The Technomancer

The Technomancer, a 2016 Action RPG, presents a demanding workload that quickly exposes the limits of this particular hardware pairing. The combination of an Intel Core Ultra 5 245 CPU and an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 GPU produces a performance profile that is heavily skewed by resolution, with the graphics card acting as the primary constraint from 1080p upwards. This analysis examines the measured frame rates to delineate the role of each component, providing a clear picture of what this combo can and cannot deliver.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate data shows a steep and predictable decline as resolution increases, a classic indicator of a GPU-bound scenario. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 68 FPS. Moving to 1440p drops that average to 44 FPS, a reduction of 24 FPS. The jump to 4K at the same Low settings further reduces the average to 24 FPS, which is less than half of the 1080p figure. This scaling pattern is consistent with the GTX 1650's 4 GB VRAM and 128-bit memory interface, which are saturated by the increasing pixel count.

The scaling from Medium to High settings at each resolution reinforces this analysis. At 1080p, the average FPS drops from 52 on Medium to 45 on High, a 7 FPS difference. At 1440p, the same settings change results in a 5 FPS drop, from 34 to 29. At 4K, the difference narrows to just 3 FPS, from 19 to 16. The shrinking performance gap between settings at higher resolutions suggests that the GPU is no longer able to leverage the reduction in visual fidelity for a significant speedup; it is already operating at its maximum capacity to fill the larger frame buffer.

The most demanding setting, Ultra, yields the lowest frame rates across the board. At 1080p, the combo manages an average of 35 FPS. This falls to 23 FPS at 1440p and plummets to 13 FPS at 4K. The 4K Ultra result is below playable thresholds, and even the 1080p Ultra average is marginal. The data indicates that the 4K resolution is entirely impractical for this combo, with even Low settings failing to reach 30 FPS. The limiting component at all resolutions is unambiguously the GPU, as the CPU's performance headroom, evidenced by its benchmark scores, is not the bottleneck in this workload.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 is the decisive factor in this combo's gaming performance. Based on the Turing architecture and fabricated on a 12 nm process, this card is positioned at the entry-level segment of its generation. Its specifications include 896 shading units, 56 texture mapping units, and 32 ROPs. The card operates at a base clock of 1485 MHz and a boost clock of 1665 MHz. The 4 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 128-bit bus provides a bandwidth of 128.1 GB/s, a figure that proves insufficient for the high-resolution textures and large frame buffers demanded by The Technomancer at 4K.

The GPU's average benchmark score of 7472 places it in the 40th percentile of all GPUs, indicating its modest standing. Its nearest rivals in terms of average score include the AMD Radeon HD 8850M (7447, +0.3% delta) and the Intel UHD Graphics 750 (7441, +0.4% delta), which shows how closely packed this performance tier is. However, the GTX 1650 is also only 1% behind the Intel Arc A310, which has a score of 7550. This data shows that while the card is not the weakest, it is certainly at the lower end of the performance spectrum for modern gaming, and its limitations are fully realized in this test.

The VRAM capacity is a critical constraint. With only 4 GB, the card is likely to exceed its memory buffer at higher settings and resolutions. This explains the severe frame rate drops at 4K, where the average FPS falls to single digits on Ultra settings. The card's FP32 performance of 2.984 TFLOPS and pixel rate of 53.28 GPixel/s are simply not sufficient to handle the computational load of rendering at 3840x2160. The data strongly suggests that the GTX 1650 is the primary bottleneck, and its performance characteristics dictate the playable settings for this title.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 plays a supporting role in this pairing, providing ample processing power that is not fully utilized by the game at the tested resolutions. This processor features 14 cores and 14 threads, running at a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.10 GHz. It belongs to the Core Ultra Series 2, built on the Arrow Lake architecture using a 3 nm process. With a 24 MB shared L3 cache and support for DDR5 memory, the CPU is a modern, capable part.

Its benchmark scores are impressive, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32924 and a single-core score of 4648. This places the CPU in the 90th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 48995. Its nearest rivals are the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G (49196, -0.4% delta) and the AMD Ryzen 9 7900 (49228, -0.5% delta), showing that it performs within 0.5% of these high-end parts. This processing headroom means that in The Technomancer, the CPU is not likely to be the limiting factor.

