from 1080p to 4K demonstrates a classic shift in system limitation. At 1920x1080 with High settings, the combo achieves an average of 117 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 drops this to 77 FPS, a 34% reduction. At 3840x2160, the average falls further to 42 FPS, representing a 64% decrease from the 1080p baseline. This steep decline indicates that the rendering load at higher resolutions is increasingly taxing the GPU.

The pattern is even more pronounced at lower settings. With Low settings, the 1080p average is 179 FPS. At 1440p, it drops to 117 FPS, and at 4K, it lands at 64 FPS. The fact that the 4K Low result is still higher than the 1080p Ultra result (64 vs 92 FPS) shows that the GPU has significant headroom when texture and shading complexity is reduced. However, the scaling factor from 1080p to 4K is roughly 2.8x at Low settings, which is close to the pixel count difference, suggesting a GPU-bound scenario as resolution increases.

Conversely, the scaling from 1080p to 1440p at High settings shows only a 1.5x drop in FPS, which is less than the 1.78x pixel increase. This suggests that at 1080p High, the CPU is playing a more substantial role in limiting performance. The frame rate ceiling appears to be around 179 FPS, which is the maximum measured across all settings at 1080p. This ceiling is likely dictated by the Intel Core Ultra 5 225’s single-thread performance. As resolution increases, the GPU load grows, and the CPU becomes less of a limiting factor, allowing the GPU to become the primary determinant of frame rate.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to maintain a high refresh rate experience?

A: At 1920x1080, the configuration delivers an average of 117 FPS on High settings and 138 FPS on Medium, comfortably exceeding the 100 FPS mark. This makes 1080p the preferred resolution for smooth, high-frequency gameplay, as the 1440p High preset yields 77 FPS and 4K High yields 42 FPS.

Q: How does the Ultra preset compare to High in terms of performance cost?

A: The Ultra preset imposes a significant performance penalty. At 1920x1080, Ultra averages 92 FPS, which is 25 FPS lower than the High preset. At 2560x1440, the gap widens to 17 FPS (77 vs 60 FPS), and at 3840x2160, it drops to just 33 FPS, a 9 FPS decrease from High. The data shows that the visual gains from Ultra come at a steep cost to frame rate.

Q: Is the system more CPU-bound or GPU-bound at 1080p?

A: The data indicates a CPU-bound scenario at 1080p. The frame rate ceiling of 179 FPS at Low settings suggests the processor is the limiting factor. The scaling from Low to High at 1080p shows a 35% reduction in FPS (179 to 117), which is less severe than the 42% reduction seen at 1440p (117 to 77) for the same setting change, implying the GPU has more spare capacity at the lower resolution.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded for the Medium preset?

A: The Medium preset is the only one with recorded minimum frame data. At 3840x2160, the minimum is 42 FPS with an average of 49 FPS. At 2560x1440, the minimum is 76 FPS with an average of 90 FPS. At 1920x1080, the minimum is 117 FPS with an average of 138 FPS.

Q: How does this combo rank against all other tested configurations in this game?

A: The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 and AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT ranks 1262 out of 2825 tested combos for The Technomancer. This places it in the upper-middle tier of all tested systems, indicating it is a capable but not top-tier configuration for this title.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and Ultra settings at 4K?

A: The difference is substantial. At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 64 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages only 33 FPS. This represents a 48% reduction in performance when moving from the lowest to the highest quality settings.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 is a 10-core, 10-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture. Its base clock is 3.30 GHz with a boost clock of 4.90 GHz. In synthetic benchmarks, it scores 368 in Cinebench R15 single-core and 891 in Cinebench R20 single-core, with a Passmark single-thread score of 4412. These figures indicate strong single-thread capability, which is critical for game logic and frame pacing. The multi-core scores are also robust, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 25891 and a Passmark multithread score of 30459.

In the context of The Technomancer, the CPU’s role is most evident at 1080p. The maximum recorded FPS of 179 at Low settings suggests a hard ceiling imposed by the processor. When the GPU is not heavily loaded, the CPU must process the game’s simulation and draw calls, and its performance determines the maximum achievable frame rate. The 10 cores and 10 threads provide ample parallelism for modern game engines, but the game’s single-threaded performance is likely the primary constraint, given the high single-core scores.

The processor’s 20 MB of shared L3 cache helps with data locality, reducing the need to access slower system memory. Its memory bandwidth of 102.4 GB/s via dual-channel DDR5 is sufficient to feed the CPU’s cores. The Core Ultra 5 225’s performance is competitive with its nearest rivals, such as the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F, which has a nearly identical average benchmark score (36945 vs 36938). This places the CPU in the 85th percentile of all processors, indicating it is a high-performing part.

