Thief

Thief, a 2014 stealth title, is old enough that modern hardware should crush it, but the measured data for the AMD Ryzen 7 5700 + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 combo reveals a nuanced picture. At 1080p, this pairing delivers high refresh rates, but at 4K, it drops below the 60 FPS threshold on Ultra settings. The benchmark results indicate that this is a system capable of a smooth 1440p experience, but it requires careful settings management for 4K displays.

FAQ

Q: What is the overall performance rank of this CPU and GPU combo in Thief?

A: The combo ranks 495th out of 1642 tested combinations, placing it in the top 30% of all systems tested for this game, indicating a solid, above-average performer.

Q: How does the Ryzen 7 5700 CPU compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Ryzen 7 5700 has an average benchmark score of 27220, which is nearly identical to the Intel Core i9-9900K (27043, a 0.7% delta) and the Intel Core i7-12700H (27006, a 0.8% delta). It is only 1.2% faster than the AMD Ryzen AI 5 340.

Q: What is the fastest memory configuration supported by this CPU?

A: The Ryzen 7 5700 supports dual-channel DDR4 memory with a maximum bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s. It does not support DDR5 memory.

Q: Does the RTX 4070 have a specific advantage over its nearest GPU rivals in synthetic tests?

A: The RTX 4070's average benchmark score is 37283, which is 2.5% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 5300M (36371). However, it trails the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile by 2.2% and the NVIDIA GeForce MX570 A by 1.9% in these specific aggregate benchmarks.

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to maintain an average of over 60 FPS on Ultra settings?

A: At 2560x1440 with Ultra settings, the combo achieves an average of 98.3 FPS. At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average drops to 55.1 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target.

Q: What is the measured performance difference between High and Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, High settings yield an average of 132.2 FPS, while Ultra settings yield an average of 128 FPS. The difference is a modest 4.2 FPS, suggesting that the visual upgrade for the performance cost is minimal.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 is the primary driver of frame rates in Thief, and its 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus provides 504.2 GB/s of bandwidth. This is more than sufficient for a 2014 title, even at 4K resolution. The GPU's boost clock of 2475 MHz and base clock of 1920 MHz are high for the Ada Lovelace architecture, enabling significant compute throughput. The card’s 29.15 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 455.4 GTexel/s texture rate ensure that the game’s geometry and lighting effects are processed quickly.

The benchmark data shows a clear scaling pattern tied to GPU load. At 1920x1080, the GPU is not the bottleneck, as the frame rates are very high across all settings. Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain strong, but the gap between Low and Ultra settings widens, indicating the GPU is becoming more involved. At 3840x2160, the GPU's raw power becomes the limiting factor. The 4K Ultra average of 55.1 FPS and 4K High average of 58.6 FPS show that the card is at its limit with this game's highest visual fidelity. The 4K Low average of 100.8 FPS demonstrates the headroom available when the GPU workload is reduced.

The GPU's performance characteristics, as measured by its 81st percentile ranking among all GPUs, place it in the upper tier. Its nearest rivals in the database include the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56, which has a nearly identical average score, and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile, which scores slightly higher. This suggests that while the RTX 4070 is powerful, it is not at the absolute top of the performance heap, which is consistent with its 4K Ultra results in this game.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 5700 provides the computational foundation for this system. With 8 cores and 16 threads based on the Zen 3 architecture, it offers strong multi-threaded performance, as evidenced by its Cinebench R23 multicore score of 20655. Its single-thread performance is also solid, with a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2916, which is important for a game like Thief that may not fully utilize all cores. The CPU's boost clock of 4.60 GHz and base clock of 3.70 GHz are respectable, and its 16 MB of L3 cache helps with data access.

In the context of Thief, the CPU’s role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and handle game logic. At 1080p, the CPU is likely the limiting factor, as the frame rates top out at 162.9 FPS on Low settings, which is high but not excessively so. This is a typical scenario where the CPU's processing power caps the maximum achievable frame rate. The benchmark shows that the CPU’s performance is in line with its closest competitors. The 3DMark 16-thread score of 6628 and the 3DMark single-thread score of 901 indicate a balanced processor that can handle both heavily threaded and lightly threaded workloads.

The Ryzen 7 5700's 84th percentile ranking among all CPUs confirms its position as a high-performing part. Its average benchmark score of 27220 is a hair above the Intel Core i9-9900K, a once-flagship desktop chip. This parity in synthetic tests suggests that in CPU-bound scenarios, the Ryzen 7 5700 will not be a weak link. The data indicates that for Thief, the CPU is more than adequate, and the system's overall performance is dictated by the GPU's capabilities, especially at higher resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 495 out of 1642 tested combinations places it in the 70th percentile of all systems tested for Thief. This is a strong showing, indicating that this pairing is well-balanced for the game. The ranking suggests that the Ryzen 7 5700 and RTX 4070 work effectively together, with no significant bottleneck in either direction. This is a better ranking than the individual components' percentiles might suggest, as the CPU's performance is sufficient to fully leverage the GPU's power.

The data shows that this combo is positioned to provide a high-refresh-rate experience at 1440p and a playable, though not ultra-smooth, experience at 4K. The ranking is a quantitative measure of what the FPS data shows: this is a system that can handle the game with ease at most settings. The fact that it falls short of the top 30% of combinations is likely due to the presence of newer, more powerful CPUs and GPUs in the database. However, for a 2014 game, the performance is more than sufficient for a modern high-refresh-rate monitor.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of the combo's capabilities across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the system is exceptionally fast. The Low preset delivers an average of 162.9 FPS, which is ideal for competitive play or high-refresh-rate monitors. Medium and High presets are also very fast, at 144.1 and 132.2 FPS respectively. The Ultra preset, at 128 FPS, is still very smooth and represents a minimal performance loss of just 4.2 FPS over High, making it a viable option.

At 2560x1440, the performance remains strong. The Low preset reaches an average of 144.3 FPS, which is excellent. The Medium preset drops to 127.8 FPS, and High to 100.1 FPS. The Ultra preset, at 98.3 FPS, is still comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold and provides a great balance of visual quality and speed. The scaling is more pronounced than at 1080p, but the system handles the increased pixel count with ease.

At 3840x2160, the performance drops significantly. The Low preset averages 100.8 FPS, which is playable. Medium averages 79.6 FPS, and High averages 58.6 FPS. The Ultra preset is the most demanding, with an average of only 55.1 FPS. This is the only configuration where the system falls below the 60 FPS target, indicating that the RTX 4070 is fully taxed at 4K with the highest settings. The data shows a clear trend: the system is best suited for 1440p gameplay, where it can maintain high frame rates on any preset.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal experience is found at 2560x1440 with the High preset. This configuration yields an average of 100.1 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS target and leaves headroom for demanding scenes. The jump to Ultra at this resolution costs only 1.8 FPS on average (98.3 FPS), so it is also a highly recommended choice for players who want maximum visual fidelity without sacrificing smoothness.

For players with a 1080p display, the Ultra preset is the clear recommendation, as it delivers an average of 128 FPS. The performance difference between High and Ultra is negligible at this resolution, so there is no reason to compromise on visual quality. The system has ample performance to run the game at its maximum settings and still provide a high-refresh-rate experience.

At 4K, the situation requires more care. The Medium preset is the best choice, with an average of 79.6 FPS, which is smooth and consistent. The High preset is borderline, with an average of 58.6 FPS, which is just below the ideal 60 FPS target. The Ultra preset should be avoided for a consistently smooth experience, as its 55.1 FPS average may result in noticeable stutters. The data suggests that for a 4K display, players should either drop to Medium settings or be prepared to accept slightly lower frame rates on High.