Thief

The Intel Core i5-12400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 combination delivers a solid 1080p and 1440p experience in Thief, but the data reveals a clear performance ceiling at 4K Ultra settings. The combo ranks in the 60th percentile of all tested configurations, with benchmark results indicating that the GPU becomes the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions and presets.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core i5-12400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Alder Lake architecture, with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. It belongs to the Core 12th Gen series, uses the Intel Socket 1700, and supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory in a dual-channel configuration. 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—a design that provides ample headroom for a 2014 stealth title like Thief.

In synthetic benchmarks, the i5-12400F posts a single-thread score of 909 in 3DMark and 1680 in Cinebench R23 single-core, while multi-threaded results show 5912 in 3DMark max threads and 12380 in Cinebench R23 multicore. These numbers place the CPU at the 73rd percentile against all processors, with an average benchmark score of 19039. The nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 5 7535HS, scores 19047 (a 0% delta), while the Intel Core 3 201E trails by 0.1% at 19056. The Intel Core i5-1335U and AMD EPYC 7773X both sit 0.3% ahead and behind, respectively, indicating that the 12400F is performance-neutral against its closest competitors in general compute tasks.

For Thief, the CPU’s role is largely to feed the GPU with draw calls and game logic. The game’s stealth mechanics and level streaming are not particularly thread-hungry by modern standards, so the 6-core/12-thread configuration is more than sufficient. The measured FPS data supports this: at 1080p Low, the combo reaches 164 FPS average, which is far above the 60 FPS target and suggests the CPU is not a bottleneck at lower settings. Even at 1080p Ultra, the average drops to 90 FPS, but this decline aligns with increased GPU load rather than CPU saturation. The 3DMark 2-thread score of 1699 and 4-thread score of 3067 show that the processor has strong single-core and moderate multi-core performance, both of which are adequate for a game released in 2014. The PassMark physics score of 1202 further indicates that the CPU handles the game’s physics calculations without issue.

The 65W TDP and 10nm process node mean the chip runs efficiently, but the data does not include thermal or power measurements in-game. What the benchmarks do show is that the 12400F’s 18 MB of L3 cache and high boost clock of 4.40 GHz provide enough responsiveness to keep up with the RTX 5050 at all tested resolutions. The processor’s Cinebench R20 single-core score of 985 and Geekbench single-core score of 1964 reinforce that it can maintain high frame rates in CPU-bound scenarios, though Thief never appears to stress the CPU to that point given the FPS figures.

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

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 is built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture with the GB207 chip, fabricated on a 5nm process by TSMC. It features 2560 shading units, 80 texture mapping units, 32 ROPs, 20 ray tracing cores, and 80 tensor cores. The GPU’s memory subsystem consists of 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, delivering 320.0 GB/s of bandwidth. Its base clock runs at 2317 MHz with a boost clock of 2572 MHz, while memory operates at 2500 MHz (20 Gbps effective). The card has a TDP of 130W, draws power from a single 8-pin connector, and connects via PCIe 5.0 x8.

In synthetic benchmarks, the RTX 5050 scores 2502 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, 90334 in Geekbench OpenCL, and 17326 in Passmark G3D. Its average benchmark score is 21035, placing it at the 66th percentile among all GPUs. The nearest rivals are telling: the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL scores 21153 (0.6% faster), the AMD Radeon HD 8970M scores 21237 (1% faster), the AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT scores 20713 (1.6% slower), and the NVIDIA RTX A4000 Mobile scores 21379 (1.6% faster). This places the RTX 5050 in a narrow performance band where it trades blows with older and mobile parts, which is relevant for Thief’s frame rates.

