The Technomancer

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER combination delivers a highly playable 1080p experience in The Technomancer, with performance scaling predictably as resolution increases. The data shows this combo ranks in the 29th percentile, placing it at rank 2001 out of 2825 tested combinations, which is a mid-to-low tier standing for a game from 2016. The pairing proves capable of exceeding 60 FPS at 1440p on medium settings, but it struggles to maintain smooth framerates at 4K, where only the low preset approaches playability.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 5 235 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER sits at rank 2001 out of 2825 tested combos in The Technomancer, placing it in the 29th percentile of all tested systems. This is a modest result for a game from 2016, indicating that the pairing is not optimized for this specific title. The average benchmark score of 46062 for the CPU places it in the 89th percentile of all CPUs, while the GPU’s average score of 18093 puts it in the 62nd percentile of all GPUs, suggesting the CPU is the stronger component in this pairing.

Looking at the CPU’s nearest rivals, the Core Ultra 5 235 is essentially tied with the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375, which has an average score of 46030, a delta of just 0.1%. It also sits within 0.1% of the Intel Core i9-13900HX, which scores 46098, and within 0.2% of both the AMD EPYC 4364P and AMD EPYC 7303, which score 45970 and 45960 respectively. This indicates the processor is performing exactly at its expected tier, with no notable anomalies in synthetic workloads. The Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 14769 and single-core score of 2085 reinforce this, showing a balanced but not exceptional CPU.

For the GPU, the RTX 2060 SUPER is closely matched with the RTX 3060 Mobile, which has an average score of 18159, a delta of -0.4%. The AMD Radeon Pro 5700 scores 18189, a 0.5% difference, while the AMD Radeon RX 460 and Intel Arc A770M score 18373 and 18383, representing deltas of -1.5% and -1.6% respectively. This places the GPU in a tight competitive band, but the measured FPS in The Technomancer shows that raw synthetic scores do not fully translate to game performance, as the game’s engine appears to favor the CPU more heavily.

The combo’s rank is consistent with its component strengths. The CPU’s 14 cores and 14 threads, with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and boost clock of 5.00 GHz, provide strong single-threaded performance that helps in this title, but the GPU’s 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for 1080p and 1440p, yet insufficient for 4K high-refresh gaming.

FAQ

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

A: The average FPS at 1920x1080 with Ultra settings is 73, which is above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay, making it a viable preset for most users.

Q: How does the combo perform at 1440p with High settings?

A: At 2560x1440 with High settings, the average FPS is 61, which is right at the edge of playability, indicating that the GPU is beginning to become a limiting factor at this resolution.

Q: Is 4K gaming possible with this combo?

A: Yes, but only at Low settings, where the average FPS is 51. At Medium settings, the average drops to 39 FPS, and at High and Ultra, it falls to 34 and 26 FPS respectively, making 4K only viable for low-demand scenes.

Q: What is the best preset for a 144Hz monitor at 1080p?

A: The Low preset at 1080p yields an average FPS of 142, which is just shy of 144 Hz, while the High preset averages 93 FPS, making Low the only preset that comes close to fully utilizing a 144Hz display.

Q: How does the CPU’s benchmark score compare to its rivals?

A: The 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, placing it in a dead heat with both.

Q: What is the GPU’s percentile ranking among all GPUs?

A: The RTX 2060 SUPER has a percentile rank of 62, meaning it performs better than 62% of all GPUs in synthetic benchmarks, though its in-game performance in The Technomancer is more modest due to the game’s age and engine characteristics.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER is the primary bottleneck in this combo for The Technomancer, particularly at higher resolutions. The GPU features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s, and operates at a base clock of 1470 MHz with a boost clock of 1650 MHz. The memory runs at 1750 MHz, which translates to 14 Gbps effective, and the card has 2176 shading units, 136 TMUs, and 64 ROPs.

These specifications are adequate for 1080p and 1440p gaming, but the data shows a clear drop-off at 4K. At 3840x2160, the average FPS ranges from 51 at Low settings to 26 at Ultra settings, indicating that the GPU’s 7.181 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 105.6 GPixel/s pixel rate are not sufficient for 4K at high detail levels. The GPU’s 62nd percentile ranking among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 18093, suggests it is a mid-range card that can handle older titles like The Technomancer at lower resolutions.

