The Technomancer

The Technomancer, a 2016 Action RPG, presents a demanding workload that scales significantly with both resolution and graphical preset. This analysis examines the performance of the Intel Core Ultra 7 265 paired with the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT, using measured FPS data to understand the balance between the CPU and GPU across a range of settings.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear and pronounced drop in performance as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At the High preset, the average frame rate plummets from 153 FPS at 1080p to 100 FPS at 1440p, and finally to 55 FPS at 4K. This represents a performance retention of roughly 65% when moving from 1080p to 1440p, and only 36% when moving all the way to 4K. This steep decline is a classic indicator that the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT becomes the primary limiting component at higher resolutions. The GPU's rendering workload increases exponentially with pixel count, and the data suggests it is struggling to maintain high frame rates at 4K.

The behavior at the Low preset further confirms this interpretation. At 1080p Low, the system achieves a very high 233 FPS, but this drops to 152 FPS at 1440p and 83 FPS at 4K. While the absolute numbers are much higher, the percentage drop between 1080p and 1440p (a 35% reduction) is nearly identical to that seen at the High preset. This consistency suggests that even at lower settings, the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth are the bottlenecks preventing higher frame rates at higher resolutions. The Intel Core Ultra 7 265, with its 20 cores and 20 threads, is clearly capable of feeding the GPU at 1080p, as evidenced by the 233 FPS result, but it is the GPU that dictates the performance ceiling as resolution scales.

The scaling pattern also shows that the gap between the Low and Ultra presets widens considerably at higher resolutions. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 114 FPS (233 vs 119). At 4K, this gap shrinks to 40 FPS (83 vs 43). This compression of the performance envelope at 4K is another sign that the GPU is saturated. It is not the complexity of the Ultra settings that is the primary cause of the low frame rate, but rather the sheer number of pixels the GPU must process. The data indicates a system that is well-balanced for high-refresh-rate 1080p and 1440p gaming, but one where the GPU will need settings adjustments to achieve a playable experience at 4K.

How This Combo Ranks

Within the database of tested hardware combinations for The Technomancer, this particular pairing of the Intel Core Ultra 7 265 and AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT holds a combo rank of 627 out of 2825 tested combos. This places the system in the top 22% of all configurations evaluated for this specific game. This is a strong showing, indicating that this hardware combination is well-suited for the game's demands. The rank demonstrates that the synergy between the CPU and GPU is effective, allowing the system to outperform a significant majority of other tested setups.

The rank is particularly interesting when considered alongside the individual component benchmarks. The Intel Core Ultra 7 265 has an average benchmark score of 64640, placing it in the 93rd percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals, such as the AMD EPYC 4464P and AMD EPYC 9124, have average scores of 64823 and 65104, respectively, showing that the Ultra 7 265 is performing within a very tight margin of these server-class processors. Similarly, the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT has an average benchmark score of 13543, placing it in the 55th percentile of all GPUs.

The fact that the combo ranks at 627 of 2825, despite the GPU's relatively mid-tier percentile ranking, suggests that the game may be less GPU-dependent than the resolution scaling data initially implies. The high rank is likely a signal of the CPU's exceptional performance, which ensures that the GPU is never starved of data. The combination of a top-tier CPU and a solid upper-mid-range GPU creates a balanced platform that excels in this title. The data shows that while the GPU is a limiting factor at 4K, the overall system efficiency is high, allowing it to secure a commendable rank against a large field of competitors.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the optimal settings for this system depend heavily on the target resolution and refresh rate. For a 4K display, the data suggests that the High preset, with an average of 55 FPS, is the highest setting that approaches a playable 60 FPS experience. The Medium preset at 4K delivers 64 FPS, which is a more comfortable margin and would be the recommended choice for a smoother experience. The Ultra preset at 4K drops to 43 FPS, which is likely too low for most players, and the Low preset at 83 FPS, while fast, would noticeably degrade visual quality. Therefore, for 4K, the Medium preset offers the best balance between visual fidelity and a consistently playable frame rate.

At 2560x1440, the system has much more headroom. The High preset achieves an average of 100 FPS, which is excellent for high-refresh-rate monitors. The Ultra preset still delivers a very playable 78 FPS, and the Medium preset hits 117 FPS. For users with a 144Hz or 165Hz monitor, the Medium or High preset would be ideal to maximize frame rates. For those prioritizing visual quality, the Ultra preset's 78 FPS average is a strong option, providing a significant visual upgrade while maintaining smooth gameplay. The Low preset at 152 FPS is only necessary for competitive play where maximum frame rate is paramount.

For 1920x1080, the system is overwhelmingly powerful. The Ultra preset achieves an average of 119 FPS, making it the clear recommendation for most users. It provides the highest visual fidelity while still delivering a frame rate that is well above the 60 FPS standard and suitable for 120Hz displays. The High preset at 153 FPS is a great option for 144Hz monitors, and the Low preset at 233 FPS is purely for esports-level responsiveness. The data shows that at 1080p, the user can comfortably choose the Ultra preset without sacrificing playability, making it the best experience per the measured rows for users on 1080p displays.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest playable setting at 4K resolution?

