Thief

Thief, a 2014 stealth title, responds predictably but not uniformly to resolution changes on this AMD Ryzen 5 8400F + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER system. The most revealing data point is the gap between 1080p and 4K performance. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo averages 181 FPS, while at 4K with Low settings, it drops to 114 FPS. That is a 37% reduction in frame rate from the lowest to the highest resolution, which indicates that even at Low settings, the GPU is becoming the primary bottleneck at 4K. The CPU, with its 6 cores and 12 threads, has enough headroom at lower resolutions to push frame rates past 180 FPS, but the RTX 4070 SUPER's workload at 4K scales beyond what the 504.2 GB/s memory bandwidth and 12 GB of GDDR6X can sustain at the same level of efficiency.

The scaling pattern shifts notably when moving from 1440p to 1080p. At Medium settings, 1440p yields 144 FPS average, while 1080p yields 164 FPS. That 20 FPS gain (about 14%) is smaller than the 46 FPS gain (about 40%) seen when moving from 4K Medium (87 FPS) to 1440p Medium (144 FPS). This diminishing return at lower resolutions is a classic sign of CPU limitation creeping in. The Ryzen 5 8400F, with a boost clock of 4.70 GHz, is not weak, but Thief's engine from 2014 does not scale perfectly with modern high-core-count processors. The data suggests that below 1440p, the CPU starts to constrain the GPU, preventing it from fully stretching its legs. At 4K Ultra, the system falls to 63 FPS, which is a 65% drop from the 1080p Low result, confirming that the GPU is the dominant factor at high resolution and high settings.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS breakdown across resolutions tells a clear story about where this combo's strengths and weaknesses lie. Starting at 1080p, the system is exceptionally fast: 181 FPS on Low, 164 FPS on Medium, 148 FPS on High, and 146 FPS on Ultra. These numbers are close enough that the difference between High and Ultra is only 2 FPS, suggesting that the CPU is the limiting factor at this resolution. When the GPU has less work per frame, the 6-core processor's single-thread performance (Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2943) becomes the ceiling. The fact that 1080p Ultra (146 FPS) is nearly identical to 1080p High (148 FPS) reinforces this: the GPU is waiting on the CPU to issue draw calls.

Moving to 1440p, the GPU begins to take over. The Low setting still hits 160 FPS, but Medium drops to 144 FPS, High to 112 FPS, and Ultra to 107 FPS. The gap between High and Ultra at 1440p (5 FPS) is slightly larger than at 1080p (2 FPS), indicating that the RTX 4070 SUPER's 7168 shading units are starting to feel the load. The 1440p Medium result of 144 FPS is exactly the same as the 1080p Ultra result, which is a useful reference point: the GPU can handle roughly the same workload at 1440p Medium as the CPU can handle at 1080p Ultra. This crossover point is where the system transitions from CPU-bound to GPU-bound.

At 4K, the GPU is unequivocally the bottleneck. Low settings produce 114 FPS, which is still playable, but Medium drops to 87 FPS, High to 66 FPS, and Ultra to 63 FPS. The difference between 4K High and 4K Ultra is a mere 3 FPS, which is surprising given the typical cost of Ultra settings. This suggests that Thief's Ultra preset at 4K is not dramatically more demanding than High, or that the GPU is hitting a memory bandwidth wall. With 504.2 GB/s of bandwidth, the RTX 4070 SUPER is feeding a 192-bit bus, and at 4K resolution, the pixel fill rate (198.0 GPixel/s) becomes a limiting factor. The 4K Low result of 114 FPS is notable: it shows that even with minimal graphical load, the GPU cannot overcome the resolution's raw pixel count. This is a memory-bandwidth-bound scenario, not a compute-bound one.

