Thief

The Intel Core i7-13700K paired with the AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT delivers a consistently strong performance profile in Thief, a 2014 stealth title that remains demanding at high resolutions. The data shows this combination ranks 457th out of 1,642 tested combos, placing it comfortably in the top third of all configurations. This pairing leverages a high-core-count CPU with a modern mid-to-high-range GPU to produce frame rates that range from playable at 4K Ultra to exceptionally high at 1080p Low.

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

The Core i7-13700K is a 16-core, 24-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, built on Intel's 10 nm process. It operates with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and can boost up to 5.40 GHz, which is critical for a game like Thief that relies heavily on single-thread performance for game logic and AI. The CPU's benchmark scores reflect this strength: it achieves a single-thread score of 1,136 in 3DMark, 2,312 in Cinebench R20 single-core, and 5,505 in Cinebench R23 single-core. These numbers indicate that the processor can feed the GPU without bottlenecking, even at lower resolutions where frame rates soar.

In multi-threaded workloads, the i7-13700K is equally formidable. It scores 12,412 in 3DMark max threads, 39,000 in Cinebench R23 multicore, and 45,887 in PassMark multithread. With 30 MB of shared L3 cache and 2 MB per-core L2 cache, the processor handles the game's streaming and physics calculations with ample headroom. The CPU's percentile ranking against all processors is 93, meaning it outperforms 93% of tested CPUs. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core i7-13700KF, scores 47,334 compared to the 13700K's 47,282 average, a negligible delta of -0.1%, confirming that the K-series chip is effectively at the top of its class. The AMD EPYC 4364P trails by 0.3%, and the Intel Core i9-12900F is 0.4% behind, showing that this CPU's generational advantage is small but consistent across synthetic benchmarks.

For Thief, the CPU's role is primarily to maintain high minimum frame rates and ensure consistent frame pacing. The 125 W TDP and unlocked multiplier allow for sustained boost clocks, which the benchmark results suggest are being utilized effectively. The processor's 3DMark 16-thread score of 10,717 indicates that even when the game spawns multiple AI agents or complex scripted sequences, the CPU has enough parallel throughput to avoid stutter. In practical terms, the data shows that the CPU is not the limiting factor at any resolution, as frame rates scale consistently with GPU load rather than showing CPU-bound plateaus.

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, manufactured on TSMC's 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 base clock is 1,295 MHz, with a game clock of 2,124 MHz and a boost clock of 2,430 MHz. Memory runs at 2,438 MHz, translating to 19.5 Gbps effective. These specifications are directly relevant to Thief's performance, as the game's large textures and ambient occlusion effects benefit from both high memory bandwidth and raw compute throughput.

The GPU's compute capabilities include 3,840 shading units, 240 texture mapping units, and 96 raster output units, producing a pixel rate of 233.3 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 583.2 GTexel/s. Floating-point performance is rated at 37.32 TFLOPS for FP32, which is substantial for a game from 2014. In synthetic benchmarks, the RX 7800 XT scores 24,176 in PassMark G3D and 13,473 in PassMark GPU compute, with a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 4,157. Its percentile ranking is 76, meaning it outperforms 76% of all GPUs.

The GPU's nearest rivals in the database are not direct competitors in the modern market. The AMD FirePro S9300 X2 scores 32,540, which is 0.2% lower than the RX 7800 XT's 32,619 average, while the NVIDIA P104-100 is 0.4% higher at 32,747. The NVIDIA T600 Mobile is 0.7% ahead, and the AMD FirePro S10000 is 0.7% behind. These deltas are all within 1%, indicating that the RX 7800 XT sits in a tightly clustered performance band, but its 16 GB VRAM and modern architecture give it a distinct advantage in memory-heavy scenarios like Thief at 4K.

The VRAM capacity is particularly important for Thief's Ultra settings, which load high-resolution textures that can consume several gigabytes. The 16 GB buffer ensures that there is no texture thrashing, allowing the GPU to maintain stable frame rates even at 4K. The 624.1 GB/s bandwidth prevents memory bandwidth from becoming a bottleneck, which is evident in the scaling from Medium to Ultra settings where frame rates drop predictably rather than collapsing.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured FPS data shows a clear and consistent scaling pattern across resolutions and settings, indicating that the GPU becomes the primary limiting component as resolution increases. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 209.4 FPS, which drops to 153.6 FPS at 1440p Low and 91.7 FPS at 4K Low. This represents a 26.6% drop from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 40.3% drop from 1440p to 4K. The total decline from 1080p Low to 4K Low is 56.2%, which is typical for a GPU-bound scenario where pixel count quadruples from 1080p to 4K.