The frame rate data confirms this. Since the CPU is capable of high scores in both single-threaded and multi-threaded tests, the consistent drop in FPS with increasing resolution is not a sign of CPU limitation. Instead, it shows that the GPU is struggling to keep up with the rendering demands. The CPU's role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and game logic, and at 1080p, it is almost certainly waiting on the GPU to finish rendering each frame. The 14 cores and 14 threads are more than sufficient for this game's engine, leaving performance to be dictated entirely by the graphics card.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a clear, quantitative look at the combo's performance across different settings and resolutions.

At 1920x1080, the combo is most viable. The average FPS ranges from 68 on Low to 35 on Ultra. The Medium setting yields an average of 52 FPS, with a minimum of 44 and a maximum of 60. High settings produce an average of 45 FPS. This shows that for a smooth 60 FPS experience, players would need to use Low settings. For a playable 30-45 FPS experience, Medium or High are viable options, with Ultra being a stretch at 35 FPS.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance drops significantly. The average FPS ranges from 44 on Low to 23 on Ultra. Medium settings provide an average of 34 FPS (min 29, max 39), while High yields 29 FPS. At this resolution, the GTX 1650 begins to show its limitations. Only Low settings can provide a consistent 44 FPS, and even that is not a locked 60. For a more visually rich experience, users would have to accept frame rates in the high-20s to mid-30s.

At 3840x2160, the combo is effectively overwhelmed. The average FPS is 24 on Low, 19 on Medium (min 16, max 22), 16 on High, and a near-unplayable 13 on Ultra. None of these results are suitable for a smooth gaming experience. The 4K resolution requires far more GPU memory bandwidth and processing power than the GTX 1650 can offer, resulting in frame rates that are below the threshold for comfortable play. This resolution is best avoided entirely with this hardware combination.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations for The Technomancer, this specific pairing of the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 ranks 2738 out of 2825 combos. This places it in the bottom 3% of all tested configurations, a stark indicator of its overall performance level. The rank reflects the GPU's limitations, as the CPU is a high-performing part that is held back by the graphics card.

The ranking is a holistic measure, considering the performance across all tested resolutions and settings. The extremely low FPS at 4K and the modest scores at 1080p drag the combo down in the rankings. While the CPU is in the 90th percentile for its own benchmarks, the GPU is in the 40th, and the combined result is a system that is not well-suited for this specific game at higher resolutions. This rank serves as a warning that this configuration is only suitable for 1080p gaming with adjusted settings.

The data shows that the combo is not competitive with more balanced pairings. The 2738 rank out of 2825 means that nearly all other combinations of CPUs and GPUs tested deliver better performance in The Technomancer. This is a direct consequence of pairing a modern, high-end CPU with an older, entry-level GPU. The system's performance is capped by the GTX 1650, and no amount of CPU headroom can compensate for the lack of GPU power.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution and settings for this combo in The Technomancer?

A: According to the data, 1080p with Low settings is the only configuration that provides a solid 60 FPS experience, achieving an average of 68 FPS. For higher visual quality, 1080p Medium (52 FPS) or High (45 FPS) are playable, but 1440p and 4K are not recommended for a smooth experience.

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

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 has an average benchmark score of 48995, placing it in the 90th percentile. It is within 0.5% of the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G and the AMD Ryzen 9 7900, and it is 0.6% ahead of the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H.

Q: Is the GPU or the CPU the main bottleneck in this system?

A: The GPU is the clear bottleneck. The GTX 1650's 4 GB VRAM and modest processing power cause a significant drop in frame rates as resolution increases, while the CPU's high benchmark scores indicate it has ample headroom that is not being utilized.

Q: What is the GPU's performance percentile and what does it mean?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 is in the 40th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 7472. This means it performs better than 40% of all GPUs tested, but it is still a low-end part that struggles with demanding games like The Technomancer at high resolutions.

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

A: No. The measured FPS at 3840x2160 ranges from 24 FPS on Low to 13 FPS on Ultra. These frame rates are below playable thresholds, indicating that the GTX 1650 does not have the memory bandwidth or compute power for 4K.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested combinations?

A: It ranks 2738 out of 2825 combos tested for The Technomancer. This places it in the bottom 3% of all configurations, reflecting the significant performance limitation imposed by the GTX 1650 GPU.