The Technomancer

The Technomancer, a 2016 Action RPG, presents an interesting test case for the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 and AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT combination. This pairing of a modern 14-core processor with a high-end RDNA 3.0 graphics card delivers a wide performance envelope that varies significantly with resolution and quality settings. The benchmark data reveals a system that is capable of high refresh rate gaming at 1080p and remains playable at 4K, though the performance ceiling is clearly defined by the graphics card at higher resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

Within the database of tested hardware combinations for The Technomancer, this specific pairing of the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 and AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT achieves a rank of 485 out of 2825 tested combos. This places the system in the top 17% of all configurations tested for this game, a strong showing that indicates a well-balanced setup for the title. The percentile data reinforces this, with the CPU scoring in the 90th percentile against all tested processors, while the GPU sits in the 55th percentile against all tested graphics cards. This discrepancy in percentiles is a key characteristic of this build; the processor is significantly more powerful relative to its peers than the graphics card is to its own peers.

The overall rank suggests that while the GPU is not the absolute fastest available, the combination's performance is buoyed by the CPU's strength. The data implies that the system is not held back by a weak processor, allowing the GPU to operate closer to its full potential. The measured frame rates, which we will examine in detail, support this interpretation, showing that the system can push very high frame counts at lower resolutions where CPU overhead typically matters more. The rank is a cumulative measure of the system's ability to run the game smoothly across the board, and landing in the 485th spot out of 2825 is a clear indicator of a high-performing configuration.

FAQ

Q: What is the best performance this combo can achieve in The Technomancer?

A: The highest average frame rate recorded is 251 FPS, which is achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. This shows the system's maximum potential for high refresh rate displays at the lowest graphical demand.

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

A: Yes, it is playable at 3840x2160. At High settings, the average frame rate is 59 FPS, which is right at the standard 60Hz monitor refresh threshold. At Ultra settings, the average drops to 46 FPS, which is still playable but not as smooth.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its closest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 has an average benchmark score of 48995. Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G, scores 49196, which is a negligible 0.4% difference. The Intel Core i5-14600K scores 48618, placing it 0.8% behind the Ultra 5 245.

Q: Is the GPU a limiting factor at 1080p?

A: The data suggests the GPU becomes less of a bottleneck at 1080p. The frame rate scales significantly with settings, jumping from 128 FPS at Ultra to 164 FPS at High and 251 FPS at Low. This indicates that the GPU is still the primary determinant of performance, but the CPU is capable of feeding it enough data to reach these high frame rates.

Q: What is the performance delta between the GPU and its nearest rivals?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT has an average benchmark score of 13745. It is 0.5% behind the AMD Radeon 660M, which scores 13812, and 0.5% behind the NVIDIA RTX A2000 Mobile, which scores 13821. It is 1.5% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT, which scores 13543.

Q: How much of a frame rate drop is there between 1080p and 4K?

A: At High settings, the average frame rate drops from 164 FPS at 1920x1080 to 59 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a substantial 64% reduction in average frame rate, highlighting the massive increase in workload on the GPU at 4K resolution.

Resolution Scaling

The resolution scaling behavior of this combo in The Technomancer is a textbook demonstration of how GPU load increases with pixel count. By comparing the measured average FPS across the three tested resolutions, we can clearly see where the bottleneck shifts. At 1920x1080, the game runs at very high frame rates, indicating that the CPU is managing the game logic and draw calls efficiently. The jump from High to Ultra settings at 1080p results in a 36 FPS drop (164 to 128 FPS), showing that even at this resolution, the GPU is still sensitive to graphical fidelity changes.

Moving to 2560x1440, the average frame rates remain high but show a clear step down. The High preset drops from 164 FPS at 1080p to 108 FPS, a 34% reduction. This scaling is more pronounced than the 1080p-to-1440p jump for the Low preset, which drops from 251 FPS to 164 FPS, a 35% reduction. This consistent percentage drop across presets indicates a linear increase in GPU workload as the resolution scales.

The most dramatic scaling occurs when moving from 2560x1440 to 3840x2160. At High settings, the average frame rate is nearly halved, dropping from 108 FPS to 59 FPS. This 4K resolution requires the GPU to process four times the number of pixels as 1080p. The performance data confirms that the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT is the primary limiting factor at this resolution, as the frame rate collapses to a level that is just at the cusp of smooth 60Hz gameplay. The scaling pattern, with its steep drop at 4K, points directly to the GPU's memory bandwidth and shading power being saturated, rather than any CPU limitation.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive look at the combo's performance across all settings and resolutions.

At 1920x1080, the system is exceptionally fast. The Low preset yields an average of 251 FPS, making it ideal for competitive play or very high refresh rate monitors. The Medium preset averages 193 FPS, with a minimum of 164 FPS and a maximum of 222 FPS, showing a stable experience. The High preset achieves 164 FPS, which is still more than enough for a high refresh rate display. The Ultra preset, the most demanding, still manages a very solid 128 FPS. The data here shows that the CPU is powerful enough to keep frame times low, allowing the GPU to push well over 100 FPS even at the highest quality settings.

