Thief

The Intel Core i7-12700K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER delivers a wide performance envelope in Thief, scaling from a highly playable 91.4 FPS at 1080p Ultra to a demanding 41 FPS at 4K Ultra. The measured data shows that resolution is the primary lever on performance, with the gap between Low and Ultra settings widening significantly as pixel count increases. At 1080p, the gap between Low and Ultra is 80.2 FPS, while at 4K that same spread compresses to 28.7 FPS, indicating that the GPU becomes the limiting factor as resolution climbs. This combo ranks 964 out of 1642 tested configurations, placing it in the upper-middle tier of the database for this title.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate trajectory from 1080p to 4K reveals a classic GPU-bound scaling pattern. At 1080p Low, the system produces 171.6 FPS, which drops to 118.6 FPS at 1440p Low—a reduction of 53 FPS—and then falls further to 69.7 FPS at 4K Low. The percentage drop from 1080p to 1440p at Low settings is approximately 31%, while the drop from 1440p to 4K at Low settings is approximately 41%. This accelerating decline with resolution indicates that the RTX 2070 SUPER’s compute and memory bandwidth are being saturated as the pixel workload grows.

Looking at High settings, the scaling is steeper. The system delivers 96.8 FPS at 1080p, 68.1 FPS at 1440p, and 40.2 FPS at 4K. The transition from 1080p to 1440p at High costs 28.7 FPS, while moving from 1440p to 4K costs another 27.9 FPS. The fact that the absolute FPS loss between consecutive resolution steps remains similar (around 28 FPS) while the percentage loss grows suggests that the GPU is approaching its rendering ceiling. At 4K High, the 40.2 FPS result is below the 60 FPS threshold typically considered smooth, so users targeting 4K will need to compromise on settings.

Ultra settings follow the same trend but start from a lower baseline. At 1080p Ultra, the combo hits 91.4 FPS, which is only 5.4 FPS lower than High at the same resolution. However, at 1440p Ultra, the score drops to 68.1 FPS—identical to High at that resolution—and at 4K Ultra, it reaches 41 FPS, just 0.8 FPS higher than High at 4K. This convergence at higher resolutions suggests that the Ultra preset’s additional effects are largely lost once the GPU is starved for pixel throughput. The data indicates that for resolutions above 1440p, the difference between High and Ultra becomes negligible in practice.

Settings Recommendations

The measured rows show that the Medium preset offers the most balanced experience across all resolutions. At 1080p Medium, the system produces 129.3 FPS, which is 33.5 FPS higher than High and 42.3 FPS higher than Ultra. This headroom allows for smooth gameplay on high-refresh displays without the visual penalty of Low settings. At 1440p Medium, the score is 90.9 FPS, comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold, making this the recommended pairing for 1440p monitors.

For 4K, the choice is between Low and Medium. The Low preset at 4K delivers 69.7 FPS, which is the only 4K setting in the dataset that exceeds 60 FPS. Medium at 4K drops to 51.4 FPS, and High/Ultra fall to the low 40s. Given that Thief is a stealth game where visual fidelity matters for immersion, the Medium preset at 4K offers a playable 51.4 FPS, but users prioritizing frame rate consistency should select Low. The High preset at 1080p provides 96.8 FPS and is a strong choice for users who want a balance of quality and speed, as it sits within 5.4 FPS of Ultra while likely reducing some costly effects.

The data suggests that the Ultra preset is rarely worth its performance cost. At 1080p, Ultra is only 5.4 FPS slower than High, but at 1440p and 4K, the difference shrinks to 0 FPS and 0.8 FPS respectively. This indicates that Ultra’s extra settings are not effectively utilizing the GPU’s resources at higher resolutions, making High the more efficient choice for visual quality per frame. For users with 1440p displays, Medium at 90.9 FPS is the recommended starting point, with High available for those who prefer sharper textures at 68.1 FPS.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU’s base clock is 1605 MHz with a boost clock of 1770 MHz, and it houses 2560 shading units, 160 texture mapping units, and 64 ROPs. These specifications place the card at the 65th percentile among all GPUs in the database, with an average benchmark score of 22206. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA RTX A400, which scores 22307 (0.5% higher), and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN Z at 22006 (0.9% lower), showing that the 2070 SUPER sits in a tightly contested performance band.

