Thief

# Thief with Intel Core i5-12600KF + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER

The Intel Core i5-12600KF paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER delivers a commanding performance in Thief, with the data showing this combination ranks in the top 10.5% (389th of 3,720 tested combos) of all systems benchmarked in this title. The measured frame rates demonstrate that this pairing is overwhelmingly GPU-bound at higher resolutions, while the CPU's strong multi-core and single-core capabilities ensure that even at 1080p, the system maintains triple-digit frame rates across all settings. This is a configuration that excels at delivering smooth, high-refresh-rate stealth gameplay, though the performance scaling from 4K to 1080p reveals where each component's contribution begins and ends.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling across resolutions tells a clear story about system balance. At 1080p with High settings, the combo produces 157 FPS; moving to 1440p drops that to 119 FPS (a 24.2% reduction), and 4K further reduces it to 70 FPS (a 55.4% reduction from 1080p). This steep decline indicates that the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER is the primary limiting factor as pixel count increases, with the CPU providing ample headroom at lower resolutions.

The gap between Low and Ultra settings widens dramatically with resolution. At 1080p, Low yields 192 FPS while Ultra produces 155 FPS — a 37 FPS spread. At 1440p, that spread grows to 56 FPS (169 vs. 113). At 4K, the spread becomes 54 FPS (121 vs. 67). This pattern suggests that at higher resolutions, both GPU compute and memory bandwidth become increasingly taxed, compressing the absolute FPS ceiling while still allowing significant settings-driven variation.

The 4K Medium result of 92 FPS (with a minimum of 78 and maximum of 106) sits notably closer to the High result of 70 FPS than to Low's 121 FPS, indicating that the transition from Medium to High at 4K carries a disproportionately large performance penalty. Conversely, at 1080p, the jump from Medium (174 FPS) to High (157 FPS) is relatively modest, while Low (192 FPS) to Medium (174 FPS) shows a similar step. This nonlinear scaling at 4K points to the GPU approaching its bandwidth or shading limits when quality settings escalate.

The data indicates that for 1440p and below, this system is well-suited for high-refresh-rate displays, as even Ultra settings maintain 113 FPS at 1440p. At 4K, the system remains playable but falls below the 120 FPS threshold that high-refresh 4K monitors would demand, with Ultra dipping to 67 FPS.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12600KF brings a 10-core, 16-thread configuration based on Alder Lake architecture, with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and boost clock of 4.90 GHz. Its benchmark scores show a balanced profile: Geekbench multi-core of 12,137 and single-core of 2,157, with Cinebench R23 multi-core at 23,391 and single-core at 3,302. The 3DMark single-thread score of 1,016 and 16-thread score of 7,956 illustrate that this CPU scales well with thread count, but its single-thread performance is what matters most for a 2014 stealth title like Thief, which historically relies on fewer, faster cores.

The CPU's percentile ranking of 79th among all processors, with an average benchmark score of 27,799, places it in capable company. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i9-10900K (average score 27,872, delta -0.3%) and AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D (average score 27,896, delta -0.3%), meaning the i5-12600KF is essentially performance-equivalent to those higher-tier or gaming-optimized parts in general compute. This parity suggests that the CPU is not a bottleneck in Thief, where the frame rate data shows 1080p Low achieving 192 FPS — a figure that would stress many CPUs but is handled comfortably here.

The L3 cache of 20 MB shared across the chip, combined with the 1.25 MB per-core L2 cache, provides adequate data locality for game workloads. The 125W TDP and unlocked multiplier indicate this is a part designed for enthusiast overclocking, though the measured results already show strong out-of-the-box performance. In this game, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU efficiently; the 1080p results, where CPU overhead is highest relative to GPU load, demonstrate that the i5-12600KF has more than enough throughput to keep the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER occupied.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER is the dominant component in this pairing for Thief, particularly as resolution increases. With 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus delivering 672.3 GB/s of bandwidth, the card has ample memory capacity for any texture load this 2014 title can present. The 8,448 shading units, 264 TMUs, and 96 ROPs provide substantial raw rasterization power, while the boost clock of 2610 MHz ensures high throughput per clock cycle.

The GPU's benchmark profile shows a Passmark G3D score of 31,811 and a Geekbench OpenCL score of 199,267, placing it in the 76th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA TITAN RTX (average score 31,676, delta -1.9%) and NVIDIA RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell (average score 31,532, delta -1.4%), indicating the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER outperforms these older or workstation-oriented cards. The 44.10 TFLOPS of FP32 compute and 689.0 GTexel/s texture rate are more than sufficient for a game from 2014, which is why even at 4K Ultra the system maintains 67 FPS.

