Thief

The AMD Ryzen 5 8400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D combination delivers solid performance in Thief, with a combo rank of 298 out of 3720 tested configurations. This places the pairing within the top ~10% of all measured combos for this game. The data indicates that the CPU and GPU work together to provide strong frame rates across resolutions and settings, although the GPU appears to be the limiting factor at 4K. The following sections break down each component's role and offer practical advice based on the measured results.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank of 298 out of 3720 puts this configuration in the top 10% of all tested combinations for Thief. This is a strong result, suggesting that the Ryzen 5 8400F and RTX 5090 D are well matched for this game. The graph shows that the CPU and GPU deliver high average frame rates across all tested settings and resolutions. The percentile rankings are impressive: the CPU holds a percentile score of 77 across all CPUs, meaning it outperforms 77% of the tested processors, while the GPU sits in the 92nd percentile across all GPUs. This upward skew in GPU placement relative to the CPU suggests the graphics card is handling the graphical load efficiently. The measured FPS data confirms this, with the game remaining fluid even at high settings and 4K resolution.

CPU Role

The Ryzen 5 8400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on AMD's Zen 4 architecture, released in March 2024. It has a base clock of 4.20 GHz and a boost clock of 4.70 GHz, and it uses an AM5 socket with dual-channel DDR5 memory support. With a TDP of 65 W, it's a efficient chip—a standout feature in the 8000 series. In synthetic benchmarks, the CPU scores 20,851 points in Cinebench R23 multicore and 2,943 points in single-core, reflecting its strong parallel performance for tasks like game physics and AI. When passed through a relative comparison, the CPU sits close to its nearest rivals: it's 0.2% faster than the AMD Ryzen 5 7500F, 0.3% faster than the Intel Core i7-11850H, and 0.4% faster than the Intel Core i7-13620H. It is 0.4% slower than the AMD EPYC 9474F, a server chip. These thin margins mean the 8400F's performance is essentially on par with many modern mid-range and high-end processors.

In Thief, the CPU’s role is to maintain a steady frame pipeline. The game is set in a 1770-era Paris, but it's not CPU-heavy by today's standards, as the 6 cores handle the game logic, physics, and scene management without bottlenecking the GPU. Even at 4K settings, where the GPU does most of the work, the CPU does not show signs of limiting. Look at the FPS flags: at 1080p High settings, the system achieves 148 FPS, and at 4K High, it drops to 92 FPS. That reduction is largely GPU-driven, as the CPU can easily feed the GPU at 1080p. The CPU's 12 threads handle the game’s background tasks, and the 3DMark single-thread score of 951 and multi-thread score of 6,091 reflects its capability to handle DirectX 9 workloads seen in Thief. The lack of an unlocked multiplier (the CPU is unlocked, though it's not used) doesn't affect these results. The data signifies the CPU is not a limiting factor in this combo.

GPU Role

The RTX 5090 D is a massive GPU from Nvidia's GeForce 50 series, featuring 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, with a bandwidth of 1.79 TB/s. It uses the Blackwell 2.0 architecture, has a base clock of 2017 MHz and a boost of 2407 MHz. The memory runs at 1750 MHz (28 Gbps effective). With 21,760 shading units, 680 TMUs, and 176 ROPs, it pushes 104.8 TFLOPS of FP32 performance. The launch MSRP for this GPU is $2,299. The GPU has a percentile rank of 92 across all GPUs, placing it in the elite tier. Its closest rivals in benchmarks are the AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT (1.1% higher score), RX 6850M XT (1.6% lower), and two Nvidia Tesla P100 variants (2.1% and 2.4% lower). These differences are minor—less than 4% either way—meaning the RTX 5090 D is comparable to those performers.

In Thief, the GPU's raw power is heavily leveraged. The game’s crowded Victorian streets and variable lighting benefit from the RTX 5090 D's high pixel and texture rates: 423.6 GPixel/s and 1,636.8 GTexel/s respectively. The 32 GB VRAM ensures that even 4K textures (if present) are not a constraint, and the bandwidth manages high detail levels without stuttering. At 4K Ultra, the GPU still delivers an average of 87 FPS—a playable level, though not as smooth as High. The low amount of drop from 1440p to 4K (129→92 Ultra) reflects a GPU-limited scenario, but the RTX 5090 D still sustains a reasonable frame rate. At 1080p, it easily produces >146 FPS at every preset, reaching 181 at Low. The data shows that the GPU is the primary performance driver; when the resolution climbs, FPS falls proportionally. However, the GPU’s high-end specifications ensure that even at 4K, the game remains playable, though users seeking the absolute highest frame rates might prefer lower settings to eke out more tokens.

FAQ

Q: What is the combo rank for this system in Thief?

A: The combined combo of AMD Ryzen 5 8400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D ranks 298th out of 3,720 tested combos, placing it in the top 10% of all configurations evaluated for this game.

Q: How many cores does the Ryzen 5 8400F have, and what is its boost clock?

A: The CPU has 6 physical cores and 12 threads, with a base clock of 4.20 GHz and a boost clock of 4.70 GHz. It uses an AMD AM5 socket and supports DDR5 memory.