In Thief specifically, the GPU’s memory bandwidth appears to be a critical factor. The transition from 1080p to 4K at Low settings costs 101.9 FPS, which aligns with the increased memory pressure from higher resolution textures. The 8 GB frame buffer is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p across all settings, as evidenced by the smooth scaling from Low to Ultra at those resolutions. At 4K, the Ultra preset’s 41 FPS result suggests that the GPU is hitting both compute and memory limits, as the 448.0 GB/s bandwidth is strained by the larger framebuffer demands.

The GPU’s FP32 throughput is 9.062 TFLOPS, and its texture rate is 283.2 GTexel/s. These figures contribute to the card’s strong 1080p performance, where it achieves 171.6 FPS at Low settings. However, the measured data shows that the GPU’s advantage diminishes at higher resolutions, with the 4K Ultra score of 41 FPS representing only a 24% of the 1080p Low score. This nonlinear scaling is typical of a mid-range card from the GeForce 20-series era, where the TU104 chip’s 13,600 million transistors are sufficient for 1080p but overwhelmed by 4K workloads.

FAQ

Q: What is the average frame rate for this combo at 1440p High settings?

A: The measured average FPS at 2560x1440 with High settings is 68.1 FPS, which is identical to the 1440p Ultra score of 68.1 FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 2070 SUPER compare to its nearest rival in raw GPU benchmarks?

A: The GPU’s average benchmark score is 22206, while the NVIDIA RTX A400 scores 22307, representing a 0.5% difference. The AMD Radeon RX 5700 scores 21670, which is 2.5% lower.

Q: What is the best setting for 4K gaming with this hardware?

A: The Low preset at 4K delivers 69.7 FPS, which is the only 4K setting above 60 FPS. Medium at 4K produces 51.4 FPS, while High and Ultra fall to 40.2 and 41 FPS respectively.

Q: Does the Ultra preset provide a meaningful frame rate advantage over High at any resolution?

A: At 1080p, Ultra is 5.4 FPS slower than High. At 1440p and 4K, the difference is 0 FPS and 0.8 FPS respectively, indicating that Ultra offers no performance benefit at higher resolutions.

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

A: The i7-12700K scores 4128 in Cinebench R23 single-core and 29241 in multi-core. Its Passmark single-thread score is 4013, while the multithread score is 34404.

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

A: This combo ranks 964 out of 1642 tested combos, placing it in the 59th percentile of the database for this game.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i7-12700K + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER combination ranks 964 out of 1642 tested combos in Thief, placing it in the upper-middle portion of the database. This rank reflects the GPU’s 65th percentile standing among all GPUs and the CPU’s 89th percentile among all CPUs. The combo’s performance is limited by the GPU at higher resolutions, as evidenced by the 4K Ultra score of 41 FPS, but the CPU’s strong multi-threaded capabilities ensure that 1080p performance is not CPU-bound.

Compared to other combos, this configuration sits above the median but below top-tier systems. The 964th rank out of 1642 means that roughly 58% of tested combos perform better in Thief, which aligns with the RTX 2070 SUPER’s mid-range positioning in 2025. The combo’s 1080p High score of 96.8 FPS is competitive with modern mid-range cards, but its 4K Ultra score of 41 FPS falls short of the 60 FPS target that many newer GPUs achieve. The data suggests that this combo is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, where it delivers 90+ FPS at Medium settings or higher.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-12700K provides 12 cores and 20 threads, with a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. Its cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 1.25 MB of L2 per core, and 25 MB of shared L3 cache. The CPU’s benchmark results show strong single-thread performance, with a Geekbench single-core score of 2561 and a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4128. These figures place the CPU at the 89th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 35684.

In Thief, the CPU’s role is most evident at 1080p Low settings, where the system achieves 171.6 FPS. This high frame rate suggests that the CPU can feed the GPU sufficiently at lower resolutions, as the GPU is not yet the bottleneck. The CPU’s multi-threaded performance, measured at 34404 in Passmark multithread and 29241 in Cinebench R23 multi-core, provides ample headroom for the game’s AI and physics calculations. The nearest CPU rivals include the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845, which scores 35802 (0.3% higher), and the Intel Core i7-13700T at 35468 (0.6% lower), indicating that the i7-12700K sits in a tight performance cluster.

The CPU’s 5.00 GHz boost clock is likely the key factor in maintaining high frame rates at 1080p, where the game’s single-threaded code can take advantage of the high frequency. At 1440p and 4K, the CPU’s contribution diminishes as the GPU becomes the limiting factor, with 4K Low at 69.7 FPS still exceeding the 60 FPS threshold. The data shows that the i7-12700K is more than capable for Thief, with its 12 cores and 20 threads providing sufficient parallel processing power for the game’s stealth mechanics and crowd simulations.