Thief

# Thief — AMD Ryzen 7 9700F + AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT

The measured frame rates for Thief with this combination of AMD Ryzen 7 9700F and AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT span a wide range depending on resolution and settings, from a 56 FPS average at 4K Ultra to a 231 FPS average at 1080p Low. The data shows a system that scales predictably with both resolution and quality preset, with the largest absolute performance gaps appearing between Low and Medium settings at each resolution. This pairing ranks 380th out of 2,851 tested combinations in this game, placing it in the top 13.3% of all recorded configs, which suggests a strong overall result for a 2014 title running on modern hardware.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is substantial but not uniform across settings, revealing where the bottleneck shifts. At Low settings, the average FPS goes from 231 at 1080p to 174 at 1440p, then to 102 at 4K — a decline of 24.7% from 1080p to 1440p and another 41.4% from 1440p to 4K. The total drop from 1080p to 4K at Low is 55.8%, which indicates that at lower quality presets, the GPU is increasingly stressed as pixel count rises, but the CPU still has headroom to push high frame rates at lower resolutions.

At High settings, the progression is 147 FPS at 1080p, 101 FPS at 1440p, and 59 FPS at 4K. The percentage drops are 31.3% from 1080p to 1440p and 41.6% from 1440p to 4K, resulting in a 59.9% total reduction. This steeper curve compared to Low suggests that the added shading and texture work at High amplify the GPU load more dramatically as resolution increases. The 4K High result of 59 FPS is just above the 60 FPS threshold, meaning this setting is borderline playable at the highest resolution.

Medium settings show a similar pattern: 193 FPS at 1080p, 132 FPS at 1440p, and 78 FPS at 4K. The drops are 31.6% and 40.9% respectively, with a total decline of 59.6%. Notably, the Medium preset at 4K (78 FPS) performs better than High at 4K (59 FPS) by 32.2%, which is a larger gap than at 1080p where Medium (193 FPS) beats High (147 FPS) by 31.3%. This indicates that the Medium preset's lower-quality textures and effects free up GPU resources that become more critical as resolution climbs.

Ultra settings deliver the lowest averages at every resolution: 140 FPS at 1080p, 96 FPS at 1440p, and 56 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 31.4%, and from 1440p to 4K is 41.7%, for a total of 60%. The 4K Ultra result of 56 FPS is the only sub-60 average in the entire dataset, and it trails the 4K High result by 5.4%. The scaling pattern across all settings shows that the GPU becomes the limiting component at 4K, while at 1080p the extremely high frame rates (140-231 FPS) suggest the CPU is still capable of feeding the GPU effectively.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700F is an 8-core, 16-thread processor from the Zen 5 architecture, built on TSMC's 4 nm process with a base clock of 3.80 GHz and a boost clock of 5.50 GHz. It carries 32 MB of shared L3 cache and supports DDR5 memory in a dual-channel configuration with 89.6 GB/s of bandwidth. In PassMark benchmarks, this CPU scores 36,470 in multithreaded tests and 4,691 in single-threaded tests, placing it at the 94th percentile of all CPUs. Its average benchmark score of 69,996 is nearly identical to the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX (69,875, +0.2%), slightly ahead of the Intel Core i7-14700KF (70,163, -0.2%), and ahead of the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X (69,515, +0.7%) and Intel Core i7-14700K (69,355, +0.9%).

In Thief, the CPU's role is most visible at 1080p, where frame rates exceed 140 FPS even at Ultra settings. At 140 FPS, the frame time is approximately 7.1 milliseconds, which gives the CPU about 1,600 cycles per frame at its boost clock — sufficient for the game's AI, physics, and draw call processing. The 231 FPS result at 1080p Low, with a frame time of 4.3 milliseconds, suggests the CPU can handle even the worst-case scenario of minimal GPU load. The fact that Ultra at 1080p (140 FPS) is only 39.4% lower than Low at 1080p (231 FPS) indicates that the CPU is not the primary limiter at this resolution; the GPU's additional work at Ultra settings is what reduces the frame rate.

