The Technomancer

# The Technomancer with Intel Core Ultra 5 235 + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080

The Technomancer, a 2016 Action RPG, presents an interesting test case for this modern CPU-GPU pairing. The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 produce a wide range of frame rates depending on resolution and quality preset, with measured data spanning from 41 FPS at 4K Ultra to 223 FPS at 1080p Low. This combination ranks 758th out of 2,825 tested combos for this game, placing it in the upper quartile of system configurations.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of performance degradation as resolution increases, with the magnitude of the drop varying significantly by settings preset. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 146 FPS at 1080p to 96 FPS at 1440p, a 34% reduction, and then to 52 FPS at 4K, representing a 64% drop from the 1080p baseline. This scaling pattern indicates that the RTX 3080 becomes increasingly the limiting factor at higher resolutions, as the pixel count quadruples from 1080p to 4K but the frame rate does not halve proportionally.

The Low preset shows a similar trajectory but with higher absolute numbers: 223 FPS at 1080p, 146 FPS at 1440p, and 80 FPS at 4K. The reduction from 1080p to 1440p is 35%, while the drop from 1080p to 4K is 64%. Medium settings produce 171 FPS at 1080p, 112 FPS at 1440p (a 35% decrease), and 61 FPS at 4K (a 64% decrease). Ultra settings, the most demanding preset, yields 114 FPS at 1080p, 75 FPS at 1440p (34% lower), and 41 FPS at 4K (64% lower).

The consistency of these percentage drops across all four presets is notable. Regardless of whether the game runs at 41 FPS or 223 FPS, the relative penalty for moving from 1080p to 4K remains approximately 64%. This uniformity suggests that the scaling behavior is dominated by the GPU's rasterization throughput rather than by CPU limitations or memory bandwidth constraints. The RTX 3080's 760.3 GB/s memory bandwidth and 29.77 TFLOPS of FP32 compute are the key resources being taxed as resolution increases.

At 1080p, the differences between presets are substantial: Low delivers 223 FPS, Medium 171 FPS, High 146 FPS, and Ultra 114 FPS. The gaps between successive presets are 52, 25, and 32 FPS respectively. At 4K, these gaps compress to 19 FPS between Low and Medium (80 vs 61), 9 FPS between Medium and High (61 vs 52), and 11 FPS between High and Ultra (52 vs 41). This compression at higher resolutions further confirms that the GPU is the primary bottleneck when pixel count increases.

The data indicates that this pairing is not CPU-limited at any measured configuration. Even at 1080p Low, where the frame rate reaches 223 FPS, the CPU is able to feed the GPU sufficiently. The Core Ultra 5 235's 14 cores and 14 threads, with a boost clock of 5.00 GHz, provide ample headroom for this game's engine.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to maintain 60+ FPS?

A: At Medium settings, the combo achieves 112 FPS at 1440p and 61 FPS at 4K, so 1440p Medium comfortably exceeds 60 FPS while 4K Medium barely crosses that threshold. At High settings, 1440p delivers 96 FPS, but 4K drops to 52 FPS, below the 60 FPS target.

Q: How much performance is lost when going from 1080p to 4K?

A: Across all four presets, the average frame rate drops by approximately 64% from 1080p to 4K. For example, High settings go from 146 FPS at 1080p to 52 FPS at 4K, while Low settings go from 223 FPS to 80 FPS.

Q: Does the Ultra preset provide playable performance at 4K?

A: No. The measured average at 4K Ultra is 41 FPS, which is below the commonly accepted 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. This preset is best reserved for lower resolutions, where it achieves 114 FPS at 1080p and 75 FPS at 1440p.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested configurations for The Technomancer?

A: This combination ranks 758th out of 2,825 tested combos, placing it in the top 27% of all configurations. This indicates strong overall performance for this game.

Q: Which component is the bottleneck at higher resolutions?

A: The data shows consistent 64% frame rate drops from 1080p to 4K across all presets, which is characteristic of GPU-bound scaling. The RTX 3080's processing power is the limiting factor at 4K, not the CPU.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded in the measured data?

A: The only minimum FPS values recorded are for Medium settings: 146 FPS at 1080p, 95 FPS at 1440p, and 52 FPS at 4K. These represent the lowest frame rates observed during testing for those configurations.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend heavily on the target resolution and desired frame rate. For 4K displays, Medium settings provide the best balance, delivering 61 FPS average with a minimum of 52 FPS. This is the only 4K preset that maintains an average above 60 FPS while still offering improved visual quality over Low settings. The High preset at 4K drops to 52 FPS, which may be acceptable for slower-paced gameplay but falls short of the 60 FPS target. Ultra at 4K is not recommended, as 41 FPS will likely result in noticeable stutter and reduced responsiveness.

At 1440p, the recommendation shifts upward. High settings deliver 96 FPS average, which provides a smooth experience on high-refresh-rate monitors. Medium offers 112 FPS for those prioritizing frame rate over visual fidelity, while Ultra achieves 75 FPS, still comfortably above 60 FPS. For 1440p users who want maximum visual quality without sacrificing playability, Ultra is viable. The minimum recorded at 1440p Medium is 95 FPS, indicating consistent frame delivery.

For 1080p, the combo has enough headroom to run Ultra at 114 FPS average, making this the recommended preset for full-HD displays. The performance gap between presets at 1080p is large, with Low reaching 223 FPS, but the visual improvements from Ultra are worth the 109 FPS reduction for most users. Players with 144Hz or 165Hz monitors may prefer Medium (171 FPS) or High (146 FPS) to better utilize their display's refresh rate, but Ultra remains viable at 114 FPS.

