Thief

# Thief with Intel Core i5-11400F + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti

The Intel Core i5-11400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti delivers a robust Thief experience across all tested resolutions and settings, with the combo ranking 1517th out of 3720 tested configurations in this game. The data shows a system that comfortably handles 1080p gameplay at every preset, remains highly playable at 1440p, and only begins to show strain at 4K with the most demanding quality settings. This analysis walks through the measured frame rates, the roles of each component, and how the pairing behaves as resolution and settings change.

FAQ

Q: What is the average frame rate at 1080p with Ultra settings?

A: At 1920x1080 with Ultra settings, the measured average FPS is 118. This is the lowest average among the four 1080p presets but remains well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay.

Q: How much faster is Low settings compared to Ultra at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, Low settings produce an average of 129 FPS, while Ultra produces 83 FPS. This represents a performance gap of 46 FPS, or roughly 55% higher frame rate when dropping from Ultra to Low.

Q: Does the system maintain 60 FPS at 4K resolution?

A: At 3840x2160 with Medium settings, the average FPS is 67 with a minimum of 57. However, with High settings the average drops to 51 FPS, and with Ultra it falls to 49 FPS. Only Low settings at 4K exceed 60 FPS, with an average of 89 FPS.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded across all tested configurations?

A: The lowest minimum FPS recorded is 57, which occurs at 3840x2160 with Medium settings. All other tested configurations list only average FPS without minimum values.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its closest rivals in overall benchmark scores?

A: The Intel Core i5-11400F has an average benchmark score of 17177, placing it 0.3% above the AMD EPYC 7H12 (17120), 0.6% above the Intel Core Ultra 7 164U (17074), 0.4% below the Intel Core i5-12450H (17239), and 0.6% below the AMD Ryzen 3 PRO 8300G (17278).

Q: How does the GPU compare to its nearest competitors in average benchmark scores?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti scores 29945 on average, which is 0.1% above the RTX 5070 Mobile (29928), 0.5% above the RTX 2080 Ti (29783), 0.5% below the AMD Radeon RX 6800 (30095), and 1.6% below the AMD Radeon RX 6700 (30433).

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti is the primary driver of frame rates in Thief, and the measured data confirms that its capabilities directly shape the performance envelope. The GPU features 8 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 608.3 GB/s of bandwidth. This memory configuration is paired with a base clock of 1575 MHz and a boost clock of 1770 MHz, with memory running at 1188 MHz (19 Gbps effective). The GA104 chip, built on Samsung's 8 nm process, contains 17,400 million transistors across a 392 mm² die, with 6144 shading units, 192 texture mapping units, and 96 render output units.

In Thief, the GPU's role becomes increasingly dominant as resolution rises. At 1080p, the RTX 3070 Ti has ample headroom, with even Ultra settings hitting 118 FPS average. The 8 GB VRAM capacity is sufficient for this 2014 title at all tested settings, as no configuration shows signs of memory-related stuttering or crashes in the measured data. The 169.9 GPixel/s pixel rate and 339.8 GTexel/s texture rate provide the raw throughput needed for the game's stealth-oriented environments, which often feature complex lighting and shadow calculations.

The GPU's FP32 performance of 21.75 TFLOPS suggests strong compute capability, though Thief's engine from 2014 was not designed to leverage such modern hardware fully. The RTX 3070 Ti sits at the 75th percentile among all GPUs, indicating that it outperforms three-quarters of the tested graphics cards in general benchmarks. Its nearest rivals in average benchmark score include the RTX 5070 Mobile (0.1% higher) and the RX 6800 (0.5% higher), but in actual Thief performance, the pairing with this specific CPU produces the frame rates listed above.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals a system that transitions from CPU-bound at lower resolutions to GPU-bound at higher ones. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 146 at 1080p to 129 at 1440p to 89 at 4K. This represents a 12% reduction from 1080p to 1440p, but a 31% reduction from 1440p to 4K. The steeper drop at higher resolutions points to the GPU becoming the limiting factor as pixel count increases.

