The Technomancer

The Technomancer, a 2016 Action RPG, presents a demanding scenario for the Intel Core Ultra 7 265 and AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT combination. The measured data provides a clear picture of how this pairing handles the game across various resolutions and settings, revealing a system where the graphics card is the primary limiting factor. The benchmark results indicate a playable experience at lower resolutions, but performance degrades significantly as resolution increases, placing the load squarely on the GPU.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate data shows a classic pattern of GPU-bound scaling. As resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160, the average FPS drops substantially across all settings, confirming that the rendering workload is the bottleneck. At High settings, the system delivers 91 FPS at 1080p, but this falls to 60 FPS at 1440p and further to 33 FPS at 4K. This represents a 64% reduction in average FPS from 1080p to 4K at High settings.

The scaling from 1440p to 4K is particularly steep. At 1440p Medium, the average is 70 FPS, while at 4K Medium it drops to 38 FPS, a 46% decrease. Similarly, Low settings see a drop from 91 FPS at 1440p to 50 FPS at 4K. The difference between 1080p and 1440p is also significant, with the 1080p Medium average of 107 FPS falling to 70 FPS at 1440p Medium. This consistent and pronounced drop with each resolution step indicates that the Radeon RX 5700 XT's rendering capabilities are being saturated.

The scaling pattern suggests that the CPU is not the primary constraint in this game. If the system were CPU-bound, we would expect to see less variation in frame rates across resolutions, as the CPU's workload would remain relatively constant while the GPU's workload changes. Instead, the linear relationship between resolution and FPS strongly indicates that the GPU is the limiting component. The Intel Core Ultra 7 265, with its high multi-core performance, appears to be providing enough headroom to feed the GPU, but the GPU itself cannot keep up with the increasing pixel count at higher resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations, this specific pairing of the Intel Core Ultra 7 265 and AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT ranks 2741 out of 3696 combos for The Technomancer. This places it in the lower 26% of all tested systems, indicating that while it can run the game, it does not deliver top-tier performance. The rank is a holistic measure of the combo's ability to handle the game, and the data suggests that the GPU is holding the system back from a higher placement.

This ranking is consistent with the GPU's overall standing. The Radeon RX 5700 XT has a percentile rank of 59 against all other GPUs, meaning it performs better than 59% of the tested graphics cards. While this is a mid-range position, the combo's rank in this specific game is worse than the GPU's overall percentile would suggest. This implies that The Technomancer is a particularly demanding title for this GPU, exposing its limitations more than other games might.

The combo's rank is heavily influenced by the 4K results, which are below 60 FPS at all settings. At 1080p, the system is more competitive, with High and Medium settings achieving frame rates above 90 FPS. However, the lower performance at higher resolutions pulls the overall rank down. The data shows that this combo is best suited for 1080p or 1440p gaming, where it can achieve playable frame rates, but it is not a viable option for 4K gaming at high visual fidelity.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT is built on the RDNA 1.0 architecture with a Navi 10 chip. It features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s. The GPU's clocks are set at a base of 1605 MHz, a game clock of 1755 MHz, and a boost clock of 1905 MHz. The memory operates at 1750 MHz, which translates to 14 Gbps effective. These specifications define the GPU's raw processing power.

The GPU's performance in The Technomancer is directly tied to its memory and clock speeds. With only 8 GB of VRAM, the card may encounter limitations at 4K resolutions, especially with high-resolution textures, which can lead to texture swapping and stuttering. However, the measured data does not include minimum FPS for most settings, making it difficult to assess the severity of any potential VRAM-related hitches. The available data for Medium settings shows a minimum FPS of 33 at 4K and 59 at 1440p, which are relatively close to the average, suggesting stable performance without major drops.

The clock speeds, particularly the 1905 MHz boost, are crucial for maintaining frame rates. The benchmark results show that the GPU is working hard to sustain performance, with the 4K Ultra setting producing an average of just 26 FPS. This is a clear indicator that the GPU's compute units are maxed out. The 9.754 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is being fully utilized, and the card is unable to maintain a smooth experience at the highest resolution and settings. The data shows a GPU that is a competent performer at 1080p but is outclassed by the demands of 4K in this title.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured frame rates provide a detailed look at the system's performance across different configurations. At 1920x1080, the system is quite capable. Low settings produce an average of 139 FPS, which is exceptionally smooth. Medium settings yield 107 FPS with a minimum of 91 FPS and a maximum of 123 FPS, offering a great balance of visual quality and performance. High settings drop to 91 FPS, still very playable. Ultra settings produce 71 FPS, which is also acceptable for most players.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance begins to strain. Low settings average 91 FPS, which is still good. Medium settings produce 70 FPS, with a minimum of 59 FPS and a maximum of 80 FPS. This is a playable range, though the minimum dips close to 60 FPS. High settings average 60 FPS, which is on the edge of being smooth. Ultra settings drop to 47 FPS, which starts to feel less fluid. The data shows a clear step down in performance from 1080p to 1440p.

