Thief

# FAQ

Q: What is the average frame rate for this combo at 1080p Ultra settings?

A: The Intel Core i5-12400 with AMD Radeon RX 9070 delivers an average of 129.7 FPS at 1920x1080 with Ultra settings in Thief.

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

A: The Core i5-12400 has an average benchmark score of 19850, placing it 0.1% ahead of the Intel Core i7-9700 (19831) and 0.4% ahead of the Intel Core i5-11600K (19771). It trails the Intel Core i7-8700 by 0.2% and the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 5995WX by 0.4%.

Q: What is the GPU's percentile ranking among all tested graphics cards?

A: The Radeon RX 9070 sits in the 79th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 34780. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA A2, scores 34866, a 0.2% difference.

Q: What frame rate can be expected at 4K with High settings?

A: At 3840x2160 with High settings, this combo achieves an average of 57.9 FPS, which is just below the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay.

Q: How much performance is gained by dropping from Ultra to Low at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, moving from Ultra (93.6 FPS) to Low (148 FPS) yields a 58.1% increase in average frame rate, a substantial gain of 54.4 FPS.

Q: Is this combo's rank in Thief among the top tier of tested configurations?

A: The combo ranks 498th out of 1642 tested combinations in Thief, placing it in the upper 30% of all tested systems.

# CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12400 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Alder Lake architecture, built on Intel's 10 nm process. It operates with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. The CPU's cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 1.25 MB of L2 per core, and 18 MB of shared L3 cache. This configuration provides solid multi-threaded performance for Thief's game logic and physics calculations.

Benchmark data shows the i5-12400 achieving a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 15935 and a single-core score of 2249. In 3DMark tests, the CPU scores 5873 with 16 threads and 910 in single-thread testing. These results indicate balanced performance across both lightly-threaded and heavily-threaded workloads. The processor's PassMark multi-thread score of 18747 and single-thread score of 3456 further confirm its capability to handle the varied demands of a stealth game like Thief, which requires responsive AI calculations and scene management.

The CPU's percentile ranking of 77 among all tested processors places it comfortably in the upper tier. Its nearest rivals in average benchmark score include the Intel Core i7-9700 (19831, 0.1% slower) and the Intel Core i7-8700 (19894, 0.2% faster). The i5-12400 edges out the Core i5-11600K by 0.4%, demonstrating that this 12th-generation part holds its own against both older i7 parts and its direct predecessor. For Thief, this level of CPU performance ensures that the processor is unlikely to become the bottleneck, especially at higher resolutions where GPU load increases.

The CPU's dual-channel memory support for both DDR4 and DDR5 provides flexibility, though the game's frame rates suggest that memory bandwidth is not a limiting factor at the tested settings. The 65 W TDP indicates efficient power draw, which is relevant for sustained performance in longer gaming sessions. With a boost clock of 4.40 GHz, the i5-12400 delivers responsive single-threaded performance that benefits Thief's core gameplay loop, where quick reaction to AI behavior is essential.

# GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 9070 is built on the RDNA 4.0 architecture with the Navi 48 chip, manufactured on TSMC's 4 nm process. It packs 3584 shading units, 224 texture mapping units, and 128 render output units, along with 56 ray tracing cores. The GPU operates with a base clock of 1330 MHz, a boost clock of 2520 MHz, and a game clock of 2070 MHz. Memory is provided by 16 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus, delivering a bandwidth of 644.6 GB/s.

In synthetic benchmarks, the RX 9070 achieves a PassMark G3D score of 25381 and a Geekbench Vulkan score of 165532. The GPU's 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 6290 indicates strong DirectX 12 performance, which is relevant for Thief given its engine characteristics. The GPU sits in the 79th percentile of all graphics cards, with an average benchmark score of 34780. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA A2 (34866, 0.2% faster) and the AMD Radeon HD 7970 (34541, 0.7% slower). This places the RX 9070 in a competitive position relative to other tested GPUs.