With Ultra settings, the scaling shows a similar pattern but with lower absolute values. The average FPS goes from 118 at 1080p to 83 at 1440p to 49 at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 30%, and from 1440p to 4K is 41%. This suggests that at Ultra settings, the GPU is under significant load even at 1080p, and the additional pixel workload at higher resolutions compounds the performance cost.

The Medium settings data provides the most complete picture, as it includes minimum and maximum FPS values alongside averages. At 1080p Medium, the average is 132 FPS with a range of 112 to 152. At 1440p Medium, the average drops to 114 FPS with a range of 97 to 131. At 4K Medium, the average falls to 67 FPS with a range of 57 to 77. The minimum FPS at 4K Medium (57) is the only recorded minimum below 60 FPS across all configurations, indicating that even the 4K Medium preset occasionally dips below the smoothness threshold.

The data indicates that 1440p represents the sweet spot for this combo in Thief. The GPU can push High settings at 87 FPS average and Ultra at 83 FPS, both comfortably above 60 FPS. At 4K, the system requires Low settings to maintain fluid gameplay, with High and Ultra both falling below 60 FPS average. The scaling suggests that the RTX 3070 Ti's 8 GB VRAM and 608.3 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for 1440p but become strained at 4K with higher quality presets.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its highest frame rates across all presets. Low settings produce an average of 146 FPS, Medium produces 132 FPS with a minimum of 112 and maximum of 152, High produces 120 FPS, and Ultra produces 118 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 28 FPS, with the largest single jump occurring between Medium (132) and High (120), a 9% reduction. The minimum FPS at Medium (112) indicates that even the lowest frame rates at this resolution remain far above playable thresholds.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance remains strong but shows clearer differentiation between presets. Low settings average 129 FPS, Medium averages 114 FPS with a range of 97 to 131, High averages 87 FPS, and Ultra averages 83 FPS. The drop from Low to Ultra is 46 FPS, representing a 36% reduction. The minimum FPS at Medium (97) is still well above 60, suggesting that 1440p gaming is consistently smooth across all tested settings.

At 3840x2160, the frame rates reveal the GPU's limitations at this resolution. Low settings average 89 FPS, Medium averages 67 FPS with a minimum of 57 and maximum of 77, High averages 51 FPS, and Ultra averages 49 FPS. The jump from Low to Medium is 22 FPS, but from Medium to High it is 16 FPS, and from High to Ultra only 2 FPS. This compression at the top end suggests that Ultra settings at 4K offer marginal visual improvements over High but at a significant performance cost that pushes the average below 50 FPS.

Across all resolutions and settings, the measured data shows a consistent pattern: the RTX 3070 Ti can handle Thief at high frame rates up to 1440p, but 4K requires Low or Medium settings for playable performance. The minimum FPS values recorded only for Medium settings indicate that this preset is the most thoroughly tested, providing the full frame time distribution for comparison.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings balance depends on the target resolution and desired frame rate floor. At 1920x1080, Ultra settings are the clear recommendation for players seeking maximum visual quality, as the average of 118 FPS is only 28 FPS below Low but provides the highest fidelity. Even the gap between Ultra (118) and High (120) is negligible at 2 FPS, suggesting that players should choose Ultra at this resolution without concern.

For 2560x1440, the data shows that High and Ultra settings both deliver averages above 80 FPS, making them viable options. The difference between High (87 FPS) and Ultra (83 FPS) is only 4 FPS, so players can select Ultra for the best visuals with essentially no frame rate penalty. However, Medium settings at 114 FPS provide a 31 FPS advantage over Ultra, which may appeal to players with high-refresh-rate monitors. The minimum FPS of 97 at Medium ensures no noticeable hitches, while Ultra has no recorded minimum to validate consistency.

At 3840x2160, the choice becomes more constrained. Low settings at 89 FPS are the only preset that maintains a comfortable margin above 60 FPS. Medium settings at 67 FPS average with a 57 FPS minimum are borderline playable, but the occasional dips below 60 FPS could be noticeable in fast-moving scenes. High and Ultra at 51 and 49 FPS respectively are below the smoothness threshold and are not recommended for 4K gameplay. Players prioritizing 4K should select Low settings for consistent performance, while those who prefer visual quality should consider dropping to 1440p Ultra instead, which delivers 83 FPS with superior graphics.

