Thief

The Intel Core i5-12400 pairs six Performance-cores with twelve threads, a configuration that proves sufficient for Thief's 2014-era engine. The silicon's base clock of 2.50 GHz and boost clock of 4.40 GHz provide the headroom needed for the game's logic-heavy stealth systems. In synthetic benchmarks, the processor delivers a single-thread score of 910 in 3DMark and a multi-thread score of 5890 at max threads, indicating strong per-core performance. The 18 MB of shared L3 cache helps keep frequently accessed game data close to the cores, reducing latency during crowded street scenes. The CPU's overall percentile ranking of 77 places it ahead of most processors tested, with an average benchmark score of 19850. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core i7-9700, scores 19831, a delta of just 0.1%, meaning the 12400 essentially matches a previous-generation eight-core chip in aggregate throughput despite having two fewer physical cores.

The 12400's 3DMark 16-thread score of 5873 versus its 8-thread score of 4745 shows that scaling beyond eight threads yields only a 23.8% improvement, suggesting diminishing returns for workloads like Thief that are not heavily threaded. The Cinebench R23 multicore score of 15935 and single-core score of 2249 further confirm a balanced profile. For a stealth game where AI reactions and physics calculations occur in bursts, the 12400's 12 threads prevent bottlenecking even when the player triggers multiple guards simultaneously. The processor's position relative to the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 5995WX, which scores 19928 (a -0.4% delta), is notable: a mainstream desktop chip trading blows with a workstation monster in this specific metric. The PassMark multithread score of 18747 and integer math score of 58366 indicate robust computational throughput for the game's underlying simulation, while the floating-point score of 45494 handles the game's lighting and shadow computations without issue.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER brings Ada Lovelace architecture and 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, yielding a bandwidth of 672.3 GB/s. This memory configuration is critical for Thief at high resolutions, as the game's detailed textures and dynamic lighting demand substantial VRAM headroom. The GPU's boost clock of 2610 MHz and base clock of 2340 MHz drive its 8448 shading units, producing a FP32 throughput of 44.10 TFLOPS. The 66 RT cores and 264 tensor cores are present, though Thief's 2014 release predates ray tracing, so these units remain largely idle during gameplay. The GPU's 96 ROPs and 264 TMUs deliver a pixel rate of 250.6 GPixel/s and texture rate of 689.0 GTexel/s, which explains the high frame rates observed.

The GPU's average benchmark score of 48704 places it in the 86th percentile among all GPUs, though its nearest rivals in the database are unexpected. The NVIDIA CMP 50HX scores 49071, a -0.7% delta, while the NVIDIA RTX A2000 scores 47915, a 1.6% delta. These comparisons suggest the 4070 Ti SUPER's synthetic scores are more about compute density than gaming-specific optimizations. In 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, the GPU scores 5569, and its PassMark G3D score of 31811 reflects strong rasterization performance. The Geekbench OpenCL score of 223091 and Vulkan score of 206035 indicate the GPU can handle modern APIs, though Thief likely uses DirectX 11 given its release date. The 16 GB VRAM capacity proves beneficial at 4K, where the High preset maintains 71.9 FPS, but the Ultra preset drops to 68.3 FPS, suggesting the game's highest settings push memory bandwidth limits.

FAQ

Q: How does the Intel Core i5-12400 compare to its nearest CPU rival in aggregate performance?

A: The 12400's average benchmark score of 19850 is 0.1% higher than the Intel Core i7-9700's score of 19831, and 0.4% higher than the Intel Core i5-11600K's score of 19771. The difference is negligible, meaning the 12400 offers comparable compute power to these older chips.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1920x1080?

A: At 1080p, the Low preset delivers an average of 171.6 FPS, while Ultra delivers 139.2 FPS. This represents a 23.3% reduction in performance when moving to the highest settings, with the Medium preset at 152.4 FPS and High at 141.1 FPS showing a more gradual scaling.

Q: Does the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER's 16 GB VRAM make a measurable difference at 4K?

A: Yes. At 3840x2160, the High preset achieves 71.9 FPS, but the Ultra preset drops to 68.3 FPS. The fact that the GPU can maintain playable frame rates at 4K on High settings with 16 GB of VRAM indicates the memory capacity is sufficient for Thief's texture loads.

