Thief

The Intel Core i3-12100F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 is a combination that places surprisingly high in the benchmark database for Thief, given the modest CPU. The data places this combo at rank 811 out of 3,720 tested combinations, which puts it in the top 22% of all systems evaluated for this title. This ranking is driven almost entirely by the GPU’s raw output, as the processor’s 68th percentile standing among all CPUs (with an average benchmark score of 13,494) is far less impressive than the graphics card’s 82nd percentile ranking among all GPUs (average score 40,377). The measured frame rates confirm this hierarchy: this system is not merely playable, but exceptionally fast at every resolution and preset tested, with the weakest result still clearing the 60 FPS threshold by a narrow margin.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo’s rank of 811 out of 3,720 tested combinations means that roughly 78% of all CPU-GPU pairings tested in Thief deliver lower average frame rates than this specific pairing. That is a strong placement, but it is important to contextualize it: the RTX 5070 is a high-end Blackwell 2.0 GPU with 6,144 shading units and a 192-bit memory bus feeding 12 GB of GDDR7, while the i3-12100F is a 4-core, 8-thread Alder Lake part with a 12 MB shared L3 cache. The data shows that the GPU is performing at a level that would typically be paired with a much more powerful processor, yet the system still avoids being dragged down because Thief is a 2014 title that does not heavily tax multi-threaded CPU performance.

The average FPS figures across all settings and resolutions support this ranking logic. At 1080p, the lowest preset (Low) produces 168.3 FPS average, while the most demanding preset (Ultra) still averages 138 FPS. At 1440p, the spread narrows: Low averages 150.2 FPS, and Ultra averages 106.3 FPS. At 4K, the GPU begins to show its limits relative to the CPU, but the results remain high: Low averages 111.8 FPS, and Ultra averages 60.6 FPS. The rank of 811 reflects a system that is clearly GPU-bound at 4K Ultra (where the average dips to within 0.6 FPS of the 60 FPS playable threshold), but at lower resolutions the combo is so far above the playable threshold that the CPU’s relative weakness becomes irrelevant.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Looking at the nearest rivals for the CPU, the i3-12100F’s average benchmark score of 13,494 is almost identical to the Intel Core 3 N355 (score 13,492, delta 0%), meaning a system using that processor would deliver essentially the same CPU-limited performance. The Intel Core i5-9500 scores 13,452, which is 0.3% lower, while the Intel Core 5 120UL scores 13,594 (0.7% higher), and the Intel Core i7-1250U scores 13,351 (1.1% higher). In practice, swapping the i3-12100F for any of these rivals would produce imperceptible differences in Thief frame rates, since the game is not CPU-bound at the tested settings. The GPU’s nearest rivals tell a similar story at the other end of the pipeline: the AMD Radeon Pro 580 scores 40,318 (0.1% higher than the RTX 5070’s 40,377), the AMD Radeon Pro WX 7100 scores 40,063 (0.8% lower), the AMD Radeon Pro 5300 scores 40,870 (1.2% higher), and the NVIDIA RTX A500 Mobile scores 39,568 (2% lower). All four of these GPUs are within a 2% delta of the RTX 5070’s average score, meaning that a system built with any of them instead of the RTX 5070 would produce frame rates within a few percent of what is measured here.

For users looking to replicate this combo’s performance, the data suggests that the CPU choice is nearly irrelevant as long as it is in this performance class. The i3-12100F’s single-thread score of 893 in 3dmark and 1,674 in Cinebench R23 is sufficient for Thief’s engine, and the nearest rivals all fall within a 1.1% band of average score. On the GPU side, any of the four nearest rivals would yield statistically identical results, though the RTX 5070’s 12 GB of GDDR7 memory and 672.0 GB/s bandwidth give it a theoretical advantage in texture-heavy scenes that the benchmark scores do not fully capture.

CPU and GPU Roles

The measured FPS data clearly delineates which component is doing the heavy lifting at each resolution. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p to 4K shows that the GPU becomes progressively more important as resolution increases, while the CPU’s role diminishes. At 1080p Ultra, the combo averages 138 FPS; at 1440p Ultra, it drops to 106.3 FPS (a 23% reduction); and at 4K Ultra, it falls to 60.6 FPS (a further 43% reduction from 1440p). This steep decline with increasing resolution is the signature of a GPU-bound system—the RTX 5070 is being pushed to its limits, while the i3-12100F has ample headroom to feed it frames.

The opposite pattern appears when comparing presets at a fixed resolution. At 4K, moving from Low (111.8 FPS) to Medium (84.8 FPS) to High (65 FPS) to Ultra (60.6 FPS) shows a consistent drop as the GPU does more work per frame. At 1080p, the same preset progression yields 168.3, 153.4, 136.8, and 138 FPS, respectively—note that Ultra actually averages higher than High (138 vs. 136.8 FPS), which suggests that the game’s High preset may have an unusual setting combination that is slightly more demanding than Ultra, or that the measured variance is within a fraction of a percent. The CPU’s role is most visible at 1080p Low, where the 168.3 FPS average is likely approaching the point where the i3-12100F’s 4 cores could become a limiting factor, but even there the system is nowhere near the 60 FPS threshold.

In summary, the RTX 5070 is the determining factor for playability at 4K, where the difference between Low and Ultra is 51.2 FPS. At 1080p and 1440p, the CPU and GPU are both operating well within their capabilities, and the system is far from any bottleneck.

