Thief

# FAQ

Q: What is the combined rank of the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER in Thief?

A: This combo ranks 1180th out of 1642 tested combinations in Thief, placing it in the lower-middle portion of the database. The data indicates this pairing is far from top-tier for this title, though it remains fully playable at several settings.

Q: How does the Ryzen 5 5600X compare to its nearest CPU rivals in average benchmark score?

A: The Ryzen 5 5600X scores 20,680 on average. It trails the AMD Ryzen 5 5600GT (20,740) by 0.3%, and the Intel Core i7-10700 (20,746) by 0.3%. It is also 0.5% behind the Intel Core i5-12490F (20,794), but leads the Intel Xeon 6325P (20,538) by 0.7%. These are negligible differences, meaning the CPU is not a differentiator at this performance tier.

Q: What is the GPU's standing relative to its nearest rivals in average benchmark score?

A: The RTX 2060 SUPER averages 19,774 points. It sits 0.3% above the GeForce GTX TITAN (19,706), 0.5% above the RTX 2070 (19,680), and 0.8% above the Quadro K5200 (19,623). The largest gap is a 1.3% lead over the Tesla K40m (19,519). All deltas are under 2%, indicating the GPU is tightly clustered with its direct competitors.

Q: What is the best playable setting at 1920x1080 based on measured FPS?

A: At 1080p, the Low preset delivers 157.1 FPS, Medium runs at 116.7 FPS, High achieves 89.6 FPS, and Ultra drops to 86.4 FPS. For smooth high-refresh gameplay, Medium offers a balanced 116.7 FPS. For maximum visual fidelity while staying above 60 FPS, High is the optimal choice.

Q: How does performance scale from 1080p to 4K at High settings?

A: At High settings, the average FPS falls from 89.6 at 1080p to 63.1 at 1440p, and further to 34.3 at 4K. This represents a 61.7% drop from 1080p to 4K, showing that the GPU becomes severely strained at higher resolutions despite the CPU's capabilities.

Q: Is the RTX 2060 SUPER's 8 GB VRAM sufficient for Thief at 4K?

A: The 8 GB GDDR6 memory is paired with a 256-bit bus and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth. At 4K Ultra, the measured average FPS is only 34.2, which is below the 60 FPS threshold. The data suggests that while capacity may be adequate, the GPU's raw throughput limits 4K performance, as evidenced by the 46.6 FPS at Medium and 65.4 FPS at Low.

# CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600X is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 3 architecture, codenamed Vermeer. It operates with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 4.60 GHz. With a 65 W TDP and support for DDR4 memory running dual-channel at 51.2 GB/s, this CPU delivers strong single-threaded performance. Its 3DMark single-thread score of 917 and Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2622 indicate robust per-core capability, which is relevant for Thief's engine that relies on a few heavily threaded tasks.

In the context of Thief, the CPU's 6 cores and 12 threads are more than adequate. The game's stealth mechanics and AI routines do not demand extreme multi-core scaling, so the Ryzen 5 5600X's Cinebench R20 multi-core score of 7802 and Geekbench multi-core score of 8673 are sufficient to avoid bottlenecking the GPU. The data shows that at 1080p Low, the combo reaches 157.1 FPS, which is well beyond typical display refresh rates. This indicates the CPU is not the limiting factor at lower resolutions.

However, the CPU's percentile ranking of 78 against all CPUs means it sits above the median but not in the top tier. Its nearest rival, the Ryzen 5 5600GT, scores nearly identically (20,740 vs. 20,680), confirming that the 5600X is a mid-range performer. The 32 MB L3 cache helps with game asset streaming, but Thief is not cache-sensitive enough to show a meaningful difference at the measured settings. The CPU's 7 nm process and 4,150 million transistors on a 74 mm² die represent modern efficiency, but these architectural details do not translate to a significant advantage in this specific title.

The takeaway is that the Ryzen 5 5600X provides a solid foundation for Thief, but its role is secondary to the GPU. At 1080p and 1440p, the CPU keeps up without issue, as evidenced by the high FPS at Low and Medium settings. The performance ceiling in this game is dictated by the graphics card, not the processor.

# GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER is built on the Turing architecture using the TU106 chip, fabricated on a 12 nm process at TSMC. It features 2,176 shading units, 136 TMUs, and 64 ROPs, with a base clock of 1470 MHz and a boost clock of 1650 MHz. The 8 GB GDDR6 memory runs at 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective) across a 256-bit bus, delivering 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. These specifications yield 7.181 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and a pixel rate of 105.6 GPixel/s.

In Thief, the GPU is the dominant performance driver. The measured FPS data shows that at 4K Ultra, the average is only 34.2 FPS, which is below playable standards for most users. At 4K Medium, it rises to 46.6 FPS, and only at 4K Low does it reach a playable 65.4 FPS. This pattern clearly indicates that the RTX 2060 SUPER's raw compute and memory bandwidth are insufficient for high-resolution, high-detail gaming in this title.

The GPU's percentile ranking of 63 against all GPUs places it slightly above the median. Its nearest rival, the GTX TITAN, scores 19,706 vs. 19,774, a mere 0.3% difference. The RTX 2070 is 0.5% behind, showing that the 2060 SUPER punches slightly above its perceived tier. The 12 nm process and 10,800 million transistors on a 445 mm² die are older-generation figures, but they still deliver acceptable performance at 1080p and 1440p.

