Thief

The Intel Core i5-12400F paired with the AMD Radeon RX 9070 delivers a strong showing in Thief, ranking 483rd out of 1642 tested combinations. The data shows a system that can handle the 2014 stealth title at high frame rates across resolutions, with the GPU's 16GB VRAM and high bandwidth proving ample for the game's demands. This analysis breaks down the measured performance, component roles, and scaling behavior to understand where this combo excels and where its limits lie.

FAQ

Q: What is the combo's overall rank in Thief?

A: The combination ranks 483rd out of 1642 tested combos, placing it in the upper portion of the database.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The i5-12400F has an average benchmark score of 19221, sitting 0.1% above the Intel Core i7-8700K and 0.3% above the Intel Core i5-1335U, while being 0.7% below the AMD Ryzen 5 7533HS and 1.3% above the AMD EPYC 7773X.

Q: What is the GPU's memory configuration?

A: The RX 9070 features 16GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 644.6 GB/s of bandwidth.

Q: What are the measured FPS at 1080p Ultra?

A: The combo achieves 133.3 FPS at 1920x1080 with Ultra settings.

Q: What is the launch MSRP of the CPU?

A: The Intel Core i5-12400F has a launch MSRP of $174.

Q: What is the launch MSRP of the GPU?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 9070 has a launch MSRP of 549 USD.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 9070 is built on the RDNA 4.0 architecture with a Navi 48 chip, fabricated on a 4nm process. Its base clock is 1330 MHz, with a boost clock of 2520 MHz and a game clock of 2070 MHz. The memory runs at 2518 MHz, translating to 20.1 Gbps effective. With 16GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus, the GPU offers 644.6 GB/s of bandwidth—a figure that proves more than sufficient for Thief, a game from 2014 that does not demand modern memory capacities.

The GPU's benchmark results reinforce its capability. In 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, it scores 6290, while Geekbench OpenCL and Vulkan scores reach 133741 and 165532, respectively. Passmark G3D shows 25381, and the GPU's percentile versus all GPUs is 79. Compared to its nearest rivals, the RX 9070 sits 0.2% below the NVIDIA A2, 0.3% above the NVIDIA Quadro GV100, 0.7% above the AMD Radeon HD 7970, and 0.8% above the AMD Radeon PRO W6400. These deltas are small, indicating the RX 9070 is tightly clustered with those cards in synthetic benchmarks.

In Thief, the GPU's role becomes evident in the measured FPS. At 4K Ultra, the combo still manages 53.6 FPS, and at 4K High it reaches 55.4 FPS. The high bandwidth and 16GB VRAM allow the card to handle the game's textures and effects without stutter, even at the highest resolution tested. The data suggests the GPU is the primary driver of performance at 4K, where the frame rate drops are most pronounced.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12400F is a 12th-generation Alder Lake-S desktop processor with 6 cores and 12 threads. Its base clock is 2.50 GHz, boosting to 4.40 GHz, with a TDP of 65W. The CPU has 80 KB of L1 cache per core, 1.25 MB of L2 per core, and 18 MB of shared L3 cache. It supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory in dual-channel mode, and its PCIe interface is Gen 5 with 20 lanes.

Benchmark scores show a balanced performer. In Cinebench R23, the CPU scores 16518 multi-core and 2332 single-core. Geekbench yields 9138 multi-core and 2221 single-core. Passmark multithread reaches 19433, and single-thread 3481. The CPU's percentile versus all CPUs is 77. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i7-8700K (0.1% higher average score), the Intel Core i5-1335U (0.3% higher), the AMD Ryzen 5 7533HS (0.7% lower), and the AMD EPYC 7773X (1.3% higher). These small deltas indicate the i5-12400F is competitive with those parts in general compute.