Settings Recommendations

For the best balance of visual fidelity and performance, the High preset is the optimal choice. At 1920x1080, it delivers an average of 117 FPS, which is well-suited for a smooth experience. The Ultra preset offers diminishing returns, as it only increases visual quality marginally but reduces performance by 21% at 1080p (from 117 to 92 FPS). At 1440p, High maintains a playable 77 FPS, while Ultra drops to exactly 60 FPS, which is still playable but leaves no headroom for demanding scenes.

The Medium preset is a viable alternative if higher resolutions are prioritized. At 2560x1440, Medium averages 90 FPS, which is significantly smoother than High’s 77 FPS. At 4K, Medium is the highest preset that can maintain an average above 45 FPS, hitting 49 FPS. The Low preset is only recommended for competitive play or when aiming for the highest possible frame rates, as it yields 179 FPS at 1080p and 117 FPS at 1440p, but sacrifices visual quality.

The measured data shows that the High preset is the sweet spot for this combination. It provides a substantial improvement over Medium in visual terms while avoiding the severe performance hit of Ultra. For users with 1440p monitors, High offers a solid 77 FPS experience, while those on 1080p can enjoy a high-refresh-rate experience. Choosing High over Ultra is a strategic decision that prioritizes frame rate stability over marginal visual enhancements.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 and the AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT holds the 1262nd position out of 2825 tested combinations for The Technomancer. This ranking places it in the 55th percentile of all tested systems, meaning it outperforms a slight majority of other configurations but is far from the top. This is a mid-pack result, reflecting a balanced but not exceptional pairing.

The ranking is influenced by the GPU’s performance. The Radeon RX 6750 XT has a Passmark G3D score of 20700 and an average benchmark score of 26011, placing it in the 71st percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival is the AMD Radeon R9 M395X, which has a similar average score and a deltaPct of 0.5. This indicates the GPU is a solid performer, but it is not without competition. The CPU, on the other hand, ranks in the 85th percentile, suggesting it is a stronger component relative to the GPU.

The gap between the CPU’s and GPU’s relative performance explains the combo’s mid-tier ranking. The system is well-balanced for 1080p gaming, but at higher resolutions, the GPU’s limitations become more apparent, preventing the combo from achieving a higher rank. The 1262nd position out of 2825 is a respectable result, but it shows that many other combinations can achieve higher frame rates in this specific title.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of performance across all resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the combo delivers the following average frame rates:

• Low: 179 FPS
• Medium: 138 FPS (min 117, max 158)
• High: 117 FPS
• Ultra: 92 FPS

At 2560x1440, the average frame rates are:

• Low: 117 FPS
• Medium: 90 FPS (min 76, max 103)
• High: 77 FPS
• Ultra: 60 FPS

At 3840x2160, the average frame rates are:

• Low: 64 FPS
• Medium: 49 FPS (min 42, max 57)
• High: 42 FPS
• Ultra: 33 FPS

This data shows a clear and consistent degradation as resolution increases. At 1080p, the system is capable of high refresh rates even on Ultra. At 1440p, it remains playable on all presets, with High and Ultra providing 77 and 60 FPS respectively. At 4K, the system struggles to maintain 60 FPS on any preset, with the High and Ultra presets falling below 45 FPS. The Medium preset is the only one that provides a playable experience at 4K, with an average of 49 FPS. The frame rate drops are consistent across settings, indicating a predictable scaling behavior.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT is based on the RDNA 2.0 architecture with the Navi 22 chip. It features 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 432.0 GB/s. The GPU has a base clock of 2150 MHz and a boost clock of 2600 MHz, with a game clock of 2495 MHz. Its 2560 shading units and 64 ROPs deliver a pixel rate of 166.4 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 416.0 GTexel/s. The GPU’s FP32 performance is 13.31 TFLOPS, which is a strong figure for 1440p gaming.

In The Technomancer, the GPU is the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions. The transition from 1080p to 1440p at High settings results in a 34% drop in performance (from 117 to 77 FPS), which aligns with the increased pixel count. The further drop to 4K High (42 FPS) shows the GPU’s limits are reached. The 12 GB of VRAM is sufficient for this game, as there are no indications of memory-related stuttering in the data.

The GPU’s performance in synthetic benchmarks, such as a Passmark G3D score of 20700, places it in the 71st percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon R9 M395X, has a similar average score, indicating the RX 6750 XT is a solid mid-range performer. The GPU’s role is to handle the rendering load, and its capabilities dictate the frame rates at 1440p and 4K. At 1080p, the GPU has enough headroom to allow the CPU to become the limiting factor, but at higher resolutions, the GPU’s raw power is the deciding factor in performance. The data shows that the RX 6750 XT is well-suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming but is not powerful enough for a consistent 60 FPS experience at 4K in this title.