Thief

AMD Ryzen 7 9700X pairs with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER in Thief, a 2014 stealth title, delivering frame rates that range from 72.1 FPS at 4K Ultra to 230.8 FPS at 1080p Low. This combination ranks 23rd out of 1642 tested combos in the game, placing it in the top 1.4% of all configurations evaluated. The data shows a system with substantial headroom, where the limiting factor shifts depending on resolution and preset.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X is an 8-core, 16-thread processor based on the Zen 5 architecture (Granite Ridge), built on a 4 nm process. It operates with a base clock of 3.80 GHz and a boost clock of 5.50 GHz, with a 65 W TDP. The CPU’s benchmark scores indicate strong multi-threaded performance, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 31588 and a single-core score of 4459. In 3DMark, the processor scales from 1280 in the single-thread test to 9771 in the max-threads test, showing healthy scaling across core counts. Its PassMark multi-thread score of 37161 places it in the 89th percentile of all CPUs, and its average benchmark score of 36029 is essentially tied with its nearest rivals: it is 0.2% ahead of the Intel Core i5-14500HX and 0.6% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845, while sitting 0.4% behind the Intel Core Ultra 9 185H and 0.8% behind the Intel Core Ultra 5 225H.

For a game released in 2014, Thief’s thread utilization is modest, meaning the Ryzen 7 9700X’s single-thread performance is the more relevant metric. The processor’s Geekbench single-core score of 3353 and its 3DMark single-thread score of 1280 suggest ample per-core capability for the game’s logic and physics. At 1080p Low, where the GPU is least burdened, the system achieves 230.8 FPS. The fact that this number drops to 203.4 FPS at 1440p Low and further to 131.5 FPS at 4K Low indicates the CPU is not the bottleneck even at the lowest settings. The CPU’s 32 MB of shared L3 cache and DDR5 memory support (89.6 GB/s bandwidth) provide sufficient data throughput for a 2014 title, which does not demand modern memory bandwidth. In essence, the CPU has far more headroom than Thief requires; its role is to ensure the GPU is fed without constraint, which the data confirms.

FAQ

Q: How does the Ryzen 7 9700X compare to its closest rival in overall CPU benchmarks?

A: The Ryzen 7 9700X’s average benchmark score is 36029, which is 0.2% higher than the Intel Core i5-14500HX (35940) and 0.6% higher than the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845 (35802). It trails the Intel Core Ultra 9 185H by 0.4% (36165) and the Intel Core Ultra 5 225H by 0.8% (36328). These are effectively statistical ties.

Q: What is the best frame rate observed for this combo, and at which settings?

A: The highest average frame rate is 230.8 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings. The second-highest is 206.8 FPS at 1080p Medium, followed by 203.4 FPS at 1440p Low.

Q: Is the RTX 4080 SUPER a high-performing GPU relative to other tested cards?

A: Yes. The RTX 4080 SUPER has a PassMark G3D score of 34245 and an average benchmark score of 53610, placing it in the 88th percentile of all GPUs. It is 0.2% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT (53489) and 0.4% ahead of the AMD Radeon Pro W6600M (53414), while leading the AMD Radeon RX 7700S by 2.1% and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti by 2.9%.

Q: How does the combo’s ranking in Thief compare to other tested systems?

A: The combo ranks 23rd out of 1642 tested combinations in Thief. This places it in the top 1.4% of all systems tested for this game, indicating near- top-tier performance.

Q: Does the CPU’s multi-threaded performance correlate with higher frame rates in Thief?

A: Not directly. The CPU’s 3DMark max-threads score is 9771, but Thief’s frame rates do not scale with thread count. At 1080p, the difference between Low and High settings is 41.3 FPS (230.8 vs 189.5), which is driven by GPU load, not CPU threading. The CPU’s single-thread score of 1280 in 3DMark is the more relevant indicator for this title.

Q: What is the lowest frame rate recorded, and what does it imply?

A: The lowest average frame rate is 72.1 FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings. This is still well above playable thresholds, and it indicates that even at maximum load, the combo does not drop below 60 FPS.

