Thief

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

The AMD Ryzen 5 7500F is a 6-core, 12-thread desktop processor built on the Zen 4 architecture, codenamed Raphael. It runs on the AMD Socket AM5 platform and features a base clock of 3.70 GHz with a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. The processor is manufactured on a 5 nm process at TSMC, with a transistor count of 6,570 million on a 71 mm² die. It includes 64 KB of L1 cache per core, 1 MB of L2 cache per core, and a shared 32 MB L3 cache. The CPU supports DDR5 memory in a dual-channel configuration, with a memory bandwidth of 83.2 GB/s, and offers PCIe Gen 5 with 24 lanes from the CPU. The TDP is rated at 65 W, and the processor has an unlocked multiplier for overclocking.

In the context of Thief, a stealth game released in 2014, the CPU's thread configuration matters because the game engine can utilize multiple threads for AI, physics, and scene management. The 7500F's 12 threads provide ample parallel processing capacity for these tasks, while the high boost clock of 5.00 GHz ensures strong single-thread performance, which is often critical for game logic and frame pacing. Benchmark results from the database show a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 22,799 and a single-core score of 3,218. Geekbench results indicate 12,362 multicore and 2,374 single-core scores. These figures place the CPU in the 77th percentile among all CPUs tested.

The measured FPS data for Thief shows that at 1080p Low settings, the average frame rate reaches 171 FPS, which is well above typical display refresh rates and indicates that the CPU is not the limiting factor at lower resolutions and settings. At 1080p Ultra, the average drops to 94 FPS, a decline of 77 FPS from Low, which suggests that the GPU is taking on more of the workload as settings increase. The CPU's role becomes more apparent when comparing resolution scaling: from 1080p to 1440p, the FPS drop at each setting is relatively modest, while from 1440p to 4K, the drops become more pronounced, indicating that the GPU is the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions. The CPU's 6 cores and 12 threads, combined with its high boost clock, provide sufficient headroom to feed the GPU across all tested configurations.

The nearest rivals in the database include the Intel Core i7-11850H with an average score of 24,935 (0.1% higher), the AMD Ryzen 5 8400F with 25,005 (0.2% higher), the Intel Core i7-13620H with 24,911 (0.2% lower), and the Intel Core 5 210H with 24,872 (0.4% lower). These deltas are small, indicating that the 7500F sits in a tightly contested performance band. For Thief, the CPU's strong single-thread performance and adequate multi-threading capability ensure that it does not constrain frame rates in the measured scenarios.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 1080p with High settings in Thief?

A: The recorded data shows an average of 99 FPS at 1920x1080 with High settings.

Q: How does the CPU's multi-thread performance compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Ryzen 5 7500F has an average benchmark score of 24,964. The Intel Core i7-11850H scores 24,935 (0.1% higher), the AMD Ryzen 5 8400F scores 25,005 (0.2% higher), the Intel Core i7-13620H scores 24,911 (0.2% lower), and the Intel Core 5 210H scores 24,872 (0.4% lower).

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded at 1440p Medium settings?

A: The minimum FPS at 2560x1440 with Medium settings is 76 FPS, with an average of 89 FPS and a maximum of 103 FPS.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor at 4K resolution?

A: At 3840x2160, the average FPS ranges from 38 at Ultra to 69 at Low. The substantial drop from 1080p to 4K, particularly at higher settings, indicates that the GPU is the primary limiting component at 4K resolution.

Q: What is the CPU's percentile ranking among all tested processors?

A: The Ryzen 5 7500F ranks in the 77th percentile among all CPUs in the database.

Q: Does the CPU support DDR5 memory?

A: Yes, the Ryzen 5 7500F supports DDR5 memory in a dual-channel configuration with a memory bandwidth of 83.2 GB/s.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 7500F and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER ranks 2,091 out of 3,720 tested combos in Thief. This places the pairing in the 56th percentile of all tested configurations, meaning that roughly 56% of tested combos perform better in this game. The rank reflects the balance between the CPU's strong multi-thread and single-thread capabilities and the GPU's mid-range performance tier.

