Thief

The data for Thief with the AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 reveals a combination that is heavily skewed toward high refresh rates at mainstream resolutions, but which shows its limitations at 4K with maximum settings. The measured frames per second paint a clear picture of a system where the GPU is the primary driver of performance scaling, while the CPU’s substantial multi-threaded headroom remains largely untapped by this 2014 title. The following analysis breaks down the benchmark results to understand the practical experience this pairing delivers.

FAQ

*Q: What is the highest average frame rate recorded for this combo in Thief?*

A: The highest average frame rate recorded is 191 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with the Low settings preset.

Q: At which resolution and settings does this combination dip below 60 FPS on average?

A: This occurs only at 3840x2160 (4K) resolution. With the High preset, the average FPS is 54, and with the Ultra preset, it drops to 52.

Q: What is the performance delta between the Ryzen 9 8945HX and its closest rival, the Intel Core Ultra 9 285HX?

A: The Ryzen 9 8945HX has an average benchmark score of 76212, while the Intel Core Ultra 9 285HX scores 76155. This places the AMD processor a marginal 0.1% ahead of the Intel chip.

Q: How does the RTX 4080 compare to the RTX 4080 SUPER in terms of average benchmark score?

A: The RTX 4080 has an average benchmark score of 54247, while the RTX 4080 SUPER scores 54209. The data shows the RTX 4080 is 0.1% faster than the SUPER variant in this specific metric.

Q: What is the lowest average frame rate recorded in the dataset?

A: The lowest average frame rate is 52 FPS, which occurs at 3840x2160 resolution with the Ultra settings preset.

Q: Based on the benchmark scores, what percentile does the GPU rank in compared to all other GPUs?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 ranks in the 86th percentile when compared to all GPUs in the benchmark database.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is the undisputed performance leader in this pairing for Thief. Its role is defined by its memory configuration and clock speeds, which directly influence the frame rates across all tested resolutions. The GPU comes equipped with 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 716.8 GB/s. This substantial bandwidth is critical for feeding the AD103 chip’s 9728 shading units, especially at higher resolutions where texture data demands increase.

The GPU’s clock speeds, with a base of 2205 MHz and a boost of 2505 MHz, are the engine that drives its raw compute power. The measured FPS data shows a clear correlation between these clocks and performance. At 1080p, the GPU is able to push frame rates well beyond 120 FPS on all presets, with a peak of 191 FPS on Low. This indicates that the GPU’s processing power is sufficient to handle the game’s geometry and lighting at high speed, even in its most demanding moments.

However, the GPU’s role becomes more complex at 4K. The transition from 1440p to 4K results in a significant performance drop, which is typical for a game of Thief's era that was not designed with modern high-resolution rendering in mind. The 16 GB VRAM buffer is more than adequate for the game’s textures, but the sheer number of pixels at 3840x2160 overwhelms the GPU’s shading units. The data shows the RTX 4080 is powerful enough to push past 60 FPS at Medium settings at 4K, but it falls just short of this threshold at High and Ultra presets. This suggests that the GPU’s raw throughput, not its memory capacity, is the limiting factor at 4K.

Settings Recommendations

For players targeting a smooth 60 FPS experience, the data points to specific settings choices depending on the resolution. At 3840x2160, the Medium preset is the only option that delivers an average frame rate above 60 FPS, hitting 71 FPS on average. The High preset at 54 FPS and Ultra at 52 FPS are both playable but will require a tolerance for sub-60 FPS dips. The Low preset at 94 FPS offers a high refresh rate experience but sacrifices visual fidelity.

At 2560x1440, the situation is more comfortable. The High preset achieves an average of 93 FPS, which is ideal for high refresh rate monitors. The Ultra preset is also viable, with an average of 88 FPS, allowing players to maximize visual quality without dropping below the 60 FPS threshold. The data suggests that for the best balance of image quality and performance at 1440p, the High preset is the sweet spot, but Ultra is perfectly playable.

At 1920x1080, the CPU's performance ceiling is rarely reached, and the GPU dominates. The Ultra preset at 128 FPS average is the recommended choice for the best visual experience, as it provides a frame rate high enough for any monitor. The High preset at 135 FPS is nearly identical in performance, but the Ultra preset offers more graphical features for a nominal FPS cost. The Medium preset at 173 FPS and Low at 191 FPS are for competitive players who prioritize maximum frame rates over visual detail. For most users, the Ultra preset at 1080p provides the best overall experience, as it is both visually rich and well above the 60 FPS mark.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 holds a rank of 978 out of 3720 tested combos in Thief. This places it in the top 26.3% of all configurations tested for this game. The ranking is a composite measure, reflecting the balance between the CPU and GPU in the context of this specific title.

