The Technomancer

The Technomancer, a 2016 Action RPG, presents a demanding workload that scales significantly with resolution. When paired with the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 and AMD Radeon RX 7600, the measured data reveals a configuration that is well-suited for high-refresh-rate 1080p gaming but begins to show its limitations at higher resolutions. This analysis breaks down the performance characteristics of this specific combination, focusing on where the bottlenecks lie and what settings provide the best experience.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate data shows a clear and substantial decline as resolution increases, which is typical for a GPU-bound title. At 1920x1080 with High settings, the combo achieves an average of 94 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 drops that average to 61 FPS, a reduction of 33 FPS or about 35%. The jump to 3840x2160 is even more punishing, with the average falling to 34 FPS, which is a further 27 FPS drop from the 1440p result. This progression highlights that the Radeon RX 7600's performance is the primary limiting factor at higher pixel counts.

The scaling pattern from 1080p to 4K is not linear, indicating that the GPU is being pushed progressively harder. The gap between 1080p and 1440p is 33 FPS, while the gap between 1440p and 4K is 27 FPS. This suggests that while the GPU is clearly the bottleneck at 4K, the CPU is still capable of feeding it enough data at 1440p, preventing a more catastrophic performance cliff. The 1080p results, with an average of 94 FPS on High, indicate that the system is not entirely GPU-bound at this resolution, as the frame rate is high enough to suggest the CPU is still contributing to the overall throughput.

The data also shows that the performance drop is consistent across all settings. At Low settings, the average FPS goes from 143 at 1080p to 93 at 1440p and then to 51 at 4K. This consistent pattern reinforces that the resolution scaling is the dominant factor in performance, regardless of the graphical preset. The game's engine and the GPU's rendering capabilities are the deciding factors here, with the CPU's role becoming less significant as resolution increases. This behavior points to a classic GPU-limited scenario at 4K, where the RX 7600's 8 GB of VRAM and 128-bit memory bus are likely struggling to keep up with the pixel throughput demands.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7600 is built on the RDNA 3.0 architecture and features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 288.0 GB/s. The GPU has a base clock of 1720 MHz, a game clock of 2250 MHz, and a boost clock of 2655 MHz. These specifications are central to understanding the measured performance. The 8 GB VRAM buffer is a critical factor, especially at 4K resolution where texture data and framebuffer requirements are at their highest. The frame rates at 4K Ultra (26 FPS) and 4K High (34 FPS) suggest that the GPU is both fill-rate and memory-bandwidth limited.

The GPU's 2048 shading units and 64 ROPs are responsible for the raw pixel processing power. The measured pixel rate of 169.9 GPixel/s and texture rate of 339.8 GTexel/s provide theoretical limits that align with the observed performance drop. The boost clock of 2655 MHz is relatively high, allowing for strong performance at lower resolutions. However, at 4K, the memory bandwidth of 288.0 GB/s appears to be a significant constraint, as the need to move large amounts of texture and geometry data overwhelms the 128-bit interface.

The GPU's performance relative to its peers is modest, sitting at the 57th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals based on average benchmark score include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 OEM and the AMD Radeon 680M, with delta percentages of -0.2% and -0.7% respectively. This indicates that the RX 7600 is a mid-range performer, and the benchmark results in The Technomancer reflect this positioning. The GPU's DirectX 12 Ultimate support (12_2) is present, but the game's age means it likely relies on older DirectX 11 paths, potentially leaving some of the newer hardware features underutilized. The low scores in PassMark's DirectX 12 test (58) compared to DirectX 11 (172) further suggest that the game's engine is not leveraging the newest API features effectively.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 is a 10-core, 10-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture. It has a base clock of 3.30 GHz and a boost clock of 4.90 GHz. While this CPU is not the primary bottleneck in this game at higher resolutions, its performance characteristics still influence the overall experience. The CPU's strong single-thread performance is evident in its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3655, which is crucial for game logic and frame pacing.

The data suggests that the CPU is more of a supporting player in The Technomancer, particularly at 1080p. At 1080p Low settings, the system achieves 143 FPS, which is a high frame rate that still allows the CPU to keep up with the GPU. However, the gap between the 1080p and 1440p results at the same settings (143 FPS to 93 FPS) shows that the GPU is beginning to take over as the limiting factor. The CPU's multi-core performance, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 25891, provides ample headroom for the game's background tasks and physics calculations, but it is not the deciding factor in the frame rate at 1440p and 4K.

