Thief

This is a hardware analysis of the Intel Core i5-12400 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 for the 2014 stealth classic, Thief. The data shows a combination that is overwhelmingly powerful for this title, delivering playable frame rates at every tested setting and resolution, even at 4K Ultra. The RTX 4080 provides immense headroom, making the CPU the less critical factor at higher resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured frame rates for this combination reveal a consistent pattern of performance that is far above the 60 FPS playable threshold. At 1920x1080, the results are exceptionally high, with even the most demanding preset remaining well above 120 FPS. The Low preset produces an average of 170 FPS, while Medium averages 154 FPS with a minimum of 131 FPS and a maximum of 177 FPS. High settings deliver an average of 139 FPS, and Ultra, the most demanding, still achieves an average of 137 FPS. This resolution shows that the hardware is never strained, with a narrow gap between the lightest and heaviest settings.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance remains equally impressive. The Low preset reaches an average of 150 FPS. Medium settings average 136 FPS, with a minimum and maximum of 115 FPS and 156 FPS, respectively. The High preset produces an average of 123 FPS, while Ultra settings maintain an average of 121 FPS. The difference between High and Ultra at this resolution is minimal, suggesting that visual quality can be maximized without a significant performance penalty.

At 3840x2160, the demands on the GPU become more apparent, but the system still handles the game with ease. The Low preset averages 126 FPS. Medium settings deliver an average of 100 FPS, with a minimum of 85 FPS and a maximum of 114 FPS. High settings average 76 FPS, and Ultra settings, while the most taxing, still produce an average of 72 FPS. This indicates that the RTX 4080 provides enough headroom to play at native 4K with all settings maxed out, a considerable achievement for a game from 2014.

The data across all resolutions shows a clear trend: the performance scaling is not linear with resolution. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is modest, while the drop from 1440p to 4K is more significant, yet the absolute frame rates remain consistently high.

Best Settings per Resolution

For this configuration, the data indicates that the "best" setting is always the highest one tested, as the playable threshold of 60 FPS is exceeded in all scenarios.

At 1920x1080, the recommendation is the Ultra preset, which delivers an average of 137 FPS. This is a full 77 FPS above the playable threshold, leaving substantial room for future performance dips or background tasks. The engine's performance here is so high that there is no reason to compromise on visual fidelity.

Similarly, at 2560x1440, the Ultra preset is the best choice, achieving an average of 121 FPS. This is double the 60 FPS playable threshold, ensuring a fluid experience on high-refresh-rate monitors. The high frame rate also suggests that this setup is capable of driving displays with refresh rates up to 120Hz without issue.

At 3840x2160, the Ultra preset remains the optimal choice, with an average of 72 FPS. While this is the lowest average recorded for this combo, it is still 12 FPS above the playable threshold. This makes 4K Ultra a completely viable and smooth experience, which is noteworthy for a game of this era. The data shows that the combination of the i5-12400 and RTX 4080 is potent enough to enable maximum settings across the board.

CPU and GPU Roles

The performance data suggests a clear division of labor between the Intel Core i5-12400 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080, depending on the resolution. At 1920x1080, the CPU has a more prominent role. The frame rates are exceptionally high, with the average at Low settings reaching 170 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra (170 to 137 FPS) is a 33 FPS difference, which is a relatively large drop, indicating that the CPU is working to feed the GPU at these high frame rates, though it is not a bottleneck that prevents playable performance.

