Thief

Intel Core i7-12700KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 in Thief shows a system that is overwhelmingly GPU-bound at higher resolutions, but with enough CPU headroom to push very high frame rates at 1080p. The combination ranks in the 50th percentile of tested configurations, with the data indicating that the RTX 4060 is the primary constraint on performance, particularly at 4K Ultra settings.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and clearly demonstrates the GPU's workload scaling. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 107 FPS at 1920x1080 to 73 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of 34 FPS, and then further down to 43 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 59.8% decrease in average FPS from 1080p to 4K, which is a significant penalty that points directly at the graphics card as the limiting factor.

The pattern is consistent across all settings presets. At Low settings, the system achieves 184 FPS at 1080p, which drops to 126 FPS at 1440p and then to 74 FPS at 4K. This is a 59.8% drop from 1080p to 4K, identical to the High setting percentage, which strongly suggests that the scaling is purely resolution-driven and not dependent on the visual complexity of the preset. At Medium settings, the average FPS goes from 140 at 1080p to 96 at 1440p and finally to 56 at 4K. The Ultra preset shows the same trend, with 101 FPS at 1080p, 70 FPS at 1440p, and 41 FPS at 4K.

The data indicates that the gap between 1440p and 4K is larger than the gap between 1080p and 1440p. For example, at High settings, moving from 1080p to 1440p costs 34 FPS, while moving from 1440p to 4K costs an additional 30 FPS, but the relative percentage drop is similar. At Ultra settings, the 1440p to 4K transition results in a 41.4% performance loss, whereas the 1080p to 1440p transition results in a 30.7% loss. This escalating penalty at higher resolutions is a classic sign of the GPU hitting its memory bandwidth or fill rate limits, which is consistent with the RTX 4060's 128-bit memory bus and 272.0 GB/s bandwidth.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060, with its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, is clearly the bottleneck in this configuration. At 4K Ultra, the system averages just 41 FPS, which is below the threshold for smooth gameplay on many displays. The card's boost clock of 2460 MHz and base clock of 1830 MHz are not sufficient to overcome the pixel throughput demands of 3840x2160 resolution, as evidenced by the steep performance cliff from 1440p to 4K.

The GPU's memory configuration is a key factor. With 8 GB of VRAM and a bandwidth of 272.0 GB/s, the card is likely struggling with the texture and geometry data required at higher resolutions. The fact that the frame rate at 4K Low (74 FPS) is significantly higher than at 4K Ultra (41 FPS) suggests that reducing the memory pressure and shading load has a dramatic effect, further confirming that the GPU is the limiting component rather than the CPU. The RTX 4060's 15.11 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 118.1 GPixel/s pixel rate are simply not enough to maintain high frame rates at 4K with maxed-out settings.

Data from the GPU's benchmarks shows it sits at the 61st percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 17639. Its nearest rivals in terms of average score include the AMD Radeon HD 7790 and AMD Radeon 780M, which are within 0.3% to 0.5% of its score. This context shows that while the RTX 4060 is a modern card, its raw compute power is not exceptionally high, which aligns with the observed performance in Thief where it struggles to maintain 60 FPS at 4K with higher presets.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-12700KF plays a supporting role in this game, providing more than enough processing power to avoid becoming the bottleneck. With 12 cores and 20 threads, this CPU is vastly over-provisioned for a title like Thief from 2014. The CPU's boost clock of 5.00 GHz and base clock of 3.60 GHz ensure that single-threaded performance is excellent, which is crucial for game logic and physics. The fact that the system can hit 184 FPS at 1080p Low settings shows that the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU with enough frames to saturate its output, as this high frame rate is likely not limited by the processor.

The CPU's benchmark scores confirm its strength. It achieves a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 28838 and a single-core score of 4071, placing it at the 85th percentile of all CPUs. Its average benchmark score is 35365, which is nearly identical to its nearest rivals, including the Intel Core i7-13700T (35403) and Intel Core i5-13600T (35305), with deltas of -0.1% and 0.2% respectively. In Thief, the CPU's role is to maintain a stable frame delivery pipeline, and the data shows that it does so effectively, as the performance scaling with resolution is consistent and predictable, with no signs of CPU-induced stutters or frame rate plateaus that would indicate a processor limitation.

