The Technomancer

The Technomancer, a 2016 Action RPG, presents a demanding workload that clearly separates the capabilities of the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 and the AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT. The measured frame rates across resolutions and settings reveal a system where the GPU is the primary bottleneck at higher graphical loads, while the CPU demonstrates ample headroom to support high frame rates at lower settings. This analysis breaks down the measured data to understand the performance characteristics of this specific combination.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a classic pattern of GPU-bound scaling as resolution increases. At 1080p with Low settings, the system achieves an average of 139 FPS. Moving to 1440p at the same settings drops the average to 91 FPS, a reduction of 48 FPS. At 4K with Low settings, the average falls further to 50 FPS. This steep decline indicates that the rendering resolution is a dominant factor in performance.

The scaling is less linear at higher settings due to the GPU becoming the limiting factor. For High settings, the frame rate drops from 91 FPS at 1080p to 60 FPS at 1440p and finally to 33 FPS at 4K. This represents a 34.5% reduction from 1080p to 1440p and a 45% reduction from 1440p to 4K. The consistent drop at every resolution step suggests that the Radeon RX 5700 XT's compute and memory bandwidth are saturated, and the CPU is not the primary constraint in these scenarios.

The data indicates that the 4K resolution is particularly demanding for this GPU, with the average FPS falling below the 60 FPS threshold even at Medium settings, where it hits 38 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra at 4K is also stark, with a 24 FPS spread (50 vs. 26), demonstrating that the GPU's performance headroom is exhausted. The limiting component at 1080p, especially at Low settings, is less clear, but the high frame rates suggest that the Core Ultra 5 245 is capable of feeding the GPU sufficiently. The transition from 1080p to 1440p is where the GPU's limitations become the dominant factor, as the pixel count increase directly impacts the fill rate and memory bandwidth demands.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 is a 14-core, 14-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture, with a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.10 GHz. In the context of The Technomancer, the benchmark results show that this CPU is not a bottleneck at the tested settings. The evidence is the high average FPS at 1080p, particularly at Low settings (139 FPS) and Medium settings (107 FPS). These numbers indicate that the CPU can process game logic and draw calls well above the GPU's rendering capacity.

The CPU's multi-core and single-core performance, as measured in Cinebench R23 (32924 multi-core and 4648 single-core), places it in the 90th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 9 7900, has an average benchmark score that is only 0.5% higher, while the Intel Core i5-14600K is 0.8% behind. This level of performance provides a substantial foundation for gaming. The high boost clock of 5.10 GHz is beneficial for single-threaded game logic, which often limits frame pacing.

At 1440p and 4K, the frame rates drop significantly, but this is attributable to the GPU's workload, not CPU limitations. For instance, at 1440p High, the average is 60 FPS, which is exactly half of the 1080p Low result. If the CPU were a limiting factor, we would expect to see less scaling between resolutions as the GPU load increases. The data shows the opposite, confirming that the CPU has significant headroom. The Core Ultra 5 245's performance is sufficient to ensure that the Radeon RX 5700 XT is the component that determines the final frame rate in most scenarios, especially at higher resolutions and settings.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and desired frame rate. For a smooth 60 FPS experience, the data shows that 1440p with High settings achieves an average of 60 FPS. This is the highest resolution and quality combination that consistently reaches the 60 FPS mark. At 1080p, the High preset delivers 91 FPS, offering a significant margin above 60 FPS and a better experience for high refresh rate displays.

For 4K gaming, the results are more constrained. The only 4K preset that averages above 30 FPS is Low, which achieves 50 FPS. Medium at 4K averages 38 FPS with a minimum of 33 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for fast-paced action. The Ultra preset at 4K is not recommended, as it averages only 26 FPS. The data suggests that for a balanced experience at 1080p, the Medium preset (107 FPS) offers a good compromise between visual fidelity and performance, while the Ultra preset (71 FPS) is still very playable and provides the highest image quality.

The measured minimum FPS data for Medium settings shows a consistent pattern: the minimum is roughly 85% of the average. At 1080p, the minimum is 91 FPS, at 1440p it is 59 FPS, and at 4K it is 33 FPS. This indicates that frame pacing is relatively stable, but users should expect occasional dips. For a locked 60 FPS experience, the 1440p High setting is the safest choice. For higher frame rates, 1080p High is the recommended setting, as it provides a substantial performance buffer. The Low preset is only necessary for 4K at acceptable frame rates.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution and settings combination for a 60 FPS experience?

