Thief

The Intel Core i7-13700K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 delivers a decisive performance envelope for Thief, with measured data showing that every tested resolution and preset combination clears the 60 FPS playability threshold. From the 1920x1080 Low preset at 211.1 FPS average to the demanding 3840x2160 Ultra setting at 63.2 FPS average, this combination leaves substantial headroom across the board. The benchmark results indicate a system that is not merely playable but consistently fast, with the most challenging configuration still maintaining a comfortable margin above the playability baseline.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the frame rates are exceptionally high across all settings. The Low preset produces an average of 211.1 FPS, while Medium reaches 192.4 FPS. High settings yield 158 FPS average, and Ultra drops to 153.9 FPS. The scaling between presets is relatively modest, with only a 57.2 FPS difference between the lowest and highest quality settings, suggesting that the GPU is not the limiting factor at this resolution.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance remains robust but shows clearer differentiation between settings. Low preset averages 184.9 FPS, Medium drops to 143.9 FPS, and High settles at 108.7 FPS. Ultra at 1440p produces 107.1 FPS average, nearly identical to High. The gap between Low and Ultra here is 77.8 FPS, indicating that resolution scaling begins to exert more influence on the GPU workload.

At 3840x2160, the picture changes more dramatically. Low settings still deliver a very playable 109 FPS average, but Medium falls to 83.9 FPS, High to 67 FPS, and Ultra to 63.2 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 45.8 FPS, and while every setting remains above 60 FPS, the margin at Ultra is thin. The data shows a clear progression: as pixel count increases, the cost of each additional quality tier becomes more pronounced, with the RTX 5070's 12 GB GDDR7 memory and 672.0 GB/s bandwidth being exercised more heavily.

FAQ

Q: Can this system maintain 60 FPS at 4K Ultra settings?

A: Yes. The measured average FPS at 3840x2160 Ultra is 63.2, which clears the 60 FPS playable threshold, though the margin is only 3.2 FPS, leaving limited headroom for demanding scenes.

Q: What is the fastest preset at 1080p?

A: The Low preset at 1920x1080 produces the highest measured average at 211.1 FPS. Medium follows at 192.4 FPS, with High and Ultra at 158 and 153.9 FPS respectively.

Q: How does 1440p Ultra compare to 4K High in terms of average FPS?

A: The 2560x1440 Ultra preset averages 107.1 FPS, which is significantly higher than the 3840x2160 High preset at 67 FPS. This represents a 40.1 FPS advantage for the lower resolution despite identical quality nomenclature.

Q: Is there a large performance gap between Medium and High at 4K?

A: The data shows a 16.9 FPS difference, with Medium at 83.9 FPS and High at 67 FPS. This is the largest relative drop between consecutive presets at 3840x2160.

Q: What resolution offers the best balance of quality and speed?

A: Based on the measured data, 2560x1440 Ultra at 107.1 FPS provides the highest quality setting that maintains a substantial margin above 60 FPS, while 3840x2160 Ultra at 63.2 FPS is the only tested configuration close to the threshold.

Q: Does the Low preset at 4K outperform Ultra at 1440p?

A: Yes, 3840x2160 Low averages 109 FPS, which is 1.9 FPS higher than 2560x1440 Ultra at 107.1 FPS. This indicates that resolution scaling has a smaller impact than preset quality for this title.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark data reveals a distinct shift in component responsibility as resolution increases. At 1920x1080, the differences between presets are compressed, with Low at 211.1 FPS and Ultra at 153.9 FPS. This relatively narrow spread suggests the Intel Core i7-13700K's 16 cores and 24 threads are capable of feeding the RTX 5070 adequately even at lower quality settings, and the GPU is not yet saturated.

At 2560x1440, the scaling pattern changes. The gap between Low (184.9 FPS) and Medium (143.9 FPS) is 41 FPS, while the difference between High (108.7 FPS) and Ultra (107.1 FPS) is only 1.6 FPS. This suggests that at 1440p, the GPU begins to take a more dominant role, with the higher preset tiers placing increasing load on the RTX 5070's shading units and texture units.

The 3840x2160 results show the clearest GPU-bound behavior. The progression from Low (109 FPS) to Medium (83.9 FPS) to High (67 FPS) to Ultra (63.2 FPS) demonstrates that pixel throughput and memory bandwidth—the RTX 5070's 192-bit bus and 672.0 GB/s—are the primary constraints. The CPU's role diminishes at 4K, as the 13700K's single-thread performance (303 in Cinebench R15, 2116 in R23) is more than sufficient to keep up with the GPU's frame output at these lower rates.