The RTX 2070 SUPER is a Turing architecture GPU with a base clock of 1605 MHz and a boost clock of 1770 MHz. It features 2,560 shading units, 160 texture mapping units, and 64 raster operation units, along with 40 ray tracing cores and 320 tensor cores. The GPU has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s. Its FP32 performance is 9.062 TFLOPS. The GPU ranks in the 65th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 20,282. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA Quadro M4000M at 20,480 (1.0% higher), the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile at 20,534 (1.2% higher), the Intel Arc B570 at 20,556 (1.3% higher), and the Intel Arc A750 at 20,582 (1.5% higher).

The combo rank of 2,091 out of 3,720 suggests that while the CPU and GPU are both competent components individually, their combination in Thief does not place them in the top tier of tested systems. The measured FPS data shows that at 1080p Ultra, the average is 94 FPS, which is playable but not exceptional. At 4K Ultra, the average drops to 38 FPS, which falls below smooth gameplay thresholds. The rank reflects that many other combos in the database achieve higher frame rates, likely due to more powerful GPUs or more balanced CPU-GPU pairings.

Compared to the CPU's nearest rivals, the 7500F performs within 0.4% of its closest competitors in average benchmark score. This indicates that the CPU choice is not the primary differentiator in the combo's ranking. Instead, the GPU's mid-range position, sitting at the 65th percentile, and its end-of-life production status contribute more significantly to the overall rank. The RTX 2070 SUPER's 8 GB of VRAM and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for 1080p and 1440p gaming, but at 4K with Ultra settings, the GPU's compute throughput of 9.062 TFLOPS becomes a limiting factor, as evidenced by the 38 FPS average at 4K Ultra.

The combo's rank also reflects the age of the game. Thief was released in 2014, and modern hardware configurations typically exceed its requirements by a wide margin. However, the database's measured results show that even with this relatively capable CPU and mid-range GPU, the game's performance at 4K Ultra is not smooth, indicating that the game's engine can still stress modern hardware at high resolutions and settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for Thief with the AMD Ryzen 5 7500F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER covers three resolutions (1920x1080, 2560x1440, and 3840x2160) and four settings tiers (Low, Medium, High, and Ultra).

At 1920x1080, the average FPS ranges from 171 at Low to 94 at Ultra. The Medium preset delivers 130 FPS average, with a minimum of 111 FPS and a maximum of 150 FPS. The High preset delivers 99 FPS average. The spread from Low to Ultra is 77 FPS, which is the largest absolute drop across all resolutions in percentage terms, indicating that the GPU is increasingly taxed as settings rise.

At 2560x1440, the average FPS ranges from 118 at Low to 65 at Ultra. The Medium preset delivers 89 FPS average, with a minimum of 76 FPS and a maximum of 103 FPS. The High preset delivers 68 FPS average. The drop from Low to Ultra is 53 FPS, a smaller absolute reduction than at 1080p, but the percentage drop is similar because the starting point is lower.

At 3840x2160, the average FPS ranges from 69 at Low to 38 at Ultra. The Medium preset delivers 52 FPS average, with a minimum of 45 FPS and a maximum of 60 FPS. The High preset delivers 40 FPS average. The drop from Low to Ultra is 31 FPS, which is the smallest absolute drop, but the relative performance is much lower, with even the Low preset only reaching 69 FPS.

The Medium preset at each resolution provides a consistent balance: 130 FPS at 1080p, 89 FPS at 1440p, and 52 FPS at 4K. These averages are all playable, though the 4K Medium result of 52 FPS is borderline for smooth gameplay. The Ultra preset at 4K, with an average of 38 FPS, is the only configuration that falls below 40 FPS, making it unsuitable for sustained play.

