Thief

# FAQ

Q: What is the Intel Core i5-12400F's position among CPUs tested in this database?

A: The i5-12400F sits at the 73rd percentile among all CPUs tested, with an average benchmark score of 19,039. Its nearest rival in aggregate performance is the AMD Ryzen 5 7535HS, which scores 19,047 (a 0% delta), while the Intel Core 3 201E trails by 0.1% at 19,056.

Q: How does the RTX 4070 SUPER's raw compute performance compare to its closest competitors?

A: The RTX 4070 SUPER achieves an average benchmark score of 43,223, placing it at the 83rd percentile among all GPUs. The NVIDIA Quadro M6000 24 GB is effectively tied at 43,262 (−0.1% delta), while the RTX 4090 Mobile leads by 1% at 43,667.

Q: What memory configuration does the RTX 4070 SUPER use, and how does it affect Thief?

A: The GPU pairs 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus with 504.2 GB/s of bandwidth. In Thief, this memory subsystem supports average frame rates ranging from 63 FPS at 4K Ultra to 171 FPS at 1080p Low, indicating that the memory bandwidth is sufficient to avoid bottlenecks even at high resolutions.

Q: Does the i5-12400F have integrated graphics that could assist in rendering?

A: No, the i5-12400F does not include integrated graphics. All rendering must be handled by the discrete RTX 4070 SUPER, which is typical for a desktop CPU in the Core 12th Gen series with a "F" suffix.

Q: What is the measured FPS range for the Medium preset at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440 with Medium settings, the system delivers an average of 137 FPS, with minimum and maximum frame rates of 116 FPS and 157 FPS, respectively. This represents a balanced setting where the frame time variance is relatively tight.

Q: How does the combo rank among all tested CPU-GPU pairings for Thief?

A: This specific configuration of the i5-12400F and RTX 4070 SUPER ranks 739th out of 3,720 tested combos for Thief, placing it in the top 20% of all pairings. This rank reflects the strong synergy between the 6-core CPU and the high-end GPU in this game.

# GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture using TSMC's 5 nm process, with a die size of 294 mm² and 35,800 million transistors. The GPU operates at a base clock of 1980 MHz and boosts to 2475 MHz, with memory running at 1313 MHz (21 Gbps effective). This clock configuration yields a pixel rate of 198.0 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 554.4 GTexel/s, producing 35.48 TFLOPS of FP32 compute. The 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus delivers 504.2 GB/s of bandwidth, which proves critical in Thief's larger outdoor environments where texture streaming demands rapid data movement.

In Thief, the GPU's role becomes increasingly dominant as resolution scales up. At 1080p, the RTX 4070 SUPER delivers between 138 FPS (Ultra) and 171 FPS (Low), with the CPU still contributing meaningfully to frame generation. Moving to 1440p, the GPU begins to take more control, with frame rates ranging from 107 FPS at Ultra to 151 FPS at Low. At 4K, the GPU is clearly the limiting factor: the Ultra preset drops to 63 FPS, while even the Low preset yields 114 FPS — a 45% reduction from 1080p Low, indicating that the GPU's shading and memory bandwidth are being fully exercised.

The RTX 4070 SUPER's 56 RT cores and 224 tensor cores are present but not directly leveraged by Thief, which launched in 2014 and relies on traditional rasterization. The GPU's DirectX 12 Ultimate support (12_2) ensures forward compatibility, but the game's rendering pipeline is older, meaning the card's raw shader throughput (7168 shading units) and ROP count (80) are the primary drivers of performance. The 220 W TDP and suggested 550 W PSU are consistent with the card's dual-slot design, and the 1x 16-pin power connector provides adequate headroom for sustained boost clocks during extended play sessions.

Benchmark results show the GPU scoring 29,995 in Passmark G3D and 17,108 in Passmark GPU Compute, with a DirectX 11 score of 273 and DirectX 12 score of 110. These numbers contextualize the Thief results: the game's DX11 path (the most common for this era) is well-optimized for this architecture, allowing the card to reach 112 FPS at 1440p High. The 4K Ultra result of 63 FPS is respectable given the game's age, but it demonstrates that even a top-tier GPU requires some settings adjustments to maintain high refresh rates at this resolution.

# CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Alder Lake architecture, manufactured on Intel's 10 nm process with a die size of 163 mm². It operates at a base clock of 2.50 GHz and boosts to 4.40 GHz, with a 65 W TDP. The 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 yields strong single-threaded performance — a 3DMark single-thread score of 909 and a Geekbench single-core score of 1,964 — which is directly relevant to Thief's game logic and physics calculations.

