The Technomancer

The Technomancer, a 2016 Action RPG, presents an interesting test for modern hardware. This analysis examines the Intel Core Ultra 7 155H paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070, using measured frame rate data to determine where the bottlenecks lie and how this combination performs. The data indicates a system that is capable at high refresh rates for 1080p and 1440p gaming but begins to strain under the load of 4K resolution.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a classic pattern of GPU-bound scaling as resolution increases. At 1080p with High settings, the system produces an average of 111 FPS. Moving to 1440p drops that average to 72 FPS, a reduction of roughly 35%. Pushing further to 4K at High settings yields only 40 FPS on average, which is a 64% decrease from the 1080p figure. This steep decline is a clear indicator that the RTX 4070 is the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions; the CPU has enough headroom to feed frames at 1080p, but the GPU's rendering workload becomes the wall as pixel count increases.

The scaling pattern across settings at each resolution reinforces this. At 4K, the jump from Low (61 FPS) to Medium (47 FPS) to High (40 FPS) to Ultra (31 FPS) shows a consistent and significant performance hit for each quality tier. The most demanding setting, Ultra, nearly halves the frame rate compared to Low. This is a textbook GPU-limited scenario where the graphics card's compute units, memory bandwidth, and VRAM capacity are being saturated by the increasing graphical fidelity and resolution.

In contrast, the scaling from 1080p to 1440p is less drastic. At Medium settings, the average drops from 130 FPS to 85 FPS. While still a considerable loss, the 1440p results remain highly playable, suggesting the combination is well-balanced for that resolution. The 1080p results, with averages ranging from 86 FPS on Ultra to 169 FPS on Low, show that the system is not CPU-bound at this resolution; the CPU is capable of supplying enough data to keep the GPU busy, even at lower settings where the GPU has less work to do. The bottleneck only fully manifests when the resolution and settings combine to create an insurmountable workload for the GPU.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 155H is a mobile processor with 16 cores and 22 threads, based on the Meteor Lake architecture. Its core configuration is designed to handle multitasking and heavily threaded workloads, which is reflected in its benchmark scores. The data shows a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 15028 and a single-core score of 1743. This single-core performance is crucial for gaming, as many game engines, including those from 2016 like the one powering The Technomancer, rely heavily on one or two primary threads for game logic and draw calls.

The CPU's benchmark percentile of 83 indicates it outperforms 83% of all tested CPUs, placing it in the upper tier of processors. Its nearest rivals in the benchmark database, such as the Intel Core i5-14600T and AMD Ryzen 5 7400F, have nearly identical average scores, with a deltaPct of 0 and -0.2 respectively. This shows that despite being a mobile chip with a 28W TDP, its processing power is on par with some capable desktop and higher-power mobile parts.

In the context of The Technomancer, the CPU's role appears to be largely supportive rather than a limiting factor. The fact that FPS scales dramatically with resolution and settings points to a GPU bottleneck. If the CPU were the primary constraint, we would expect to see similar frame rates at 1080p and 1440p, as the CPU would be unable to issue draw calls any faster. Instead, we see a clear drop from 111 FPS at 1080p High to 72 FPS at 1440p High, confirming that the processor has ample headroom. The strong single-threaded performance, evidenced by the Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1743, is likely sufficient to keep the RTX 4070 fed at lower resolutions, ensuring that the system's performance ceiling is determined by the graphics card, not the processor.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 is the undisputed driver of gaming performance in this configuration. This desktop-class GPU, based on the Ada Lovelace architecture, is equipped with 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s. Its benchmark scores are formidable, with a Passmark G3D score of 26927 and a 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 3854, placing it in the 81st percentile of all GPUs.

The GPU's performance in The Technomancer is the clearest indicator of its capabilities and limits. The dramatic FPS drops when moving from 1080p to 1440p and then to 4K are directly attributable to the GPU's workload. The 12 GB of VRAM is likely a non-issue at 1080p and 1440p, but at 4K with High or Ultra settings, memory capacity and bandwidth can become a constraint. The data suggests that for smooth 4K gameplay, the RTX 4070 requires settings to be dialed back significantly, as the average FPS at 4K High is only 40, which is below the 60 FPS target most gamers prefer.

