Thief

The Intel Core i7-12700K and AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT pairing delivers a solid 1080p and 1440p experience in Thief, with the data showing a clear performance ceiling at 4K. The benchmark results indicate that this combination is best suited for high-refresh-rate gaming at 1920x1080, where it easily exceeds 90 FPS on High settings, and remains playable at 2560x1440 with an average of 61 FPS on Ultra. The measured frame rates show a predictable scaling pattern, with the GPU becoming the primary limiting factor as resolution increases.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 1920x1080 on Ultra settings?

A: The measured average FPS is 89 FPS, with no min or max values recorded for this specific settings configuration.

Q: How does the combo rank in Thief compared to other tested configurations?

A: The combination ranks 2383 out of 3720 tested combos, placing it in the lower-middle tier of the database for this particular game.

Q: What is the best-performing settings preset at 2560x1440?

A: The Low preset achieves the highest average FPS at 111 FPS, while the Ultra preset delivers an average of 61 FPS.

Q: What is the GPU's memory bus width and bandwidth?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT has a 128-bit memory bus and a bandwidth of 280.3 GB/s.

Q: What is the memory configuration of the GPU?

A: The GPU features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory, which is a factor in its performance at higher resolutions.

Q: What is the boost clock of the GPU?

A: The GPU has a boost clock of 2635 MHz.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo ranks 2383 out of 3720 tested combinations in Thief, which positions it in the 64th percentile of all tested setups. This ranking indicates that the i7-12700K and RX 6650 XT pair performs better than roughly 64% of the combinations in the database for this title. While the rank places it below the top quartile, it is not a poor showing, particularly given the GPU's position in the broader benchmark spectrum. The RX 6650 XT has a percentile rank of 65 among all GPUs, meaning it outperforms about 65% of the GPUs tested. The CPU, the i7-12700K, has a percentile rank of 84 among all CPUs, indicating it is a stronger component relative to the GPU. This discrepancy suggests the GPU is the more limiting factor in this pairing, as the CPU is capable of feeding frames more efficiently than the GPU can render them, especially at higher resolutions.

The ranking in Thief reflects this dynamic. The game, released in 2014, has modest hardware requirements compared to modern titles, but the data shows that the RX 6650 XT still governs the overall performance ceiling in this combination. The i7-12700K's strong single-threaded and multi-threaded scores, such as a Geekbench single-core score of 2308 and a multi-core score of 15790, show it is not the bottleneck in most scenarios. However, the game's engine is likely to be more sensitive to GPU throughput, as evidenced by the FPS drop from 1080p to 4K. The combination's rank of 2383 suggests that while it is a valid mid-range setup, it is not a top-tier performer for Thief, likely due to the GPU's 8 GB memory buffer and 128-bit bus, which can become a constraint at 4K.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data across resolutions and settings provides a clear path for the optimal experience. At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset delivers an average of 89 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. The Medium preset at 1080p offers an average of 123 FPS, with a minimum of 104 FPS and a maximum of 141 FPS, which is a strong option for competitive play. However, the Ultra preset only drops 4 FPS below the High preset (89 vs 93 FPS), so the visual uplift from Ultra may be worth the minor hit in frame rate. The Low preset at 1080p yields 162 FPS, which is the highest recorded for the entire set, but likely comes with significant visual compromises.

At 2560x1440, the High preset delivers 64 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for high-refresh monitors. The Medium preset at 1440p averages 84 FPS, with a minimum of 72 FPS, which offers a good balance between quality and performance. The Ultra preset at 1440p drops to 61 FPS, which is just at the edge of the 60 FPS threshold. For a smooth 60 FPS experience, the High preset is recommended at 1440p, as it offers a 3 FPS improvement over Ultra while maintaining higher settings. The Low preset at 1440p provides 111 FPS, which is a significant boost but comes with substantial visual sacrifices.

At 3840x2160, the performance drops off dramatically. The High preset averages 38 FPS, which is below the standard 60 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 36 FPS, which is clearly insufficient for a good experience. The Medium preset at 4K averages 49 FPS, with a minimum of 42 FPS and a maximum of 57 FPS, which is still below 60 but close. The Low preset at 4K is the only one that exceeds 60 FPS, with an average of 65 FPS. However, given the low visual quality, it is not a recommended baseline. For most users, the best overall experience is to stick to 1920x1080 on Ultra or High, or 2560x1440 on Medium or High, depending on whether they prioritize frame rate or visual fidelity.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data spans three resolutions and four settings presets, providing a comprehensive view of the combo's performance. At 1920x1080, the data shows a wide range of frame rates: the Low preset achieves an average of 162 FPS, the Medium preset averages 123 FPS with a minimum of 104 and a maximum of 141, the High preset averages 93 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 89 FPS. The delta between Low and Ultra is 73 FPS, which is a significant difference. The Medium preset's minimum of 104 FPS indicates that the frame times are stable, with only a 19 FPS drop from the average to the minimum, which is a nod to the overall stability.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 111 FPS, which is a drop of 51 FPS compared to the 1080p Low. The Medium preset averages 84 FPS, with a minimum of 72 FPS and a maximum of 97 FPS. The High preset averages 64 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 61 FPS. The delta between Medium and Ultra is 23 FPS, which is a more noticeable drop than at 1080p. The minimum FPS of 72 at Medium is still above the 60 FPS threshold, but the minimum at Ultra is not recorded, which makes it difficult to assess the stability of the Ultra preset.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 65 FPS, which is the only 4K setting that reaches 60 FPS. The Medium preset averages 49 FPS, with a minimum of 42 FPS and a maximum of 57 FPS. The High preset averages 38 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 36 FPS. The delta between Low and Ultra is 29 FPS. The minimum of 42 FPS at Medium shows that the frame time can drop below the average, but not by a huge margin. The data clearly shows that the 4K resolution is the most demanding, and the combo is not able to maintain a smooth experience at High or Ultra.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT is the primary driver of the frame rates in Thief. The GPU has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and a 128-bit bus, which gives a bandwidth of 280.3 GB/s. This memory configuration is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p, but the 8 GB capacity is a limiting factor at 4K, where the higher memory usage can lead to a drop in performance. The GPU's boost clock is 2635 MHz, with a base clock of 2055 MHz and a game clock of 2410 MHz. The high boost clock helps with the frame rate in single-threaded workloads, but the GPU's overall rendering capacity is still the bottleneck in 4K.

