Thief

The AMD Ryzen 5 7400F and AMD Radeon RX 570 pairing in Thief presents a study in stark imbalance, landing at rank 2744 out of 2851 tested combos. The data reveals a system where the modern 6-core processor is utterly untaxed while the older Polaris GPU struggles to maintain playable frame rates at higher resolutions. This analysis examines the measured FPS data to determine exactly where the bottleneck lies and what settings offer the most viable experience.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Ryzen 5 7400F is built on AMD's Zen 4 architecture, a 5 nm design from TSMC, and belongs to the 7000 series. It provides 6 cores and 12 threads, with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 4.70 GHz. This is a modern, capable desktop processor with a 65 W TDP, and it supports DDR5 memory via a dual-channel bus. The CPU’s benchmark scores are robust, showing a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 21765 and a single-core score of 3072. Its average benchmark score of 32750 places it in the 83rd percentile of all CPUs, with its nearest rivals being extremely close; for instance, the Intel Core i5-14600T scores 32707, a difference of just 0.1%.

In the context of Thief, a game released in 2014, the CPU’s potential is largely irrelevant. The performance bottleneck is not the processor. The measured FPS data shows that the frame rates are dictated by the graphics card, not the CPU. For example, at 1080p with Low settings, the system achieves an average of 75 FPS, but at 4K with the same Low settings, it drops to 30 FPS. This massive drop with resolution scaling is the hallmark of a GPU-bound scenario, where the CPU is waiting on the graphics card to finish its frame.

The Ryzen 5 7400F’s single-thread performance, as evidenced by its 309 Cinebench R15 single-core score and 3689 Passmark single-thread score, would be more than sufficient for the game's logic and draw calls. The processor's 32 MB of shared L3 cache also provides ample fast memory for game assets. However, the data does not show any CPU limitation. The multi-core performance, shown by a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 21765, is also far beyond what a 2014 title would need, meaning the game is not utilizing the full potential of the CPU. The processor is effectively idle, waiting for the GPU to deliver frames, which is why the combination ranks so low.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Radeon RX 570 is the clear limiting factor in this pairing. This GPU uses the Polaris 20 chip, based on the GCN 4.0 architecture, and is manufactured on a 14 nm process. It has 2048 shading units, 128 texture mapping units, and 32 ROPs. The card features a base clock of 1168 MHz and a boost clock of 1244 MHz. It comes with 4 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 224.0 GB/s. The GPU's compute power is rated at 5.095 TFLOPS FP32.

The RX 570's performance in Thief is directly tied to its VRAM and memory bandwidth. At 1080p, the GPU can manage playable frame rates, but as resolution increases, the 4 GB VRAM buffer becomes a constraint. The measurements show this clearly. At 1080p with High settings, the average FPS is 43. At 1440p, this drops to 30 FPS, and at 4K, it falls to 17 FPS. This scaling pattern is indicative of the GPU's limited fillrate and memory subsystem being overwhelmed by the increasing pixel count.

The GPU's nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 6800M with a score of 28874, which is only 0.4% faster, and the AMD Radeon R9 M295X, which is 0.7% slower. This clustered performance puts the RX 570 in a specific performance tier, but the data shows it is insufficient for higher resolutions in this game. The 4 GB VRAM is a significant issue. At 4K with Ultra settings, the average FPS is 17, and the lack of min/max data for many settings suggests the frame pacing is likely poor. The GPU is the bottleneck, and its age shows in its inability to handle the demands of Thief at 1440p or 4K, even on lower presets.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best resolution to play Thief with this combo if a 60 FPS average is desired?*

A: Based on the data, no tested resolution achieves an average of 60 FPS. The closest is 1080p with Low settings, which averages 75 FPS. The next highest is 1080p with Medium settings at 57 FPS.

Q: Is the Ryzen 5 7400F or the Radeon RX 570 the performance bottleneck?

A: The GPU is the bottleneck. The FPS drops dramatically with resolution increases, from 75 FPS at 1080p Low to 30 FPS at 4K Low, which is a classic sign of a graphics card limitation. The CPU's strong benchmark scores suggest it is not a limiting factor.

*Q: How does this combo rank compared to all other tested combinations in Thief?*

A: This combination ranks 2744th out of 2851 tested combos, placing it in the bottom 4% of all tested systems for this game.

Q: What is the performance difference between the Low and Ultra presets at 1080p?

A: At 1080p, the Low preset averages 75 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 41 FPS. This represents a 34 FPS difference, or about a 45% reduction in performance when moving from Low to Ultra.

