The Technomancer

The Technomancer, a 2016 Action RPG, presents an interesting stress test for modern hardware. This analysis examines the Intel Core Ultra 7 155H paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080, using measured data to show how this combination handles the game across resolutions and settings. The data suggests a system that is capable of high refresh rates at 1080p, but which becomes increasingly GPU-bound as resolution scales, ultimately struggling to maintain playable frame rates at 4K with maximum settings.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a clear and predictable pattern of performance degradation as resolution increases. At 1920x1080 with High settings, the combo achieves an average of 150 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 at the same settings, the average drops to 98 FPS, a 34.7% reduction from the 1080p figure. The jump to 3840x2160 is even more demanding, with the average falling to 54 FPS, a 64% decrease from the 1080p baseline and a 44.9% drop from the 1440p result. This scaling pattern is a strong indicator that the RTX 5080, despite its high performance class, is the limiting factor at higher resolutions, as the workload on the GPU increases exponentially with pixel count.

The trend is consistent across all settings. At Low settings, the frame rate goes from 229 FPS at 1080p to 150 FPS at 1440p and finally to 82 FPS at 4K. This represents a 35.4% drop from 1080p to 1440p and a 45.3% drop from 1440p to 4K. The consistency of these percentage drops across different settings suggests a uniform scaling behavior, reinforcing that the performance ceiling at higher resolutions is set by the GPU's rendering capabilities rather than any other system bottleneck.

The most telling data point for the limiting component is the transition from 1080p to 1440p. While a CPU bottleneck would typically show a much smaller performance delta at lower resolutions where the GPU isn't as taxed, the significant drops here indicate that even at 1080p, the GPU is already working hard. At 2560x1440, the RTX 5080 is clearly saturated, and at 4K, it is overwhelmed, particularly when settings are raised. The data shows that for a smooth 60 FPS experience at 4K, the user must compromise heavily on settings, as even Medium settings only yield an average of 63 FPS.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 is a high-end mobile GPU based on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture. Its performance percentile of 87 versus all GPUs places it in the upper echelon, though the benchmark results in this specific title show it is not invincible. The GPU comes equipped with 16 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a substantial 960.0 GB/s of memory bandwidth. This is a critical asset for The Technomancer, a game that can be demanding on memory, and it is likely a contributing factor to the playable frame rates seen at 1440p and 4K with lower settings.

The core clocks are listed with a base of 2295 MHz and a boost of 2617 MHz. These high clock speeds are indicative of the GPU's ability to process the complex shaders and effects present in the game. The 10752 shading units provide the raw compute power, with a texture rate of 879.3 GTexel/s and a pixel rate of 293.1 GPixel/s. These figures translate to the GPU's capacity to fill the screen with detailed textures and effects, which is a primary driver of the FPS numbers we see. In this context, the RTX 5080's strength is evident at 1080p and 1440p, where it delivers very high frame rates, but at 4K, its limits are reached.

The data suggests that the RTX 5080 is a capable card for this game, but not a 4K powerhouse. At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average FPS plummets to 42, which is a stuttery experience for most players. However, the GPU is not the primary concern at lower resolutions. At 1080p, the frame rates are so high that the CPU's role becomes more relevant, but the GPU still has enough headroom to push well beyond 144 Hz. The measured results indicate that this GPU is best suited for high-refresh-rate 1440p gaming in The Technomancer, where it can hold an average of 98 FPS on High settings, or for 4K gaming if the user is willing to drop to Low or Medium presets.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 155H is a mobile processor from the Meteor Lake architecture, featuring 16 cores and 22 threads. Its boost clock of 4.80 GHz and 24 MB of shared L3 cache provide solid single and multi-threaded performance. The CPU's benchmark scores are substantial, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 15028 and a single-core score of 1743. This processing power is generally more than sufficient for gaming, and in this title, it appears to be keeping up with the GPU at lower resolutions.

At 1920x1080, the system achieves very high frame rates, with an average of 229 FPS on Low settings. This indicates that the CPU is able to feed the GPU with enough data to reach these high numbers. However, the data also shows the CPU's limitations. The 1080p Low setting result of 229 FPS is significantly higher than the 1080p High setting of 150 FPS. This gap is not solely due to GPU load; it also suggests that at High settings, the CPU is having to process more game logic and draw calls, which can become a bottleneck even with a fast processor. The 155H is a 28W TDP part, which is a power-constrained mobile chip, and its performance in gaming is respectable but not top-tier.

