Thief

The AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 combination delivers a top-tier experience in Thief, with the measured frame rates placing this pairing in the 84th percentile of all tested system configurations. The data shows a system that is heavily GPU-bound at higher resolutions, yet retains enough CPU headroom to push exceptional frame rates at 1080p, making it a versatile choice for both high-refresh-rate and high-fidelity gameplay.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 is a 16-core, 32-thread processor based on the Zen 5 architecture, with a base clock of 3.00 GHz and a boost clock of 5.10 GHz. Its substantial 64 MB of shared L3 cache and 256.0 GB/s of memory bandwidth provide a robust foundation for feeding the discrete RTX 4090. In benchmark tests, this processor achieves a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 35,314 and a single-core score of 2,044, alongside a Geekbench multi-core score of 20,992 and a single-core score of 2,464. Its average benchmark score of 77,740 places it in the 95th percentile of all CPUs, with the data showing it performs 1.6% above the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 9945WX and 2% above the AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX, while trailing the Intel Core i9-14900K by 1.7%.

In Thief, the CPU’s role is to maintain a consistent frame delivery, particularly at lower resolutions where the GPU is not the bottleneck. The measured results indicate that at 1920x1080 with Low settings, the system achieves an average of 204 FPS, a figure that showcases the CPU’s ability to process game logic and draw calls rapidly. The processor’s high single-thread performance, evidenced by its Passmark single-thread score of 4,147, is crucial for a stealth game like Thief, where AI calculations and physics interactions are often serialized. While the game is not new, the Ryzen AI Max+ 395’s 16 cores ensure that background tasks and the game’s engine do not compete for resources, which is reflected in the stable minimum FPS figures seen at Medium settings, such as the 157 FPS minimum at 1080p and 113 FPS at 1440p.

The CPU’s 4 nm process node and 55 W TDP suggest it is an efficient part, but the benchmark data focuses on its output rather than its power draw. The data shows that even at Ultra settings, where the GPU load is highest, the CPU is not the limiting factor, as the average FPS at 1080p Ultra (141 FPS) is only slightly lower than the High preset (148 FPS). This indicates that the processor has ample headroom to handle the increased draw calls and physics calculations without causing a significant performance dip. The processor’s 80 KB per core L1 cache and 1 MB per core L2 cache also contribute to low-latency data access, which is beneficial for maintaining high frame rates in scenarios with many on-screen entities.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of how different presets affect performance, and the optimal choice depends on the user’s display resolution and refresh rate. At 1920x1080, the High preset delivers an average of 148 FPS, which is a 4.8% improvement over the Ultra preset’s 141 FPS. The Low preset yields 204 FPS, which is only relevant for competitive play or extremely high refresh-rate monitors, as the visual downgrade is significant. The Medium preset at 1080p offers 184 FPS, providing a balanced compromise between visual quality and speed, but the High preset is the recommended choice for most users with 144Hz monitors, as it maintains a frame rate above the refresh threshold while preserving more graphical detail.

For 2560x1440 displays, the High preset again emerges as the sweet spot, with an average of 101 FPS. This is a 4.1% increase over the Ultra preset’s 97 FPS, and it allows for smoother gameplay on 100Hz or 120Hz monitors. The Medium preset at 1440p delivers 133 FPS, which is a substantial jump, but the visual clarity of High is generally preferred for a stealth game where spotting enemies and environmental details is important. The Low preset at 1440p reaches 175 FPS, but it is not recommended due to the loss of shadow and texture quality that Thief relies on for its atmosphere.

At 3840x2160, the data tells a different story. The High preset achieves 60 FPS, which is just at the threshold of playability for many, while the Ultra preset drops to 57 FPS. The Medium preset at 4K provides 78 FPS, which is a significant improvement over High and Ultra, making it the best option for 4K gaming. This preset offers a 30% performance increase over High and a 36.8% increase over Ultra, while the visual differences between Medium and High at 4K are often less noticeable due to the higher pixel density. Therefore, the recommendation is to prioritize the High preset at 1080p and 1440p, and the Medium preset at 4K, to achieve the best balance of visual fidelity and frame rate.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling across resolutions reveals a classic GPU-bound scenario. When moving from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440 at High settings, the average FPS drops from 148 to 101, a 31.8% decrease. This is a significant drop, but it is expected as the number of pixels rendered increases by 77%. The scaling from 1440p to 4K at High settings is even more pronounced, with the average FPS falling from 101 to 60, a 40.6% decrease. This steep decline indicates that the RTX 4090’s raw pixel-pushing capability is being taxed heavily at 4K, and the CPU is not the limiting factor.

The data shows a similar pattern at Medium settings, where the FPS drops from 184 at 1080p to 133 at 1440p (a 27.7% decrease) and then to 78 at 4K (a 41.4% decrease from 1440p). This consistent scaling pattern confirms that the GPU is the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions, as the CPU’s performance remains constant regardless of resolution. The RTX 4090’s 24 GB of GDDR6X memory and 1.01 TB/s bandwidth are sufficient for the game’s textures at all settings, but the GPU’s compute units are saturated when rendering 8.3 million pixels at 4K.

The fact that the FPS drop from 1080p to 1440p is less severe than the drop from 1440p to 4K suggests that the game’s engine has a pixel-throughput limit that is being approached at 4K. At Low settings, the 1080p average of 204 FPS drops to 175 at 1440p (a 14.2% decrease) and then to 103 at 4K (a 41.1% decrease). This shows that even with reduced graphical complexity, the GPU still struggles to maintain high frame rates at 4K, further emphasizing that the RTX 4090 is the determining factor in this combination’s performance.