The data indicates that for Thief, the RTX 5070 is the limiting factor at 4K, while at 1080p the combination is balanced enough that the CPU's strong multi-threaded results (30745 in Cinebench R23) prevent any bottleneck from emerging. The 1440p case sits between these extremes, with the GPU becoming more influential but the CPU still contributing meaningfully to frame pacing.

The Verdict

This PC can run Thief at every tested resolution and preset combination. At 1920x1080, all four presets clear 60 FPS with massive margins—even Ultra at 153.9 FPS is more than 2.5 times the threshold. The 2560x1440 results are equally decisive, with Ultra averaging 107.1 FPS, leaving 47.1 FPS of headroom. At 3840x2160, High settings at 67 FPS and Ultra at 63.2 FPS both remain playable, though the Ultra margin of 3.2 FPS means users seeking consistent frame times might prefer High.

The verdict by resolution is unambiguous: every playable settings list includes all four presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra). The best settings at each resolution are Ultra, with average FPS of 153.9 at 1080p, 107.1 at 1440p, and 63.2 at 4K. This is a system that does not require compromise for smooth gameplay, even at the highest quality levels.

How This Combo Ranks

Among the 3,720 tested combinations in the database, this Intel Core i7-13700K + RTX 5070 pairing ranks 388th for Thief. This places it in the top 10.4% of all tested systems, a strong showing that reflects the balanced capabilities of both components. The CPU's 89th percentile ranking among all processors (average benchmark score 46,881) and the GPU's 82nd percentile among all graphics cards (average benchmark score 40,377) combine to produce a system that sits well above the median for this game.

The ranking indicates that while there are faster combinations available, this setup is comfortably in the upper echelon for Thief specifically. The gap between this combo and the very top performers is not enormous, given that the game's 2014 release date means even mid-range modern hardware can achieve high frame rates. The 388th position out of 3,720 suggests excellent performance relative to the broader ecosystem of tested configurations.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset is the most demanding option that maintains 60 FPS or higher, delivering an average of 153.9 FPS. This provides a 93.9 FPS cushion above the playability threshold, making it the clear choice for maximum visual quality without any performance concerns.

For 2560x1440, Ultra settings again prove optimal, with an average of 107.1 FPS. The 47.1 FPS margin ensures smooth gameplay even in scenes with heavy effects or numerous on-screen elements. Users could also select High at 108.7 FPS with nearly identical performance, but Ultra offers the best visual fidelity at the minimal cost of 1.6 FPS.

At 3840x2160, Ultra remains technically playable at 63.2 FPS average, but the margin is slim. High settings at 67 FPS provide a slightly safer buffer of 7 FPS above the threshold. For users prioritizing frame rate stability over absolute visual quality, High is the more conservative recommendation, though Ultra does clear the 60 FPS bar.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The CPU's nearest rivals in terms of average benchmark score include the AMD Ryzen 9 5900 at 46,971 (0.2% lower), the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 375 at 47,022 (0.3% lower), the AMD Ryzen 9 7845HX at 46,654 (0.5% higher), and the Intel Xeon w3-2535 at 46,653 (0.5% higher). Any of these processors would deliver nearly identical frame pacing in Thief, as the game's CPU demands are modest relative to these multi-core chips.

For the GPU, the closest rivals are the AMD Radeon Pro 580 at 40,318 (0.1% higher), the AMD Radeon Pro WX 7100 at 40,063 (0.8% higher), the AMD Radeon Pro 5300 at 40,870 (1.2% lower), and the NVIDIA RTX A500 Mobile at 39,568 (2% higher). These deltaPct values are all within a narrow band, meaning that swapping the RTX 5070 for any of these would result in very similar frame rates in Thief, with differences of only a few FPS at most.

Notably, the GPU's rival list includes professional and mobile parts rather than gaming-focused cards, which suggests the RTX 5070's 30.87 TFLOPS FP32 performance and 48 RT cores place it in a unique position relative to the database's comparison set. Users with any of these alternative GPUs would see broadly comparable results, though the RTX 5070's 12 GB memory capacity and GDDR7 bandwidth provide advantages in other titles that may not be evident in Thief's 2014-era engine.