The GPU’s 8 GB VRAM is a critical factor. At 4K Ultra, the combo averages 36 FPS, and at 4K High it averages 38 FPS—both figures suggest that the GPU is struggling with the resolution and settings, but the 8 GB buffer is not necessarily exhausted because Thief from 2014 has modest texture requirements. The memory bandwidth of 320.0 GB/s is sufficient for the game’s assets, but the 128-bit bus limits fill-rate-heavy scenes. The pixel rate of 82.30 GPixel/s and texture rate of 205.8 GTexel/s are moderate, and the FP32 performance of 13.17 TFLOPS is adequate for directx 11 workloads, which Thief primarily uses. The Passmark DirectX 11 score of 150 and DirectX 12 score of 66 show that the GPU is much stronger in older APIs, which aligns with the game’s release date.

The data shows that the RTX 5050 is the limiting component at 4K, but at 1080p and 1440p it provides playable frame rates across all presets. The GPU’s boost clock of 2572 MHz helps maintain performance in bursty scenes, while the 20 RT cores and 80 tensor cores are irrelevant for Thief since the game does not use ray tracing or DLSS. The 8 GB VRAM is not a bottleneck in the measured rows, as the FPS scaling from Low to Ultra is consistent with rasterization load rather than memory capacity.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured FPS data across three resolutions and four settings reveals a clear pattern of GPU-bound scaling. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 164 FPS average. Moving to 1440p Low drops this to 112 FPS, a 31.7% reduction, and at 4K Low it falls to 66 FPS, a 59.8% reduction from 1080p. This steep decline as resolution increases is the signature of a GPU-limited scenario. The CPU’s performance, as indicated by its 3DMark and Cinebench scores, is more than capable of maintaining high frame rates at lower resolutions, but the RTX 5050 cannot sustain the same output as pixel count grows.

At Medium settings, the scaling is similar but less severe in absolute terms. 1080p Medium averages 124 FPS, 1440p Medium averages 85 FPS (a 31.5% drop), and 4K Medium averages 50 FPS (a 59.7% drop from 1080p). The min and max FPS at Medium settings—106 to 143 at 1080p, 72 to 98 at 1440p, and 43 to 58 at 4K—show that frame pacing remains consistent, but the overall performance ceiling lowers with resolution.

High settings show the same trend: 1080p High averages 95 FPS, 1440p High averages 65 FPS (a 31.6% drop), and 4K High averages 38 FPS (a 60% drop from 1080p). Ultra settings follow suit, with 90 FPS at 1080p, 62 FPS at 1440p (a 31.1% drop), and 36 FPS at 4K (a 60% drop). The consistent percentage drops across all four settings—roughly 31% from 1080p to 1440p and 60% from 1080p to 4K—indicate that the limiting component scales linearly with pixel count, which is the GPU. The CPU’s frame rate contribution flattens out, as evidenced by the fact that the i5-12400F’s multi-threaded scores (e.g., 5912 in 3DMark max threads) are not changing with resolution.

This data suggests that the RTX 5050 is the bottleneck at higher resolutions. At 1080p, the combo can exceed 90 FPS on Ultra, but at 4K it dips below 40 FPS on High and Ultra. The 4K Low result of 66 FPS is playable, but the gap between Low and Ultra at 4K is only 30 FPS (66 to 36), indicating that the GPU’s raw compute limits the settings ceiling. For 1440p, the combo is well-balanced, offering 62 FPS on Ultra and 112 FPS on Low, which covers both smooth and competitive play. The resolution scaling data confirms that players targeting 4K will need to compromise on settings, while 1080p and 1440p provide headroom.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

Based on the measured FPS rows, the Medium preset at 1440p offers the best balance of visual quality and performance. At 1440p Medium, the combo averages 85 FPS with a minimum of 72 FPS and a maximum of 98 FPS. This is above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay, and the min FPS of 72 ensures that dips stay playable. The 1440p High preset averages 65 FPS, which is still smooth, but the min FPS is not recorded, so there is uncertainty about worst-case frame drops. In contrast, 1440p Medium has a recorded min of 72 FPS, making it the safest choice for consistent performance.

