The Technomancer

# How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 lands at rank 130 out of 2825 tested combos in The Technomancer. That places this configuration in the top 4.6% of all tested pairings, which is a strong result for a game originally released in 2016. The combo outperforms the vast majority of systems in the database, though it doesn't crack the top 100 — a reminder that The Technomancer's engine has practical ceilings even with modern hardware.

The ranking reflects a balanced pairing. The RTX 5080 is the dominant component here, sitting at the 87th percentile among all GPUs, while the Core Ultra 5 225 sits at the 85th percentile among all CPUs. Neither component is a bottleneck in the traditional sense, but the data suggests the GPU carries more of the workload at higher resolutions. At 1080p, the CPU's influence becomes more apparent, yet the combo still delivers frame rates well above what most displays can show.

What's notable is how this pairing compares to other combos in the database. The rank of 130 isn't just about raw component strength; it's about how these two parts interact in this specific game. The Technomancer is an Action RPG from 2016, and its engine scales with modern hardware in ways that aren't always predictable. The measured FPS data shows this combo handles the game comfortably across all tested resolutions and settings, with no configuration dropping below 57 FPS average.

# GPU Role

The RTX 5080 is the centerpiece of this combo, and its specifications explain why it performs so well in The Technomancer. The GPU features 16 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 960.0 GB/s of bandwidth. For a 2016 title, this is an enormous amount of memory bandwidth — more than enough to feed the game's textures and geometry without any memory-related stuttering. The 16 GB capacity also means VRAM is effectively a non-issue at any resolution, even with Ultra settings.

Clock speeds are equally impressive. The GPU runs at a base clock of 2295 MHz and boosts to 2617 MHz. These high clocks, combined with 10752 shading units, give the RTX 5080 enormous compute throughput. The FP32 performance is rated at 56.28 TFLOPS, which is far beyond what The Technomancer requires. The pixel rate of 293.1 GPixel/s and texture rate of 879.3 GTexel/s ensure that even at 4K Ultra, the GPU isn't struggling to fill pixels or sample textures.

The measured FPS data confirms the GPU's strength. At 4K Ultra, the combo averages 57 FPS — playable but showing the game's demands at maximum settings. Drop to 4K High, and the average rises to 73 FPS. At 1440p High, it hits 132 FPS, and at 1080p High, it reaches 202 FPS. These numbers indicate the RTX 5080 is never the limiting factor until you push to 4K Ultra, where the game's older rendering pipeline starts to show its age.

The GPU's benchmark scores reinforce this picture. The PassMark G3D score of 36565 places it at the 87th percentile among all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon 8060S (0.6% ahead), the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB (0.7% ahead), and the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X (2.3% ahead). The RTX 5080 also trails the AMD Radeon RX 9070 GRE by 2.2%. These are tight margins, but in actual game performance, the RTX 5080's combination of raw compute and memory bandwidth delivers results that rival these close competitors.

# CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 is the supporting player in this combo, but it's no slouch. This Arrow Lake-S chip features 10 cores and 10 threads, with a base clock of 3.30 GHz and a boost clock of 4.90 GHz. The 3 nm process node from TSMC keeps power draw at a modest 65 W TDP, which is efficient for a desktop CPU. The 20 MB of shared L3 cache provides adequate capacity for gaming workloads, though it's not class-leading.

In The Technomancer, the CPU's role becomes more visible at lower resolutions. The data shows a clear scaling pattern: at 1080p Low, the combo averages 309 FPS, while at 1080p Ultra, it drops to 158 FPS. This 151 FPS gap is primarily driven by GPU workload, but the CPU's ability to feed the GPU at high frame rates is evident. The chip's single-core performance — a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3655 — ensures that the game's main thread isn't a bottleneck, even at 200+ FPS.

Multi-threaded performance is solid as well. The Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 25891 reflects the 10-core design's capability. PassMark multi-thread score of 30459 and the average benchmark score of 36938 place this CPU at the 85th percentile among all processors. Its nearest rivals are tightly clustered: the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F (0% delta), the AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D (-0.2%), the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 450 (-0.4%), and the Intel Core i9-12900T (-0.5%). This means the Core Ultra 5 225 is essentially comparable to these chips in overall benchmark performance.

The CPU's 10 threads are sufficient for The Technomancer, which is a 2016 title that likely doesn't scale beyond 8 threads effectively. The high boost clock of 4.90 GHz helps with the game's single-threaded aspects, and the 102.4 GB/s memory bandwidth on dual-channel DDR5 is adequate for feeding both CPU and GPU data. The Arc Xe-LPG integrated graphics are present but irrelevant for gaming when a discrete RTX 5080 is installed.

# FAQ

Q: What frame rate can this combo achieve at 1080p with High settings?

A: The measured average is 202 FPS at 1080p High. This is well above the refresh rate of most monitors, so you'd likely be limited by your display rather than the hardware.