At 3840x2160, the system struggles to maintain playable frame rates. Low settings average 50 FPS, which is marginal. Medium settings produce 38 FPS, with a minimum of 33 FPS and a maximum of 44 FPS, which is a noticeable compromise. High settings average 33 FPS, and Ultra settings drop to 26 FPS. These results are below the threshold for a smooth gaming experience. The data shows that 4K is not a viable option for this combo, as even the lowest settings fail to reach 60 FPS. The 1440p Medium setting appears to be the sweet spot, offering the best balance between visual quality and smoothness.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265 is a 20-core, 20-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture. It has a base clock of 2.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz. The CPU has a substantial L3 cache of 30 MB shared across all cores. Its benchmark scores are impressive, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 42216 and a single-core score of 5960. This positions the CPU in the 93rd percentile against all other tested CPUs.

In The Technomancer, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and game logic. The data suggests that the CPU is more than capable of handling this task. The significant frame rate drops at higher resolutions are not indicative of a CPU bottleneck. If the CPU were the limiting factor, we would expect to see similar frame rates at 1080p and 1440p, as the CPU's workload would not change much with resolution. Instead, the frame rates scale almost linearly with resolution, which is a hallmark of a GPU-bound scenario.

The CPU's high single-core performance is beneficial for this game, as many older titles rely heavily on single-threaded performance. The 5960 score in Cinebench R23 single-core suggests that the CPU can handle the game's primary thread without issue. The multi-core performance, while not fully utilized, provides a safety net for any background processes. The data indicates that the Intel Core Ultra 7 265 is not a bottleneck in this system, and its performance is sufficient to allow the GPU to operate at its full potential. The combo's rank is therefore determined by the GPU's capabilities, not the CPU's.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS, the optimal settings for this combo depend on the target resolution and desired frame rate. For a smooth 60 FPS experience, 1080p is the most reliable resolution. At 1080p, Medium settings provide 107 FPS average, which is excellent. High settings at 91 FPS are also a great choice, offering better visual fidelity with a minor performance cost. Ultra settings at 71 FPS are still acceptable if visual quality is the priority.

At 1440p, the choices become more limited. To maintain a 60 FPS average, High settings are the maximum option, as they produce exactly 60 FPS. Medium settings at 70 FPS provide a small margin of safety, ensuring that the frame rate stays above 60 FPS for the most part. Low settings at 91 FPS are also viable if maximum performance is desired. Ultra settings at 47 FPS are not recommended for a smooth experience.

For 4K, the data suggests that this combo is not suitable for a high-quality experience. The highest average FPS at 4K is 50 FPS at Low settings, which is below the 60 FPS target. All other settings produce averages below 40 FPS. Therefore, it is recommended to avoid 4K with this setup. The best overall experience, balancing visual quality and performance, is achieved at 1080p with High settings or 1440p with Medium settings. The 1440p Medium setting offers a higher resolution with a still-playable frame rate, making it the recommended configuration for most users.

FAQ

Q: What is the maximum average FPS this combo can achieve in The Technomancer?

A: The highest average FPS recorded is 139 at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: Can this system run The Technomancer at 4K resolution smoothly?

A: No, the data shows that at 3840x2160, the best average FPS is 50 at Low settings, which is below the 60 FPS target for smooth gameplay. Other settings produce averages of 38 FPS or lower.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the main bottleneck for this game?

A: The benchmark results indicate the GPU is the limiting factor. Frame rates drop significantly with each resolution increase, a pattern that is characteristic of a GPU-bound system, not a CPU-bound one.

Q: What is the best setting for a balance of visual quality and performance?

A: At 2560x1440 with Medium settings, the system achieves an average of 70 FPS, which offers a good balance. At 1920x1080, High settings at 91 FPS is also a strong choice.

Q: How does the Intel Core Ultra 7 265 perform relative to other CPUs?

A: The CPU is in the 93rd percentile against all other tested CPUs, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 42216 and a single-core score of 5960.

Q: What is the combo's rank among all tested systems for this game?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 7 265 and AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT combo ranks 2741 out of 3696 tested combinations for The Technomancer.