The Technomancer

The Technomancer, a 2016 Action RPG, places significant demands on integrated graphics. When paired with the Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX and AMD Radeon 880M, the measured frame rates reveal a configuration that is strictly limited by the GPU at every resolution. The data indicates that playable performance is confined to the lowest settings at 1080p, with a steep decline in frame rates as resolution and graphical fidelity increase.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is the defining characteristic of this combo in The Technomancer. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 44 FPS at 1920x1080 to 28 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of 16 FPS. Moving to 3840x2160, the average plummets further to 16 FPS, which is a 64% decrease from the 1080p baseline. This steep scaling curve strongly indicates that the AMD Radeon 880M's rendering pipeline is the primary bottleneck; the pixel count increase at 4K overwhelms the GPU's shading units and ROPs.

The scaling pattern is consistent across all settings presets. At Low settings, the average frame rates are 66 FPS at 1080p, 43 FPS at 1440p, and 24 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1440p to 4K represents a 44% performance loss, which is substantial but slightly less severe than the 43% loss observed between 1440p and 4K at High settings. At Ultra settings, the average frame rate falls from 34 FPS at 1080p to 22 FPS at 1440p, and finally to 12 FPS at 4K. The 4K result at Ultra is practically unplayable, highlighting that the Radeon 880M's 16 ROPs and 46.40 GPixel/s pixel rate are insufficient for the 8.3 million pixels in a 3840x2160 frame.

The Medium settings data provides the only complete frame time information. At 1080p Medium, the average is 51 FPS with a minimum of 43 FPS and a maximum of 59 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the average drops to 33 FPS with a minimum of 28 FPS and a maximum of 38 FPS. At 4K Medium, the average falls to 18 FPS with a minimum of 16 FPS and a maximum of 21 FPS. The minimum frame rates at 1440p (28 FPS) and 4K (16 FPS) confirm that stutter and frame pacing issues will be prevalent, as the GPU consistently struggles to maintain a smooth output. The data suggests that the CPU, with its 24 cores and 5.40 GHz boost clock, is never the limiting factor; the scaling is entirely dictated by the GPU's fill rate and shading capacity.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the only configuration that provides a consistently playable experience is 1920x1080 with Low settings, which yields an average of 66 FPS. This is the sole preset and resolution combination that clears the 60 FPS threshold, making it the definitive choice for fluid gameplay. The 1080p Medium preset, with an average of 51 FPS, is a viable alternative for users who prioritize visual quality over a perfectly stable frame rate, though the minimum of 43 FPS suggests occasional dips below 60 FPS.

The 1080p High preset produces an average of 44 FPS. This is a noticeable step down in smoothness from Low and Medium, and the data indicates it is a compromise that sacrifices too much performance for modest visual gains. At 1080p Ultra, the average falls to 34 FPS, which is below the threshold for comfortable action gameplay, particularly in a game like The Technomancer where combat timing is critical. The data unequivocally shows that all 1440p and 4K presets, regardless of quality level, are unsuitable for active play. The 1440p Low preset's 43 FPS average is borderline, but the 4K results—ranging from 12 to 24 FPS—are categorically unplayable.

The benchmark results indicate that the "best experience" is found by prioritizing resolution and settings that reduce the GPU's workload. The jump from Low to Medium at 1080p costs 15 FPS on average, while the jump from Medium to High costs another 7 FPS. The most efficient use of the Radeon 880M's capabilities is at 1080p Low, where the 4.454 TFLOPS of FP32 compute and 139.2 GTexel/s texture rate are just enough to maintain a smooth frame rate. Users should avoid the Ultra preset entirely, as it delivers less than half the frame rate of Low at the same resolution, with diminishing visual returns that do not justify the performance penalty.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations for The Technomancer, this pairing of an Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX with an AMD Radeon 880M ranks 2761 out of 2825 combos. This places it in the bottom 2% of all tested configurations, indicating that it is one of the weakest pairings for this specific title. The extremely low rank is a direct consequence of the GPU's performance class rather than the CPU. The Radeon 880M's average benchmark score of 8436 places it in the 43rd percentile of all GPUs, and its nearest rivals—the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 675MX (8427, deltaPct 0.1) and the NVIDIA GeForce MX330 (8458, deltaPct -0.3)—are all older or lower-tier discrete mobile parts.

This rank is not a reflection of the CPU's capabilities. The Core Ultra 9 275HX scores in the 94th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 67469. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Xeon w5-3525 (67673, deltaPct -0.3) and the AMD EPYC 4484PX (67822, deltaPct -0.5), which are high-end workstation processors. The massive disparity between the CPU's high percentile ranking and the combo's near-bottom rank in this game underscores that the GPU is the sole limiting factor. The data suggests that pairing this CPU with a more powerful discrete GPU would yield a combo rank in the top percentiles, as the processor has ample headroom to drive much higher frame rates.

The deltaPct values for the GPU's nearest rivals are all within 1.3% of the Radeon 880M's score, meaning that swapping to any of those GPUs would result in nearly identical performance in this game. This further confirms that the Radeon 880M is firmly in the entry-level performance tier, and its 43rd percentile ranking across all GPUs translates directly to a poor showing in a demanding title like The Technomancer.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete measured FPS data for this combo in The Technomancer is as follows. At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset delivers an average of 34 FPS. The High preset improves this to an average of 44 FPS. The Medium preset yields an average of 51 FPS, with a minimum of 43 FPS and a maximum of 59 FPS. The Low preset provides the best result at this resolution, with an average of 66 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the performance drops significantly. The Ultra preset averages 22 FPS. The High preset averages 28 FPS. The Medium preset averages 33 FPS, with a minimum of 28 FPS and a maximum of 38 FPS. The Low preset averages 43 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the results are largely unplayable. The Ultra preset averages just 12 FPS. The High preset averages 16 FPS. The Medium preset averages 18 FPS, with a minimum of 16 FPS and a maximum of 21 FPS. The Low preset averages 24 FPS.

