The Technomancer

The Technomancer, a 2016 Action RPG, presents a demanding workload that scales significantly with both resolution and graphical presets. This analysis examines the performance of the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti across a matrix of settings and resolutions. The data, derived from measured FPS rows, reveals a configuration that is highly capable at 1080p and 1440p but begins to strain under the load of 4K Ultra settings. The following breakdown interprets these benchmark results to define the optimal user experience and the specific roles the CPU and GPU play in this title.

FAQ

Q: What is the best preset to use with this CPU and GPU combo for a balanced experience at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the High preset delivers an average of 86 FPS, while Medium provides 101 FPS. High offers a significant visual upgrade over Medium with only a 15 FPS average penalty, making it the recommended choice for a balance of fidelity and smooth performance.

Q: Can this system handle 4K resolution in The Technomancer?

A: Yes, but with compromises. At 3840x2160, the Low preset achieves an average of 72 FPS, which is playable. However, the High preset drops to an average of 47 FPS, and Ultra falls to 37 FPS, indicating that 4K gaming requires turning down settings for a consistently smooth frame rate.

Q: How does the performance scale between 1080p and 1440p at the High settings?

A: The system produces an average of 132 FPS at 1920x1080 on High. Moving to 2560x1440 on High results in an average of 86 FPS. This represents a 46 FPS (approx. 35%) drop in performance, showing a substantial load increase on the GPU when transitioning to a higher pixel count.

Q: Is the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 a bottleneck for the RTX 3070 Ti in this game?

A: The data suggests the CPU is not a primary bottleneck. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 201 FPS, which is a very high frame rate. The performance scaling from Low to Ultra and from 1080p to 4K follows a pattern typical of a GPU-bound scenario, especially at higher resolutions and settings where the FPS drops are more pronounced.

Q: What is the performance difference between the Low and Ultra presets at 1920x1080?

A: At 1920x1080, the Low preset averages 201 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 103 FPS. This is a difference of 98 FPS, meaning the Ultra preset delivers roughly half the frame rate of Low, illustrating the significant cost of the game's highest visual quality settings.

Q: How does this combo rank among all other tested combinations for this game?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti combination ranks 978th out of 2825 tested combos. This places it in the top 35% of all configurations tested for The Technomancer, indicating a solidly above-average performance tier.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides a clear hierarchy for optimizing the experience in The Technomancer. The primary goal is to maintain a frame rate that feels responsive, and the data shows that the High preset is the most effective across multiple resolutions. At 1920x1080, High delivers 132 FPS, which is well above the threshold for smooth gameplay and only 22 FPS behind the Medium preset's 154 FPS. The visual uplift from Medium to High is typically significant, making High the superior choice for 1080p.

At 2560x1440, the High preset continues to be the standout option. With an average of 86 FPS, it provides a fluid experience that is well-suited for fast-paced action. While the Medium preset offers a higher average of 101 FPS, the 15 FPS difference is a reasonable trade-off for the improved visual fidelity. The Ultra preset at 1440p drops to 67 FPS, which may be acceptable for some, but the High preset offers a safer margin for maintaining consistent performance during intense scenes.

For 4K resolution, the calculus changes. The High preset's 47 FPS average is on the edge of playability. In this scenario, the Medium preset, with its 55 FPS average and recorded minimum of 47 FPS, provides a more stable experience, though it still may not be ideal for all users. The Low preset at 72 FPS is the only 4K option that guarantees a smooth and consistent frame rate. Therefore, for the best overall experience on this hardware, the High preset at 1440p is the recommended target, as it offers the best balance of visual quality and performance. For users prioritizing a high refresh rate experience, the High preset at 1080p is the most suitable.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS data across the three tested resolutions reveals a classic GPU-bound scaling pattern. The performance drop from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440 is substantial, and the drop to 3840x2160 is even more severe. This indicates that the rendering resolution is the dominant factor in determining frame rate, which points to the GPU as the primary limiting component in this configuration.

For instance, at the High settings, the average FPS drops from 132 at 1080p to 86 at 1440p (a 35% decrease) and then to 47 at 4K (a 45% decrease from 1440p). This non-linear decline is typical of a GPU that is increasingly overwhelmed by the pixel count. The CPU's role becomes less significant as resolution increases, as the workload shifts more heavily onto the graphics card.

