Thief

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 combination delivers a highly playable experience in Thief, with performance scaling predictably across resolutions and presets. The data shows a clear hierarchy: 1080p and 1440p gameplay is smooth across all settings, while 4K requires a settings trade-off to maintain fluidity. This analysis breaks down the measured results, component roles, and optimal configurations based solely on the provided benchmark data.

FAQ

Q: What is the average frame rate at 1920x1080 with Ultra settings?

A: The measured average is 104.5 FPS. This is the lowest result at 1080p but still well above the 60 FPS threshold, indicating a smooth experience with maximum visual fidelity.

Q: How does the Ryzen 9 9900X compare to its closest rival in overall CPU benchmarks?

A: The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D scores 54681, which is 0.4% higher than the 9900X's average benchmark score of 54450. Conversely, the Intel Core i7-14700F scores 54097, placing it 0.7% behind the 9900X.

Q: Is the RTX 4060 capable of 4K gaming in Thief?

A: Yes, but with limitations. At 3840x2160 with High settings, the average frame rate is 40.5 FPS. At Low settings, it jumps to 77.5 FPS, showing the GPU can handle 4K if graphical presets are reduced.

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

A: The Medium preset at 2560x1440 yields an average of 98.2 FPS, offering a strong balance. The High preset provides 74 FPS, while Ultra drops to 69.8 FPS, so Medium or High are the most balanced choices.

Q: How does the RTX 4060's benchmark score compare to the Intel Arc B580?

A: The RTX 4060 has an average benchmark score of 23181. The Intel Arc B580 scores 23021, which is 0.7% lower, making the RTX 4060 the slightly faster card in this comparison.

Q: What is the combo's rank among all tested system combinations?

A: The Ryzen 9 9900X paired with the RTX 4060 ranks 830th out of 1642 total tested combinations, placing it in the upper half of the database.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X is a 12-core, 24-thread processor based on the Zen 5 architecture, with a base clock of 4.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz. It holds the 94th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 54450. This processor is a high-end part, but its role in Thief is primarily to ensure the GPU is not bottlenecked.

The CPU's multi-threaded capabilities are substantial, as evidenced by a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 46438 and a 3DMark max-threads score of 13929. However, Thief is a 2014 title, and its engine likely does not fully utilize 24 threads. The single-thread performance is also strong, with a 3DMark single-thread score of 1286 and a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 6555, which is more relevant for older game engines that rely on fewer cores.

The measured FPS data shows that the CPU is not a limiting factor at lower resolutions. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the average frame rate is 184.8 FPS, which is exceptionally high. This suggests that the Ryzen 9 9900X can easily feed frames to the RTX 4060 even in a best-case scenario. The performance difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p is 80.3 FPS (184.8 vs 104.5), indicating that the GPU is the primary variable in this configuration.

In comparison to its rivals, the 9900X is slightly behind the 9900X3D by 0.4% and the Intel Core Ultra 5 245K by 1.5%, but ahead of the Intel Core i7-14700F by 0.7%. These deltas are minimal, meaning the CPU choice among these top-tier parts would have a negligible impact on Thief's frame rates, which are more dependent on the GPU.

Settings Recommendations

The optimal settings preset depends heavily on the target resolution and desired frame rate. The data provides four presets—Low, Medium, High, and Ultra—across three resolutions. For the best balance of visual quality and performance, the Medium preset is the most versatile.

At 1920x1080, the Medium preset delivers an average of 137.3 FPS. This is significantly higher than the High preset's 108.6 FPS and the Ultra preset's 104.5 FPS, while still offering improved visuals over the Low preset's 184.8 FPS. For users with high refresh rate monitors (144Hz or higher), the Low preset is the only one that exceeds 144 FPS, but the Medium preset is close enough to be a strong recommendation for most.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset again provides the best compromise, with an average of 98.2 FPS. The High preset at 74 FPS is also playable, but the Ultra preset at 69.8 FPS is close to the edge of what is considered smooth for action games. For a consistent 60+ FPS experience with good detail, Medium is the recommended choice.