Resolution Scaling

The measured frame rates show a clear pattern of GPU-bound performance at higher resolutions. Moving from 1080p to 1440p at High settings, the average FPS drops from 189.5 to 132.2, a reduction of 57.3 FPS (30.2%). Scaling further to 4K High, the frame rate falls to 76.4 FPS, which is 113.1 FPS lower than at 1080p High (59.7% reduction). This steep decline as resolution increases is the signature of a GPU-limited scenario: the RTX 4080 SUPER’s rendering workload grows with pixel count, while the CPU’s contribution remains constant.

At Low settings, the scaling is slightly different. 1080p Low yields 230.8 FPS, 1440p Low yields 203.4 FPS, and 4K Low yields 131.5 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is only 27.4 FPS (11.9%), suggesting that at Low settings, the CPU begins to play a larger role at 1080p. However, the fact that 4K Low still achieves 131.5 FPS—nearly double the 4K High result—confirms that the GPU is the primary limiter at 4K regardless of preset. The transition from Medium to High at each resolution also shows the GPU’s sensitivity to settings: at 1440p, Medium runs at 169.7 FPS while High runs at 132.2 FPS, a 37.5 FPS gap. At 4K, the gap between Medium (98.8 FPS) and High (76.4 FPS) is 22.4 FPS.

The data indicates a system where 1080p and 1440p are well within the GPU’s comfort zone, with frame rates exceeding 120 FPS at all settings except 4K Ultra. The limiting component is unequivocally the GPU at 4K, as evidenced by the 59.4 FPS difference between 4K Low (131.5) and 4K Ultra (72.1). At 1080p, the CPU’s capability is sufficient to push frame rates beyond 200 FPS at Low and Medium settings, but even at Ultra, the 177.7 FPS result shows no CPU bottleneck.

How This Combo Ranks

In Thief, this specific combination of AMD Ryzen 7 9700X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER ranks 23rd out of 1642 tested combos. This top-1.4% placement reflects the strength of both components. The CPU’s 89th percentile standing among all processors and the GPU’s 88th percentile standing among all GPUs combine to produce a system that outperforms the vast majority of configurations tested in this game.

The ranking is consistent with the measured frame rates. At 4K Ultra, the combo achieves 72.1 FPS, which is higher than what most systems would deliver at that resolution and preset. The rank of 23 suggests there are 22 combinations that produce higher average frame rates in Thief, likely involving higher-end GPUs (such as the RTX 5090 or similar) or CPUs with marginally better single-thread performance. However, the delta between this combo and those ranked above it is likely small, given that the RTX 4080 SUPER’s average benchmark score of 53610 is within 3% of its nearest rivals. The combo’s percentile ranking (top 1.4%) indicates that for the vast majority of users, this system will deliver an excellent Thief experience, with only a handful of exotic configurations exceeding its performance.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured frame rates, the optimal balance between visual quality and performance depends on the target resolution. At 1920x1080, every preset delivers high frame rates: Low runs at 230.8 FPS, Medium at 206.8 FPS, High at 189.5 FPS, and Ultra at 177.7 FPS. The smallest gap is between High and Ultra (11.8 FPS), suggesting that Ultra is viable at 1080p for users with high-refresh-rate monitors, as even the lowest of these (177.7 FPS) exceeds 144 Hz. For maximum smoothness, Medium or High are good choices, as they stay above 180 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the data shows a more pronounced trade-off. Ultra produces 123.6 FPS, which is still above 120 FPS, while High runs at 132.2 FPS and Medium at 169.7 FPS. The jump from Ultra to High yields 8.6 FPS, but the jump from High to Medium yields 37.5 FPS. For 1440p, High is the recommended preset: it maintains a high frame rate (132.2 FPS) while offering better visual fidelity than Medium. Ultra is acceptable for 120 Hz displays, but High provides a more comfortable margin. Low at 1440p (203.4 FPS) is unnecessary unless chasing maximum frame rates.

At 3840x2160, the choices narrow. Ultra runs at 72.1 FPS, which is above 60 FPS but leaves little headroom for demanding scenes. High runs at 76.4 FPS, only 4.3 FPS higher. Medium runs at 98.8 FPS, which is a significant improvement (22.4 FPS over High). For 4K, Medium is the recommended preset: it delivers nearly 100 FPS, which is smoother than High or Ultra, and the visual difference in a 2014 game is likely minimal. Low at 131.5 FPS is usable for competitive play, but Medium offers a better quality-to-performance ratio. In summary, the best experience per the measured rows is Ultra at 1080p, High at 1440p, and Medium at 4K.