The Technomancer

The Technomancer, a 2016 Action RPG, presents a significant challenge for the Intel Core Ultra 5 235 and AMD Radeon RX 570 combination. The measured data reveals a system that is heavily constrained by the graphics card, particularly at higher resolutions and quality settings. This analysis breaks down the performance metrics, ranking, and practical settings for this pairing, based solely on the provided benchmark data.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate data shows a predictable but steep decline as resolution increases, confirming that the AMD Radeon RX 570 is the primary performance limiter in this configuration. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 68 FPS. Moving to 1440p at the same Low settings, the average drops to 45 FPS, a reduction of 23 FPS. At 4K with Low settings, the average plummets to 25 FPS. This scaling pattern indicates that the GPU is working progressively harder to fill the increasing number of pixels, and its 4 GB VRAM and 224.0 GB/s bandwidth become saturated.

The drop from 1080p to 1440p represents a 33.8% decrease in average FPS at Low settings, while moving from 1440p to 4K results in a 44.4% decrease. These are substantial losses, indicating that the GPU's rendering capabilities, not the CPU's processing power, are the bottleneck. The Intel Core Ultra 5 235, with its 14 cores and 14 threads, is capable of feeding the GPU with draw calls and game logic, but the RX 570 cannot translate that data into higher frame rates as pixel count increases.

At High settings, the trend is similar. The average FPS at 1080p is 45, which drops to 29 at 1440p and further to 16 at 4K. The gap between Low and High settings also widens with resolution, suggesting that the GPU's shading units and texture units are being overwhelmed. The data points to a system where 1080p is the only viable resolution for a smooth experience, and even then, only at lower settings. The 4K results, ranging from 13 to 25 FPS, are effectively unplayable, reinforcing the notion that this GPU is not designed for high-resolution gaming in this title.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 570, based on the Polaris 20 chip with GCN 4.0 architecture, is the definitive bottleneck in The Technomancer. Its 4 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus provides 224.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The benchmark data shows that this configuration struggles to maintain playable frame rates at 1440p and 4K. The GPU's base clock of 1168 MHz and boost clock of 1244 MHz are not sufficient to handle the game's demands at high resolutions.

The 4 GB VRAM is a likely culprit for the severe performance degradation at higher resolutions. As texture detail and resolution increase, the GPU must store more data on the card. When the VRAM capacity is exceeded, the system may have to rely on slower memory paging, which can cause stuttering and frame rate drops. The measured FPS at 4K Ultra is 13, and at 4K High it is 16, indicating that the card is completely saturated. The GPU's 2048 shading units and 32 ROPs are also contributing factors, as they limit the pixel fill rate and texture processing speed.

The GPU's benchmark scores show it performs at the 74th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 28766. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 6800M, has an average score of 28874, a delta of -0.4%, while the AMD Radeon RX 470 is 0.8% faster with a score of 28996. This indicates that the RX 570 is positioned in a specific performance tier, and its results in The Technomancer are consistent with that tier's limitations. The data clearly shows that the GPU's compute capabilities and memory subsystem are the limiting factors, not the CPU.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 5 235 and AMD Radeon RX 570 ranks 2712 out of 2825 tested combos in The Technomancer. This places it in the bottom 4% of all configurations, highlighting its poor suitability for this specific game. The rank is a direct consequence of the GPU's inability to handle the game's graphical demands, despite the CPU's relatively strong performance.

The CPU itself is a high performer, ranking in the 89th percentile of all CPUs with an average benchmark score of 46062. Its nearest rivals, such as the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 and Intel Core i9-13900HX, have average scores within 0.1% and -0.1% respectively. However, the GPU's 74th percentile ranking and its average benchmark score of 28766 drag the overall combo down. The pairing is unbalanced for this title, as the CPU's potential is left untapped due to the GPU's constraints.

The fact that the combo ranks so low while the CPU ranks so high suggests that the game is overwhelmingly GPU-bound. This is a common scenario in graphically intensive titles where the renderer's workload is the primary determinant of performance. The combo's rank is a clear indicator that users should not expect a high-refresh-rate or high-resolution experience with this hardware on The Technomancer. The data suggests that even a modest GPU upgrade would yield a much more significant performance improvement than a CPU upgrade.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend heavily on the user's target resolution and acceptable frame rate. For a stable 60 FPS experience, the only viable option is 1920x1080 with Low settings, which achieves an average of 68 FPS. This is the only measured configuration that breaks the 60 FPS threshold. At 1080p Medium, the average drops to 53 FPS, which is still playable but may not be smooth enough for all users.

At 1440p, the best average FPS is 45, achieved with Low settings. While this is a playable frame rate, it is not ideal for fast-paced action. The 1440p Medium and High settings yield averages of 34 and 29 FPS, respectively, which are on the edge of playability. At 4K, all settings are below 30 FPS, with the highest being 25 FPS at Low, making it unplayable for a smooth experience.

