The Technomancer

The Technomancer, a 2016 Action RPG, presents a demanding workload that scales steeply with resolution. When paired with the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and AMD Radeon RX 6600, the benchmark data reveals a configuration that is firmly GPU-limited at higher resolutions, yet capable of delivering playable frame rates at 1080p and 1440p with adjusted settings. The measured results show a clear narrative: this combo prioritizes 1080p gaming, and its performance degrades predictably as pixel count increases, making it a solid but not exceptional pairing for this title.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is dramatic and tells a clear story about the limiting component. At 1080p with High settings, the combo averages 85 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 at High drops the average to 56 FPS, a reduction of 29 FPS. At 3840x2160, the same High preset yields only 31 FPS, which is a 54 FPS drop from 1080p—a 64% reduction in performance. This steep decline is the signature of a GPU bottleneck; the Radeon RX 6600 is being overwhelmed by the pixel throughput required at 4K.

The scaling pattern is consistent across all settings. With the Low preset, the combo hits 130 FPS at 1080p, falls to 85 FPS at 1440p, and then to 47 FPS at 4K. The Medium preset shows 100 FPS, 65 FPS, and 36 FPS across the same resolutions. Even the Ultra preset, which starts at 67 FPS at 1080p, collapses to 44 FPS at 1440p and 24 FPS at 4K. The data indicates that the CPU, with its 24 cores and 24 threads, is not the constraint here; the consistent frame rate collapse with resolution is purely a function of the GPU's rendering limits.

What this means for the gaming experience is that 4K is largely out of reach for smooth gameplay, regardless of settings. The best 4K result is 47 FPS on Low, which is borderline playable but far from ideal. The sweet spot for this combo is 1080p, where even the Ultra preset achieves 67 FPS. At 1440p, the High preset's 56 FPS is acceptable, but the Ultra preset's 44 FPS approaches the minimum threshold for many gamers. The data strongly suggests that the Radeon RX 6600's 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 128-bit bus are sufficient for 1080p and 1440p, but the 224.0 GB/s bandwidth becomes a limiting factor at 4K, failing to feed the render pipeline fast enough to maintain higher frame rates.

How This Combo Ranks

In the broader context of all tested hardware combinations for The Technomancer, this pairing sits in the lower-middle tier. The combo rank is 2193 out of 2825 tested combos, placing it in the 78th percentile of all tested configurations (meaning 78% of combos perform better). This ranking reflects the Radeon RX 6600's position as a mid-range GPU from its generation, rather than a failure of the CPU. The Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is a top-tier processor—it ranks in the 96th percentile against all CPUs and has an average benchmark score of 84003—but its immense processing power cannot compensate for the GPU's limits in a game like The Technomancer, which is heavily graphics-bound.

Looking at the CPU's nearest rivals, the data shows the processor is performing near the top of its class. The Core Ultra 9 290K Plus has an average benchmark score of 84003, which is 0.2% higher than the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K (avg score 83807) and 1.1% higher than the AMD EPYC 4584PX (avg score 83090). It trails the AMD EPYC 7F72 by 1.3% (avg score 85072). These are marginal differences, indicating that the CPU is not a weak link in this combo. The GPU, however, is a different story. The Radeon RX 6600 has an average benchmark score of 19036, placing it in the 63rd percentile against all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA Quadro K6000, has a nearly identical score of 19030 (0% delta), while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 Mobile is just 0.1% ahead at 19049. This places the GPU in a performance tier that is simply not designed for 4K gaming in demanding titles.

The rank of 2193 out of 2825 suggests that while this combo is playable at lower resolutions, it is outclassed by many alternatives. The data implies that for The Technomancer, the GPU is the primary determinant of the combo's ranking, and the CPU's high performance is largely irrelevant to the final rank. The combination's position is a consequence of the GPU's mid-tier standing, not a balanced pairing of a weak CPU and strong GPU.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6600 is the dominant factor in this combo's gaming performance. It is built on the RDNA 2.0 architecture with the Navi 23 chip, manufactured on a 7 nm process at TSMC. The GPU has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 224.0 GB/s. Its clock speeds are notable: a base clock of 1626 MHz, a game clock of 2044 MHz, and a boost clock of 2491 MHz. These specifications are adequate for 1080p gaming, but they are the reason the frame rates collapse at higher resolutions.

In The Technomancer, the GPU's role is clear from the measured FPS data. At 1080p, the GPU can leverage its boost clock to maintain high frame rates, with the Low preset hitting 130 FPS and the High preset at 85 FPS. The 8 GB VRAM is sufficient for 1080p textures, and the 224.0 GB/s bandwidth is enough to feed the shader units. However, at 4K, the GPU's 1792 shading units and 64 ROPs are simply not enough to handle the pixel workload. The 4K Ultra preset drops to 24 FPS, and even the 4K Low preset only manages 47 FPS. This indicates that the GPU is the bottleneck, and the data suggests that the memory bandwidth and pixel rate (159.4 GPixel/s) are insufficient for 4K rendering.

