The Technomancer

The Technomancer, a 2016 Action RPG, presents a demanding workload that scales heavily with resolution and settings. Benchmark results for the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti reveal a configuration where the graphics card is the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions, while the processor’s immense headroom becomes apparent only at 1080p. This analysis breaks down the measured performance data, contextualizes the GPU’s role, and provides actionable settings guidance based strictly on the observed figures.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a classic pattern of GPU-bound scaling as resolution increases. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 175 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 Low drops that average to 115 FPS, a reduction of 60 FPS. At 3840x2160 Low, the average falls further to 63 FPS, representing a 112 FPS drop from the 1080p baseline. This steep decline indicates that the rendering load at 4K overwhelms the RTX 3060 Ti, even on the lowest preset.

For High settings, the scaling is similarly pronounced. The average FPS goes from 115 at 1080p to 75 at 1440p, then down to 41 at 4K. The gap between 1080p and 1440p High is 40 FPS, while the gap between 1440p and 4K High is 34 FPS. This shows that the performance penalty is not linear; it is steepest when jumping to 4K, where the pixel count quadruples from 1080p. The data suggests that at 1080p, the system is not yet fully GPU-limited, as the 175 FPS Low figure indicates the CPU can feed frames rapidly, but the GPU still has significant work to do.

The Ultra preset tells a similar story but with lower absolute numbers. Average FPS at 1080p Ultra is 90, dropping to 59 at 1440p and 32 at 4K. The 4K Ultra result of 32 FPS is below the threshold for smooth gameplay, highlighting that this combination is not suited for maximum fidelity at the highest resolution. The scaling from 1440p to 4K on Ultra shows a 27 FPS drop, which is a 46% reduction in average frame rate. This reinforces the conclusion that the RTX 3060 Ti’s compute and memory bandwidth are the limiting factors at 4K, regardless of the preset.

Notably, the 1080p results show the least proportional drop between Low and Ultra. The difference between 1080p Low (175 FPS) and 1080p Ultra (90 FPS) is 85 FPS, a 49% reduction. In contrast, the 4K Low to 4K Ultra difference is a 31 FPS drop, from 63 to 32 FPS, which is also a 49% reduction. This consistent percentage drop across resolutions suggests that the settings are scaling the GPU workload proportionally, and the CPU is never the primary constraint in this data set. The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus, with its 24 cores and 24 threads, is clearly capable of keeping up with the GPU’s frame output, as evidenced by the high 1080p numbers.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is the defining component in these results. Its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus provides 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. This memory configuration is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p, but the 4K results indicate a struggle, likely due to both capacity and bandwidth pressure. The GPU’s base clock is 1410 MHz with a boost clock of 1665 MHz, and it features 4864 shading units, 152 TMUs, and 80 ROPs. The 38 RT cores and 152 tensor cores are present, but The Technomancer, being a 2016 title, does not leverage ray tracing or DLSS, so these features do not influence the measured FPS.

The GPU’s compute capability is rated at 16.20 TFLOPS for FP32, with a texture rate of 253.1 GTexel/s and a pixel rate of 133.2 GPixel/s. These raw specifications correlate with the observed performance. At 1080p Medium, the combo produces 135 FPS average, with a minimum of 114 FPS and a maximum of 155 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the average is 88 FPS, with a minimum of 75 FPS. At 4K Medium, the average is 48 FPS, with a minimum of 41 FPS. The minimum FPS values at Medium settings show that the GPU can occasionally dip, but the frame pacing remains acceptable for mid-range play.

The RTX 3060 Ti’s percentile ranking versus all GPUs is 59, placing it in the mid-range tier. Its average benchmark score is 16129, with nearest rivals including the AMD Radeon RX 9060 (0.7% ahead) and the AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT (1.4% behind). This competitive positioning is reflected in the game’s performance, where it manages playable frame rates at 1440p High but falls short of 60 FPS at 4K High. The GPU’s 8 GB VRAM is a notable limitation for 4K Ultra settings, where the 32 FPS average suggests the card is both compute-bound and potentially memory-constrained.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to maintain a 60 FPS average?

A: The data shows that 2560x1440 on High settings yields an average of 75 FPS, and 1920x1080 on Ultra yields 90 FPS. At 3840x2160, only the Low preset reaches above 60 FPS, with an average of 63 FPS, while Medium drops to 48 FPS.

Q: How much faster is 1080p compared to 4K on Low settings?

A: At 1080p Low, the average FPS is 175, while at 4K Low, it is 63. This represents a 112 FPS difference, meaning the 1080p result is 178% higher than the 4K result.

Q: Does the Ultra preset ever hit 60 FPS?

A: Yes, but only at 1920x1080, where the average is 90 FPS. At 2560x1440 Ultra, the average drops to 59 FPS, and at 3840x2160 Ultra, it falls to 32 FPS.

Q: What is the performance difference between Medium and Ultra at 1440p?

A: The Medium preset at 1440p averages 88 FPS, while Ultra averages 59 FPS. This is a difference of 29 FPS, indicating that Ultra demands significantly more GPU resources.