The GPU's raw compute power, listed as 29.15 TFLOPS for FP32, is substantial, but the game's age and engine may not be able to fully utilize the newer architectural features like the 46 RT cores or 184 Tensor cores. The performance is therefore tied to the traditional rasterization power of the chip. The benchmarks show it is a strong performer, but The Technomancer at 4K Ultra represents a workload that is simply too heavy for it to maintain high frame rates, resulting in a 31 FPS average. This indicates that the RTX 4070 is best suited for high-refresh-rate 1080p and 1440p gaming, and for 4K, it is a capable but not ultimate solution.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run The Technomancer at 4K 60 FPS?

A: Based on the measured data, no. At 4K with High settings, the average FPS is 40, and at Medium it is 47. Even at Low settings, the average is 61 FPS, which is barely above the 60 FPS threshold and would likely suffer from dips during intense scenes. To achieve a stable 60 FPS at 4K, settings would need to be at their lowest.

Q: What is the best resolution for this CPU and GPU pairing?

A: The data shows excellent results at 2560x1440. At High settings, the average FPS is 72, and at Medium it is 85. This provides a good balance between visual fidelity and smooth performance. At 1080p, the system is capable of very high frame rates, with a 111 FPS average on High and 130 FPS on Medium.

Q: Is the performance difference between High and Ultra settings significant?

A: Yes, the performance cost for Ultra settings is steep. At 1080p, the average FPS drops from 111 on High to 86 on Ultra, a 23% decrease. At 1440p, it drops from 72 to 56, and at 4K, it falls from 40 to 31. The visual improvement may not justify the significant frame rate penalty, making High settings a more practical choice.

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

A: The Intel Core Ultra 7 155H has an average benchmark score of 32697. Its closest rival, the Intel Core i5-14600T, scores 32707, a deltaPct of 0. The AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 360 scores 32662, which is a 0.1% difference. This indicates that the CPU's processing power is essentially tied with these other processors, despite differences in architecture and core counts.

Q: Does the GPU have enough VRAM for this game?

A: The RTX 4070 comes with 12 GB of GDDR6X memory. While it is not possible to directly measure VRAM usage from the FPS data alone, the significant frame rate drops at 4K Ultra suggest the GPU is under heavy memory pressure. At 1080p and 1440p, the performance is strong, indicating that 12 GB is sufficient for those resolutions in this title.

Q: Is this system more limited by the CPU or the GPU in this game?

A: The data clearly indicates a GPU bottleneck. The frame rate scales consistently with resolution and graphics settings, falling from 169 FPS at 1080p Low to 31 FPS at 4K Ultra. If the CPU were the limiting factor, the frame rates would be more consistent across different resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 7 155H and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 is ranked 1497 out of 2825 tested combos for The Technomancer. This places it in the 47th percentile, meaning it performs better than just under half of all tested system configurations. This ranking might seem low for such modern components, but it’s important to contextualize it.

The ranking is a holistic measure of the combo's performance across all tested settings and resolutions. While the system excels at 1080p and 1440p, its struggles at 4K Ultra, where it produces only 31 FPS, likely drags down its overall standing. Many other combinations in the database may include higher-tier GPUs, such as the RTX 4080 or 4090, which can handle 4K much more easily, thus pushing this combo down the list. The rank indicates that this is a solid mid-to-high-tier performer, but not a top-tier contender for maximum settings at the highest resolution. It is a combination that prioritizes high frame rates at more common resolutions over absolute 4K dominance.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following is a complete breakdown of the measured average frame rates for this system in The Technomancer, with minimum and maximum values where available.

1920x1080

• Low: Average 169 FPS.
• Medium: Average 130 FPS. Minimum 110 FPS, Maximum 149 FPS.
• High: Average 111 FPS.
• Ultra: Average 86 FPS.

2560x1440

• Low: Average 110 FPS.
• Medium: Average 85 FPS. Minimum 72 FPS, Maximum 97 FPS.
• High: Average 72 FPS.
• Ultra: Average 56 FPS.

3840x2160

• Low: Average 61 FPS.
• Medium: Average 47 FPS. Minimum 40 FPS, Maximum 53 FPS.
• High: Average 40 FPS.
• Ultra: Average 31 FPS.

These numbers illustrate a clear hierarchy of performance. At 1080p, the system is exceptionally fast, capable of driving high-refresh-rate monitors even on High settings. The 1440p results are excellent, offering a strong balance of visual quality and smoothness, with all settings remaining playable. The 4K results are the weakest link, with only the Low preset achieving an average above 60 FPS, highlighting that this resolution is a significant challenge for the RTX 4070 in this title. The minimum FPS data for Medium settings at each resolution shows that frame pacing is consistent, with the lowest dips staying within a reasonable range of the average.