As the resolution increases to 2560x1440, the balance shifts. The average frame rate at Low settings is 150 FPS, and at Ultra, it is 121 FPS. The gap between presets narrows, showing that the GPU is starting to take on more of the workload. The CPU is still providing enough throughput to maintain high minimum frame rates, as evidenced by the Medium preset's minimum of 115 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the GPU becomes the dominant factor. The average frame rate at Low settings drops to 126 FPS, and at Ultra, it falls to 72 FPS. This 54 FPS difference between Low and Ultra is the largest of any resolution, confirming that the GPU's fill rate and shading power are the primary constraints. The CPU's role diminishes here; it is not the limiting factor, as even the most demanding GPU settings still yield an average above 60 FPS. The data indicates that the i5-12400 is sufficient to keep the RTX 4080 well-fed, even at lower resolutions, and the RTX 4080's raw power is what ultimately determines the playable settings at 4K.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-12400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 combination holds a comboRankInGame of 540 out of 3720 tested combos. This places it in the top 14.5% of all possible configurations, a strong showing for this pairing. This rank is driven primarily by the GPU's immense capability, as the CPU's performance is more modest in comparison to other high-end processors.

The benchmark scores for the individual components support this. The RTX 4080's average benchmark score is 54247, which puts it in the 86th percentile of all GPUs. The i5-12400, with an average benchmark score of 18683, sits in the 72nd percentile of all CPUs. The combination of a top-tier GPU with a solid mid-range CPU results in a system that is more powerful than the vast majority of those tested, but the CPU's percentile suggests that there is headroom for an even higher rank if paired with a more powerful processor.

The rank of 540 out of 3720 is a strong indicator that this combo is well-suited for Thief, but it is not the absolute best. The data shows the system is firmly in the upper echelon of performance, capable of handling the game's maximum settings at all standard resolutions.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Based on the nearestRivals data, several other hardware combinations would deliver a similar performance profile. For the CPU, the closest alternatives are the AMD EPYC 7643, which has an average score of 18697 (a -0.1% delta), and the Intel Core i7-1355U, with an average score of 18730 (a -0.3% delta). These processors are functionally equivalent in synthetic benchmarks, meaning they would likely provide very similar frame pacing in CPU-bound scenarios. The AMD Ryzen AI 5 330 is also close, with a score of 18811 (-0.7%), and the Intel Core i3-14100F trails slightly with a score of 18519 (0.9% delta), indicating it would perform within a negligible margin.

On the GPU side, the closest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER, which has an average score of 54209, a mere 0.1% difference from the standard RTX 4080. This means users would see virtually identical frame rates. The AMD Radeon Pro W5700X has an average score of 54828, which is -1.1% lower, suggesting it would be just a few frames slower. The AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB and AMD Radeon 8060S have scores of 55698 (-2.6%) and 55757 (-2.7%) respectively, indicating they would offer a slightly lower, but still comparable, level of performance in this title.

For this game, swapping the i5-12400 for any of the listed CPUs would result in no discernible change in gameplay, as the RTX 4080 is the dominant component. Likewise, upgrading to an RTX 4080 SUPER would be an imperceptible change, while the other GPUs listed would be a slight step down, but still likely capable of high frame rates.

FAQ

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

A: Yes. The measured data shows an average of 72 FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, which is above the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Q: What is the best setting to use at 2560x1440 for the highest visual quality?

A: The Ultra preset is the best choice, as it maintains an average of 121 FPS, which is double the playable threshold, providing both maximum fidelity and a very smooth experience.

Q: Which component, CPU or GPU, is more important for this game at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the CPU plays a more significant role, as evidenced by the larger frame rate drop from Low (170 FPS) to Ultra (137 FPS). The CPU is needed to keep the GPU fed at these high frame rates.

Q: How does this combo rank against other tested systems?

A: This combination ranks 540th out of 3720 tested combos, placing it in the top 14.5% of all configurations tested for Thief.

Q: Is there a large performance difference between the RTX 4080 and the RTX 4080 SUPER?

A: No. The RTX 4080 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 54209, which is only 0.1% different from the RTX 4080's score of 54247, meaning real-world frame rates would be nearly identical.

Q: At which resolution does the GPU become the clear bottleneck?

A: At 3840x2160, the GPU is the dominant factor. The frame rate difference between Low (126 FPS) and Ultra (72 FPS) is the largest of all resolutions, showing that the GPU's workload is the primary constraint on performance.