The Technomancer

# The Technomancer with Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER

This combination of the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER delivers a thoroughly capable experience in The Technomancer, a 2016 Action RPG. The measured frame rates span from a highly playable 54 FPS at 4K Ultra to a blistering 296 FPS at 1080p Low, placing this pairing at rank 177 out of 2825 tested combos. The data reveals a system that scales predictably across resolutions and settings, with the GPU becoming the primary constraint at higher resolutions while the CPU's considerable headroom keeps performance high at lower settings.

Resolution Scaling

The most striking pattern in the measured data is the dramatic FPS drop as resolution increases from 1080p to 4K. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 194 FPS at 1920x1080 to 127 FPS at 2560x1440, then to 70 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 34.5% reduction when moving from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 44.9% drop from 1440p to 4K. The cumulative scaling from 1080p to 4K at High settings shows a 63.9% decrease in average FPS, indicating that pixel throughput becomes the dominant limiting factor at higher resolutions.

The same pattern holds across other settings. At Low settings, the transition from 1080p (296 FPS) to 1440p (194 FPS) involves a 34.5% reduction, and then to 4K (106 FPS) another 45.4% drop. At Medium settings, the scaling is nearly identical in percentage terms: 227 FPS at 1080p, 149 FPS at 1440p (a 34.4% drop), and 82 FPS at 4K (a 45.0% drop from 1440p). Ultra settings follow suit with 152 FPS at 1080p, 99 FPS at 1440p (34.9% down), and 54 FPS at 4K (45.5% down).

This consistent scaling pattern across all four settings presets strongly indicates that the rendering workload at higher resolutions is primarily bound by the GPU's pixel and texture processing capabilities. The RTX 4080 SUPER, with its 112 ROPs and 816.0 GTexel/s texture rate, handles the increased pixel count predictably, but the frame rate halving from 1080p to 4K at every setting tier suggests that fill-rate and memory bandwidth constraints become more pronounced as resolution climbs. The 736.3 GB/s memory bandwidth and 16 GB GDDR6X frame buffer are sufficient for all tested configurations, yet the computational load at 4K still exacts a heavy toll.

The fact that the percentage drops are so uniform across settings points to a resolution-bound scenario rather than a settings-bound one. When the game is run at 1080p, even Ultra settings produce 152 FPS, which is far above the 70 FPS seen at 4K High. This indicates that at lower resolutions, the GPU has ample headroom, and the CPU's role becomes more prominent — but the data suggests the Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is never the bottleneck, as even the most demanding CPU scenario (1080p Low at 296 FPS) does not show signs of CPU limitation.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average frame rate achievable with this combo?

A: The highest measured average FPS is 296, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This is nearly double the 152 FPS seen at the same resolution with Ultra settings, which reflects the substantial performance cost of higher graphical presets.

Q: How does the combo perform at 4K with High settings?

A: At 3840x2160 with High settings, the average frame rate is 70 FPS. This is comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay, though it is significantly lower than the 127 FPS at 1440p High and 194 FPS at 1080p High.

Q: Is the RTX 4080 SUPER the limiting factor at any resolution?

A: The data indicates that the GPU becomes the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions. The consistent 34-35% FPS drop from 1080p to 1440p and 45-46% drop from 1440p to 4K across all settings shows that pixel throughput is the bottleneck, not CPU performance.

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

A: At 2560x1440, Medium settings produce an average of 149 FPS, while Ultra settings produce 99 FPS. The difference is 50 FPS, or approximately 33.6% lower performance at Ultra compared to Medium.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested combinations for this game?

A: The combo ranks 177th out of 2825 tested combinations for The Technomancer. This places it in the top 6.3% of all tested systems, indicating strong overall performance.

Q: Does the RTX 4080 SUPER's 16 GB VRAM cause any issues at 4K?

A: The measured data shows no indication of VRAM-related problems. The 16 GB GDDR6X frame buffer with 736.3 GB/s bandwidth supports all tested configurations, including 4K Ultra at 54 FPS, without any recorded min FPS anomalies that would suggest memory constraints.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER plays the dominant role in determining The Technomancer's performance, particularly at higher resolutions. Its 16 GB of GDDR6X memory provides ample capacity for the game's textures and geometry, and the 736.3 GB/s memory bandwidth ensures that data transfer does not become a bottleneck. The GPU's core configuration includes 10240 shading units, 320 texture mapping units, and 112 ROPs, which together deliver the measured frame rates across all resolution and settings combinations.