A: The data shows that 2560x1440 with High settings achieves an average of 60 FPS. This is the highest quality setting that maintains a 60 FPS average.

Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming?

A: Yes, but with limitations. At 4K, the Low preset averages 50 FPS, and the Medium preset averages 38 FPS with a minimum of 33 FPS. The Ultra preset is not viable, averaging only 26 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU performance compare to its rivals?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 245's average benchmark score is 48995, which is 0.4% lower than the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G and 0.5% lower than the AMD Ryzen 9 7900. It is 0.8% higher than the Intel Core i5-14600K.

Q: Is the GPU or the CPU the limiting factor in this game?

A: The GPU is the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions and settings. The evidence is the large FPS drop from 1080p to 4K, while the CPU shows sufficient performance to deliver high frame rates at 1080p Low (139 FPS).

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

A: The measured average FPS at 1920x1080 with Medium settings is 107, with a minimum of 91 FPS and a maximum of 123 FPS.

Q: What is the performance difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 91 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 47 FPS. This represents a 44 FPS difference, showing a significant performance cost for the highest quality settings.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT is based on the RDNA 1.0 architecture and features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. With a boost clock of 1905 MHz and 2560 shading units, it delivers 9.754 TFLOPS of FP32 performance. In The Technomancer, this GPU is the definitive bottleneck for performance at higher resolutions and quality presets.

The benchmark data illustrates this clearly. At 1080p Low, the GPU produces 139 FPS, but this drops to 91 FPS at 1440p Low and 50 FPS at 4K Low. This scaling indicates that the GPU's pixel throughput and memory bandwidth are being consumed by the increasing resolution. The 8 GB VRAM capacity is a factor at 4K, where the Ultra preset (26 FPS) likely exceeds the memory requirements, causing performance to crater.

The GPU's overall performance places it in the 59th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon Pro 5600M, has an average benchmark score that is only 0.1% higher, while the NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell is 0.3% faster. This context shows that the RX 5700 XT is a mid-range performer in the current landscape. The data suggests that while the GPU is capable of handling 1080p and 1440p gaming with high frame rates on medium-to-high settings, its limitations become apparent at 4K, where users must significantly reduce quality settings to achieve playable frame rates. The difference between the 1440p High (60 FPS) and 4K High (33 FPS) results underscores the GPU's struggle with the 4K pixel count.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following is a detailed breakdown of the measured average FPS for each resolution and settings combination.

3840x2160 (4K):

• Low: 50 FPS
• Medium: 38 FPS (minimum 33, maximum 44)
• High: 33 FPS
• Ultra: 26 FPS

2560x1440 (1440p):

• Low: 91 FPS
• Medium: 70 FPS (minimum 59, maximum 80)
• High: 60 FPS
• Ultra: 47 FPS

1920x1080 (1080p):

• Low: 139 FPS
• Medium: 107 FPS (minimum 91, maximum 123)
• High: 91 FPS
• Ultra: 71 FPS

The data shows a consistent trend. At each resolution, the average FPS decreases as settings increase from Low to Ultra. The most significant performance gap between settings is observed at 1080p, where the difference between Low and Ultra is 68 FPS. At 4K, the gap narrows to 24 FPS due to the GPU being heavily saturated. The Medium settings are the only ones with recorded minimum and maximum FPS values, providing insights into frame time consistency. The data reveals that the 1080p High setting provides a solid 91 FPS average, which is identical to the 1440p Low setting, showing that the GPU can trade resolution for quality at the same performance level.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database for The Technomancer, the combination of the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 and the AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT ranks 2100 out of 2825 tested combinations. This places it in the 74th percentile of all tested systems (100 - (2100/2825 * 100) = 25.6th percentile from the top, meaning it is better than roughly 74% of systems). This ranking reflects the GPU's mid-tier standing, as the CPU is a high-end performer.

The ranking suggests that while this system can play the game, it is not among the top-performing configurations. The CPU's high percentile (90th) is offset by the GPU's lower percentile (59th), resulting in a combined rank that is lower than what the CPU alone would suggest. This is consistent with the game being GPU-bound at most settings. The 2825 total combinations indicate a large pool of tested hardware, and the 2100 rank means that a significant number of systems achieve higher frame rates. The performance is adequate for 1080p and 1440p gaming, but the system will struggle to compete with higher-end GPU configurations at 4K. The ranking highlights that the Radeon RX 5700 XT is the limiting factor in this pairing, preventing the powerful Core Ultra 5 245 from fully demonstrating its potential in this specific title.