The Technomancer

# The Technomancer with Intel Core Ultra 5 235 + AMD Radeon RX 7600

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 paired with the AMD Radeon RX 7600 delivers a playable but resolution-sensitive experience in The Technomancer, a 2016 Action RPG. This combo ranks in the 69th percentile of tested configurations (1959th out of 2825), indicating solid mid-pack performance. The data shows a clear pattern: 1080p gaming is smooth across all settings, 1440p remains viable with adjustments, and 4K demands significant compromises. The RX 7600's 8 GB VRAM and 128-bit memory bus become limiting factors at higher resolutions, while the Core Ultra 5 235's 14 cores and 5.00 GHz boost clock provide ample headroom for this title's CPU demands.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is dramatic and consistent across all settings, revealing that the RX 7600 is the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions. At Low settings, average FPS falls from 143 at 1920x1080 to 93 at 2560x1440 (a 35% reduction), then further to 51 at 3840x2160 (a 45% drop from 1440p). This steep decline indicates the GPU is struggling to maintain frame rates as pixel count increases, a classic sign of a mid-range graphics card being pushed beyond its comfortable operating range.

At High settings, the scaling pattern is similar but with lower absolute numbers: 94 FPS at 1080p, 61 FPS at 1440p, and 34 FPS at 4K. The percentage drop from 1080p to 1440p is 35%, and from 1440p to 4K is 44%, nearly identical to the Low settings pattern. This consistency suggests the game's rendering load scales predictably with resolution, and the GPU's performance ceiling is the determining factor rather than any CPU limitation.

Medium settings show the same trend: 110 FPS at 1080p, 72 FPS at 1440p, and 39 FPS at 4K. The 1440p result of 72 FPS is respectable for a mid-range GPU, but the 4K result of 39 FPS is below the 60 FPS target most gamers prefer. Ultra settings are the most demanding, with 73 FPS at 1080p, 48 FPS at 1440p, and just 26 FPS at 4K. The 4K Ultra result is unplayable for smooth gameplay, and even 1440p Ultra dips below 50 FPS.

The minimum FPS data available for Medium settings reinforces this picture: at 4K, the minimum drops to 33 FPS, while at 1440p it is 61 FPS and at 1080p it is 93 FPS. These minimums indicate frame time consistency degrades significantly at higher resolutions, likely due to the GPU hitting memory bandwidth or VRAM capacity limits. The takeaway is clear: this combo is optimized for 1080p gaming, acceptable at 1440p with settings reduced, and not suited for 4K beyond Low settings.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7600 is built on the RDNA 3.0 architecture with the Navi 33 chip, fabricated on a 6 nm process at TSMC. It features 2048 shading units, 128 texture mapping units, and 64 raster operations pipelines, along with 32 ray tracing cores. The GPU operates at a base clock of 1720 MHz, a game clock of 2250 MHz, and a boost clock of 2655 MHz, giving it a peak FP32 throughput of 21.75 TFLOPS. Memory consists of 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus, delivering 288.0 GB/s of bandwidth.

In The Technomancer, the 8 GB VRAM capacity is likely a significant constraint at 4K resolution, particularly at High and Ultra settings. The 128-bit memory bus and 288.0 GB/s bandwidth may also limit performance when texture detail and resolution demand high memory throughput. The benchmark data supports this: at 4K, the gap between Low (51 FPS) and High (34 FPS) is 17 FPS, while at 1080p the same settings gap is 49 FPS (143 vs 94). This narrowing at higher resolutions suggests the GPU is not purely compute-bound but is hitting memory subsystem limits.

The GPU's benchmark scores place it in the 57th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 15171. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 OEM (scoring 15199, a 0.2% difference), the AMD Radeon 680M (15270, 0.7% higher), and the AMD Radeon Pro 560X (15082, 0.6% lower). This cluster of scores indicates the RX 7600 is firmly in the mid-range tier, and its performance in The Technomancer aligns with this positioning.

