Thief

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500 paired with the AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT delivers a robust performance profile in Thief, with frame rates that scale predictably across resolutions and settings. The data indicates a balanced system where the GPU becomes the primary constraint at higher resolutions, while the CPU holds its own at lower settings. This combination ranks in the 37th percentile of over 3,700 tested configs, indicating a solid but not top-tier pairing for this title.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a clear and consistent scaling trend as resolution increases. At 1080p, the system delivers an average of 150 FPS on Low settings, which drops to 132 FPS at 1440p and further to 95 FPS at 4K. This progression represents a 12% drop from 1080p to 1440p, but a more substantial 37% drop from 1440p to 4K. This pattern suggests that at 1080p, the system is not yet fully GPU-bound, with the CPU capable of feeding the graphics card. As resolution climbs, the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth become the limiting factor, which is consistent with the large gap between 1440p and 4K.

For Medium settings, the trend is similar but with a slightly different slope: 136 FPS at 1080p, 120 FPS at 1440p (-12%), and 72 FPS at 4K (-40%). The High and Ultra presets show the same pattern, with the 4K results dropping to 55 FPS and 52 FPS, respectively. These figures indicate that while the RX 6800 XT is capable of handling 1080p and 1440p with ease, the 4K results are right at the edge of playability for a 60 Hz target, especially on the High and Ultra presets. The dataset does not include any 4K min/max FPS values for High or Ultra, but the Medium preset shows a min of 62 FPS and a max of 83 FPS, suggesting that 4K Medium is the threshold for a locked 60 FPS experience.

The gap between 1080p and 1440p, at roughly 12-15%, is smaller than the gap from 1440p to 4K, which is over 40% for most presets. This indicates that the RX 6800 XT has enough headroom to handle the pixel count increase from 1080p to 1440p, but the 4K resolution represents a doubling of pixels that pushes the GPU to its limits. The data shows that the limiting component at 4K is unequivocally the GPU, given the CPU is a 6-core, 12-thread part with a boost clock of 4.20 GHz. The 4K FPS numbers are all below 100, and for High and Ultra, they are below 60, which is a clear indicator of GPU-bound performance.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT is a high-end GPU based on the RDNA 2.0 architecture, featuring 16 GB of GDDR6 memory across a 256-bit bus, delivering 512.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The card's base clock is 1825 MHz, with a game clock of 2015 MHz and a boost clock of 2250 MHz. These clock speeds are substantial, and the 512.0 GB/s bandwidth ensures that the GPU is not starved for memory bandwidth even at 4K. The 16 GB VRAM capacity is ample for this game, as Thief’s highest settings do not appear to exceed the available VRAM, as there are no min FPS anomalies or stutter-inducing memory pressure in the measured data.

The GPU's raw compute power, with 4,608 shading units and 20.74 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, directly contributes to its ability to handle Thief's rendering workload. The GPU's percentile among all GPUs is 85, placing it in the top 15% of all tested cards. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 3,689 and the Geekbench Vulkan score of 136,875 provide a broader context, but in Thief, the GPU demonstrates a strong affinity for the game's engine, as the frame rates are consistently high at 1080p and 1440p.

The RX 6800 XT's memory configuration is a key asset for this game. With 16 GB of VRAM, it is able to cache a significant amount of the game world, which is the reason why the frame rates are stable across different setting changes. In contrast, a GPU with less VRAM would likely show a larger performance drop when moving from Medium to High or Ultra settings, but the data shows a smooth transition. The 72 RTCs, which support hardware ray tracing, are not utilized in this game, as it's a 2014 title. Nonetheless, the GPU's raw rasterization power is the main driver of the excellent FPS results.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Ryzen 5 5500 and RX 6800 XT ranks 1,383rd out of 3,720 tested combinations, which places it in the 63rd percentile overall. This rank is a reflection of the system's balanced performance. The CPU's percentile of 73 and the GPU's percentile of 85 indicate that the GPU is the stronger component, but the CPU is not a bottleneck at most settings. However, at 1080p with Low settings, the system produces 150 FPS, which is a frame rate where the CPU's single-thread performance (3DMark single thread score of 836) might start to limit the GPU's potential. The ranking data suggests that this combo is in the top 63% of all systems, which is a solid showing for a mid-range CPU paired with a high-end GPU.

The nearest rivals for the CPU include the AMD Ryzen AI 5 430, which scores a delta of -0.1% in average benchmark score, and the Intel Core i5-12500, which is -0.4% slower. This indicates that the Ryzen 5 5500 is a very competitive 6-core processor, with an average score of 19,593. The Intel Core i7-10700F is 0.5% faster, but the differences are within a few percentage points, so the CPU is not a significant differentiator in this game. For the GPU, the nearest rivals are the NVIDIA RTX A1000 Mobile, which is 1.5% faster, and the Intel Arc A500M, which is 2.5% faster. The RX 6800 XT's actual performance is 3% slower than the RTX 5070 Ti in the average benchmark, but in practice, it still delivers high frame rates.

