The Technomancer

The Technomancer, a 2016 Action RPG, presents an interesting case for modern hardware. This analysis examines the Intel Core Ultra 7 155H paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Mobile, using measured frame rate data to understand how this combination handles the game across different resolutions and settings. The data shows a system capable of high refresh rate gaming at 1080p, but one that is clearly constrained by the GPU at higher resolutions.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a classic pattern of GPU-bound scaling as resolution increases. At 1080p with High settings, the combination produces 111 FPS on average. Moving to 1440p at the same High preset drops performance to 72 FPS, a reduction of 39 FPS or roughly 35%. The step to 4K at High settings yields 40 FPS, which is 71 FPS lower than the 1080p result.

This scaling behavior indicates that the limiting component shifts depending on the resolution. At 1080p, the CPU is likely playing a more significant role, as the frame rate of 169 FPS at Low settings suggests the GPU has headroom that the processor may not fully feed. The drop from 169 FPS at 1080p Low to 110 FPS at 1440p Low shows a 59 FPS decline, which is proportionally smaller than the pixel count increase (from 2.07 million to 3.69 million pixels, a 78% increase). This suggests the system is not purely pixel-bound at these lower settings.

The data shows that the RTX 4070 Mobile's performance ceiling becomes apparent at 4K. Across all settings at 4K, the average FPS ranges from 31 (Ultra) to 61 (Low). The jump from 40 FPS at High to 47 FPS at Medium and then 61 FPS at Low demonstrates that even at the lowest settings, the GPU cannot push beyond 61 FPS at this resolution. This is a clear indicator that at 4K, the GPU is the dominant limiting factor, regardless of the quality preset.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 7 155H and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Mobile achieves a combo rank of 1984 out of 3696 tested combinations in The Technomancer. This places the system in the upper portion of the database, though not at the top tier. The rank reflects the balance between the two components; the RTX 4070 Mobile, which sits at the 73rd percentile among all GPUs, is matched with a CPU that ranks at the 83rd percentile among all processors.

The GPU's percentile ranking is significant. Being in the 73rd percentile means this mobile GPU outperforms approximately 73% of all GPUs in the database. However, the nearest rivals for the GPU show close competition: the AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT is virtually identical (0% delta), while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 is only 0.5% faster. This indicates that while the RTX 4070 Mobile is a strong performer, it is not at the absolute top of the hierarchy.

The combo rank of 1984 out of 3696 suggests that many other combinations perform better in this specific game. This is likely due to the game's age and its potential sensitivity to certain architectures. The rank also reflects that while the individual components are strong, the combination does not have any unusual synergy in The Technomancer that would boost it above similar pairings. The data shows a mid-to-upper tier result, with roughly 46% of tested combos ranking higher.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Mobile is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture and features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing 256.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU's memory clock runs at 2000 MHz (16 Gbps effective), with a base clock of 1395 MHz and a boost clock of 1695 MHz. These specifications are directly relevant to the game's performance characteristics.

The 8 GB VRAM capacity is a critical factor in The Technomancer at higher resolutions. The measured data shows that at 4K, the GPU becomes the limiting factor even at Low settings, where it achieves 61 FPS. This suggests that memory bandwidth or capacity may be constraining performance at this resolution, as the 256.0 GB/s bandwidth is modest by modern standards. The game's texture loading and asset streaming likely benefit from the available VRAM, but the limited bus width may hinder 4K performance.

The GPU's shading units (4608) and texture mapping units (144) are substantial, but the pixel rate of 81.36 GPixel/s and texture rate of 244.1 GTexel/s are the figures that directly impact fill-rate-bound scenarios. At 4K Ultra, the system drops to 31 FPS, which indicates that the pixel processing capabilities are being fully taxed. The FP32 performance of 15.62 TFLOPS provides the raw compute for the game's shader work, but the data shows that memory and pixel throughput become the bottlenecks at higher resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured data provides a comprehensive view of performance across three resolutions and four settings levels. At 1920x1080, the combination delivers excellent results across all presets. Low settings produce 169 FPS average, Medium settings yield 130 FPS (with a minimum of 110 and maximum of 149), High settings achieve 111 FPS, and Ultra settings still maintain 86 FPS. These numbers indicate that at 1080p, the system is capable of smooth gameplay even on the most demanding preset.

At 2560x1440, the performance remains strong but shows the expected decline. Low settings achieve 110 FPS, which is still well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth play. Medium settings produce 85 FPS (minimum 72, maximum 97), High settings drop to 72 FPS, and Ultra settings fall to 56 FPS. The 56 FPS at 1440p Ultra is notable as it is below the 60 FPS mark, suggesting that users seeking flawless 60 FPS gameplay at this resolution may need to use High settings instead.

