The Technomancer

The Technomancer, a 2016 Action RPG, presents an interesting stress test for the Intel Core Ultra 5 235 paired with the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT. This combination demonstrates a wide performance envelope across resolutions and settings, revealing where the bottleneck shifts between the CPU and GPU. The measured data indicates that this pairing is capable of delivering high refresh rates at 1080p, but the demanding nature of the title at higher resolutions quickly taxes the graphics card.

Resolution Scaling

The performance scaling from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 follows a predictable curve, but the magnitude of the drop is significant and tells a clear story about the limiting component. At the High preset, the system delivers 153 FPS at 1080p, which drops to 100 FPS at 1440p, and then plummets to 55 FPS at 4K. This represents a 64% reduction in frame rate from 1080p to 4K, indicating that the GPU is the primary constraint at higher resolutions. The data shows that at 1080p, the CPU is likely the limiting factor, as the GPU is not being fully utilized, but as pixel count increases, the GPU's workload grows exponentially, and frame rates drop accordingly.

The scaling pattern is even more pronounced when looking at the Low preset. The system achieves 233 FPS at 1080p, which is an exceptionally high frame rate, but this falls to 152 FPS at 1440p and then to 83 FPS at 4K. The 4K result at Low settings is still higher than the 4K Ultra result, which shows that the GPU is capable of pushing more frames when the graphical workload is reduced, but the sheer pixel count at 4K remains a challenge. The difference between 1080p and 4K at Low settings is 150 FPS, which is a 64% decrease, mirroring the High preset's scaling.

Interestingly, the Medium preset shows a slightly different scaling profile. At 1080p, the average FPS is 179, which drops to 117 at 1440p and then to 64 at 4K. The 4K Medium result has a minimum FPS of 55 and a maximum of 74, indicating some frame time variance. The scaling from 1080p to 4K at Medium settings is a 64% drop, consistent with the other presets. This consistency across all settings suggests that the resolution scaling is primarily a function of GPU pixel throughput, not a specific setting's complexity.

The Ultra preset presents the most demanding scenario, with 119 FPS at 1080p, 78 FPS at 1440p, and 43 FPS at 4K. This is a 64% reduction from 1080p to 4K, again confirming the GPU-bound nature of the game at higher resolutions. The 4K Ultra result of 43 FPS is below the 60 FPS target for smooth gameplay, indicating that users seeking 4K Ultra experiences will need to consider lowering settings or resolution. The data clearly shows that while the Core Ultra 5 235 provides enough CPU headroom for high frame rates at lower resolutions, the RX 9070 XT's performance is the deciding factor at 1440p and 4K.

How This Combo Ranks

In the grand scheme of tested hardware combinations, this pairing holds a specific position. The combo rank for this game is 627 out of 2825 tested combinations, placing it in the top 22% of all systems. This rank reflects a strong overall performance, but it is not at the very top of the charts, which are likely dominated by more powerful (and more expensive) CPUs and GPUs. The ranking suggests that this combo provides a solid gaming experience, but there is headroom for improvement if one were to pair the GPU with a higher-end CPU.

The CPU's performance percentile reinforces this assessment. The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 sits in the 89th percentile compared to all CPUs, indicating it is a high-performing processor. Its nearest rivals, based on average benchmark scores, are the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 with a score of 46030, and the Intel Core i9-13900HX with a score of 46098. The Core Ultra 5 235's deltaPct of 0.1% against the Ryzen and -0.1% against the Core i9 shows that these processors are essentially performance equals in synthetic benchmarks. This CPU strength helps ensure that the combo doesn't suffer from CPU bottlenecks in most scenarios.