Q: Is the CPU a bottleneck in any tested configuration?

A: The data does not indicate a CPU bottleneck. The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus’s high multi-core scores, such as 51731 in Cinebench R23, suggest ample headroom. The consistent FPS drops across resolutions point to the GPU as the limiting factor.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded for the Medium preset across all resolutions?

A: The minimum FPS values are 114 at 1080p, 75 at 1440p, and 41 at 4K. These figures show that even the minimum frame rates at 1080p and 1440p remain above 60 FPS.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti ranks 1375 out of 2825 tested combos for this game. This places it in the 49th percentile of all configurations. The ranking reflects a balanced pairing where the high-end CPU does not boost the overall score beyond what the mid-range GPU can deliver. The CPU itself is a top-tier part, with a percentile rank of 96 versus all CPUs and an average benchmark score of 84003. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, which is only 0.2% ahead, and the AMD EPYC 7F72, which is 1.3% behind.

The GPU, however, has a percentile rank of 59 versus all GPUs. This disparity in component tiers explains the combo’s mid-pack ranking. The RTX 3060 Ti’s average benchmark score is 16129, which is close to the AMD Radeon RX 9060’s score (0.7% higher) and the AMD Radeon Pro 5600M (1.4% higher). In a game like The Technomancer, which is heavily GPU-dependent at higher resolutions, the CPU’s strength cannot compensate for the GPU’s limitations. The combo rank suggests that users would see similar performance with a less expensive processor, as the frame rates are largely dictated by the graphics card.

The measured FPS data confirms this ranking logic. At 4K Ultra, the combo produces 32 FPS, which is not competitive with higher-tier GPU pairings that might achieve 60 FPS or more. At 1080p Low, the 175 FPS result is excellent, but this is a scenario where the GPU is still the limiting factor, as the CPU could likely push even higher frame rates if the GPU allowed. The combo’s position at 1375 out of 2825 indicates a solid mid-tier setup, suitable for 1080p and 1440p gaming, but not for high-refresh-rate 4K.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete measured FPS data provides a detailed view of performance across all settings and resolutions. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers an average of 175 FPS. The Medium preset averages 135 FPS, with a minimum of 114 FPS and a maximum of 155 FPS. High settings average 115 FPS, and Ultra averages 90 FPS. These numbers indicate that 1080p is the sweet spot for this combo, with all presets achieving well above 60 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 115 FPS. Medium averages 88 FPS, with a minimum of 75 FPS and a maximum of 101 FPS. High settings average 75 FPS, and Ultra drops to 59 FPS. The 1440p results show that High and Medium are playable, while Ultra is borderline, with the average just below the 60 FPS threshold. The minimum FPS for Medium at 75 FPS ensures a smooth experience in most scenes.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 63 FPS, which is the only playable option at this resolution. Medium averages 48 FPS, with a minimum of 41 FPS and a maximum of 56 FPS. High settings average 41 FPS, and Ultra averages 32 FPS. The 4K data shows a clear limitation: even on Low, the frame rate is barely above 60 FPS, and any increase in settings results in sub-60 FPS performance. The Medium preset’s minimum of 41 FPS indicates noticeable stutter in demanding scenes.

The medium preset is the only one with complete min/max data for all three resolutions. This allows for a direct comparison of frame time consistency. At 1080p, the spread between min and max is 41 FPS (114 to 155). At 1440p, the spread is 26 FPS (75 to 101). At 4K, the spread is 15 FPS (41 to 56). As resolution increases, the absolute frame rate drops, but the frame pacing becomes more consistent, likely because the GPU is more uniformly saturated.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend heavily on the target resolution. For 1920x1080, the Ultra preset is the clear choice, delivering an average of 90 FPS. This is well above the 60 FPS threshold and provides the highest visual fidelity. Even if a user prefers maximum frame rates, the Low preset’s 175 FPS is excessive for most displays, making Ultra the best balance of performance and quality.

For 2560x1440, the High preset is recommended, with an average of 75 FPS. This provides a comfortable margin above 60 FPS while maintaining good visual quality. The Medium preset offers a higher average of 88 FPS, but the visual difference between Medium and High is often significant, and the 13 FPS gain may not justify the drop in fidelity. The Ultra preset at 59 FPS is close to playable, but the average below 60 FPS risks dips that can be noticeable.

For 3840x2160, the Low preset is the only viable option, with an average of 63 FPS. This preset yields the minimum playable performance, but users must accept lower visual quality. The Medium preset’s 48 FPS average is not smooth enough for a responsive experience, and the High and Ultra presets are too demanding. For 4K gaming, users should either stick to Low settings or consider lowering the resolution to 1440p to use higher presets.

The data suggests that the best overall experience for this combo is 1440p High, which balances the GPU’s capabilities with acceptable visual fidelity. The 75 FPS average provides headroom for demanding scenes, and the preset is not as punishing as Ultra. For users with 1080p monitors, Ultra is the best choice, as the performance headroom is ample. For 4K displays, the Low preset is the only way to achieve a playable frame rate, and users should be aware that the experience will be compromised.