Q: How does the combo rank among all tested combinations in Thief?

A: The combination of the Intel Core i5-12400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER ranks 277th out of 1642 tested combos. This places it in the top 16.9% of all configurations, indicating a strong pairing for this game.

Q: What is the scaling pattern from 1080p to 4K on the High preset?

A: At 1080p High, the average FPS is 141.1. At 1440p High, it drops to 121.2, and at 4K High, it falls to 71.9. The 31.5% decrease from 1440p to 4K is steeper than the 14.1% decrease from 1080p to 1440p, showing the GPU becomes the limiting factor at higher resolutions.

Q: Which settings preset provides the best balance of visual fidelity and performance at 1440p?

A: The Medium preset at 1440p delivers 133.9 FPS, while High delivers 121.2 FPS and Ultra delivers 112.3 FPS. The Medium preset offers a 10.5% performance advantage over High while still providing enhanced visuals over Low, making it the most balanced choice.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data across three resolutions and four presets reveals a clear pattern: Thief is highly playable at all settings, but the optimal choice depends on the display resolution. At 1920x1080, the Low preset achieves 171.6 FPS, while Medium reaches 152.4 FPS. The jump to High and Ultra provides only marginal visual improvements in a game from 2014, but costs 10.5% and 8.7% performance respectively compared to Medium. For competitive stealth gameplay where reaction time matters, the Medium preset at 1080p offers the best compromise, delivering 152.4 FPS while maintaining sufficient detail for spotting guard patrol routes.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset delivers 133.9 FPS, which is still well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. The High preset at 121.2 FPS is equally viable, and the Ultra preset at 112.3 FPS remains fully playable. The data suggests that at 1440p, players can safely choose the High preset for better environmental detail without sacrificing responsiveness. The Ultra preset's 112.3 FPS is only 8.7% lower than Medium, so it is not a significant penalty for those who prioritize visual quality.

At 3840x2160, the situation changes dramatically. The Low preset achieves 120 FPS, but Medium drops to 90.8 FPS, and High falls to 71.9 FPS. The Ultra preset bottoms out at 68.3 FPS, which is still playable but approaches the edge of smoothness for fast-paced action. For 4K, the Medium preset at 90.8 FPS provides the best experience, as it delivers a 26.4% performance improvement over High while maintaining a higher level of detail than Low. The 16 GB VRAM of the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER is instrumental in keeping the Medium preset playable at this resolution, as texture streaming demands significant memory bandwidth. The GPU's 672.3 GB/s bandwidth and 44.10 TFLOPS of compute power handle the game's lighting calculations efficiently, but the Ultra preset's additional effects push the renderer to its limits.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-12400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER achieves a rank of 277 out of 1642 tested combos in Thief. This places the pairing in the 84th percentile of all configurations, meaning it outperforms roughly 83.1% of tested systems. The rank reflects the balance between the CPU's strong single-thread performance and the GPU's massive rasterization throughput. The 12400's single-thread score of 910 in 3DMark and the GPU's PassMark G3D score of 31811 combine to ensure that neither component becomes a persistent bottleneck in Thief's engine.

The measured frame rates indicate that this combo is overkill for 1080p gaming, where even the Ultra preset at 139.2 FPS leaves significant headroom. At 1440p, the combo delivers exceptional performance, with all presets exceeding 112 FPS. The 4K results are more nuanced, with the High preset at 71.9 FPS and Ultra at 68.3 FPS showing that the GPU is finally being challenged. The CPU's 77th percentile ranking versus all processors, combined with the GPU's 86th percentile ranking, suggests a well-matched pair. The CPU's average benchmark score of 19850 is nearly identical to its nearest rival, the Intel Core i7-9700 at 19831, while the GPU's average score of 48704 is within 2% of the NVIDIA RTX A2000. This alignment in relative performance tiers ensures that Thief's frame pacing remains consistent, as neither component is disproportionately faster than the other. The rank of 277 out of 1642 also considers the game's specific engine characteristics, which favor high clock speeds over many-core scaling, an area where the 12400's 4.40 GHz boost clock excels.