Thief

FAQ

Q: Can the Intel Core i7-13700K + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 combination run Thief at 60 frames per second?

A: Yes. The data shows that all tested settings at every resolution—1920x1080, 2560x1440, and 3840x2160—produce average frame rates above the 60 FPS playable threshold. The lowest recorded average is 72 FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings.

Q: What is the best setting for 4K gameplay?

A: At 3840x2160, the best playable setting is Ultra, which delivers an average of 72 FPS. This is the most demanding preset that stays above the 60 FPS threshold at that resolution.

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

A: The Intel Core i7-13700K + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 ranks 161st out of 3,720 tested combos for Thief, placing it in the top 4.3% of all configurations.

Q: What is the highest average frame rate recorded?

A: The highest average frame rate is 212 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings. The minimum frame rate recorded at that setting is not listed, but the average exceeds 200 FPS.

Q: Is the RTX 4080 close to the RTX 4080 SUPER in performance?

A: Yes. The RTX 4080's average benchmark score is 54,247, while the RTX 4080 SUPER scores 54,209, a delta of just 0.1%. The two cards are effectively performance peers in aggregate benchmarks.

Q: Does the CPU bottleneck the GPU in this game?

A: The data does not indicate a CPU bottleneck. The Intel Core i7-13700K ranks in the 89th percentile among all CPUs, and frame rates scale consistently with resolution changes, suggesting the GPU is the primary driver of performance differences.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i7-13700K + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 combination achieves a rank of 161 out of 3,720 tested combos for Thief. This places the configuration in the top 4.3% of all tested systems, a strong showing for a game released in 2014. The percentile positioning reflects both the CPU's 89th percentile standing among all processors and the GPU's 86th percentile among all graphics cards.

The ranking indicates that this combo sits well above the median tested system. With 3,720 total combinations, the 161st position means only 160 other configurations deliver higher frame rates in Thief. The gap between this combo and the top-ranked systems is likely driven by even newer GPU architectures or higher-tier CPUs, but the data available shows this pairing is firmly in the upper echelon.

The CPU's average benchmark score of 46,881 places it slightly below its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 9 5900, which scores 46,971, a delta of -0.2%. The GPU's average score of 54,247 is nearly identical to the RTX 4080 SUPER's 54,209, with a delta of 0.1%. These benchmarking results suggest the combo's rank is competitive with systems using similar-generation hardware.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that maintains at least 60 FPS is Ultra, which delivers an average of 171 FPS. Lower settings yield higher averages: High runs at 174 FPS, Medium at 192 FPS, and Low at 212 FPS. All settings comfortably exceed the 60 FPS threshold, so users can select Ultra for maximum visual fidelity without concern.

At 2560x1440, Ultra remains the best playable setting, producing an average of 123 FPS. High averages 129 FPS, Medium 169 FPS, and Low 187 FPS. The gap between Medium and High is notable—40 FPS—suggesting that High settings impose a significant additional load compared to Medium, but all options remain well above 60 FPS.

At 3840x2160, Ultra still clears the 60 FPS threshold with an average of 72 FPS. High averages 76 FPS, Medium 100 FPS, and Low 131 FPS. The margin at Ultra is only 12 FPS above the playable threshold, so users seeking a safety buffer for demanding scenes may prefer High or Medium, but the data confirms Ultra is technically playable at this resolution.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For the CPU, the nearest rivals to the Intel Core i7-13700K are the AMD Ryzen 9 5900, AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 375, AMD Ryzen 9 7845HX, and Intel Xeon w3-2535. The Ryzen 9 5900 scores 46,971, a delta of -0.2% from the i7-13700K's 46,881, making it the closest match. The Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 375 scores 47,022, a delta of -0.3%. The Ryzen 9 7845HX and Xeon w3-2535 both score slightly below, at 46,654 and 46,653 respectively, each with a delta of 0.5%. These processors would deliver nearly identical performance in Thief, with differences well within measurement noise.