At 1080p, Medium is also a strong option, averaging 124 FPS with a min of 106 FPS and max of 143 FPS. This provides a high refresh rate experience without the risk of drops below 100 FPS. However, 1080p Ultra averages 90 FPS, which is still playable, but the lack of a min FPS recording means the user cannot verify stability. The 1080p Low preset hits 164 FPS, but the visual quality loss is significant for a stealth game where lighting and shadows matter. The data suggests that Medium at 1080p is the sweet spot for high frame rates, while Medium at 1440p is the sweet spot for resolution and quality trade-offs.

For 4K, the data shows that only Low is consistently playable, averaging 66 FPS. Medium at 4K averages 50 FPS, which is borderline, and High and Ultra drop to 38 and 36 FPS, respectively, making them less desirable for action sequences. The 4K Medium min FPS of 43 is the only recorded min at this resolution, indicating that even Medium can stutter below 45 FPS. Therefore, the recommendation is to use Low at 4K for a stable experience, or Medium if the user can tolerate occasional dips. The Ultra preset at any resolution provides the lowest frame rates—90 FPS at 1080p, 62 FPS at 1440p, and 36 FPS at 4K—but the visual uplift may not justify the performance cost, especially at 4K where it falls below 40 FPS.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The Intel Core i5-12400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 combination ranks 1710 out of 2851 tested combos in Thief. This places it in the 60th percentile of all configurations, meaning it outperforms roughly 60% of the systems tested but trails the top 40%. This ranking is consistent with the CPU’s 73rd percentile standing and the GPU’s 66th percentile, but the in-game result lags slightly behind what those individual scores might suggest, likely because Thief is an older title where newer hardware does not always scale proportionally.

The rank of 1710 indicates that this combo is a mid-tier performer. It is not a top-tier system for Thief, but it is far from the bottom. The measured FPS data shows that the combo can handle 1080p and 1440p well, which accounts for its position above the median. However, the 4K Ultra result of 36 FPS drags down its overall standing, as many higher-ranked combos likely maintain 60+ FPS at 4K. The GPU’s nearest rivals, such as the AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT (1.6% slower on average), suggest that this GPU competes with older mid-range parts, which explains why the combo does not crack the top 1000.

The combo’s rank also reflects the CPU-GPU balance. The i5-12400F is strong, but it is not paired with a top-tier GPU, so the system’s overall performance is capped by the RTX 5050. The 1710 rank is a reasonable outcome for a 6-core CPU and 8 GB GPU pairing. For context, the combo’s rank is 1141 positions away from the top (2851 total), meaning there is significant headroom for better hardware. The data shows that this combo is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, which aligns with its mid-pack ranking.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 1080p Ultra with this combo?

A: The average FPS at 1080p Ultra is 90, with no recorded min or max values in the data.

Q: How does the CPU’s single-thread performance compare to its rivals?

A: The Intel Core i5-12400F has a single-thread score of 909 in 3DMark, and its nearest rivals—the AMD Ryzen 5 7535HS, Intel Core 3 201E, Intel Core i5-1335U, and AMD EPYC 7773X—all have average benchmark scores within 0.3% of the i5-12400F’s 19039 average, indicating similar overall performance.

*Q: Is the GPU or CPU the limiting factor at 4K in Thief?*

A: The data shows the GPU is the limiting factor at 4K. The FPS drops by approximately 60% from 1080p to 4K across all settings, which is consistent with GPU-bound scaling, while the CPU’s benchmark scores remain constant.

Q: What is the best resolution for smooth gameplay above 60 FPS?

A: At 1440p Medium, the combo averages 85 FPS with a min of 72 FPS, providing smooth gameplay. At 1080p, all settings except Ultra average above 90 FPS, with Medium at 124 FPS being the safest for high frame rates.

*Q: How much VRAM does the RTX 5050 have, and does it affect Thief?*

A: The RTX 5050 has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory. In the measured rows, the FPS scaling does not indicate a VRAM bottleneck, as the game from 2014 has modest memory requirements, and the performance drops are more tied to compute load.

*Q: What is the combo’s rank among all tested configurations in Thief?*

A: The combo ranks 1710 out of 2851 tested combos, placing it in the 60th percentile of performance for this game.