Q: How does the RTX 5080 compare to its closest rival, the AMD Radeon 8060S?

A: The AMD Radeon 8060S has an average benchmark score of 55757, which is 0.6% higher than the RTX 5080's score of 56083. In practical terms, this difference is negligible for gaming performance.

Q: Is 16 GB of VRAM enough for The Technomancer at 4K?

A: Yes. The game is from 2016 and doesn't require nearly that much memory. The RTX 5080's 16 GB of GDDR7 on a 256-bit bus provides 960.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is far more than this title can utilize, even at 4K Ultra.

Q: What is the CPU's single-core performance relative to its rivals?

A: The Core Ultra 5 225's Cinebench R23 single-core score is 3655. This is consistent with its overall benchmark position at the 85th percentile. Its nearest rivals are all within 0.5% of its average benchmark score, indicating similar single-thread capabilities.

Q: How much does the FPS drop when going from 1440p High to 4K High?

A: The average FPS drops from 132 at 1440p High to 73 at 4K High, a reduction of 59 FPS (approximately 45%). This indicates the GPU is the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions.

Q: What is the combo's overall rank in the database for this game?

A: This combo ranks 130th out of 2825 tested combinations in The Technomancer, placing it in the top 4.6% of all tested systems.

# Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear resolution scaling pattern. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 309 FPS, which drops to 202 FPS at 1440p Low, and further to 111 FPS at 4K Low. This represents a 64% reduction from 1080p to 4K at Low settings. The pattern holds across other settings: at High, the drop is from 202 FPS at 1080p to 132 FPS at 1440p to 73 FPS at 4K — a 64% reduction as well. At Ultra, the numbers go from 158 FPS at 1080p to 103 FPS at 1440p to 57 FPS at 4K, a 64% drop.

These consistent reductions indicate that the GPU is the dominant scaling factor. The RTX 5080's workload increases roughly linearly with pixel count, and the CPU's role remains relatively constant. At 1080p, the system is likely CPU-limited at lower settings — the 309 FPS average at Low suggests the CPU's maximum frame delivery is being approached. As resolution increases, the GPU becomes the bottleneck, and frame rates scale accordingly.

The medium settings data points provide the only min/max measurements in the dataset. At 1080p Medium, the combo averages 237 FPS with a minimum of 201 and maximum of 273. At 1440p Medium, the average is 155 FPS with a range of 132 to 178. At 4K Medium, the average drops to 85 FPS with a range of 72 to 98. These minimum values are important — they represent the worst-case frames, and all are above 70 FPS even at 4K, indicating smooth gameplay without major hitches.

The resolution scaling story is straightforward: this combo is GPU-bound at 4K, CPU-bound at 1080p, and well-balanced at 1440p. For a game like The Technomancer, which doesn't have demanding CPU requirements, the sweet spot is 1440p where the combo delivers between 103 and 202 FPS depending on settings. At 4K, you'll get playable frame rates but won't reach the high refresh rates possible at lower resolutions.

# Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides clear guidance on settings choices. At 4K, the Ultra preset averages 57 FPS — technically playable but with no headroom for dips. The High preset at 4K averages 73 FPS, which is a solid 28% improvement over Ultra. The Medium preset at 4K averages 85 FPS, and the Low preset jumps to 111 FPS. For 4K gaming, High is the recommended choice: it offers a 16 FPS improvement over Ultra while maintaining visual quality that's likely indistinguishable in this 2016 title.

At 1440p, the situation is more comfortable. The Ultra preset averages 103 FPS, which is excellent for most displays. High at 1440p delivers 132 FPS, and Medium hits 155 FPS. For competitive play or high-refresh monitors, the Low preset at 202 FPS is available, but the visual trade-off is significant. The recommendation at 1440p is Ultra if you have a 100 Hz monitor, or High if you prefer extra headroom. The 103 FPS average at Ultra is above the 72 FPS minimum you'd see at 4K Medium, so smoothness is assured.

At 1080p, the combo is clearly overkill. Even the Ultra preset averages 158 FPS, which exceeds most monitors' refresh rates. The Low preset at 309 FPS is essentially a benchmark number rather than a practical setting. For 1080p, the recommendation is to max everything out — the Ultra preset at 158 FPS is the best experience, and you'll never notice the performance difference between presets at this resolution since all are above 150 FPS.

The measured data suggests that the Medium preset offers the best balance of visual quality and performance headroom across all resolutions. At 4K Medium, the 85 FPS average with a 72 FPS minimum ensures smooth gameplay. At 1440p Medium, 155 FPS with a 132 FPS minimum is excellent. At 1080p Medium, 237 FPS with a 201 FPS minimum is far beyond what any monitor can display. If you want a single preset that works well everywhere, Medium is the safest choice, with High being the recommended upgrade for those who prioritize visual fidelity over FPS headroom.