Thief

The AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Mobile delivers a remarkably consistent experience in Thief, a 2014 stealth title that remains demanding at high resolutions. The measured data shows a system that can comfortably push past 60 FPS at 4K with the right settings, and it scales impressively at lower resolutions. This analysis breaks down the optimal configurations, the specific roles of the CPU and GPU, and how this particular combination stacks up against the broader field of tested hardware.

Settings Recommendations

The benchmark results indicate that the "High" preset is the sweet spot for this combination, particularly for players targeting a flawless 60 FPS experience at 4K. At 3840x2160, the High preset delivers an average of 60 FPS exactly. This is the bare minimum for smooth gameplay, but it is a locked, playable experience. Pushing to "Ultra" at the same resolution drops the average to 57 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold and may introduce perceptible stutter on standard 60Hz displays. The data suggests that the visual fidelity gained from Ultra is not worth sacrificing the frame rate consistency at 4K.

For users with high-refresh-rate 1440p monitors, the "High" preset is again the recommended starting point, yielding an average of 101 FPS. This is a significant jump from the 4K result and provides ample headroom for smooth motion. The "Ultra" preset at 2560x1440 still produces a very playable 97 FPS average, but the difference between it and High is marginal (101 vs 97 FPS). Given that High offers a 4 FPS advantage, it is the more efficient choice unless the user specifically wants the maximum visual effects. The "Medium" preset at 1440p shows a substantial increase to 133 FPS, but the jump from High to Medium is larger than the jump from Ultra to High, suggesting that High provides the best balance of quality and performance at this resolution.

At 1920x1080, the system is clearly CPU-bound or engine-limited, as the frame rates are exceptionally high across all presets. The "Ultra" preset delivers 141 FPS, while "High" hits 148 FPS. The gap between these two is small, indicating that the GPU has ample headroom. For 1080p users, the "High" preset is recommended for the best experience, as it provides a 7 FPS advantage over Ultra with minimal visual difference. The "Medium" preset at 184 FPS and "Low" at 204 FPS are for extreme high-refresh-rate displays (240Hz+), but the visual trade-offs are likely too steep for most players. The data supports that High is the "best experience" preset for this combo across all resolutions, offering the most balanced performance without the diminishing returns of Ultra.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Mobile is the primary driver of performance in Thief, especially at higher resolutions. The GPU's 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus provides 576.0 GB/s of bandwidth. This is crucial for Thief's texture-heavy environments. The data shows that at 4K Ultra, the game averages 57 FPS, which is a clear indication that the GPU is being pushed to its limits. The memory capacity is not a bottleneck here; rather, the raw compute power of the AD103 chip is the limiting factor.

The GPU's clock speeds, with a base of 1335 MHz and a boost of 1695 MHz, are relatively modest for a flagship, but they are optimized for the 120 W TDP of the mobile form factor. The benchmark results show how these clocks scale with resolution. In the 3840x2160 tests, the difference between Low (103 FPS) and Ultra (57 FPS) is 46 FPS, a massive spread that highlights the GPU's workload. The 78 FPS average at Medium with a minimum of 67 FPS shows that even mid-tier settings can stress the GPU at 4K. The data suggests that the RTX 4090 Mobile is overkill for 1080p, where the frame rates are largely dictated by the CPU and engine limits, but it is the essential component for achieving playable 4K and high-refresh-rate 1440p.

The GPU's architectural features, such as 76 ray tracing cores and 304 tensor cores, are present, but Thief is a 2014 title that does not utilize these modern features. The performance is purely rasterization-based. The GPU's PassMark G3D score of 27212 places it in the 84th percentile of all GPUs, which is respectable. However, its nearest rivals are professional workstation cards like the NVIDIA RTX A6000 (with a deltaPct of -0.9%, meaning the RTX 4090 Mobile is slightly slower) and the Quadro M6000 (0.8% faster). This indicates that while the RTX 4090 Mobile is a top-tier consumer mobile chip, it is not the absolute fastest GPU in the database for compute workloads. In Thief, however, its gaming-optimized drivers and high fill rate (189.8 GPixel/s pixel rate) ensure excellent frame pacing.

FAQ

*Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming in Thief?*

A: Yes, but with a caveat. The measured data shows that at 3840x2160 with High settings, the average frame rate is exactly 60 FPS. Ultra settings drop this to 57 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target. For a locked 60 FPS experience at 4K, stick to the High preset.

Q: What is the best resolution for high refresh rate gaming?

A: At 2560x1440, the High preset delivers an average of 101 FPS, which is ideal for 100Hz+ monitors. The Ultra preset also achieves 97 FPS, making 1440p the optimal resolution for balancing visual quality and high frame rates. At 1920x1080, frame rates exceed 140 FPS on Ultra, suitable for 144Hz displays.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from 1080p to 4K?

A: The data shows a significant drop. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 148 FPS at 1920x1080 to 60 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a performance reduction of over half, demonstrating the heavy load that 4K resolution places on the GPU.

Q: Is the "Ultra" preset worth the performance cost?