The clock speeds of the RTX 4080 SUPER — a base of 2295 MHz and a boost of 2550 MHz — are relatively high for the Ada Lovelace architecture. This boost clock, combined with the 52.22 TFLOPS FP32 performance, explains why the GPU can push 296 FPS at 1080p Low when the pixel load is modest. However, the uniform percentage drops as resolution increases suggest that the GPU is operating at its limits when the pixel count rises. The 285.6 GPixel/s pixel rate is the key metric here, as the 4K tests require over 8.3 million pixels per frame, which naturally takes a toll.

The GPU's percentile ranking of 86 against all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 54209, places it as a high-end part, though its nearest rivals show it is not the absolute top. The RTX 4080 SUPER is 0.1% behind the RTX 4080 in average score, and 2.8% behind the AMD Radeon 8060S. This close grouping indicates that the GPU's performance in The Technomancer is consistent with its synthetic benchmarks, and the measured FPS figures reflect a high-end but not top-tier graphics solution.

The 320W TDP and triple-slot design suggest that the GPU can sustain its boost clocks under load, which is critical for maintaining the 70 FPS average at 4K High. The power delivery via a single 16-pin connector and the 700 W suggested PSU provide adequate headroom, though these factors do not directly appear in the FPS measurements. The GPU's DirectX 12 Ultimate support and Vulkan 1.4 API compatibility ensure that The Technomancer can utilize modern rendering paths, though the game's 2016 release date means it likely relies on older API paths.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured frame rates, the optimal settings preset depends on the target resolution and the user's preference for frame rate versus visual fidelity. At 1920x1080, all settings presets deliver well above 60 FPS, with even Ultra averaging 152 FPS. For users with 1080p displays, Ultra settings provide the best visual experience without sacrificing smoothness, as the 152 FPS average is far above any competitive gaming threshold.

At 2560x1440, the choice becomes more nuanced. High settings produce 127 FPS, while Ultra produces 99 FPS. The 28 FPS difference between High and Ultra may be noticeable to users with high-refresh-rate monitors, and the 99 FPS at Ultra is still above 60 FPS. However, the Medium preset at 149 FPS offers a substantial frame rate advantage over Ultra (50 FPS higher) while likely providing most of the visual enhancements. The data suggests that High settings at 1440p offer the best balance, with 127 FPS being high enough for smooth gameplay and the visual improvements over Medium being worthwhile.

At 3840x2160, the measured data shows that High settings (70 FPS) and Medium settings (82 FPS) are the only presets that maintain an average above 60 FPS. Ultra at 4K drops to 54 FPS, which may be acceptable for slower-paced gameplay but is below the 60 FPS threshold. Low settings at 4K produce 106 FPS, but the visual quality sacrifice is likely too severe for most users. The recommendation for 4K is to use High settings, as the 70 FPS average provides a good balance between visual fidelity and smoothness, while Medium (82 FPS) is the safer choice for users who prioritize frame rate stability.

The Medium preset at each resolution shows the most consistent min FPS data, with 69 FPS at 4K, 126 FPS at 1440p, and 193 FPS at 1080p. These min FPS values are closer to the averages (82, 149, and 227 FPS respectively) than would be expected from other presets, indicating that Medium settings produce a more stable frame delivery. For users who experience frame rate fluctuations, Medium settings may offer a steadier experience despite lower average FPS compared to High.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers the highest average FPS at 296. Medium settings produce 227 FPS, with a documented range of 193 to 262 FPS. High settings follow at 194 FPS, while Ultra settings produce 152 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a consistent reduction: Low to Medium is a 23.3% drop, Medium to High is a 14.5% drop, and High to Ultra is a 21.6% drop. The total reduction from Low to Ultra is 48.6%, indicating that the Ultra preset costs nearly half the frame rate of Low.

At 2560x1440, the same pattern emerges with lower absolute values. Low settings average 194 FPS, Medium settings average 149 FPS with a range of 126 to 171 FPS, High settings average 127 FPS, and Ultra settings average 99 FPS. The percentage reductions are similar to 1080p: Low to Medium is 23.2%, Medium to High is 14.8%, and High to Ultra is 22.0%. The total reduction from Low to Ultra is 49.0%, nearly identical to the 1080p figure.