The 8 GB VRAM is not the bottleneck at 1080p or 1440p, where the card achieves 89.6 FPS and 63.1 FPS at High, respectively. At 4K, the GPU's shading and texture throughput become the limiting factor rather than memory capacity. The measured drop from 65.4 FPS at 4K Low to 34.2 FPS at 4K Ultra shows a 47.7% performance penalty for raising detail, which is characteristic of a GPU that is overburdened at that resolution.

# Settings Recommendations

For the best experience in Thief with this combo, the data points to 1080p High as the sweet spot. At 89.6 FPS, it provides smooth gameplay while retaining substantial visual quality. The jump from Medium (116.7 FPS) to High (89.6 FPS) costs 23.2% performance but yields noticeably better detail. Ultra at 86.4 FPS is only 3.6% slower than High, making it a viable alternative if maximum fidelity is desired.

At 1440p, High delivers 63.1 FPS, which is just above the 60 FPS standard. Medium at 82.9 FPS offers a more comfortable margin, while Low at 106.6 FPS is excellent for high-refresh monitors. Ultra at 57.7 FPS dips below 60, so it is not recommended for consistent smoothness.

At 4K, the situation is more challenging. Low at 65.4 FPS is the only setting that maintains a playable frame rate. Medium at 46.6 FPS and High at 34.3 FPS are too low for most players. Ultra at 34.2 FPS is nearly identical to High, indicating diminishing returns at the top end. For 4K users, Low is the only viable preset, and even then, the experience may feel less polished than at lower resolutions.

The optimal recommendation is 1080p High for a balanced experience, or 1440p Medium if higher resolution is preferred. The data shows that the combo is best utilized at 1080p or 1440p, where it can maintain respectable frame rates without sacrificing too much detail.

# How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER combination ranks 1180th out of 1642 tested combos in Thief. This places it in the 28th percentile of all tested systems, meaning it outperforms roughly 28% of the database. This is a below-average ranking, reflecting the GPU's age and the game's tendency to favor newer graphics hardware.

The rank is heavily influenced by the GPU's performance at higher resolutions. At 1080p, the combo is competitive, but at 4K, it falls behind many modern pairings. The CPU's solid benchmark scores (20,680 average, 78th percentile) do not compensate for the GPU's limitations in this title. The nearest CPU rival, the Ryzen 5 5600GT, scores 20,740, which is only 0.3% higher, confirming that the processor is not the differentiator.

The combo's rank is also affected by the fact that Thief is a 2014 title with modest system requirements. Many newer GPUs, even mid-range ones, can easily surpass the RTX 2060 SUPER's performance in this game. The GPU's 63rd percentile ranking against all GPUs suggests it is an average performer, but in a game that scales well with GPU power, this translates to a lower overall combo rank.

In summary, this combo is positioned in the lower half of the database for Thief, with the GPU being the primary bottleneck. Users with this setup should target 1080p or 1440p to achieve acceptable performance.

# Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of performance across resolutions and settings.

1920x1080:

• Low: 157.1 FPS
• Medium: 116.7 FPS
• High: 89.6 FPS
• Ultra: 86.4 FPS

At 1080p, the combo delivers excellent performance, with all settings above 86 FPS. The gap between High and Ultra is minimal (3.2 FPS), suggesting that Ultra is a free upgrade in terms of visual fidelity.

2560x1440:

• Low: 106.6 FPS
• Medium: 82.9 FPS
• High: 63.1 FPS
• Ultra: 57.7 FPS

At 1440p, performance remains strong but begins to show strain at Ultra. The drop from High to Ultra is 5.4 FPS, which pushes the frame rate below 60. Medium provides a comfortable buffer at 82.9 FPS.

3840x2160:

• Low: 65.4 FPS
• Medium: 46.6 FPS
• High: 34.3 FPS
• Ultra: 34.2 FPS

At 4K, only Low achieves a playable frame rate. Medium is borderline, while High and Ultra are nearly identical at around 34 FPS, indicating that the GPU is fully saturated and further detail increases do not affect performance.

The data shows a consistent pattern: each resolution step down from 1080p to 4K roughly halves the frame rate at equivalent settings. This is typical of a GPU-bound scenario.

# Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals the limiting component in this combo. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 157.1 at 1080p to 106.6 at 1440p (a 32.1% reduction), and further to 65.4 at 4K (a 58.4% reduction from 1080p). At High settings, the drop is from 89.6 to 63.1 (29.6%) and then to 34.3 (61.7% reduction from 1080p).

These scaling patterns are characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario. If the CPU were the bottleneck, the FPS would remain relatively constant across resolutions at the same settings. Instead, the significant drops at 4K indicate that the RTX 2060 SUPER's rendering throughput and memory bandwidth are insufficient for the increased pixel count.

The 4K Ultra result of 34.2 FPS is nearly identical to 4K High at 34.3 FPS, which suggests that the GPU is completely maxed out at that resolution. The 4K Low result of 65.4 FPS shows that reducing detail can restore playability, but the GPU still struggles compared to its 1080p performance.

The CPU's role is minimal in this scaling. The Ryzen 5 5600X's 6 cores and 12 threads are more than capable of handling Thief's workload at any resolution, as evidenced by the high FPS at 1080p Low. The data conclusively shows that the GPU is the limiting component, particularly at 1440p and 4K. Users seeking higher frame rates at those resolutions would need a more powerful graphics card, while the CPU can remain unchanged.