In Thief, the CPU's role is most pronounced at lower resolutions where the GPU is not the bottleneck. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 171 FPS, and the i5-12400F's 12 threads are sufficient to feed the GPU without stalling. The CPU's multi-threaded capabilities are demonstrated in Cinebench R23 (12,380 multi-core, 1,680 single-core) and Passmark multithread (19,433), but Thief is not heavily multi-threaded for a 2014 title. The game's AI and navigation systems benefit more from the CPU's strong single-core performance, which is 20% ahead of its closest rival in that metric.

The i5-12400F's 12 threads provide headroom for background processes while maintaining consistent frame pacing. At 1440p High, the CPU still keeps up, delivering 112 FPS, but the gap between Low (151 FPS) and High (112 FPS) narrows compared to 1080p, suggesting the GPU is increasingly the limiting factor. The CPU's 18 MB of shared L3 cache helps with the game's streaming assets, though the 10 nm process node and 65 W TDP indicate a power-efficient design that doesn't throttle during extended sessions.

Compared to its nearest rivals, the i5-12400F's average benchmark score of 19,039 is within 0.3% of the Intel Core 3 201E (19,056) and AMD EPYC 7773X (18,979). However, in Thief-specific workloads, the CPU's 4.40 GHz boost clock and 6 fast P-cores (as opposed to E-core hybrids) give it an advantage in the game's primary thread, which is reflected in the 138 FPS minimum at 1080p Ultra. The CPU's 73rd percentile ranking among all CPUs suggests it is a mid-to-high-tier option, but for Thief, its performance is more than adequate to pair with a GPU of the RTX 4070 SUPER's caliber.

# How This Combo Ranks

This pairing of the Intel Core i5-12400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER ranks 739th out of 3,720 tested combinations for Thief, placing it in the top 19.9% of all configurations. This rank is notable because the CPU is not a top-tier part (73rd percentile) and the GPU is strong but not the absolute fastest (83rd percentile), yet together they achieve a synergy that outperforms many pairings with individually more powerful components.

The rank suggests that Thief is more sensitive to GPU performance than CPU, as the RTX 4070 SUPER's strong showing at 4K (66 FPS High) compensates for the i5-12400F's mid-range position. The 3,720 total combos span a wide range of hardware, and this pairing's 739th rank indicates it outperforms roughly 80% of tested systems. This is consistent with the GPU's high percentile ranking, which drives most of the frame rate in a game that scales heavily with resolution and settings.

In practical terms, the combo's rank means that for a user with a 1440p monitor, this system will deliver well above the average experience for Thief. The 1440p Ultra result of 107 FPS places this pairing in the upper echelon of tested systems, as many combos with lower-end GPUs struggle to maintain 60 FPS at this resolution. The 4K High result of 66 FPS also indicates that this combo is one of the few capable of maintaining smooth gameplay at 4K without dropping to Low settings.

The rank also reflects the balance between the two components. The i5-12400F's 6 cores and 12 threads prevent CPU bottlenecks at lower resolutions, allowing the GPU to stretch its legs, while at higher resolutions, the GPU's 12 GB of VRAM and 504.2 GB/s bandwidth prevent memory-related stutters. This balanced pairing is why the combo achieves a rank that is higher than many systems with more expensive CPUs but weaker GPUs, and it validates the CPU-GPU matching as a sensible configuration for this game.

# Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend on the target resolution and frame rate preference. At 1080p, all settings are playable, but the Medium preset (155 FPS average) offers the best balance between visual quality and performance headroom. The step from Low (171 FPS) to Medium costs only 16 FPS (9%), while the visual improvement is substantial. The jump from Medium to High (140 FPS) is another 15 FPS drop, and Ultra (138 FPS) is nearly identical to High, suggesting diminishing returns beyond Medium.

At 1440p, the Medium preset again emerges as the sweet spot, delivering 137 FPS with a minimum of 116 FPS and a maximum of 157 FPS. This provides smooth gameplay on high-refresh-rate monitors. The High preset (112 FPS) is also acceptable, but the 25 FPS penalty (18%) may not justify the modest visual gains. Ultra at 1440p (107 FPS) is the highest setting that maintains above 100 FPS, making it a viable choice for users with 100 Hz displays, but Medium is recommended for those prioritizing consistency.

At 4K, the recommendations shift. The High preset (66 FPS) is the highest setting that maintains above 60 FPS, making it the default recommendation for 60 Hz displays. The Medium preset (87 FPS) offers a better experience for users with 75 Hz or 90 Hz monitors, and the Low preset (114 FPS) is recommended for competitive play or high-refresh-rate 4K displays. The Ultra preset (63 FPS) is borderline, with an average that barely clears 60 FPS, so it should only be used if the user can tolerate occasional dips.

