Thief

The AMD Ryzen 7 5700 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 delivers a compelling dataset for Thief, a 2014 stealth title. The measured frames per second (FPS) across resolutions and settings reveal a system with substantial headroom, where the choice of graphics preset matters more for visual fidelity than for achieving playable frame rates. The data indicates that even the most demanding configuration tested, 4K Ultra, maintains an average well above standard display refresh rates, making this combo a high-performance outlier in the database.

Settings Recommendations

The measured rows show that the Ultra preset is the most demanding, yielding an average of 81.9 FPS at 3840x2160. While this is the lowest average recorded for this combo, it remains fully playable and suggests that the hardware is not stressed by the game's maximum settings. The High preset at 4K produces 87.2 FPS, a modest improvement of 5.3 FPS over Ultra, while the Medium preset jumps to 108.3 FPS. The Low preset achieves 122.2 FPS at the same resolution.

For the best experience, the data supports using the Ultra preset at every resolution tested. At 2560x1440, Ultra delivers 117.1 FPS, and at 1920x1080, it reaches 133.1 FPS. The performance gap between Ultra and High at lower resolutions narrows; at 1440p, the difference is only 0.5 FPS (117.1 vs 116.6), and at 1080p, High is actually 2.2 FPS slower than Ultra (130.9 vs 133.1). This indicates that the Ultra preset at these resolutions is not only visually superior but also delivers equal or better performance in one instance, making it the clear recommendation. Given the substantial margin above 60 FPS even at 4K Ultra, users can prioritize image quality without sacrificing smoothness.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 is the dominant component in this pairing. Its specifications include 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 1.79 TB/s. The GPU's clock speeds are listed with a base of 2017 MHz and a boost of 2407 MHz. This hardware configuration appears more than sufficient for a game released in 2014, as evidenced by the high frame rates across all settings.

The GPU's role becomes clearer when examining the performance scaling. From the Low preset to the Ultra preset, the frame rate drops are consistent but not drastic. At 1080p, the drop from Low (163.2 FPS) to Ultra (133.1 FPS) represents a 30.1 FPS decrease. At 4K, the same comparison shows a larger absolute drop from 122.2 FPS to 81.9 FPS, a 40.3 FPS decrease. This pattern suggests that the GPU is handling the increased shading and texture work efficiently, but the 4K resolution amplifies the cost of higher settings. The GPU's high pixel rate of 423.6 GPixel/s and texture rate of 1,636.8 GTexel/s are likely contributors to its ability to maintain high averages even under the Ultra preset's load.

Resolution Scaling

The data shows a clear inverse relationship between resolution and average FPS, with the most significant impact occurring at the highest settings. At the Low preset, moving from 1920x1080 (163.2 FPS) to 2560x1440 (143 FPS) results in a 20.2 FPS drop, and further to 3840x2160 (122.2 FPS) adds another 20.8 FPS drop. This linear scaling indicates that the GPU's fill rate is the primary limiting factor at lower settings.

At the Ultra preset, the scaling is steeper in relative terms. The transition from 1080p (133.1 FPS) to 1440p (117.1 FPS) is a 16 FPS reduction, while the jump to 4K (81.9 FPS) incurs a much larger 35.2 FPS drop. This disproportionate decrease at 4K suggests that the game's Ultra settings, which likely include higher-resolution textures and more complex shading, place a significant load on the GPU's memory subsystem and compute units. Despite this, the 4K Ultra average of 81.9 FPS remains high, confirming that the RTX 5090's 32 GB frame buffer and 1.79 TB/s bandwidth are not bottlenecks. The data indicates that the GPU is the limiting component at all resolutions, but the CPU (AMD Ryzen 7 5700 with 8 cores and 16 threads) is not holding back performance, as frame rates scale predictably with resolution.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The dataset provides 12 measured points, covering four settings at three resolutions. At 1920x1080, the averages are: Low 163.2 FPS, Medium 143.9 FPS, High 130.9 FPS, and Ultra 133.1 FPS. Notably, the High preset is slower than Ultra by 2.2 FPS, which is an anomaly suggesting driver-level optimizations or specific scene characteristics.

At 2560x1440, the results are: Low 143 FPS, Medium 128.9 FPS, High 116.6 FPS, and Ultra 117.1 FPS. Again, High and Ultra are nearly identical, with a difference of only 0.5 FPS. This consistency across the two highest settings indicates that the game engine's Ultra preset does not introduce a significant additional load over High at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the averages are: Low 122.2 FPS, Medium 108.3 FPS, High 87.2 FPS, and Ultra 81.9 FPS. Here, the gap between Medium and High is 21.1 FPS, the largest single-step difference in the entire dataset. This suggests that the High preset at 4K introduces a significant increase in per-pixel work compared to Medium, likely related to texture filtering or shadow quality. The Ultra preset adds only 5.3 FPS over High, indicating diminishing returns at the top end.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 7 5700 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 combination is ranked 266 out of 1642 tested combos for Thief. This places it in the 84th percentile of all tested configurations, indicating that it outperforms the vast majority of systems in this game. The rank is determined by the measured FPS across all settings and resolutions, and the data shows that this combo consistently delivers high averages.

The CPU and GPU individually have strong benchmark scores. The Ryzen 7 5700 achieves an average benchmark score of 27220, with nearest rivals including the Intel Core i9-9900K (27043, 0.7% delta) and the Intel Core i7-12700H (27006, 0.8% delta). The RTX 5090's average score is 84306, with its closest competitor being the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D (84241, 0.1% delta). These scores suggest that both components are high performers in their respective categories, which translates into the strong in-game ranking.

The combo's rank of 266 out of 1642 means it is in the top 16.2% of all tested combinations. This is a strong result, but not the absolute top, implying that other combinations with more recent CPUs or specialized hardware achieve higher frame rates. However, for a 2014 title, this combo's performance is more than adequate, and its ranking reflects a balanced pairing where neither component is a significant bottleneck.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS recorded for this combo in Thief?

A: The highest average FPS is 163.2, achieved at 1920x1080 with the Low preset.

Q: Is the Ultra preset at 4K playable with this hardware?

A: Yes, the Ultra preset at 3840x2160 produces an average of 81.9 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay.

Q: How does the performance at 1440p Ultra compare to 1080p Ultra?

A: At 2560x1440 Ultra, the average FPS is 117.1, while at 1920x1080 Ultra it is 133.1, a difference of 16 FPS.

Q: Which settings preset shows the largest performance drop between Medium and High?

A: The largest drop between Medium and High occurs at 3840x2160, where the average falls from 108.3 FPS to 87.2 FPS, a 21.1 FPS decrease.

Q: What is the combo's ranking among all tested CPU and GPU combinations for Thief?

A: This combo is ranked 266 out of 1642 tested combinations, placing it in the top 16.2% of all systems tested.

Q: Is there a performance anomaly between High and Ultra presets?

A: Yes, at both 1920x1080 and 2560x1440, the Ultra preset outperforms High by 2.2 FPS and 0.5 FPS respectively, which is unusual and likely due to specific scene rendering differences.