The Technomancer

The Technomancer, a 2016 Action RPG, presents an interesting test for the Intel Core Ultra 7 265 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D combination. The data reveals a system with immense headroom, where performance scaling is dictated almost entirely by resolution and preset, showcasing a GPU that can flatten even demanding settings at lower resolutions. The measured FPS across the board indicates a pairing that is rarely stressed by this title, making the analysis more about observing the limits of the engine and the overhead of the hardware rather than finding a playable compromise.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is dramatic and clearly illustrates the shift in bottleneck from the CPU to the GPU. At the High preset, the average FPS falls from 236 at 1920x1080 to 154 at 2560x1440, a substantial reduction of 82 FPS. Pushing further to 3840x2160 yields an average of 85 FPS, which is less than half the 1080p figure. This steep decline indicates that at 1080p, the system is heavily CPU-bound, with the RTX 5090 D waiting on the processor to feed it data. As resolution increases, the GPU's rendering load grows, and it becomes the limiting factor, which is why the 4K score, while still high, is significantly lower.

The scaling pattern is consistent across all presets. For instance, at Medium settings, the average FPS drops from 276 at 1080p to 180 at 1440p, and then to 99 at 4K. The Ultra preset follows a similar trajectory, going from 184 at 1080p to 120 at 1440p and finally to 66 at 4K. This consistent halving of performance between 1080p and 4K suggests that the game's engine is not scaling efficiently with the massive parallel processing power of the RTX 5090 D. The 4K results, while respectable, show that even a top-tier GPU cannot fully overcome the engine's limitations in this scenario, and the frame rate is more dependent on raw pixel throughput than on the CPU's capabilities.

The delta between 1440p and 4K is also telling. At High settings, moving from 2560x1440 to 3840x2160 results in a 69 FPS drop (154 to 85). This is a larger absolute difference than the 82 FPS drop seen from 1080p to 1440p, which is surprising. It suggests that the jump to 4K imposes a massive fill-rate and memory bandwidth demand that the GPU struggles to meet, despite its 1.79 TB/s of bandwidth. The data indicates that for the smoothest experience, the resolution should be chosen based on the desired frame rate target, as the system is capable of high refresh rates at 1440p but will be limited to standard 60Hz displays at 4K with the highest settings.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265 is a 20-core, 20-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture, with a base clock of 2.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz. In this game, its role is primarily to feed the GPU, and the data suggests it does so without breaking a sweat. The fact that the CPU achieves an average of 338 FPS at 1080p with Low settings demonstrates that it has massive single-thread and multi-thread headroom for this older title. The game, being from 2016, likely does not utilize all 20 cores effectively, but the high boost clock ensures that the few threads it does use are processed extremely quickly.

The benchmark results for the processor show its strength in general compute tasks, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 42216 and a single-core score of 5960. These scores place it in the 93rd percentile of all CPUs, indicating top-tier performance. However, in The Technomancer, this power is largely untapped. The FPS at 1080p is so high that it is likely the game's engine or the CPU's memory controller that becomes the limiting factor, not the core compute capability. The 30 MB of L3 cache and dual-channel memory support are more than sufficient for this game's needs.

When compared to its nearest rivals, the Core Ultra 7 265 shows a negligible performance delta in synthetic benchmarks. It is 0.3% ahead of the Intel Core Ultra 7 265F and 0.7% ahead of the AMD EPYC 7343, while trailing the AMD EPYC 4464P by 0.3% and the EPYC 9124 by 0.7%. These differences are within the margin of error and have no practical impact on gaming performance. In The Technomancer, the CPU's role is to ensure the GPU is never starved for data, and the high frame rates at 1080p confirm that it is more than capable of this task. The low-detail settings at 1080p are the only place where the CPU could be considered a limiting factor, but even then, the resulting frame rates are far beyond what any display can currently refresh.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D is the clear star of this show. With 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus and a bandwidth of 1.79 TB/s, it has the resources to handle The Technomancer at any resolution. The GPU's benchmark scores are impressive, with a Passmark G3D score of 44065 and a Geekbench Vulkan score of 376915, placing it in the 92nd percentile of all GPUs. The data shows that the GPU is the primary driver of performance at higher resolutions, where its massive compute power (104.8 TFLOPS FP32) and pixel rate (423.6 GPixel/s) are put to use.

At 1080p, the GPU is largely underutilized. The frame rates at Low (338 FPS) and High (236 FPS) are far beyond what the game's engine can consistently deliver, indicating a CPU or engine bottleneck. However, as the resolution increases to 1440p and 4K, the GPU begins to flex its muscles. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS settles at 66, which confirms the GPU's ability to handle the increased pixel count and visual fidelity. The 32 GB of VRAM is never a concern here, as a 2016 title would be hard-pressed to use even a fraction of it.