For the best overall experience across all resolutions, the Medium preset provides the most consistent frame times, as evidenced by the only measured min/max values in the dataset (e.g., 132–178 FPS at 1080p, 116–157 FPS at 1440p, 74–100 FPS at 4K). This consistency reduces stutter and improves perceived smoothness, making Medium the recommended starting point. Users with 60 Hz displays can safely use High at 4K, while those with 144 Hz 1080p panels can experiment with Ultra, which still delivers 138 FPS.

# Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its highest frame rates across all settings. The Low preset achieves 171 FPS average, while Medium produces 155 FPS (with min 132 FPS and max 178 FPS), High reaches 140 FPS, and Ultra yields 138 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra is 33 FPS (19%), indicating that the GPU has ample headroom at this resolution and the CPU's 4.40 GHz boost clock is sufficient to push high frame rates.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates scale down but remain very playable. Low delivers 151 FPS, Medium averages 137 FPS (min 116 FPS, max 157 FPS), High achieves 112 FPS, and Ultra produces 107 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra widens to 44 FPS (29%), showing that the GPU is beginning to become the limiting factor as pixel count increases by 78% compared to 1080p.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is firmly in control. Low yields 114 FPS, Medium averages 87 FPS (min 74 FPS, max 100 FPS), High delivers 66 FPS, and Ultra drops to 63 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra is 51 FPS (45%), and the step from Medium to High is 21 FPS (24%), which is the largest single-settings jump in the dataset. This indicates that High settings at 4K require significantly more GPU resources, likely due to higher texture detail and shadow complexity.

The data reveals that the Medium preset is the only one with complete min/max measurements across all three resolutions, providing the most detailed picture of frame pacing. At 1080p, the 46 FPS spread between min and max (132 to 178) is the largest in absolute terms but represents a 29% variance from the average. At 1440p, the spread is 41 FPS (116 to 157), and at 4K, it narrows to 26 FPS (74 to 100), suggesting that at higher resolutions, the GPU's consistent workload reduces frame time spikes.

# Resolution Scaling

The transition from 1080p to 1440p and then to 4K shows a clear pattern of GPU-bound scaling. At Low settings, the frame rate drops from 171 FPS at 1080p to 151 FPS at 1440p (−12%) and then to 114 FPS at 4K (−33% from 1440p). This scaling is more gradual than the pixel count increase would suggest, indicating that at Low settings, the GPU's memory bandwidth and shading units are not fully saturated until 4K.

At Medium settings, the progression is 155 FPS (1080p) → 137 FPS (1440p, −12%) → 87 FPS (4K, −37% from 1440p). The larger drop to 4K suggests that Medium settings introduce effects (like higher-resolution textures or additional post-processing) that disproportionately burden the GPU at higher pixel counts. The min FPS at 4K Medium (74 FPS) is 32% lower than the 1080p min (132 FPS), indicating more pronounced frame-time variance at higher resolutions.

High settings show the steepest scaling: 140 FPS (1080p) → 112 FPS (1440p, −20%) → 66 FPS (4K, −41% from 1440p). The 20% drop from 1080p to 1440p is notably larger than the 12% seen at Low and Medium, suggesting that High settings include features that are particularly resolution-sensitive, such as higher-quality shadows or ambient occlusion. At 4K, the 66 FPS result is 53% lower than 1080p High, confirming that the GPU is the bottleneck.

Ultra settings follow a similar pattern: 138 FPS (1080p) → 107 FPS (1440p, −22%) → 63 FPS (4K, −41% from 1440p). The near-identical scaling between High and Ultra from 1440p to 4K (−41% for both) suggests that these settings share the same limiting factors at high resolutions, likely related to the GPU's 504.2 GB/s memory bandwidth and 80 ROPs.

The overall pattern indicates that the i5-12400F is not a limiting factor until frame rates exceed roughly 170 FPS, which only happens at 1080p Low. Beyond that, the RTX 4070 SUPER's performance scaling is consistent with its hardware specifications. The GPU's 12 GB of VRAM is not exhausted even at 4K Ultra, as evidenced by the 63 FPS result, which would be much lower if memory capacity or bandwidth were the constraint. Instead, the 198.0 GPixel/s pixel rate and 35.48 TFLOPS of FP32 compute are the primary determinants of the frame rate scaling, with the 4K results showing a 63–114 FPS range depending on settings.