For the GPU, the RTX 4080's nearest rival is the RTX 4080 SUPER, which scores 54,209 versus the RTX 4080's 54,247, a delta of 0.1%. The AMD Radeon Pro W5700X scores 54,828, a delta of -1.1%, while the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB scores 55,698, a delta of -2.6%. The AMD Radeon 8060S scores 55,757, a delta of -2.7%. In practical terms, any of these graphics cards would produce frame rates very close to the RTX 4080 in Thief, with the RTX 4080 SUPER being the most direct substitute.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark data reveals how the CPU and GPU divide responsibilities across resolutions in Thief. At 1920x1080, the CPU's capacity is more likely to be a limiting factor, as the GPU can render frames quickly at lower resolutions. The average frame rate at Ultra settings drops from 171 FPS at 1080p to 123 FPS at 1440p, a reduction of 48 FPS, and further to 72 FPS at 4K, a reduction of 51 FPS from 1440p. This scaling pattern indicates that the GPU becomes progressively more dominant as resolution increases.

The CPU's 16 cores and 24 threads provide ample headroom for Thief's threading model. The 3dmark multi-threaded scores—10,717 for 16 threads and 12,412 for max threads—show strong scaling across cores. At lower resolutions, the CPU must feed the GPU with draw calls and game logic at high frame rates, and the data suggests the i7-13700K handles this without becoming a bottleneck, given that 1080p Ultra still produces 171 FPS.

The GPU's role is clearer at higher resolutions. The RTX 4080's 16 GB of GDDR6X memory and 716.8 GB/s bandwidth provide the resources needed for 4K rendering. The transition from Medium to High settings at 4K shows a drop from 100 FPS to 76 FPS, a 24% reduction, while the same transition at 1080p drops from 192 FPS to 174 FPS, a 9% reduction. This indicates that the GPU's compute and memory subsystems are more heavily taxed at higher resolutions, as expected.

The Verdict

This PC can run Thief at all tested resolutions and settings. The verdict by resolution confirms that every preset—Low, Medium, High, and Ultra—at 1920x1080, 2560x1440, and 3840x2160 maintains an average frame rate above the 60 FPS playable threshold.

At 3840x2160, the best setting is Ultra with an average of 72 FPS, providing a 12 FPS margin over the playable threshold. At 2560x1440, Ultra averages 123 FPS, more than doubling the threshold. At 1920x1080, Ultra averages 171 FPS, nearly tripling it. The combination of the i7-13700K and RTX 4080 delivers a consistent experience across all resolutions, with no setting falling below 60 FPS.

The data indicates that this system is not merely playable but offers significant headroom. Even at the most demanding configuration—4K Ultra—the average frame rate exceeds the threshold by 20%. For users who prioritize frame rate over visual fidelity, the lower settings provide even higher averages, with 4K Low reaching 131 FPS.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 3840x2160, the measured results are as follows: Low settings produce an average of 131 FPS with no minimum or maximum recorded. Medium settings average 100 FPS, with a minimum of 85 FPS and a maximum of 114 FPS. High settings average 76 FPS, with no minimum or maximum recorded. Ultra settings average 72 FPS, with no minimum or maximum recorded. The Medium setting is the only one with complete min/max data, showing a 29 FPS range between the lowest and highest frames.

At 2560x1440, Low settings average 187 FPS with no min/max data. Medium settings average 169 FPS, with a minimum of 144 FPS and a maximum of 195 FPS, a 51 FPS range. High settings average 129 FPS with no min/max data. Ultra settings average 123 FPS with no min/max data. The Medium setting again provides the only complete frame time data, with the minimum still well above the 60 FPS threshold.

At 1920x1080, Low settings average 212 FPS with no min/max data. Medium settings average 192 FPS, with a minimum of 163 FPS and a maximum of 221 FPS, a 58 FPS range. High settings average 174 FPS with no min/max data. Ultra settings average 171 FPS with no min/max data. The Medium setting's minimum of 163 FPS indicates that even the lowest frame rates at 1080p are more than double the playable threshold.

The pattern across all resolutions shows that Medium settings consistently provide the most complete frame time data, with minimums that never approach the 60 FPS threshold. The absence of min/max data for other settings does not indicate inferiority; rather, the average frame rates alone confirm playability across every configuration.