The Technomancer

The Technomancer, a 2016 Action RPG, presents an interesting challenge for the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 combination. The measured data shows a system that is clearly capable of delivering smooth gameplay at lower resolutions but begins to struggle as the pixel count climbs. The pairing of a modern 14-core CPU with a 5nm entry-level GPU creates a distinct bottleneck profile that is worth examining in detail.

FAQ

Q: What is the overall performance rank of this CPU and GPU combo in The Technomancer?

A: The combo ranks 1721 out of 2825 tested combinations. This places it in the lower-middle tier, indicating that while it is far from the worst performer, a significant portion of other systems deliver higher frame rates in this specific title.

Q: How well does the CPU perform in synthetic benchmarks compared to its closest rivals?

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, making the Ultra 5 245 just 0.4% slower. It also trails the AMD Ryzen 9 7900 by 0.5% but is 0.6% faster than the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H and 0.8% faster than the Intel Core i5-14600K.

Q: What is the best frame rate achieved at 1080p with this hardware?

A: The highest average FPS recorded at 1920x1080 is 150, achieved with the Low settings preset. The High preset also delivers a very playable 98 FPS average.

Q: Is the GPU powerful enough for 4K gaming in The Technomancer?

A: The data suggests it is not. At 3840x2160, the highest average FPS recorded is 54 on Low settings. With Ultra settings, the average drops to 28 FPS, which is below the threshold for smooth, consistent gameplay.

Q: Does the CPU have a high core count and what are its clock speeds?

A: Yes, the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 has 14 cores and 14 threads. It features a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.10 GHz.

Q: How much VRAM does the GPU have and what is its memory bandwidth?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 comes with 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus. This configuration provides a memory bandwidth of 320.0 GB/s.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 is the primary driver for frame generation, and its 8 GB VRAM capacity is a critical factor in The Technomancer. The data shows a clear pattern where performance scales directly with resolution, which is a strong indicator that the GPU is the limiting component at higher settings. The GPU's memory bandwidth of 320.0 GB/s and 128-bit bus width are adequate for 1080p and 1440p but appear to be a bottleneck when the demand for texture data increases at 4K.

The GPU's clock speeds are listed as a base of 2317 MHz and a boost of 2572 MHz. These are the frequencies at which the card operates, and the benchmark results show how this hardware translates into real-world performance. For instance, the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test yields a score of 2502, while the PassMark G3D score is 17326. The percentile ranking of 66 for the GPU against all other GPUs indicates it is a mid-range performer. When compared to its nearest rivals, the RTX 5050's average score of 21035 is just 0.6% lower than the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL, and 1.6% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT. This places it in a competitive but not dominant position.

The VRAM capacity becomes a point of concern when examining the 4K results. The drop from 54 FPS at Low to 35 FPS at High settings suggests that the 8 GB frame buffer is being saturated, forcing the system to manage memory less efficiently. The data does not specify texture quality, but the significant performance penalty is a classic symptom of VRAM limitation. For a game from 2016, 8 GB should be sufficient for most content, but the architecture and bandwidth constraints of this specific GPU become apparent at the highest resolutions.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of how the system scales across different resolutions. At 1920x1080 with High settings, the average FPS is 98. Moving up to 2560x1440, that average drops to 64 FPS. At 3840x2160, the average falls further to 35 FPS. This represents a 65% reduction in frame rate when moving from 1080p to 4K at High settings. This steep decline indicates that the RTX 5050 is the primary bottleneck.

The scaling pattern suggests that the GPU's compute and memory subsystems are being stressed. The data shows a near-linear relationship between pixel count and performance, which is typical for a system that is GPU-bound. The CPU, with its high boost clock of 5.10 GHz and 14 cores, is likely not the limiting factor at these resolutions. The frame rate difference between 1080p Low (150 FPS) and 1080p Ultra (77 FPS) is also substantial, showing that the GPU is sensitive to settings changes even at the lowest resolution.