The scaling on High settings shows a similar pattern: 134.9 FPS at 1080p, 93.6 FPS at 1440p, and 53.9 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 30.6%, and from 1440p to 4K is 42.4%. On Ultra settings, the numbers are 123.7 FPS at 1080p, 84.1 FPS at 1440p, and 50.9 FPS at 4K, with drops of 32.0% and 39.5% respectively. This consistent pattern—where the percentage drop increases slightly at higher settings—suggests that the GPU's shading and memory subsystems are being taxed progressively more as settings increase.

The fact that frame rates do not plateau at 1080p indicates that the CPU is not the bottleneck, even at the highest frame rates. If the CPU were limiting, we would expect to see similar FPS across different resolutions at the same settings. Instead, the data shows that 1080p Ultra (123.7 FPS) is nearly double 4K Ultra (50.9 FPS), confirming that the GPU's fill rate and bandwidth are the decisive factors. The i7-13700K's high single-thread performance ensures that it can maintain frame delivery even at 209.4 FPS, which reflects its 5.40 GHz boost clock and 1,136 single-thread 3DMark score.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its highest frame rates across all settings. Low settings produce 209.4 FPS, which is well above the refresh rate of most high-end monitors. Medium settings drop to 172.2 FPS, a 17.8% reduction, while High settings yield 134.9 FPS, a 21.7% drop from Medium. Ultra settings bring the frame rate down to 123.7 FPS, which is only 8.3% lower than High, indicating that the game's Ultra preset adds relatively little GPU load at this resolution. The total spread from Low to Ultra at 1080p is 85.7 FPS, showing that the GPU has significant headroom.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates remain playable but show a more pronounced impact from settings. Low settings produce 153.6 FPS, Medium drops to 117.3 FPS (a 23.6% reduction), High yields 93.6 FPS (a 20.2% drop from Medium), and Ultra brings the result down to 84.1 FPS (a 10.2% reduction from High). The spread from Low to Ultra is 69.5 FPS, which is narrower than at 1080p, suggesting that the GPU is starting to feel the load of the higher pixel count. This resolution is the sweet spot for this combo, offering high frame rates on High settings (93.6 FPS) while still exceeding 60 FPS on Ultra.

At 3840x2160, the GPU becomes the clear bottleneck. Low settings produce 91.7 FPS, which is still smooth, but Medium drops to 68.8 FPS (a 25.0% reduction), High yields 53.9 FPS (a 21.7% drop from Medium), and Ultra falls to 50.9 FPS (a 5.6% reduction from High). The spread from Low to Ultra is 40.8 FPS, which is significantly narrower than at lower resolutions. This compression indicates that the GPU is saturated, and settings changes have diminishing returns. Ultra at 4K is just below the 60 FPS threshold, while High is playable at 53.9 FPS, and Medium comfortably exceeds 60 FPS at 68.8 FPS.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The Intel Core i7-13700K and AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT combination ranks 457th out of 1,642 tested combos in Thief, placing it in the 72nd percentile of all configurations. This is a strong result, particularly considering the GPU's overall percentile ranking of 76 and the CPU's ranking of 93. The rank suggests that this combo outperforms the majority of systems in the database, which include both older and newer hardware. The data set includes 1,642 distinct CPU-GPU pairings, so being in the top 500 is a meaningful achievement.

The combo's rank is likely driven by the CPU's exceptional single-thread performance, which allows the GPU to stretch its legs at lower resolutions, and the GPU's ample VRAM, which prevents bottlenecks at 4K. The measured FPS at 1080p Low (209.4 FPS) is particularly high, indicating that this combo is capable of running esports-level frame rates in a single-player stealth game. The rank of 457 also reflects the balance of the pairing: neither component is so weak that it drags the other down, and neither is so overpowered that it wastes potential.

Comparing this to the nearest rivals in the database, the GPU's performance is tightly clustered with the AMD FirePro S9300 X2, NVIDIA P104-100, and NVIDIA T600 Mobile, but those are professional or older cards that lack the RX 7800 XT's modern features and 16 GB VRAM. The CPU's rivals are similarly close in synthetic scores, but the 13700K's 5.40 GHz boost clock gives it a slight edge in gaming workloads that are sensitive to latency. The combo's rank of 457 reflects this synergy: it is not a top-tier enthusiast build, but it is a high-performing configuration that delivers smooth gameplay across all tested resolutions and settings. The data confirms that this is a well-matched pairing for Thief, offering a balance of CPU headroom and GPU muscle that results in a top-quartile ranking.