*Q: Is 4K resolution viable with this hardware for playing Thief?*

A: No. The best average FPS at 4K is 30 with Low settings, which is borderline playable but not smooth. All other settings at 4K result in average frame rates of 23 FPS or lower, which is not a good experience for a stealth game.

Q: What is the memory bandwidth of the RX 570, and does it appear to be a constraint?

A: The RX 570 has a memory bandwidth of 224.0 GB/s. The sharp FPS drops at higher resolutions suggest this bandwidth, along with the 4 GB VRAM capacity, is a significant constraint when the GPU is required to process larger textures and frame buffers.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 7400F and the AMD Radeon RX 570 is ranked 2744th out of 2851 tested combos in Thief. This places the system in the bottom 96th percentile of all tested configurations, a very poor showing. The rank is primarily dragged down by the GPU's inability to deliver high frame rates at higher resolutions. The CPU, which performs in the 83rd percentile of all CPUs, is not the issue.

The data suggests that this pairing is a mismatch. The Ryzen 5 7400F is a high-performing modern processor, but it is paired with a graphics card that is several generations old. In Thief, this results in a system that is severely GPU-limited, leaving the CPU's potential untapped. The low rank is not due to a failure of either component individually, but rather the result of their combined performance profile in this specific game. If the goal is a high frame rate at 1080p, the system can achieve it on lower settings, but it cannot compete with other combos that feature more balanced GPU and CPU pairings.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of what settings are viable. If the target is a smooth 60 FPS average, the only option is 1080p with the Low preset, which yields an average of 75 FPS. This provides a significant headroom above 60 FPS and is the only setting that meets that threshold.

For players who prioritize visual quality over a strict 60 FPS target, 1080p with Medium settings offers a balanced experience, averaging 57 FPS with a minimum of 48 FPS and a maximum of 65 FPS. This is a playable compromise, as the frame rate dips below 60 but remains mostly smooth. At 1440p, the Low preset averages 51 FPS, which is also playable, but the High preset drops to 30 FPS, which is not recommended for a smooth experience. At 4K, all settings are sub-optimal, with the Low preset being the only one that approaches playability at 30 FPS. The Ultra preset at any resolution is not recommended, as it provides the lowest frame rates, such as 41 FPS at 1080p and 17 FPS at 4K.

The data implies that the best experience is at 1080p with Medium settings, as it provides a good balance between visual fidelity and performance, with the Low preset being the only option for a guaranteed 60+ FPS average.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for this combo is as follows:

3840x2160 (4K):

• Low: 30 FPS average
• Medium: 23 FPS average (min 19, max 26)
• High: 17 FPS average
• Ultra: 17 FPS average

2560x1440 (1440p):

• Low: 51 FPS average
• Medium: 39 FPS average (min 33, max 45)
• High: 30 FPS average
• Ultra: 28 FPS average

1920x1080 (1080p):

• Low: 75 FPS average
• Medium: 57 FPS average (min 48, max 65)
• High: 43 FPS average
• Ultra: 41 FPS average

The data shows a consistent pattern. At 1080p, the system can deliver playable frame rates across all settings, with the Low preset being the only one that exceeds 60 FPS. As the resolution increases to 1440p, the frame rates drop significantly, with the High and Ultra presets falling below 30 FPS. At 4K, the system is unable to provide a smooth experience, with the highest average being 30 FPS on Low settings. The Medium preset is the only one with min/max data, indicating that the other presets may have too much variance or the testing focused on the average.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K is severe and reveals the GPU-bound nature of this system. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 75 at 1080p to 51 at 1440p, a 32% reduction, and then to 30 at 4K, a 60% reduction from the 1080p baseline. This is a near-linear scaling with the number of pixels, which is a strong indicator that the GPU's pixel fillrate and memory bandwidth are the primary bottlenecks.

At Medium settings, the frame rates drop from 57 at 1080p to 39 at 1440p and then to 23 at 4K. The High settings show a similar trend, dropping from 43 to 30 to 17. This consistent pattern across all settings confirms that the limiting factor is the GPU. The CPU is not causing a bottleneck because the frame rate is dropping in direct relation to the increase in rendering resolution, which is a GPU workload.

The scaling also highlights the issue with the 4 GB VRAM. While the GPU is processing more pixels, it also needs to store larger textures and buffers. When the VRAM capacity is exceeded at 4K, the performance falls off a cliff. The data shows that the gap between 1440p and 4K is more significant than between 1080p and 1440p, suggesting that the GPU is hitting a hard resource limit at 4K. This is not a CPU limitation; it is a pure graphics card constraint. The Ryzen 5 7400F is waiting for the RX 570, which is struggling to keep up with the demands of the game at higher resolutions.