Thief

The AMD Ryzen 7 5700X (launch MSRP $299) paired with a NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (launch MSRP 379 USD) delivers playable frame rates across most tested settings in Thief, but the data shows clear GPU-bound scaling. At 1080p all four presets run above 70 FPS, with Low hitting 128 FPS, while 4K never exceeds 51 FPS. The combo ranks 3079 out of 3720 tested combinations in this game, placing it in the lower half of the database. The 5700X's strong multi-threaded performance (e.g., 13184 in Cinebench R23 multicore) is wasted at lower resolutions, where the GTX 1070 becomes the limiting factor. This pairing is best described as a solid 1080p setup, with acceptable 1440p performance only if settings are reduced to Medium or below.

Resolution Scaling

The measured results show a consistent frame rate penalty when moving from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440, and an even larger drop when stepping up to 3840x2160. For the High preset, average FPS goes from 74 at 1080p to 51 at 1440p (a 31% decrease), then to 30 at 4K (a 41% decrease from 1440p). The same pattern holds for every other preset:

• Low: 128 → 88 (31% drop) → 51 (42% drop)
• Medium: 97 → 66 (32%) → 39 (41%)
• Ultra: 70 → 48 (31%) → 28 (42%)

These percentage drops are nearly identical across all settings, indicating the GPU is the primary limiter. The Cartesian The GeForce GTX 1070's 256.3 GB/s memory bandwidth and 1683 MHz boost clock define its throughput, and resolution scaling aligns with pixel-count increases. The CPU has 8 cores and 16 threads with a 4.6 GHz boost clock, but its performance headroom is not the limiting factor here. In fact, the Ryzen 7 5700X's benchmark data (e.g., 2329 in Cinebench R15 multicore, 6858 in 3DMark 16-thread) suggests it could support higher frame rates if the GPU were faster. The 4K Ultra result of 28 FPS is barely playable, confirming that this combo is not suited for native 4K gaming in Thief.

FAQ

Q: What is the average framerate at 1080p with the Ultra preset?

A: The measured average is 70 FPS. For comparison, the Low preset reaches 128 FPS, and Medium achieves 97 FPS.

Q: How does the GTX 1070's performance compare to its nearest rivals based on its benchmark score?

A: The GPU's average benchmark score is 9780, placing it at the 47th percentile of all GPUs. It sits just behind the AMD FirePro W5000 (slight negative delta), NVIDIA Quadro M2000M (negative 0.5%), and ahead of the NVIDIA Tesla M10 and Tesla C2070 by 0.6% and 0.7% respectively, according to the nearestRivals data.

Q: What is the CPU's hardware profile relative to its performance tier?

A: The Ryzen 7 5700X has 8 cores and 16 threads, a base clock of 3.40 GHz and boost clock of 4.60 GHz, with an L3 cache of 32 MB shared. It scores 13184 in Cinebench R23 multicore and 1499 in single core, and ranks at the 79th percentile wall in CPU ranking.

Q: What are the minimum and maximum values observed on the Medium preset at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440 Medium, the minimum FPS is 56 and maximum 76, with an average of 66.

Q: Which combo rank does this pair achieve in Thief?

A: This combination ranks 3079 out of 3720 measured combos, meaning 641 other configurations performed worse. It falls well below the median, but the ranking reflects the GPU's older architecture compared to modern cards.

Q: Does the 8GB of VRAM on the GTX 1070 become a limiting factor in Thief?

A: The GPU has 8 GB of GDDR5 memory with a 256-bit bus and 256.3 GB/s bandwidth. In this game, the highest VRAM usage during testing is not reported, but the frame data shows the GPU is the bottleneck at higher resolutions, suggesting memory capacity is adequate; the limiting factor appears to be the GPU's computational throughput.

GPU Role

The GTX 1070 uses the Pascal architecture (GP104 chip) manufactured on a 16nm process. It has 1920 shading units, 120 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. Its base clock of 1506 MHz and boost clock of 1683 MHz provide the raw compute rate of 6.463 TFLOPS FP32. The pixel rate is 127.7 GPixel/s and texture rate is 202.0 GTexel/s. The memory subsystem, consisting of 8 GB GDDR5 at 2002 MHz (8 Gbps effective) with a 256-bit bus, gives a bandwidth of 256.3 GB/s. In Thief, these specs translate to the measured FPS. The 84 mm2 die and 7200 million transistors it also highlight a design that struggled to keep pace with higher resolutions released after the game's launch.

