Thief

Thief, a 2014 stealth title, remains a solid benchmark for modern hardware. The data for the AMD Ryzen 5 5600G paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 shows a combination that is heavily skewed towards GPU performance, delivering high frame rates even at demanding resolutions. The measured results reveal a system that is capable of maxing out the game at 1440p and provides a very playable experience at 4K, with the CPU rarely acting as a limiting factor.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K clearly identifies the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 as the primary performance driver in this configuration. At 1080p High settings, the combo produces an average of 127.8 FPS. Moving to 1440p High, the average only drops to 103.2 FPS, a relatively modest decline of about 19%. However, the jump to 4K High is far more punishing, with the average FPS falling to 59.8. This represents a significant 42% reduction from the 1440p result and a 53% drop from 1080p.

This scaling pattern is classic evidence of a GPU-bound scenario. The 1080p to 1440p transition is manageable because the RTX 4070 has enough headroom to handle the increased pixel count. The substantial performance hit at 4K indicates that the GPU's rendering pipeline is being saturated, and the resolution is now the dominant factor. The AMD Ryzen 5 5600G, with its 6 cores and 12 threads, is clearly not the bottleneck here; the data shows that it can feed the GPU adequately at lower resolutions, and the slowdown at 4K is almost entirely attributable to the graphics card's workload.

Settings Recommendations

For a balanced experience, the "High" preset appears to be the optimal choice for this hardware combination. At 1440p, the High preset delivers an average of 103.2 FPS, which is a very strong result for a smooth and responsive experience. The Ultra preset at the same resolution yields 94.5 FPS, which is still playable, but the performance gain from choosing High over Ultra is minimal in terms of visual fidelity for many, while the frame rate cost is noticeable.

At 4K, the High preset is the recommended setting. The average of 59.8 FPS is right at the edge of what is considered smooth for many players, and it provides a much better visual experience than the Medium preset's 80.6 FPS. The Ultra preset at 4K, however, drops to 57.8 FPS, which is barely different from High and not worth the potential stability risk. For players with high-refresh-rate 1080p monitors, the Medium preset at 141.5 FPS or even High at 127.8 FPS are excellent options, offering a great balance of visual quality and high frame rates.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 is the undisputed workhorse in this pairing, and its specifications directly correlate with the observed performance. The GPU's 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus provides 504.2 GB/s of bandwidth, which is sufficient to handle Thief's textures and geometry at all tested resolutions. The data shows no evidence of VRAM capacity being a limiting factor, as the performance scaling is consistent with compute and fill-rate limitations rather than memory swapping.

The core clocks of the RTX 4070, with a base of 1920 MHz and a boost of 2475 MHz, are substantial. This high boost clock, combined with the architecture's 29.15 TFLOPS of FP32 compute power, directly translates to the high raw frame rates seen in the benchmark results. The GPU's strong performance is also reflected in its benchmark scores, such as a passmark_g3d score of 26927, placing it in the 81st percentile of all GPUs. Its role is to push pixels, and the scaling data confirms it does so effectively until the 4K resolution overwhelms its capabilities.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete set of measured data provides a clear picture of performance across all settings and resolutions.

At 1920x1080, the combo excels:

• Low: 157.8 FPS
• Medium: 141.5 FPS
• High: 127.8 FPS
• Ultra: 126.2 FPS

The differences between presets are present but not enormous, with a 20% spread from Low to Ultra. This suggests the CPU provides enough headroom that even at the highest settings, the GPU can maintain a very high frame rate.

At 2560x1440, the performance remains strong:

• Low: 136 FPS
• Medium: 122.8 FPS
• High: 103.2 FPS
• Ultra: 94.5 FPS

Here, the scaling is more pronounced as the GPU begins to feel the load. The gap between Low and Ultra widens to about 31%, showing that the GPU is becoming the primary constraint.

At 3840x2160 (4K), the GPU is clearly the limiting factor:

• Low: 102.7 FPS
• Medium: 80.6 FPS
• High: 59.8 FPS
• Ultra: 57.8 FPS

The most striking result is the Low preset at 4K still achieving 102.7 FPS, proving the raw power of the card. The High and Ultra presets are nearly identical in performance, indicating that the highest quality settings are taxing the GPU to its limits.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600G and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 combination ranks 527 out of 1642 tested combos in Thief. This places it in the upper third of all systems tested, a strong result. The percentile ranking of the individual components supports this. The RTX 4070 sits in the 81st percentile among all GPUs, while the Ryzen 5 5600G is in the 78th percentile among all CPUs.

This pairing is well-balanced, but the ranking shows there are faster combinations. The RTX 4070's nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56, which has a slightly higher average score, and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile, which also scores higher. This suggests that while the desktop RTX 4070 is potent, its position in the overall ranking is influenced by the CPU it is paired with. The Ryzen 5 5600G, while a competent processor, is not a top-tier chip, and a more powerful CPU might push the combo higher in the rankings. The data indicates that the combo is limited by the CPU's performance in some scenarios, even though the GPU is often the bottleneck in this specific game.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo handle Thief at 4K resolution?

A: Yes, it can. At 4K with High settings, the combo achieves an average of 59.8 FPS. For a more comfortable margin, the Medium preset delivers 80.6 FPS, and even the Low preset yields 102.7 FPS.

Q: What is the best settings preset for 1440p gaming?

A: The High preset is the best option for 1440p, providing an average of 103.2 FPS. This offers a strong balance between visual fidelity and performance. The Ultra preset is playable at 94.5 FPS, but the visual difference over High is often minimal.

Q: Is the CPU a bottleneck in this system for Thief?

A: The data suggests the CPU is not a major bottleneck. At 1080p, the frame rates are very high across all settings, and the performance drop at higher resolutions is consistent with GPU limitations. The Ryzen 5 5600G's strong single-thread performance, evidenced by a 3dmark_single_thread score of 872, is sufficient for this game.

Q: How much of a performance difference is there between the High and Ultra presets at 1080p?

A: The difference is minimal. The High preset averages 127.8 FPS, while Ultra averages 126.2 FPS, a performance gap of only 1.6 FPS. This makes High the more logical choice for a negligible visual sacrifice.

Q: Does the GPU's VRAM capacity affect performance in Thief?

A: No. The 12 GB of GDDR6X memory is more than sufficient for this game. The performance scaling between resolutions and settings points to compute and shader limitations, not memory capacity issues.

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

A: The combo ranks 527 out of 1642 total tested combinations. This places it in the top third of all configurations, indicating a very capable system for playing Thief.