The GPU's compute power is 10.79 TFLOPS, with a pixel rate of 168.6 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 337.3 GTexel/s. These figures indicate that the GPU is designed for mid-range gaming, and the data shows that it can handle Thief at high settings up to 1440p, but struggles at 4K. The GPU's benchmark scores, such as a PassMark G3D score of 17166, reflect a mid-range performance level. The GPU also has a percentile rank of 65, meaning it outperforms 65% of GPUs, which confirms its position as a mid-range part.

In Thief, the GPU's role is to handle the pixel and texture work, and the data shows that the 8 GB memory buffer is a key constraint. At 1080p, the GPU can maintain 89 FPS at Ultra, which is a high frame rate. At 1440p, the Ultra preset averages 61 FPS, which is close to the 60 FPS threshold, indicating that the GPU is working hard. At 4K, the GPU's memory bandwidth and capacity become a serious limit, with the Ultra preset only achieving 36 FPS. The GPU's 128-bit bus width is also a factor, as it limits the amount of data that can be transferred, which is more pronounced at higher resolutions.

The GPU's nearest rivals in the benchmark database include the NVIDIA Tesla K40m with an average score of 19885, and the AMD FirePro D300 with a score of 19637. The RX 6650 XT has an average benchmark score of 19765, which is within 1% of these rivals. This shows that the GPU's performance is in line with other mid-range parts, but in a game like *Thief, the GPU's memory and bus width are more important than raw compute power.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-12700K is a 12-core, 20-thread processor with a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. It has a 25 MB L3 cache and supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory. The CPU's benchmark scores are strong, with a Geekbench multi-core score of 15790 and a single-core score of 2308. In a game like *Thief, which is not heavily threaded, the single-thread performance is more critical, and the CPU's boost clock of 5.00 GHz is a key factor. The CPU also has a PassMark single-thread score of 4013, which indicates it can handle the game's main logic and physics.

The CPU's role in Thief is to feed frames to the GPU, and the data shows that it is not a bottleneck in most cases. At 1080p, the CPU can push enough frames to allow the GPU to reach 162 FPS on Low settings, which is far beyond the GPU's capability. At 4K, the CPU is still capable, as the FPS drop is more likely due to the GPU's rendering limits. The CPU has a percentile rank of 84, which means it outperforms 84% of CPUs, and its nearest rivals include the Core i5-13600T and the Core i7-13700T, with scores within 1% of the i7-12700K.

The CPU's 12 cores and 20 threads are more than enough for Thief, which is a 2014 title. The game's engine is not optimized for high thread counts, so the CPU's single-thread performance is the most important. The boost clock of 5.00 GHz ensures that the CPU can keep up with the GPU's frame rate, and the data shows that at 1080p, the CPU is not the limiting factor. The CPU's 25 MB L3 cache helps to reduce latency in single-threaded tasks, which is a plus. Overall, the CPU is a strong performer, but the GPU's limitations at 4K are the main constraint for this combo.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS data shows a clear scaling trend from 1080p to 4K. At 1080p, the average FPS across all presets is 116.75 FPS, with the Low preset at 162 FPS and the Ultra preset at 89 FPS. At 1440p, the average drops to 82.5 FPS, and at 4K, the average drops to 47 FPS. This represents a 63% drop from 1080p to 4K, which is a steep decline. The drop is not linear, but the data shows that the GPU is the primary limiting factor at 4K.

The FPS drop from 1080p to 1440p is around 30%, while the drop from 1440p to 4K is around 46%. This indicates that the GPU is struggling at higher resolutions, and the 8 GB memory buffer and 128-bit bus width become more important as the pixel count increases. The CPU's role in this scaling is minimal, as it can handle the frame rate at both 1080p and 4K, but the GPU's rendering capability is the bottleneck. The data shows that the ratio of FPS at 4K to 1080p is 0.44, which is a significant drop. This is a clear indication that the combo is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, not 4K.

The scaling from Low to Ultra at each resolution also provides insight. At 1080p, the delta between Low and Ultra is 73 FPS, which is a 45% drop. At 1440p, the delta is 50 FPS, a 45% drop. At 4K, the delta is 29 FPS, a 44% drop. This consistency of the settings preset has a similar relative impact across resolutions, but the absolute FPS decreases, making the GPU the more dominant factor. The data suggests that lowering settings does not fully compensate for the resolution increase, as the GPU's memory and bandwidth are the main constraints. For a smooth 60 FPS experience, the user is best served by 1080p High or Medium, or 1440p Medium or Low, but the 4K resolution is not a viable option for this combo.