The data suggests that Medium settings provide the best overall value for players who want a balance between quality and performance, particularly at 1440p where it achieves 114 FPS with a tight frame time distribution. At 4K, Medium is the highest preset that remains remotely playable, though the 57 FPS minimum is a risk for sensitive players.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-11400F plays a supporting role in Thief, providing sufficient computational power to avoid bottlenecking the RTX 3070 Ti at most tested configurations. This 6-core, 12-thread processor from the Rocket Lake architecture runs at a base clock of 2.60 GHz with a boost clock of 4.40 GHz, and it features 12 MB of shared L3 cache. The 65 W TDP and Intel Socket 1200 compatibility position it as a mainstream desktop part, and its 14 nm process node (manufactured by Intel) is paired with a die size of 276 mm².

In synthetic benchmarks, the CPU demonstrates balanced single-thread and multi-thread performance. The Cinebench R23 scores show 2024 for single-core and 14340 for multi-core, while Geekbench reports 1777 single-core and 7737 multi-core. The Passmark multithread score of 16908 and single-thread score of 2981 further confirm its capabilities. The CPU sits at the 71st percentile among all tested CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 17177. Its nearest rivals include the AMD EPYC 7H12 (0.3% higher), Intel Core i5-12450H (0.4% lower), AMD Ryzen 3 PRO 8300G (0.6% lower), and Intel Core Ultra 7 164U (0.6% higher).

For Thief, the CPU's 12 threads are more than adequate given the game's 2014 release date, which predates many modern multi-threading optimizations. The boost clock of 4.40 GHz provides strong single-thread performance, which is typically what older game engines rely on most heavily. The measured FPS data shows that at 1080p Low settings, the system reaches 146 FPS average, suggesting that the CPU can feed the GPU effectively even at high frame rates. However, the fact that 1080p Ultra (118 FPS) is only slightly lower than 1080p High (120 FPS) indicates that the GPU begins to become the limiting factor as settings increase at this resolution.

The memory bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s from dual-channel DDR4 support is sufficient for Thief's requirements, and the PCIe Gen 4 interface with 20 CPU lanes ensures the GPU has full bandwidth available. The CPU's 3dmark scores, including 868 single-thread and 5652 max-thread, confirm that it can keep pace with the RTX 3070 Ti in this title without introducing significant frame pacing issues.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-11400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti ranks 1517th out of 3720 tested combos in Thief, placing it in the top 41% of all configurations. This ranking reflects the system's ability to deliver high frame rates at 1080p and 1440p while struggling at 4K with demanding settings. The percentile positions of the individual components—71st for the CPU and 75th for the GPU—suggest that this pairing is well-matched for this game, with neither component dramatically outperforming or underperforming the other.

The combo's rank of 1517 out of 3720 means that 2203 tested combinations perform better in Thief, while 1516 perform worse. This mid-pack positioning is notable given that the RTX 3070 Ti sits at the 75th GPU percentile, indicating that the CPU may be slightly limiting overall performance in some scenarios. However, the measured FPS data shows that at most settings and resolutions, the system achieves frame rates that would be considered excellent for this title, suggesting that the ranking is influenced by other factors such as higher-end CPUs paired with similar or better GPUs.

The CPU's nearest rivals in benchmark scores—the AMD EPYC 7H12 and Intel Core Ultra 7 164U—represent very different market segments, yet their performance parity with the i5-11400F highlights the processor's efficiency for gaming workloads. Similarly, the GPU's closest competitors include the RTX 5070 Mobile and RX 6800, which bracket the 3070 Ti's performance within a 1.6% range. This tight clustering suggests that the combo's rank in Thief could shift significantly with small changes in either component's performance profile.

In practical terms, the 1517th rank out of 3720 combos indicates that this system is competitive but not elite for Thief. Players using this configuration can expect smooth gameplay at 1080p and 1440p with all settings, and acceptable performance at 4K only with reduced quality presets. The data shows that the system's strengths align well with Thief's requirements, and the combination of 6 cores, 12 threads, and 8 GB GDDR6X memory proves sufficient for this stealth title's demands.