The Technomancer

# How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER ranks 1620th out of 2825 tested combos in The Technomancer. That places this configuration in the bottom half of the database, which is a telling result for a pairing that features a top-tier CPU and a mid-range GPU. The combination sits at roughly the 43rd percentile of all tested systems in this specific game, meaning the majority of tested combos deliver higher frame rates.

The ranking reflects a fundamental imbalance: the RTX 2070 SUPER is the limiting factor, while the Core Ultra 9 290K Plus has ample headroom. In a game like The Technomancer, which is not particularly demanding by modern standards, this combo's position is driven almost entirely by GPU throughput rather than CPU capability. The data shows that this pairing performs below what the CPU alone would suggest, as the processor's benchmark percentile (96th among all CPUs) far exceeds the combo's game-specific rank.

Comparatively, the RTX 2070 SUPER's average benchmark score of 20282 places it at the 65th percentile among all GPUs, and its nearest rivals in the GPU benchmark hierarchy include the Intel Arc A750 (scoring 20582, which is 1.5% higher) and the Intel Arc B570 (scoring 20556, which is 1.3% higher). Meanwhile, the CPU's nearest rival, the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, scores 83807 on average, just 0.2% lower than the 290K Plus's 84003. This indicates the processor is performing at the very top of its class, yet the game results are dragged down by the graphics card.

The 2825-combo database is heavily populated with modern high-end GPUs, so a 2019-era card like the RTX 2070 SUPER will naturally find itself lower in the rankings for a game released in 2016. The measured FPS data confirms that this combo is playable at most settings, but it won't top any charts. For users seeking high refresh rates at 1080p, this combo delivers, but at 4K, it falls below the 60 FPS threshold even at Low settings.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER is the dominant component in determining this combo's performance in The Technomancer. With 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, the card offers 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is sufficient for this game's textures and geometry at most resolutions. The memory clock runs at 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective), and the GPU's base clock is 1605 MHz with a boost clock of 1770 MHz.

The card's architecture is Turing, built on a 12 nm process at TSMC, with 2560 shading units, 160 texture mapping units, and 64 ROPs. It also features 40 RT cores and 320 tensor cores, though The Technomancer does not utilize ray tracing or DLSS, so these features have no bearing on the measured results. The GPU's raw compute capability is 9.062 TFLOPS for FP32, which is adequate for a 2016 Action RPG but not exceptional by current standards.

The measured FPS data clearly shows the GPU's limitations scaling with resolution. At 1920x1080, the card produces 157 FPS on Low, 120 FPS on Medium, 103 FPS on High, and 80 FPS on Ultra. The step from Low to Medium costs 37 FPS, while High to Ultra costs 23 FPS. At 2560x1440, the same pattern holds but with lower absolute numbers: 102 FPS on Low, 79 FPS on Medium, 67 FPS on High, and 53 FPS on Ultra. At 3840x2160, the card struggles: 56 FPS on Low, 43 FPS on Medium, 37 FPS on High, and 29 FPS on Ultra.

The GPU's benchmark scores reinforce its mid-range positioning. In 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, it scores 1651, while in Geekbench Vulkan it scores 90637 and in Geekbench OpenCL 83358. Passmark G3D gives it 18169, and Passmark GPU Compute 7557. The card's percentile ranking of 65 among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 20282, places it just below the NVIDIA Quadro M4000M (20480, 1% higher) and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile (20534, 1.2% higher).

The 8 GB VRAM capacity is not a bottleneck in The Technomancer at any tested setting, as the game's textures are manageable for this card. However, the GPU's raw rasterization throughput is what limits 4K performance. The data indicates that the RTX 2070 SUPER is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming in this title, with 4K being achievable only at Low settings with a 56 FPS average.

FAQ

Q: What is the combo's overall ranking in The Technomancer?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus with the RTX 2070 SUPER ranks 1620th out of 2825 tested combos, placing it in the bottom half of the database for this game.

Q: How does the GPU compare to its nearest rivals in benchmark scores?

A: The RTX 2070 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 20282, which is 1% lower than the NVIDIA Quadro M4000M (20480), 1.2% lower than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile (20534), and 1.5% lower than the Intel Arc A750 (20582).

Q: What is the highest FPS achieved at 1080p?

A: The maximum average FPS at 1920x1080 is 157 FPS on Low settings, with Medium at 120 FPS, High at 103 FPS, and Ultra at 80 FPS.

Q: Can this combo achieve 60 FPS at 4K?

A: No. At 3840x2160, the best result is 56 FPS on Low settings. Medium averages 43 FPS, High averages 37 FPS, and Ultra averages 29 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU's performance compare to its nearest rival?

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

Q: What is the GPU's launch MSRP?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER had a launch MSRP of 499 USD, and it was released on 2019-07-08.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for The Technomancer with this combo covers three resolutions and four settings presets, providing a comprehensive view of performance scaling.

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its best results. Low settings produce an average of 157 FPS, which is exceptionally smooth for any display. Medium settings drop to 120 FPS average, with a minimum of 102 FPS and a maximum of 139 FPS. High settings yield 103 FPS average, and Ultra settings produce 80 FPS average. The gap between Low and Ultra is 77 FPS, indicating that the GPU has enough headroom at 1080p to handle even the most demanding preset with playable frame rates. The minimum FPS recorded at Medium (102 FPS) is still above the 100 FPS threshold, showing consistency in frame delivery.

