Thief

The Intel Core i5-11400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D delivers a consistent 1080p-to-4K scaling curve in Thief, with average framerates ranging from 118 FPS at 1080p Ultra to 88 FPS at 4K High. Across all measured settings, the RTX 5090 D remains the dominant component, as even at 4K Ultra the combo sustains 87 FPS, indicating that the GPU’s massive 32 GB GDDR7 memory pool and 1.79 TB/s bandwidth are not fully taxed by a 2014 stealth title. The data shows that from 1080p Low (146 FPS) to 4K Low (108 FPS), the drop is 38 FPS, while from 1080p Ultra (118 FPS) to 4K Ultra (87 FPS), the drop is 31 FPS, revealing that resolution scaling impacts low settings more than ultra settings in absolute terms. This pattern suggests that at lower quality presets, the CPU’s 6 cores and 12 threads become a more noticeable limiter, while at higher presets, the GPU’s workload scales predictably with pixel count.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data for Thief shows a clear, monotonic decline as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160, with every settings tier following the same trend. At Low settings, the average framerate drops from 146 FPS at 1080p to 129 FPS at 1440p, then further to 108 FPS at 4K, representing a 26% reduction from 1080p to 4K. For Medium settings, the figures are 132 FPS, 117 FPS, and 98 FPS respectively, a 25.8% decline across the same resolution range. High settings show 120 FPS at 1080p, 106 FPS at 1440p, and 88 FPS at 4K, a 26.7% drop. Ultra settings produce 118 FPS, 104 FPS, and 87 FPS, a 26.3% decline. The consistency of these percentage drops—all within a narrow band of roughly 25–27%—indicates that the RTX 5090 D’s rendering pipeline scales almost linearly with pixel count in Thief, with no sudden bottlenecks appearing at any specific resolution.

What this scaling curve reveals about the limiting component is nuanced. The absolute framerate differences between Low and Ultra at each resolution are 38 FPS at 1080p (146 vs 118), 25 FPS at 1440p (129 vs 104), and 21 FPS at 4K (108 vs 87). This narrowing gap as resolution increases suggests that the GPU becomes relatively more saturated at higher pixel counts, reducing the headroom for settings-based performance variation. However, even at 4K Ultra, the combo maintains 87 FPS, which is well above typical 60 FPS thresholds, meaning the RTX 5090 D is never fully maxed out by Thief’s engine. The 4K Medium result includes min/max framerates of 83 FPS and 112 FPS, respectively, showing a 29 FPS variance, while the 1440p Medium range is 99–134 FPS (35 FPS variance) and 1080p Medium is 112–152 FPS (40 FPS variance). This increasing variance at lower resolutions further implicates the CPU as a co-limiter, as the 6-core Intel chip has more frames to process per second when the GPU finishes each frame faster.

The 1080p-to-4K scaling also highlights that Thief is not a GPU-stressing title for this hardware class. With the RTX 5090 D’s 104.8 TFLOPS FP32 performance and 423.6 GPixel/s pixel rate, the game’s modest geometry and lighting demands are easily met. The 4K High result of 88 FPS versus 4K Ultra of 87 FPS—only a 1 FPS difference—suggests that the Ultra preset adds negligible additional GPU work over High in this game, likely due to the title’s age and the 2014 engine’s limitations. In practical terms, a user could run Thief at 4K Ultra and expect near-identical performance to 4K High, with both hovering around 87–88 FPS.

How This Combo Ranks

Within the benchmark database, this specific combination of Intel Core i5-11400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D ranks 724th out of 2,851 tested combos in Thief, placing it in the 74.6th percentile of all configurations. This rank reflects the fact that while the RTX 5090 D is an extremely high-end GPU—sitting in the 92nd percentile against all GPUs in the database—the i5-11400F is a more mid-range part, holding the 71st percentile against all CPUs. The combination’s overall rank in Thief (724 of 2,851) is thus pulled down by the CPU’s comparatively lower standing, as many higher-ranked combos will pair the RTX 5090 D with faster processors.

The CPU’s nearest rivals in the database provide context for this ranking. The Intel Core i5-11400F has an average benchmark score of 17,177, which is 0.3% higher than the AMD EPYC 7H12 (17,120) and 0.6% higher than the Intel Core Ultra 7 164U (17,074). Conversely, it trails the Intel Core i5-12450H (17,239) by 0.4% and the AMD Ryzen 3 PRO 8300G (17,278) by 0.6%. These sub-1% differences indicate that the i5-11400F sits in a tightly clustered performance band, and its 6-core/12-thread configuration is sufficient for Thief’s CPU demands, which are modest for a 2014 release. The GPU’s nearest rivals show a different story: the RTX 5090 D’s average score of 77,712 is 1.1% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT (76,904) but 1.6% lower than the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT (78,940) and 2.1–2.4% lower than the NVIDIA Tesla P100 variants (79,396 and 79,605). This positioning suggests that the RTX 5090 D, despite being a flagship, is not the absolute top performer in the database’s aggregate benchmarks, yet in Thief specifically, it delivers framerates that place the combo in the top quarter of all tested configurations.