At 3840x2160, the situation changes. The Medium preset drops to 56.9 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold. The High preset is even lower at 40.5 FPS, and Ultra is nearly identical at 41 FPS. The Low preset is the only one that achieves a smooth frame rate, hitting 77.5 FPS. Therefore, for 4K gaming, the Low preset is the only viable option for a fluid experience, while Medium can be considered if a 30-60 FPS range is acceptable.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 ranks 830th out of 1642 tested combinations. This places it in the 50th percentile of all system configurations in the database. This ranking indicates that while the components are individually strong, the pairing is not at the top tier for this specific game.

This mid-pack ranking is logical when considering the GPU. The RTX 4060 has a percentile rank of 66 among all GPUs, and its average benchmark score is 23181. It is a solid mid-range card, but not a high-end performer. The CPU, on the other hand, is in the 94th percentile, showing a significant disparity in performance class between the two components.

The data suggests that the Ryzen 9 9900X is overkill for the RTX 4060 in Thief. The CPU's high single-thread and multi-thread scores do not translate into a higher combo rank because the GPU becomes the bottleneck at higher settings and resolutions. The combo rank is more reflective of the GPU's capabilities than the CPU's, as evidenced by the fact that the 9900X's closest rivals are all within a 1.8% performance delta, yet the combo rank is in the middle of the pack.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 is a mid-range graphics card based on the Ada Lovelace architecture, featuring 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus with a bandwidth of 272.0 GB/s. Its boost clock is 2460 MHz, and it has a TDP of 115 W. The card holds the 66th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 23181.

In Thief, the RTX 4060's performance is the primary determinant of frame rates. The 8 GB VRAM capacity is sufficient for this game, even at 4K, as the measured data shows playable frame rates at all resolutions when settings are adjusted. The GPU's raw compute power, rated at 15.11 TFLOPS for FP32, is adequate for a 2014 title.

The GPU's performance relative to its rivals is telling. It is 0.6% slower than the AMD Radeon RX 6600M and 0.7% slower than the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Ti, but 0.7% faster than the Intel Arc B580 and 0.8% faster than the AMD Radeon 760M. These are all very close scores, indicating the RTX 4060 is in a competitive segment. The GTX 780 Ti being a direct rival is notable, as it shows the RTX 4060's performance level is similar to a high-end card from a previous generation, despite the significant architectural advancements.

The GPU's memory bandwidth of 272.0 GB/s and 8 GB of VRAM are balanced for the resolution ranges tested. The 4K results show a steep drop-off from Low to High settings (77.5 to 40.5 FPS), which indicates that the GPU's compute units and memory bandwidth are the limiting factors at higher detail levels.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of performance across all tested configurations.

At 1920x1080, the RTX 4060 delivers its highest frame rates. The Low preset averages 184.8 FPS, while Medium averages 137.3 FPS. High averages 108.6 FPS, and Ultra averages 104.5 FPS. The frame rate difference between Low and Ultra is 80.3 FPS, demonstrating a clear scaling curve.

At 2560x1440, performance decreases but remains strong. The Low preset averages 129.1 FPS, which is a 55.7 FPS drop from the 1080p Low result. Medium averages 98.2 FPS, High averages 74 FPS, and Ultra averages 69.8 FPS. The drop from High to Ultra is only 4.2 FPS, suggesting diminishing returns at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is under significant load. The Low preset averages 77.5 FPS, which is the only result above 60 FPS. Medium averages 56.9 FPS, while High and Ultra are nearly identical at 40.5 FPS and 41 FPS, respectively. The performance gap between Low and Medium is 20.6 FPS, and the gap between Medium and High is 16.4 FPS, showing that the higher presets heavily tax the GPU.

The data shows a consistent pattern: the RTX 4060 is well-suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming in Thief, with all presets providing playable frame rates. At 4K, only the Low preset is recommended for a smooth experience, as the higher presets fall below the 60 FPS mark. The Ultra preset at 4K is essentially the same as High, indicating a performance cap.