A: Comparatively, no. At 4K, Ultra (57 FPS) is 3 FPS slower than High (60 FPS). At 1440p, Ultra (97 FPS) is only 4 FPS slower than High (101 FPS). The visual difference between High and Ultra is often subtle, yet the measured frame rate penalty is consistent. The data suggests High is the more efficient choice.

Q: Does the CPU bottleneck the GPU in this game?

A: The data suggests that at low resolutions, the CPU becomes more of a factor. At 1920x1080, the frame rates are very high (204 FPS on Low, 141 FPS on Ultra), but the scaling between presets is less pronounced than at 4K. This indicates that the engine's CPU thread limits are being approached, preventing the GPU from fully stretching its legs.

Q: How does this GPU compare to its closest rivals in raw compute?

A: The RTX 4090 Mobile's average benchmark score is 43667. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA RTX A6000, has a deltaPct of -0.9%, meaning the A6000 is slightly faster. The Quadro M6000 is 0.8% slower, and the RTX 5050 Mobile is 0.9% slower. This places the RTX 4090 Mobile in a tight cluster at the top of the performance tier.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured frame rate data provides a clear picture of the system's scaling. At 3840x2160, the system starts at a solid 103 FPS on Low settings. Moving to Medium reduces the average to 78 FPS, with a minimum of 67 FPS and a maximum of 90 FPS. This shows some frame time variance. High settings bring the average down to exactly 60 FPS, which is smooth but leaves no headroom. Ultra settings drop the average to 57 FPS, making it the only preset at this resolution that fails to hit the 60 FPS target.

At 2560x1440, the performance is much more comfortable. The Low preset achieves a high 175 FPS average. Medium settings deliver 133 FPS, with a minimum of 113 FPS and a maximum of 153 FPS. This is a strong result for high-refresh-rate gaming. High settings maintain an average of 101 FPS, which is excellent. Ultra settings still manage a 97 FPS average, showing that the system can handle the maximum settings at this resolution with playable performance.

The 1920x1080 results show the upper limits of the engine. Low settings produce an average of 204 FPS. Medium settings are not far behind at 184 FPS, with a minimum of 157 FPS and a maximum of 212 FPS. High settings average 148 FPS. Ultra settings average 141 FPS. The relative consistency between High and Ultra at 1080p (a 7 FPS difference) contrasts sharply with the 4K results (a 3 FPS difference), further indicating that the CPU is starting to limit performance at lower resolutions. The data confirms that the most significant performance gains come from switching from High to Medium, rather than from Ultra to High.

How This Combo Ranks

Within the benchmark database, the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Mobile combination holds a comboRankInGame of 619 out of 3720 tested configurations. This puts the combo in the top 16.6% of all tested systems for Thief. This is a strong ranking, but it is not at the very top. The ranking suggests that while this is a high-end mobile setup, there are other combinations (likely with desktop-grade CPUs or higher-clocked GPUs) that achieve higher frame rates in this specific title.

The ranking is influenced by both the CPU and GPU. The GPU's percentile is 84, which is solid, but its nearest rival, the RTX A6000, is slightly faster. The CPU's percentile is 95, which is excellent, but it is not the absolute fastest. The combination of a 95th percentile CPU and an 84th percentile GPU results in a system that is very capable, but the 619th rank indicates that the game is likely more sensitive to GPU performance. The large number of combos (3720) means that even a small delta in GPU performance can shift the rank significantly. The data implies that this combo is a high-tier performer, but for absolute top-tier rankings, the GPU would need to be faster.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 plays a crucial, though secondary, role in Thief. With 16 cores and 32 threads based on the Zen 5 architecture, this is a highly capable processor. The data shows that at 1080p, the frame rates plateau around 204 FPS on Low settings, which is likely near the engine's limit. The CPU's high single-thread performance, evidenced by a Geekbench single-core score of 2464 and a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2044, ensures that the game's main simulation thread is never a bottleneck. The boost clock of 5.10 GHz is particularly important for this, as Thief is not a highly-threaded title and relies heavily on single-core speed.

The CPU's 64 MB of shared L3 cache is another asset. It helps to reduce memory latency and improve the efficiency of the game's data access patterns. However, the benchmark results show that as resolution increases, the CPU's influence wanes. The performance difference between 1080p and 4K on Ultra settings is significant (141 FPS vs 57 FPS), which is almost entirely due to the GPU. The CPU's 32 threads are underutilized, but the fast cores and large cache prevent any stuttering or frame pacing issues that could arise from a weaker processor.

The CPU's memory bandwidth of 256.0 GB/s via quad-channel LPDDR5X is also relevant. While the GPU has its own dedicated 576.0 GB/s, the system memory bandwidth is sufficient to feed the CPU's 16 cores. In a game like Thief, which was released in 2014, the CPU is not the limiting factor. The data shows that this processor provides more than enough headroom for the RTX 4090 Mobile, ensuring that the GPU is the primary determinant of frame rate at 1440p and 4K. The CPU's high PassMark multithread score of 54934 and its 95th percentile ranking confirm that it is a top-tier mobile processor that will not hold back the GPU in this title.