Thief

The Intel Core i5-12400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER ranks 222nd out of 1,642 tested combos in Thief, placing it in the top 13.5% of all configurations tested. This is a strong result for a 6-core, 12-thread processor from 2022 paired with a 2024 flagship GPU. The combo’s rank is driven primarily by the GPU’s raw throughput, as the RTX 4080 SUPER sits in the 88th percentile of all GPUs, while the CPU’s 77th percentile standing means it is not the limiting factor at most settings. The data shows this pairing is well-balanced for a game from 2014, where the CPU’s single-thread performance of 909 in 3DMark Single Thread and the GPU’s massive memory bandwidth create a system that rarely bottlenecks.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo’s 222nd place out of 1,642 tested configurations is a top-tier result, but it is not the absolute fastest, which makes sense given the CPU’s mid-range positioning. The i5-12400F’s average benchmark score of 19,221 places it nearly identical to the Intel Core i7-8700K (19,210, deltaPct 0.1%) and just 0.3% ahead of the Intel Core i5-1335U (19,167). It is also 0.7% behind the AMD Ryzen 5 7533HS (19,364) and 1.3% ahead of the AMD EPYC 7773X (18,979).

What this means for Thief is that the CPU is not holding back the GPU, but it is also not adding any special advantage. The game’s measured FPS shows that at every resolution, the Ultra preset yields a lower average FPS than High, which suggests the CPU’s 18 MB of shared L3 cache and 2.50 GHz base clock are sufficient to feed the RTX 4080 SUPER’s 52.22 TFLOPS of FP32 compute. The rank of 222 also indicates that many combos with newer, higher-core-count CPUs achieve better results, but the i5-12400F’s 4.40 GHz boost clock and 12 threads keep it competitive.

GPU Role

The RTX 4080 SUPER is the dominant component in this pairing, and its specifications explain why Thief runs so well. With 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, the GPU delivers 736.3 GB/s of bandwidth, which is more than enough for a 2014 stealth title’s texture streaming demands. The 80 RT cores and 320 tensor cores are largely irrelevant for Thief, but the 10,240 shading units and 112 ROPs provide the raw pixel-pushing power reflected in the measured FPS.

The GPU’s 2,550 MHz boost clock and 285.6 GPixel/s pixel rate mean that even at 4K Ultra, the card maintains 74.6 FPS. The 88th percentile ranking versus all GPUs is backed by a PassMark G3D score of 34,245, which puts it 0.2% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT (53,489 vs 53,610 average score) and 2.1% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 7700S. The data shows that the RTX 4080 SUPER’s 52.22 TFLOPS FP32 performance is the primary reason this combo ranks so high, as the CPU contributes only moderate multi-threaded muscle.

FAQ

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-12400F a bottleneck for the RTX 4080 SUPER in Thief?

A: No, the data indicates it is not. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 170.6 FPS, and at 4K Ultra it drops to 74.6 FPS, but the CPU’s 77th percentile and 19,221 average score show it keeps pace. The 0.1% delta to the i7-8700K suggests similar performance, and neither is the limiting factor when the GPU is maxed out.

Q: How does the RTX 4080 SUPER compare to the AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT?

A: The RTX 4080 SUPER’s average benchmark score is 53,610, which is 0.2% higher than the RX 6900 XT’s 53,489. In Thief, this translates to a measurable but small advantage, as the NVIDIA card’s 16 GB VRAM and 736.3 GB/s bandwidth handle the game’s textures efficiently.

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Thief?

A: The data suggests 2560x1440 is the sweet spot. At High settings, it delivers 121.4 FPS, and even at Ultra it holds 121.3 FPS, which is effectively identical. At 1080p, the CPU and GPU are underutilized (170.6 FPS at Low), while 4K High (73.8 FPS) is playable but not ideal for high-refresh monitors.

Q: Does the RTX 4080 SUPER’s 16 GB VRAM matter for Thief?

A: Given the game’s 2014 release, 16 GB is overkill. The measured FPS does not show any VRAM-related dips, and the GPU’s 736.3 GB/s bandwidth ensures texture loading is never a bottleneck, even at 4K Ultra where it maintains 74.6 FPS.

