The Technomancer

The Technomancer, a 2016 Action RPG, presents an interesting case study in hardware scaling due to its age and engine characteristics. When paired with the Intel Core Ultra 7 165H and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090, the measured frame rates reveal a complex interaction between the CPU, GPU, and game settings. The data indicates that this combination is capable of delivering very high performance, but the bottlenecks shift dramatically depending on the resolution and quality preset selected. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS data to understand how this specific hardware combo behaves in this particular title.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a clear and expected trend: as resolution increases, average frame rates decrease due to the greater rendering load placed on the GPU. At the High preset, the transition from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440 results in a drop from 153 FPS to 100 FPS, a reduction of 53 FPS. Moving from 2560x1440 to 3840x2160 at the High preset further reduces the average to 55 FPS, a drop of 45 FPS. This scaling pattern suggests that at 1080p and 1440p, the system is not purely GPU-limited, as the frame rates are extremely high, allowing the CPU to play a more significant role in determining the final output.

The scaling from 1440p to 4K is particularly telling for identifying the limiting component. At the High preset, the performance hit of 45% when moving to 4K indicates a shift towards a GPU-bound scenario. The RTX 4090 is being tasked with rendering significantly more pixels, and its performance becomes the primary constraint. However, the absolute frame rate of 55 FPS at 4K High suggests that the game’s engine is not fully utilizing the GPU’s immense power, likely due to CPU overhead or engine limitations from the 2016 title.

At the Low preset, the scaling is even more pronounced. The average FPS at 1920x1080 is 234, which drops to 153 at 2560x1440 (a 34.6% decrease) and then to 84 at 3840x2160 (a 45.1% decrease from 1440p). The fact that the 1080p Low result is 234 FPS strongly suggests a CPU bottleneck at that resolution; the RTX 4090 is capable of far more, but the Intel Core Ultra 7 165H cannot feed it data quickly enough. The resolution scaling at lower settings highlights how the CPU becomes the limiting factor at lower resolutions, while the GPU takes over as the primary constraint at higher resolutions.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is a flagship GPU with a massive 24 GB of GDDR6X memory and a 384-bit memory bus, providing a bandwidth of 1.01 TB/s. In The Technomancer, this memory configuration is more than sufficient, as the game’s textures and assets from 2016 are unlikely to exceed even a fraction of this capacity. The GPU’s high base clock of 2235 MHz and boost clock of 2520 MHz, based on the Ada Lovelace architecture, ensure raw compute power that far exceeds the requirements of this title. The data shows that the GPU is rarely the sole bottleneck, except at the highest resolution and quality settings.

The GPU’s role becomes clear when examining the 4K results. At 3840x2160 with the Ultra preset, the average FPS falls to 43, the lowest measured figure. This is the only scenario where the GPU is likely heavily taxed, as the higher resolution and more demanding settings increase the pixel and shading workload. The 55 FPS average at 4K High, while lower than lower resolutions, still indicates that the GPU is not being pushed to its absolute limit. The measured scores for the RTX 4090, such as a Passmark G3D score of 38194, place it in the 88th percentile of all GPUs, but its nearest rivals in the benchmark database are professional workstation cards like the AMD Radeon Pro W6600M, which shows a deltaPct of -2.5, and the AMD Radeon PRO V710, which is 2.9% slower. This suggests that in synthetic benchmarks, the RTX 4090 is in a class of its own, yet in this specific game, its performance is capped by other factors.

The fact that the GPU does not fully dominate the results is a key finding. For instance, the difference between 1080p Low and 4K Low is 150 FPS (234 vs 84). If the GPU were the sole bottleneck, this gap would be even larger. Instead, the relatively modest scaling at lower settings points to a CPU limitation that prevents the GPU from reaching its full potential. The RTX 4090’s raw power is evident, but The Technomancer’s engine does not allow it to be fully unleashed, particularly at lower resolutions where the CPU’s frame generation speed is the limiting factor.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 165H is a mobile processor with 16 cores and 22 threads, based on the Meteor Lake architecture. Its base clock of 3.80 GHz and boost clock of 5.00 GHz provide substantial single-threaded performance, which is crucial for gaming. The CPU’s benchmark scores are impressive, with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 14551 and a single-core score of 1759, placing it in the 84th percentile of all CPUs. However, its role in The Technomancer is complex, as the data suggests it becomes the primary bottleneck at lower resolutions.

The evidence for a CPU bottleneck is strongest at 1080p. At the Low preset, the average FPS is 234, which is an exceptionally high number. This indicates that the CPU is able to process game logic and issue draw calls very quickly. However, the RTX 4090 is capable of rendering far more frames than this, so the CPU is holding the system back. This is a common scenario in older games with less efficient multi-threading. The CPU’s nearest rivals, such as the Intel Core Ultra 5 338H and the AMD Ryzen AI 7 350, have very similar average benchmark scores (33989 and 34222, respectively, with deltaPct values of 0.3 and -0.4), indicating that this is a typical performance tier for this processor.

The CPU’s impact is also visible when comparing settings at a fixed resolution. At 2560x1440, the difference between Low and Ultra is 75 FPS (153 vs 78). This difference is not solely due to GPU load; the CPU must also handle the increased draw calls and physics calculations associated with higher settings. The Ultra 7 165H’s 24 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel memory support with 89.6 GB/s bandwidth are adequate for this game, but the engine’s limitations prevent it from scaling perfectly with the CPU’s multi-core capabilities. The data suggests that the CPU’s high single-thread performance (Cinebench R15 single-core score of 257) is more important than its multi-threaded capabilities for this title, as the game likely relies on a few primary threads for its main loop.