How This Combo Ranks

In the benchmark database, this specific combination of the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 holds a combo rank of 452 out of 2,851 tested combinations. This places it in the top 15.9% of all system configurations, which is a strong result given that the CPU is a mobile-class processor paired with a flagship desktop GPU. The ranking reflects the system’s ability to deliver high frame rates across all resolutions, as evidenced by the measured FPS data.

The CPU’s 95th percentile ranking among all processors, combined with the GPU’s 88th percentile ranking among all GPUs, contributes to this high combo rank. However, the GPU’s nearest rivals in the database, such as the Intel Arc Pro A60 and AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48, have average scores that are nearly identical (a delta of 0% and 0.3%, respectively), which suggests that the RTX 4090’s performance in synthetic benchmarks is not solely responsible for its in-game results. The RTX 4090’s Passmark G3D score of 38,194 and 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 9,223 are strong indicators of its gaming capability, but the measured FPS in Thief shows that the CPU-GPU pairing is what ultimately matters.

The combo rank of 452 is notably higher than what would be expected if either component were paired with a weaker counterpart. For instance, the CPU’s high single-thread performance is essential for maintaining the high frame rates seen at 1080p, while the GPU’s 82.58 TFLOPS of FP32 performance ensures that 4K gaming is viable. The data suggests that this combination is well-balanced, with the CPU providing enough headroom to avoid bottlenecking the GPU at lower resolutions, and the GPU having enough raw power to handle 4K at playable frame rates.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to maintain a 60 FPS average?

A: At 3840x2160, the High preset achieves an average of 60 FPS, while the Medium preset provides 78 FPS. At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset delivers 97 FPS, and the High preset reaches 101 FPS. Therefore, 4K High is the entry point for 60 FPS, but 1440p Ultra is recommended for a higher frame rate.

Q: How much faster is the Low preset compared to Ultra at 1080p?

A: The Low preset at 1920x1080 achieves an average of 204 FPS, which is 44.7% higher than the Ultra preset’s 141 FPS. This provides a significant speed boost for competitive play.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor at 4K?

A: The data shows that at 4K, the average FPS drops from 103 at Low settings to 57 at Ultra settings, a 44.7% decrease. This indicates the GPU is the primary bottleneck, as the CPU’s performance is consistent across resolutions.

Q: What are the minimum FPS figures for the Medium preset?

A: The Medium preset shows minimum FPS values of 157 at 1920x1080, 113 at 2560x1440, and 67 at 3840x2160. These figures indicate frame pacing stability.

Q: How does this CPU compare to the Intel Core i9-14900K in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 has an average benchmark score of 77,740, which is 1.7% lower than the Intel Core i9-14900K’s average score of 79,097. The CPU is also 2% higher than the AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured average FPS values are as follows: Low settings produce 204 FPS, Medium settings produce 184 FPS, High settings produce 148 FPS, and Ultra settings produce 141 FPS. The Medium preset has a recorded minimum of 157 FPS and a maximum of 212 FPS, showing good frame consistency. The High and Ultra presets show a smaller gap, with only a 4.8% difference between them, indicating that the GPU is still capable at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the average FPS values are: Low at 175 FPS, Medium at 133 FPS, High at 101 FPS, and Ultra at 97 FPS. The Medium preset’s minimum FPS is 113, and its maximum is 153. The scaling from Low to Medium is a 24.0% decrease, while the scaling from High to Ultra is only 4.0%, suggesting a performance plateau at the highest settings. The gap between Low and Ultra is 44.6%, which highlights the visual quality impact on frame rate.

At 3840x2160, the average FPS values are: Low at 103 FPS, Medium at 78 FPS, High at 60 FPS, and Ultra at 57 FPS. The Medium preset has a minimum of 67 FPS and a maximum of 90 FPS. This resolution shows the most significant performance drop, with the Ultra preset being only 55.3% of the Low preset’s frame rate. The difference between High and Ultra is minimal at 5.3%, indicating that the Ultra preset’s additional effects do not justify the performance cost at 4K.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is the dominant component in this pairing, featuring 16,384 shading units, 512 tensor cores, and 128 RT cores based on the Ada Lovelace architecture. Its 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus provides 1.01 TB/s of bandwidth, which is more than sufficient for Thief’s texture requirements. The GPU’s boost clock of 2520 MHz and its FP32 performance of 82.58 TFLOPS are key contributors to its high frame rates in this game.

The GPU’s role becomes more apparent as resolution increases. At 1080p, the RTX 4090 is not fully utilized, as evidenced by the high frame rates that are likely limited by the CPU’s draw-call processing. However, at 4K, the GPU’s pixel throughput becomes the limiting factor, with the average FPS dropping to 60 at High settings. The GPU’s 443.5 GPixel/s pixel rate and 1,290.2 GTexel/s texture rate are directly responsible for the 4K performance, as the game’s rendering pipeline is heavily dependent on these metrics.

In synthetic benchmarks, the RTX 4090 scores 38,194 in Passmark G3D and 9,223 in 3DMark Steel Nomad, placing it in the 88th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals in the database, such as the AMD Radeon Pro W6600M, show a delta of -2.5%, but these are workstation-class GPUs with different driver optimizations. The RTX 4090’s 76,300 million transistors and 609 mm² die size are indicative of its massive compute capability, which is directly reflected in the Thief results. The GPU’s 450 W TDP and triple-slot design are not relevant to the performance data, but they highlight its position as a flagship part.