The Technomancer

The Technomancer, a 2016 action RPG, was tested with an Intel Core Ultra 5 225 CPU and an AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT GPU. The measured frame rates span nine resolution-setting combinations with average FPS ranging from a low of 46 (4K Ultra) to a high of 251 (1080p Low). The data is measured in-package. The CPU launch MSRP is $246, and the GPU launch MSRP is 899 USD, stated once for transparency.

Resolution Scaling

The scaling behavior across resolution settings exposes a clear pattern: for every preset, the 4K average is roughly 36% of the 1080p value. For example, at High settings, 1080p averages 164 FPS, 1440p 108 FPS, and 4K 59 FPS. The ratio 59/164 = 0.3598; similarly, at Low settings, 251 → 90 → 35.9%; at Medium, 193→69→35.8%; at Ultra, 128→46→35.9%. This near-constant ratio suggests a resolution-bound factor, consistent with a GPU-limited scenario. The moderate drop between 1080p and 1440p (e.g., High from 164 to 108, a 34% decline) and the further large drop to 4K (from 108 to 59, a 45% decline) indicates that the GPU’s fillrate and bandwidth are the primary constraint as pixel count rises. The CPU appears to provide ample headroom because even at 1080p Low, the system reaches 251 FPS, implying the CPU is not limiting the refresh at that resolution—the GPU cannot render frames any faster given the engine’s overhead. The consistency of the 1080p-to-4K scaling factor across all presets further lines the conclusion that the GPU is the dominating element in frame time at these test conditions.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 225 is a 10-core, 10-thread processor with a 3.30 GHz base clock and a 4.90 GHz boost clock. Its architecture is Arrow Lake, fabricated on a 3 nm TSMC node, with 20 MB of shared L3 cache and a dual-channel DDR5 memory interface. In CPU benchmark scores, the chip reaches 25891 points in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 3655 points in single-core, and a PassMark single thread score of 4412. The average CPU benchmark score is 36938, placing it at the 85th percentile of all CPUs. Its closest rivals by score are the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F (average score 36945, delta 0%), AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D (37018, -0.2%), AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 450 (37093, -0.4%), and the Intel Core i9-12900T (37112, -0.5%). These deltas are within -0.5% of each other, meaning the Ultra 5 225 performs statistically identical to those processors.

Relating the CPU to the game's results, the CPU does not appear to be the bottleneck at any tested resolution. At 1080p Low, FPS reaches 251, which is a very high output that would only be achieved if the CPU could drive the frame rate at that level; if the CPU were limiting, we would expect a lower cap across settings. The small and constant decline from 1080p to 1440p to 4K—regardless of preset—is typical of a GPU-bound situation. The CPU's 10 threads and high single-thread performance (Cinebench R23 3655) provide adequate processing headroom for the game's 2019 engine, which is generally not known to use many threaded cores. The fact that the 4K Low preset still hits 90 FPS shows that the CPU can keep up even when the GPU workload increases. Thus, the CPU's core count, clock rates, and processed data align with the observed frame rates, but there is no evidence of CPU-induced frame falls.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT is built on the RDNA 3.0 architecture, chip Navi 31, with 5376 shading units, 336 texture units, and 192 ROPs. Its memory subsystem includes 20 GB of GDDR6 over a 320-bit interface, providing 800.0 GB/s of bandwidth. Boosts to 2394 MHz, with a game clock of 2025 MHz. The GPU's benchmark track record includes a PassMark G3D score of 29009, a PassMark GPU compute of 16828, and a 3DMark Steel Nomad of 5623. In the overall GPU benchmark average, it scores the 55th percentile, with an average score of 13745. Its nearest rivals are the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT (average 13543, delta +1.5%), AMD Radeon 660M (13812, -0.5%), NVIDIA RTX A2000 Mobile (13821, -0.5%), and AMD Radeon RX 570X (13871, -0.9%). These deltas are within 1.5% of each other, meaning the RX 7900 XT sits at the same performance tier.

In the measured game, the GPU dictates the frame rate. At 1080p Lower, the GPU achieves 251 FPS; at 1080p Ultra, it is 128 FPS, showing a steep settings sensitivity. The same pattern holds at 1440p (Low 164, Ultra 84) and 4K (Low 90, Ultra 46). The consistent ~3:2 decline from 1080p to 1440p and roughly a 1.5× further decline to 4K points to the GPU's pixel fill rate (459.6 GPixel/s) and texture rate (804.4 GTexel/s) as limiting factors. The 20 GB frame buffer is more than sufficient for any texture quality at these resolutions, so the limitation is the raw arithmetic output, not memory capacity. The GPU's 800.0 GB/s bandwidth, in contrast, is not presented as a hindrance because the frame times scale nearly linearly with pixel count, which is typical of a memory bandwidth ample enough to feed the render pipeline.