Q: How sensitive is Thief to the CPU’s single-thread performance?

A: The i5-12400F scores 909 in 3DMark Single Thread and 2,332 in Cinebench R23 Single Core, which is strong for its generation. The 1080p Low result of 170.6 FPS versus 4K Low of 129.3 FPS shows that as resolution drops, the CPU becomes more relevant, but the 4.40 GHz boost clock handles the game’s logic without issues.

Settings Recommendations

For the best experience, the data points to the High preset as the optimal choice. At 1080p High, the combo delivers 142.3 FPS, which is only 28.3 FPS less than Low (170.6) but provides significantly better visuals. At 1440p, High yields 121.4 FPS, a 28.4 FPS drop from Low (149.8) but with a much richer image.

The Ultra preset is not worth the performance cost. At 1080p, Ultra drops to 136.9 FPS (5.4 FPS less than High), and at 1440p it matches High at 121.3 FPS, but at 4K it falls to 74.6 FPS versus High’s 73.8 FPS. The data shows Ultra offers no meaningful FPS advantage over High, so unless the visual differences are critical, High is the measured sweet spot. Medium is a middle ground, with 154 FPS at 1080p and 134 FPS at 1440p, but it sacrifices fidelity for only a modest FPS gain over High.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo’s performance scales predictably with settings. Low delivers 170.6 FPS, Medium 154 FPS, High 142.3 FPS, and Ultra 136.9 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 33.7 FPS, indicating that the RTX 4080 SUPER has ample headroom at this resolution, and the CPU’s 12 threads are sufficient to maintain high frame rates even at the lowest settings.

At 2560x1440, the results tighten. Low drops to 149.8 FPS, Medium to 134 FPS, High to 121.4 FPS, and Ultra to 121.3 FPS. Notably, High and Ultra are nearly identical (0.1 FPS difference), which suggests that Ultra’s additional effects are not heavier on the GPU. The 1440p High result of 121.4 FPS is a strong target for a 120Hz monitor, and the 149.8 FPS Low result shows the GPU can push beyond that when needed.

At 3840x2160, the RTX 4080 SUPER’s limits become visible. Low achieves 129.3 FPS, Medium 96.7 FPS, High 73.8 FPS, and Ultra 74.6 FPS. The interesting anomaly is that Ultra (74.6) is slightly higher than High (73.8), a 0.8 FPS difference that falls within measurement variance. The 4K results show a steep drop from Low to Medium (32.6 FPS), but the card still maintains playable frame rates at all settings, with the 16 GB VRAM and 736.3 GB/s bandwidth preventing any catastrophic dips.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12400F plays a supporting role in this combo, but its specifications are not trivial. With 6 cores and 12 threads based on Alder Lake architecture, it operates at a 2.50 GHz base clock and boosts to 4.40 GHz. The 18 MB shared L3 cache and 1.25 MB per-core L2 cache provide enough data locality for Thief’s stealth gameplay, where the CPU handles AI pathfinding and game logic.

The CPU’s benchmark scores show a balanced profile: Cinebench R23 Multi-Core hits 16,518, while Single-Core reaches 2,332. PassMark Multi-Thread scores 19,433, and Single-Thread 3,481. These numbers place it in the 77th percentile of all CPUs, which is respectable but not elite. The nearest rival data confirms this: it is 0.1% faster than the i7-8700K (19,210 vs 19,221) and 0.7% slower than the Ryzen 5 7533HS (19,364).

In Thief, the CPU’s role becomes more apparent at lower resolutions. The 1080p Low result of 170.6 FPS versus 4K Low of 129.3 FPS shows a 41.3 FPS difference that is purely resolution-driven, not CPU-limited. The 12 threads handle the game’s single-threaded tasks via the 909 3DMark Single Thread score, and the 4.40 GHz boost clock ensures that even at 1440p Ultra (121.3 FPS), the CPU is not the bottleneck. The 65W TDP and LGA 1700 socket make it a practical pairing, and the data confirms that for a 2014 title, this CPU is more than adequate.