Settings Recommendations

For 1080p and 1440p displays, the data supports using High settings as the sweet spot. At 1080p, High delivers 148 FPS, which is only 2 FPS shy of Ultra but likely offers better frame pacing consistency. At 1440p, High delivers 112 FPS, which is a comfortable margin above the 60 FPS threshold, and the jump to Ultra only costs 5 FPS. However, for competitive play or high-refresh-rate monitors (165 Hz or above), Medium settings at 1440p (144 FPS) or Low at 1080p (181 FPS) are better choices. The Medium preset at 1440p provides a 123 FPS minimum, which is smoother than the High preset's unlisted minimum, suggesting better frame consistency.

For 4K, the recommendation is more nuanced. If you have a 60 Hz display, Ultra (63 FPS) is technically playable, but High (66 FPS) is safer due to the slightly higher average. The data does not include minimum FPS for 4K High or Ultra, so the risk of frame drops below 60 FPS is unknown. A more conservative choice is Medium at 4K, which averages 87 FPS with a minimum of 74 FPS and a maximum of 100 FPS. This is the only 4K setting with full FPS data, and it shows a 74 FPS floor, which is well above the 60 FPS target. Low at 4K (114 FPS) is also viable if you prioritize frame rate over visual fidelity, but the visual downgrade from Medium is substantial for only a 27 FPS gain.

The best overall experience per the measured rows is 1440p Medium. It delivers 144 FPS average with a 123 FPS minimum, which is smooth on any current display. It is also the highest resolution and settings combination that maintains a minimum FPS above 120. For users with 4K displays, Medium is the recommended preset because it is the only one with a documented minimum FPS above 60, and the 87 FPS average is high enough to avoid noticeable stutter.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Thief at 4K with playable frame rates?

A: Yes, but with caveats. At 4K Medium, the system averages 87 FPS with a minimum of 74 FPS, which is playable on a 60 Hz monitor. At 4K High, the average drops to 66 FPS, and at Ultra, it is 63 FPS, both of which are marginally above 60 FPS but lack documented minimum FPS data.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in Thief?

A: It depends on resolution. At 1080p, the CPU is the primary limiter, as evidenced by the small FPS delta between High (148 FPS) and Ultra (146 FPS). At 4K, the GPU is clearly the bottleneck, with Low settings (114 FPS) still being significantly slower than 1080p Low (181 FPS).

Q: What is the best settings preset for competitive play?

A: For maximum frame rates, 1080p Low delivers 181 FPS, and 1440p Low delivers 160 FPS. For a balance of speed and visual quality, 1440p Medium at 144 FPS is the strongest option, as it maintains a 123 FPS minimum.

Q: Does the 12 GB VRAM on the RTX 4070 SUPER matter for Thief?

A: The data does not show VRAM usage, but the 12 GB of GDDR6X memory is unlikely to be a bottleneck in a 2014 title. The GPU's memory bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s and the 192-bit bus are more relevant factors, as the 4K performance scaling suggests bandwidth limitations.

Q: How does the Ryzen 5 8400F's 6-core/12-thread configuration affect Thief?

A: Thief was released in 2014, so it likely does not utilize more than 4-6 threads effectively. The CPU's single-thread score (Cinebench R23 single-core of 2943) is adequate, but the 1080p results suggest that the processor's per-core performance is the ceiling at low resolutions.

Q: Is the 4K Ultra setting worth using?

A: No. The difference between 4K High (66 FPS) and 4K Ultra (63 FPS) is only 3 FPS. Given that neither has documented minimum FPS data, the risk of dropping below 60 FPS is higher with Ultra, making High the better choice for visual fidelity without a significant performance penalty.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system produces its highest frame rates. Low settings average 181 FPS, Medium averages 164 FPS with a minimum of 139 FPS and a maximum of 188 FPS, High averages 148 FPS, and Ultra averages 146 FPS. The Medium preset is the only one at 1080p with full FPS data, showing a 139 FPS floor that is well above any refresh rate concern. The gap between High and Ultra is minimal, which indicates that the CPU is holding back the GPU at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the performance scales down gracefully. Low averages 160 FPS, Medium averages 144 FPS with a 123 FPS minimum and 166 FPS maximum, High averages 112 FPS, and Ultra averages 107 FPS. The Medium preset again provides the most complete data, and its 123 FPS minimum is the highest of any 1440p setting. The drop from Low to Medium is 16 FPS, from Medium to High is 32 FPS, and from High to Ultra is only 5 FPS, showing that the Ultra preset offers diminishing returns.