At 1080p Medium, the system achieves 140 FPS with a minimum of 119 FPS, which shows that the CPU can handle the frame pacing even when the GPU is producing a high number of frames. The CPU's 25 MB of shared L3 cache and 1.25 MB per-core L2 cache likely help in reducing memory latency, which is beneficial for game data access. The processor's support for DDR4 and DDR5 memory also gives it flexibility, though the specific memory configuration is not detailed in this data. Overall, the CPU is not a limiting factor in this game, and its high-end specifications are more than adequate for the demands of Thief.

FAQ

Q: What is the average frame rate at 1080p with Ultra settings?

A: The system achieves an average of 101 FPS at 1920x1080 with Ultra settings, which is higher than the 4K Ultra result of 41 FPS.

Q: Is the system capable of 60 FPS at 4K resolution?

A: No, the data shows that at 3840x2160, the system can only reach 56 FPS on Medium settings and 43 FPS on High settings. It cannot hit 60 FPS at any preset at 4K.

Q: How does the CPU's performance compare to its closest rivals?

A: The Core i7-12700KF has an average benchmark score of 35365. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core i7-13700T, scores 35403, which is a delta of -0.1%, meaning the 12700KF is essentially tied with it in synthetic tests.

Q: What is the difference in frame rate between Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset delivers 126 FPS, while the Ultra preset delivers 70 FPS. This represents a significant 44.4% performance drop when moving to the highest visual quality settings.

Q: Does the GPU's benchmark percentile reflect its in-game performance?

A: The GPU is at the 61st percentile of all GPUs, with an average score of 17639. In Thief, its performance is strong at 1080p but struggles at 4K, which is consistent with a mid-range card that is not designed for extreme resolutions.

Q: What is the minimum frame rate recorded at 1080p Medium settings?

A: The minimum FPS at 1920x1080 with Medium settings is 119 FPS, with a maximum of 161 FPS, indicating smooth performance without major frame drops.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i7-12700KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 ranks 1862 out of 3720 tested combos in Thief. This places it in the 50th percentile of all configurations, meaning it performs better than half of the tested systems but worse than the other half. This rank is a reflection of the GPU's limitations at higher resolutions, as the CPU is a high-end part that would not typically be paired with a mid-range GPU in a performance ranking.

The ranking suggests that while this combo is adequate for 1080p and 1440p gaming, it is not a top-tier performer for 4K. The CPU's 85th percentile ranking among all CPUs is significantly higher than the GPU's 61st percentile, indicating a mismatch in performance tiers. The data shows that the combo is well-balanced at 1080p, where the GPU can be fully utilized, but at 4K, the GPU becomes the clear bottleneck, dragging the overall rank down. The 50th percentile rank is a direct result of the GPU's inability to maintain high frame rates at 4K Ultra, where it averages just 41 FPS.

Compared to other combos, this system is in the middle of the pack. The rank of 1862 out of 3720 is a strong indicator that for users targeting 1080p or 1440p with high refresh rates, this combo is suitable. However, for those expecting 4K performance, the data suggests that the RTX 4060 is not sufficient, and the overall ranking reflects this weakness. The fact that the CPU is overkill for the GPU's capabilities is a key takeaway, as a less powerful CPU could achieve similar frame rates in this game without affecting the overall performance.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its best performance. With Low settings, the average frame rate is 184 FPS, which drops to 140 FPS on Medium settings. The High preset yields 107 FPS, and the Ultra preset produces 101 FPS. The Medium preset also records a minimum of 119 FPS and a maximum of 161 FPS, showing a tight frame pacing window. These results indicate that the system is well-suited for high-refresh-rate 1080p monitors, as even the Ultra preset stays above 100 FPS.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance drops but remains playable. Low settings average 126 FPS, while Medium settings average 96 FPS with a minimum of 82 FPS and a maximum of 110 FPS. High settings achieve 73 FPS, and Ultra settings drop to 70 FPS. The 1440p results show that the system can handle the resolution well, with all presets except Ultra maintaining over 70 FPS. The Ultra preset at 70 FPS is borderline for smooth gameplay, but it is still within acceptable range for many users.

At 3840x2160, the system struggles to maintain high frame rates. Low settings average 74 FPS, which is the only preset that comes close to 60 FPS. Medium settings drop to 56 FPS, with a minimum of 48 FPS and a maximum of 65 FPS, indicating that there are noticeable frame dips. High settings average 43 FPS, and Ultra settings fall to 41 FPS. The 4K data clearly shows that the RTX 4060 is not powerful enough for this resolution in Thief, as even the Low preset cannot sustain a consistent 60 FPS, and the higher presets are well below ideal playable thresholds.