The minimum FPS values are only recorded for the Medium preset at each resolution. At 1080p, the minimum is 111 FPS; at 1440p, the minimum is 76 FPS; and at 4K, the minimum is 45 FPS. These minimums indicate that frame pacing remains stable at Medium settings, with no severe drops below the average.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K varies by settings tier. At Low settings, the average FPS goes from 171 at 1080p to 118 at 1440p and 69 at 4K. This represents a 31% drop from 1080p to 1440p and a 42% drop from 1440p to 4K. At Medium settings, the averages are 130, 89, and 52 FPS respectively, with drops of 32% and 42%. At High settings, the averages are 99, 68, and 40 FPS, with drops of 31% and 41%. At Ultra settings, the averages are 94, 65, and 38 FPS, with drops of 31% and 42%.

The consistency of these percentage drops across all settings tiers indicates that the scaling behavior is resolution-driven rather than settings-driven. The GPU's workload scales with pixel count, and the RTX 2070 SUPER's performance diminishes predictably as resolution increases. The CPU's role in this scaling is minimal, as the frame rates at 1080p Low (171 FPS) show that the CPU can feed frames well above the GPU's capacity at higher resolutions.

The fact that the drop from 1440p to 4K is consistently around 42% regardless of settings suggests that the GPU is the limiting component at 4K. The RTX 2070 SUPER's 8 GB VRAM and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are adequate for the game's textures at 4K, but the compute throughput of 9.062 TFLOPS is insufficient to maintain high frame rates at that resolution. The 4K Ultra average of 38 FPS confirms this, as it is approximately 60% lower than the 1080p Ultra average of 94 FPS.

The scaling pattern also indicates that 1440p is the practical ceiling for this combo in Thief. At 1440p High, the average is 68 FPS, and at 1440p Ultra, it is 65 FPS, both of which are playable. At 4K, even the Low preset only reaches 69 FPS, and the Medium preset drops to 52 FPS, making 4K a marginal experience. The data shows that the combo is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, where it delivers smooth performance across all settings.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the Medium preset delivers the best balance of visual quality and performance across all three resolutions. At 1080p, Medium achieves 130 FPS average with a minimum of 111 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold and provides a comfortable margin for demanding scenes. At 1440p, Medium delivers 89 FPS average with a minimum of 76 FPS, which remains smooth and responsive. At 4K, Medium provides 52 FPS average with a minimum of 45 FPS, which is playable but may require a display with adaptive sync to avoid visible stutter.

The High preset is also viable at 1080p and 1440p, with averages of 99 FPS and 68 FPS respectively. However, at 4K, High drops to 40 FPS average, which is below the smoothness threshold for most players. The Ultra preset is only recommended at 1080p, where it reaches 94 FPS average, and at 1440p, where it reaches 65 FPS. At 4K, Ultra averages 38 FPS, which is too low for consistent gameplay.

The Low preset provides the highest frame rates, with 171 FPS at 1080p, 118 FPS at 1440p, and 69 FPS at 4K. However, the visual quality reduction from Low to Medium is significant, and the Medium preset's frame rates are already high enough at 1080p and 1440p to justify the visual upgrade. At 4K, the Low preset's 69 FPS average is the only configuration that exceeds 60 FPS, but the visual compromise may not be worth the performance gain for most users.

The recorded minimum FPS values for the Medium preset at each resolution (111 FPS at 1080p, 76 FPS at 1440p, and 45 FPS at 4K) indicate that frame pacing is stable, with no severe dips below the average. This makes Medium the most predictable choice for consistent performance. The High and Ultra presets lack recorded minimum FPS values, so their frame pacing cannot be verified from the data, but their lower averages suggest that they are more likely to experience dips.

For the best experience per the measured rows, Medium settings at 1440p offer the strongest combination of visual fidelity and performance, with an 89 FPS average and a 76 FPS minimum. This configuration stays well above 60 FPS even in the worst-case recorded frame, providing smooth gameplay without requiring the resolution to be lowered to 1080p. At 1080p, Medium delivers even higher headroom, making it the safest choice for competitive play or high-refresh-rate displays. At 4K, Medium is the only preset that maintains an average above 50 FPS, making it the recommended option for users who prioritize resolution over maximum visual detail.