The GPU’s 86th percentile ranking against all GPUs is a strong indicator of its capability, but the combo’s overall rank is lower, suggesting that the CPU is not contributing as much to the game’s performance as it does in other, more CPU-intensive titles. The Ryzen 9 8945HX's nearest rivals, such as the Intel Core Ultra 9 285HX, have nearly identical average benchmark scores, with a delta of just 0.1%. This indicates that the CPU is a high-performing part, but its strengths in multi-threaded workloads are not fully utilized by Thief, which is an older title.

The ranking suggests that this is a well-balanced system for most modern games, but in Thief, the GPU is the clear bottleneck. If the user were to pair this CPU with a less powerful GPU, the ranking would likely be lower, as the CPU’s capabilities would be wasted. Conversely, pairing this GPU with a weaker CPU might yield a similar ranking, as the game is not heavily dependent on CPU performance. The 978th rank out of 3720 combos indicates that while this is a strong setup, there are many other combinations that perform similarly or better in this specific game.

Resolution Scaling

The performance scaling from 1080p to 4K provides critical insight into which component is the limiting factor in this system. The data shows a dramatic decline in average frame rates as resolution increases, which is a classic indicator of a GPU-bound scenario.

At 1920x1080, the High preset averages 135 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440, the same preset drops to 93 FPS, a reduction to 68.9% of the 1080p performance. This is a significant drop, but the frame rate remains high. At 3840x2160, the High preset plummets to 54 FPS, which is just 40% of the 1080p score. This steep curve is characteristic of a game that is heavily reliant on fill rate and pixel shading, both of which are tasks handled by the GPU.

The frame rate drops are not linear, which further supports the GPU-bound conclusion. If the CPU were the limiting factor, we would expect the frame rates to remain relatively constant across resolutions, as the CPU’s workload (game logic, physics, draw calls) does not change with resolution. Instead, the FPS falls sharply as the pixel count increases, meaning the RTX 4080's shader units are being saturated. The fact that the 4K Ultra preset (52 FPS) is only 2 FPS slower than 4K High (54 FPS) suggests that the GPU is already at its limits at this resolution, and the additional graphical features in the Ultra preset have a negligible impact on performance. This confirms that the GPU is the primary bottleneck at 4K, while the CPU has ample headroom to spare.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a detailed look at the system’s performance across all tested settings and resolutions.

At 3840x2160, the performance is as follows:

• Low: 94 FPS average.
• Medium: 71 FPS average, with a minimum of 61 FPS and a maximum of 82 FPS.
• High: 54 FPS average.
• Ultra: 52 FPS average.

The Medium preset is the only one that guarantees a frame rate above 60 FPS, and its minimum of 61 FPS shows that it is a stable experience. The High and Ultra presets are close in performance, both hovering around the 50-54 FPS mark.

At 2560x1440, the performance is:

• Low: 160 FPS average.
• Medium: 122 FPS average, with a minimum of 103 FPS and a maximum of 140 FPS.
• High: 93 FPS average.
• Ultra: 88 FPS average.

This resolution provides a great experience, with even the Ultra preset maintaining an average above 85 FPS. The Medium preset’s minimum of 103 FPS shows excellent frame pacing.

At 1920x1080, the performance is:

• Low: 191 FPS average.
• Medium: 173 FPS average, with a minimum of 147 FPS and a maximum of 199 FPS.
• High: 135 FPS average.
• Ultra: 128 FPS average.

At this resolution, the system is clearly GPU-bound, but the RTX 4080 has enough power to push all presets well beyond the 120 FPS mark. The Ultra preset is the most demanding, but it still delivers an average of 128 FPS, making it the best choice for visual quality without sacrificing a high refresh rate experience.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX plays a supporting role in Thief, as the game’s engine is not designed to leverage the full capabilities of a modern 16-core, 32-thread processor. The CPU’s specifications are impressive, with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz, built on the Zen 4 architecture. It has 16 cores and 32 threads, along with a large 64 MB L3 cache. The CPU’s benchmark scores are equally strong, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 42713 and a single-core score of 6030. Its average benchmark score of 76212 places it in the 95th percentile of all CPUs.

However, these impressive numbers do not translate into a dominant performance in Thief. The game, released in 2014, was designed for older, lower-core-count CPUs. The measured FPS data shows that the system’s performance is heavily influenced by the GPU, as evidenced by the significant frame rate drops at higher resolutions. If the CPU were a bottleneck, the frame rates would be similar across all resolutions, which is not the case.

The CPU’s role is to ensure that the GPU is fed with enough data to avoid stutters and frame drops. The Ryzen 9 8945HX’s high single-core performance, as indicated by its 6030 Cinebench R23 single-core score, is sufficient for this task. The game’s main thread is likely running on a single core, and the CPU’s boost clock of 5.40 GHz ensures that this thread can be processed quickly. The data suggests that the CPU is not a limiting factor in this game, as the frame rates are consistently high at lower resolutions, and the performance drops at 4K can be entirely attributed to the GPU’s rendering workload. In this context, the CPU’s massive multi-threading capabilities are largely idle, making it a powerful but underutilized component for this specific title.