Thief

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER delivers a strong performance profile in Thief, securing a combo rank of 511 out of 1,642 tested combinations. This places the pairing in the upper third of all systems benchmarked, indicating a well-balanced configuration for this stealth title. The data shows that the combination is capable of maintaining high frame rates across all tested resolutions, with performance scaling predictably as settings are adjusted.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo ranks 511th out of 1,642 tested combinations, placing it in the 69th percentile of all system pairings. This is a solid position, suggesting the Ryzen 5 5500 and RTX 4070 SUPER work together without a severe bottleneck in Thief. The ranking indicates that while there are faster combinations, the majority of systems tested will deliver lower performance. The position is largely driven by the GPU’s strength, as the CPU sits in the 79th percentile among all processors, while the GPU ranks in the 84th percentile among all graphics cards. The slight difference suggests the CPU is the more limiting factor in this pairing, but not to a degree that prevents high frame rates. In practical terms, the 511th rank means the system outpaces roughly two-thirds of the combos in the database, making it a competitive option for high-refresh-rate play at 1080p and 1440p, while remaining capable at 4K.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER is the dominant component in this combo, and its specifications align closely with the measured results. The GPU features 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus, providing 504.2 GB/s of bandwidth. This memory configuration is well-suited for Thief, which shows a clear scaling pattern from 1080p to 4K. The boost clock of 2475 MHz, combined with 7,168 shading units, drives the frame rates observed in the data. The GPU’s 84th percentile ranking among all GPUs confirms its high-end positioning. In Thief, the GPU’s role is evident in the resolution scaling: at 1920x1080 Ultra, the combo achieves 121.2 FPS, but at 3840x2160 Ultra, it drops to 62.6 FPS. This 49% reduction in frame rate when moving from 1080p to 4K is typical for a game that stresses pixel fill rate. The GPU’s 56 RT cores and 224 tensor cores are present but not heavily utilized in this title, as Thief does not emphasize ray tracing. The memory bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s ensures that texture streaming at high settings does not become a bottleneck, even at 4K resolution.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to play Thief with this combo for a balance of quality and speed?

A: The data shows 2560x1440 at High settings delivers 107.2 FPS, which is a strong balance. At this resolution, the combo remains well above 60 FPS even at Ultra settings (108.2 FPS), making 1440p the sweet spot.

Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming in Thief?

A: Yes, but with compromises. At 3840x2160, the combo achieves 66.7 FPS on High and 62.6 FPS on Ultra, which is playable. Dropping to Medium raises it to 85 FPS, while Low reaches 112.2 FPS.

Q: How much performance is gained by lowering settings from Ultra to Low at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, moving from Ultra (121.2 FPS) to Low (148.2 FPS) yields a 27 FPS increase, or roughly 22% higher frame rate. This shows that the game is somewhat CPU-limited at lower resolutions.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in this combo?

A: The CPU has a percentile rank of 79, while the GPU ranks at 84. This gap suggests the Ryzen 5 5500 is slightly more likely to limit performance, especially at lower resolutions where frame rates are higher.

Q: What frame rate can be expected at 1440p with maximum settings?

A: At 2560x1440 with Ultra settings, the combo achieves 108.2 FPS. This is well above the 60 FPS threshold and indicates that the system can handle the game’s highest visual quality at this resolution.

Q: How does the RTX 4070 SUPER compare to its nearest rivals in general benchmarks?

A: The GPU’s average benchmark score is 42,576, which is 0.2% lower than the NVIDIA RTX A6000 and 0.3% lower than the AMD Radeon RX 7650 GRE. It outperforms the AMD Radeon Pro 580X by 1.4% and the NVIDIA Tesla M40 by 1.6%.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of performance across three resolutions and four settings levels. At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its highest frame rates. Low settings produce 148.2 FPS, Medium yields 137.3 FPS, and High reaches 126 FPS. Ultra settings still manage 121.2 FPS, demonstrating that the system can easily max out the game at 1080p. The scaling from Low to Ultra at this resolution is relatively small, with only an 18% drop in performance, indicating a CPU bottleneck at lower settings.

Moving to 2560x1440, performance remains strong but shows more variation. Low settings achieve 130.8 FPS, Medium hits 120 FPS, and High reaches 107.2 FPS. Interestingly, Ultra settings at 1440p produce 108.2 FPS, which is slightly higher than High. This anomaly suggests that the game’s Ultra preset may not be significantly more demanding than High at this resolution, or that the GPU is able to handle the increased load without impacting frame rate. The drop from 1080p Ultra to 1440p Ultra is 11%, a modest penalty for the resolution increase.

At 3840x2160, the GPU becomes the primary constraint. Low settings yield 112.2 FPS, which is still highly playable. Medium settings drop to 85 FPS, while High settings fall to 66.7 FPS. Ultra settings at 4K produce 62.6 FPS, which remains above the 60 FPS playability threshold. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 4K shows a 44% performance reduction, highlighting the GPU’s workload at this resolution. The data indicates that the RTX 4070 SUPER provides a consistent experience across all settings, with no configuration dropping below 60 FPS in this title.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500 plays a supporting role in this combo, but its specifications still influence the results. The CPU features 6 cores and 12 threads based on the Zen 3 architecture, running at a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.20 GHz. The 16 MB of L3 cache and dual-channel DDR4 memory support provide adequate bandwidth for gaming. In synthetic benchmarks, the CPU scores 16,429 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 2,319 in single-core, with an average benchmark score of 20,875. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core i5-12500, scores 20,897, a negligible 0.1% difference. This places the Ryzen 5 5500 in the 79th percentile of all CPUs.

In Thief, the CPU’s influence is most apparent at lower resolutions. At 1080p, the frame rates across settings are tightly clustered (121.2 to 148.2 FPS), suggesting the CPU is reaching its limit before the GPU can fully stretch its legs. The difference between 1080p High (126 FPS) and 1440p High (107.2 FPS) is 15%, which is less than the expected GPU-driven drop, indicating that the CPU is helping to maintain higher frame rates at 1440p than pure GPU scaling would suggest. The CPU’s 12 threads are sufficient for Thief’s engine, as the game does not heavily utilize multi-core processors. The boost clock of 4.20 GHz provides strong single-thread performance, which is critical for this title’s frame pacing. The data shows that the CPU does not cause any frame rate to drop below 60 FPS, even at 4K Ultra, meaning it is not a problematic bottleneck for this game.