The GPU, however, presents a more nuanced picture. The RX 9070 XT has a percentile rank of only 55% against all GPUs, which is surprisingly low for a modern card. Its average benchmark score of 13543 is nearly identical to the AMD Radeon HD 7770M (13536) and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570 (13515), with deltaPct values of 0.1% and 0.2% respectively. This is a peculiar data point, as those rival GPUs are significantly older and less capable. This suggests that the benchmark database may be using a specific metric that undervalues the RX 9070 XT's true gaming performance, or that the card's driver maturity is still developing. Regardless, the measured FPS in The Technomancer shows that the GPU is more than capable of handling the game, even if its synthetic benchmark percentile doesn't reflect that.

The discrepancy between the CPU's high percentile and the GPU's middling percentile affects the overall combo rank. A system with a top-tier CPU and a mid-tier GPU will often rank lower than a system with a balanced pairing. The 627th rank out of 2825 shows that this combo is competitive, but it is not optimized for maximum FPS in this specific title. The data suggests that the combo's performance is limited by the GPU's raw compute capabilities, which are not fully captured by its percentile rank in this database.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 1080p with High settings?

A: The measured average frame rate at 1920x1080 with the High preset is 153 FPS.

Q: How does the combo rank compare to other tested systems?

A: This combination ranks 627th out of 2825 tested combos, placing it in the top 22% of all systems tested for this game.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the primary bottleneck at 4K resolution?

A: At 3840x2160, the GPU is the clear limiting factor. The frame rates drop significantly from 1080p, indicating that the RX 9070 XT is fully saturated at this resolution.

Q: What is the lowest frame rate recorded for this combo?

A: The lowest average FPS recorded is 43 FPS, which occurs at 3840x2160 resolution with the Ultra preset.

Q: Can this system achieve 60 FPS at 1440p?

A: Yes, all settings presets at 2560x1440 produce average frame rates above 60 FPS. The lowest average is 78 FPS with the Ultra preset.

Q: What is the performance difference between the Low and Ultra presets at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the Low preset achieves 233 FPS, while the Ultra preset achieves 119 FPS. This represents a 114 FPS difference, or a 49% reduction in performance when moving to Ultra settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive look at how this hardware combination handles The Technomancer across different resolution and settings configurations. At 1920x1080, the system is clearly CPU-bound, as even the Ultra preset produces an average of 119 FPS. The Low preset at this resolution produces an exceptional 233 FPS, which confirms the CPU's strong single-thread performance. The Medium preset yields 179 FPS with a minimum of 152 FPS and a maximum of 205 FPS, showing stable frame times. The High preset at 153 FPS is also very smooth, making 1080p an excellent target for high refresh rate monitors.

Moving to 2560x1440, the GPU begins to take on a more significant role. The Low preset still achieves a very high 152 FPS, but the Ultra preset drops to 78 FPS. The Medium preset at 117 FPS offers a good balance, with a minimum of 99 FPS and a maximum of 134 FPS. The High preset at 100 FPS is also respectable. None of the 1440p results dip below the 60 FPS threshold, indicating that this resolution is a sweet spot for the combo, offering a solid balance between visual fidelity and performance. The minimum FPS values for the Medium preset show that the system can maintain a playable frame rate even during demanding scenes.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is clearly the bottleneck. The Low preset produces 83 FPS, which is still playable, but the High preset drops to 55 FPS. The Medium preset averages 64 FPS, with a minimum of 55 FPS and a maximum of 74 FPS, indicating some noticeable frame pacing issues. The Ultra preset is the most demanding, with an average of just 43 FPS. This is below the standard for smooth gameplay, and users will likely need to compromise on settings to achieve a consistent 60 FPS experience. The data shows a clear progression: 1080p is CPU-limited, 1440p is well-balanced, and 4K is GPU-limited.

The scaling between presets at each resolution is also informative. At 4K, the difference between Low and Ultra is 40 FPS, while at 1080p, that difference is 114 FPS. This indicates that at lower resolutions, the CPU can more easily feed the GPU, allowing the settings to have a larger impact on frame rates. At 4K, the GPU's pixel fill rate becomes the limiting factor, and the settings have a proportionally smaller effect.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT is a substantial piece of hardware, built on the RDNA 4.0 architecture with a 4 nm process. It features 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 644.6 GB/s. The GPU has a base clock of 1660 MHz and a boost clock of 2970 MHz, with a game clock of 2400 MHz. These specifications are relevant to the performance seen in The Technomancer, as the game's demands on memory bandwidth and shader throughput are significant.

