The Technomancer

The Technomancer, a 2016 Action RPG, presents an interesting challenge for modern high-end hardware. With the Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080, the data reveals a configuration that is heavily influenced by the game's age and engine limitations. This analysis breaks down the measured performance across resolutions and settings, focusing on where the bottleneck lies and how to get the best experience from this specific pairing.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a classic pattern of scaling as resolution increases, but with some non-linear jumps that point to specific hardware limits. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 214 FPS. Moving to 1440p Low drops this to 140 FPS, a significant 34.5% reduction. The jump to 4K Low yields 77 FPS, another 45% drop from the 1440p result. This steep decline from 1080p to 1440p, and again to 4K, indicates that the GPU is being increasingly tasked with pixel throughput, but the initial 1080p ceiling of 214 FPS suggests the CPU is not the primary limiter at that resolution.

However, the scaling pattern for higher settings tells a more nuanced story. For High settings, the average FPS goes from 140 at 1080p to 92 at 1440p (a 34.3% drop) and then to 50 at 4K (a 45.7% drop from 1440p). This consistent percentage drop suggests a smooth, GPU-bound scaling curve. The RTX 4080 is clearly the dominant factor here, as its workload increases proportionally with the pixel count. The 4K High result of 50 FPS is playable but not ideal for a fast-paced action game.

The Ultra settings show the most dramatic scaling. At 1080p Ultra, the average is 109 FPS. This drops to 72 FPS at 1440p (a 33.9% decrease) and then to 39 FPS at 4K (a 45.8% decrease from 1440p). The 4K Ultra result of 39 FPS is the lowest in the entire dataset and indicates that this setting is too demanding for a smooth experience at that resolution. The consistent ~34% and ~46% drops across High and Ultra suggest that the game's rendering engine scales linearly with resolution, and the RTX 4080's performance is the sole determinant of these frame rates. The limiting component at 1440p and 4K is unambiguously the GPU, as the CPU has ample headroom at these lower frame rates.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is the central piece of this configuration, and its specifications directly explain the performance observed. With 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, it provides a substantial 716.8 GB/s of memory bandwidth. This is a crucial metric for The Technomancer, which likely has large texture sets. The data shows that the GPU is the bottleneck at 4K, and its memory capacity and bandwidth are sufficient to handle the game's demands without stuttering, as evidenced by the min FPS of 50 at 4K Medium.

The clock speeds play a significant role in the scaling. The GPU has a base clock of 2205 MHz and a boost clock of 2505 MHz. The boost clock is where the card operates under load, and its high frequency is a key reason why 1080p performance is so strong. At 1080p Low, the average FPS is 214, which is well above the refresh rate of most monitors. This suggests the GPU is not being fully utilized, and the frame rate is likely capped by the game engine or CPU draw-call limits.

Comparing the RTX 4080 to its nearest rivals from the benchmark data, it sits at 86th percentile among all GPUs. Its average benchmark score is 54247, which is nearly identical to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER (54209), with a deltaPct of just 0.1% in favor of the 4080. This means the 4080 is effectively a match for the SUPER variant in synthetic tests. The data shows that the RTX 4080's performance in this game is robust, but the 4K Ultra result of 39 FPS highlights that even a top-tier GPU can be brought to its knees by unoptimized or overly demanding settings.

The GPU's memory configuration is also worth noting. The 16 GB frame buffer is more than enough for The Technomancer at 4K, as the game likely does not utilize more than 8-10 GB. The bottleneck at 4K is raw compute and fill rate, not memory capacity. The pixel rate of 280.6 GPixel/s and texture rate of 761.5 GTexel/s are high, but the game's draw calls and shading complexity at Ultra settings are sufficient to overwhelm these resources at 4K.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the best balance of visual fidelity and performance depends heavily on the target resolution. For 1080p, the data suggests that Ultra settings are viable. The average FPS at 1080p Ultra is 109, which is smooth for most players. This is the highest quality preset available, and the RTX 4080 handles it well at this resolution.

At 1440p, the High preset appears to be the sweet spot. The average FPS is 92, which is a solid experience for a single-player action RPG. The Ultra preset at 1440p drops to 72 FPS, which is still playable but represents a significant performance cost for what might be marginal visual gains. The High preset at 1440p offers a 27.8% performance increase over Ultra, making it the recommended choice for a high refresh rate experience.

For 4K, the data strongly recommends against the Ultra preset, which only achieves 39 FPS. The High preset at 50 FPS is borderline, but the Medium preset is the best option for a consistent experience. The 4K Medium average is 59 FPS, with a min FPS of 50 and a max of 68. This indicates a playable frame rate with only minor dips. The Low preset at 4K achieves 77 FPS, but the visual quality reduction is likely too steep for most users. Therefore, for 4K, the Medium preset is the recommended balance, as it provides a 18% improvement over High while maintaining a frame rate above 60.

In summary, the measured data suggests the following presets for the best experience: 1080p Ultra, 1440p High, and 4K Medium. These choices provide the highest quality visuals while keeping average FPS well within a smooth, playable range.

FAQ

Q: Is the RTX 4080 powerful enough for 4K gaming in The Technomancer?