At 3840x2160, the GPU workload becomes the dominant factor. Low averages 114 FPS, Medium averages 87 FPS with a 74 FPS minimum and 100 FPS maximum, High averages 66 FPS, and Ultra averages 63 FPS. The Medium preset is the only 4K setting with a documented minimum FPS, and its 74 FPS floor is comfortably above 60. The scaling from Low to Medium is 27 FPS, from Medium to High is 21 FPS, and from High to Ultra is only 3 FPS, which suggests that the Ultra preset is not worth the performance cost at 4K.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 8400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER ranks 586th out of 3720 tested combos in Thief. This places it in the top 16% of all tested systems, which is a strong result for a mid-range CPU paired with a high-end GPU. The CPU itself has a percentile rank of 77 among all CPUs, and its average benchmark score of 25005 is nearly identical to the AMD Ryzen 5 7500F (24964, 0.2% faster) and the Intel Core i7-11850H (24935, 0.3% faster). The GPU has a percentile rank of 83 among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 43223 that is slightly below the NVIDIA Quadro M6000 24 GB (43262, -0.1% slower) and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 Mobile (43268, -0.1% slower).

The 586th rank out of 3720 combos suggests that while the individual components are strong, the pairing may not be optimal for Thief specifically. The CPU's 6-core/12-thread configuration is sufficient for this 2014 title, but the GPU's 4K performance is limited by its 192-bit memory bus. The rank reflects that many other combos with more powerful CPUs or GPUs achieve higher frame rates, but for a balanced system, this combo is well above average. The GPU's nearest rival, the RTX 4090 Mobile, is 1% faster in average benchmark score, but the desktop RTX 4070 SUPER's 12 GB VRAM and 220 W TDP make it a more practical choice for a desktop build. The rank of 586 is driven by the 4K results, where the GPU's bandwidth limitations become apparent; at 1080p, the combo would likely rank much higher.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 8400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 4 architecture, codenamed Phoenix, and manufactured on a 4 nm process by TSMC. Its base clock is 4.20 GHz, and it boosts to 4.70 GHz. The CPU has an L3 cache of 16 MB shared across all cores, and it supports dual-channel DDR5 memory with a bandwidth of 83.2 GB/s. In Thief, a game from 2014, the CPU's role is primarily single-thread performance, as the game engine is unlikely to scale beyond 4-6 threads. The Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2943 is solid, but not exceptional, and this is reflected in the 1080p results where the GPU is not fully utilized.

The CPU's passmark single-thread score of 3685 and its 3dmark single-thread score of 951 indicate that it has strong per-core performance for a modern processor. However, Thief's engine may not be optimized for Zen 4's architecture, leading to the CPU-bound behavior seen at 1080p. The fact that 1080p Ultra (146 FPS) is nearly identical to 1080p High (148 FPS) suggests that the CPU's draw-call processing is the bottleneck, not the GPU. The CPU's 16 MB L3 cache is smaller than some rivals, but for a 2014 game, this is unlikely to matter.

The CPU's 65 W TDP and 4 nm process make it efficient, but its boost clock of 4.70 GHz is not particularly high compared to other modern CPUs. The data shows that the CPU's multi-thread performance (Cinebench R23 multicore score of 20851) is strong, but this does not translate into higher frame rates in Thief, which favors single-thread speed. The 3dmark 2-thread score of 1874 and 4-thread score of 3563 indicate that the CPU's performance scales well with additional threads, but Thief likely uses fewer threads. In practical terms, the Ryzen 5 8400F is a capable CPU for Thief, but it is not the limiting factor at 1440p or 4K. At 1080p, it is the ceiling, and users who want higher frame rates at that resolution would need a CPU with faster single-core performance.