The 16 GB VRAM capacity is substantial for a game released in 2014, ensuring that texture memory is never a constraint even at 4K resolution with Ultra settings. The GPU's pixel rate of 322.6 GPixel/s and texture rate of 564.5 GTexel/s provide ample fill rate for Thief's detailed environments. The RDNA 4.0 architecture's support for DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), Vulkan 1.4, and OpenGL 4.6 ensures broad API compatibility.

Measured frame rates confirm the GPU's capability across resolutions. At 1080p, the RX 9070 delivers 168 FPS on Low settings and 129.7 FPS on Ultra, showing that even at maximum settings the GPU maintains high performance. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p is moderate, with Ultra settings dropping from 129.7 FPS to 93.6 FPS. At 4K, the GPU still manages 54.5 FPS on Ultra and 57.9 FPS on High, demonstrating that the RX 9070 can handle demanding resolutions in this title, though 4K Ultra falls below the 60 FPS threshold.

# How This Combo Ranks

In Thief, the combination of the Intel Core i5-12400 and AMD Radeon RX 9070 ranks 498th out of 1642 tested combos, placing it in the 70th percentile of all configurations. This rank reflects the balanced performance of the CPU and GPU pairing, where neither component severely bottlenecks the other.

The CPU's 77th percentile ranking among processors and the GPU's 79th percentile among graphics cards are closely aligned, suggesting that this combo is well-matched. The i5-12400's average benchmark score of 19850 is nearly identical to its nearest rivals, with deltas of only 0.1-0.4% separating it from the Core i7-9700, Core i7-8700, Ryzen Threadripper PRO 5995WX, and Core i5-11600K. Similarly, the RX 9070's average score of 34780 is within 0.8% of its nearest rivals, the NVIDIA A2, Quadro GV100, Radeon HD 7970, and Radeon PRO W6400.

The combo's mid-tier rank among 1642 configurations indicates that while it is not at the extreme high end, it delivers strong performance for Thief. The measured frame rates support this assessment: at 1080p, the combo exceeds 129 FPS even on Ultra settings, and at 1440p it maintains above 93 FPS on Ultra. At 4K, the combo achieves 57.9 FPS on High settings and 54.5 FPS on Ultra, showing that it can approach but not consistently hit 60 FPS at the highest resolution.

The data indicates that the combo performs best at 1080p and 1440p, where frame rates are well above playable thresholds. At 4K, users may need to adjust settings to achieve smoother gameplay, but the combo still provides playable performance in most scenarios.

# Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured frame rates, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and desired frame rate.

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers exceptional performance across all settings. Ultra settings yield 129.7 FPS, which is far above the 60 FPS threshold and provides a smooth experience. High settings increase this to 137.2 FPS, while Medium achieves 152.8 FPS and Low reaches 168 FPS. For 1080p users, Ultra settings are clearly recommended, as the frame rate remains high while providing the best visual quality.

At 2560x1440, Ultra settings produce 93.6 FPS, which is still well above 60 FPS. High settings deliver 95.2 FPS, nearly identical to Ultra. Medium settings provide 124.7 FPS, and Low reaches 148 FPS. Given the minimal difference between High and Ultra at this resolution, Ultra is the recommended choice for 1440p, as it offers the best visual fidelity while maintaining a comfortable frame rate cushion above 60 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the situation changes. Ultra settings drop to 54.5 FPS, which falls below the 60 FPS threshold. High settings improve this to 57.9 FPS, still slightly below 60 FPS. Medium settings achieve 73.3 FPS, providing a comfortable margin above 60 FPS, while Low reaches 95.6 FPS. For 4K users, Medium settings offer the best balance between visual quality and performance, delivering 73.3 FPS. High settings are also viable at 57.9 FPS if the user prioritizes visual fidelity over a strict 60 FPS target, but Medium is the recommended preset for a consistent experience.

The data shows that this combo scales well across settings, with the largest performance gap occurring between Low and Medium at 4K (a 22.3 FPS difference). At 1080p and 1440p, the differences between High and Ultra are minimal, making Ultra the clear choice at those resolutions.