The Technomancer

The Technomancer, a 2016 Action RPG, proves to be remarkably undemanding on modern hardware. The pairing of the Intel Core Ultra 7 265HX and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Mobile produces frame rates that range from very good to extraordinarily high, with the primary bottleneck shifting decisively based on resolution and settings. The benchmark data indicates that this combination delivers a definitive 4K experience and can push far beyond the limits of standard high-refresh-rate displays at 1080p.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is steep, revealing a classic GPU-bound scenario at higher resolutions. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 160 FPS at 1920x1080 to 105 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of 34%. Scaling further to 3840x2160 yields an average of 58 FPS, which is a 64% decrease from the 1080p result. This significant scaling curve indicates that the RTX 5090 Mobile is the limiting factor at 4K, as the workload on the graphics card quadruples in pixel count.

The data shows a similar pattern at Ultra settings, where the average frame rate drops from 125 FPS at 1080p to 82 FPS at 1440p, and finally to 45 FPS at 4K. This 64% total reduction from 1080p to 4K at Ultra settings mirrors the High preset scaling, further confirming that the GPU is the primary constraint at the highest resolutions. The game’s age is evident, as even a 4K Ultra preset is playable, but the scaling is consistent with a title that becomes significantly more demanding as pixel count increases.

Conversely, at 1080p, the scaling pattern suggests a shift in the bottleneck. The difference between the Low preset (245 FPS) and the Ultra preset (125 FPS) is substantial, but the sheer magnitude of these numbers implies that the CPU is starting to play a more significant role in limiting maximum frame rates. The 265HX, with its 20 cores and 20 threads, is powerful, but the data indicates that the RTX 5090 Mobile has enough headroom at this resolution to push frame rates to levels where CPU instruction throughput becomes a factor. The 1080p results are less about the GPU’s raw power and more about the entire system’s ability to feed frames quickly.

Settings Recommendations

For a 4K display, the High preset offers the best balance of visual fidelity and performance. The data shows an average of 58 FPS at 3840x2160 with High settings, which is a playable experience. The Medium preset provides a more comfortable margin with an average of 67 FPS and a recorded minimum of 57 FPS, ensuring smoother gameplay during intense scenes. The Ultra preset, while visually superior, drops the average to 45 FPS, which is a significant compromise for the extra visual detail.

At 2560x1440, High settings are the clear recommendation, delivering an average of 105 FPS. This provides a fluid experience on high-refresh-rate monitors. The Medium preset, with an average of 123 FPS and a minimum of 104 FPS, is also an excellent choice for competitive play or for those seeking a higher frame rate. The Ultra preset at 82 FPS is still very playable, but the performance gain from stepping down to High is substantial, making it the more prudent choice for maintaining high refresh rates.

For 1080p, the data reveals that the system is capable of extraordinary performance. The High preset averages 160 FPS, making it ideal for 144Hz displays, while the Medium preset reaches 188 FPS, suitable for 165Hz panels. The Low preset, at 245 FPS, is the only option that can fully saturate a 240Hz display, but the visual compromise is often not worth the performance gain. Ultimately, the High preset at 1080p provides a great balance, delivering nearly triple the frame rate of the 4K Ultra setting. The benchmark results indicate that this combination is exceptionally well-suited for high-refresh-rate 1440p gaming, as it can easily maintain over 100 FPS at High settings.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265HX is a 20-core, 20-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake-HX architecture. It features a base clock of 2.60 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz, which are key factors in its performance. In synthetic benchmarks, the CPU achieves a multi-core score of 40642 in Cinebench R23 and a single-core score of 5737 in the same test. These scores place it in the 93rd percentile against all CPUs, indicating it is a top-tier mobile processor.

In The Technomancer, the CPU’s role is critical in ensuring high frame rates, particularly at lower resolutions. While the GPU is clearly the limiting factor at 4K, the 1080p results show that the CPU has enough headroom to support frame rates exceeding 200 FPS. The 245 FPS average at Low settings suggests that the game engine is not heavily multi-threaded, as the performance scaling from High to Low is significant. However, the 265HX's strong single-thread performance, evidenced by its 4500 Passmark single-thread score, is more than sufficient to handle the game's logic.