The pixel rate of 169.9 GPixel/s and texture rate of 339.8 GTexel/s provide theoretical maxima that the game's measured FPS only approaches at 1080p Low settings. At 143 FPS, the GPU is delivering what appears to be near its practical limit for this title. The DirectX 12 Ultimate support (12_2) and Vulkan 1.4 API compatibility mean the game can leverage modern rendering features, though The Technomancer's 2016 release date suggests it may not fully utilize these capabilities.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 is a 14-core, 14-thread processor from the Core Ultra Series 2, based on the Arrow Lake architecture and fabricated on a 3 nm process at TSMC. It has no hyper-threading, so cores equal threads. The base clock is 3.40 GHz with a boost clock of 5.00 GHz, and it features 24 MB of shared L3 cache along with 3 MB of L2 cache per core. The CPU supports DDR5 memory in dual-channel configuration, providing 102.4 GB/s of memory bandwidth, and connects via PCIe Gen 5 with 20 CPU lanes.

For The Technomancer, the CPU's role appears secondary to the GPU, as evidenced by the consistent FPS scaling patterns across resolutions. The 14 cores and 5.00 GHz boost clock provide strong single-threaded performance, which is typically what older Action RPGs like this one rely on. The Cinebench R23 scores of 2085 for single-core and 14769 for multi-core, along with a Passmark single-thread score of 4516, indicate robust processing capability that should not bottleneck the RX 7600 in this title.

The CPU's average benchmark score of 46062 places it in the 89th percentile of all CPUs, and its nearest rivals are closely matched: the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 scores 46030 (0.1% lower), the Intel Core i9-13900HX scores 46098 (0.1% higher), and the AMD EPYC 4364P scores 45970 (0.2% lower). This tight clustering suggests the Core Ultra 5 235 delivers competitive performance for its class, and in this game, it provides sufficient headroom.

The TDP of 65 W is modest for a 14-core processor, indicating efficient power management. The integrated Arc Xe-LPG Graphics with 24 EU is present but irrelevant for gaming with a discrete GPU installed. The absence of an unlocked multiplier limits overclocking potential, but the boost clock of 5.00 GHz already provides high single-thread performance. The 3 nm process node and 17,800 million transistors on a 243 mm² die demonstrate modern manufacturing efficiency.

In The Technomancer, the CPU's 14 threads are more than sufficient for the game's demands. The FPS differences between Low and Ultra settings at the same resolution (e.g., 143 vs 73 FPS at 1080p) are primarily GPU-driven, as the CPU can handle the increased draw calls and physics calculations without becoming a limiting factor. The data shows no evidence of CPU bottlenecking, as FPS scales predictably with resolution and settings changes.

How This Combo Ranks

This combination of Intel Core Ultra 5 235 and AMD Radeon RX 7600 ranks 1959th out of 2825 tested combos in The Technomancer, placing it in the 69th percentile of all configurations. This means roughly 31% of tested combos perform better, while 69% perform worse. The ranking reflects the mid-range nature of both components: the CPU is high-end in its class (89th percentile), but the GPU is solidly mid-range (57th percentile), and the overall combo lands between these positions.

The rank suggests this is a balanced pairing for 1080p gaming, where the GPU can fully utilize the CPU's capabilities without being held back. At higher resolutions, the GPU becomes the limiting factor, and the CPU's performance advantage is largely unused. The combo's position in the 69th percentile indicates it outperforms a majority of tested systems, but it is not at the top tier where high-end GPUs would be paired with this CPU.

Compared to the GPU's nearest rivals, the RX 7600's performance in this game is consistent with its benchmark scores. The RTX 3050 OEM, which scores 0.2% higher in synthetic benchmarks, would likely produce very similar FPS in The Technomancer. The AMD Radeon 680M integrated graphics, scoring 0.7% higher, might actually perform slightly better, though its integrated nature would make it an unusual pairing for this CPU.

