The Technomancer

The Technomancer, a 2016 Action RPG, is not a modern showcase title, but it still demands a balanced system to run smoothly at high settings. This analysis examines the measured performance of the Intel Core Ultra 5 235 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti. The data reveals a configuration that is heavily GPU-bound at higher resolutions, yet capable of delivering high frame rates at 1080p. The Core Ultra 5 235 sits in the 89th percentile for all CPUs, while the RTX 3070 Ti is in the 75th percentile for GPUs, suggesting a pairing where the processor has ample headroom. The benchmark results show that this combo ranks 978 out of 2825 tested combinations in this game, placing it in the upper third of all systems.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data for this configuration shows a clear and predictable pattern: performance degrades significantly as resolution increases, confirming that the GPU is the primary limiting factor. At 1080p, the system is able to push frame rates well beyond the refresh rate of most standard monitors, but at 4K, it struggles to maintain a playable 60 FPS on higher presets.

At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the average FPS is 201. This drops to 154 FPS at Medium, 132 FPS at High, and 103 FPS at Ultra. The scaling here is roughly linear with the increasing graphical load. The gap between Low and Ultra is substantial, representing a 98 FPS difference. This indicates that at 1080p, the CPU is more than capable of feeding the GPU, and the frame rate is dictated almost entirely by the graphics card's workload.

Moving to 2560x1440, the FPS drops are significant. The average FPS at Low is 131, which is a 70 FPS drop from the 1080p Low result. At Medium, the average is 101 FPS, and at High, it falls to 86 FPS. The Ultra preset manages an average of 67 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p shows a consistent reduction of roughly 35% across all settings. This further reinforces that the GPU is now working much harder, and the performance is scaling with the pixel count.

At 3840x2160, the performance takes a severe hit. The average FPS at Low is 72, which is the only setting that provides a comfortably playable experience. Medium drops to 55 FPS, High to 47 FPS, and Ultra to 37 FPS. The difference between 1440p and 4K is stark, with the average FPS nearly halving for most presets. For instance, High settings drop from 86 FPS at 1440p to 47 FPS at 4K. This massive drop confirms that the RTX 3070 Ti's 8 GB of memory and its bandwidth are being saturated at 4K, making it the definitive bottleneck.

The data suggests that this is a classic GPU-limited scenario. The Core Ultra 5 235, with its high single-thread performance, does not appear to be the constraint at any resolution. The FPS drops are directly proportional to the increase in pixel count and shader complexity, which is the signature of a GPU bottleneck. If the CPU were the limiting factor, we would expect to see the FPS plateau or drop less severely as resolution increases, which is not the case here.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to play The Technomancer with this hardware for a high refresh rate experience?

A: The data shows that at 1920x1080, the system achieves an average FPS of 132 on High settings and 103 on Ultra. This is the only resolution where the system can consistently exceed 100 FPS on the higher presets, making it the target for high refresh rate displays.

Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming in The Technomancer?

A: Yes, but with compromises. At 4K, the playable presets are Low (72 FPS) and Medium (55 FPS). The High and Ultra presets fall below 50 FPS, which may not be smooth enough for some players. The 8 GB VRAM and the GPU's raw power are the limiting factors here.

Q: How much of a performance difference is there between Low and Ultra settings?

A: The difference is substantial. At 1080p, the average FPS goes from 201 on Low down to 103 on Ultra, a difference of 98 FPS. At 1440p, the difference is 64 FPS (131 vs 67), and at 4K, it is 35 FPS (72 vs 37). The cost of Ultra is high at every resolution.

Q: Is the Intel Core Ultra 5 235 holding back the RTX 3070 Ti in this game?

A: Based on the measured FPS scaling, it appears not. The frame rates drop consistently with resolution, which indicates a GPU bottleneck. The CPU, which scores in the 89th percentile, is likely providing frames faster than the GPU can render them at higher resolutions.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to all other tested combinations?

A: This specific combination ranks 978 out of 2825 tested combos in The Technomancer. This places it in the upper third of all systems tested, indicating a solidly above-average performance tier.

Q: What is the lowest FPS recorded for the Medium preset, and at what resolution?

A: The minimum FPS recorded for the Medium preset is 47, which occurs at 4K (3840x2160). The maximum FPS at this setting and resolution is 64. This shows the frame time variance at this demanding resolution.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti is the defining component in this configuration's gaming performance. The data shows that its role is to serve as the primary bottleneck, with its capabilities directly determining the playable settings at each resolution. The GPU's performance, measured by its 75th percentile ranking, is the ceiling for this system in The Technomancer.

The RTX 3070 Ti features 8 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 608.3 GB/s. This is a critical specification for this game. The severe FPS drops at 4K, particularly to 37 FPS on Ultra, strongly suggest that the 8 GB VRAM capacity or its bandwidth is being saturated. The game's textures and effects at 4K likely exceed the available memory, causing a significant performance penalty. This is less of an issue at 1080p and 1440p, where the memory bandwidth is sufficient to maintain higher frame rates.