At 4K, the CPU's influence diminishes further. The 4K Low result of 102 FPS versus 4K Ultra of 56 FPS — a 45.1% gap — shows that the GPU's pixel throughput dominates at higher resolutions. The CPU's 8 cores and 16 threads are more than adequate for Thief, a game released in 2014 that does not heavily utilize multi-threading. The single-thread score of 4,691, which ranks in the 94th percentile, ensures that the game's primary thread has ample processing power. The data shows no evidence of CPU bottlenecking at any resolution, as even the lowest GPU-bound scenario (4K Ultra at 56 FPS) leaves the CPU with significant spare capacity.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides clear guidance on which preset offers the best balance of visual quality and performance. At 1080p, all four settings deliver playable frame rates, with Low at 231 FPS, Medium at 193 FPS, High at 147 FPS, and Ultra at 140 FPS. The differences between Medium and Ultra are modest — 27.5% from Medium to High and 4.8% from High to Ultra — so the Ultra preset is the recommended choice at this resolution for users who prioritize image quality, as it stays above 140 FPS.

At 1440p, the recommendation shifts toward High or Ultra. High delivers 101 FPS, Ultra delivers 96 FPS, and Medium delivers 132 FPS. The gap between High and Ultra is only 5.2%, making Ultra the better choice if visual fidelity is the priority, since both remain comfortably above 90 FPS. Medium at 132 FPS offers a 30.9% boost over Ultra, which could be preferred for high-refresh-rate displays, but the visual cost may not justify the gain.

At 4K, the choice is more constrained. Ultra averages 56 FPS, which dips below the 60 FPS threshold and may result in noticeable stuttering on standard displays. High averages 59 FPS, still marginally below 60 but closer. Medium averages 78 FPS, which is 32.1% higher than High and 39.3% higher than Ultra, making it the only 4K preset that provides a comfortable margin above 60 FPS. The data clearly indicates that Medium is the optimal 4K preset for this combination, as it balances the 78 FPS average with the visual improvements over Low, which only reaches 102 FPS but with significantly reduced quality. For users with variable refresh rate displays, the 4K Ultra result of 56 FPS may still be acceptable, but the Medium preset is the safest recommendation based on the measured averages.

How This Combo Ranks

This combination of AMD Ryzen 7 9700F and AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT ranks 380th out of 2,851 tested combos in Thief, placing it in the top 13.3% of all configurations. The rank reflects the overall performance across all measured settings and resolutions, and the high placement is consistent with the strong frame rates observed — even the weakest result (4K Ultra at 56 FPS) is playable, and the strongest (1080p Low at 231 FPS) is exceptionally high.

The GPU's average benchmark score of 13,543 places it at the 55th percentile of all GPUs, with nearest rivals including the AMD Radeon HD 7770M (13,536, +0.1%), NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570 (13,515, +0.2%), and NVIDIA P106-090 (13,470, +0.5%). These rivals are all substantially older or lower-tier products, which suggests that the RX 9070 XT's raw benchmark score is modest relative to its modern architecture, but its in-game performance in Thief is far stronger due to the game's age and the GPU's high boost clock of 2970 MHz.

The CPU's 94th percentile ranking and its near-identical average score to the Ryzen 9 7940HX and Core i7-14700KF indicate that this processor is not holding back the GPU in Thief. The combo rank of 380 out of 2,851 is likely driven by the GPU's strong performance at lower resolutions, where the CPU can maintain high frame rates, and the GPU's adequate performance at 4K, where the 16 GB of VRAM and 644.6 GB/s bandwidth prevent memory-related stutters. Compared to other combos in the database, this pairing sits well above the median, and the data shows no systemic weakness in either component for this game.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Thief?

A: The data shows that 1440p offers the best balance, with High settings at 101 FPS and Ultra at 96 FPS. At 1080p, all presets exceed 140 FPS, but the visual quality gain from 1440p over 1080p is significant. At 4K, only Medium (78 FPS) comfortably exceeds 60 FPS.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K Ultra in Thief?

A: The measured average at 4K Ultra is 56 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS standard. While this may be playable on a variable refresh rate display, the Medium preset at 4K delivers 78 FPS, a 39.3% improvement, and is the recommended choice for 4K.

Q: How does the CPU's single-thread performance affect Thief?

A: The Ryzen 7 9700F scores 4,691 in PassMark single-threaded tests, at the 94th percentile of all CPUs. Thief, being a 2014 title, relies heavily on single-thread performance, and this score ensures the CPU can sustain frame rates above 140 FPS at 1080p without bottlenecking.

Q: Is the GPU the limiting factor at any resolution?

A: Yes, at 4K the GPU becomes the primary limiter. The frame rate drops from 102 FPS at Low to 56 FPS at Ultra, a 45.1% reduction, which is entirely attributable to the GPU's workload. At 1080p, the CPU still has headroom, as evidenced by the 231 FPS Low result.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between High and Ultra at 1440p?

