Thief

The AMD Radeon RX 570 paired with the Intel Core i5-12400 delivers a playable but constrained experience in Thief, a 2014 stealth title. The benchmark data shows a system that is clearly GPU-limited at higher resolutions and settings, with the CPU providing ample headroom. Across the measured configurations, the combo ranks 3551 out of 3720 tested combinations, placing it in the lower percentile of systems. The performance envelope is best described as a 1080p-oriented setup, where it can achieve smooth frame rates, but struggles to maintain playability at 4K.

Settings Recommendations

The optimal experience for this hardware combination in Thief is at 1920x1080 with Medium settings. The data shows an average of 57 FPS at this configuration, with a minimum of 48 FPS and a maximum of 65 FPS. This represents the best balance between visual fidelity and smooth gameplay, as the minimum frame rate stays above the 30 FPS threshold typically considered acceptable for a stealth title. While the Low preset at 1080p yields a higher average of 75 FPS, the visual trade-off is substantial, and the Medium preset provides a more immersive experience without sacrificing responsiveness.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset drops to an average of 39 FPS, with a minimum of 33 FPS. This is technically playable, but the margin for error is thin. The High preset at this resolution falls to 30 FPS average, which is borderline for a game that benefits from smooth camera movement. For users with a 1440p monitor, the data suggests that Medium is the only viable choice, and even then, frame pacing may be inconsistent during complex scenes. The Ultra preset at 1440p, averaging 28 FPS, is not recommended for a consistently smooth experience.

The 4K resolution is effectively out of reach for this combination. The High preset at 3840x2160 produces an average of 17 FPS, which is unplayable. The Low preset at 4K reaches only 30 FPS, which is technically a playable average but leaves no headroom for demanding scenes. The Medium preset at 4K yields 23 FPS, confirming that the GPU is overwhelmed at this resolution regardless of settings. Users seeking 4K performance would need to significantly reduce resolution scale or accept a slideshow.

The data clearly indicates that the i5-12400 is not the limiting factor in any of these scenarios. The CPU's high multi-threaded performance allows the RX 570 to become the bottleneck at every resolution above 1080p Low. Therefore, the recommended configuration is 1080p Medium, as it leverages the GPU's capabilities while maintaining a comfortable frame rate margin. For users prioritizing frame rate over visuals, 1080p Low at 75 FPS is the alternative, but the Medium preset offers a noticeably better image quality for a modest performance cost.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best resolution to play Thief with this CPU and GPU combination?*

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 is the only resolution where the system maintains consistently playable frame rates across all settings. At 1080p, the average FPS ranges from 41 on Ultra to 75 on Low, with Medium providing 57 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 drops the average below 40 FPS on Medium, and 3840x2160 is not viable for smooth gameplay.

Q: How does the Ultra preset compare to High at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset averages 41 FPS, while High averages 43 FPS. The difference of 2 FPS is negligible, suggesting that the Ultra preset does not impose a significantly higher load on the GPU than High. However, the Medium preset offers a substantial jump to 57 FPS, indicating a steep performance cost for the highest quality settings.

*Q: Is this system capable of 60 FPS gameplay in Thief?*

A: The only measured configuration that reaches an average of 60 FPS or higher is 1920x1080 with Low settings, which averages 75 FPS. The Medium preset at 1080p falls to 57 FPS, just short of the 60 FPS target. All other settings and resolutions fall below 60 FPS, with 1440p Medium averaging 39 FPS and 4K Low averaging 30 FPS.

Q: How significant is the frame rate drop between 1080p and 1440p?

A: The drop is substantial. At Medium settings, the average FPS falls from 57 at 1920x1080 to 39 at 2560x1440, a decrease of 18 FPS or roughly 32%. At High settings, the drop is from 43 to 30 FPS, a 13 FPS decrease. This indicates the GPU is severely taxed by the increase in pixel count.

Q: What does the combo rank of 3551 out of 3720 tell us about this system?

A: It places this configuration in the bottom 5% of all tested combos for Thief. This is a very low ranking, reflecting the RX 570's age and limited memory bandwidth. The ranking suggests that most other CPU and GPU pairings deliver better performance in this title.