FAQ

*Q: Can this system run Thief at 4K Ultra settings?*

A: Yes. The measured average FPS at 3840x2160 Ultra is 60.6, which is just above the 60 FPS playable threshold. This is the most demanding preset tested, and it barely clears the bar.

Q: What is the best preset to use at 1440p for maximum quality?

A: The data shows that Ultra at 2560x1440 averages 106.3 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold. Since all four presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra) are playable at this resolution, Ultra is the best choice for visual fidelity.

Q: How much faster is this combo at 1080p compared to 4K?

A: At 1080p Ultra, the average FPS is 138, which is 77.4 FPS higher than 4K Ultra’s 60.6 FPS. At 1080p Low, the average is 168.3 FPS, which is 56.5 FPS higher than 4K Low’s 111.8 FPS.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in this system?

A: The GPU is the limiting factor at 4K, where the frame rate drops sharply as settings increase (from 111.8 FPS at Low to 60.6 FPS at Ultra). At 1080p and 1440p, neither component is close to a bottleneck, as all presets exceed 100 FPS except for 4K High and Ultra.

Q: How does this combo compare to systems with similar hardware?

A: The combo ranks 811 out of 3,720 (top 22%). The CPU’s nearest rival, the Intel Core 3 N355, has a nearly identical average score (13,492 vs. 13,494, 0% delta), and the GPU’s nearest rival, the AMD Radeon Pro 580, is within 0.1% of the RTX 5070’s score (40,318 vs. 40,377). Systems with these alternatives would perform within 2% of this combo.

Q: What is the lowest measured frame rate at any setting?

A: The lowest average FPS recorded is 60.6 at 3840x2160 Ultra. No setting tested drops below the 60 FPS playable threshold, and minimum FPS values were not recorded in this dataset.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured data covers three resolutions and four preset levels, producing 12 data points. At 1920x1080, the results are: Low averages 168.3 FPS, Medium averages 153.4 FPS, High averages 136.8 FPS, and Ultra averages 138 FPS. The spread between Low and Ultra is 30.3 FPS, which is relatively narrow, suggesting that the GPU has enough headroom at this resolution that even the most demanding settings do not strain it. The slight inversion where Ultra (138 FPS) exceeds High (136.8 FPS) is within the margin of measurement error and likely reflects the specific rendering paths of those presets.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates are: Low averages 150.2 FPS, Medium averages 134.6 FPS, High averages 108.8 FPS, and Ultra averages 106.3 FPS. The drop from Low to Ultra is 43.9 FPS, which is larger than at 1080p, indicating that the GPU is beginning to feel the resolution increase. Still, even the lowest value (106.3 FPS at Ultra) is far above the 60 FPS threshold, leaving substantial headroom.

At 3840x2160, the results are: Low averages 111.8 FPS, Medium averages 84.8 FPS, High averages 65 FPS, and Ultra averages 60.6 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra is steep, with a 51.2 FPS drop. The High preset’s 65 FPS average is the first point where the system approaches the playable threshold with only 5 FPS of margin, and Ultra’s 60.6 FPS is just 0.6 FPS above the threshold. This resolution is clearly where the RTX 5070’s 192-bit memory bus and 12 GB GDDR7 buffer are being fully taxed.

Best Settings per Resolution

For each resolution, the goal is to find the most demanding preset that maintains an average of at least 60 FPS. At 1920x1080, all four presets clear this bar, with Ultra averaging 138 FPS. Since Ultra is the most visually demanding preset and it delivers more than double the 60 FPS threshold, it is the recommended setting. At 2560x1440, Ultra averages 106.3 FPS, which is again the most demanding preset and comfortably above the threshold. At 3840x2160, Ultra averages 60.6 FPS, which clears the threshold by only 0.6 FPS. The data therefore indicates that Ultra is the best setting at every resolution, but with a critical caveat at 4K: the margin is razor-thin, and any scene more complex than the benchmark’s average could push the frame rate below 60 FPS. For a safer experience at 4K, the High preset (65 FPS average) provides a 5 FPS buffer, while Medium (84.8 FPS) offers a more comfortable 24.8 FPS margin.

The Verdict

The verdict from the data is unambiguous: this PC can run Thief at every resolution and preset combination tested, with all 12 measured configurations exceeding the 60 FPS playable threshold. At 1920x1080, the system is exceptionally fast, with the lowest preset (Low) hitting 168.3 FPS and the highest (Ultra) at 138 FPS—both far above what is needed for smooth gameplay. At 2560x1440, the results are similarly strong, with Ultra averaging 106.3 FPS, which is 46.3 FPS above the threshold. At 3840x2160, the system still clears the threshold at every preset, but the margin shrinks dramatically: Ultra averages 60.6 FPS, High averages 65 FPS, Medium averages 84.8 FPS, and Low averages 111.8 FPS. The verdictByResolution field confirms that all settings are playable at all three resolutions, with the best settings being Ultra at each: 138 FPS at 1080p, 106.3 FPS at 1440p, and 60.6 FPS at 4K. The 4K Ultra result is the only one that sits within 1 FPS of the playable threshold, so users who prioritize frame rate stability over maximum visual quality at 4K should consider the High preset, which provides a slightly larger buffer. For 1080p and 1440p users, there is no reason to compromise on settings—the RTX 5070 has ample headroom, and the i3-12100F does not appear to hinder performance at these resolutions. This is a system that can max out Thief without breaking a sweat, except at 4K where it delivers a playable but barely-comfortable experience at the highest settings.