At 3840x2160, the measured FPS values are substantially lower. Low settings produce 106 FPS, Medium settings produce 82 FPS with a range of 69 to 94 FPS, High settings produce 70 FPS, and Ultra settings produce 54 FPS. The reduction pattern is again consistent: Low to Medium is 22.6%, Medium to High is 14.6%, and High to Ultra is 22.9%. The total reduction from Low to Ultra is 49.1%, which closely mirrors the other resolutions.

The consistency of these percentage reductions across all three resolutions is remarkable. It indicates that the settings presets impose a similar relative performance cost regardless of the base resolution, and that the GPU's scaling behavior is uniform. The Medium preset's min FPS values provide additional insight: at 4K, the 69 FPS minimum is 84.1% of the average, while at 1440p the 126 FPS minimum is 84.6% of the average, and at 1080p the 193 FPS minimum is 85.0% of the average. This suggests that frame time consistency is slightly better at higher resolutions, potentially due to the GPU being more uniformly utilized.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is a 24-core, 24-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake Refresh architecture, built on a 3 nm process by TSMC. Its base clock is 3.70 GHz with a boost clock of 5.80 GHz, and it features a 36 MB shared L3 cache along with 3 MB L2 cache per core. The CPU's 125W TDP and dual-channel DDR5 memory support with 115.2 GB/s bandwidth provide the foundation for its benchmark performance, which includes a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 51731 and a single-core score of 7303.

In the context of The Technomancer, the CPU's role appears to be secondary to the GPU, as the measured FPS scaling follows GPU-centric patterns. At 1080p Low, the 296 FPS average indicates that the CPU can feed the GPU with enough draw calls and game logic updates to sustain very high frame rates. The 24 cores and 24 threads provide substantial parallel processing capability, and the 5.80 GHz boost clock ensures strong single-thread performance, which is often critical for game logic and physics.

The CPU's percentile ranking of 96 against all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 84003, places it in the top tier of processors. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, has an average score of 83807, which is 0.2% lower. The AMD EPYC 7F72 scores 85072, which is 1.3% higher, indicating that the 290K Plus is competitive with the best available CPUs. This performance headroom means that in The Technomancer, the CPU is unlikely to be the limiting factor at any tested resolution or settings combination.

The Passmark multithread score of 60860 and single-thread score of 4823 further illustrate the CPU's capability. The data compression score of 698346 and floating-point math score of 214760 suggest that the CPU can handle complex game calculations without becoming a bottleneck. The 17,800 million transistors on a 243 mm² die indicate a dense, modern design that maximizes instruction throughput.

Given that the FPS drops from 1080p to 4K are so consistent (around 34-35% for the first step and 45-46% for the second), there is no evidence of CPU limitation at any point. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see smaller FPS differences between resolutions at lower settings, where the GPU load is lighter. Instead, the uniform scaling across all settings suggests that the GPU is the primary constraint throughout, and the CPU has ample headroom to support even the highest frame rates recorded.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER ranks 177th out of 2825 tested combinations for The Technomancer. This places the combo in the top 6.3% of all tested systems, which is an excellent result given the game's age and the hardware's capabilities. The ranking reflects the measured FPS data, which shows strong performance across all resolutions and settings, with no configuration falling below 54 FPS average.

The combo's rank is influenced by both the CPU and GPU's individual performance. The CPU's 96th percentile ranking against all CPUs and the GPU's 86th percentile ranking against all GPUs together produce a system that is well-balanced for this game. The fact that the combo ranks 177th, rather than lower, suggests that there are 176 other combinations that perform better, likely featuring top-tier GPUs such as the RTX 4090 or newer generations. However, the 4080 SUPER's close benchmark scores to its rivals — 0.1% below the RTX 4080 and 2.7% below the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB — indicate that the GPU is performing as expected.

The combo's rank can be contextualized by considering that 2825 combinations have been tested for this game. Being at 177th means that the combo outperforms 2648 other tested systems, or 93.7% of all combinations. This is a strong showing for a GPU that is marked as end-of-life production status, and it underscores that the RTX 4080 SUPER remains a highly capable card for this title despite being succeeded by the GeForce 50 series.

The data also shows that the combo's performance is consistent with its component rankings. The CPU's 0.2% advantage over the Core Ultra 9 285K in average benchmark score, and the GPU's 0.1% deficit to the RTX 4080, suggest that the combo is near the top of what is possible with these components. The 177th rank out of 2825 confirms the balanced nature of this pairing, where neither component significantly bottleneck the other in The Technomancer's workload.