The GPU's memory bandwidth of 672.3 GB/s becomes increasingly relevant at 4K, where the difference between Medium (92 FPS) and High (70 FPS) suggests that memory subsystem pressure grows with settings. The 16 GB VRAM capacity is far beyond what Thief requires, eliminating any possibility of VRAM-related stuttering or texture pop-in. The card's Ada Lovelace architecture, built on a 5 nm process at TSMC with 45,900 million transistors, provides efficiency that allows sustained high clock operation, as evidenced by the consistent FPS numbers across all measured scenarios.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its highest frame rates across all settings. Low settings produce 192 FPS, Medium yields 174 FPS with a minimum of 148 and maximum of 200, High reaches 157 FPS, and Ultra achieves 155 FPS. The narrow gap between High and Ultra (just 2 FPS) suggests that Ultra's additional graphical features are nearly free at this resolution, while the jump from Low to Medium costs 18 FPS — a more substantial step that likely reflects increased shadow and post-processing workloads.

At 2560x1440, the performance remains strong but shows more separation between settings. Low produces 169 FPS, Medium delivers 153 FPS with a range of 130 to 176, High hits 119 FPS, and Ultra drops to 113 FPS. The Medium to High transition here costs 34 FPS, a significant penalty that indicates the GPU is beginning to feel the resolution increase. The Ultra result of 113 FPS still clears the 100 FPS mark, making 1440p Ultra a viable option for high-refresh gaming.

At 3840x2160, the system's limits become apparent. Low achieves 121 FPS, Medium manages 92 FPS with a minimum of 78 and maximum of 106, High falls to 70 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 67 FPS. The Medium result shows a wide FPS variance (28 FPS spread), suggesting that certain scenes or effects cause sporadic load spikes at this resolution. The High to Ultra delta of just 3 FPS indicates that Ultra's marginal features impose minimal additional cost at 4K, whereas the Medium to High step of 22 FPS represents the largest single settings penalty in any resolution.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of Intel Core i5-12600KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER ranks 389th out of 3,720 tested combos in Thief, placing it in the top 10.5% of all systems. This ranking reflects a well-balanced pairing where neither component dramatically bottlenecks the other, though the data suggests the GPU is the more influential factor in this title's performance envelope.

Given that the CPU's nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D, a processor specifically optimized for gaming cache, and the Intel Core i9-10900K with higher core counts, the i5-12600KF's parity with those parts in average benchmark scores indicates that Thief does not heavily tax the CPU. The GPU's nearest rival, the NVIDIA TITAN RTX, is a previous-generation flagship, and the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER's slight edge over that card in average scores aligns with the measured FPS results, which show strong performance even at 4K.

The ranking of 389th out of 3,720 is notable because it places this combo ahead of the vast majority of systems, which likely include older or lower-tier hardware. The fact that this combo achieves 155 FPS at 1080p Ultra and 67 FPS at 4K Ultra demonstrates that it can handle both competitive and cinematic playstyles, making it a versatile choice for Thief players regardless of their preferred resolution or settings.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Thief at 4K with maximum settings?

A: Yes, but just barely at playable levels. The 4K Ultra result is 67 FPS average, which is above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay, though it lacks the headroom for high-refresh 4K displays. High settings at 4K produce 70 FPS, while Medium achieves 92 FPS.

Q: What is the best resolution for high-refresh-rate gaming with this setup?

A: At 1440p, the system delivers 113 FPS on Ultra and 119 FPS on High, making it suitable for 120Hz or 144Hz monitors. At 1080p, all settings exceed 155 FPS, with Low reaching 192 FPS, so 1080p is ideal for 165Hz or higher refresh displays.

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

A: The Intel Core i5-12600KF has an average benchmark score of 27,799, which is within 0.3% of the Intel Core i9-10900K (27,872) and AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D (27,896). It slightly outperforms the AMD Ryzen 5 8500GE (27,712) by 0.3%.

Q: Is the GPU's 16 GB VRAM necessary for Thief?

A: No, the 16 GB capacity far exceeds what a 2014 title requires. However, the high memory bandwidth of 672.3 GB/s helps maintain frame rates at 4K, where the data shows a 22 FPS drop from Medium to High settings, indicating memory subsystem sensitivity at higher resolutions.

Q: What FPS can be expected at 1080p with Medium settings?

A: The measured average is 174 FPS, with a minimum of 148 FPS and maximum of 200 FPS. This provides a wide margin above typical 144Hz refresh rates, ensuring consistent smoothness even during demanding scenes.

Q: How does this combo's ranking compare to other tested systems?

A: It ranks 389th out of 3,720 combos, placing it in the top 10.5%. This indicates superior performance relative to the majority of systems tested, with the GPU's 76th percentile ranking and CPU's 79th percentile ranking both contributing to the high overall placement.