The Technomancer

The Technomancer, a 2016 Action RPG, shows distinct performance scaling behavior with the Intel Core Ultra 7 155H paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Mobile. The measured FPS data reveals that this combination is heavily GPU-limited at higher resolutions, while the CPU’s capabilities become more apparent only at lower settings and resolutions. This analysis breaks down the measured results across three resolutions and four quality presets, interpreting what the numbers mean for actual gameplay.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent across all settings, indicating that the RTX 5090 Mobile is the primary bottleneck as pixel count rises. At High settings, average FPS falls from 160 at 1920x1080 to 105 at 2560x1440, then to 58 at 3840x2160. That is a 34% reduction from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 45% drop from 1440p to 4K. The pattern is similar at Ultra settings: 125 FPS at 1080p, 82 FPS at 1440p, and 45 FPS at 4K. The scaling here is slightly less severe in percentage terms—34% and 45% respectively—but the absolute FPS loss is still substantial.

Low settings show the most dramatic scaling curve. At 1080p Low, the combo reaches 245 FPS, which drops to 160 FPS at 1440p (a 35% reduction) and then to 88 FPS at 4K (a 45% reduction from 1440p). The fact that even at Low settings the 4K result is less than half of the 1080p result suggests that the GPU’s raw throughput, not the CPU, is the limiting factor at 4K. If the CPU were the constraint, you would expect the FPS to plateau or scale more gently at higher resolutions, but that is not the case here.

Medium settings provide the only complete data with min and max FPS. At 1080p Medium, the average is 188 FPS with a range from 160 to 216. At 1440p Medium, the average drops to 123 FPS (min 104, max 141), and at 4K Medium it falls to 67 FPS (min 57, max 78). The min FPS values are notably close to the averages, suggesting frame pacing is stable rather than spiky. The 4K Medium result is particularly interesting because it sits between the 4K High (58 FPS) and 4K Low (88 FPS) results, showing that the settings scaling is roughly linear in this range.

The data indicates that at 1080p, the RTX 5090 Mobile is being pushed hard enough that the Core Ultra 7 155H can keep up, but the GPU is still the dominant factor. At 4K, the GPU is unequivocally the limit: even the jump from Low to Ultra only changes the average from 88 to 45 FPS, a 49% reduction. This is typical of a game where resolution scaling outpaces the CPU’s ability to feed frames, but the magnitude here suggests the RTX 5090 Mobile is not fully utilized at lower resolutions—the CPU is likely capping performance in some scenarios, though the FPS numbers remain high enough for smooth gameplay.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 155H is a 16-core, 22-thread processor with a base clock of 3.80 GHz and a boost clock of 4.80 GHz. Its architecture, Meteor Lake, uses a 7 nm process from Intel. In synthetic benchmarks, it scores 15,028 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 1,743 in single-core, with a Passmark multithread score of 24,873 and a single-thread score of 3,468. These numbers place it in the 83rd percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 32,697. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i5-14600T (delta 0%), AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 360 (delta 0.1%), AMD Ryzen 5 7400F (delta -0.2%), and AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 6850H (delta -0.4%). This means the 155H is essentially on par with those chips in general compute, within a fraction of a percent.

For The Technomancer, the CPU’s role is evident in the 1080p results. At 1080p Low, the 245 FPS average suggests the CPU is able to generate frames quickly, but the GPU is still keeping up. However, the fact that 1080p High (160 FPS) is lower than 1440p Low (160 FPS) is telling: at the same FPS, the resolution difference does not matter, which implies the CPU is the limiting factor at 1080p High. The Core Ultra 7 155H’s 24 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel memory bus with 89.6 GB/s bandwidth are likely sufficient for this game, but the game’s age (released in 2016) means it may not utilize all 16 cores efficiently. The single-core performance, as reflected in the Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1,743, is strong enough to avoid obvious stutter, but the data does not show a scenario where the CPU is the clear bottleneck at 1440p or 4K.

The 22 threads and 16 cores provide headroom for background tasks, but The Technomancer’s engine appears to scale more with GPU load than CPU thread count. The measured FPS at 4K Ultra (45 FPS) is likely GPU-bound, as the RTX 5090 Mobile’s 31.80 TFLOPS FP32 performance is being taxed by the pixel count. The CPU’s boost clock of 4.80 GHz helps in single-threaded sections, but the benchmark results do not indicate any CPU-specific weakness in this title. In short, the Core Ultra 7 155H is not a limiting factor at 1440p and above; at 1080p, it may cap FPS in lighter scenes, but the results are still playable.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to play The Technomancer with this combo for a 60 FPS target?

A: At 4K High settings, the average FPS is 58, which is just under 60. For a solid 60 FPS, 4K Medium (67 FPS) or 1440p Ultra (82 FPS) are safer choices. If you want high refresh rates, 1080p High delivers 160 FPS.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from 1080p to 4K at High settings?

A: The average FPS drops from 160 at 1080p to 58 at 4K, a reduction of 64%. This indicates the GPU is the dominant limiting factor at higher resolutions.

Q: Does the Core Ultra 7 155H bottleneck the RTX 5090 Mobile in this game?

A: The data suggests minimal CPU bottlenecking. At 1080p Low, the combo reaches 245 FPS, which is high enough to indicate the CPU can feed frames well. At 4K, the GPU is clearly the limit, as even Low settings only reach 88 FPS.

Q: What is the frame time consistency like at Medium settings?

A: The Medium preset is the only one with min/max data. At 1080p, the range is 160 to 216 FPS (average 188); at 1440p, it is 104 to 141 (average 123); at 4K, it is 57 to 78 (average 67). The min values are about 85% of the average, indicating stable frame pacing.

