The Technomancer

The Technomancer is a 2016 Action RPG that stresses both CPU and GPU depending on the resolution and settings. Benchmark data for the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 paired with the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT shows a configuration that is capable of high refresh rates at 1080p but struggles to maintain playable frame rates at 4K with maximum quality. The measured results across twelve resolution and settings combinations reveal a clear performance curve, with the CPU holding strong in lighter loads and the GPU becoming the definitive bottleneck at higher resolutions.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 is the sweet spot, delivering 98 FPS at High settings and 149 FPS at Low settings. At 2560x1440, frame rates remain respectable with 64 FPS at High, but 3840x2160 drops below 60 FPS even at Low settings, making it unsuitable for smooth gameplay.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 has an average benchmark score of 36938, placing it in the 85th percentile of all CPUs. It is effectively tied with the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F, which scores 36945 (0% delta), and sits just ahead of the AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D, which scores 37018 (-0.2% delta). The AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 450 scores 37093 (-0.4% delta), and the Intel Core i9-12900T scores 37112 (-0.5% delta).

Q: What is the GPU's performance percentile and how does it stack up against rivals?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT has a PassMark G3D score of 17132, placing it in the 60th percentile of all GPUs. Its average benchmark score is 17083. It is slightly ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690, which scores 17037 (0.3% delta), and the AMD Radeon HD 7970M, which scores 17019 (0.4% delta). It trails the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070, which scores 17208 (-0.7% delta).

Q: Does the CPU bottleneck the GPU at 1080p?

A: No, the data indicates the opposite. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo achieves 149 FPS, which is more than double the 4K Low result of 54 FPS. The CPU’s strong single-thread performance, evidenced by its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3655, appears sufficient to feed the GPU at lower resolutions.

Q: What is the frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K at High settings?

A: At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 98 FPS at 1920x1080 to 64 FPS at 2560x1440, and then to 35 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 64% reduction in average FPS from 1080p to 4K, highlighting the GPU's limitations at higher pixel counts.

Q: Is the RX 7600 XT’s 16GB VRAM sufficient for this game?

A: The GPU features 16 GB of GDDR6 memory with a 288.0 GB/s bandwidth. While the fact pack does not list VRAM usage for The Technomancer, the consistent frame rate drops at 4K across all settings suggest that the GPU's compute power, rather than memory capacity, is the limiting factor in this older title.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT is a RDNA 3.0 architecture GPU with a boost clock of 2755 MHz and a game clock of 2470 MHz. It is equipped with 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 288.0 GB/s. In The Technomancer, the GPU's role becomes increasingly dominant as resolution scales, with the measured data showing a clear boundary between playable and unplayable frame rates.

At 1920x1080, the GPU is not the primary constraint. The combo achieves 98 FPS at High and 149 FPS at Low, indicating that the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 is capable of keeping the GPU well-fed. However, the GPU's performance ceiling is reached quickly when moving to higher resolutions. The transition from 1080p to 1440p at High settings sees a 34 FPS drop, and the subsequent move to 4K at High settings results in a further 29 FPS drop, landing at 35 FPS. This steep decline is characteristic of a GPU that lacks the raw fill rate and shading power for 4K gaming, despite its ample 16 GB VRAM buffer. The VRAM size does not appear to be a factor in this game's performance, as the frame rates scale consistently with resolution rather than showing sudden dips that would indicate memory exhaustion.

The GPU's benchmark scores support this analysis. Its PassMark G3D score of 17132 places it in the 60th percentile of all GPUs, which is a mid-range standing. Its DirectX 12 score of 65 and DirectX 11 score of 167 from PassMark reinforce that it is a capable 1080p performer but not a high-end 4K solution. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2348 further contextualizes its position in the market. In The Technomancer, the GPU is the definitive bottleneck at 4K, where even Low settings only yield 54 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target for smooth gameplay.

Settings Recommendations

The benchmark data provides a clear hierarchy of settings for each resolution, and the optimal choice depends on the user's target frame rate and resolution. For a 60 FPS experience, the data shows that 1920x1080 with Ultra settings delivers 77 FPS, which is the highest quality setting that still exceeds 60 FPS at that resolution. At 2560x1440, High settings yield 64 FPS, which is just above the 60 FPS threshold, making it the best quality option for 1440p gaming. Pushing to Ultra at 1440p drops the average to 50 FPS, which is a playable but not ideal experience.

