Thief

The AMD Ryzen 9 7900X paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER delivers a solid Thief experience across 1080p and 1440p, with the data showing that this combination ranks 2091st out of 3720 tested combos. The RTX 2070 SUPER's 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus proves sufficient for the game’s demands, and the benchmark results indicate a clear performance ceiling that shifts from the CPU to the GPU as resolution climbs.

Resolution Scaling

The measured frame rates reveal a predictable and steep performance drop when moving from 1080p up to 4K. At 1080p with High settings, the combination averages 99 FPS. Stepping up to 1440p High, that average falls to 68 FPS. At 4K High, the average is only 40 FPS. This represents a 59% reduction in average FPS from 1080p to 4K. The scaling is not linear, and the results suggest that the GPU is the primary limiting component at higher resolutions.

At Low settings, the trend is even more pronounced. In 1080p Low, the system posts 171 FPS. At 1440p Low, it drops to 118 FPS, and at 4K Low, it falls to 69 FPS. The 4K Low figure is barely above the 60 FPS threshold, while the 1080p Low result is well above 144 Hz. This steep decline indicates that the RTX 2070 SUPER's compute power and memory bandwidth are being taxed heavily as pixel count increases, even when the graphical load is minimal.

The Medium settings rows show a similar pattern, with average FPS of 130 at 1080p, 89 at 1440p, and 52 at 4K. The gap between 1440p and 4K remains a 41% drop, while the gap between 1080p and 1440p is 32%. This consistent 30-40% reduction per resolution step suggests a strong GPU dependency, given the CPU is the Ryzen 9 7900X with 12 cores and 24 threads, which is unlikely to be a constraint at these settings.

For Ultra settings, the data shows the most demanding load. Here, the system manages 94 FPS at 1080p, 65 FPS at 1440p, and only 38 FPS at 4K. The 4K Ultra result falls below the 40 FPS mark, which will be visible to players as stutter. The 1440p Ultra result of 65 FPS is above the 60 FPS target, but the 4K result is not.

The limiting component is clearly the GPU. The CPU has a boost clock of 5.60 GHz and scores 29,300 in Cinebench R23 multi-core, placing it in the 91st percentile of all CPUs. The data shows that the system scales as a GPU-bound setup, with the CPU having enough headroom to push frames until the GPU becomes the bottleneck. The measurement shows that the 4K resolution, all settings produce average FPS below 60, and only the Low setting at 4K reaches 69 FPS. This indicates that the RTX 2070 SUPER is the primary limiter at 4K, and the Ryzen 9 7900X's performance is not the restricting factor.

Settings Recommendations

For the best experience based on the measured data, the Medium preset is the sweet spot across most resolutions. At 1080p Medium, the system averages 130 FPS with a minimum of 111 and a maximum of 150. This is a comfortable margin above 120 FPS, which is often the target for competitive play. At 1440p Medium, the average drops to 89 FPS, with a minimum of 76 and a maximum of 103. This is still well above the 60 FPS threshold, providing a smooth experience for a stealth game.

For those with 4K displays, the Medium preset delivers 52 FPS on average, with a minimum of 45 and a maximum of 60. This is just below the ideal 60 FPS mark, but it is the only 4K setting that reaches a playable level of smoothness. Low settings at 4K provide 69 FPS, but the visual quality trade-off may be too great for some players. The High and Ultra presets at 4K are not recommended, as they produce 38 FPS and 38 FPS respectively, which are both below the 40 FPS mark.

In 1080p, the High preset is a strong choice. It provides 99 FPS average, which is above the 60 FPS target, and it offers better visuals than Medium. The Ultra preset at 1080p provides 94 FPS, which is only a 5 FPS drop from High, so the Ultra preset is also viable for players who prioritize visual fidelity. The measured data shows that the Ultra preset at 1080p is not a significant penalty compared to High, with a 5 FPS difference.

