Thief

The Intel Core i7-12700K and AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT combination delivers a robust experience in Thief, a 2014 stealth title that responds well to both modern CPU headroom and high-bandwidth graphics memory. The measured frame rates show a system that is clearly GPU-limited at higher resolutions but retains enough CPU strength to push very high frame rates at 1080p. This analysis breaks down the performance data, component roles, and scaling behavior for this specific pairing.

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

The Intel Core i7-12700K is a 12-core, 20-thread processor based on the Alder Lake architecture, with a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. It draws 125 W TDP and uses the Intel Socket 1700. The CPU’s benchmark profile shows strong multi-threaded capability: it scores 9,276 in 3DMark 16-thread, 9,979 in 3DMark max-threads, and 29,241 in Cinebench R23 multi-core. Single-thread performance is equally solid, with a 3DMark single-thread score of 1,043 and a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4,128. The processor’s 25 MB shared L3 cache and dual-channel memory support for both DDR4 and DDR5 further contribute to its ability to feed data quickly to the GPU.

In Thief, the CPU’s role is most evident at 1080p and lower settings, where frame rates are exceptionally high. The data shows that at 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo achieves 199.4 FPS, and at Medium settings it reaches 173.4 FPS. These figures suggest that the i7-12700K has ample headroom to avoid bottlenecking the GPU in a 2014 title, even with its high boost clocks and modern architecture. The CPU’s percentile rank of 89 among all processors places it well above the median, and its average benchmark score of 35,684 is essentially on par with its nearest rivals. For example, it trails the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845 by only -0.3% (35,802 vs. 35,684) and the Intel Core i5-14500HX by -0.7%, while leading the Intel Core i7-13700T by 0.6% and the Intel Core i7-13800H by 0.8%. This indicates that the CPU is not a limiting factor in this game; instead, it provides consistent, high-level performance across all tested settings.

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

The AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT is built on the RDNA 3.0 architecture with the Navi 32 chip, fabricated on a 5 nm process. It features 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 624.1 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU’s boost clock is 2430 MHz, with a game clock of 2124 MHz and a base clock of 1295 MHz. Its 3840 shading units and 96 ROPs contribute to a pixel rate of 233.3 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 583.2 GTexel/s. The card’s average benchmark score is 32,619, placing it at the 76th percentile among all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the AMD FirePro S9300 X2, scores 32,540, a delta of 0.2% in favor of the RX 7800 XT, while the NVIDIA P104-100 is 0.4% ahead and the NVIDIA T600 Mobile is 0.7% ahead.

In Thief, the GPU’s 16 GB VRAM is more than sufficient for the game’s textures, even at 4K Ultra settings. The measured FPS at 3840x2160 shows a clear scaling pattern: 94.1 FPS at Low, 67.4 FPS at Medium, 55.4 FPS at High, and 48.4 FPS at Ultra. This drop from Low to Ultra (a 45.7 FPS difference) demonstrates that the GPU is the primary performance driver at 4K, with each step in settings increasing the rendering load. At 2560x1440, the same trend holds but with higher absolute numbers: 153.5 FPS at Low, 116.8 FPS at Medium, 93.1 FPS at High, and 87.7 FPS at Ultra. The RX 7800 XT’s high memory bandwidth and fast clocks ensure that even at Ultra settings, the frame rate remains playable. The GPU’s performance relative to its peers suggests it is well-matched to the CPU, with neither component significantly dragging down the other in this title.

FAQ

*Q: What is the highest average FPS recorded for this combo in Thief?*

A: The highest average FPS is 199.4, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rival in average benchmark score?

A: The Intel Core i7-12700K scores 35,684, which is 0.3% lower than the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845 (35,802) and 0.6% higher than the Intel Core i7-13700T (35,468).

Q: What is the lowest average FPS recorded, and at which settings?

A: The lowest average FPS is 48.4, recorded at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings.

Q: Does the GPU have more or less memory bandwidth than its closest rival?

