Thief

Resolution Scaling

The measured frame rates for _Thief_ across the three tested resolutions reveal a system that scales predictably, but with a distinct shift in bottleneck behavior as pixel count rises. At 1920x1080, the AMD Ryzen 5 5600 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 delivers an average of 133.5 FPS on High settings. Moving to 2560x1440, that figure drops to 103.2 FPS, a reduction of roughly 23%. The step to 3840x2160 is more punishing: 59.7 FPS on High, which is 42% below the 1440p result and 55% below the 1080p result.

This scaling pattern is telling. The 1080p-to-1440p delta of 30.3 FPS is relatively modest, suggesting the CPU can still feed the GPU adequately at the lower pixel counts. The 1440p-to-4K delta of 43.5 FPS, however, is substantial and points to the RTX 4070 becoming the primary limiter at 4K. The GPU’s 12 GB of GDDR6X memory and 504.2 GB/s bandwidth are being tasked heavily at 3840x2160, and the data shows the renderer's appetite for fill rate and memory throughput outpaces what the card can sustain at High settings.

Comparing the Low preset across resolutions reinforces this. At 1080p Low, the average is 162.5 FPS; at 1440p Low, 141.8 FPS; and at 4K Low, 102.7 FPS. The 4K Low result is still well above 60 FPS, but the drop from 1440p Low to 4K Low is 39.1 FPS, a 27.6% decline. This indicates that even with reduced shading complexity, the sheer pixel count at 4K imposes a heavy cost on the GPU. The CPU, with its 6 cores and 12 threads based on Zen 3, appears less constrained; the Cinebench R23 multicore score of 18309 and single-core score of 2584 suggest ample headroom for a 2014 title like _Thief_.

Notably, the gap between High and Ultra at 1080p is only 6.5 FPS (133.5 vs. 127.0), but at 4K it widens to 2.4 FPS (59.7 vs. 57.3). This compression at higher resolutions is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario where additional settings have diminishing returns on frame rate because the pixel pipeline is already saturated. The data suggests that for 4K gaming, the RTX 4070 is the limiting component, while at 1080p and 1440p, the balance between CPU and GPU is more even, with the GPU still carrying most of the load.

FAQ

Q: What is the average frame rate at 1440p with High settings?

A: The measured average is 103.2 FPS. This is 30.3 FPS lower than the 1080p High result of 133.5 FPS, indicating a moderate performance hit when moving to a higher pixel count.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K at playable frame rates?

A: Yes, but with caveats. At 4K High, the average is 59.7 FPS, which is just below the 60 FPS mark. At 4K Medium, it rises to 79.4 FPS, and at 4K Low, it reaches 102.7 FPS. The 4K Ultra preset drops to 57.3 FPS, which is below the ideal smoothness threshold.

Q: How does the Ultra preset compare to High at 1080p?

A: The difference is minimal. Ultra averages 127.0 FPS versus High’s 133.5 FPS, a margin of 6.5 FPS. This suggests that the Ultra preset’s additional graphical features have a modest impact on performance at this resolution.

Q: Is there a significant performance jump from Medium to Low at 1440p?

A: Yes. Medium averages 129.5 FPS, while Low averages 141.8 FPS, a difference of 12.3 FPS. This indicates that Low reduces rendering workload substantially, but the absolute frame rates are already high enough that the visual trade-off may not be worth it.

Q: What does the combo’s rank of 484 out of 1642 tell us?

A: It places this pairing in the top 30% of all tested combinations for _Thief_. This is a strong showing, though not elite, reflecting the balance between the Ryzen 5 5600’s solid multi-threaded performance and the RTX 4070’s high-end capabilities.

Q: Does the GPU’s memory bandwidth matter for this game?

A: The RTX 4070 has a memory bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s. Given the large frame rate drops at 4K, particularly from 1440p to 4K, the data indicates that the GPU’s memory subsystem and pixel throughput are significant factors in determining performance at higher resolutions.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 is the dominant component in this pairing for _Thief_. Its benchmark scores are robust — the Passmark G3D score of 26927 and the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 3854 place it in the 81st percentile among all GPUs. The card’s 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus provides 504.2 GB/s of bandwidth, which is critical for the high-resolution textures and geometry that _Thief_ can present. The boost clock of 2475 MHz, combined with 5888 shading units, allows for high fill rates; the pixel rate is 158.4 GPixel/s and the texture rate is 455.4 GTexel/s.

