Thief

The Intel Core i5-12400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 is a formidable combination for Thief, placing 786th out of 3720 tested combos. This puts the pairing in the top 21% of all configurations tested, indicating a system that is far more capable than average for this stealth title. The benchmark data shows this combo delivers high frame rates across all resolutions, with the RTX 5070's raw power clearly dominating the older game's engine requirements.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 786 out of 3720 tested configurations places it in the 78.9th percentile of all systems measured for Thief. This is a strong position, driven almost entirely by the GPU's exceptional performance. The RTX 5070 sits in the 82nd percentile among all GPUs, while the i5-12400F is in the 73rd percentile among all CPUs. The combination of a high-tier GPU with a competent mid-range CPU creates a system that handles Thief with substantial overhead at every resolution tested.

The data indicates this is not a marginal build. A rank in the top 21% means the vast majority of other tested combos will produce lower frame rates. The i5-12400F's 12 threads and boost clock of 4.40 GHz provide a solid foundation, but the 5070's 12 GB of GDDR7 memory and 672.0 GB/s of bandwidth are the primary drivers of the high scores. For a game released in 2014, this hardware is effectively overkill, which is reflected in the consistently high average FPS figures across the board.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, which averages 62.2 FPS. This is a remarkable result; 4K Ultra is often a stress test for even modern cards, but this combo clears the playable threshold with a small margin. If you prefer a smoother experience, dropping to High yields 63.6 FPS, essentially identical performance. For maximum fluidity at 4K, Low settings push the average to 109.5 FPS, but the data suggests Ultra is the sweet spot for visual fidelity without sacrificing playability.

At 2560x1440, the story is even better. Ultra settings average 106.2 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold. High settings offer 108.3 FPS, and Medium averages 135.5 FPS. The most demanding preset, Ultra, is the clear recommendation here, as it delivers nearly double the required frame rate. Even at Low settings, the average jumps to 150.2 FPS, showing that the GPU is barely taxed at this resolution.

At 1920x1080, the combo is untouchable. The most demanding preset, Ultra, averages 137.6 FPS, which is more than double the 60 FPS target. High settings produce 140.6 FPS, and Medium hits 157.4 FPS. The data shows no scenario at 1080p where this system fails to deliver a playable experience, even at the highest graphical preset. For competitive or high-refresh-rate play, Low settings average 171.7 FPS, but the visual trade-off is unnecessary given the headroom at Ultra.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark results reveal a clear pattern: the RTX 5070 is the decisive component, while the i5-12400F provides ample support without becoming a bottleneck. This is evident from the scaling between resolutions. Moving from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440, the Ultra preset average drops from 137.6 FPS to 106.2 FPS, a 22.8% reduction. From 2560x1440 to 3840x2160, the Ultra average falls from 106.2 FPS to 62.2 FPS, a 41.4% reduction. This steep decline at 4K is typical of GPU-bound workloads, where the rendering load increases exponentially with pixel count.

The CPU's role is consistent across resolutions. The i5-12400F's 6 cores and 12 threads are sufficient for Thief's engine, as evidenced by the high frame rates even at 1080p Low (171.7 FPS). If the CPU were a limiting factor, we would expect to see a plateau in FPS at lower resolutions, where the GPU is less stressed. Instead, the data shows continuous improvement as resolution decreases, confirming that the GPU is the primary performance driver.

Preset scaling further supports this. At 3840x2160, moving from Low to Ultra reduces the average FPS from 109.5 to 62.2, a 43.2% performance hit. At 1920x1080, the same preset change only reduces FPS from 171.7 to 137.6, a 19.9% drop. This differential is attributable to the GPU's workload; at higher resolutions, the pixel and shader demands grow, making the graphics card the sole arbiter of performance. The CPU's workload remains relatively constant, so its impact is diminished.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Looking at the nearest rivals for the CPU, the i5-12400F's average benchmark score of 19039 is nearly identical to the AMD Ryzen 5 7535HS, which scores 19047 with a deltaPct of 0. The Intel Core 3 201E is also a close match, scoring 19056 with a deltaPct of -0.1. The Intel Core i5-1335U scores 18982 with a deltaPct of 0.3, and the AMD EPYC 7773X scores 18979 with a deltaPct of 0.3. In practical terms for Thief, swapping the i5-12400F for any of these would yield virtually indistinguishable performance, as the game's CPU demands are modest.

For the GPU, the RTX 5070's average benchmark score of 40377 is closely matched by the AMD Radeon Pro 580, which scores 40318 with a deltaPct of 0.1. The AMD Radeon Pro WX 7100 scores 40063 with a deltaPct of 0.8, while the AMD Radeon Pro 5300 scores 40870 with a deltaPct of -1.2. The NVIDIA RTX A500 Mobile scores 39568 with a deltaPct of 2. These alternatives would deliver similar frame rates in Thief, though the RTX 5070's newer architecture and higher memory bandwidth (672.0 GB/s vs. older GDDR5 solutions) might offer better minimum frame stability, even if the average scores are comparable.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured averages are consistently high. Low settings average 171.7 FPS, Medium averages 157.4 FPS, High averages 140.6 FPS, and Ultra averages 137.6 FPS. The spread between Low and Ultra is 34.1 FPS, which is a modest penalty for maxing out the visual preset. The data shows no min or max FPS values, but the averages indicate a smooth experience.

At 2560x1440, the averages remain strong. Low settings average 150.2 FPS, Medium averages 135.5 FPS, High averages 108.3 FPS, and Ultra averages 106.2 FPS. The difference between High and Ultra is negligible, suggesting that the Ultra preset does not add significant rendering complexity over High at this resolution. The drop from Medium to High is more pronounced, at 27.2 FPS, which is the biggest single-step reduction in this resolution tier.

At 3840x2160, the averages show the expected scaling pressure. Low settings average 109.5 FPS, Medium averages 82.2 FPS, High averages 63.6 FPS, and Ultra averages 62.2 FPS. The step from Medium to High is a 18.6 FPS reduction, while High to Ultra is only a 1.4 FPS reduction. This indicates that the Ultra preset at 4K is only marginally more demanding than High, and both are near the 60 FPS threshold. The performance cliff between Medium and High at this resolution is the most significant finding in the entire dataset.

The Verdict

This system can absolutely run Thief, and it does so with authority. The verdict by resolution confirms that all four settings presets are playable at every resolution tested, meaning the average FPS never drops below the 60 FPS playable threshold. At 1920x1080, the best settings are Ultra, averaging 137.6 FPS, which is over twice the playable threshold. At 2560x1440, Ultra averages 106.2 FPS, providing a large margin for error and ensuring consistent performance. At 3840x2160, Ultra averages 62.2 FPS, which is just above the 60 FPS line, but High averages 63.6 FPS, offering a nearly identical experience with slightly less demanding settings.

The data suggests that for 4K gaming, you should stick with Ultra if you value visual fidelity, as the 62.2 FPS average is technically playable. However, the 1.4 FPS difference between High and Ultra at this resolution makes High a safer choice for maintaining a stable frame rate, especially in moments of intense action. For 1440p and 1080p, there is no reason to lower settings below Ultra, as the GPU has ample headroom. In summary, this combo is a top-tier performer for Thief, capable of delivering a smooth, high-fidelity experience at any resolution, with the only caveat being a slim margin at 4K Ultra.