The rank of 724 out of 2,851 also implies that the majority of higher-ranked combos likely feature more balanced or CPU-stronger pairings. In Thief, where the CPU can become a limiting factor at lower resolutions, a more powerful processor paired with a similarly strong GPU would achieve higher average FPS, especially at 1080p. The data supports this interpretation: at 1080p Low, the combo hits 146 FPS, which is below what a top-tier CPU could enable, given that the RTX 5090 D’s raw throughput is more than capable of exceeding 200 FPS in older titles. However, at 4K, where the GPU load increases, the combo’s rank would improve relative to CPU-limited systems, as the 87–108 FPS range is more dependent on the GPU’s capabilities.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D is built on the GB202 chip using a 5 nm process from TSMC, with 92,200 million transistors spread across a 750 mm² die. Its memory subsystem is a defining feature: 32 GB of GDDR7 on a 512-bit bus, delivering 1.79 TB/s of bandwidth. For Thief, this memory configuration is massively over-provisioned, as the game’s textures and assets from 2014 would require only a fraction of that capacity and bandwidth. The GPU’s base clock is 2017 MHz with a boost clock of 2407 MHz, and memory runs at 1750 MHz (28 Gbps effective). These clock speeds, combined with 21,760 shading units, 680 TMUs, and 176 ROPs, produce a pixel rate of 423.6 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 1,636.8 GTexel/s.

In the context of Thief’s measured FPS, the GPU’s role is to maintain high framerates without becoming a bottleneck at any resolution. The 4K Ultra result of 87 FPS indicates that the RTX 5090 D is operating well below its maximum capacity; the GPU’s FP32 throughput of 104.8 TFLOPS is far more than Thief’s DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) rendering path requires. The GPU’s 170 ray tracing cores and 680 tensor cores are similarly underutilized, as Thief does not employ ray-traced effects. The RTX 5090 D’s average benchmark score of 77,712 places it in the 92nd percentile of all GPUs, yet its nearest rivals in the database—the RX 6650M XT, RX 6850M XT, and Tesla P100 variants—are all substantially less powerful on paper, suggesting that the benchmark database’s aggregate scores do not fully capture gaming-specific performance in older titles.

The GPU’s 32 GB VRAM is worth noting for Thief. Even at 4K Ultra, the game’s memory footprint would be far below 32 GB, so there is no risk of VRAM-related stuttering or texture pop-in. The 1.79 TB/s bandwidth also ensures that any texture streaming or asset loading is instantaneous, contributing to the stable min/max framerates observed at Medium settings (83–112 FPS at 4K, 99–134 FPS at 1440p, 112–152 FPS at 1080p). The RTX 5090 D’s 176 ROPs handle pixel fill efficiently, as evidenced by the minimal performance difference between High and Ultra settings at each resolution—only 1–2 FPS at 1080p and 1440p, and 1 FPS at 4K. This suggests that Thief’s Ultra preset does not introduce significant additional ROP or shading unit load over High, making the GPU’s headroom even more apparent.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its highest framerates across all settings. Low settings produce an average of 146 FPS, Medium 132 FPS, High 120 FPS, and Ultra 118 FPS. The Medium preset includes min/max values of 112 FPS and 152 FPS, respectively, showing a 40 FPS spread. This 1080p performance is CPU-limited in the sense that the RTX 5090 D could likely render far more frames, but the i5-11400F’s 6 cores and 12 threads at up to 4.40 GHz boost clock cap the output. The difference between High and Ultra at 1080p is only 2 FPS (120 vs 118), indicating that the Ultra preset’s additional effects are nearly free for this GPU.

Moving to 2560x1440, the average framerates drop by 14–17 FPS depending on settings. Low averages 129 FPS (down 17 FPS from 1080p), Medium 117 FPS (down 15 FPS), High 106 FPS (down 14 FPS), and Ultra 104 FPS (down 14 FPS). The Medium preset at 1440p shows min/max of 99 FPS and 134 FPS, a 35 FPS spread, which is narrower than at 1080p. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p is roughly a 11–13% reduction in average FPS across settings, which is less than the pixel count increase (2.25x), indicating that the GPU is still not fully saturated. The 1440p results remain well above 100 FPS for all settings, making this resolution a sweet spot for high refresh rate displays.