The combo ranking of 1959 out of 2825 indicates that while this system is not at the top of the charts, it is far from the bottom. For a gamer targeting 1080p with high refresh rates, this pairing is well-suited. For 1440p gaming, it requires settings adjustments but remains functional. For 4K, it falls below the playable threshold at most settings, making it unsuitable for that resolution without significant compromises.

FAQ

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

A: At 4K, only Low settings achieve above 50 FPS (51 FPS average). Medium settings drop to 39 FPS, High to 34 FPS, and Ultra to 26 FPS. The 4K Medium minimum FPS is 33, indicating noticeable frame drops. For smooth 4K gameplay, this combo is not recommended.

Q: What is the best resolution for this pairing?

A: 1080p is clearly the sweet spot. All settings achieve at least 73 FPS, with Low hitting 143 FPS and Medium at 110 FPS. At 1440p, Low (93 FPS) and Medium (72 FPS) are playable, but High (61 FPS) and Ultra (48 FPS) approach or fall below the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Core Ultra 5 235 scores 46062 on average, which is 0.1% higher than the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 (46030), 0.1% lower than the Intel Core i9-13900HX (46098), and 0.2% higher than the AMD EPYC 4364P (45970). These differences are negligible in real-world gaming.

Q: How does the GPU compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RX 7600 scores 15171 on average, which is 0.2% lower than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 OEM (15199), 0.6% higher than the AMD Radeon Pro 560X (15082), and 0.7% lower than the AMD Radeon 680M (15270). These margins suggest nearly identical expected performance in The Technomancer.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor at 1080p?

A: The GPU is the limiting factor at 1080p. The FPS varies significantly across settings (143 Low, 110 Medium, 94 High, 73 Ultra), which is characteristic of GPU-bound scenarios. The CPU's strong single-thread score of 2085 in Cinebench R23 indicates it can handle this game without bottlenecking.

Q: What settings should I use for 1440p gaming?

A: For 1440p, Medium settings (72 FPS average, 61 FPS minimum) offer the best balance of visual quality and playability. High settings (61 FPS) are borderline acceptable, while Ultra (48 FPS) falls below the 60 FPS target. Low settings (93 FPS) provide the smoothest experience if frame rate is prioritized over fidelity.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data covers three resolutions and four settings levels, with average FPS recorded for all combinations and minimum/maximum FPS available for Medium settings.

1920x1080 (1080p):

• Low: 143 FPS average
• Medium: 110 FPS average, 93 FPS minimum, 126 FPS maximum
• High: 94 FPS average
• Ultra: 73 FPS average

At 1080p, all settings exceed the 60 FPS threshold, with Low and Medium providing particularly smooth experiences. The gap between Low and Ultra is 70 FPS, demonstrating the GPU's sensitivity to graphics settings. The Medium settings data shows a relatively tight range of 93-126 FPS, indicating consistent frame times.

2560x1440 (1440p):

• Low: 93 FPS average
• Medium: 72 FPS average, 61 FPS minimum, 82 FPS maximum
• High: 61 FPS average
• Ultra: 48 FPS average

At 1440p, Low and Medium remain above 60 FPS, while High sits right at the threshold and Ultra falls below. The Medium settings range of 61-82 FPS shows more variability than at 1080p, reflecting increased GPU load. The 48 FPS Ultra result indicates this setting is not recommended at this resolution.

3840x2160 (4K):

• Low: 51 FPS average
• Medium: 39 FPS average, 33 FPS minimum, 45 FPS maximum
• High: 34 FPS average
• Ultra: 26 FPS average

At 4K, even Low settings fail to reach 60 FPS, and Ultra drops to 26 FPS, which is borderline unplayable. The Medium settings range of 33-45 FPS shows significant frame time inconsistency. The 4K results clearly demonstrate that this combo is not designed for ultra-high-resolution gaming, with the GPU's 8 GB VRAM and 288.0 GB/s bandwidth proving insufficient for the demands of The Technomancer at this resolution.