The Technomancer

The Technomancer, a 2016 Action RPG, shows a wide performance spread across resolutions and presets when paired with the Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090. This data reveals a system that is heavily GPU-bound at 4K, but transitions to a more balanced or CPU-influenced state at lower resolutions, where the sheer power of the RTX 4090 can push frame rates to very high levels. The measured results provide a clear picture of how this high-end combination handles a last-generation title at modern settings.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K is dramatic and clearly demonstrates where the bottleneck lies. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 329 FPS. Moving to 1440p Low drops this to 215 FPS, a 34.7% decrease, and then to 4K Low, it falls further to 118 FPS, a 45.1% decrease from the 1440p figure. This steep decline as resolution increases is the classic signature of a GPU-bound scenario, where the RTX 4090 is working progressively harder to fill the increasing number of pixels.

The pattern holds across all presets. For High settings, the average FPS goes from 216 at 1080p, to 141 at 1440p, and finally to 77 at 4K. This is a 35% drop from 1080p to 1440p and a 45.4% drop from 1440p to 4K. At Ultra settings, the trend is similar: 169 FPS at 1080p, 110 FPS at 1440p, and 61 FPS at 4K. The consistent ~45% performance hit when moving from 1440p to 4K suggests the GPU is the primary limiting factor, as its workload scales almost linearly with the pixel count increase.

The data indicates that at 1080p, the CPU and GPU are working in a more balanced state, with the high frame rates beginning to show the limits of even a powerful CPU. The jump from 4K High (77 FPS) to 4K Low (118 FPS) shows a 53% performance increase, which is entirely due to reducing the GPU's workload. However, at 1080p, the jump from High (216 FPS) to Low (329 FPS) is a 52% increase, suggesting that even at this lower resolution, the GPU is still the main constraining factor, as reducing its load yields significant gains. The limiting component shifts from being almost entirely the GPU at 4K to a more balanced but still GPU-leaning scenario at 1080p.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is the undisputed performance driver in this configuration. Its role is to manage the rendering load, and the benchmark results show it is exceptionally capable, even at 4K. The GPU's 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus provides a massive 1.01 TB/s of bandwidth, which is more than sufficient for a game from this era, preventing any memory capacity or bandwidth limitations from impacting the average frame rates. The high memory bandwidth ensures that texture streaming and data transfer are not bottlenecks.

The clocks are also a factor. With a base clock of 2235 MHz and a boost clock of 2520 MHz, the card is running at high frequencies, allowing the 16,384 shading units to process geometry and pixels at a rapid pace. This is evident in the 82.58 TFLOPS of FP32 compute power. In The Technomancer, this raw compute translates directly to high pixel rates, as shown by the 443.5 GPixel/s fill rate. This allows the card to maintain 77 FPS at 4K High and even 61 FPS at 4K Ultra, which are respectable numbers for a demanding resolution.

The GPU's performance relative to other cards is also notable. While its average benchmark score of 60,347 places it in the 88th percentile of all GPUs, its nearest rivals in the database are the Intel Arc Pro A60 and AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48, which have nearly identical average scores (60,326 and 60,140, respectively). This is a surprising result, as those are not typically considered consumer gaming powerhouses. The data suggests that in this specific test suite, the RTX 4090's score is closely matched by these professional and workstation cards, with delta percentages of 0% and 0.3%, respectively. This indicates that while the RTX 4090 is a top-tier card, its average score in this aggregate benchmark is not as far ahead of some other, less gaming-focused hardware as one might expect.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus is a high-end processor with 24 cores and 24 threads, capable of boosting up to 5.50 GHz. While its primary role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and game logic, its performance is not the main limiting factor in this game at higher resolutions. The CPU's benchmark scores are strong, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 44,253 and a single-core score of 2,439. The Passmark single-thread score of 5,068 and multi-thread score of 68,574 also indicate a very capable processor.

In The Technomancer, the CPU's influence becomes more apparent at lower resolutions. At 1080p, the average FPS can reach 329 on Low settings. This high number suggests the CPU is capable of processing the game's logic and issuing rendering commands fast enough to support these frame rates. However, the fact that the FPS still increases by 52% when going from High to Low at 1080p suggests that even here, the GPU is still doing the heavy lifting, and the CPU is not yet a hard bottleneck. A true CPU bottleneck would show a smaller frame rate gain when lowering resolution or settings, as the CPU would be the limiting factor.