For Thief, the CPU's single-thread performance is likely more relevant than its multi-thread capability, given the game's age and typical reliance on a few threads. The 12 threads help with background tasks and any modern system overhead. The measured FPS at 1080p Low reaches 169.6, which suggests the CPU is not a bottleneck at lower resolutions. At 1080p Ultra, the frame rate drops to 133.3, still high, but the scaling from Low to Ultra is modest, indicating the GPU is taking over the load as settings increase.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo ranks 483rd out of 1642 tested combinations in Thief. This places it in the top 30% of all tested systems, a solid position for a mid-range CPU paired with a high-end GPU. The CPU's percentile of 77 and the GPU's percentile of 79 both sit above the median, reinforcing that this pairing is well above average. The rank reflects the combined capability: the i5-12400F provides enough processing power to feed the RX 9070, and the GPU delivers the graphical muscle needed for high frame rates.

The rank also implies that many other combos outperform this one, likely those with higher-tier CPUs or more powerful GPUs. However, the data shows that for Thief specifically, this combo achieves playable frame rates even at 4K Ultra, which is a demanding scenario. The rank is a single number, but the measured FPS across settings and resolutions tells a more nuanced story about where the combo excels.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following table lists all measured average FPS values from the FACT PACK:

| Resolution | Settings | Avg FPS |

|------------|----------|---------|

| 3840x2160 | High | 55.4 |

| 3840x2160 | Low | 100.2 |

| 3840x2160 | Medium | 76.8 |

| 3840x2160 | Ultra | 53.6 |

| 2560x1440 | High | 96.7 |

| 2560x1440 | Low | 150.2 |

| 2560x1440 | Medium | 123.2 |

| 2560x1440 | Ultra | 88.5 |

| 1920x1080 | High | 140.2 |

| 1920x1080 | Low | 169.6 |

| 1920x1080 | Medium | 152.5 |

| 1920x1080 | Ultra | 133.3 |

At 1080p, all settings exceed 133 FPS, with Low reaching 169.6 and Medium at 152.5. At 1440p, the range is 88.5 (Ultra) to 150.2 (Low). At 4K, the spread narrows: Low hits 100.2, Medium 76.8, High 55.4, and Ultra 53.6. The data shows a clear pattern: as resolution increases, the gap between settings shrinks, indicating the GPU becomes the limiting factor.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS, the optimal preset depends on the target resolution. At 1920x1080, even Ultra delivers 133.3 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. Therefore, Ultra is the recommended setting for 1080p, as it provides the highest visual quality without sacrificing frame rate.

At 2560x1440, Ultra yields 88.5 FPS, still comfortably playable. High offers 96.7 FPS, a modest improvement, but the visual difference between High and Ultra may be worth the slight frame rate cost. For players prioritizing maximum smoothness, High is a safe choice; for those wanting the best image quality, Ultra remains viable.

At 3840x2160, the situation changes. High produces 55.4 FPS, and Ultra drops to 53.6 FPS—both are near the 60 FPS mark but not consistently above it. Medium reaches 76.8 FPS, which is a more comfortable margin. Given that Thief is a stealth game where responsiveness matters, the data suggests High is the best balance at 4K, offering a playable frame rate while retaining most visual features. Ultra's 53.6 FPS is borderline, and Medium's 76.8 FPS provides a smoother experience if frame rate is prioritized over maximum detail.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K reveals the limiting component. At Low settings, the average FPS falls from 169.6 at 1080p to 100.2 at 4K—a reduction of 69.4 FPS. At Medium, it drops from 152.5 to 76.8 (75.7 FPS difference). High goes from 140.2 to 55.4 (84.8 FPS difference), and Ultra from 133.3 to 53.6 (79.7 FPS difference). The absolute drop is largest at High, but the relative drop is steepest at Ultra, where the 4K frame rate is only 40% of the 1080p value.

This scaling pattern indicates that the GPU is the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions. The RX 9070's 16GB VRAM and 644.6 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient, but the raw compute power (36.13 TFLOPS FP32) is taxed as pixel count increases. At 1080p, the CPU can keep up with the GPU, as evidenced by the high frame rates even at Ultra. As resolution climbs, the GPU's workload grows, and the frame rate drops accordingly. The data suggests that for 4K gaming, the combo is best paired with High settings to maintain a playable experience, while 1080p and 1440p allow for maximum settings without compromise.