The 3840x2160 results reveal the system's limitations. Low settings achieve 61 FPS, which is just above the 60 FPS target. Medium settings produce 47 FPS (minimum 40, maximum 53), High settings drop to 40 FPS, and Ultra settings fall to 31 FPS. These figures clearly show that 4K gaming is only viable at Low settings for this combination, and even then, it is marginal. The 31 FPS at 4K Ultra is not playable for most users, while 40 FPS at High may be acceptable for some, but it is not ideal.

Settings Recommendations

The data suggests a clear hierarchy for optimal settings based on resolution. At 1080p, the High preset at 111 FPS is the recommended choice for most users, as it provides a significant visual upgrade over Medium while maintaining a frame rate well above the 60 FPS threshold. For users with high refresh rate displays, the Medium preset at 130 FPS offers a better balance of speed and quality, while Low at 169 FPS is only recommended for competitive play where maximum frame rate is paramount. Ultra at 86 FPS is viable but offers diminishing returns over High.

At 1440p, the High preset at 72 FPS is the best experience per the measured rows. It stays above 60 FPS and provides good visual quality. The Medium preset at 85 FPS is also a strong candidate, offering a 13 FPS improvement over High at a moderate visual cost. The Ultra preset at 56 FPS is borderline; the data shows it dips below 60 FPS, which may cause noticeable stuttering for some users. Low at 110 FPS is available for those who prioritize frame rate over visual fidelity.

At 4K, the options are severely limited. The Low preset at 61 FPS is the only setting that achieves the 60 FPS target, making it the default recommendation for 4K gaming. The Medium preset at 47 FPS may be acceptable for players who prefer visual quality over smoothness, but the 40 FPS at High and 31 FPS at Ultra are difficult to recommend. The data indicates that this combination is not suited for 4K gaming beyond the lowest settings.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run The Technomancer at 4K with playable frame rates?

A: The data shows that at 4K Low settings, the combination achieves 61 FPS average, which is just above the 60 FPS target. However, 4K Medium drops to 47 FPS, and 4K High falls to 40 FPS. Only the Low preset is playable at 4K.

Q: What is the best settings preset for 1440p gaming?

A: The High preset at 1440p produces 72 FPS average, which is the highest settings level that maintains a frame rate above 60 FPS. The Medium preset at 85 FPS is also a strong option for those who prefer higher frame rates.

Q: How does the RTX 4070 Mobile compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The GPU's average benchmark score of 27435 is essentially tied with the AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT (27425, 0% delta) and is only 0.5% slower than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 (27565). It is 1.1% faster than the NVIDIA RTX PRO 4000 Blackwell.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck at 1080p?

A: The 1080p Low setting produces 169 FPS, while 1440p Low produces 110 FPS. The relatively small drop in FPS relative to the pixel count increase suggests that at 1080p, the CPU may be limiting performance in some scenarios, as the GPU has more headroom.

Q: What frame rate can I expect at 1080p Ultra settings?

A: The measured data shows an average of 86 FPS at 1080p Ultra. This is well above the 60 FPS target and indicates that the system can handle the highest quality preset at this resolution without issue.

Q: Does the combo rank reflect the system's overall capability?

A: The combo ranks 1984 out of 3696 tested combinations in The Technomancer. While this is in the upper half, it shows that many other combinations perform better in this specific game, despite the individual components ranking at the 73rd (GPU) and 83rd (CPU) percentiles.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 155H features 16 cores and 22 threads, with a base clock of 3.80 GHz and a boost clock of 4.80 GHz. This Meteor Lake architecture processor has a 24 MB shared L3 cache and supports DDR5 memory with a dual-channel bus, providing 89.6 GB/s of memory bandwidth. The CPU's benchmark scores indicate strong performance, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 15028 and a single-core score of 1743.

In The Technomancer, the CPU's role becomes more apparent at lower resolutions. The data shows that at 1080p Low, the system achieves 169 FPS, which is the highest measured frame rate across all configurations. This suggests that the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU with enough data to reach high frame rates. However, the gap between 1080p Low (169 FPS) and 1440p Low (110 FPS) is 59 FPS, which is proportionally less than the resolution increase, indicating that the GPU is starting to become more involved.

The CPU's 16 cores and 22 threads are more than sufficient for a game released in 2016. The high single-core performance, evidenced by the Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1743, ensures that the game's main thread is well-served. The CPU's percentile ranking of 83rd places it above the majority of processors, and its nearest rivals show close scores: the Intel Core i5-14600T has a 0% delta, the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 360 is 0.1% slower, and the AMD Ryzen 5 7400F is 0.2% faster. This indicates that the CPU is not a weak link in this combination.

The combination's rank of 1984 out of 3696 likely reflects the GPU's limitations at higher resolutions rather than a CPU deficiency. The data shows that at 1440p and 4K, the GPU's performance ceiling is the primary constraint, as demonstrated by the consistent FPS drops when increasing quality settings. The CPU's role is to ensure that at 1080p, the system can reach high frame rates without bottlenecking the GPU, which it does effectively based on the measured results.