At 2560x1440, performance scales down predictably. Low settings average 102 FPS, which is a 35% drop from the 1080p Low result. Medium settings average 79 FPS, with a minimum of 67 FPS and a maximum of 91 FPS. High settings produce 67 FPS average, and Ultra settings drop to 53 FPS average. The step from High to Ultra is particularly steep, losing 14 FPS, which suggests that Ultra settings introduce significant GPU load that the RTX 2070 SUPER cannot fully sustain at 1440p. The minimum FPS at Medium (67 FPS) is still within playable range, but Ultra's 53 FPS average may feel less smooth on high refresh rate monitors.

At 3840x2160, the GPU's limitations become apparent. Low settings average 56 FPS, which is just below the 60 FPS target. Medium settings average 43 FPS, with a minimum of 37 FPS and a maximum of 50 FPS. High settings produce 37 FPS average, and Ultra settings drop to 29 FPS average. The gap between Low and Ultra is 27 FPS, and even the best-case scenario (Low) fails to reach 60 FPS. The 4K results indicate that this combo is not suitable for 4K gaming in The Technomancer unless the user is willing to accept sub-60 FPS frame rates.

The scaling pattern across resolutions shows a consistent ~30-35% performance drop when moving from 1080p to 1440p, and another ~40-45% drop when moving from 1440p to 4K. This is typical of a GPU-bound scenario, where the RTX 2070 SUPER's pixel throughput and memory bandwidth are the limiting factors. The CPU's role in these measurements is minimal, as the Core Ultra 9 290K Plus has more than enough processing power to feed the GPU at all tested settings.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend heavily on the target resolution and desired frame rate.

For 1920x1080, Ultra settings are the clear recommendation. The combo achieves 80 FPS average on Ultra, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold and provides a smooth experience for most displays. If the user has a 144 Hz monitor, High settings at 103 FPS or Medium settings at 120 FPS would be better choices, as they offer higher refresh rates without sacrificing too much visual quality. Low settings at 157 FPS are only recommended for competitive play where maximum frame rate is paramount, as the visual downgrade is significant.

For 2560x1440, High settings at 67 FPS average is the sweet spot. This delivers a playable experience close to the 60 FPS target while maintaining good visual fidelity. Medium settings at 79 FPS average provide a smoother experience if frame rate is prioritized over visual quality, and the minimum of 67 FPS ensures no major stutters. Ultra settings at 53 FPS average are borderline, as the frame rate dips below 60 FPS, which may be noticeable on some displays. Low settings at 102 FPS are viable for users who prefer maximum smoothness, but the visual compromise is substantial.

For 3840x2160, Low settings at 56 FPS average is the only recommended option, and even then, it barely misses the 60 FPS target. Medium settings at 43 FPS average and High at 37 FPS average are playable but noticeably less smooth. Ultra at 29 FPS average is not recommended, as the frame rate falls below 30 FPS, which can feel choppy during fast-paced gameplay. Users targeting 4K should consider lowering the resolution to 1440p, where the combo delivers much better results.

The data shows that the RTX 2070 SUPER is most comfortable at 1080p, where it can handle Ultra settings with ease. At 1440p, High settings provide the best balance of visual quality and performance. At 4K, the card is out of its depth, and users should either drop to Low settings or reduce the resolution.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus plays a supporting role in this combo's performance in The Technomancer, but it is not the limiting factor. With 24 cores and 24 threads, the CPU offers massive parallel processing capability, though this game likely does not utilize all of them. The base clock of 3.70 GHz and boost clock of 5.80 GHz provide excellent single-threaded performance, which is more relevant for gaming.

The CPU's benchmark results confirm its high-end positioning. In Cinebench R23, it scores 51731 in multicore and 7303 in single-core. In Cinebench R20, it scores 21727 multicore and 3067 single-core. Passmark scores include 60860 for multithread and 4823 for single-thread. The CPU's average benchmark score of 84003 places it at the 96th percentile among all CPUs, which is exceptionally high. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, scores 83807 (0.2% lower), while the AMD EPYC 4584PX scores 83090 (1.1% lower).

The CPU's cache hierarchy includes 192 KB of L1 per core, 3 MB of L2 per core, and 36 MB of shared L3 cache. This large cache helps reduce memory latency, which can benefit game performance. The CPU supports DDR5 memory in dual-channel configuration, with a memory bandwidth of 115.2 GB/s. It also features integrated Arc Xe-LPG Graphics 64EU, though this is not used when the discrete RTX 2070 SUPER is present.

In The Technomancer, the measured FPS data shows no signs of CPU bottlenecking. The frame rates scale consistently with resolution and settings, which is the hallmark of a GPU-bound scenario. If the CPU were the limiting factor, we would expect to see similar FPS across different resolutions, as the CPU would cap the frame rate. Instead, the 4K results are significantly lower than the 1080p results, indicating that the GPU is doing all the heavy lifting.

The CPU's high benchmark scores ensure that it can handle any background tasks or system overhead while gaming, but the actual game performance is determined by the RTX 2070 SUPER. For users considering an upgrade path, the data suggests that replacing the GPU would yield far greater performance gains in The Technomancer than upgrading the CPU, which is already near the top of the benchmark charts. The combo's rank of 1620 out of 2825 is a direct result of the GPU's mid-range positioning, not the CPU's capability.