The combo rank of 1,383 out of 3,720 is a relative position that is skewed by the fact that many other systems have higher-end CPUs. The data shows that when pairing a mid-range 6-core CPU with a high-end GPU, the system is able to achieve a high rank because the CPU is not a limiting factor in most games, including Thief. The rank is more proof of the GPU's performance than the CPU, as the GPU is the primary driver of frame rates at higher resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1080p, the system produces a minimum of 121 FPS on the Ultra preset and a maximum of 150 FPS on Low. The Medium preset shows an average of 136 FPS, with a min of 115 FPS and a max of 156 FPS, according to the data. This indicates a smooth experience even on High settings, with an average of 123 FPS. The 1080p results show that the system is capable of maxing out all settings while still maintaining a high frame rate, but the differences between presets are relatively small, with only a 10% difference between the Low and High settings. This is typical for a GPU-bound scenario.

At 1440p, the frame rates are still high but show a more pronounced difference between settings. Low settings yield 132 FPS, Medium is at 120 FPS, High at 94 FPS, and Ultra at 89 FPS. The Medium preset has a min of 102 FPS and a max of 138 FPS, indicating that the 1440p Medium preset can easily handle a 60 Hz monitor, but the High and Ultra presets are below 100 FPS. The 1440p High preset is 24% slower than 1080p High, which is a larger drop than the 12% drop from 1080p to 1440p, emphasizing the GPU's load.

At 4K, the system's performance is more limited. Low settings yield an average of 95 FPS, Medium 72 FPS, High 55 FPS, and Ultra 52 FPS. The Medium preset has a min of 62 FPS and max of 83 FPS, which means that the 4K Medium preset is the only setting that can consistently stay above 60 FPS. The High and Ultra presets are below 60 FPS, making them less suitable for a 60 Hz display, unless the user is willing to accept a lower frame rate. The data shows that the stride from 1440p to 4K is very steep, with a 40-45% drop in frame rate for the High and Ultra presets, confirming the GPU-bound nature of the system at this resolution.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS, the best experience for a 4K display is the Medium preset, which yields an average of 72 FPS with a min of 62 FPS and max of 83 FPS. This preset provides a smooth, consistent frame rate that is above 60 FPS, making it the most suitable for a 60 Hz monitor. The High and Ultra presets at 4K are below 60 FPS, so they are not recommended for a locked frame rate. At 1440p, the High preset delivers 94 FPS, which is excellent for a 144Hz monitor, while the Ultra preset at 89 FPS is also a strong choice. The Medium preset at 1440p yields 120 FPS, which is ideal for high refresh rate gaming.

For 1080p, all presets are above 121 FPS, so the Ultra preset is the best choice for maximizing visual quality without sacrificing a high refresh rate. The Ultra preset at 1080p delivers an average of 121 FPS, which is just a 2% drop from High, making it the most visually demanding preset. The data indicates that the system is never CPU-limited at 1080p, so the GPU can scale with the settings. In summary, 4K users should use Medium settings, 1440p users can choose between High and Ultra, and 1080p users can max out all settings.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 3 architecture (Cezanne) with a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.20 GHz. It has a 16 MB L3 cache and supports DDR4 memory, with a dual-channel memory bus and a memory bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s. The CPU's benchmarks show a single-core score of 836 in 3DMark, and a multi-core score of 5,386 in the 16-thread test. Its Cinebench R23 single-core score is 2,319 and multi-core is 16,429. These scores indicate a strong single-thread performance, which is crucial for games like Thief.

The CPU's percentile is 73, and its average benchmark score is 19,593. This places it ahead of the Intel Core i5-12500, which is 0.4% slower, and the AMD Ryzen AI 5 430, which is 0.1% slower. The CPU is not a bottleneck in this game at 1080p, as the frame rates are high, but at 1080p Low settings, the CPU's single-thread performance is likely the limiting factor for reaching higher than 150 FPS. The CPU's 12 threads are more than enough for Thief, which is a 2014 game that likely uses fewer threads. The CPU's role is to maintain a high FPS ceiling, and it does so effectively, as the system is able to exceed 120 FPS at 1080p on all settings.

The CPU's 6 cores and 12 threads are not fully utilized by Thief, as the game is not heavily threaded. However, the single-core performance, as indicated by its Cinebench R20 single-core score of 973, is sufficient to keep up with the GPU's output. The system's overall combo rank of 1,383 out of 3,720 indicates that the CPU is not the weak link in this pairing. The CPU's 16 MB L3 cache is also sufficient for the game, as there is no evidence of cache-related stutter in the FPS data.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS for the High preset at 1080p?

A: The average FPS for the High preset at 1080p is 123 FPS, with no min/max data provided.

Q: How does the system perform at 4K with the Ultra preset?

A: At 4K with the Ultra preset, the system averages 52 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target for a smooth experience.

Q: Is the system CPU-bound or GPU-bound at 1440p?

A: At 1440p, the system is GPU-bound, as the CPU is capable of maintaining high single-thread performance, while the GPU's load increases. The 1440p High preset yields 94 FPS, which is lower than 1080p High (123 FPS) but still high.

Q: What is the minimum FPS for the Medium preset at 4K?

A: The minimum FPS for the Medium preset at 4K is 62 FPS, with an average of 72 FPS and a maximum of 83 FPS.

Q: How does the Ryzen 5 5500 compare to its closest CPU rival?

A: The Ryzen 5 5500 has an average benchmark score of 19,593, while the AMD Ryzen AI 5 430 has a score of 19,617, making the 5500 0.1% slower. The Intel Core i5-12500 is 0.4% slower.

Q: What is the system's overall percentile rank among all tested GPU and CPU combos?

A: The system ranks 1,383rd out of 3,720 tested combinations, placing it in the 63rd percentile of all tested combos.