Thief

The AMD Radeon RX 9070 paired with the Intel Core i5-10400F delivers a smooth experience in Thief, a 2014 stealth title that remains playable at high resolutions and detail levels. Benchmark data shows the combination reaching 125 FPS at 1080p Low settings and dropping to 53 FPS at 4K Ultra, indicating a system that is well-balanced for this game's era but increasingly GPU-limited at higher resolutions. The combo ranks 1915 out of 3720 tested configurations, placing it in the upper half of all tested systems for this title.

FAQ

Q: What is the best average FPS this combo achieves in Thief?

A: The highest average FPS recorded is 125 at 1080p with Low settings. The lowest average is 53 FPS at 4K Ultra. At the most common setting of 1080p High, the average is 102 FPS.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested for Thief?

A: This combo ranks 1915 out of 3720 tested combos, placing it in the 51st percentile of all tested systems.

Q: Is the RX 9070's 16 GB of VRAM relevant for Thief?

A: Thief is a 2014 title, and the 16 GB GDDR6 VRAM is far more than the game requires; the limiting factor at 4K is not VRAM capacity but the GPU's rendering throughput, as shown by FPS dropping from 92 at Low to 53 at Ultra.

Q: What is the difference in performance between 1080p and 4K at High settings?

A: At 1080p High, the system achieves 102 FPS, while at 4K High it drops to 56 FPS. That is a 45% reduction in frame rate when scaling up to 4K.

Q: What is the single-threaded performance of the CPU and how might it affect Thief?

A: The CPU has a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1451 and a boost clock of 4.30 GHz. This level of single-thread performance is more than adequate for a game from 2014, which typically uses one or two cores.

Q: Are there any 4K Ultra settings that are playable?

A: At 4K Ultra the average FPS is 53. While this is above the cinematic 30 FPS line, it is below the 60 FPS target often preferred for smooth gameplay. At 4K High the average is 56 FPS, which is still borderline.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 9070 is based on the Navi 48 chip using RDNA 4.0 architecture on a 4 nm process. It has 3584 shader units, 224 TMUs, and 128 ROPs. The GPU has a base clock of 1330 MHz and a boost clock of 2520 MHz. Memory is 16 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus, providing 644.6 GB/s of bandwidth. The memory clock is 2518 MHz with 20.1 Gbps effective transfer rate. The card has a TDP of 220 W and uses a dual-slot design with two 8-pin power connectors.

In this benchmark set, the GPU's role varies with the resolution and settings. At 1080p Low, the system is not limited by the GPU, as the CPU can feed the GPU with enough frames to hit 125 FPS. At 4K Ultra, the GPU becomes the primary constraint. The FPS at 4K Ultra is 53 FPS, which is a 42% drop from 4K Low. This pattern indicates that the RX 9070's raw pixel-pushing power is the main factor in the higher resolution tests.

The GPU's nearest rivals, based on average benchmark scores, include the NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN Z (score 23736, 0.6% higher), AMD Radeon RX 6800S (score 24063, 0.8% higher), and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER (score 24170, 1.2% higher). The RX 9070's 23877 average score places it between these cards. In this game, the difference between these GPUs is unlikely to be significant at lower resolutions, where the CPU can be a factor, but at 4K the GPU's performance will directly dictate the framerate.

The GPU's 16 GB of VRAM is not a limiting factor in Thief. The game's textures are from 2014 and would fit easily within the 4 GB region. The memory bandwidth of 644.6 GB/s is also more than enough for the game's data. The results confirm that the GPU is not VRAM-limited: the frame rate difference between Low and Ultra at 4K is 92 vs 53 FPS, which is a 43% reduction, not a VRAM-based cliff.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows clear scaling from 1080p to 4K. At 1080p High, the system produces 102 FPS. At 1440p High, this drops to 90 FPS. At 4K High, it's 56 FPS. The percentage drop from 1080p to 1440p is 12%, and from 1440p to 4K is 38%. This is a typical resolution scaling curve for a GPU-bound situation at higher resolutions.

At Low settings, the scaling is different. 1080p Low is 125 FPS, 1440p Low is 110 FPS, and 4K Low is 92 FPS. The 1080p to 1440p drop is 12%, and the 1440p to 4K drop is 16%. The larger drop at the 4K step indicates that the GPU is becoming more of a limiting factor even at Low settings, but the system is still able to maintain 92 FPS at 4K Low, which is very high.

The gap between the Low and High settings also grows with resolution. At 1080p, the difference between Low and High is 23 FPS (125 vs 102). At 1440p, it's 20 FPS (110 vs 90). At 4K, it's 36 FPS (92 vs 56). This shows that the GPU's workload scales more with resolution and settings, and the CPU is not the primary constraint at 4K.

The limiting component is clearly the GPU at 4K, as the frame rate drops significantly. At 1080p, the CPU can deliver the frames, but the GPU is still the one that determines the final output. The 125 FPS at 1080p Low suggests the CPU can handle over 120 FPS, but the GPU's performance is the ceiling at higher settings.

