Thief

The AMD Ryzen 5 4600G paired with the AMD Radeon RX 9070 produces a distinct performance curve in Thief, where the GPU’s raw output is modulated by both resolution and preset. At 1080p, the combination delivers 131 FPS on Low, 116.5 on Medium, 105.9 on High, and 107.4 on Ultra. Moving to 1440p, the frame rates compress: Low drops to 117.5, Medium to 106.3, High to 96.2, and Ultra to 90.5. At 4K, the scaling becomes steepest, with Low at 95.1 FPS, Medium at 75.4, High at 53.6, and Ultra at 50.5. The data shows a clear pattern where the gap between Low and Ultra narrows as resolution increases, indicating a shift in bottleneck from the processor at lower resolutions to the graphics card at higher ones.

Resolution Scaling

The measured frames per second reveal how the system’s limiting component changes with resolution. At 1920x1080, the difference between Low (131 FPS) and Ultra (107.4 FPS) is 23.6 frames, a relatively modest spread that suggests the CPU is holding back the GPU from reaching its full potential even on the lowest preset. This is typical for a 2014-era title running on modern hardware, where the Ryzen 5 4600G’s six cores and twelve threads are sufficient but not overwhelming for the game’s engine. The fact that High (105.9) and Ultra (107.4) are nearly identical at 1080p reinforces this: the GPU has headroom, but the scene complexity at those settings does not yet stress it.

At 2560x1440, the spread between Low (117.5) and Ultra (90.5) widens to 27 frames, but the relative drop from 1080p is more pronounced on the higher presets. High falls from 105.9 to 96.2 (a 9.7 FPS loss), while Low only drops by 13.5 FPS to 117.5. This suggests the GPU begins to take a larger role, though the CPU still contributes to the ceiling. The 4K results are where the GPU becomes the clear bottleneck. From 1440p to 2160p, Ultra drops from 90.5 to 50.5—a 44.2% reduction—while Low drops from 117.5 to 95.1, a 19% reduction. The steeper decline on Ultra indicates that the RX 9070’s shading units and memory bandwidth are being saturated by the higher pixel count and texture loads, leaving the CPU with less influence over the final frame rate. The data implies that 4K Ultra is firmly GPU-bound, while 1080p Low is more balanced, with the CPU providing a slight constraint.

GPU Role

The Radeon RX 9070 is built on the Navi 48 chip with RDNA 4.0 architecture, featuring 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 644.6 GB/s of bandwidth. Its base clock is 1330 MHz, with a boost of 2520 MHz and a game clock of 2070 MHz. These specifications translate into the frame rates observed: at 4K Ultra, the GPU’s 3584 shading units and 128 ROPs are pushing 50.5 FPS, which is playable but not smooth for a stealth game where quick reactions matter. The 4K High result of 53.6 FPS shows that even a single preset step down yields only a marginal improvement, suggesting the GPU is nearing its limits at this resolution. In contrast, 1080p Low at 131 FPS demonstrates the card’s headroom when the CPU is not a constraint—the memory bandwidth of 644.6 GB/s is more than enough for lower-resolution textures, and the boost clock of 2520 MHz allows for high throughput.

Comparing to its nearest rivals, the RX 9070’s average benchmark score of 34780 places it near the NVIDIA A2 (34866, deltaPct -0.2) and Quadro GV100 (34677, deltaPct 0.3), while the AMD Radeon HD 7970 (34541, deltaPct 0.7) and PRO W6400 (34511, deltaPct 0.8) trail slightly. In Thief, the GPU’s role is most evident in the 4K scaling: the drop from Medium (75.4) to High (53.6) is 21.8 FPS, a 29% reduction, which aligns with the increased shading and texture work. The 16 GB VRAM is not a limiting factor in this game, as even 4K Ultra textures fit comfortably, but the pixel rate of 322.6 GPixel/s and texture rate of 564.5 GTexel/s are what drive the high-resolution performance. The data shows that for this title, the GPU is the dominant component at 4K, but at 1080p and 1440p, its capabilities are partially masked by the CPU.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 4600G is a 6-core, 12-thread processor from the 4000 series, based on Zen 2 architecture (Renoir) on a 7 nm process. Its base clock is 3.70 GHz with a boost of 4.20 GHz, and it has 8 MB of shared L3 cache. In Thief, the CPU’s role is most visible at lower resolutions and presets. At 1080p Low, the 131 FPS result is likely near the engine’s single-thread limit, as the game launched in 2014 and may not fully utilize the 12 threads. The 3dmark single-thread score of 726 and passmark single-thread score of 2653 indicate modest single-core performance for a modern CPU, which can cap frame rates in older titles. The cinebench R23 multicore score of 13593 shows strong multi-threaded capability, but Thief’s engine may not exploit it fully.

