Thief

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600GT and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 combination delivers a remarkably strong experience in Thief, with the data showing that the Ultra preset is the most sensible choice for users with high-refresh-rate displays, while the High preset offers the most balanced experience across all resolutions. The measured frames per second (FPS) indicate that this combo ranks in the 72nd percentile of all tested configurations, placing it firmly in the upper tier of systems capable of running this 2014 stealth title at modern standards.

Settings Recommendations

The benchmark data for this pairing in Thief suggests that the Ultra preset is the definitive recommendation for most users, as it provides the highest visual fidelity without sacrificing playability. At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset delivers an average of 134.1 FPS, which is only 2.3 FPS behind the High preset’s 136.4 FPS, making the visual upgrade essentially free at this resolution. The gap widens slightly at 2560x1440, where Ultra averages 96.1 FPS compared to High’s 100.7 FPS, but both remain well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay.

For users prioritizing maximum frame rates, the Low preset at 1080p yields the highest measured average of 164 FPS, but the incremental gains over Medium (147.2 FPS) and High (136.4 FPS) are marginal compared to the significant visual downgrade. The data shows that Medium provides a compelling middle ground at 1440p, with an average of 131.9 FPS that is only 10.6 FPS below Low’s 142.5 FPS, suggesting that the preset scaling is efficient. At 4K, the Ultra preset drops to 58.5 FPS, which is technically playable but noticeably below the 60 FPS target; in this scenario, the High preset at 57.9 FPS offers no advantage, making Medium (79.6 FPS) the better 4K option if visual fidelity must be sacrificed.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 serves as the primary driver of frame rates in Thief, particularly at higher resolutions where its 12 GB of GDDR6X memory and 504.2 GB/s bandwidth prevent bottlenecks. The GPU’s Ada Lovelace architecture, built on a 5 nm process, provides a substantial performance foundation, as evidenced by its PassMark G3D score of 26927 and an average benchmark score of 37283. The measured FPS scaling across settings confirms that the GPU is not memory-limited at any tested configuration, as even the 4K Ultra preset, which demands the most memory, maintains a 58.5 FPS average.

The core clock behavior of the 4070, with a base of 1920 MHz and a boost of 2475 MHz, is well-suited to Thief’s engine, which appears to favor raw shader throughput. The GPU’s 5888 shading units and 64 ROPs deliver a pixel rate of 158.4 GPixel/s, which explains why the transition from 1080p to 1440p at High settings only incurs a 35.7 FPS drop (from 136.4 to 100.7). The data indicates that the GPU reaches its performance ceiling at 4K Ultra, where the 57.9 FPS High result is nearly identical to Ultra’s 58.5 FPS, suggesting that the engine’s draw calls and geometry processing become the limiting factor rather than memory or bandwidth.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600GT’s six cores and twelve threads, based on the Zen 3 architecture, provide ample processing power for Thief, which was released before multi-threading became a standard requirement. The CPU’s Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 17272 and single-core score of 2438 indicate that its single-threaded performance is the more relevant metric for this title, as older games often rely heavily on one or two cores. The fact that the 5600GT achieves a PassMark single-thread score of 3348, which is competitive with its nearest rivals, explains why the combo maintains high frame rates even at 1080p where the CPU’s role is more pronounced.

The CPU’s 3.60 GHz base clock and 4.60 GHz boost clock provide sufficient headroom to avoid bottlenecking the RTX 4070 at lower resolutions. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 164 FPS, which is only 18 FPS higher than the 1440p Low result of 142.5 FPS, indicating that the CPU is beginning to limit performance at this lower resolution. The 5600GT’s 16 MB L3 cache and dual-channel DDR4 memory support (51.2 GB/s bandwidth) are adequate for Thief’s data access patterns, as evidenced by the smooth scaling between Medium and High settings at 1440p (131.9 vs 100.7 FPS), which shows no sudden CPU-induced stutters or frame drops.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Ryzen 5 5600GT and RTX 4070 ranks 465th out of 1642 tested combos in Thief, placing it in the top 28% of all systems in the database. This ranking is notably higher than what the individual component percentiles might suggest: the CPU sits at the 78th percentile among all processors, while the GPU is at the 81st percentile among all GPUs. The synergy between these two components is effective for this specific title, as the combo’s rank exceeds expectations based on the sum of its parts.

The CPU’s nearest rivals provide context for its performance in this pairing. The Ryzen 5 5600GT’s average benchmark score of 20740 is nearly identical to the Intel Core i7-10700 (20746, 0% delta) and the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X (20680, 0.3% delta), indicating that the 5600GT is a well-rounded performer. However, the GPU’s nearest rivals show a wider spread, with the RTX 4070’s average score of 37283 trailing the NVIDIA GeForce MX570 A (38008, -1.9% delta) and the RTX 4080 Mobile (38135, -2.2% delta), yet leading the AMD Radeon RX 5300M (36371, 2.5% delta). This positioning suggests that the 4070 is a mid-to-high-tier GPU whose performance in Thief is enhanced by the 5600GT’s solid single-threaded capabilities, resulting in a combo rank that reflects a balanced system rather than one dominated by a single component.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Thief?*

A: The data shows that 2560x1440 on High settings provides the best balance, with an average of 100.7 FPS, which is comfortably above the 60 FPS target while maintaining visual quality. At 4K, only the Low preset (100.7 FPS) and Medium (79.6 FPS) exceed 60 FPS.