Q: How does the RTX 5090 Mobile compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RTX 5090 Mobile has an average benchmark score of 45,152, placing it in the 84th percentile of all GPUs. It is within 0.8% of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti, 1% ahead of the Intel Arc A730M, and 1.8% ahead of the NVIDIA RTX 5880 Ada Generation, but 0.5% behind the AMD Radeon Pro 5500 XT.

Q: Is the 24 GB VRAM on the RTX 5090 Mobile sufficient for The Technomancer?

A: The game was released in 2016 and is not VRAM-intensive by modern standards. The 24 GB GDDR7 memory, with a 256-bit bus and 896.0 GB/s bandwidth, is far more than this title requires, so VRAM is not a limiting factor.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core Ultra 7 155H and RTX 5090 Mobile combination ranks 779th out of 3,696 tested combos for The Technomancer. This places it in the top 21% of all combinations tested. Percentile-wise, the CPU is in the 83rd percentile of all CPUs, and the GPU is in the 84th percentile of all GPUs, which suggests the combo should perform well above average. However, the rank of 779 indicates that many other combos outperform it, likely due to the CPU being a mid-range mobile part rather than a desktop flagship.

The combo’s rank is influenced by the fact that the RTX 5090 Mobile, despite being a top-tier mobile GPU, is paired with a CPU that is not the absolute fastest. The nearest CPU rivals, such as the Intel Core i5-14600T and AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 6850H, are within 0.4% in average score, so the 155H is not a weak link, but it also does not push the GPU to its highest possible frame rates in CPU-bound scenarios. In this game, the GPU is the primary determinant of the rank, and the RTX 5090 Mobile’s 84th percentile suggests it is a strong performer. The rank of 779 out of 3,696 means there are 2,917 combos that score lower, which is a solid result for a mobile setup, but it is not in the top tier for this specific title.

The data indicates that the combo is well-balanced for 1440p gaming, where it can exceed 100 FPS at High settings. At 4K, it falls just short of 60 FPS at High, which is a common threshold for smooth gameplay. The rank reflects this: it is a capable combo, but not the absolute best for 4K Ultra, where the 45 FPS result drags down its standing compared to combos with faster desktop CPUs.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Mobile is the dominant component in this pairing, with 24 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 256-bit bus providing 896.0 GB/s of bandwidth. Its chip, the GB203, is built on a 5 nm process from TSMC with 45,600 million transistors and a die size of 378 mm². The GPU has 10,496 shading units, 328 TMUs, and 112 ROPs, with 82 ray tracing cores and 328 tensor cores. Its base clock is 990 MHz with a boost clock of 1515 MHz, and memory runs at 1750 MHz (28 Gbps effective). The FP32 performance is 31.80 TFLOPS, with a pixel rate of 169.7 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 496.9 GTexel/s.

In synthetic benchmarks, the RTX 5090 Mobile scores 30,034 in Passmark G3D and 13,401 in GPU Compute, with a Geekbench OpenCL score of 201,834 and Vulkan score of 198,405. Its average benchmark score is 45,152, placing it in the 84th percentile of all GPUs. The nearest rivals are the AMD Radeon Pro 5500 XT (0.5% faster), NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti (0.8% slower), Intel Arc A730M (1% faster), and NVIDIA RTX 5880 Ada Generation (1.8% faster). This places the RTX 5090 Mobile in the same performance class as a desktop RTX 4070 Ti, which is impressive for a mobile part.

For The Technomancer, the GPU’s role is clear from the FPS scaling. At 4K, the GPU is the bottleneck, as evidenced by the fact that Ultra settings (45 FPS) are nearly half of Low settings (88 FPS). The 24 GB VRAM is more than enough for this game, so memory capacity is not a concern. The bandwidth of 896.0 GB/s is also sufficient, as the game does not appear to be bandwidth-limited at any tested setting. The GPU’s boost clock of 1515 MHz is relatively low for a flagship, but the high shader count compensates, and the measured FPS shows that the GPU can handle 1440p High at 105 FPS and 1080p High at 160 FPS. The 4K results are playable but require settings tuning: Medium (67 FPS) is the sweet spot for a smooth experience, while High (58 FPS) is borderline and Ultra (45 FPS) is only for those who prioritize visual fidelity over frame rate.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its highest frame rates. Low settings average 245 FPS, which is the best result across all tests. Medium settings average 188 FPS with a range of 160 to 216 FPS. High settings average 160 FPS, and Ultra settings average 125 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra is a 49% reduction, which is the smallest relative drop among all resolutions, indicating that the CPU is starting to play a larger role at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the results are still strong but show a clear GPU influence. Low settings average 160 FPS, Medium averages 123 FPS (min 104, max 141), High averages 105 FPS, and Ultra averages 82 FPS. The drop from Low to Ultra is 49%, identical to 1080p, but the absolute numbers are lower. The 160 FPS at Low is the same as 1080p High, which suggests that the GPU is the limiting factor at Low settings in 1440p, whereas the CPU may have been the limit at 1080p Low.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is decisively the bottleneck. Low settings average 88 FPS, Medium averages 67 FPS (min 57, max 78), High averages 58 FPS, and Ultra averages 45 FPS. The drop from Low to Ultra is 49% again, but the absolute FPS is much lower. The Medium settings show the tightest min/max range relative to the average, with the min at 85% of the average, indicating consistent frame delivery. The 4K High result of 58 FPS is just below the 60 FPS target, so players should consider Medium or a lower resolution for a locked 60 FPS experience.

Across all resolutions, the pattern is consistent: the RTX 5090 Mobile scales predictably with settings, and the Core Ultra 7 155H does not introduce any unexpected frame drops. The data confirms that for the best experience, 1440p High (105 FPS) offers a balance of quality and speed, while 4K Medium (67 FPS) is the highest fidelity option that stays above 60 FPS on average.