The CPU sits at the 85th percentile of all CPUs, placing it above the average performer. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F and the AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D, with delta percentages of 0% and -0.2% respectively. This indicates that the Core Ultra 5 225 is a solid, modern processor that is more than capable for this game. The 10-core configuration, while not featuring hyper-threading, provides enough parallelism for the game's engine. The high boost clock of 4.90 GHz is likely the more important factor for The Technomancer, as it ensures that single-threaded game logic can be processed quickly, reducing the chance of CPU-bound stutters even when the GPU is under heavy load.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides clear guidance on the optimal settings for this combo. For a smooth 60 FPS experience, the 1080p resolution with High settings is the best choice, yielding an average of 94 FPS. This provides a significant margin above the 60 FPS threshold, allowing for consistent performance without drops. If a higher frame rate is preferred for competitive play or on a high-refresh-rate monitor, dropping to Medium settings at 1080p increases the average to 110 FPS, while Low settings push it to 143 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the High preset delivers an average of 61 FPS, which is right at the edge of the 60 FPS target. The Medium preset provides a more comfortable 72 FPS average, making it the recommended choice for 1440p gaming to ensure a stable experience. The Ultra preset at 1440p drops to 48 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target and should be avoided for smooth gameplay.

At 3840x2160, none of the presets achieve a playable 60 FPS. The High preset averages 34 FPS, while the Low preset averages 51 FPS. Even at Low settings, the frame rate is not ideal for a smooth experience. The data indicates that 4K gaming is not a viable option for this combination in The Technomancer. The best experience at 4K would be to use the Low preset, but users seeking a fluid experience should consider dropping to 1440p. The Medium preset at 4K also shows a min FPS of 33, indicating potential stutters, making the Low preset the most stable 4K option, albeit at a lower visual quality.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 and AMD Radeon RX 7600 ranks 1959 out of 2825 tested combos in The Technomancer. This places it in the lower half of all configurations tested, which is consistent with the GPU's mid-range positioning. The rank reflects the system's overall capability to run this specific game, and the data suggests that while it handles 1080p and 1440p well, it struggles at 4K. The rank is not a measure of absolute performance but rather a relative comparison against all other CPU-GPU pairings in the database.

This ranking is a direct consequence of the RX 7600's 57th percentile standing among GPUs and the Core Ultra 5 225's 85th percentile standing among CPUs. The GPU is clearly the weaker link, and its performance ceiling determines the overall combo's rank. The CPU's strong showing does not compensate for the GPU's limitations at higher resolutions. In the context of the database, this combo is not a high-end performer, but it is also not at the bottom. It is a representative mid-range setup that delivers solid 1080p performance and acceptable 1440p performance, but it is not built for 4K gaming.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following table details the exact measured average FPS for each resolution and settings preset.

| Resolution | Settings | Avg FPS | Min FPS | Max FPS |

|---|---|---|---|---|

| 1920x1080 | Low | 143 | - | - |

| 1920x1080 | Medium | 110 | 93 | 126 |

| 1920x1080 | High | 94 | - | - |

| 1920x1080 | Ultra | 73 | - | - |

| 2560x1440 | Low | 93 | - | - |

| 2560x1440 | Medium | 72 | 61 | 82 |

| 2560x1440 | High | 61 | - | - |

| 2560x1440 | Ultra | 48 | - | - |

| 3840x2160 | Low | 51 | - | - |

| 3840x2160 | Medium | 39 | 33 | 45 |

| 3840x2160 | High | 34 | - | - |

| 3840x2160 | Ultra | 26 | - | - |

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this CPU-GPU combo in The Technomancer?

A: Based on the measured data, 1920x1080 is the best resolution. At High settings, it achieves an average of 94 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS target. 2560x1440 is also playable with the High preset at 61 FPS, but 3840x2160 is not recommended as even Low settings only yield 51 FPS.

Q: How does the RX 7600's performance here compare to its direct rivals?

A: The RX 7600 has an average benchmark score of 15171, placing it near the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 OEM (15199, -0.2%) and the AMD Radeon 680M (15270, -0.7%). This indicates that its performance in The Technomancer is representative of its overall mid-range standing.

Q: Is the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 a bottleneck for the RX 7600 in this game?

A: The data does not indicate a CPU bottleneck at higher resolutions. The frame rate drops from 1080p to 4K are consistent with GPU limitations. The CPU's high single-core score of 3655 in Cinebench R23 suggests it has ample power for the game's logic, and it is not the limiting factor in the measured results.

Q: What settings should be used for a stable 60 FPS experience at 1080p?

A: The High preset at 1080p provides a 94 FPS average, which is a safe margin above 60 FPS. For an even higher frame rate, the Medium preset yields 110 FPS, and the Low preset yields 143 FPS, all well above the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming in The Technomancer?

A: No, it cannot handle 4K effectively. Even at the Low preset, the average FPS is only 51, which is below the 60 FPS target. The Ultra preset drops to 26 FPS, making the game unplayable at that resolution.

Q: How does the combo's overall rank in this game reflect its performance?

A: The combo ranks 1959 out of 2825 tested combinations. This places it in the lower half, indicating that while it is a capable mid-range system, it is outperformed by many other configurations in this specific title, primarily due to the GPU's limitations at higher resolutions.