Thief

The Intel Core i5-12600KF paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 delivers a remarkably consistent high-refresh-rate experience in Thief, with the data showing that the CPU provides ample headroom while the GPU becomes the definitive scaling factor at higher resolutions. The measured results indicate this combination is well-balanced for the game's engine, which does not appear to be heavily multithreaded based on the performance deltas observed across settings.

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

The Intel Core i5-12600KF is a 10-core, 16-thread processor based on the Alder Lake architecture, built on Intel's 10 nm process. It operates at a base clock of 3.70 GHz and boosts to 4.90 GHz, with a 125 W TDP. The processor's cache structure includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 1.25 MB of L2 per core, and a shared 20 MB L3 pool. This configuration allows for strong multi-threaded throughput, evidenced by a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 23391 and a single-core score of 3302.

In the context of Thief, a 2014 stealth title, the CPU's performance is more than sufficient. The benchmark data shows no signs of CPU bottlenecking even at lower resolutions where frame rates peak. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo achieves 192 FPS average, while at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, it drops to 56 FPS. This scaling pattern indicates that the i5-12600KF's processing power is not the limiting factor in any tested configuration; the frame rate variance is almost entirely attributable to GPU load.

The i5-12600KF sits in the 79th percentile of all CPUs tested, with an average benchmark score of 27799. Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D, scores 27896, a delta of -0.3%, placing them statistically equivalent in synthetic tests. Compared to the Intel Core i9-10900K, the i5-12600KF trails by only -0.3% (27872 vs 27799). This parity among top-tier processors suggests that in a game like Thief, which does not demand extreme CPU resources, the choice of processor has minimal impact on the final FPS numbers. The 16 threads ensure that any background tasks or game logic threads are handled efficiently, but the raw single-thread performance (Geekbench single-core score of 2157) is what keeps minimum frame rates stable in the measured data, such as the 148 FPS minimum at 1080p Medium.

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

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 is the dominant component in this pairing, built on the Ada Lovelace architecture using a 5 nm process at TSMC. It features 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus, delivering 504.2 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU operates at a base clock of 1920 MHz and boosts to 2475 MHz, with the memory running at an effective 21 Gbps. The 5888 shading units and 64 ROPs provide substantial raw compute power, translating to 29.15 TFLOPS of FP32 performance.

The GPU's role in Thief is clearly demonstrated by the resolution scaling. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo achieves 192 FPS, but this drops to 169 FPS at 2560x1440 and 103 FPS at 3840x2160 with the same Low preset. This represents a 46% reduction in performance from 1080p to 4K, highlighting how the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth are taxed by higher pixel counts. The 12 GB VRAM is never a limiting factor here, as even the Ultra preset at 4K shows playable performance, though the average of 56 FPS suggests the GPU is nearing its limits.

The RTX 4070 ranks in the 81st percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 37648. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56, which scores 37507 (a -0.4% delta for the AMD card), and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile at 38135, which is 1.3% faster. This indicates that the desktop RTX 4070 is positioned solidly in the upper mid-range tier, capable of handling Thief's DirectX 11 workload with ease, as evidenced by the PassMark DirectX 11 score of 244.

FAQ

*Q: Can this combo maintain 60+ FPS at 4K in Thief?*

A: Yes, at High settings the measured average is 59 FPS, which is just below 60, but at Medium settings the average rises to 78 FPS with a minimum of 66 FPS, ensuring a smooth experience above the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: How does the i5-12600KF compare to its closest rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The i5-12600KF scores 27799 on average, which is 0.3% lower than the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D's 27896 and 0.3% lower than the Intel Core i9-10900K's 27872, placing them within a negligible performance margin.

Q: What is the highest average frame rate achievable with this hardware?

A: The maximum measured average FPS is 192, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This demonstrates the CPU-GPU pair's ability to drive very high frame rates when graphical load is reduced.