The scaling from Low to Ultra settings further confirms this. At 1080p, the difference between Low (201 FPS) and Ultra (103 FPS) is a massive 98 FPS. This large gap suggests that even at a lower resolution, the GPU's capabilities are being taxed by the game's high-end effects. As the resolution increases, the GPU becomes the definitive bottleneck, and the frame rate is primarily dictated by its raw rendering power rather than the CPU's ability to feed it data. The 4K Ultra result of 37 FPS is a clear indication of this limitation.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the configuration shows strong performance. The Low preset achieves an average of 201 FPS, indicating the CPU and GPU combination is capable of very high frame rates. The Medium preset averages 154 FPS, with a minimum of 131 FPS and a maximum of 178 FPS, showing consistency. High settings yield an average of 132 FPS, which is excellent for high-refresh-rate monitors. The Ultra preset brings the average down to 103 FPS, still a very playable frame rate.

Moving to 2560x1440, the demands on the GPU become more apparent. The Low preset still performs admirably with an average of 131 FPS. The Medium preset averages 101 FPS, with a minimum of 86 and a maximum of 116 FPS. The High preset provides a solid 86 FPS average, which is a sweet spot for this resolution. The Ultra preset, however, drops to an average of 67 FPS, showing the strain of higher pixel counts and maximum settings.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is clearly the limiting factor. The Low preset is the only one that provides a consistently high frame rate, averaging 72 FPS. The Medium preset averages 55 FPS, with a minimum of 47 and a maximum of 64 FPS. The High preset drops to 47 FPS, which may be borderline for some. Finally, the Ultra preset averages just 37 FPS, which is not a smooth experience for a game like this. The data shows a clear and predictable degradation as both resolution and settings are increased.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti is the central component in these results. Its performance characteristics, defined by its 8 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus and a boost clock of 1770 MHz, directly correlate with the observed frame rates. The GPU's memory bandwidth of 608.3 GB/s is a critical factor, especially at higher resolutions and with higher texture quality settings, which demand more data throughput.

The benchmark scores for the GPU, such as a Passmark G3D score of 23356, place it in the 75th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti, which it outperforms by 0.5%, and the AMD Radeon RX 6800, which is 0.5% ahead. This places the RTX 3070 Ti in a competitive performance tier. In The Technomancer, the GPU's role is dominant, as evidenced by the sharp FPS decline from 1080p to 4K. The 8 GB VRAM capacity is likely sufficient for this title at the tested settings, as the performance scaling does not suggest a memory capacity bottleneck, but rather a pure rendering throughput limitation.

The GPU's 21.75 TFLOPS of FP32 compute power and 169.9 GPixel/s pixel rate are the raw metrics that determine its ability to fill pixels and process shaders. The data shows that at 4K Ultra, the GPU is simply overwhelmed, providing only 37 FPS. This suggests that the game's Ultra preset at 4K requires more pixel throughput than the RTX 3070 Ti can deliver, making lower presets necessary for a playable experience at that resolution.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 225, with its 10 cores and 10 threads, is a capable processor that provides ample performance for gaming. Its boost clock of 4.90 GHz and a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 25891 indicate a strong processor. It ranks in the 85th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 36938, placing it among capable mid-to-high-end processors.

In The Technomancer, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with data and process game logic. The evidence for a sufficient CPU is the high frame rates achieved at 1080p Low, where the system hits 201 FPS. If the CPU were a significant bottleneck, we would expect to see a ceiling on the maximum frame rate regardless of resolution or settings. The data does not show such a ceiling at the tested resolutions.

The CPU's performance is comparable to its nearest rivals, such as the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F, which has a near-identical average score (0% deltaPct), and the AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D, which is 0.2% slower. This indicates that the Ultra 5 225 is a mainstream performer that does not hold back the RTX 3070 Ti in this title. The fact that the FPS drops so significantly with resolution increases is a clear sign that the GPU is the limiting component, not the CPU. The processor's 20 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR5 memory support are sufficient for the game's requirements.

How This Combo Ranks

In the specific context of The Technomancer, the combination of the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti achieves a rank of 978 out of 2825 tested combinations. This places the configuration in the 65th percentile of all tested systems, meaning it performs better than roughly two-thirds of all the combinations tested for this game. This is a strong showing, indicating a well-balanced system that is above average for this specific title.

This ranking is consistent with the measured performance data. The system is clearly capable of delivering high frame rates at 1080p and 1440p, which are the most common gaming resolutions. The 4K performance is less impressive, but this is a common challenge for many configurations, as the demands of 4K are extremely high. The rank suggests that this pairing is a viable choice for a smooth gaming experience in The Technomancer, particularly at mainstream resolutions.

The top 35% placement confirms the strength of both components. The RTX 3070 Ti's high-end rasterization performance is well-matched with the Core Ultra 5 225's strong single-threaded and multi-threaded capabilities. The data from the measured FPS and the overall combo rank paint a consistent picture: this is a dependable, high-performance pairing that will handle The Technomancer with ease at 1080p and 1440p, and can manage 4K with settings adjustments. It is a configuration that offers a strong experience without being at the absolute modern of performance.