Q: What is the VRAM size on the RTX 5090 D, and what memory type does it use?

A: The RTX 5090 D comes with 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus. The memory operates at 28 Gbps effective and provides 1.79 TB/s bandwidth.

Q: Which preset yields the highest average FPS in this game at 4K?

A: At 3840×2160, the "Low" preset yields an average of 134 FPS, which is the highest among the four settings tested (Low, Medium, High, Ultra). However, the "High" setting delivers 92 FPS, and "Ultra" 87 FPS.

Q: How does the 8400F's performance compare to its nearest rivals?

A: Based on synthetic benchmarks, the 8400F has a delta percentage of 0.2% vs the Ryzen 5 7500F, 0.3% vs the Intel Core i7-11850H, and 0.4% vs the Intel Core i7-13620H, meaning it is essentially on par with these, or just slightly ahead. Against the AMD EPYC 9474F, it is 0.4% behind.

Q: Does the game have a minimum FPS reported for any setting?

A: Yes, the data includes minimum and maximum FPS for the "Medium" preset at each resolution. At 4K Medium, the average is 120 FPS, with a minimum of 102 and maximum of 138. At 1440p Medium, the average is 144 FPS, with a minimum of 123 and maximum of 166. At 1080p Medium, the average is 164 FPS, with a minimum of 139 and maximum of 188. Other settings do not include minimum/maximum data.

Resolution Scaling

The measured frame rates show clear scaling behavior when moving from 1080p to 4K. At 1080p with High settings, the average FPS is 148; at 1440p High, it drops to 131; and at 4K High, it further falls to 92. That’s a reduction of about 12.9% from 1080p to 1440p, and another 29.8% drop from 1440p to 4K, but these numbers are derived from the data. Similarly, for Ultra settings: 1080p Ultra yields 146 FPS, 1440p 129 FPS, and 4K 87 FPS. The absolute difference is roughly 40% between 1080p and 4K for both High and Ultra. This strong derease indicates that the GPU is the scaling component. At 1080p, the CPU is likely able to feed the GPU fully, so the frame rate is high, but as resolution increases, the pixel workload grows, directly impacting GPU throughput. The RTX 5090 D’s 32 GB VRAM and 1.79 TB/s bandwidth attenuate the impact of memory, but the 4K resolution still overwhelms the shader cores, causing the FPS to drop. The CPU’s role remains constant across resolutions; using the GPU load is the limiting factor from 1440p going up. Notably, the frame rate log at 1440p still gives 129 FPS on Ultra, so the system can handle this resolution even with maxed out settings.

The data also highlights that the drop from 1080p to 1440p is smaller than the drop from 1440p to 4K. This is typical in modern titles, because 4K quadruples the pixel count compared to 1080p, whereas 1440p is only 1.78x the pixels. The GPU is therefore more stressed at 4K, and the average FPS falls accordingly. For a game that was released in 2014, the engine isn’t exceptionally demanding, so even the 4K Ultra setting maintains an average of 87 FPS—still above 60. This indicates that the RTX 5090 D has headroom for future games, but in Thief it performs well.

Settings Recommendations

The best experience in Thief is achieved with the "High" preset across all resolutions. At 1080p, High delivers 148 FPS average, which is only 2 FPS slower than Ultra (146 FPS) but still very smooth. At 1440p, High provides 131 FPS, compared to 129 FPS for Ultra, giving a marginal benefit. At 4K, High tops out at 92 FPS, while Ultra sits at 87 FPS. In each case, High offers better speed than Ultra, and also performs better than Medium in most cases. The "Medium" setting gives lower frame rates? Actually, Medium is always lower: at 1080p, 164 FPS (vs High 148), so High is better than Medium. The only exception is at 4K: Medium yields 120 FPS, which is higher than High (92) but that’s because Medium uses lower quality visuals. The best "preset that gives the best experience per the measured rows" refers to visual fidelity and performance. High gives the highest average FPS while still maintaining good graphical settings. The Ultra preset offers little benefit—only a 2-3 FPS difference—and thus not worth the visual hassle? Actually, Ultra may have slightly better visuals, but the FPS is still playable. The data shows that Ultra is only 4-5 FPS below High at each resolution. For a 2014 stealth game, the Ultra preset isn't taxing on the GPU, but the FPS difference is slight. However, the recommendation is to use High because it gives top performance and still looks sharp. If a player desires the maximum visual fidelity, Ultra is an option, as it remains above 60 FPS at all resolutions. But the data suggests that High is the optimal choice because it yields the highest average FPS in most cases. The only exception is at 1080p, where Low (181 FPS) is even higher, but the visual quality reduction isn't preferable. Thus, for this hardware, we recommend the High preset—a safe choice that ensures smooth, consistent frame rates across the board.

Overall, the Ryzen 5 8400F and RTX 5090 D pair, producing a competitive and high-performing setup for Thief. The data says the CPU is not a bottleneck, and the GPU is the one calls the shots. Use High settings for the best experience.