The data suggests that Medium settings at 4K, High at 1440p, and Ultra at 1080p are the sweet spots for this combination. These configurations each maintain average frame rates above 60 FPS while providing the highest quality preset available at that performance level.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its highest frame rates across all presets. Low settings produce an average of 223 FPS, Medium reaches 171 FPS with recorded minimum and maximum values of 146 and 197 FPS, High achieves 146 FPS, and Ultra runs at 114 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 109 FPS, demonstrating that The Technomancer's quality settings have a substantial impact on performance at this resolution.

Moving to 2560x1440, the averages drop noticeably. Low settings yield 146 FPS, Medium provides 112 FPS with a minimum of 95 FPS and maximum of 129 FPS, High runs at 96 FPS, and Ultra produces 75 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 71 FPS, a narrower margin than at 1080p but still significant. All presets at 1440p remain above 60 FPS, making this resolution fully playable with any quality setting.

At 3840x2160, the performance envelope tightens considerably. Low settings average 80 FPS, Medium achieves 61 FPS with a minimum of 52 FPS and maximum of 71 FPS, High drops to 52 FPS, and Ultra falls to 41 FPS. Only Low and Medium presets maintain averages at or above 60 FPS at 4K. The gap between Low and Ultra at this resolution is 39 FPS, showing that the GPU's capacity is being fully utilized when rendering 8.3 million pixels.

The Medium preset is the only one with recorded minimum and maximum FPS values across all three resolutions, providing insight into frame time consistency. At 1080p, the range is 146-197 FPS; at 1440p, it narrows to 95-129 FPS; and at 4K, it compresses to 52-71 FPS. This trend indicates that frame pacing becomes more stable at lower resolutions, where the GPU is less stressed and can maintain more consistent output.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of Intel Core Ultra 5 235 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 achieves rank 758 out of 2,825 tested combos for The Technomancer, placing it in the 73rd percentile of all configurations. This position indicates that the pairing delivers above-average performance for this title, though it is not among the top-tier setups.

The rank reflects the balance between the CPU and GPU in this game's workload. The RTX 3080, while a capable card, is not the fastest available, and the Core Ultra 5 235 is a mid-range desktop processor. The combination's percentile placement suggests that many higher-end configurations—likely with more powerful GPUs—achieve better results in this game.

Within the context of the measured FPS data, the rank is consistent with the observed performance. At 1080p, the combo delivers 114-223 FPS depending on preset, which is strong for full-HD gaming. The 4K results of 41-80 FPS are more modest, reflecting the GPU's limitations at higher resolutions. The rank of 758 out of 2,825 means that roughly 73% of tested combos perform worse, indicating this is a solid, if not spectacular, configuration for The Technomancer.

The ranking also implies that the game is not exceptionally demanding on the CPU, as the Core Ultra 5 235's performance is sufficient to avoid becoming the bottleneck. The GPU dominates the performance profile, and the rank would likely improve with a more powerful graphics card.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 features 14 cores and 14 threads, with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. This processor, built on TSMC's 3 nm process with the Arrow Lake-S architecture, provides substantial computational headroom for The Technomancer. The CPU's 24 MB of shared L3 cache and 102.4 GB/s memory bandwidth ensure that game data can be fed to the GPU without creating a bottleneck.

In synthetic benchmarks, the Core Ultra 5 235 achieves strong results that contextualize its gaming performance. Its Cinebench R23 multicore score of 14,769 and single-core score of 2,085 indicate robust multi-threaded and single-threaded capability. The PassMark multithread score of 37,816 and single-thread score of 4,516 further confirm its competence. The CPU ranks in the 89th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 46,062, placing it near rivals such as the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 (46,030, 0.1% delta) and Intel Core i9-13900HX (46,098, -0.1% delta).

For The Technomancer, the CPU's 14 cores are more than sufficient for the game's demands. The measured FPS data shows that even at 1080p Low, where the GPU is least stressed and frame rates reach 223 FPS, the CPU does not limit performance. The consistent 64% frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K across all presets confirms that the CPU is not the bottleneck at any resolution. The processor's boost clock of 5.00 GHz provides the single-thread speed that older game engines often rely upon, while its 14 cores handle any background tasks or engine threads without issue.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 is the dominant factor in this combo's gaming performance. This Ampere-architecture GPU, built on Samsung's 8 nm process, features 8,704 shading units, 272 texture mapping units, and 96 raster operation units. Its 10 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 320-bit bus provides 760.3 GB/s of bandwidth, which is critical for high-resolution textures. The GPU's boost clock of 1,710 MHz and base clock of 1,440 MHz drive its 29.77 TFLOPS of FP32 compute.

The RTX 3080's synthetic benchmark results place it in the 68th percentile among all GPUs, with an average score of 23,172. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA P106-100 (23,249, -0.3% delta) and AMD Radeon RX 6600M (23,273, -0.4% delta). The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 4,407 and PassMark G3D score of 25,086 indicate solid DirectX 12 performance, which is relevant for The Technomancer's rendering requirements.

In this game, the GPU's role is clearly demonstrated by the resolution scaling data. The 64% frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K across all presets shows that the RTX 3080's compute and memory resources are fully utilized at higher pixel counts. At 4K Ultra, the GPU can only sustain 41 FPS, indicating that its 29.77 TFLOPS are insufficient for maximum-quality 4K rendering in this title. The GPU's 10 GB VRAM capacity is adequate for this game, as no VRAM-related stuttering is evident in the measured minimum FPS values. The 760.3 GB/s memory bandwidth helps maintain playable frame rates at 4K Medium, where the combo achieves 61 FPS with a minimum of 52 FPS.