The Technomancer

The Technomancer, a 2016 Action RPG, presents an interesting test for modern hardware. This analysis examines the Intel Core Ultra 7 265HX paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080, using measured FPS data to understand where the bottlenecks lie and how this combo performs. The data reveals a system that is overwhelmingly GPU-limited at higher resolutions but shows the CPU's strength at 1080p, where frame rates scale to very high levels.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a clear and predictable trend as resolution increases, but the rate of change is telling. At 1080p with High settings, the combo achieves 150 FPS. Moving to 1440p High, the average drops to 98 FPS, a 34.7% reduction. At 4K High, the frame rate falls to 54 FPS, which is another 44.9% drop from 1440p. This steep decline from 1440p to 4K is a classic sign that the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 is becoming the primary limiting factor, as the pixel count doubles and the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth are taxed heavily.

The scaling pattern across all settings reinforces this. With Low settings, the frame rate at 1080p is 229 FPS. At 1440p Low, it drops to 150 FPS, a 34.5% decrease. At 4K Low, it falls to 82 FPS, a 45.3% drop from 1440p. The consistency of these percentage drops—roughly a third from 1080p to 1440p and nearly half from 1440p to 4K—indicates that the CPU is not a major constraint in this resolution range. If the CPU were the bottleneck, the frame rate would show a less dramatic decline as resolution increases, because the GPU would have more time to wait for the CPU.

The gap between 1080p and 1440p is significant, but the jump to 4K is where the experience changes character. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS is just 42, which is a 64.1% drop from 1080p Ultra's 117 FPS. This suggests that for a smooth experience at 4K, users will need to rely on the system's ability to render at High or Medium settings, where the frame rates are 54 and 63 FPS, respectively. The data shows that the Intel Core Ultra 7 265HX provides ample headroom for the RTX 5080 to work at 1080p, but the GPU's limits are clearly exposed at 4K.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080, with its 16 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 256-bit bus, provides a total bandwidth of 960.0 GB/s. This memory subsystem is a critical factor in The Technomancer's 4K performance. The game's engine appears to be sensitive to memory bandwidth, as evidenced by the significant frame rate drops when moving to 3840x2160. The boost clock of 2617 MHz and the 10752 shading units are powerful assets, but they are not enough to overcome the raw pixel throughput demands at 4K Ultra, where the average FPS is 42.

Interestingly, the GPU's performance in synthetic benchmarks shows a mixed bag. Its Passmark G3D score is 36565, which places it in the 87th percentile of all GPUs. However, its nearest rivals in that benchmark include the AMD Radeon 8060S and the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB, with score deltas of 0.6% and 0.7%, respectively. This indicates that while the RTX 5080 is a top-tier card, its performance edge over the immediate competition is not overwhelming in all workloads. In The Technomancer, this translates to solid but not exceptional performance at 4K, where the GPU is the clear limiting factor.

The clock speeds tell a story of a card that is designed for high throughput. The base clock of 2295 MHz and boost clock of 2617 MHz are high figures, and the memory clock of 1875 MHz (30 Gbps effective) is a key part of its bandwidth advantage. Yet, the data shows that at 4K, the card's thermal and power headroom (with a 360 W TDP) is being fully utilized. The result is a 4K Ultra average of 42 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target that many users consider the baseline for smooth gameplay. This indicates that the RTX 5080 is a capable card, but The Technomancer's engine is demanding enough to push it to its limits at the highest settings.

How This Combo Ranks

In the grand scheme of tested hardware combinations, this pairing of the Intel Core Ultra 7 265HX and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 achieves a combo rank of 717 out of 2825 tested combos. This places it in the top 25.4% of all combinations, which is a strong showing. The data suggests that this is a high-performing system, but not the absolute top, as there are many other combos that deliver higher average frame rates in this title.

The CPU's own benchmark scores help contextualize this rank. The Intel Core Ultra 7 265HX has an average benchmark score of 63173, which puts it in the 93rd percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals are the Intel Core i7-13790F, with a score of 63080 and a delta of 0.1%, and the AMD Ryzen AI 7 450G, with a score of 63331 and a delta of -0.2%. This indicates the CPU is performing exactly as expected for its class, offering no surprises that would push the combo rank higher.