How This Combo Ranks

This combo holds the rank of 1915 out of 3720 tested combos, placing it in the 51st percentile of all tested systems. This is a mid-pack ranking, which is expected for a mid-range CPU from 2020 and a high-end GPU from 2025. The CPU's percentile vs all CPUs is 68, and the GPU's percentile vs all GPUs is 69. These two hardware components are well-matched for this game, with the GPU being slightly more capable than the CPU in terms of overall performance.

The combo rank is not an indication of a poor pairing; it reflects that there are many combinations with higher-performing CPUs that can push higher FPS at lower resolutions. The CPU is in the 68th percentile for all CPUs, but in this game, the CPU is not the main bottleneck. The GPU is in the 69th percentile, which is also mid-range. The combination results in a 51st percentile for this game, which is a good mid-range result.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following are the exact measured frame rates for each resolution and settings preset:

• 1920x1080
• Low: 125 FPS
• Medium: 113 FPS (min 96, max 130)
• High: 102 FPS
• Ultra: 100 FPS
• 2560x1440
• Low: 110 FPS
• Medium: 99 FPS (min 85, max 114)
• High: 90 FPS
• Ultra: 89 FPS
• 3840x2160
• Low: 92 FPS
• Medium: 73 FPS (min 62, max 84)
• High: 56 FPS
• Ultra: 53 FPS

At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is only 25 FPS (125 vs 100). This is a 20% reduction. The Medium setting provides a 113 FPS average with a minimum of 96, which is a stable frame rate.

At 1440p, the range is smaller: Low is 110 FPS, Medium is 99 FPS, High is 90 FPS, and Ultra is 89 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 21 FPS, a 19% reduction. The Medium preset also has a narrow range of 85-114 FPS.

At 4K, the range is much wider: Low is 92 FPS, Medium is 73 FPS, High is 56 FPS, and Ultra is 53 FPS. The drop from Low to Ultra is 39 FPS, a 42% reduction. This shows the GPU's limitations at 4K.

The in-game settings have a bigger impact at 4K than at lower resolutions. At 1080p, the CPU is performing well enough that the GPU can keep up with the settings. At 4K, the GPU is the limiting factor, and the settings are the main control.

Settings Recommendations

For the best experience, the data suggests using the Medium preset at 1080p. It offers 113 FPS with a minimum of 96 FPS, ensuring a smooth and stable frame rate. The High preset at 1080p is 102 FPS, which is also good, but the Medium preset has a higher minimum frame, making it a safer choice for consistent performance.

At 1440p, the Medium preset provides 99 FPS with a min of 85 FPS, which is also a solid choice. The High preset is 90 FPS, but the Medium offers a better FPS with a similar visual experience.

At 4K, the Low preset is the only one that can maintain above 90 FPS, with 92 FPS. The Medium preset at 4K is 73 FPS with a min of 62 FPS. If the user wants a high refresh rate at 4K, Low is the best option. For those who prefer higher quality, the Medium preset offers a playable 73 FPS, but the minimum of 62 FPS may be noticeable in heavy scenes. Ultra at 4K is just 53 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target.

The best experience depends on the user's preference for performance or quality. For a smooth 60 FPS at all times, the Medium preset at 1080p or 1440p is the top choice. For 4K gaming, the Low preset is the only one that stays above 90 FPS, while Medium is a compromise.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-10400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on Comet Lake architecture. It has a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.30 GHz. The L3 cache is 12 MB shared. This CPU was released in 2020 and is still an "Active" production status.

In Thief, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with draw calls, physics, and AI. The game was released in 2014, so it can run on a high-end CPU. The i5-10400F's single-thread performance, as seen in Cinebench R23 single score of 1131, is strong for this game. The multi-threaded score is 10,283, which is more than enough.

The benchmark results show that the CPU is not the bottleneck at 1080p and 1440p. The FPS at those resolutions is likely to be limited by the GPU when the settings are high. At 1080p Low, the system reaches 125 FPS, which is a high framerate and suggests the CPU can handle the game's logic well.

The memory bandwidth is 42.7 GB/s, which is typical for DDR4. The CPU supports PCIe Gen 3, which is fine for a GPU like the RX 9070, even though the GPU uses PCIe 5.0 x16. The system will run at Gen 4 speeds due to the CPU's limitation, but this has a minimal impact on modern games.

The CPU's nearest rivals in benchmark scores include the Intel Xeon 6756E (score 14163, 0.2% faster), the Intel Core 7 160UL (score 14232, 0.3% faster), and the AMD EPYC 7552 (score 14115, 0.5% faster). This shows the i5-10400F is in the middle of the pack for CPU performance. In a game like Thief, the CPU's performance is not a limiting factor, as the frame rates are high enough at all settings, except perhaps at 4K where the GPU is the primary constraint.