Settings Recommendations

Looking at the measured average FPS, we can identify the highest quality setting that still maintains a steady 60+ FPS at each resolution. At 1080p, the Ultra preset delivers an average of 128 FPS, which is far above 60 and offers that maximum visual quality. The High and Medium presets perform even higher (164 and 193 FPS) but do not add a noticeable improvement to the frame rate because they are already high; the Ultra setting is thus recommended for a smooth, visually detailed experience. At 1440p, Ultra still averages a robust 84 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS comfort threshold, so Ultra is controllable for 1440p as well. The Medium, High, and Low presets average 126, 108, and 164 FPS, respectively, but there is no need to drop below Ultra for a consistent 60+ performance. At 4K, the situation changes: High averages 59 FPS, just under the 60 FPS target; Medium averages 69 FPS, which is above 60 FPS, and Low averages 90 FPS. Ultra is only 46 FPS. Given the trade-off between visual fidelity and fluidity, the 4K recommendation is the Medium preset: it gives an average of 69 FPS and includes the same visual features as High except for a few subtle effects (based on the measured average), while all presets produce playable frame rates, but Ultra can produce noticeable downhits. For players who are sensitive to input latency, the High setting’s 59 FPS might still be acceptable, but the data favors Medium as the only preset above 60 FPS average. For 1080p and 1440p, Ultra is the best compromise between quality and smoothness. In summary, the system has the GPU headroom to push the Ultra preset at 1440p, but at 4K needs to drop to Medium to stay above 60 FPS.

How This Combo Ranks

Out of 3,696 tested CPU-GPU combos, the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 + RX 7900 XT combination ranks 687th. This places the system in the top 18.6% of all tested pairings (since 687/3696 ≈ 0.186, so 687 is better than 81.4% of the competition). The rank reflects the combo’s overall multi-thread and graphics capability. The CPU lies at the 85th percentile of all CPUsship, and the GPU at the 55th percentile of GPUs, which is why the combination sits at 687th among both sides. While the GPU tier is not in the top echelon statistically (55th percentile), the game-specific results show it can still deliver high frame rates at 1080p and even 4K with proper settings. The combo’s position is competitive given the measured frame rates, especially at 1440p where it achieves 84 FPS at Ultra.

Measured FPS Breakdown

| Resolution | Settings | Average FPS | Min FPS | Max FPS |

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

| 1920x1080 | Low | 251 | 0? | 0? |

| 1920x1080 | Medium | 193 | 164 | 335 |

| 1920x1080 | High | 164 | 0? | 0? |

| 1920x1080 | Ultra | 128 | 0? | 0? |

| 2560x1440 | Low | 164 | 0? | 0? |

| 2560x1440 | Medium | 126 | 107 | 145 |

| 2560x1440 | High | 108 | 0? | 0? |

| 2560x1440 | Ultra | 84 | 0? | 0? |

| 3840x2160 | Low | 90 | 0? | 0? |

| 3840x2160 | Medium | 69 | 59 | 80 |

| 3840x2160 | High | 59 | 0? | 0? |

| 3840x2160 | Ultra | 46 | 0? | 0? |

Note: Min/Max values are only provided for Medium presets in the source data. For other preset rows, averages are reported without min/max.

The measured values are direct from the game benchmark. At full HD 1920x1080, even the Low preset produces 251 FPS, the highest number in the set. As the quality rises, the FPS decreases monotonically: 193 at Medium, 164 at High, and 128 at Ultra. The same ordering appears at 1440p and 4K, confirming that the GPU serves more resources to higher quality settings. The minimum FPS values for 1440p and 4K at Medium are 107 and 59, respectively, suggesting some frames can dip lower than the average. The overall scaling analysis above is therefore robust to the min/max data.

FAQ

Q: What is the maximum average FPS the Core Ultra 5 225 + RX 7900 XT can achieve at 1080p?

A: At 1080p with Low settings, the average FPS is 251 frames per second.

Q: At which 4K setting does the system average at least 60 FPS?

A: The Medium preset at 3840x2160 yields an average of 69 FPS, which is the only setting above 60 FPS. The Ultra preset scores 46 FPS, and High 59.

Q: How does the RX 7900 XT rank compared to its nearest GPU rivals according to the database?

A: The GPU’s average score is 13745. Its fastest rival is the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT with an average of 13543 (delta +1.5%). The other rivals are the AMD Radeon 660M (13812, -0.5%), NVIDIA RTX A2000 Mobile (13821, -0.5%), and AMD Radeon RX 570X (13871, -0.9%).

Q: What is the frame rate at 1440p High settings?

A: At 2560x1440 High, the average FPS is 108.

Q: In how many combos does this CPU+GPU pair rank?

A: The combination ranks 687th among 3,696 different tested systems.

Q: Does the CPU have 10 threads or 10 cores?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 has 10 cores and 10 threads.