Thief

The Intel Core i7-13700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 combination delivers top-tier performance in Thief, a 2014 stealth title. The CPU carries a launch MSRP of $409, while the GPU has a launch MSRP of 1,599 USD. Benchmark results show this pairing ranks 26th out of 1,642 tested combos, placing it among the fastest configurations for this game.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-13700K is a 16-core, 24-thread processor based on Raptor Lake architecture, with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz. It features 30 MB of shared L3 cache and supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory. In synthetic benchmarks, the CPU scores 39,000 in Cinebench R23 multicore and 5,505 in single-core, while 3DMark results show 12,412 with max threads and 1,136 in single-thread. These numbers place the chip in the 93rd percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 47,282. Its nearest rivals are the Intel Core i7-13700KF (delta -0.1%), AMD EPYC 4364P (+0.3%), Intel Core i9-12900F (+0.4%), and AMD Ryzen 9 PRO 5945 (-0.5%), indicating the 13700K is effectively tied with the best in its class.

For Thief, a game released in 2014, the CPU's strong single-thread performance is particularly relevant. The game's engine likely relies on fewer threads, so the high boost clock and single-core score (5,505 in Cinebench R23) ensure that the processor is not a bottleneck at any resolution tested. The data shows that FPS scales with resolution, which is typical of GPU-bound scenarios, but at 1080p the CPU still allows frame rates above 200 FPS on Low settings. This suggests the 13700K has ample headroom for this title, and its 16 cores and 24 threads provide future-proofing for more demanding games.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with a 5 nm process, featuring 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus, delivering 1.01 TB/s of bandwidth. Its base clock is 2235 MHz with a boost of 2520 MHz, and memory runs at 21 Gbps effective. The GPU scores 38,194 in Passmark G3D, 9,223 in 3DMark Steel Nomad, and 317,684 in Geekbench OpenCL. It sits in the 91st percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 66,473. Its nearest rivals are the NVIDIA Tesla T4 (delta -0.4%), Tesla P40 (+0.5%), AMD Radeon Pro Vega 56 (-0.9%), and NVIDIA Quadro P6000 (-1.3%), again showing a tight grouping at the top.

In Thief, the RTX 4090 is the primary driver of performance, especially at higher resolutions. The 24 GB VRAM is far more than the game requires, eliminating any memory capacity concerns. The high bandwidth and boost clock allow the GPU to maintain high frame rates even at Ultra settings. The measured FPS data shows that at 4K, the GPU is heavily stressed, with a significant drop from 1080p, indicating that the card's compute and memory throughput are the limiting factors at that resolution. At 1080p, the GPU still delivers over 169 FPS on Ultra, showing that it can easily handle the game's demands.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS across resolutions reveals a clear pattern of GPU-bound scaling. At High settings, average FPS drops from 177 at 1080p to 140.8 at 1440p and 86.2 at 4K. At Low settings, the values are 211.2, 187.3, and 145.7 respectively. Medium settings yield 189.5, 171.1, and 113.7, while Ultra produces 169.5, 136.5, and 81.6. The drop from 1080p to 4K is substantial in every preset, with the largest absolute decline occurring at Ultra (from 169.5 to 81.6). This indicates that the GPU is the limiting component as resolution increases, which is expected given the RTX 4090's raw power.

The gap between Low and Ultra settings widens with resolution. At 1080p, the difference is 211.2 vs 169.5, a modest spread. At 4K, the gap grows to 145.7 vs 81.6, showing that higher settings impose a much larger penalty at 4K. This suggests that at 1080p, the CPU can still feed the GPU enough to keep frame rates high even on Low, but at 4K the GPU's workload becomes so heavy that the settings choice has a greater impact. For a 2014 game, this scaling is typical of modern hardware, where the GPU is the primary bottleneck at high resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i7-13700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 ranks 26th out of 1,642 tested combos in Thief. This places the pairing in the top 2% of all configurations, a result that reflects the strength of both components. The CPU and GPU individually sit in the 93rd and 91st percentiles respectively, but the combo rank is higher, suggesting that the pairing is well-balanced for this game. The data shows that this system outperforms the vast majority of tested setups, making it a top-tier choice for Thief. The high ranking is consistent with the measured FPS, which exceeds 80 FPS at 4K Ultra and 169 FPS at 1080p Ultra, demonstrating that the combo can handle the game at maximum settings across all resolutions.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS, the optimal preset depends on the target resolution and refresh rate. At 4K, High settings deliver 86.2 FPS, which is above 60 and suitable for a 60 Hz display. Medium settings provide a significant boost to 113.7 FPS, making it the better choice for 120 Hz or 144 Hz 4K monitors. Ultra drops to 81.6 FPS, which is still playable but offers diminishing returns over High. At 1440p, High and Ultra both exceed 136 FPS, so Ultra is recommended for maximum visual quality without sacrificing smoothness. At 1080p, even Ultra achieves 169.5 FPS, so users can max out all settings and still enjoy high refresh rates. For a balanced experience, the data suggests using High at 4K, Ultra at 1440p, and Ultra at 1080p.

Measured FPS Breakdown

| Resolution | Settings | Average FPS |

|------------|----------|-------------|

| 3840x2160 | High | 86.2 |

| 3840x2160 | Low | 145.7 |

| 3840x2160 | Medium | 113.7 |

| 3840x2160 | Ultra | 81.6 |

| 2560x1440 | High | 140.8 |

| 2560x1440 | Low | 187.3 |

| 2560x1440 | Medium | 171.1 |

| 2560x1440 | Ultra | 136.5 |

| 1920x1080 | High | 177.0 |

| 1920x1080 | Low | 211.2 |

| 1920x1080 | Medium | 189.5 |

| 1920x1080 | Ultra | 169.5 |

These numbers show that the combo delivers playable frame rates at every resolution and preset, with the lowest result being 81.6 FPS at 4K Ultra. The data confirms that this system is more than capable of running Thief at maximum settings, and the high ranking in the benchmark database reflects its exceptional performance.