For 1440p, the High preset provides 68 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS target, but the Medium preset provides 89 FPS, which is a 31% improvement. The Medium preset is the recommended choice for 1440p as it provides the best balance of visuals and performance. The Ultra preset at 1440p provides 65 FPS, which is close to High, but the Medium preset still has a significant margin.

For users with a 4K display, the Low settings provide 69 FPS, which is the only 4K setting that reaches the 60 FPS threshold. The Medium settings provide 52 FPS, which is playable but not ideal. The data shows that the 4K resolution is only playable at the Low preset, and the Medium preset is a tradeoff for players who want better visuals.

The measured rows show that the Medium preset is the most consistent performer across all three resolutions. At 1080p Medium, the frame time consistency is good, as evidenced by the 111-150 range. At 1440p Medium, the 76-103 range indicates a smooth experience. At 4K Medium, the 45-60 range is the most stable of the 4K settings. Therefore, the Medium preset is the recommended starting point for all resolutions, with the High preset being a good alternative for 1080p and 1440p users who want better visuals.

GPU Role

The RTX 2070 SUPER is a Turing-based GPU with 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering a memory bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s. The memory clock is 1750 MHz, which is 14 Gbps effective. The GPU has a base clock of 1605 MHz and a boost clock of 1770 MHz. With 2560 shading units, 160 texture mapping units, and 64 ROPs, the RTX 2070 SUPER is a capable mid-range card for 2019's games. The data shows that in Thief, the GPU is the limiting factor at 4K and at 1080p with higher settings.

The GPU's VRAM capacity of 8 GB is not a bottleneck in this game at the tested resolutions. The highest VRAM usage is not reported, but the GPU's memory bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s is sufficient for the 4K resolution, as the game runs at 38 FPS at 4K Ultra. The 8 GB VRAM is enough for the textures used in Thief's Ultra preset, which is reflected in the 4K Ultra result of 38 FPS. The GPU's 256-bit bus and 14 Gbps memory are not limiting the performance in a significant way at 1080p and 1440p, as the frame rates are above 60 FPS.

The GPU's clock speeds are also relevant. The base clock of 1605 MHz and boost clock of 1770 MHz are the clock rates at which the GPU runs under load. The boost clock is the maximum, and the actual clock will vary based on temperature and power. In Thief, the GPU seems to be running at its boost clock for the most part, as the frame rates are high.

The RTX 2070 SUPER's compute performance is 9.062 TFLOPS FP32. This is a measure of the GPU's raw compute capability. In Thief, which is a game from 2014, the GPU is not fully utilized at lower resolutions, as the CPU is capable of delivering more frames. At 1080p Low, the 171 FPS is a result of the GPU being able to handle the load. The compute performance is more than enough for this game, even at 4K.

The GPU's memory subsystem is also important. The 8 GB VRAM is shared between the game's textures and other assets. The data shows that at 4K Ultra, the game still runs, so the VRAM is enough for the game's assets. The memory bandwidth of 448 GB/s is also sufficient.

The RTX 2070 SUPER is a GPU that is two generations old, but the data shows it can handle Thief well at 1080p and 1440p. The GPU's performance percentile is 65, meaning it beats 65% of all GPUs. In the nearest rival data, the RTX 2070 SUPER has a score of 20,282, and is 1% behind the NVIDIA Quadro M4000M.

The GPU's role is to provide the frame rate headroom at 1080p and 1440p, but at 4K, the GPU is the bottleneck. The CPU is not a factor, as the Ryzen 9 7900X has 12 cores and 24 threads, with a high IPC. The data shows that the GPU is the limiting component at 4K, and the CPU is not.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers a broad range of frame rates depending on quality preset. The Low preset achieves 171 FPS average, which is the highest of any setting. The Medium preset provides 130 FPS average, with a minimum of 111 and a maximum of 150. The High preset delivers 99 FPS average. The Ultra preset provides 94 FPS average. The gap between Low and Ultra is 77 FPS, which is a 45% reduction. The High and Ultra settings are close, with only a 5 FPS difference.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates are lower but still playable. The Low preset achieves 118 FPS average. The Medium preset provides 89 FPS, with a minimum of 76 and a maximum of 103. The High preset delivers 68 FPS. The Ultra preset provides 65 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra is 53 FPS, which is a 45% reduction. The Medium preset is 32% faster than the High preset.

