Thief

# FAQ

Q: What is the combo rank of the AMD Ryzen 5 8400F paired with the AMD Radeon RX 9060 in Thief?

A: This combination ranks 1586 out of 2851 tested combos in the database for Thief, placing it in the upper-middle portion of all tested configurations.

Q: How does the Ryzen 5 8400F compare to its closest rival, the Ryzen 5 7500F?

A: The Ryzen 5 8400F scores 25,005 in average benchmarks, just 0.2% ahead of the Ryzen 5 7500F (24,964), making them effectively identical in CPU performance.

Q: What is the RX 9060's performance standing relative to the RTX 3060 Ti?

A: The RX 9060 averages 16,014 in GPU benchmarks, sitting 0.7% below the RTX 3060 Ti's score of 16,129, indicating near-parity between the two cards.

Q: What frame rates does this combo achieve at 1080p with Low settings?

A: At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the system produces an average of 171 FPS, the highest measured frame rate across all tested settings and resolutions.

Q: Does the game hit 60 FPS at 4K with this hardware?

A: Only at 4K Low settings (69 FPS average). At 4K Medium, it drops to 52 FPS average, and at 4K High it falls to 40 FPS, indicating 4K requires lower settings for smooth gameplay.

Q: What is the CPU's multithreaded capability in Cinebench R23?

A: The Ryzen 5 8400F scores 20,851 in Cinebench R23 multicore and 2,943 in single-core, reflecting its 6-core/12-thread Zen 4 architecture with a 4.20 GHz base and 4.70 GHz boost clock.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 9060 brings 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, delivering 288.0 GB/s of bandwidth — a configuration that proves decisive in Thief's performance envelope. The card's RDNA 4.0 architecture, built on the Navi 44 chip at 4 nm, operates with a base clock of 1700 MHz, a game clock of 2400 MHz, and a boost clock reaching 2990 MHz. These clock speeds, combined with 1792 shading units and 64 ROPs, yield a pixel rate of 191.4 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 334.9 GTexel/s.

The data reveals a clear pattern: the RX 9060's memory subsystem becomes the limiting factor as resolution climbs. At 1080p, the card delivers 171 FPS on Low settings, suggesting ample headroom. But at 4K Ultra, the average collapses to 38 FPS — a 78% reduction from the 1080p Low figure. This dramatic scaling points to the 8 GB frame buffer and 128-bit memory interface struggling with Thief's higher-resolution textures and geometry loads.

The GPU's 21.43 TFLOPS of FP32 compute is substantial, yet the measured results show that raw compute isn't the bottleneck in Thief. Instead, the 288.0 GB/s bandwidth appears insufficient for 4K Ultra workloads, where the frame rate drops below 40 FPS. The card's PassMark G3D score of 17,631 places it in the 59th percentile among all GPUs, with nearest rivals including the RTX 3060 Ti (16,129, 0.7% faster) and the Radeon RX 7700 (15,852, 1% slower).

Interestingly, the RX 9060's DirectX 11 PassMark score of 182 versus its DirectX 12 score of 44 suggests the architecture favors older API paths, which is relevant given Thief's release in 2014 and its likely DirectX 11 rendering path. The Vulkan score of 39,476 in Geekbench further indicates strong multi-API capability, but the game's engine appears to leverage only a fraction of the card's theoretical throughput.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS across resolutions tells a compelling story about where the bottleneck shifts. Starting at 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo achieves 171 FPS, dropping to 117 FPS at 2560x1440 and 69 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 32% reduction from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 41% reduction from 1440p to 4K — a total 60% drop from 1080p to 4K.

At Medium settings, the scaling is similar but with slightly different magnitudes: 130 FPS at 1080p, 89 FPS at 1440p (32% drop), and 52 FPS at 4K (42% drop from 1440p). The High preset shows 99 FPS at 1080p, 68 FPS at 1440p (31% drop), and 40 FPS at 4K (41% drop). Ultra settings follow the same pattern: 94 FPS, 65 FPS (31% drop), and 38 FPS (42% drop).

The consistency of these percentage drops across all settings — roughly 31-32% from 1080p to 1440p and 41-42% from 1440p to 4K — indicates a uniform scaling behavior that points to the GPU as the primary limiter. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we'd expect the 1080p to 1440p delta to be smaller, as lower resolutions place more relative load on the processor. Instead, the proportional drops suggest that Thief's rendering load scales predictably with pixel count, and the RX 9060's memory bandwidth constrains performance equally across settings.

The 4K results are particularly telling: at 4K Ultra, the system averages 38 FPS, essentially unplayable for smooth action. Even at 4K Medium, the 52 FPS average with a 45 FPS minimum shows instability. The 4K Low setting at 69 FPS is the only 4K configuration that clears the 60 FPS threshold comfortably. This pattern strongly implies that the 8 GB VRAM capacity is being exhausted at higher resolutions, forcing the card to manage memory more aggressively.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Ryzen 5 8400F and RX 9060 ranks 1586 out of 2851 tested combos in Thief, placing it in the 55.6th percentile — slightly above the median configuration. This ranking reflects a balanced pairing where neither component dramatically outclasses the other, yet the system as a whole doesn't reach the upper echelons of performance.

Given the GPU's 59th percentile ranking among all GPUs and the CPU's 77th percentile among all CPUs, the combo rank is somewhat lower than either component's individual standing. This suggests that Thief's specific demands — likely its single-threaded engine characteristics and moderate GPU load — prevent the system from fully realizing the CPU's potential. The CPU's PassMark single-thread score of 3,685 and 3DMark single-thread score of 951 indicate strong per-core performance, but the game may not be CPU-intensive enough to leverage this advantage.