A: The RX 7800 XT has 624.1 GB/s of memory bandwidth, but the fact pack does not list the bandwidth of its nearest rivals for comparison.

Q: At which resolution does the FPS drop below 60 at High settings?

A: At 3840x2160 with High settings, the average FPS is 55.4, which is below 60. At 2560x1440 High, it is 93.1, and at 1920x1080 High, it is 134.5.

Q: What is the combo’s rank among all tested combos in this game?

A: The combo ranks 459 out of 1,642 tested combos in Thief.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i7-12700K + AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT ranks 459 out of 1,642 tested combos in Thief, placing it in the 72nd percentile of all combinations. This is a strong showing, though not at the very top tier. The rank reflects the balance between the CPU’s high multi-threaded scores (e.g., 12,281 in Cinebench R20 multi-core) and the GPU’s solid but not elite performance (76th percentile among GPUs). The fact that the combo sits in the top 28% of all tested systems suggests that it is well-suited for this game, but there is headroom for higher-end GPUs to push frame rates further, especially at 4K Ultra where the RX 7800 XT averages 48.4 FPS. The CPU’s percentile rank of 89 is higher than the GPU’s 76, indicating that the processor is relatively stronger compared to its peers than the graphics card is. This asymmetry explains why the combo performs better at lower resolutions where the CPU can drive higher frame rates, but the GPU becomes the bottleneck at 4K.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K shows a clear pattern of GPU limitation as resolution increases. At 1920x1080, the combo averages 134.5 FPS at High settings, which drops to 93.1 FPS at 2560x1440 (-30.8%) and further to 55.4 FPS at 3840x2160 (-58.8%). This steep decline indicates that the RX 7800 XT is the limiting component at higher resolutions, as the CPU’s performance headroom is not fully utilized beyond 1080p. The scaling is even more pronounced at Ultra settings: 128.5 FPS at 1080p, 87.7 FPS at 1440p (-31.8%), and 48.4 FPS at 4K (-62.3%). The gap between Low and Ultra settings widens with resolution, from a 70.9 FPS difference at 1080p (199.4 vs. 128.5) to a 45.7 FPS difference at 4K (94.1 vs. 48.4). This suggests that at lower resolutions, the CPU can still push high frame rates even with demanding settings, but at 4K, the GPU’s rendering load dominates, and the performance gap narrows in absolute terms. The data confirms that for a smooth 60 FPS experience at 4K, the user would need to lower settings to Medium (67.4 FPS) or Low (94.1 FPS), while at 1440p, all settings except Ultra remain above 90 FPS.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a detailed view of performance across three resolutions and four settings levels. At 1920x1080, the combo achieves 199.4 FPS at Low, 173.4 FPS at Medium, 134.5 FPS at High, and 128.5 FPS at Ultra. The step from High to Ultra is relatively small (6 FPS), suggesting diminishing returns from the highest settings at this resolution. At 2560x1440, the numbers are 153.5 FPS (Low), 116.8 FPS (Medium), 93.1 FPS (High), and 87.7 FPS (Ultra). The drop from Medium to High is 23.7 FPS, which is more significant than at 1080p, indicating a higher GPU load. At 3840x2160, the performance is 94.1 FPS (Low), 67.4 FPS (Medium), 55.4 FPS (High), and 48.4 FPS (Ultra). The difference between Low and Ultra at 4K is 45.7 FPS, showing that the GPU is heavily taxed by the highest settings. Across all resolutions, the Low setting consistently provides the highest frame rates, while Ultra provides the lowest, with Medium and High falling in between. The data also shows that the gap between 1080p and 1440p is larger than the gap between 1440p and 4K in percentage terms, which is typical for GPU-bound scenarios. For example, at High settings, the drop from 1080p to 1440p is 41.4 FPS (134.5 to 93.1), while the drop from 1440p to 4K is 37.7 FPS (93.1 to 55.4). This pattern confirms that the RX 7800 XT is the primary determinant of frame rates at higher resolutions, with the i7-12700K providing sufficient CPU performance to avoid bottlenecks even at the lowest tested resolution.