At 3840x2160, the framerates tighten further. Low averages 108 FPS, Medium 98 FPS, High 88 FPS, and Ultra 87 FPS. The Medium preset at 4K has min/max of 83 FPS and 112 FPS, a 29 FPS spread, which is the tightest of all three resolutions. The 4K results show that even at maximum resolution and settings, the combo never drops below 87 FPS on average. The gap between Low and Ultra at 4K is 21 FPS (108 vs 87), which is smaller than the 28 FPS gap at 1080p (146 vs 118), confirming that the GPU is becoming more of a limiting factor at 4K, but still not to the point of causing sub-60 FPS performance. The 4K High and Ultra results are nearly identical (88 vs 87 FPS), reinforcing that Thief’s high-end settings do not meaningfully increase GPU load.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average framerate this combo achieves in Thief?

A: The highest average framerate is 146 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: How much does the framerate drop from 1080p to 4K at Ultra settings?

A: At Ultra settings, the average framerate drops from 118 FPS at 1920x1080 to 87 FPS at 3840x2160, a decrease of 31 FPS.

Q: What is the combo’s rank among all tested configurations in Thief?

A: The combo ranks 724th out of 2,851 tested combinations, placing it in the top 74.6th percentile of all configurations.

Q: Does the RTX 5090 D’s 32 GB VRAM affect Thief’s performance?

A: The 32 GB GDDR7 memory is far more than Thief requires, so VRAM capacity does not limit performance at any resolution or setting tested.

Q: Which component is more likely to bottleneck in Thief at 1080p?

A: At 1080p, the Intel Core i5-11400F is more likely to be the limiting factor, as the GPU’s high throughput is not fully utilized when framerates reach 146 FPS at Low settings.

Q: What is the difference between High and Ultra settings at 4K?

A: At 3840x2160, High settings average 88 FPS while Ultra settings average 87 FPS, a difference of just 1 FPS.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-11400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Rocket Lake architecture, manufactured on Intel’s 14 nm process with a die size of 276 mm². Its base clock is 2.60 GHz with a boost clock of 4.40 GHz, and it has 80 KB of L1 cache per core, 512 KB of L2 cache per core, and 12 MB of shared L3 cache. The CPU supports DDR4 memory in a dual-channel configuration, providing 51.2 GB/s of bandwidth, and connects via PCIe Gen 4 with 20 lanes. The 65 W TDP is modest for a desktop part, and its launch MSRP was $157, though this price is not relevant to performance analysis.

In Thief, the CPU’s role is most apparent at lower resolutions and settings, where the GPU finishes frames quickly and the CPU must feed it with draw calls and game logic. The 3DMark benchmarks for the i5-11400F show single-thread performance of 868, while multi-thread scores range from 1,691 (2 threads) to 5,652 (max threads). Cinebench R23 scores are 14,340 multi-core and 2,024 single-core, and Geekbench scores are 7,737 multi-core and 1,777 single-core. These numbers indicate a processor that handles modern game workloads competently but is not a top-tier performer; its percentile rank against all CPUs is 71, meaning 29% of CPUs in the database score higher on average.

The measured FPS data in Thief reflects this CPU limitation. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 146 FPS, but a stronger CPU paired with the RTX 5090 D could likely push beyond 150 FPS. The 1080p Ultra result of 118 FPS versus 1080p High of 120 FPS shows only a 2 FPS difference, suggesting that the CPU-bound nature of the game at this resolution overshadows the GPU settings load. The CPU’s 12 threads are sufficient for Thief’s multi-threaded engine, as evidenced by the stable min/max framerates, but the per-core performance (2,024 in Cinebench R23 single-core) is not exceptional by modern standards. The CPU’s nearest rivals, such as the Intel Core i5-12450H (0.4% higher average score) and AMD Ryzen 3 PRO 8300G (0.6% higher), would likely produce nearly identical results in Thief, given the sub-1% differences in aggregate benchmarks.

At 4K, the CPU’s influence diminishes. The framerate gap between Low and Ultra at 4K is 21 FPS, compared to 38 FPS at 1080p, indicating that the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions. However, even at 4K Low (108 FPS), the CPU is still capable of keeping up, as the frame times are long enough (approximately 9.3 ms) that the i5-11400F’s processing power is sufficient. The CPU’s 51.2 GB/s memory bandwidth is also not a limiting factor in Thief, as the game’s data streaming requirements are modest. Overall, the i5-11400F provides adequate performance for Thief but leaves some performance on the table at 1080p, where a higher-clocked or higher-core-count CPU would extract more frames from the RTX 5090 D. The combo’s 724th rank out of 2,851 in Thief is a direct consequence of this CPU-GPU pairing, where the GPU’s 92nd percentile standing is tempered by the CPU’s 71st percentile, resulting in a configuration that is strong but not top-tier in this specific game.