The performance data shows the GPU’s influence clearly. At 1080p, the frame rates are high enough (127.0 to 162.5 FPS across presets) that the CPU’s ability to issue draw calls is likely not the limiting factor. However, at 4K, the average FPS on High is 59.7, and on Ultra, 57.3. These numbers are close to each other, suggesting that the GPU is hitting its performance ceiling regardless of minor settings changes. The 4K Low result of 102.7 FPS is notable — it shows that when the GPU is less burdened by shading, it can still produce high frame rates, but the pixel count alone prevents it from matching 1440p performance.

The GPU’s VRAM capacity of 12 GB is adequate for this game, as the data does not indicate any memory-related stutter or severe frame drops that would suggest capacity limits. The bus width of 192-bit is narrower than some higher-tier cards, but the effective bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s is sufficient for the measured workloads. The RTX 4070’s architecture, Ada Lovelace, supports DirectX 12 Ultimate, which is beneficial for modern rendering paths, though _Thief_ is an older title. The card’s TDP of 200 W and PCIe 4.0 x16 interface are standard, and the data shows no thermal or interface bottleneck affecting the results.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and the desired frame rate. For 1080p, the High preset delivers 133.5 FPS, which is well above smooth gameplay thresholds. The Ultra preset offers only a marginal improvement in visual fidelity for a 6.5 FPS cost, so High is the recommended choice for most users. The Medium preset at 145.0 FPS is also viable if the user prefers higher headroom, but the visual difference between Medium and High is typically more noticeable than the frame rate gap of 11.5 FPS.

For 1440p, the High preset at 103.2 FPS is an excellent balance. It provides a clear visual upgrade over Medium, which runs at 129.5 FPS, but the 26.3 FPS difference is significant enough that some users may prefer Medium for a smoother experience. The Ultra preset at 97.6 FPS is still playable, but the extra settings strain the GPU for a relatively small gain over High. Given that High falls just above 100 FPS, it is the best choice for a high-refresh-rate monitor at this resolution.

At 4K, the situation changes. The High preset at 59.7 FPS is just below the 60 FPS target, making it borderline. The Medium preset at 79.4 FPS is the recommended option, as it provides a comfortable margin above 60 FPS while retaining most of the visual quality. The Low preset at 102.7 FPS is also viable for users who prioritize frame rate above all else, but the visual compromise is substantial. The Ultra preset at 57.3 FPS is not recommended, as the frame rate is below the standard smoothness threshold and the visual gains over High are minimal. In summary, the data suggests High for 1080p and 1440p, and Medium for 4K, as the best trade-offs between performance and image quality.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 5600 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 achieves a rank of 484 out of 1642 tested combinations in _Thief_. This places it in the top 29.5% of all systems, which is a strong result for a mid-range CPU paired with a high-end GPU. The rank reflects the overall capability of the system, but the individual component benchmarks provide context.

The CPU’s average benchmark score of 21765 places it in the 79th percentile among all CPUs. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Xeon D-1746TER, which scores 21635 (0.6% higher), and the AMD EPYC 9554P, which scores 21899 (0.6% lower). This indicates that the Ryzen 5 5600’s performance is well within the expected range for its class, though it is not a top-tier part. The GPU’s average benchmark score of 37283 places it in the 81st percentile among all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56, which scores 37507 (0.6% higher), and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile, which scores 38135 (2.2% higher). This shows the RTX 4070 is competitive with other high-end cards, though it sits below the most powerful options.

The rank of 484 is slightly lower than what the individual percentiles might suggest, which implies that _Thief_ may not fully leverage the strengths of either component. The game’s release in 2014 means it is not heavily multi-threaded, so the Ryzen 5 5600’s 12 threads may be underutilized. Conversely, the GPU’s advanced features like ray tracing and DLSS are irrelevant, as the game predates them. The measured FPS data confirms that the system performs well, particularly at 1080p and 1440p, but the 4K results show that the GPU is the limiting factor. Overall, this combo is a capable performer for _Thief_, with a rank that reflects a balanced system that can handle the game at high settings, but it does not reach the top echelons of performance due to the game’s age and the inherent limits of the components when pushed to 4K.