This data implies that for a smoother 4K experience, the user would need to significantly lower graphical settings. The jump from 54 FPS at 4K Low to 41 FPS at 4K Medium shows that even modest settings increases have a notable impact. The system is clearly optimized for 1080p and can handle 1440p reasonably well, but 4K gaming is only viable on the lowest presets, and even then, it does not reach the 60 FPS mark.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 holds a rank of 1721 out of 2825 tested combos in The Technomancer. This places it in the 39th percentile, meaning it outperforms about 39% of the tested systems. This is a modest ranking, reflecting that while the hardware is modern, it is not tuned for high-end performance in this specific title.

The ranking suggests that the RTX 5050's mid-range position (66th percentile for GPUs) significantly influences the combo's overall standing. Even with a strong CPU like the Core Ultra 5 245, which sits in the 90th percentile for all CPUs, the combo cannot overcome the GPU's limitations. The data implies that the game's performance is heavily dependent on the graphics card, and the CPU's substantial processing power is underutilized in this scenario.

This rank of 1721 indicates that users with higher-tier GPUs will see substantially better performance. The combo is not a top-tier performer, but it is also not at the bottom. It represents a balanced entry-level to mid-range system that is capable of playing The Technomancer at 1080p with high frame rates, which is likely the intended use case for this hardware pairing.

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, it provides ample processing power for gaming. Its synthetic benchmarks are impressive, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32924 and a single-core score of 4648. The PassMark single-thread score is 4394, and the multi-thread score is 38706. These scores place the CPU in the 90th percentile against all other CPUs.

In The Technomancer, the CPU's role appears to be secondary to the GPU. The measured FPS data shows that performance is heavily tied to resolution, which is a GPU-centric trait. However, the CPU's strength is evident in the high frame rates at 1080p. The 150 FPS average at Low settings and 98 FPS at High settings suggest that the CPU is more than capable of feeding the GPU with data, preventing a CPU bottleneck at these settings.

The CPU's nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 9 7900, which has an average score of 49228, and the Intel Core i5-14600K with a score of 48618. The Ultra 5 245 is only 0.5% slower than the Ryzen 9 and 0.8% faster than the i5-14600K, indicating that it is a very competitive processor for gaming workloads. This performance headroom means that the CPU is unlikely to be the cause of any frame rate drops in this game, and the focus should be on the GPU's capabilities.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a detailed look at performance across three resolutions and four settings presets.

At 1920x1080, the system performs admirably:

• Low: Average FPS is 150.
• Medium: Average FPS is 115, with a minimum of 98 and a maximum of 132.
• High: Average FPS is 98.
• Ultra: Average FPS is 77.

At 2560x1440, performance drops but remains mostly playable:

• Low: Average FPS is 98.
• Medium: Average FPS is 75, with a minimum of 64 and a maximum of 87.
• High: Average FPS is 64.
• Ultra: Average FPS is 50.

At 3840x2160, the system struggles to maintain smooth frame rates:

• Low: Average FPS is 54.
• Medium: Average FPS is 41, with a minimum of 35 and a maximum of 48.
• High: Average FPS is 35.
• Ultra: Average FPS is 28.

The data shows a clear trend: 1080p is the sweet spot for this hardware, with all presets delivering above 60 FPS. 1440p is viable for High and below, but Ultra settings dip below the 60 FPS threshold. 4K is only playable on Low settings, and even then, it does not reach 60 FPS.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal experience for this combo is at 1920x1080 with High settings, which yields an average of 98 FPS. This provides a smooth, visually appealing experience that balances performance and quality. The Ultra preset at 1080p is also viable with 77 FPS, but the visual gain over High may not justify the 21% performance drop.

For users with a 1440p monitor, the High preset is the best choice, delivering an average of 64 FPS. This is close to the 60 FPS target for smooth gameplay. The Medium preset provides a more comfortable margin with 75 FPS, but the visual downgrade is noticeable. The Ultra preset at 1440p is not recommended, as the 50 FPS average may result in noticeable stuttering.

At 4K, the data suggests that only the Low preset is reasonable, with an average of 54 FPS. This is below the ideal 60 FPS target but is playable for less demanding scenes. The Medium preset at 41 FPS is borderline, and the High and Ultra presets are not recommended due to their sub-40 FPS averages. For the best experience, the data indicates that this system should be used primarily for 1080p gaming, with 1440p being a secondary option for High settings.