The GPU's rank is slightly lower, at the 87th percentile, with an average benchmark score of 56083. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 9070 GRE, has a score of 57367, a delta of -2.2%, meaning the RTX 5080 is slightly behind in that specific comparison. The fact that the combo rank (717/2825) is lower than what the individual component percentiles might suggest indicates that The Technomancer is a game that doesn't perfectly scale with the raw power of these components, likely due to the game's age and engine limitations. The data shows a strong, but not dominant, position.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 1080p with High settings?

A: The measured average FPS for this combo at 1920x1080 with High settings is 150 FPS.

Q: How does the frame rate at 4K High compare to 1440p High?

A: At 4K High, the average is 54 FPS, while at 1440p High, it is 98 FPS. This represents a 44.9% reduction in frame rate when moving from 1440p to 4K.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the main bottleneck at 4K resolution?

A: The data shows a significant frame rate drop from 1440p to 4K, with a 44.9% decrease at High settings. This pattern indicates the GPU is the limiting component at 4K, as the CPU has enough headroom to feed the GPU at lower resolutions but not enough to compensate for the increased pixel load.

Q: What is the best settings preset for 4K gaming with this combo?

A: Based on the measured data, using Medium settings at 4K yields an average of 63 FPS, which is the highest preset that exceeds the 60 FPS threshold. High settings drops to 54 FPS, and Ultra averages 42 FPS.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested configurations?

A: This specific combo of the Intel Core Ultra 7 265HX and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 ranks 717th out of 2825 tested combos in The Technomancer.

Q: What is the highest average FPS recorded for this combo?

A: The highest average FPS recorded is 229 FPS, achieved at 1080p resolution with Low settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following data points are the exact measured averages for the Intel Core Ultra 7 265HX and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 combination in The Technomancer. All values are in Frames Per Second (FPS).

At 1920x1080, the performance is consistently high. With Low settings, the average FPS is 229. Moving to Medium settings, the average drops to 176 FPS, with a minimum of 150 and a maximum of 202. High settings yields an average of 150 FPS. The most demanding preset, Ultra, still produces a solid average of 117 FPS. This resolution shows the CPU and GPU working in harmony, with no component acting as a severe bottleneck.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates remain strong but begin to show the GPU's workload. Low settings produce an average of 150 FPS. Medium settings average 115 FPS, with a minimum of 98 and a maximum of 132. High settings average 98 FPS. Ultra settings drop to an average of 77 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p is roughly a 34% reduction across all settings, which is expected as the pixel count increases.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is clearly the limiting factor. Low settings average 82 FPS. Medium settings average 63 FPS, with a minimum of 54 and a maximum of 73. High settings average 54 FPS. Ultra settings fall to an average of 42 FPS. The 4K results show that for a consistently smooth experience, users will likely need to select Medium settings, which is the only preset that maintains an average above 60 FPS.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265HX is a 20-core, 20-thread processor from Intel's Core Ultra Series 2, based on the Arrow Lake-HX architecture. Its base clock of 2.60 GHz and boost clock of 5.30 GHz provide a wide operating range. The CPU's performance in The Technomancer is best understood by looking at the 1080p Low setting, where it achieves 229 FPS. This high frame rate indicates that the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU with enough data to avoid becoming a bottleneck at lower resolutions.

The CPU's benchmark scores support this analysis. In Cinebench R23, it scores 40642 in multi-core and 5737 in single-core tests, which are strong figures. Its Passmark single-thread score is 4500, and its multithread score is 47985. These scores place the CPU in the 93rd percentile of all CPUs. When compared to its nearest rivals, the Intel Core i7-13790F and the AMD Ryzen AI 7 450G, the performance is nearly identical, with delta percentages of 0.1% and -0.2% respectively. This means the Core Ultra 7 265HX is not providing any unusual advantage or disadvantage in this game.

The data shows that the CPU's role is to provide a stable foundation for the GPU. At 1080p, the frame rate scales well with settings, from 117 FPS at Ultra to 229 FPS at Low, which suggests the CPU can handle the game's logic and draw calls without issue. However, as resolution increases to 4K, the frame rate differences between settings become smaller, and the GPU's performance becomes the deciding factor. The CPU's 30 MB of L3 cache and dual-channel DDR5 memory support (with 102.4 GB/s bandwidth) are sufficient to prevent stuttering or frame pacing issues, as evidenced by the consistent average FPS figures. In this title, the Core Ultra 7 265HX is a capable partner, but it is not the star of the show; the RTX 5080's workload at higher resolutions is what defines the experience.