For users prioritizing frame rate over visual fidelity, 1920x1080 with Low settings achieves 149 FPS, which is ideal for high refresh rate monitors. Medium settings at 1080p still provide 115 FPS, offering a good balance between performance and visual quality. At 2560x1440, Low settings deliver 98 FPS, which is an excellent option for competitive play or for users who prefer a smoother experience over higher detail.

At 3840x2160, no settings configuration reaches 60 FPS. The best result is 54 FPS at Low settings, which is below the standard for smooth gameplay. Medium settings at 4K yield 41 FPS, and High settings drop to 35 FPS. Ultra settings at 4K are virtually unplayable at 27 FPS. Therefore, the data suggests that 4K gaming is not a viable option for this combo in The Technomancer, and users should stick to 1080p or 1440p for the best experience.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 and the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT ranks 1781 out of 2825 tested combos in The Technomancer. This places it in the 63rd percentile of all tested configurations, indicating a mid-tier performance standing. This ranking is consistent with the individual component positions: the CPU sits in the 85th percentile of all CPUs, while the GPU sits in the 60th percentile of all GPUs. The combo's overall rank is dragged down by the GPU, which is the weaker component in this pairing for this specific game.

The CPU's synthetic benchmarks show it is a strong performer in its class. Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 25891 and single-core score of 3655 are indicative of a solid modern processor. The PassMark multithread score of 30459 further confirms its capabilities. However, in The Technomancer, the CPU's power is not fully utilized at higher resolutions where the GPU becomes the limiting factor. The combo's rank of 1781 suggests that many other configurations, likely those with more powerful GPUs, outperform it in this game. The data indicates that this is a balanced 1080p and entry-level 1440p gaming combo, but it is not designed for high-end 4K gaming.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a steep and consistent performance drop as resolution increases, which is a classic sign of GPU-bound scaling. From 1920x1080 to 2560x1440 at High settings, the average FPS drops from 98 to 64, a 34 FPS reduction. Moving from 2560x1440 to 3840x2160 at High settings, the average FPS drops from 64 to 35, a 29 FPS reduction. This pattern is repeated across all settings, with the drop from 1080p to 4K at Low settings being the most dramatic, from 149 FPS to 54 FPS.

This scaling behavior strongly indicates that the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT is the limiting component at resolutions above 1080p. The number of pixels at 4K is four times that of 1080p, and the GPU's fill rate and shading units are insufficient to maintain frame rates. The 2048 shading units and 64 ROPs are not enough for 4K workloads, resulting in sub-60 FPS performance across all settings. The CPU, on the other hand, shows it is not a bottleneck at these resolutions, as the frame rate drops are directly proportional to the increase in pixel count. If the CPU were the limiting factor, the frame rates would plateau or drop less significantly at higher resolutions.

The data also reveals that the performance gap between Low and Ultra settings widens at higher resolutions. At 1080p, the difference between Low (149 FPS) and Ultra (77 FPS) is 72 FPS. At 4K, the difference between Low (54 FPS) and Ultra (27 FPS) is 27 FPS. This narrowing gap suggests that at 4K, the GPU is so overwhelmed that even reducing the settings to Low cannot fully compensate for the pixel count, whereas at 1080p, the GPU has enough headroom to benefit significantly from lower settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 and AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT combination delivers its strongest performance. Low settings produce an average of 149 FPS, which is the highest frame rate in the entire dataset. Medium settings yield 115 FPS, with minimum and maximum readings of 98 and 132 FPS respectively. High settings average 98 FPS, while Ultra settings drop to 77 FPS. This resolution provides a wide range of playable options, from high refresh rate competitive play at Low to a visually rich experience at Ultra.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance drops are noticeable but the game remains playable at most settings. Low settings average 98 FPS, which is identical to the 1080p High result. Medium settings average 75 FPS, with a minimum of 64 and a maximum of 86 FPS. High settings average 64 FPS, which is right at the edge of the 60 FPS target. Ultra settings fall to 50 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for action-heavy scenes. The data shows that 1440p requires a trade-off between quality and frame rate, with High being the maximum setting for a 60 FPS experience.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is clearly overburdened. Low settings average 54 FPS, which is the only configuration that comes close to a playable frame rate. Medium settings average 41 FPS, with a minimum of 35 and a maximum of 47 FPS. High settings drop to 35 FPS, and Ultra settings are the worst at 27 FPS. None of these results are suitable for a smooth gaming experience, and the data confirms that 4K is not a viable option for this combo in The Technomancer. The frame rates at 4K are consistently below 60 FPS, and even the most aggressive settings reduction cannot bring them up to a playable level.