At 2560x1440, the performance is still very strong but begins to show the GPU's limits. The Low preset averages 164 FPS, a significant drop from 1080p but still excellent. The Medium preset sees an average of 126 FPS, with a minimum of 107 FPS and a maximum of 145 FPS. The High preset brings the average down to 108 FPS, which is right at the sweet spot for 144Hz monitors. The Ultra preset averages 84 FPS, which is a very playable frame rate for a demanding action RPG, ensuring smooth gameplay without any major hitches.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is clearly the defining component. The Low preset averages 90 FPS, which is a surprisingly high result and shows the GPU's raw power. The Medium preset averages 69 FPS, with a minimum of 59 FPS and a maximum of 80 FPS, placing it in the playable range. The High preset averages exactly 59 FPS, which is on the border of smooth 60Hz gameplay. The Ultra preset drops to an average of 46 FPS, which is a less smooth experience and may require adjustments for some users. The frame rate progression at this resolution demonstrates the heavy toll that 4K rendering takes on the GPU.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 is a 14-core, 14-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture, built on a 3 nm process node. It has a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.10 GHz. In The Technomancer, a game from 2016, the CPU's role is to handle the game's simulation, AI, and draw calls. The benchmark results show that this processor is more than capable of doing so, as evidenced by the extremely high frame rates at 1080p.

The data shows that the CPU is not a bottleneck at lower resolutions. The fact that the system can achieve 251 FPS at 1080p Low settings indicates that the CPU is feeding the GPU with enough data to reach these frame rates. The CPU's strong single-thread performance, as indicated by its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4648, is likely a significant factor in its ability to handle the game's primary game logic thread. While The Technomancer may not be optimized for many cores, the 14 available cores ensure that no background tasks or secondary threads will cause a stutter.

The CPU's position in the market is solid, with an average benchmark score of 48995, placing it in the 90th percentile of all CPUs. Its closest rival, the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G, is a mere 0.4% faster, and it is 0.8% faster than the Intel Core i5-14600K. This level of performance is more than sufficient for a game like The Technomancer, where the processor's high clock speeds and modern architecture prevent it from being a limiting factor in gameplay, especially when compared to the GPU's workload at higher resolutions.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the ideal settings depend entirely on the target resolution and refresh rate.

For 1920x1080 displays, the High preset at 164 FPS offers an excellent balance of visual quality and performance. It provides a significant upgrade over the Medium preset (193 FPS) in terms of graphical fidelity while still maintaining a frame rate that is well above 144Hz. For users with 240Hz monitors, the Low preset at 251 FPS is the only way to fully utilize such a display, but the visual trade-offs are considerable. The Ultra preset at 128 FPS is also a fantastic choice for a high refresh rate experience, as it delivers the best image quality while staying comfortably above the 120 FPS threshold.

At 2560x1440, the High preset at 108 FPS is the recommended choice for a balanced experience, providing excellent visual detail and a frame rate that is ideal for 144Hz displays. The Medium preset at 126 FPS is a viable alternative for those who prioritize higher frame rates, but the visual difference is noticeable. The Ultra preset at 84 FPS is also a strong option, as it offers the maximum visual quality while remaining smooth and playable. For players with 60Hz monitors, the Ultra preset is the clear winner, as it provides the best image quality without any performance penalty.

At 3840x2160, the Medium preset at 69 FPS provides the best experience for a 60Hz display. It offers a good balance of visual quality and smooth performance, with the minimum FPS of 59 ensuring that it rarely drops below the 60 FPS target. The High preset at 59 FPS is also playable, but the minimum FPS data is not available, and the average being right at the threshold is risky. The Ultra preset at 46 FPS is not recommended for standard 60Hz displays, as the lower frame rate will be noticeable. The Low preset at 90 FPS is an option for those who want to prioritize frame rate over visual fidelity, but the graphical downgrade is significant.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT is a high-end graphics card based on the RDNA 3.0 architecture and the Navi 31 chip. It features 20 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 320-bit bus, providing a substantial memory bandwidth of 800.0 GB/s. In The Technomancer, a title released in 2016, the GPU's role is to handle all the rendering tasks, from geometry and textures to lighting and post-processing effects. The benchmark data shows that this GPU is the primary determinant of performance at higher resolutions.

The GPU's clock speeds are notable, with a base clock of 1387 MHz and a boost clock of 2394 MHz. Its raw compute power is substantial, with an FP32 throughput of 51.48 TFLOPS. However, the data shows that at 4K resolution, these specifications are not enough to maintain very high frame rates in this game. The average FPS at 4K Ultra is 46, which suggests the card is heavily taxed by the pixel fill rate and memory bandwidth demands of 4K rendering.

The GPU's benchmark profile shows an average score of 13745, placing it in the 55th percentile of all GPUs. Its closest rivals are the AMD Radeon 660M and the NVIDIA RTX A2000 Mobile, which are both 0.5% faster in synthetic tests. This is a peculiar result, as those are not typically considered high-end parts, but the data is clear. The GPU is 1.5% faster than the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT. The performance scaling in the game data suggests that while the GPU is powerful, it is not the absolute top-tier for 4K gaming in this specific title, and its 55th percentile ranking indicates that its raw compute power is not always fully utilized in all scenarios.