The CPU's role becomes less critical as resolution increases. At 4K, the GPU is so heavily taxed that the CPU can easily keep up, meaning the difference between the 155H and a faster desktop CPU would be negligible. The data supports this, as the FPS drops are almost entirely attributable to the GPU's rendering load. The CPU's PassMark single-thread score of 3468 places it in a good position for gaming, but the 1080p results show that it is not an unlimited resource. The data indicates that the Core Ultra 7 155H is a capable gaming CPU, but it is the secondary component in this pairing, with the RTX 5080 being the primary driver of performance at higher resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

The combined system of the Intel Core Ultra 7 155H and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 ranks 717 out of 2825 tested combos for this specific game. This places it in the 74.6th percentile, which is a strong showing, but indicates that there are many other combinations that deliver better performance in The Technomancer. This ranking is a composite score, likely taking into account performance across all resolutions and settings, and it suggests that while the system is powerful, it is not at the absolute top of the charts.

Looking at the individual components, the RTX 5080 has a percentile of 87 versus all GPUs, which is higher than the combo's overall rank. This suggests that the GPU is performing well, but the CPU is holding the system back slightly. The Core Ultra 7 155H has a percentile of 83 versus all CPUs, which is also high, but its mobile nature and power constraints might cause it to fall behind in some CPU-intensive scenarios. The combo rank of 717 is a result of this pairing, and it indicates that while the system is excellent, there are better combinations available, likely involving more powerful desktop CPUs.

The nearest rivals for the GPU include the AMD Radeon 8060S and the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB, which have almost identical average benchmark scores, differing by less than 1%. This means that in other tests, the RTX 5080 is only marginally faster than these alternatives. However, in The Technomancer, the measured data shows the specific performance of this combo. The ranking of 717 out of 2825 is a solid result, but it is clear that the system is not a top-100 contender. For a user looking to maximize performance in this specific game, the data suggests that this combo is a good, but not exceptional, choice.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend heavily on the target resolution and desired frame rate. At 1920x1080, the system has ample headroom. The data shows an average of 150 FPS on High settings and 176 FPS on Medium. For a competitive or high-refresh-rate experience, Medium settings provide a significant boost in FPS with a likely minor visual trade-off, making it the best choice for 1080p gaming. Low settings push the average to 229 FPS, but the visual quality degradation is likely too severe for most users, making High the best balance of visuals and performance.

At 2560x1440, the High preset delivers an average of 98 FPS, which is perfectly playable for most gamers. This is the sweet spot for this resolution, as it offers a great visual experience while maintaining a frame rate that is above the 60 FPS threshold. The Medium preset yields 115 FPS, which is better for those with 144Hz monitors, but the jump from High to Medium is a 17.3% increase in FPS, which may not be worth the visual downgrade for all users. Ultra settings at 1440p drop to 77 FPS, which is still playable but shows the game's demanding nature at higher quality levels.

At 3840x2160, the situation is more challenging. The High preset only manages an average of 54 FPS, which is below the ideal 60 FPS standard. The Medium preset averages 63 FPS, making it the only preset that provides a consistently smooth 4K experience, with a minimum FPS of 54. Low settings average 82 FPS, but the visual compromise is substantial. Ultra settings are not recommended, as the average of 42 FPS is too low for a satisfying experience. For 4K gaming, the Medium preset is the best recommendation, as it is the only option that balances playable frame rates with acceptable visual quality. The data clearly shows that this combo is not suited for 4K Ultra, and users should temper their expectations accordingly.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following is a detailed breakdown of the measured average FPS for each resolution and settings preset.

At 3840x2160, the performance is as follows:

• Low: Average FPS of 82.
• Medium: Average FPS of 63, with a minimum of 54 and a maximum of 73.
• High: Average FPS of 54.
• Ultra: Average FPS of 42.

This shows a clear progression of decreasing performance as settings are increased. The difference between Low and Ultra is a 48.8% reduction in FPS, highlighting the significant impact of the Ultra preset.

At 2560x1440, the performance is as follows:

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

The 1440p results show that the system is very capable at this resolution, with even the Ultra preset maintaining an average of 77 FPS. The Medium preset provides a solid balance, and the High preset is also a strong option.

At 1920x1080, the performance is as follows:

• Low: Average FPS of 229.
• Medium: Average FPS of 176, with a minimum of 150 and a maximum of 202.
• High: Average FPS of 150.
• Ultra: Average FPS of 117.

At 1080p, the system is clearly CPU-limited in some scenarios, as the frame rates are exceptionally high. The Low preset reaches an average of 229 FPS, which is excellent for competitive play. The Medium and High presets are both very playable, with the Ultra preset still delivering a strong 117 FPS average.

The data across all resolutions shows a consistent pattern: the RTX 5080 is a high-performance GPU, but The Technomancer is a demanding title at higher resolutions. The 4K Ultra preset is the only configuration that fails to deliver playable frame rates, while all other combinations are viable. The minimum FPS values recorded for the Medium presets are notably close to the average FPS, suggesting good frame pacing and a stable experience, which is crucial for overall game feel.