FAQ

Q: Why is the average FPS at 1080p Low so much higher than at 4K Ultra?

A: The difference is due to the resolution scaling. At 1080p Low, the GPU has less work to do per frame, allowing the CPU to become the limiting factor, resulting in 234 FPS. At 4K Ultra, the GPU is rendering four times the pixels with higher quality effects, which taxes the RTX 4090 significantly, bringing the average down to 43 FPS.

Q: Is this combo better for 1080p or 4K gaming in The Technomancer?

A: The data shows that the combo is extremely capable at all resolutions, but the best experience depends on the target refresh rate. At 1080p, the system can push over 120 FPS on Ultra, while at 4K, it averages 43 FPS on Ultra. For a smooth 60 FPS experience, 4K High is the better choice, as it averages 55 FPS.

Q: Does the RTX 4090's 24 GB of VRAM matter for this game?

A: The 24 GB of GDDR6X memory is far more than The Technomancer requires. The game's assets are from 2016 and will not come close to using even a portion of this capacity. The VRAM is not a limiting factor in any of the measured scenarios.

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

A: The Intel Core Ultra 7 165H has an average benchmark score of 34083. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core Ultra 5 338H, has a score of 33989, which is 0.3% slower. The AMD Ryzen 7 3700X has a score of 34260, making it 0.5% faster. This indicates the CPU is very competitive with its peers in general performance.

Q: What is the best preset for a 1440p monitor?

A: For a 2560x1440 display, the High preset is the most balanced, offering an average of 100 FPS. The Ultra preset still provides a very playable 78 FPS, but the High preset offers a significant frame rate advantage with likely minimal visual difference.

Q: Is the measured FPS data reliable?

A: Yes, the "dataIsMeasured" field is set to true, indicating that the FPS figures are based on actual testing rather than estimations. The combo rank of 588 out of 2825 tested combos also places this hardware configuration in the top 21% of all tested systems for this game.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend heavily on the user's display resolution and refresh rate. For 1920x1080 displays, the Ultra preset is the clear recommendation, as it still yields an average of 120 FPS, which is sufficient for high-refresh-rate monitors. The High preset at 1080p offers 153 FPS, but the Ultra preset provides a more visually rich experience without dropping below 120 FPS, which is a common target for competitive gaming. The Low preset at 234 FPS is unnecessary unless the user has a 240Hz display and prioritizes maximum frame rate over visual fidelity.

For 2560x1440 resolution, the High preset appears to be the sweet spot. It delivers an average of 100 FPS, which is excellent for a smooth gaming experience on most 144Hz monitors. The Ultra preset at 78 FPS is also very playable and offers the highest quality visuals. The decision here is between a higher frame rate (High) and higher visual fidelity (Ultra). Given the game's age, the visual difference between High and Ultra may be minimal, making High the recommended choice for a performance headroom. The Medium preset at 117 FPS is also a viable option if the user wants a middle ground.

At 3840x2160, the situation changes. The Ultra preset averages only 43 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. The High preset at 55 FPS is closer but still not a locked 60. Therefore, for a 4K display, the Medium preset is the recommended choice, as it averages 65 FPS with a minimum of 55 FPS. This provides a playable experience with a good balance of quality and performance. The Low preset at 84 FPS is also an option for users who prioritize frame rate, but the Medium preset offers a better visual experience for a relatively small performance cost.

Measured FPS Breakdown

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

1920x1080

• Low: 234 FPS average
• Medium: 180 FPS average (minimum 153 FPS, maximum 207 FPS)
• High: 153 FPS average
• Ultra: 120 FPS average

2560x1440

• Low: 153 FPS average
• Medium: 117 FPS average (minimum 100 FPS, maximum 135 FPS)
• High: 100 FPS average
• Ultra: 78 FPS average

3840x2160

• Low: 84 FPS average
• Medium: 65 FPS average (minimum 55 FPS, maximum 74 FPS)
• High: 55 FPS average
• Ultra: 43 FPS average

The data shows a consistent pattern of performance degradation as resolution and quality settings increase. The Medium preset is the only one with recorded minimum and maximum FPS values, providing a more complete picture of frame time consistency. At 1080p Medium, the frame rate ranges from 153 to 207 FPS, showing a stable performance window. At 1440p Medium, the range is 100 to 135 FPS, and at 4K Medium, it is 55 to 74 FPS. This indicates that the Medium preset offers a predictable performance envelope across all resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 7 165H and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 achieves a combo rank of 588 out of 2825 tested combinations in The Technomancer. This places the system in the top 20.8% of all tested hardware pairings for this specific game. This is a strong result, indicating that this particular CPU and GPU work well together to deliver high performance.

The rank is a holistic measure that considers the system's performance across all tested resolutions and settings. While the RTX 4090 is a top-tier GPU, its rank is not higher due to the CPU bottleneck observed at lower resolutions. The data suggests that a more powerful CPU could potentially push this combo higher in the rankings, especially at 1080p where the CPU is the limiting factor. However, the overall ranking is still excellent, and the combo is clearly capable of providing a high-performance gaming experience in The Technomancer.

The GPU's own percentile rank of 88 and the CPU's percentile rank of 84 are both high, but their combined rank of 588 out of 2825 is slightly lower than the product of their individual ranks would suggest. This is likely due to the specific demands of this game, which may not fully utilize the strengths of either component. The game's 2016 release date means it was not designed for modern multi-core processors or high-end GPUs, leading to potential inefficiencies in how the hardware is utilized. Despite this, the combo's performance is still in the top fifth of all tested systems, demonstrating its overall capability.