*Q: Can this system handle 4K Ultra settings in Thief?*

A: Yes, but barely. The measured average FPS at 3840x2160 Ultra is 58.5 FPS, which is just below the 60 FPS threshold. The High preset at 4K yields 57.9 FPS, indicating that the Ultra preset is not significantly more demanding than High at this resolution.

Q: How does the RTX 4070 compare to its nearest rivals in terms of average benchmark score?

A: The RTX 4070’s average benchmark score of 37283 is 0.6% lower than the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 (37507) and 1.9% lower than the NVIDIA GeForce MX570 A (38008), but it is 2.5% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 5300M (36371).

Q: Is the Ryzen 5 5600GT a bottleneck for the RTX 4070 in this game?

A: The data suggests minimal bottlenecking. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 164 FPS, which is only 12.5% higher than the 1440p Low result of 142.5 FPS, indicating that the CPU begins to limit performance at lower resolutions, but the effect is modest.

Q: What is the difference in FPS between the Low and Ultra presets at 1440p?

A: The Low preset averages 142.5 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 96.1 FPS, representing a 46.4 FPS difference. This is the largest gap between presets at any resolution, suggesting that Ultra settings have a meaningful impact on GPU load at 1440p.

Q: How does this combo’s rank compare to the total number of tested combos?

A: The combo ranks 465th out of 1,642 tested combinations, placing it in the 72nd percentile. This means that roughly 72% of all tested combos perform worse in Thief than this specific CPU-GPU pairing.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data reveals a consistent scaling pattern across all resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the combo delivers 164 FPS on Low, 147.2 FPS on Medium, 136.4 FPS on High, and 134.1 FPS on Ultra. The transition from Low to Ultra incurs a 29.9 FPS drop, but even the lowest Ultra result remains above 130 FPS, making 1080p the resolution where this system provides the most headroom.

At 2560x1440, the results are 142.5 FPS (Low), 131.9 FPS (Medium), 100.7 FPS (High), and 96.1 FPS (Ultra). The drop from Medium to High is notably steep at 31.2 FPS, suggesting that High settings introduce a significant rendering cost at this resolution. The Ultra preset’s 96.1 FPS is still well above the 60 FPS threshold, making 1440p Ultra a viable option.

At 3840x2160, the data shows 100.7 FPS (Low), 79.6 FPS (Medium), 57.9 FPS (High), and 58.5 FPS (Ultra). Interestingly, the High and Ultra results are nearly identical (a 0.6 FPS difference), indicating that the engine reaches a performance plateau at 4K where additional visual features have minimal impact on frame rate. The Medium preset’s 79.6 FPS is the best balance at 4K, offering a 21.1 FPS improvement over Ultra while maintaining acceptable visual quality.

Resolution Scaling

The resolution scaling data reveals a clear pattern of GPU dominance at higher resolutions and increasing CPU influence at lower ones. From 1080p to 1440p at Low settings, the FPS drops from 164 to 142.5, a 13.1% decrease. However, from 1440p to 4K at the same settings, the drop is much larger: from 142.5 to 100.7, a 29.3% decrease. This non-linear scaling indicates that the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck as resolution increases, which is expected given the RTX 4070’s 192-bit memory bus and 504.2 GB/s bandwidth.

At High settings, the scaling is more pronounced: 136.4 FPS at 1080p, 100.7 FPS at 1440p (26.2% drop), and 57.9 FPS at 4K (42.5% drop from 1440p). This suggests that High settings amplify the GPU’s workload more than Low settings, particularly at 4K where the pixel fill rate requirement becomes demanding. The Ultra preset shows a similar trend, with 134.1 FPS at 1080p dropping to 96.1 FPS at 1440p (28.3% drop) and then to 58.5 FPS at 4K (39.1% drop).

The data indicates that the system is well-balanced at 1080p and 1440p, where the CPU’s single-thread performance (Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2438) is sufficient to keep the GPU fed. At 4K, the GPU’s limits are exposed, and the combo’s performance aligns more closely with the RTX 4070’s raw capabilities, which are 2.2% below the RTX 4080 Mobile’s average benchmark score. The overall scaling from 1080p Low (164 FPS) to 4K Ultra (58.5 FPS) represents a 64.3% reduction in frame rate, confirming that Thief’s rendering demands scale substantially with resolution, and that the limiting component shifts decisively to the GPU at 4K.