The processor’s performance relative to its rivals is tight. It scores 0.1% higher than the Intel Core i7-13790F and 0.7% higher than the Intel Core Ultra 7 255HX in average benchmark scores. It is 0.2% slower than the AMD Ryzen AI 7 450G. These marginal differences indicate that the 265HX is a very competitive processor, but its performance in this game is not a differentiator. The data suggests that any of these CPUs would deliver nearly identical frame rates in The Technomancer, as the game is not particularly CPU-intensive at the frame rates observed. The bottleneck at 1080p is likely the game engine’s single-threaded nature, not a lack of CPU cores.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 7 265HX and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Mobile ranks 779th out of 3696 tested combos in The Technomancer. This places it in the top 21% of all tested systems, a strong result. The ranking is a reflection of the overall system capability, and given the age of the game, it confirms the raw power of both components.

The GPU is a significant contributor to this ranking. The RTX 5090 Mobile scores in the 84th percentile against all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 45152. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon Pro 5500 XT, which is 0.5% faster, and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti, which is 0.8% slower. This shows that the mobile 5090 is performing at a level comparable to desktop-class GPUs from a previous generation, which is remarkable for a laptop component.

The CPU’s contribution to the ranking is also positive, though less impactful. Its 93rd percentile ranking and high multi-core performance ensure that it is not a bottleneck for the GPU. The 779th rank out of 3696 combos is a good result, but it is not a top-tier placement. This is likely because many of the higher-ranked combos feature desktop-class components or more recent enthusiast-level mobile parts. The data clearly shows that this combo is more than capable of delivering a high-quality experience in this title, and the ranking reflects the substantial performance on offer.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average frame rate this combo can achieve in The Technomancer?

A: The highest average frame rate recorded is 245 FPS, which is achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with the Low preset.

Q: Is this combo capable of smooth 4K gaming in The Technomancer?

A: Yes. The data shows an average of 58 FPS at 3840x2160 with High settings and 67 FPS with Medium settings, both of which are playable. The Ultra preset drops to 45 FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 5090 Mobile compare to the GeForce RTX 4070 Ti in this system's benchmark data?

A: The RTX 5090 Mobile has an average benchmark score that is 0.8% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded for this combo at 1080p Medium settings?

A: The minimum FPS recorded at 1920x1080 with Medium settings is 160 FPS.

Q: What is the single-core performance of the Intel Core Ultra 7 265HX?

A: The CPU achieves a score of 5737 in the Cinebench R23 single-core test.

Q: What is the combo's ranking among all tested systems in The Technomancer?

A: The combo is ranked 779th out of 3696 tested combos.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following table details the exact average, minimum, and maximum frame rates recorded for this hardware combination across all tested resolutions and settings.

| Resolution | Settings | Average FPS | Minimum FPS | Maximum FPS |

|:--- |:--- |:--- |:--- |:--- |

| 3840x2160 | Ultra | 45 | - | - |

| | High | 58 | - | - |

| | Medium | 67 | 57 | 78 |

| | Low | 88 | - | - |

| 2560x1440 | Ultra | 82 | - | - |

| | High | 105 | - | - |

| | Medium | 123 | 104 | 141 |

| | Low | 160 | - | - |

| 1920x1080 | Ultra | 125 | - | - |

| | High | 160 | - | - |

| | Medium | 188 | 160 | 216 |

| | Low | 245 | - | - |

The data reveals a clear hierarchy. At 4K, the system is GPU-bound, with frame rates ranging from 45 to 88 FPS depending on the preset. At 1440p, the system enters a sweet spot, delivering between 82 and 160 FPS. At 1080p, the system is capable of remarkable performance, with all presets exceeding 125 FPS and the Low preset reaching 245 FPS. The minimum FPS values, where recorded, show that the frame pacing is stable, with the 1080p Medium preset having a minimum of 160 FPS and the 1440p Medium preset having a minimum of 104 FPS. This consistency indicates a reliable gaming experience across the board.