Q: Does the CPU show any signs of bottlenecking in this game?

A: No. The benchmark results show that frame rates scale primarily with resolution and settings, which are GPU-bound variables. The i5-12400 has a high multi-threaded score of 15989 in Cinebench R23, and the consistent frame rate drops when increasing resolution indicate the GPU is the limiting component, not the CPU.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate data from 1080p to 4K reveals a classic GPU-bound scaling pattern. At Medium settings, the average FPS is 57 at 1920x1080, 39 at 2560x1440, and 23 at 3840x2160. This represents a 32% drop from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 41% drop from 1440p to 4K. The scaling is not linear, with the 4K resolution imposing a disproportionately heavy load on the GPU.

The High preset shows a similar trend, with averages of 43 FPS at 1080p, 30 FPS at 1440p, and 17 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 30%, and the drop from 1440p to 4K is 43%. The Low preset, while less demanding, still shows a clear degradation: 75 FPS at 1080p, 51 FPS at 1440p, and 30 FPS at 4K. The 4K Low result being equal to the 1440p High result highlights the immense pixel throughput required at 4K.

This scaling behavior indicates that the RX 570's 4 GB of GDDR5 memory and 224.0 GB/s bandwidth are insufficient for high-resolution textures and pixel shaders. The GPU's 32 ROPs are likely the primary bottleneck, as the pixel fill rate at higher resolutions becomes the limiting factor. The i5-12400's performance is consistent across all resolutions, as evidenced by the CPU's benchmark scores, confirming that the GPU is the sole constraint.

The implications for gameplay are clear: users should not attempt to play Thief at 4K with this hardware. The 17 FPS average on High and 23 FPS on Medium are far below acceptable levels for a stealth game that requires precise timing. Even at 1440p, the system only offers playable frame rates on the Low preset, which defeats the purpose of higher resolution. The 1080p resolution is the sweet spot, where the GPU can provide a playable experience on Medium settings without being overwhelmed.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank of 3551 out of 3720 tested combinations places this i5-12400 and RX 570 pairing in the bottom 5% of systems for Thief. This low ranking is primarily driven by the GPU's age and performance tier. The RX 570's average benchmark score of 28766 puts it in the 74th percentile of all GPUs, but its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 470 and the NVIDIA Quadro RTX 8000, with delta percentages of -0.8 and 1.2 respectively. This indicates the RX 570 is at the lower end of the performance spectrum.

The CPU's ranking is significantly better. The i5-12400 sits in the 72nd percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 18683. Its nearest rivals include the AMD EPYC 7643 and the Intel Core i7-1355U, with delta percentages of -0.1 and -0.3. This shows the CPU is a mid-range performer that is not holding back the system in Thief. The bottleneck is unequivocally the GPU.

The combination of a strong CPU with a weak GPU results in a system that is unbalanced for this title. While the CPU can handle the game's physics and AI calculations with ease, the GPU cannot keep up with the rendering demands. The low combo rank is a direct consequence of the GPU's inability to deliver high frame rates at resolutions above 1080p. Users with this combination should expect to play Thief at 1080p with reduced settings to achieve a playable experience.

Compared to other tested combos, this system is clearly at the bottom of the barrel. The 3551 rank out of 3720 means that over 95% of other CPU and GPU pairings deliver better performance. This is not a system for high-refresh-rate gaming or high-resolution gaming. It is a basic 1080p setup that can handle older titles like Thief at medium settings, but it will struggle with modern games or demanding settings.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12400 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor from the Core 12th Gen series, based on the Alder Lake architecture. Its base clock is 2.50 GHz with a boost clock of 4.40 GHz, and it has a 65 W TDP. The CPU's benchmark scores are strong for its class, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 15989 and a single-core score of 2257. These scores indicate a capable processor for gaming workloads.

In Thief, the CPU's role is to handle game logic, AI, and physics calculations. The game is not particularly CPU-intensive, and the i5-12400's performance is more than sufficient. The data shows that frame rates are determined by the GPU, as evidenced by the significant FPS drops when increasing resolution. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect frame rates to remain consistent across resolutions, which is not the case.

