The Technomancer

The Technomancer, a 2016 Action RPG, presents a demanding scenario for the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650. Benchmark data reveals this combination is severely GPU-limited at higher resolutions, with playable performance only achievable at 1080p on lower settings presets. The GTX 1650's 4 GB VRAM and modest compute capabilities are the primary bottlenecks, while the Core Ultra 5 225's strong multi-core performance is largely left underutilized by this title.

FAQ

Q: What is the best performance the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 can achieve in The Technomancer?

A: The highest average frame rate recorded in the measured data is 68 FPS. This occurs at 1920x1080 resolution with the Low settings preset.

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

A: No. At 3840x2160, the average frame rates range from 13 FPS on Ultra to 24 FPS on Low. All of these results are below the generally accepted threshold for smooth gameplay.

Q: How much of a performance difference is there between the Low and Ultra presets at 1080p?

A: The difference is significant. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers an average of 68 FPS, while the Ultra preset delivers an average of 35 FPS. This represents a substantial drop in frame rate for the highest visual quality settings.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the primary bottleneck in this configuration?

A: The benchmark results indicate the GPU is the limiting factor. For instance, at 2560x1440, the average FPS drops to 29 on High and 23 on Ultra, while the CPU's PassMark multithread score of 30459 is relatively high. The frame rates scale more dramatically with resolution and graphics settings, which is characteristic of a GPU bottleneck.

Q: What is the performance difference between 1080p and 1440p on the Medium preset?

A: At 1920x1080 on Medium, the average frame rate is 52 FPS. When the resolution is increased to 2560x1440 on the same preset, the average frame rate drops to 34 FPS. This is a 35% decrease in performance, highlighting the GPU's struggle with higher pixel counts.

Q: How does this specific GPU compare to its closest rivals in general benchmark scores?

A: The GeForce GTX 1650 has an average benchmark score of 7472. Its nearest rival, the Intel Arc A310, scores 7550, which is 1% higher. In contrast, the AMD Radeon HD 8850M scores 7447, which is 0.3% lower, and the Intel UHD Graphics 750 scores 7441, which is 0.4% lower.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 is the decisive component in this pairing. Its specifications, including a 4 GB GDDR5 memory buffer on a 128-bit bus with 128.1 GB/s of bandwidth, are the primary constraint on performance in The Technomancer. The GPU's 896 shading units and 32 ROPs, running at a boost clock of 1665 MHz, deliver a compute throughput of 2.984 TFLOPS. The data shows that this configuration struggles to maintain high frame rates even at moderate settings.

The GPU's performance percentile of 40 places it below the median for all GPUs, and its benchmark scores reflect its limitations. For example, its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score is a mere 305, and its PassMark G3D score is 7880. These figures align with the measured in-game results, which show the GPU is overwhelmed at resolutions above 1080p. The 4 GB VRAM capacity is particularly relevant, as higher resolutions and preset levels likely exceed this limit, causing a significant performance penalty. The system's overall rank of 2738 out of 2825 possible combinations in this game underscores this GPU's difficulty.

The GTX 1650's DirectX 12 support (version 12_1) is present, but its raw power is insufficient for the demands of The Technomancer's higher settings. The measured FPS data shows a clear pattern: as the GPU load increases with resolution and visual fidelity, the average frame rate plummets. This is a textbook example of a GPU-bound scenario where the processor's capabilities are not the limiting factor. The GPU's low memory bandwidth and small frame buffer are the main reasons for the poor performance at 4K, where it can only manage an average of 16 FPS on High and 13 FPS on Ultra.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data for The Technomancer shows a steep and consistent decline in performance as resolution increases, confirming the GPU as the primary bottleneck. Moving from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440 on the High preset results in an average FPS drop from 45 to 29, a 36% reduction. Scaling up to 3840x2160 on the same preset yields an average of only 16 FPS, a further 45% drop from the 1440p result.

This pattern is consistent across all settings presets. On Low, the average frame rate falls from 68 FPS at 1080p, to 44 FPS at 1440p, and finally to 24 FPS at 4K. The performance degradation from 1080p to 4K represents a 65% decrease on the Low preset. The data suggests that the GTX 1650's 128.1 GB/s memory bandwidth and 4 GB VRAM are insufficient to handle the increasing pixel fill rate and texture data demands at higher resolutions.