At 3840x2160, the frame rates are below 60 FPS for most settings. The Low preset achieves 69 FPS. The Medium preset provides 52 FPS, with a minimum of 45 and a maximum of 60. The High preset delivers 40 FPS. The Ultra preset provides 38 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra is 31 FPS, which is a 45% reduction. The Medium preset is the only one that comes close to 60 FPS.

The data shows a consistent pattern: the Ultra preset is the most demanding, with the High and Medium presets stepping down in performance. The Low preset is the least demanding. The scaling from Low to Ultra is consistent across all resolutions, with a 45% reduction in FPS.

The average FPS is the primary metric, but the minimum FPS for Medium settings is also reported. At 1080p Medium, the minimum is 111 FPS, which is high. At 1440p Medium, the minimum is 76 FPS. At 4K Medium, the minimum is 45 FPS. The minimum FPS is important for smoothness, as a low minimum can cause stuttering. The data shows that the minimum FPS is within 15% of the average, indicating good frame pacing.

The maximum FPS for Medium settings is 150 at 1080p, 103 at 1440p, and 60 at 4K. The maximum FPS is less important, but it shows the headroom. At 1080p, the maximum is 150, which is 15% above the average. At 1440p, the maximum is 103, which is 16% above the average. At 4K, the maximum is 60, which is 15% above the average. This suggests that the game does not have a frame cap, and the GPU is the limiter.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 9 7900X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER combination ranks 2091st out of 3,720 tested combos in Thief. This places it in the 56th percentile of all combos, meaning it performs better than 56% of the tested combos. The rank is based on the measured FPS data, which is a combination of the CPU and GPU.

The CPU in this combo is a high-end processor, with a 91st percentile. The GPU is a mid-range, with a 56th percentile. The overall combo rank is a reflection of the GPU's performance, as the CPU is not the limiting factor in Thief. The CPU has a high score, but the GPU is a mid-range.

The combo rank of 2091 is a result of the GPU's performance. The RTX 3070 SUPER is a 2019 GPU, and its performance in Thief is good. The data shows that the GPU is the bottleneck in this game, so the combo's rank is the GPU's rank.

The combo has a rank of 2091, which is a strong showing. The GPU is in the 56th percentile, and the combo is in the 56th percentile, which aligns. The CPU is in the 91st percentile, but it does not contribute to the combo's rank.

The combo's rank is 2091 of 3720. This means there are 1629 combos that perform better. The combos that perform better likely have a better GPU, as the CPU is not the limiting factor.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 1080p with High settings?

A: The average FPS at 1920x1080 with High settings is 99 FPS.

Q: Does the system hit 60 FPS at 4K?

A: At 4K, only the Low preset reaches 60 FPS, with an average of 69 FPS. The Medium preset is 52 FPS, and High and Ultra are 40 FPS and 38 FPS, respectively.

Q: What is the best preset for 1440p?

A: The Medium preset provides the best balance, with an average of 89 FPS and a minimum of 76 FPS. The High preset is 68 FPS, and Low is 118 FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 2070 SUPER compare to its rivals in benchmark scores?

A: The RTX 2070 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 20,282. It is 1.0% behind the NVIDIA Quadro M4000M, which has a score of 20,480.

Q: What is the CPU's benchmark score?

A: The AMD Ryzen 9 7900X has a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 29,300 and a Geekbench multi-core score of 19,267.

Q: What is the combo's rank?

A: The combo is ranked 2091 of 3720 tested combinations.