The CPU's 18 MB of shared L3 cache and 1.25 MB per-core L2 cache provide ample bandwidth for the game's data. The 3DMark scores, such as 5873 for 16 threads and 910 for single thread, show a balanced multi-threaded and single-threaded performance profile. This balance is important for Thief, which may use a few threads for rendering and several for game systems.

The i5-12400's memory support for DDR4 and DDR5, along with its dual-channel memory bus, ensures that the CPU can feed data to the GPU without creating a bottleneck. The PCIe Gen 5 interface provides high bandwidth for the GPU, although the RX 570 uses PCIe 3.0. The CPU's performance headroom is evident in the fact that it does not limit the GPU at any resolution tested.

Benchmark results indicate that the CPU is not a contributing factor to the low frame rates observed at higher resolutions. The Cinebench R20 multi-core score of 6715 and the Geekbench multi-core score of 8564 are respectable numbers that place the CPU in the 72nd percentile. For Thief, the CPU is a non-issue, and users should focus on GPU settings to improve performance.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured frame rates for Thief with the i5-12400 and RX 570 are as follows:

At 1920x1080, the Low preset averages 75 FPS. The Medium preset averages 57 FPS, with a minimum of 48 FPS and a maximum of 65 FPS. The High preset averages 43 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 41 FPS. This resolution offers the only playable configurations, with Medium being the recommended choice for a balance of quality and performance.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 51 FPS. The Medium preset averages 39 FPS, with a minimum of 33 FPS and a maximum of 45 FPS. The High preset averages 30 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 28 FPS. Only the Low preset maintains a comfortable frame rate, while Medium is playable but with noticeable dips.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 30 FPS. The Medium preset averages 23 FPS, with a minimum of 19 FPS and a maximum of 26 FPS. The High preset averages 17 FPS, and the Ultra preset also averages 17 FPS. None of these configurations are recommended for a smooth experience, as even the Low preset has no headroom for demanding scenes.

The data shows a clear progression: 1080p is playable, 1440p is borderline, and 4K is not viable. The Medium preset at 1080p is the only configuration that balances visual quality with a consistent frame rate, as the minimum of 48 FPS ensures smooth gameplay. The Ultra preset at any resolution offers no meaningful improvement over High, suggesting a performance cliff between Medium and High quality settings.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 570 is a Polaris 20 GPU based on the GCN 4.0 architecture, manufactured on a 14 nm process. It has 2048 shading units, 128 texture mapping units, and 32 ROPs. The GPU operates at a base clock of 1168 MHz and a boost clock of 1244 MHz, with 4 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus providing 224.0 GB/s of bandwidth.

In Thief, the GPU is the clear performance limiter. The frame rates scale with resolution and settings, which are GPU-bound variables. The GPU's 32 ROPs are insufficient for high pixel fill rates, which explains the dramatic FPS drops at 1440p and 4K. The 4 GB VRAM is also a constraint, as higher resolutions require more memory for textures and buffers.

The GPU's benchmark scores show it is a mid-range performer. Its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 880 and Geekbench Vulkan score of 42752 place it in the 74th percentile of all GPUs. However, its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 470, which has a delta of -0.8, and the NVIDIA Quadro RTX 8000, which has a delta of 1.2. This indicates the RX 570 is at the lower end of its performance class.

The GPU's FP32 performance of 5.095 TFLOPS and texture rate of 159.2 GTexel/s are adequate for 1080p gaming but not for higher resolutions. The pixel rate of 39.81 GPixel/s is the limiting factor, as it determines how many pixels can be rendered per second. At 4K, the GPU simply cannot produce enough pixels to maintain playable frame rates.

The data shows that the RX 570 is best suited for 1080p gaming with medium settings. The GPU's 150 W TDP and dual-slot design are typical for its class, but its performance is dated. The low combo rank in Thief is primarily due to the GPU's inability to handle the game's rendering demands at higher resolutions. Users should treat this as a 1080p-oriented GPU and adjust settings accordingly.