A: The data shows that the RTX 4080 can handle 4K, but not at the highest settings. At 4K Medium, the average FPS is 59, which is playable. However, 4K Ultra drops to 39 FPS, which is not smooth. Therefore, it is capable, but requires settings adjustments.

Q: How does the RTX 4080 compare to its direct successor, the RTX 4080 SUPER?

A: According to the benchmark data, the RTX 4080 and the RTX 4080 SUPER are nearly identical in performance. The RTX 4080 has an average benchmark score of 54247, while the SUPER has a score of 54209, resulting in a deltaPct of just 0.1% in favor of the standard 4080.

Q: What is the best resolution to play at to achieve over 100 FPS consistently?

A: The data indicates that 1080p is the only resolution that consistently delivers over 100 FPS. At 1080p, the Low preset achieves 214 FPS, Medium hits 164 FPS, and High reaches 140 FPS. Even 1080p Ultra manages 109 FPS.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the main bottleneck at 1440p?

A: The data suggests the GPU is the primary bottleneck at 1440p. The FPS scaling from 1080p to 1440p for High settings shows a 34.3% drop (from 140 to 92 FPS), which is proportional to the increase in pixel count, indicating a GPU-bound scenario.

Q: What is the lowest FPS recorded in the dataset?

A: The lowest average FPS recorded is 39, which occurs at 4K resolution with Ultra settings. This is the only measured configuration that falls below 40 FPS.

Q: Does the game benefit from the CPU's high core count?

A: The measured FPS data does not show evidence of significant CPU scaling. At 1080p Low, the frame rate is 214 FPS, which is likely near the engine's limit. The CPU has 24 cores and 24 threads, but The Technomancer, being a 2016 title, likely does not utilize more than a few cores effectively.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX is a 24-core, 24-thread processor from the Arrow Lake-HX architecture. It has a base clock of 2.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz. With a 36 MB shared L3 cache, it has ample resources for modern games. However, for The Technomancer, the CPU's role appears to be secondary to the GPU. The measured FPS at 1080p Low is 214, which suggests the game is hitting an engine-level frame cap or a CPU bottleneck at that point.

The CPU's benchmark scores are impressive, placing it in the 94th percentile among all CPUs. Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score is 35589, and its single-core score is 2204. The single-core performance is critical for older games that rely on one or two threads. The Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX's high boost clock of 5.40 GHz ensures strong single-threaded performance, which is likely why the game achieves such high frame rates at 1080p.

Comparing the CPU to its nearest rivals, it is very closely matched. The Intel Xeon w5-3525 has an average score of 67673, which is only 0.3% higher than the Core Ultra 9 275HX's score of 67469. The AMD EPYC 4484PX and AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 5955WX are also within 0.6% of its performance. This indicates that the CPU is not a limiting factor in most gaming scenarios, including this one.

The data shows that as resolution increases, the CPU's influence diminishes. At 4K, the frame rates are 50 FPS on High and 39 FPS on Ultra, which are far below the CPU's potential. This confirms that the RTX 4080 is the bottleneck at higher resolutions. The CPU has plenty of headroom, and its performance is more than sufficient to feed the GPU at 1440p and below. The game's performance is ultimately constrained by the GPU's rendering capabilities, not the CPU's processing power.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following is a detailed breakdown of the measured average FPS for each resolution and settings preset. The data shows a clear hierarchy, with performance decreasing as resolution and settings increase.

1080p (1920x1080):

• Low: 214 FPS average. This is the highest frame rate in the dataset, indicating a CPU or engine limit.
• Medium: 164 FPS average, with a minimum of 139 FPS and a maximum of 189 FPS. This is a very smooth experience.
• High: 140 FPS average. This is a strong result, ideal for high refresh rate monitors.
• Ultra: 109 FPS average. This is still above 100 FPS, making Ultra a viable option at this resolution.

1440p (2560x1440):

• Low: 140 FPS average. This is identical to the 1080p High result, showing the GPU is now the primary bottleneck.
• Medium: 107 FPS average, with a minimum of 91 FPS and a maximum of 123 FPS. This is a good balance.
• High: 92 FPS average. This is a solid result for a high refresh rate 1440p monitor.
• Ultra: 72 FPS average. This is playable, but the frame rate is starting to dip.

4K (3840x2160):

• Low: 77 FPS average. This is the only 4K preset that clears 60 FPS.
• Medium: 59 FPS average, with a minimum of 50 FPS and a maximum of 68 FPS. This is the best playable option for 4K.
• High: 50 FPS average. This is borderline playable for a slower-paced game.
• Ultra: 39 FPS average. This is not smooth and should be avoided for a good experience.

The data confirms that the RTX 4080 is a high-end GPU, but The Technomancer's Ultra settings are extremely demanding at 4K. The step from High to Ultra at 4K results in a 22% drop in average FPS (from 50 to 39), which is a significant performance penalty. The step from Medium to High at 4K is a 15.3% drop (from 59 to 50), also notable. The only way to achieve a consistently smooth experience at 4K is to use the Medium preset, which provides a 59 FPS average.