The GPU's 16 GB of VRAM is a crucial asset for this title, especially at higher resolutions. While the measured FPS data does not indicate a VRAM capacity issue, having a large frame buffer ensures that texture assets can be loaded without causing stuttering or texture pop-in. The memory bandwidth of 644.6 GB/s is also vital for maintaining high fill rates at 4K, where the GPU is pushing a massive number of pixels. The data shows that the GPU is the limiting factor at 4K, which aligns with the GPU's compute capabilities, but the lack of min FPS data for most presets makes it difficult to assess if there are any memory-related hitches.

The GPU's raw compute power, listed at 48.66 TFLOPS FP32, is what drives the high frame rates at lower resolutions. At 1080p, the GPU is not fully taxed, allowing the CPU to dictate the frame rate. However, as the resolution increases, the GPU's shader units and ROPs are pushed to their limits. The GPU's 4096 shading units and 128 ROPs are responsible for the pixel and texture throughput, and the data shows that at 4K Ultra, these units are saturated, resulting in the 43 FPS average. The boost clock of 2970 MHz is a high figure, indicating that the card can sustain high operating frequencies under load, but it doesn't compensate for the sheer amount of work required at 4K.

The GPU's percentile rank of 55% against all GPUs is an outlier compared to its actual gaming performance. In synthetic benchmarks, it scores similarly to older cards like the GTX 570, but in real-world gaming tests like this one, it demonstrates far superior capability. This suggests that the database's average benchmark score may not accurately represent the card's gaming potential, or that the specific benchmarks used are not optimized for RDNA 4.0 architecture. Regardless, the measured FPS in The Technomancer shows that the RX 9070 XT is a strong performer, but its limitations at 4K Ultra are clear.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend heavily on the target resolution and desired frame rate. For users with a 1080p monitor, the Ultra preset is a viable option, as it still averages 119 FPS. However, for those seeking maximum refresh rates, the High preset at 153 FPS or the Medium preset at 179 FPS offer even smoother experiences. The Low preset at 233 FPS is overkill for most displays but demonstrates the CPU's strength in this scenario. The data suggests that at 1080p, users can prioritize visual fidelity without sacrificing playability.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset provides the best balance between visual quality and performance, with an average of 117 FPS and a minimum of 99 FPS. This ensures a consistently smooth experience without dropping below 60 FPS. The High preset at 100 FPS is also excellent, and the Ultra preset at 78 FPS is still very playable. For users who want to maximize visual quality, the Ultra preset is a good choice, as the frame rate remains high enough for a responsive experience. The Low preset at 152 FPS is an option for competitive players who prioritize frame rate over visuals.

For 4K gaming, the recommendations are more nuanced. The Medium preset, with an average of 64 FPS, is the best option for a playable experience, but the minimum FPS of 55 indicates that there may be occasional dips. The High preset at 55 FPS is borderline, and the Ultra preset at 43 FPS is not recommended for a smooth experience. The Low preset at 83 FPS is the only setting that provides a comfortable margin above 60 FPS, but it comes with a significant visual downgrade. The data suggests that 4K gaming with this combo requires a compromise: either use the Medium preset and accept occasional frame dips, or use the Low preset and sacrifice visual fidelity.

Overall, the sweet spot for this system appears to be 1440p with High or Medium settings. This configuration provides a high frame rate, excellent visual detail, and a smooth experience. For 1080p, the Ultra preset is perfect for visual enthusiasts. For 4K, users should stick to the Medium or Low presets to maintain a playable frame rate. The data clearly shows that this combo is not a 4K Ultra machine, but it excels at lower resolutions, making it a versatile choice for gamers with varied display setups.