The data shows the CPU is more than adequate for this task. Its 24 cores provide ample multi-threaded capability, and the high 5.50 GHz boost clock ensures strong single-thread performance, which is often more critical for gaming. The CPU's average benchmark score of 93,785 places it in the 96th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals are the Intel Xeon 6520P, which scores identically (93,786, a 0% delta), and the AMD EPYC 4564P, which is 1.5% faster. This shows that the Core Ultra 7 270K Plus is positioned at the very top tier of processor performance, ensuring it will not hold back the RTX 4090 in almost any scenario.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested hardware combinations for The Technomancer, the Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 combination ranks 60th out of 2,825 total combos. This places it in the top 2.1% of all systems tested. This is an excellent ranking, indicating that this pairing delivers near-top-tier performance in this specific game.

The ranking is determined by the measured FPS across all tested resolutions and settings. Given that the RTX 4090 is one of the most powerful consumer GPUs available and is paired with one of the fastest consumer CPUs, a top-100 finish is expected. The data confirms that this combo is not just fast, but exceptionally well-balanced for achieving high frame rates. The gap between this combo and the 59 systems above it is likely due to other factors, such as overclocking, different driver versions, or specific hardware variations, but the overall performance is clearly in the elite tier.

The fact that it is ranked 60th out of 2,825 is a strong indicator of consistent high performance. It means that in the vast majority of other configurations, including those with other high-end CPUs and GPUs, this specific pairing produces higher average frame rates. This makes it a very reliable choice for a high-performance gaming system.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in The Technomancer if I want high FPS?

A: For the highest frame rates, 1080p is the best choice. The data shows the combo can achieve an average of 329 FPS on Low settings and 216 FPS on High settings at this resolution. Even at 1440p, it maintains over 200 FPS on Low and 141 FPS on High.

Q: Can the RTX 4090 handle 4K in this game?

A: Yes, it can. At 4K with High settings, the combo produces an average of 77 FPS. Even at the demanding Ultra preset, it maintains 61 FPS. This shows that 4K is a very playable resolution for this combination.

Q: Is the performance better on Low or High settings at 4K?

A: The performance is significantly better on Low settings. At 4K, the average FPS increases from 77 on High to 118 on Low, a 53% performance gain. This suggests that the High preset is quite demanding on the GPU.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its closest rivals?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus has an average benchmark score of 93,785. This is nearly identical to the Intel Xeon 6520P, which scores 93,786 (a 0% difference). It is 1.5% slower than the AMD EPYC 4564P and 2.1% slower than the AMD EPYC 4565P.

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

A: The RTX 4090's average score is 60,347. This is essentially tied with the Intel Arc Pro A60, which scores 60,326 (a 0% difference). It performs 0.3% better than the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48 and 2.5% better than the AMD Radeon Pro W6600M.

Q: Where does this specific CPU and GPU combination rank among all tested combos?

A: This combo ranks 60th out of 2,825 tested combinations for The Technomancer. This places its performance in the top 2.1% of all systems, indicating it is a top-tier setup for this game.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the best experience depends on your performance target. For competitive or high-refresh-rate play, the Medium preset at 1080p is an excellent choice. It delivers an average of 253 FPS with a minimum of 215 FPS, ensuring smooth gameplay even in demanding scenes. This provides a significant boost over the High preset (216 FPS) while maintaining a frame rate well above what most displays can show.

For a more balanced visual and performance experience, the High preset at 1440p is the sweet spot. It produces an average of 141 FPS, which is still very high and will feel incredibly smooth. The visual upgrade from 1080p to 1440p is substantial, and the performance cost is manageable. Pushing to Ultra at 1440p drops the average to 110 FPS, which is still playable but may not be worth the visual difference for the significant loss in frame rate.

If you prioritize visual fidelity above all else and have a 4K display, the High preset is the recommended starting point. It yields an average of 77 FPS, which is playable for a story-driven Action RPG. The Medium preset at 4K offers a more comfortable 91 FPS, but the drop to High provides a noticeable improvement in image quality for a 16 FPS difference. The Ultra preset at 4K, with its 61 FPS average, is only recommended if you have a VRR display and prefer maximum visual quality over a higher frame rate. For the most consistent and high-performance experience, the Medium preset at 1440p offers a great balance, with a 165 FPS average and a minimum of 140 FPS. The data clearly shows that the Medium and High presets provide the best balance of visual quality and performance across all resolutions.