The fact that the frame rate drops so dramatically with resolution indicates that the game is heavily reliant on the GPU's pixel throughput and memory subsystem. The Intel Core Ultra 5 225, with its high single-thread score of 3655 in Cinebench R23, is clearly not the limiting factor here, as the frame rates do not show a CPU-related plateau. Instead, the consistent scaling with resolution points directly to the GTX 1650. At 4K, the GPU is completely saturated, rendering the game unplayable on all presets, with the best average result being 24 FPS on Low.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured data, the only viable settings for a consistently playable experience are at 1920x1080 resolution. The Low preset is the only configuration that provides a comfortable margin above 60 FPS, with an average of 68 FPS. The Medium preset also at 1080p is a compromise, offering an average of 52 FPS, which may be acceptable for some players but is less ideal for fast-paced action.

At 2560x1440, the data indicates that the GTX 1650 is not capable of delivering smooth performance. Even on the Low preset, the average frame rate is 44 FPS, and the Medium preset drops to 34 FPS. These frame rates are playable but not ideal, and the visual quality trade-offs may not be worth the resolution increase. The High and Ultra presets at this resolution result in averages of 29 and 23 FPS, respectively, which are below the threshold for a responsive experience.

The 4K resolution is not recommended for this hardware, as all presets yield average frame rates below 25 FPS. The data suggests that the best experience for this combination is to prioritize resolution and frame rate over graphical fidelity. Therefore, the recommended settings for this configuration are 1920x1080 with the Low preset to achieve the highest frame rate (68 FPS average), or 1920x1080 with the Medium preset for a better visual balance at a reduced, but still playable, average of 52 FPS. The Medium preset at 1080p provides a 35 FPS average uplift over the Ultra preset and is only 13 FPS lower than the 4K Low preset, making it the most efficient use of the GPU's limited resources.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured FPS data shows a clear hierarchy of performance across settings. The Low preset delivers the highest average frame rate at 68 FPS. The Medium preset follows with an average of 52 FPS, with minimum and maximum readings of 44 and 60 FPS, respectively. The High preset drops to an average of 45 FPS. The Ultra preset is the most demanding, resulting in an average of 35 FPS.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance drops significantly across the board. The Low preset averages 44 FPS. The Medium preset averages 34 FPS, with a minimum of 29 FPS and a maximum of 39 FPS. The High preset averages 29 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 23 FPS. These figures indicate that the GTX 1650 is nearing its limit at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the results are consistently low, confirming the GPU is overwhelmed. The Low preset is the only one that averages above 20 FPS, with a result of 24 FPS. The Medium preset averages 19 FPS, with minimum and maximum readings of 16 and 22 FPS, respectively. The High preset averages 16 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages a mere 13 FPS. None of these 4K results are suitable for gameplay.

The data also shows the impact of the Ultra preset at every resolution. At 1080p, upgrading from High to Ultra costs 10 FPS on average. At 1440p, the cost is 6 FPS, and at 4K, it is 3 FPS. This suggests the GPU is so saturated at higher resolutions that the additional settings have a smaller absolute impact, but they still push the frame rate into unplayable territory.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 provides a strong foundation that is, in this specific game, almost entirely untapped. With 10 cores and 10 threads, this processor has ample resources for modern gaming. Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 25891 and single-core score of 3655 demonstrate high computational throughput. The PassMark multi-thread score of 30459 and a percentile ranking of 85 for all CPUs further confirm its strong standing.

However, the measured FPS data for The Technomancer indicates that the game is not CPU-bound in this configuration. The frame rates are consistently low at high resolutions and settings, which is the signature of a GPU bottleneck. The CPU's average benchmark score of 36938 is comparable to its nearest rivals, such as the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F with a score of 36945, suggesting it is more than capable of handling game logic and physics.

The processor's high boost clock of 4.90 GHz and modern Arrow Lake architecture provide more than sufficient single-thread performance for this 2016 title. The game's engine likely does not utilize the full 10-core capacity, but the robust single-core performance ensures that the CPU is never waiting on calculations. Instead, the GPU is always the component that is fully saturated, as evidenced by the dramatic frame rate drops when resolution increases. The data shows the Core Ultra 5 225 is not a limiting factor, and a more powerful GPU would be required to unlock higher frame rates in The Technomancer.