A: High averages 101 FPS and Ultra averages 96 FPS, a difference of 5.2%. This small gap makes Ultra the better choice at 1440p for users who want maximum visual quality without a significant frame rate penalty.

Q: How does this combo rank against other tested configurations?

A: It ranks 380th out of 2,851 combos, placing it in the top 13.3%. This is a strong result, driven by the CPU's high single-thread performance and the GPU's ability to maintain playable frame rates at all resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured averages are 231 FPS at Low, 193 FPS at Medium, 147 FPS at High, and 140 FPS at Ultra. The Medium preset has recorded minimum and maximum values of 164 FPS and 222 FPS respectively, showing a variation of 35.4% from min to max. The gap between Low and Medium is 38 FPS (16.4%), between Medium and High is 46 FPS (23.8%), and between High and Ultra is 7 FPS (4.8%). The Ultra preset at 1080p, despite being the highest quality setting, is only 39.4% lower than Low, indicating that the GPU can handle the extra load without a dramatic frame rate drop.

At 2560x1440, the averages are 174 FPS at Low, 132 FPS at Medium, 101 FPS at High, and 96 FPS at Ultra. The Medium preset shows a minimum of 112 FPS and a maximum of 152 FPS, with a 35.7% variation. The step from Low to Medium is 42 FPS (24.1%), from Medium to High is 31 FPS (23.5%), and from High to Ultra is 5 FPS (5.0%). The 1440p results are consistently lower than 1080p, with reductions of 24.7% at Low, 31.6% at Medium, 31.3% at High, and 31.4% at Ultra.

At 3840x2160, the averages are 102 FPS at Low, 78 FPS at Medium, 59 FPS at High, and 56 FPS at Ultra. The Medium preset records a minimum of 66 FPS and a maximum of 89 FPS, a variation of 34.8%. The differences between settings are 24 FPS (23.5%) from Low to Medium, 19 FPS (24.4%) from Medium to High, and 3 FPS (5.1%) from High to Ultra. The 4K results show the largest relative drops from 1440p, with reductions of 41.4% at Low, 40.9% at Medium, 41.6% at High, and 41.7% at Ultra. The data shows a consistent scaling pattern where each resolution increase reduces frame rates by roughly 25-30% at lower settings and 40-42% at higher settings, with the High-to-Ultra gap remaining small (5-6%) across all resolutions.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT is built on the RDNA 4.0 architecture with a Navi 48 chip, fabricated on TSMC's 4 nm process with 53,900 million transistors. It features 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus with 644.6 GB/s of bandwidth, along with 4,096 shading units, 256 TMUs, and 128 ROPs. The boost clock is 2970 MHz, with a game clock of 2400 MHz and a base clock of 1660 MHz, delivering a pixel rate of 380.2 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 760.3 GTexel/s. The FP32 performance is 48.66 TFLOPS, which is substantial for a 2014 game like Thief.

In Thief, the GPU's role is most apparent at 4K, where the frame rate drops from 102 FPS at Low to 56 FPS at Ultra, a 45.1% reduction. This scaling indicates that the GPU is fully utilized at higher resolutions and settings, with the 16 GB of VRAM ensuring that texture data does not cause memory bottlenecks. The 4K Medium result of 78 FPS, with a minimum of 66 FPS, shows that the GPU can maintain playable frame rates when settings are moderated. The GPU's benchmark scores, including a PassMark G3D score of 26,795 and a Geekbench Vulkan score of 65,879, are consistent with its strong in-game performance, though its overall GPU percentile of 55 is modest relative to its modern architecture.

The GPU's nearest rivals by average benchmark score are the AMD Radeon HD 7770M (13,536, +0.1%), NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570 (13,515, +0.2%), and NVIDIA P106-090 (13,470, +0.5%), all of which are significantly older products. This discrepancy between the RX 9070 XT's benchmark score and its in-game performance in Thief highlights how the game's age benefits the GPU's modern features, such as the 12 Ultimate DirectX support and Vulkan 1.4 compatibility. The 644.6 GB/s memory bandwidth is more than sufficient for Thief's texture streaming, and the 128 ROPs ensure high pixel fill rates at 4K. The data shows that the GPU is the dominant factor in determining frame rates at 1440p and 4K, while at 1080p, the CPU's performance allows the GPU to reach its full potential, as evidenced by the 231 FPS Low result.