The RTX 5090 D's performance compared to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks is interesting. It is 1.1% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT and 1.6% behind the Radeon RX 6850M XT, which are mobile parts. This suggests that the desktop RTX 5090 D's raw compute advantage is not fully reflected in these synthetic tests, or that the test suite is not well-suited to its architecture. In The Technomancer, however, the GPU's role is clear: it provides the raw power to maintain high frame rates at 4K, but the game's age and engine limitations prevent it from achieving the extreme frame rates seen in more modern titles. The GPU's 2407 MHz boost clock and 176 ROPs are more than enough for this game's demands.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the recommended settings depend heavily on the target resolution. For 1920x1080, the Ultra preset is the best choice, delivering an average of 184 FPS. This is high enough for any high-refresh-rate monitor, and the visual fidelity increase from High is worth the 52 FPS drop. The Low preset at 338 FPS is unnecessary, as the frame rate is already beyond the refresh rate of most displays, and the visual quality is significantly compromised. The Medium preset at 276 FPS is a good middle ground, but Ultra offers the best balance of performance and visuals for this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the High and Ultra presets are both viable. Ultra delivers an average of 120 FPS, which is the sweet spot for a high-refresh-rate 1440p monitor. High gives a 34 FPS boost to 154 FPS, but the visual difference may be noticeable to some. For the best experience, Ultra is recommended, as 120 FPS is still very smooth, and the added graphical detail enhances the game's atmosphere. The Medium preset at 180 FPS is also an option, but it sacrifices too much visual quality for a frame rate that is already above the refresh rate of most 1440p displays.

At 3840x2160, the situation changes. The Ultra preset drops to 66 FPS, which is playable on a 60Hz display but not ideal for high-refresh-rate panels. The High preset at 85 FPS is the better choice for 4K, as it provides a smoother experience with less of a visual penalty compared to the step from Medium to High at lower resolutions. The Medium preset at 99 FPS is the best option for those who prioritize frame rate above all else, but it may look soft in a game that benefits from higher-quality textures. The Low preset at 129 FPS is not recommended, as the graphical downgrade is severe and the 4K resolution is wasted on low-fidelity assets.

How This Combo Ranks

In the grand scheme of tested hardware combinations for The Technomancer, this pairing of the Intel Core Ultra 7 265 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D ranks 6th out of 2825 combos. This places it in the top 0.2% of all tested systems, which is an exceptional result. The rank indicates that while this specific combo is not the absolute fastest, it is among a very elite group of systems that can deliver near-maximum performance in this game. The fact that it ranks so highly with a relatively dated title suggests that the hardware's raw power is being effectively utilized, even if the engine has limitations.

The rank is likely influenced by the GPU's performance at 4K, where it can maintain playable frame rates with the highest settings. Many other combos might have the CPU power but lack the GPU muscle to handle 4K Ultra, or they might have a powerful GPU but be held back by a weaker CPU. This combo has no such weaknesses; it excels in both areas. The delta between this combo and the number one spot is unknown, but the high rank suggests that the performance gap is small. The data supports the conclusion that this is a top-tier configuration for The Technomancer, capable of delivering an excellent experience at any resolution.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system produces a wide range of frame rates depending on the preset. The Low preset yields an average of 338 FPS. Moving to Medium, the average drops to 276 FPS, with a minimum of 235 and a maximum of 317 FPS. The High preset delivers an average of 236 FPS. The Ultra preset, while still very fast, brings the average down to 184 FPS. These figures show that at 1080p, the system is never stressed, and even the most demanding preset offers frame rates far above what is needed for smooth gameplay.

At 2560x1440, the performance scales down proportionally, but remains high. The Low preset averages 235 FPS. Medium averages 180 FPS, with a spread of 153 to 207 FPS. High averages 154 FPS. Ultra averages 120 FPS. This resolution is likely the sweet spot for this combo, as it provides high frame rates with excellent visual quality. The 120 FPS average on Ultra is a perfect match for a 120Hz or 144Hz monitor, offering a responsive and fluid experience.

At 3840x2160, the frame rates become more demanding. The Low preset averages 129 FPS. Medium averages 99 FPS, with a minimum of 84 and a maximum of 114 FPS. High averages 85 FPS. Ultra averages 66 FPS. These numbers indicate that 4K gaming is very feasible with this hardware, provided the user is willing to adjust settings. The jump from High to Ultra at 4K is a 19 FPS drop, which is significant. The data suggests that High is the most balanced preset for 4K, offering a solid 85 FPS average that is well within the range of a 60Hz or even a basic high-refresh-rate display.