The relativity of the GPU's benchmark scores shows it is mid-range: its percentile Vs'all GPUs is 47, and its average 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score is 1082. In DirectX 11, passmark gives 100, while DirectX 9 scores 197. These figures mirror the 1080p performance being comfortable but 4K requiring the lowest settings to hit 40 FPS. The 8GB VRAM is sufficient for Thief's memoryâ€"the game's texture demands are moderate; however, the raw compute power is the constraints. The boost clock at 1683 MHz helps clarify the scaling pattern: as resolution increases, the GPU remains fully be used, and the frame rate scales approximately with pixel count.

How This Combo Ranks

In the measured database for Thief, the combination of the Ryzen 7 5700X and GeForce GTX 1070 ranks 3079 out of 3720 tested combos. That places it in the 17th percentile of performance in this game, with 641 better-performing combos. This lower-tier rank is dominated by the GPU, which itself holds the 47th percentile among all GPUs in the database. The CPU, on the other hand, sits at the 79th percentile, indicating that the CPU is not the bottleneck; a faster GPU would shift the combo higher. The nearest CPU rivals (Intel Core i5-12600K, AMD Ryzen 7 5800, Ryzen 5 7600X, Intel Core Ultra 5 125H) all have average benchmark scores within 0.2-0.3% of each other, confirming that the 5700X is equivalent in performance to those parts. This supports the notion that the GPU is the weak link.

The data shows that combos with a higher CPU rank but lower GPU score could still place above this one in Thief because the game is GPU-bound. The rank of 3079 out of 3720 also means that only 641 combos are ranked below this pair, with the rest being stronger. Given the 1080p results, the combo still holds its own in a legacy title, but the user must accept reduced quality at higher resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured average FPS for each resolution and preset is provided below.

• 1920x1080 – all strictly playable within:

High: 74 FPS, Medium: 97 FPS ( min 82 – max 111), low : 128 FPS, ultra : 70 FPS

(For Low and Ultra, only the average is given.)

• 2560x1440 –

Low: 88 FPS, Medium: 66 FPS with a minimum of 56 and maximum of 76, High: 51 FPS, Ultra: 48 FPS.

• 3840x2160 –

Low: 51 FPS, Medium: 39 FPS (33–45 FPS), High: 30 FPS, Ultra: 28 FPS.

The marginal returns from each preset at 1080p are evident: Ultra cuts 54% of the frame retrieve from Low (70 vs 128). At 1440p, ultra upscale to 48 vs 88 low, a 45% drop. 4K Ultra sits at 28, which is playable only for turn-based but not a smooth experience.

All four presets at 1080p are above the typical 60 FPS threshold, providing room for high refresh monitors. The data shows that the GPU is consistently the bottleneck – the CPU could likely feed even more frames at the 128 low and 97 medium, but the GPU limits keep scaling aligned. The minimum and max values for all resolving show that the variance increases with resolution: at 4K medium the min is 33, max 43, a range of 10 FPS, while at 1440p medium the range is 16 FPS (56–76), and at 1080p it's 11 (82–111). This indicates output stability at higher resolution.

Settings Recommendations

Given the measured results, the best experience in Thief depends on the target display. For 1080p, all presets are playable, but the Ultra setting delivers 70 FPS, which is above the standard 60 FPS threshold. If you prioritize smoothness, the Medium preset at 97 FPS provides a massive frame uplift while preserving visual quality that is only –– at typical viewing distances. Low at 138 FPS is excessive for a display; it doesn't bring an equivalent benefit over medium. Thus, at 1080p, Medium offers the best compromise between visuals and headroom, with high and weak second.

At 1440p, the recommendation is the Low preset, which reports 88 FPS. Medium yields 66 FPS and High 51 FPS, making Low the only preset that safely exceeds 60 FPS. For a 1440p monitor, running at Low sacrifices some shadow and detail, but the stable frame rate is preferable. Ultra at 48 FPS is borderline, and High at 51 is similarly shall. If you have a 60Hz monitor, you might accept Medium, but the data shows Low gives 34% more frames than Medium (88 vs 66) and is the only preset with a healthy headroom above the 60 FPS target.

For 4K resolution, none of the presets reach 60 FPS. The fastest is Low at 51 FPS, which is playable but not ideal. Medium drops to 39, High to 30, and Ultra to 28. For a single-player stealth experience, 51 FPS can be considered the target if you want to play at 4K, it's advisable to turn the resolution down. The measured data indicates the GPU is the primary limiting factor; therefore, a lower preset is the only way to achieve a playable frame rate at 4K. In summary, the best experience in Thief with this combo is achieved at 1080p with the Medium preset, offering fluid . At 1440p, the Low preset is recommended, while 4K is best avoided unless you accept a compromise of around 51 FPS and lower visuals.