The deltaPct values against nearest rivals are telling: the Ryzen 5 4600G’s average benchmark score of 17489 is essentially tied with the AMD Ryzen 3 PRO 5355GE (17482, deltaPct 0) and Intel Core i5-12450H (17475, deltaPct 0.1), while it lags slightly behind the Intel Core i3-14100T (17636, deltaPct -0.8) and Core i3-13100F (17665, deltaPct -1). This means the CPU is not a standout performer, but it is sufficient for the RX 9070 in most scenarios. At 1440p, the CPU’s influence wanes: the gap between Low (117.5) and Ultra (90.5) is 27 FPS, but the 1080p to 1440p drop on Low is only 13.5 FPS, suggesting the GPU is starting to take over. The memory bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s (DDR4 dual-channel) may also contribute to the CPU’s ceiling, but the data does not show a significant stutter or frame-time issue, only a cap on maximum FPS. The CPU’s 65 W TDP and 7 nm process are not performance factors here; rather, its architecture and clock speeds determine how fast it can feed draw calls to the GPU.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations, this pairing of Ryzen 5 4600G and Radeon RX 9070 ranks 775 out of 1642 combos in Thief. This places it in the 47th percentile of all tested systems, meaning nearly half of the combinations produce higher average frame rates. The rank reflects the CPU’s relative weakness: while the GPU is powerful (79th percentile among all GPUs), the CPU sits at the 75th percentile among all CPUs, and their combination does not exceed the sum of its parts. The measured FPS at 1080p Ultra (107.4) is solid, but many combos with faster single-thread CPUs likely achieve higher numbers. At 4K Ultra (50.5), the combo is competitive, as the GPU becomes the bottleneck and the CPU’s limitations are less exposed.

The rank of 775 out of 1642 indicates that this is a mid-pack performer. For a game like Thief, which is not heavily threaded, the 4600G’s 12 threads are underutilized, and its single-thread score of 726 in 3dmark is a weak point. The RX 9070’s nearest rivals (NVIDIA A2, Quadro GV100) are not typical gaming cards, but the GPU’s high benchmark score does not translate into top-tier Thief performance because the CPU holds it back at lower resolutions. The data suggests that to move up the ranks, a CPU with better single-thread performance would be needed, as the GPU already has headroom at 1080p. However, at 4K, this combo is respectable, as the 50.5 FPS on Ultra is within the playable range for a stealth title, even if it is not smooth.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to play Thief with this combo?

A: Based on the measured data, 1440p offers the best balance, with High at 96.2 FPS and Ultra at 90.5 FPS. This is above the 60 FPS threshold while maintaining high visual fidelity, unlike 4K where Ultra drops to 50.5 FPS.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from 1080p to 4K on High settings?

A: The average frame rate drops from 105.9 FPS at 1920x1080 to 53.6 FPS at 3840x2160, a reduction of 52.3 FPS, which is roughly a 49% decrease in performance.

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

A: Yes, at 1080p Low, the combo achieves 131 FPS, but the GPU is capable of more, as evidenced by the 4K Low result of 95.1 FPS. The CPU’s single-thread performance (3dmark single-thread score of 726) limits frame rates at lower resolutions.

Q: Which preset gives the highest frame rate at 4K?

A: The Low preset yields the highest average FPS at 3840x2160, with 95.1 FPS. Medium drops to 75.4 FPS, High to 53.6 FPS, and Ultra to 50.5 FPS.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to other tested systems?

A: It ranks 775 out of 1642 combinations in Thief, placing it in the middle of the database. This is below the top half, indicating that while the GPU is strong, the CPU prevents higher placement.

Q: Is the RX 9070’s 16 GB VRAM sufficient for Thief at 4K Ultra?

A: Yes, the 16 GB GDDR6 memory is more than adequate for this game, as the 4K Ultra result of 50.5 FPS is not limited by VRAM capacity but by the GPU’s shading and pixel throughput.

Settings Recommendations

The measured rows provide a clear hierarchy for optimizing the experience. At 4K, the Low preset delivers 95.1 FPS, which is smooth, while Medium at 75.4 FPS is still playable. High and Ultra at 53.6 and 50.5 FPS, respectively, fall below the 60 FPS threshold, which may cause noticeable stutter in a stealth game. For 4K, Medium is the recommended choice: it provides 75.4 FPS, a 20 FPS improvement over High, and retains more visual detail than Low. At 1440p, all presets exceed 90 FPS, with Ultra at 90.5 FPS being the best option for maximum fidelity without sacrificing smoothness. At 1080p, the choice depends on preference: Ultra at 107.4 FPS is only slightly below High at 105.9 FPS, so Ultra offers the best visual quality with negligible performance loss. However, the data shows diminishing returns beyond Medium at 1080p, as the jump from Medium (116.5) to Ultra (107.4) costs 9.1 FPS for marginal graphical gains. The optimal preset across all resolutions is Medium, as it consistently provides the best balance between frame rate and visual quality, with 116.5 FPS at 1080p, 106.3 at 1440p, and 75.4 at 4K. For players prioritizing smoothness over detail, Low is the fallback, but Medium strikes the best compromise given the CPU and GPU characteristics measured here.