Thief

The AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER delivers a mixed bag in Thief. At 1080p, the combo easily exceeds 90 FPS on Ultra, but at 4K it drops to 37.7 FPS on the same preset. The data shows a system where the CPU is more than capable, while the GPU becomes the limiting factor at higher resolutions. This pairing ranks 962nd out of 1642 tested combinations, placing it in the lower half of the database—a reflection of the GPU's mid-range standing rather than any CPU weakness.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D is an 8-core, 16-thread processor with a base clock of 4.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.20 GHz. Its 96 MB of L3 cache is substantial, and its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 34004 and single-core score of 4800 place it in the 90th percentile of all CPUs. In the benchmark database, its average score of 37780 is nearly identical to the Intel Core i5-13600KF (38028, -0.7%) and the Intel Core i9-13900HK (38020, -0.6%). This means the CPU is not a weak link in this pairing.

In Thief, the CPU's influence is most visible at low settings and lower resolutions. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo produces 170.6 FPS, which is far above the 60 FPS threshold. Even at 1440p Low, it holds 119.9 FPS. These numbers suggest that the CPU can feed the GPU with frames well beyond what the RTX 2070 SUPER can render at higher quality settings. The game's release date of 2014-02-24 means it is not particularly demanding on modern processors, so the 9800X3D's high single-thread performance (Cinebench R23 single-core 4800) is more than sufficient. The 8-core, 16-thread configuration and 96 MB L3 cache provide ample headroom, but in this title, the frame rates are governed by the GPU once settings and resolution climb.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER is a Turing-architecture card with 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. Its boost clock is 1770 MHz, and it has 2560 shading units. In the benchmark database, it sits in the 65th percentile of all GPUs, with an average score of 22206. Its nearest rivals include the RTX A400 (22307, -0.5%) and the RTX 4060 Mobile (22729, -2.3%), while it outperforms the GTX TITAN Z (22006, +0.9%) and the RX 5700 (21670, +2.5%). This places it as a mid-range card.

In Thief, the GPU's limitations become clear as resolution and settings increase. At 4K Ultra, the combo averages 37.7 FPS, which is below playable levels. Even at 4K High, it only reaches 39.1 FPS. The 8 GB VRAM is sufficient for this game, but the raw compute power is not enough to maintain high frame rates at 4K. At 1080p Ultra, the card delivers 93.5 FPS, which is smooth, but the drop to 4K is steep. The 448.0 GB/s memory bandwidth and 1770 MHz boost clock are adequate for 1080p and 1440p, but the card's 2560 shading units are simply outclassed by the demands of 4K rendering in this title.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the best experience depends on the target resolution. At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset yields 93.5 FPS, which is well above 60, so there is no reason to lower settings. At 2560x1440, the High preset gives 66.1 FPS and Ultra gives 66.9 FPS—nearly identical, so either works, but Ultra offers a slight edge. At 3840x2160, only the Low preset (69.3 FPS) stays above 60; Medium drops to 54.4, and High/Ultra fall below 40. Therefore, for 4K gaming, Low is the only viable option, and even then it is close to the 60 FPS line. For a balanced experience, 1440p High or Ultra is the sweet spot, while 1080p Ultra is the best overall. The data indicates that the GPU's performance ceiling is reached at 1440p with high-quality presets; pushing to 4K requires sacrificing settings to Low to maintain playability.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo ranks 962nd out of 1642 tested combinations in Thief. This places it in the lower half of the database, indicating that while the CPU is strong, the GPU holds the pairing back. The CPU's 90th percentile standing contrasts with the GPU's 65th percentile, and the overall rank reflects the GPU's mid-range position. In practical terms, this combo is not among the top performers for Thief, but it can still deliver playable frame rates at 1080p and 1440p with appropriate settings. The rank of 962 out of 1642 means that 961 other combinations achieve higher average FPS in this game, which is a direct consequence of the RTX 2070 SUPER's compute limits rather than any deficiency in the Ryzen 7 9800X3D.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is consistent across settings. At Low, the average FPS goes from 170.6 at 1080p to 119.9 at 1440p (a 29.7% decrease) and then to 69.3 at 4K (a 42.2% decrease from 1440p). At Ultra, the numbers are 93.5, 66.9, and 37.7, with similar percentage drops. This pattern indicates that the GPU is the limiting component as resolution increases, because the CPU's performance headroom is not the constraint. The CPU's high single-thread score (4800 in Cinebench R23) ensures that it can keep up with the GPU's demands even at lower resolutions, but the GPU's compute capacity is exhausted at 4K. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p is roughly a 30% reduction in FPS, and from 1440p to 4K another 40% reduction, which is typical for a GPU-bound scenario. The CPU's role remains constant; it is the GPU that cannot sustain high frame rates as pixel count grows.

FAQ

Q: What average FPS can I expect at 1080p with Ultra settings?

A: The measured average is 93.5 FPS.

Q: Is this combo capable of 4K gaming in Thief?

A: Only at Low settings, where it averages 69.3 FPS. At Ultra, it drops to 37.7 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Ryzen 7 9800X3D's average benchmark score of 37780 is within 0.7% of the Intel Core i5-13600KF (38028, -0.7%) and 0.6% of the Intel Core i9-13900HK (38020, -0.6%).

Q: How does the GPU compare to the RTX 4060 Mobile?

A: The RTX 2070 SUPER has an average score of 22206, which is 2.3% lower than the RTX 4060 Mobile's 22729.

Q: What is the best settings preset for 1440p?

A: High and Ultra both deliver around 66 FPS (66.1 and 66.9 respectively), so either is playable.

Q: Why does the FPS drop so much from 1080p to 4K?

A: The GPU becomes the bottleneck at higher resolutions; the CPU can maintain high frame rates at low settings, but the RTX 2070 SUPER lacks the compute power for 4K.