*Q: Is the 12 GB VRAM sufficient for Ultra settings in Thief?*

A: Yes, the data shows that at 3840x2160 Ultra, the combo still delivers an average of 56 FPS, indicating no VRAM capacity issues are causing stutters or crashes, though performance drops below the 60 FPS target.

Q: How does performance scale from 1080p to 1440p at High settings?

A: The average FPS drops from 147 at 1920x1080 to 101 at 2560x1440, a 31% reduction. This scaling is typical for a GPU-bound scenario where pixel count increases by approximately 78%.

Q: What is the combo's ranking among all tested configurations?

A: This specific combination of i5-12600KF and RTX 4070 ranks 717th out of 3720 tested combos, placing it in the top 19% of all configurations tested.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-12600KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 ranks 717th out of 3720 tested combos in Thief, placing it in the top 19% of all systems. This ranking is largely driven by the GPU's strong synthetic performance, as the RTX 4070's 81st percentile standing among all GPUs significantly outweighs the CPU's 79th percentile. The data suggests that while the CPU is adequate, it is the GPU that boosts this combo into the upper echelon of tested hardware.

In terms of component balance, the i5-12600KF's average benchmark score of 27799 is within 0.3% of its nearest rivals, indicating that swapping to a comparable CPU would yield negligible FPS differences in Thief. Conversely, the RTX 4070's nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56, scores 37507, which is 0.4% lower, meaning the NVIDIA card holds a slight edge that translates into the measured frame rates. The 717th rank out of 3720 combos reflects a system that is well above average but not at the absolute top tier, which is consistent with the 4K Ultra performance hovering near 56 FPS.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers consistently high frame rates across all presets. The Low preset yields an average of 192 FPS, which is the highest measured value in the entire dataset. Medium settings produce 174 FPS average with a minimum of 148 and maximum of 200 FPS, showing a narrow band that indicates stable performance. High settings drop to 147 FPS average, while Ultra maintains a strong 140 FPS average. This resolution demonstrates that the RTX 4070 is not fully utilized, as the frame rates scale more with settings than resolution.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance remains excellent but begins to show GPU limitations. Low settings achieve 169 FPS average, a 12% reduction from 1080p. Medium settings average 132 FPS with a minimum of 113 and maximum of 152 FPS. High settings drop to 101 FPS, and Ultra falls to 96 FPS. The delta between Low and Ultra at this resolution is 73 FPS, highlighting the significant impact of graphical fidelity settings on the GPU.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is heavily taxed, and the frame rates reflect this. Low settings still manage an average of 103 FPS, but Medium drops to 78 FPS with a minimum of 66 FPS. High settings produce 59 FPS average, which is borderline for smooth gameplay, while Ultra falls to 56 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra at 4K is 47 FPS, showing that Ultra settings demand nearly 45% more GPU performance than Low. The minimum FPS recorded at 4K Medium is 66 FPS, indicating that even in demanding scenes, the combo avoids drops below the 60 FPS threshold at that preset.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured data, the optimal balance of visual quality and performance for this combo is the Medium preset at 2560x1440. This configuration delivers an average of 132 FPS with a minimum of 113 FPS, providing a smooth experience that is well above the 60 FPS target while maintaining a significant visual upgrade over Low settings. The 1440p Medium setting also avoids the performance cliff seen at 4K, where High and Ultra presets dip to 59 and 56 FPS respectively.

For users prioritizing maximum frame rates, the Low preset at 1920x1080 achieves 192 FPS, but this sacrifices visual fidelity for minimal benefit, as the Medium preset at 1440p still offers over twice the refresh rate of most monitors. At 4K, the Medium preset is the highest playable option, with a 78 FPS average and 66 FPS minimum, whereas High and Ultra fall below the 60 FPS threshold. The data strongly suggests that Ultra settings are not recommended at any resolution above 1080p, as the performance cost is substantial with no measurable benefit in the benchmark metrics provided.