The data suggests that users should prioritize resolution over visual fidelity. For a balanced experience, 1080p Medium is the highest setting that maintains an average above 50 FPS. For users who prefer higher framerates, 1080p Low is the clear choice. The 1440p and 4K resolutions are only recommended for users who are willing to sacrifice visual quality and accept sub-60 FPS performance. The Ultra preset, which yields 35 FPS at 1080p and 13 FPS at 4K, is not recommended for any resolution, as it provides the worst frame-time consistency according to the measured averages.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following is a detailed breakdown of the measured average, minimum, and maximum FPS for each resolution and settings preset.

1920x1080:

• Low: Average 68 FPS. No min/max data provided. This is the highest average FPS in the entire dataset.
• Medium: Average 53 FPS, with a minimum of 45 FPS and a maximum of 60 FPS. This shows a consistent frame delivery within a narrow band.
• High: Average 45 FPS. No min/max data provided. This represents a significant step down from Medium.
• Ultra: Average 35 FPS. No min/max data provided. This is the lowest average at 1080p.

2560x1440:

• Low: Average 45 FPS. No min/max data provided. This is the only 1440p setting that averages above 40 FPS.
• Medium: Average 34 FPS, with a minimum of 29 FPS and a maximum of 40 FPS. The variance here is more noticeable than at 1080p.
• High: Average 29 FPS. No min/max data provided. This is a marginal step down from Medium.
• Ultra: Average 23 FPS. No min/max data provided. This is below the threshold for comfortable play.

3840x2160:

• Low: Average 25 FPS. No min/max data provided. This is the only 4K setting that reaches 25 FPS.
• Medium: Average 19 FPS, with a minimum of 16 FPS and a maximum of 22 FPS. The frame times are inconsistent, indicating a struggle to maintain performance.
• High: Average 16 FPS. No min/max data provided. This is a very low average, making the game essentially unplayable.
• Ultra: Average 13 FPS. No min/max data provided. This is the lowest average FPS in the entire dataset.

The data shows a clear hierarchy of performance, with 1080p Low being the only configuration that provides a consistently smooth experience. Every other setting requires a compromise between resolution and graphical fidelity.

FAQ

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

A: Based on the measured data, 1920x1080 is the only resolution that provides playable frame rates across all settings. At 1440p, the average FPS only exceeds 40 at Low settings, and at 4K, all averages are below 30 FPS.

Q: Can this combo run The Technomancer at 4K?

A: Technically, yes, but the performance is very poor. The highest average FPS at 4K is 25 with Low settings. Medium, High, and Ultra settings yield averages of 19, 16, and 13 FPS, respectively, which are not considered playable.

Q: Which settings preset provides the highest average frame rate?

A: The Low preset at 1920x1080 provides the highest measured average at 68 FPS. This is the only preset and resolution combination that exceeds 60 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU's performance compare to its rivals, and does it impact the game's FPS?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 has an average benchmark score of 46062, which is 0.1% higher than the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 and 0.1% lower than the Intel Core i9-13900HX. However, the game's FPS is clearly limited by the GPU, as the combo ranks 2712 out of 2825, indicating the CPU is not the primary bottleneck.

Q: Is the 4 GB of VRAM on the RX 570 sufficient for this game?

A: The measured data suggests it is a limiting factor. The severe FPS drops at 1440p and 4K, combined with the GPU's 224.0 GB/s bandwidth, indicate that the memory subsystem is overwhelmed at higher resolutions, leading to the low average FPS scores.

Q: What is the average FPS difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the Low preset averages 68 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 35 FPS. This represents a 33 FPS difference, or a 48.5% reduction in average FPS when moving from Low to Ultra.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 is a high-performance desktop processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture. It features 14 cores and 14 threads, with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. Its 24 MB of shared L3 cache and support for DDR5 memory are strong specifications. In synthetic benchmarks, it scores 14769 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 2085 in single-core, placing it in the 89th percentile of all CPUs.

Despite its capabilities, the CPU's role in The Technomancer is secondary to the GPU. The measured FPS across all resolutions and settings is uniformly low, which indicates that the game's rendering engine is not CPU-bound. The CPU's high benchmark scores, such as its 37816 in PassMark multithread and 4516 in single thread, are not reflected in the game's performance. This is because the game's frame rate is determined by the GPU's ability to process geometry, textures, and pixel shaders.

The CPU's performance relative to its nearest rivals is interesting. It scores nearly identically to the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 and Intel Core i9-13900HX, with delta percentages of 0.1% and -0.1%, respectively. However, the game's performance is not limited by the CPU, so these differences are irrelevant to the measured FPS. The data suggests that a user could pair the Core Ultra 5 235 with a much more powerful GPU to unlock higher frame rates, as the CPU has ample headroom for gaming workloads. The bottleneck is unambiguously the AMD Radeon RX 570, whose 5.095 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 4 GB VRAM are insufficient for The Technomancer's demands at higher graphical settings.