The GPU's clock speeds are listed as a base of 1575 MHz and a boost of 1770 MHz. The benchmark results indicate that the card is capable of scaling its performance with the workload, but the physical limits of the memory bus and capacity are the primary constraints at higher resolutions. The difference between the Low and Medium presets at 4K is 17 FPS (72 vs 55), while the difference between High and Ultra is only 10 FPS (47 vs 37). This smaller gap at the top end suggests that the card is running out of resources to render the most demanding settings.

The RTX 3070 Ti's nearest rivals, including the AMD Radeon RX 6800 (with a deltaPct of -0.5) and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti (with a deltaPct of 0.5), have similar average benchmark scores. This means the performance profile seen here is representative of that performance tier. The GPU is the workhorse, and its 8 GB memory allocation is the limiting factor for the highest resolutions and settings. The data makes it clear that for a smooth experience, the settings must be adjusted to respect the GPU's memory and processing limits, especially at 4K.

How This Combo Ranks

In the grand scheme of tested hardware combinations, this pairing of the Intel Core Ultra 5 235 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti performs admirably in The Technomancer. The combo ranks 978 out of 2825 tested combinations, placing it in the 65th percentile of all systems. This is a strong result, indicating that the combination is well-balanced and capable of providing a good gaming experience, but it is far from the top tier.

The ranking reflects the individual strengths of both components. The Core Ultra 5 235 is a high-performance desktop CPU, 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 the Intel Core i9-13900HX, have nearly identical average scores, with deltaPct values of 0.1 and -0.1 respectively. This puts the CPU in a very competitive position.

The RTX 3070 Ti, while ranking lower at the 75th percentile of GPUs, is still a formidable card. Its average benchmark score is 29945, and its nearest rivals are the RTX 5070 Mobile and the RX 6800, with very small performance deltas. The combination of a top-tier CPU and an upper-midrange GPU results in a system that is well-suited for high-refresh-rate gaming at 1080p and 1440p, but it falls behind systems with more powerful GPUs at 4K.

The rank of 978 indicates that there are 977 combinations that perform better, which are likely systems pairing high-end CPUs with flagship GPUs. This combo's position is defined by the GPU's limitations at higher resolutions. In this game, the CPU's power is not fully utilized, as the GPU becomes the bottleneck. The data shows that this is a very capable system for most gaming scenarios, but it is not optimized for maximum settings at 4K. The ranking is a clear indicator of a well-matched system for its target market, which is high-performance 1440p gaming.

Measured FPS Breakdown

This section provides the exact measured FPS values for each resolution and settings preset, as captured in the benchmark data.

1920x1080 (1080p):

• Low: The average FPS is 201.
• Medium: The average FPS is 154, with a minimum of 131 and a maximum of 178.
• High: The average FPS is 132.
• Ultra: The average FPS is 103.

2560x1440 (1440p):

• Low: The average FPS is 131.
• Medium: The average FPS is 101, with a minimum of 86 and a maximum of 116.
• High: The average FPS is 86.
• Ultra: The average FPS is 67.

3840x2160 (4K):

• Low: The average FPS is 72.
• Medium: The average FPS is 55, with a minimum of 47 and a maximum of 64.
• High: The average FPS is 47.
• Ultra: The average FPS is 37.

The data shows a clear hierarchy. The 1080p results are excellent, with even the Ultra preset maintaining an average above 100 FPS. The 1440p results are also very strong, with High settings achieving 86 FPS, which is very playable. The 4K results are the weakest, with only the Low preset maintaining an average above 60 FPS. The minimum FPS data for the Medium preset shows that at 4K, the system can dip to 47 FPS, which might result in noticeable stutters on some displays. The frame time consistency also degrades at higher resolutions, as seen by the larger spread between min and max FPS at 1440p and 4K compared to 1080p.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this hardware depend entirely on the target resolution and desired frame rate. The goal is to find a balance between visual fidelity and smooth gameplay.

For 1920x1080, the Ultra preset is the best choice. The average FPS of 103 is high enough for a smooth experience on most monitors, and the visual boost over the High preset is significant. This resolution is where the system's full potential is realized, and there is no need to compromise on settings. The High preset at 132 FPS is also an option for users with 144Hz or higher refresh rate monitors, but the 30 FPS gain from dropping to High may not be worth the visual loss.

For 2560x1440, the High preset is the recommended sweet spot. The average FPS of 86 is well within the playable range and provides a solid experience. The Ultra preset, at 67 FPS, is also playable and offers the best image quality, but it comes closer to the edge of the 60 FPS threshold. For gamers who prioritize a stable 60+ FPS with some headroom, High is the safer choice. The Medium preset at 101 FPS is for those who want to prioritize frame rate over visual quality.

For 3840x2160, the settings must be chosen carefully. The Low preset, at 72 FPS, is the only one that provides a consistently smooth experience above the 60 FPS mark. The Medium preset, at 55 FPS, is playable and offers a significant visual upgrade, but it will not be as smooth. High and Ultra presets, at 47 and 37 FPS respectively, are not recommended for a good experience due to their low frame rates. If one must play at 4K, the Low or Medium presets are the only viable options. The data confirms that this GPU is not well-suited for high-settings 4K gaming in this title.