The GPU's benchmarks support this interpretation. Its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score is 1492, and its Passmark G3D score is 15096, which are mid-range results. The GPU's percentile ranking of 63 against all GPUs confirms it is not a high-end part. The nearest rival data shows it is essentially tied with the NVIDIA Quadro K6000 (0% delta) and the GeForce RTX 4050 Mobile (-0.1% delta), which are both older or lower-tier parts. For The Technomancer, the GPU's performance is the limiting factor, and the data shows that users should expect playable frame rates only at 1080p and, with settings adjustments, at 1440p.

FAQ

Q: Is this combo capable of running The Technomancer at 4K resolution?

A: The data shows that 4K performance is marginal. At 4K with Low settings, the average FPS is 47, but at High settings it drops to 31 FPS, and at Ultra it falls to 24 FPS. The combo is not recommended for 4K gaming in this title, as even the lowest settings fail to consistently reach 60 FPS.

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

A: 1080p is the best resolution. At 1080p with Ultra settings, the combo achieves 67 FPS, and with High settings it reaches 85 FPS. The Low preset hits 130 FPS. This resolution allows the GPU to perform within its capabilities.

Q: How does the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus compare to its closest CPU rivals in terms of average benchmark score?

A: The Core Ultra 9 290K Plus has an average benchmark score of 84003. It is 0.2% faster than the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, which has a score of 83807, and 1.1% faster than the AMD EPYC 4584PX (score 83090). It is 1.3% slower than the AMD EPYC 7F72 (score 85072).

Q: Is the Radeon RX 6600's VRAM sufficient for The Technomancer?

A: The GPU has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory. The measured performance indicates this is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p, as the frame rates are playable. However, at 4K, the frame rates drop significantly, suggesting the memory bandwidth of 224.0 GB/s is a limiting factor.

Q: What is the combo's rank among all tested configurations for this game?

A: The combo ranks 2193 out of 2825 tested combos. This places it in the lower-middle tier, indicating that most other tested hardware combinations deliver better performance in The Technomancer.

Q: Which is more critical for this game's performance, the CPU or the GPU?

A: The GPU is more critical. The CPU is a top-tier part ranking in the 96th percentile, but the GPU ranks in the 63rd percentile. The frame rate scaling with resolution shows a clear GPU bottleneck, as performance drops steeply from 1080p to 4K regardless of CPU capabilities.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend on the target resolution. For a 60 FPS experience, the data shows that 1080p with High settings is the best choice, delivering 85 FPS average. This provides a smooth experience while maintaining visual quality. The 1080p Medium preset achieves 100 FPS, which is also excellent, and the Ultra preset at 67 FPS is still above 60 FPS, making it viable for users who prioritize visual fidelity.

At 1440p, achieving 60 FPS requires sacrificing settings. The Low preset averages 85 FPS, which is playable, but the High preset drops to 56 FPS, and the Medium preset to 65 FPS. For a consistent 60 FPS at 1440p, the Medium preset (65 FPS) is the highest quality option that meets this target. The Ultra preset at 44 FPS is not recommended for smooth gameplay.

For 4K, no settings preset achieves a consistent 60 FPS. The Low preset at 47 FPS is the only option that approaches playability, but it will require compromises in visual quality. The Medium preset at 36 FPS and High at 31 FPS are suboptimal, and Ultra at 24 FPS is not recommended. The data indicates that users should avoid 4K with this combo, or be prepared for a less smooth experience.

The minimum FPS data, where available, supports these recommendations. At 1080p Medium, the minimum FPS is 85, ensuring no severe drops. At 1440p Medium, the minimum is 56 FPS, which is near the edge of smoothness. At 4K Medium, the minimum is 31 FPS, which will be noticeable. The best experience per the measured rows is 1080p with High or Ultra settings, balancing frame rate and visual quality.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is a high-end processor that provides ample processing power for The Technomancer, but its role in this combo is secondary to the GPU. The CPU features 24 cores and 24 threads, with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.80 GHz. It is built on the Arrow Lake Refresh codename using a 3 nm process, and it has 36 MB of shared L3 cache. These specifications are far beyond what this game requires, as The Technomancer is not a CPU-intensive title.

The CPU's benchmark results confirm its strength. It scores 51731 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 7303 in single-core, placing it in the 96th percentile against all CPUs. Its average benchmark score is 84003, and it outperforms its nearest rival, the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, by 0.2%. In the context of this game, the CPU is never the bottleneck. The measured FPS data shows that frame rates are determined by resolution and GPU settings, not by CPU load. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 130 FPS, which is likely near the game's engine limit, but the consistent scaling with resolution points to the GPU as the constraint.

The CPU's memory support for DDR5 with a dual-channel bus and 115.2 GB/s bandwidth, along with PCIe Gen 5 support, ensures it can feed data to the GPU without delay. However, these features have little impact on The Technomancer's performance, which is limited by the GPU's rendering capabilities. In summary, the Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is overqualified for this game, but its high performance ensures that it will not hold back the GPU at any resolution. The data shows that the CPU's role is to provide a stable platform, but the Radeon RX 6600 determines the gaming experience.