The data reveals a clear pattern: each increment in resolution at the same settings costs roughly 15-20 FPS, while each increment in settings at the same resolution costs roughly 7-10 FPS. The scaling is linear and predictable, which indicates a pure GPU-bound scenario. The minimum FPS values recorded at Medium settings (43 at 1080p, 28 at 1440p, 16 at 4K) are notably close to the averages, suggesting that the frame pacing is relatively stable but that the overall performance ceiling is very low.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon 880M is an integrated graphics processor based on the RDNA 3.5 architecture, built on a 4 nm process at TSMC. It features 768 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 16 ROPs. The GPU operates at a base clock of 400 MHz and a boost clock of 2900 MHz, which results in a peak FP32 performance of 4.454 TFLOPS. The texture rate is 139.2 GTexel/s and the pixel rate is 46.40 GPixel/s. The GPU has 12 ray tracing cores and supports DirectX 12 Ultimate, but these features have little bearing on The Technomancer's performance given the overall low compute throughput.

The memory configuration is "System Shared," meaning the GPU uses the system's DDR5 memory. The memory bandwidth is listed as "System Dependent," but the CPU's dual-channel memory bus provides a theoretical maximum of 102.4 GB/s. This shared memory architecture is a critical weakness for gaming. In The Technomancer, the GPU must compete with the CPU for memory bandwidth, and the measured frame rates suggest that the memory subsystem is a contributing bottleneck, particularly at 4K where the larger frame buffer demands more bandwidth.

The GPU's benchmark scores reflect its entry-level standing. It scores 7615 in Passmark G3D and 3719 in Passmark GPU Compute. In 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, it scores 535. These scores place it in the 43rd percentile of all GPUs, with a nearest rival being the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 675MX (8427, deltaPct 0.1). The Radeon 880M's performance in The Technomancer is consistent with these synthetic benchmarks: it is a capable iGPU for light workloads but is fundamentally outclassed by the demands of a 2016 Action RPG at higher resolutions. The transition from 1080p to 1440p at Low settings (66 to 43 FPS) highlights the GPU's inability to handle the 78% increase in pixel count without a massive performance penalty.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX is a 24-core, 24-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture. It has a base clock of 2.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz. The CPU features a large 36 MB shared L3 cache and supports DDR5 memory on a dual-channel bus. In this configuration, the CPU is severely underutilized. The measured frame rates in The Technomancer are entirely GPU-limited, meaning the CPU is likely idling while the GPU struggles to keep up.

The CPU's benchmark scores reinforce this analysis. It scores 35589 in Cinebench R23 multicore and 2204 in single-core. In Geekbench, it scores 20795 multicore and 2458 single-core. Its Passmark multithread score is 55759, and its single-thread score is 4713. These figures place the CPU in the 94th percentile of all CPUs, with nearest rivals including the Intel Xeon w5-3525 (67673, deltaPct -0.3) and the AMD EPYC 4484PX (67822, deltaPct -0.5). A processor of this caliber has more than enough single-thread performance to feed any modern GPU, and it certainly has no trouble keeping up with the Radeon 880M.

The data shows that the Ultra 9 275HX's 24 cores and 5.40 GHz boost clock are entirely irrelevant to the final frame rates in this game. The performance is dictated by the GPU's 768 shading units and 16 ROPs. The CPU's role is to prepare frames and issue draw calls, but with the GPU producing only 16 to 66 FPS, the CPU has ample spare capacity. This is a textbook case of a CPU that is multiple tiers above the GPU in performance, resulting in a system where the GPU is the sole determinant of playability. The 94th percentile CPU ranking versus the 43rd percentile GPU ranking is a clear indication of the imbalance.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution and settings combo for this system in The Technomancer?

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 with Low settings yields the highest average frame rate at 66 FPS. This is the only measured configuration that consistently exceeds 60 FPS.

Q: Can this system run The Technomancer at 4K?

A: The measured results indicate no. At 4K, the average frame rates range from 12 FPS at Ultra to 24 FPS at Low. Even the highest 4K average (24 FPS) is below the threshold for smooth gameplay.

Q: How does the CPU compare to the GPU in terms of performance ranking?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX ranks in the 94th percentile of all CPUs, while the AMD Radeon 880M ranks in the 43rd percentile of all GPUs. This indicates the CPU is a top-tier part, while the GPU is entry-level.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between 1080p and 1440p at Medium settings?

A: At 1080p Medium, the average frame rate is 51 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the average drops to 33 FPS. This is a reduction of 18 FPS when moving to the higher resolution.

Q: What are the minimum and maximum frame rates at 1080p Medium?

A: The measured data shows a minimum of 43 FPS and a maximum of 59 FPS at this setting, with an average of 51 FPS.

Q: Which GPU is the Radeon 880M most similar to in performance?

A: According to the benchmark data, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 675MX has an average score of 8427, which is 0.1% higher than the Radeon 880M's 8436. This makes them nearly identical in overall performance.