The combo's position relative to the 2,851 tested configurations shows that there are 1,585 faster combos and 1,265 slower ones. This places the system in a crowded middle ground where small optimizations in either component could shift the ranking significantly. The CPU's nearest rivals — all within 0.4% of its average score — suggest that swapping to a Ryzen 5 7500F, Core i7-11850H, or Core i7-13620H would yield negligible changes in Thief's performance. Similarly, the GPU's near-parity with the RTX 3060 Ti (0.7% difference) means the choice between these cards is unlikely to meaningfully alter the combo's standing.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend heavily on the target resolution and desired frame rate. At 1920x1080, all settings deliver playable performance: Low averages 171 FPS, Medium 130 FPS, High 99 FPS, and Ultra 94 FPS. For competitive or fast-paced play, Medium offers an excellent balance at 130 FPS with a minimum of 110 FPS, ensuring smooth frame delivery. High and Ultra both stay above 90 FPS, making them viable for visually demanding players who prioritize image quality over raw speed.

At 2560x1440, the picture becomes more nuanced. Low hits 117 FPS, Medium 89 FPS (76 minimum), High 68 FPS, and Ultra 65 FPS. Medium is the clear sweet spot here — it maintains a 89 FPS average with a 76 FPS minimum, keeping gameplay fluid while allowing for moderate visual enhancements. High and Ultra are playable but sit closer to the 60 FPS threshold, which may cause noticeable frame pacing issues in fast scenes. Low, at 117 FPS, is the safest choice for maintaining high refresh rates.

At 3840x2160, only Low settings (69 FPS average) provide a consistently smooth experience. Medium drops to 52 FPS average with a 45 FPS minimum, which will exhibit stutter in action sequences. High and Ultra fall to 40 FPS and 38 FPS respectively, making them unsuitable for anything beyond slow exploration. For 4K play, Low settings are the only viable option, and even then, the 69 FPS average leaves little headroom for demanding scenes.

The data suggests that for most users, 1080p Medium or 1440p Medium provides the best balance of visual quality and performance. The 45-60 FPS minimums at Medium settings ensure that even the most demanding scenes stay above the stutter threshold, whereas Ultra settings at any resolution above 1080p risk dropping below 60 FPS.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete measured FPS table for the Ryzen 5 8400F with RX 9060 in Thief is as follows:

1920x1080:

• Low: 171 FPS average
• Medium: 130 FPS average, 110 FPS minimum, 149 FPS maximum
• High: 99 FPS average
• Ultra: 94 FPS average

2560x1440:

• Low: 117 FPS average
• Medium: 89 FPS average, 76 FPS minimum, 102 FPS maximum
• High: 68 FPS average
• Ultra: 65 FPS average

3840x2160:

• Low: 69 FPS average
• Medium: 52 FPS average, 45 FPS minimum, 60 FPS maximum
• High: 40 FPS average
• Ultra: 38 FPS average

The Medium settings are the only ones with recorded minimum and maximum FPS values across all resolutions, providing insight into frame time consistency. At 1080p Medium, the 110-149 FPS range shows a 30% variance from minimum to maximum, indicating some scene-dependent volatility. At 1440p Medium, the 76-102 FPS range shows similar 34% variance. At 4K Medium, the 45-60 FPS range — a 33% variance — demonstrates that the relative frame consistency remains stable even as absolute performance drops.

The gap between Low and Ultra settings widens as resolution increases: at 1080p, the difference is 77 FPS (171 vs 94); at 1440p, it's 52 FPS (117 vs 65); at 4K, it's 31 FPS (69 vs 38). This narrowing gap suggests that at higher resolutions, the GPU becomes so constrained that settings changes have diminishing returns — the card is already near its limits regardless of quality preset.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 8400F, built on Zen 4 architecture with the Phoenix codename, provides 6 cores and 12 threads running at a 4.20 GHz base clock and 4.70 GHz boost clock. This 8000-series processor, fabricated on TSMC's 4 nm process with 25,000 million transistors on a 178 mm² die, delivers strong single-threaded performance that is crucial for Thief's engine. The CPU's 3DMark single-thread score of 951 and PassMark single-thread score of 3,685 indicate robust per-core throughput.

In Thief, a 2014 stealth title, the CPU's role is primarily to maintain consistent frame pacing and handle game logic, AI, and physics. The data shows that at 1080p Low (171 FPS), the system achieves very high frame rates, suggesting the CPU is not a bottleneck at this resolution. The near-linear scaling of FPS with resolution — 171 to 117 to 69 across 1080p, 1440p, and 4K — implies that the GPU becomes the limiting factor as pixel count rises, with the CPU having ample headroom even at the highest settings.

The CPU's Cinebench R23 multicore score of 20,851 and single-core score of 2,943 place it well ahead of the game's likely requirements, given Thief's age. However, the 77th percentile ranking among all CPUs (with an average benchmark score of 25,005) shows that while this processor is solid, it's not exceptional. The nearest rivals — the Ryzen 5 7500F (0.2% faster), Core i7-11850H (0.3% faster), and Core i7-13620H (0.4% faster) — all perform within a fraction of a percent, meaning CPU choice among these options would have minimal impact on Thief's frame rates.

The 65W TDP and 83.2 GB/s memory bandwidth (DDR5 dual-channel) provide adequate support for the GPU's demands. The CPU's 16 MB shared L3 cache and 1 MB per-core L2 cache are modest by modern standards, but sufficient for a game of Thief's era. The 4 nm process and 4.70 GHz boost clock suggest the processor can sustain high clocks under load, which is essential for maintaining frame rates in CPU-bound scenarios — though the data indicates this combo is rarely CPU-bound in Thief.