A: The data shows the Medium preset at 3840x2160 yields an average of 64 FPS, which is the only preset at that resolution that comfortably exceeds a 60 FPS target. The High preset averages 55 FPS, which is borderline, while the Ultra preset drops to 43 FPS.

Q: How does the combo rank for this game compare to other tested systems?

A: This Intel Core Ultra 7 265 and AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT combination ranks 627th out of 2825 total tested combos for The Technomancer, placing it in the top 22% of all systems benchmarked for this game.

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

A: At 1920x1080, the system achieves 233 FPS on Low settings, indicating the CPU is capable of very high frame rates. The GPU becomes the limiting factor as settings are increased, with the Ultra preset still delivering a high 119 FPS average.

Q: What is the performance difference between the Low and Ultra presets at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 152 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 78 FPS. This represents a 74 FPS difference, showing a significant performance cost for the highest visual settings.

Q: Does the GPU have enough VRAM for this game?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT is equipped with 16 GB of GDDR6 memory. Based on the measured results, there are no indications of memory-related performance issues at any of the tested resolutions and settings.

Q: How does the CPU's benchmark score compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 7 265 has an average benchmark score of 64640. This is only 0.3% lower than the AMD EPYC 4464P (64823) and 0.7% lower than the AMD EPYC 7343 (64202), showing near-identical performance to these rivals.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT is built on the RDNA 4.0 architecture and is the primary driver of graphical performance in this system. Its role is clearly defined by the resolution scaling data, where it becomes the limiting factor as pixel count increases. The GPU's 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus provides a bandwidth of 644.6 GB/s, which is sufficient to avoid memory bottlenecks in The Technomancer, as evidenced by the smooth scaling of frame rates between settings. The core clocks are specified with a base of 1660 MHz and a boost of 2970 MHz, with a game clock of 2400 MHz. These high clocks, combined with 4096 shading units and 128 ROPs, deliver the raw compute power needed for this game.

The GPU's performance is also reflected in its benchmark scores. It achieves a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 7260 and a Geekbench Vulkan score of 65879. However, its overall average benchmark score of 13543 places it in the 55th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals in this metric are the AMD Radeon HD 7770M and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570, with scores of 13536 and 13515, respectively. This comparison is stark and highlights that the RX 9070 XT's average score is heavily influenced by lower-performing synthetic tests, as its real-world gaming performance in this analysis is far superior to those older cards. The data suggests that while the GPU's raw compute is strong, its performance in The Technomancer is most directly tied to its pixel throughput and memory bandwidth, which are taxed heavily at 4K.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265 serves as the central processing unit and is responsible for game logic, physics, and feeding the GPU. Its architecture, Arrow Lake, is manufactured on a 3 nm process and features 20 cores and 20 threads. With a base clock of 2.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz, it has the single-thread speed necessary for gaming. The CPU's 30 MB of shared L3 cache and support for DDR5 memory with a bandwidth of 102.4 GB/s ensure that data can be fed to the GPU quickly. The benchmark results show that this is a very powerful processor. It scores 42216 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 5960 in single-core, and a Passmark multithread score of 49682.

The CPU's performance is a key reason why the system achieves such high frame rates at 1080p. The 233 FPS average on Low settings indicates that the CPU is not a bottleneck at lower resolutions. Its average benchmark score of 64640 places it in the 93rd percentile of all CPUs, and its comparison to rivals like the AMD EPYC 4464P (deltaPct: -0.3%) and AMD EPYC 9124 (deltaPct: -0.7%) shows it is competitive with enterprise-level silicon. In the context of The Technomancer, the CPU's role is to ensure that the GPU is consistently fed with data. The data shows that the CPU is more than capable of this task at 1080p and 1440p, as the performance scaling is almost entirely dictated by the GPU. This pairing demonstrates an excellent balance, allowing the GPU to be the sole determinant of performance headroom at higher resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following is the complete breakdown of measured average frame rates for the Intel Core Ultra 7 265 and AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT combination in The Technomancer.

1920x1080

• Low: The average FPS is 233.
• Medium: The average FPS is 179, with a minimum of 152 and a maximum of 205.
• High: The average FPS is 153.
• Ultra: The average FPS is 119.

2560x1440

• Low: The average FPS is 152.
• Medium: The average FPS is 117, with a minimum of 99 and a maximum of 134.
• High: The average FPS is 100.
• Ultra: The average FPS is 78.

3840x2160

• Low: The average FPS is 83.
• Medium: The average FPS is 64, with a minimum of 55 and a maximum of 74.
• High: The average FPS is 55.
• Ultra: The average FPS is 43.

These figures illustrate a clear and consistent hierarchy. At each resolution, the Low preset offers the highest frame rate, followed by Medium, High, and finally Ultra. The frame rate deltas between presets also provide insight. At 1080p, the jump from Low to Ultra costs 114 FPS, a 49% reduction. At 4K, the same jump costs only 40 FPS, a 48% reduction in relative terms. This consistent relative scaling confirms that the game's settings have a predictable impact on performance, regardless of resolution. The data shows a system that can handle the game effortlessly at 1080p, with the Ultra preset providing a high-refresh-rate experience, while 4K gaming requires a compromise on settings to achieve a stable 60 FPS.