The GPU’s nearest rival, the RTX 3060 Mobile, scores 18159 (a delta of -0.4%), and the AMD Radeon Pro 5700 scores 18189 (-0.5%), indicating that the RTX 2060 SUPER is competitive with these parts. However, the game’s performance at 1440p High, where the average FPS is 61, shows that the GPU is just barely keeping up, and at 4K, it falls below the 60 FPS threshold even at Medium settings. The 8 GB VRAM capacity is not a limiting factor at 1080p or 1440p, but the GPU’s raw compute power is what holds back 4K performance.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of how this combo performs across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the average FPS scales from 142 at Low settings to 73 at Ultra settings. The Medium preset averages 109 FPS, with a minimum of 93 and a maximum of 126, while the High preset averages 93 FPS. This shows that 1080p is fully playable at all settings, with even Ultra staying above 70 FPS.

Moving to 2560x1440, the average FPS drops significantly. The Low preset averages 93 FPS, which is still very smooth, but the Medium preset averages 71 FPS with a minimum of 61 and a maximum of 82. The High preset averages 61 FPS, which is right at the 60 FPS threshold, and the Ultra preset drops to 48 FPS. This indicates that 1440p is playable at Medium and High settings, but Ultra requires a compromise on smoothness.

At 3840x2160, the performance falls off a cliff. The Low preset averages 51 FPS, which is barely playable, while the Medium preset averages 39 FPS with a minimum of 33 and a maximum of 45. The High preset averages 34 FPS, and the Ultra preset drops to 26 FPS. These numbers clearly show that 4K is not a viable resolution for this combo in The Technomancer, even at the lowest settings.

The data also shows a consistent pattern where the gap between Medium and High is smaller than the gap between High and Ultra. At 1080p, the difference between Medium (109 FPS) and High (93 FPS) is 16 FPS, while the difference between High (93 FPS) and Ultra (73 FPS) is 20 FPS. This trend continues at 1440p and 4K, suggesting that the Ultra preset introduces a significant performance cost for marginal visual gains.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K reveals a clear GPU-bound scenario. At 1080p Low, the average FPS is 142, which drops to 93 FPS at 1440p Low, a 34.5% decrease, and then to 51 FPS at 4K Low, a further 45.2% decrease from 1440p. This scaling is consistent with a GPU that is being increasingly taxed by the higher pixel counts, as the CPU’s performance remains constant regardless of resolution.

Looking at the High preset, the scaling is similar: 93 FPS at 1080p, 61 FPS at 1440p (a 34.4% drop), and 34 FPS at 4K (a 44.3% drop from 1440p). This proportional scaling indicates that the GPU is the limiting component at all resolutions above 1080p, and the CPU’s 14 cores and 5.00 GHz boost clock are not being fully utilized at higher resolutions.

The fact that the FPS does not scale linearly with pixel count is notable. Going from 1080p (1920x1080) to 1440p (2560x1440) represents a 78% increase in pixels, yet the FPS only drops by 34-35% on average. This suggests that the game engine is not purely pixel-bound, and other factors like draw calls and geometry processing are also at play. However, the drop from 1440p to 4K (a 125% increase in pixels) results in a 44-45% FPS drop, showing that the GPU’s memory bandwidth and fill rate are becoming more critical at 4K.

The 8 GB of VRAM and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for 1080p and 1440p, but at 4K, the GPU’s 7.181 TFLOPS of compute power is simply not enough to maintain high framerates. The data clearly shows that this combo is optimized for 1080p and 1440p gaming, with 4K reserved for low settings and less demanding scenes.

Settings Recommendations

For the best experience with this combo in The Technomancer, the data strongly favors the Medium preset at 1080p or 1440p. At 1080p Medium, the average FPS is 109, with a minimum of 93 and a maximum of 126, providing a smooth and consistent experience that is well above the 60 FPS threshold. At 1440p Medium, the average FPS is 71, with a minimum of 61, which is still playable but shows some frame dips.

The High preset is a viable alternative for users with a 60Hz monitor at 1440p, as it averages 61 FPS, but the Medium preset offers a more comfortable margin with 71 FPS. At 1080p, the High preset’s 93 FPS is excellent, but the Medium preset’s 109 FPS provides a better balance of visual quality and performance, especially considering the minimum FPS of 93 versus 61 at 1440p.

The Ultra preset is not recommended for this combo. At 1080p, it averages 73 FPS, which is playable, but the performance cost is significant compared to High (93 FPS). At 1440p, the Ultra preset drops to 48 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold, and at 4K, it is unplayable at 26 FPS. The data suggests that the Ultra preset’s visual improvements do not justify the performance hit, particularly at higher resolutions.

For users with a 144Hz monitor, the Low preset at 1080p is the only option that approaches the refresh rate, averaging 142 FPS. However, the Medium preset at 109 FPS is still well above 60 FPS and offers better visual quality. Ultimately, the Medium preset at 1080p offers the best combination of smoothness and visual fidelity, while the Medium preset at 1440p is the sweet spot for higher-resolution displays. The 4K resolution should be avoided unless the user is willing to accept the Low preset’s 51 FPS average.