Thief

FAQ

Q: What is the average frame rate for this combo at 1920x1080 with Ultra settings in Thief?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 125H paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 delivers an average of 75 FPS at 1920x1080 on Ultra settings.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 7 5800?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 125H has an average benchmark score of 27507, which is 0.1% lower than the AMD Ryzen 7 5800’s score of 27535. The difference is negligible in practical terms.

Q: What is the GPU’s memory configuration and bandwidth?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 320.0 GB/s.

Q: At which resolution and settings does the combo achieve its highest average FPS?

A: The highest average FPS recorded is 135, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings.

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

A: This combo ranks 2285 out of 2851 tested combinations in Thief, placing it in the lower-middle portion of the performance distribution.

Q: Does the GPU outperform the AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT in average benchmark score?

A: Yes, the RTX 5050 has an average benchmark score of 21035, which is 1.6% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT’s score of 20713.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 is built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture with a chip designated GB207, manufactured on a 5 nm process by TSMC. It contains 16,900 million transistors on a die size of 149 mm², yielding a transistor density of 113.4M per mm². The GPU operates at a base clock of 2317 MHz and a boost clock of 2572 MHz, with memory clocked at 2500 MHz (20 Gbps effective). This configuration produces a pixel rate of 82.30 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 205.8 GTexel/s, with FP32 performance rated at 13.17 TFLOPS.

In Thief, the GPU’s VRAM capacity of 8 GB is a defining factor. The measured FPS data shows that across all resolutions, the gap between Low and Ultra settings is substantial. At 3840x2160, the average FPS drops from 55 on Low to 30 on Ultra, a reduction of 25 FPS. At 2560x1440, the spread is from 93 on Low to 51 on Ultra. At 1920x1080, the spread is from 135 on Low to 75 on Ultra. This consistent pattern indicates that the GPU’s memory bandwidth and shading capacity are being taxed heavily as settings increase, particularly at higher resolutions where the 8 GB VRAM may become a limiting factor for texture-heavy presets.

The GPU’s performance percentile of 66 relative to all GPUs suggests it sits slightly above the median. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL, posts an average score of 21153, which is 0.6% higher, while the AMD Radeon HD 8970M is 1% higher. The RTX 5050 edges out the AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT by 1.6% in average benchmark score. These close margins indicate that the RTX 5050 is positioned in a competitive mid-range segment, and its real-world Thief performance aligns with this positioning—capable but not dominant, especially at 4K Ultra where the 30 FPS average is below the smooth-playability threshold.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear and predictable scaling pattern as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At High settings, the average FPS drops from 78 at 1080p to 54 at 1440p, then further to 32 at 4K. This represents a 59% reduction in FPS from 1080p to 4K. At Low settings, the drop is from 135 to 93 to 55 across the same resolution range, a 59% reduction as well. Medium settings show a similar trend: 103 at 1080p, 71 at 1440p, and 41 at 4K, which is a 60% reduction. Ultra settings follow with 75 at 1080p, 51 at 1440p, and 30 at 4K, a 60% reduction.

The consistency of these percentage drops across all settings is telling. When the FPS scales down by roughly the same proportion regardless of preset, it indicates that the GPU is the primary limiting component. If the CPU were the bottleneck, the scaling would be less severe at higher resolutions because the GPU would be doing more of the heavy lifting, and the CPU’s frame-generation capability would become less relevant. Instead, the data shows that each resolution step-up imposes a nearly uniform penalty, which is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario. The RTX 5050’s 320.0 GB/s memory bandwidth and 8 GB VRAM are being saturated at 4K, causing the average FPS to dip to 30-55 depending on settings.

At 1440p, the combo still delivers playable frame rates on Medium (71 FPS) and High (54 FPS), but Ultra (51 FPS) is borderline. The jump from 1440p to 4K is particularly punishing: at High settings, the FPS nearly halves from 54 to 32. This suggests that 4K is not a practical target for this combo in Thief, except perhaps at Low settings where 55 FPS is achievable. The resolution scaling analysis points to the GPU as the bottleneck, with the CPU’s 14 cores and 18 threads providing sufficient headroom to feed the GPU without becoming the constraining factor.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its strongest performance. Low settings produce an average of 135 FPS, which is well above any display’s refresh rate and indicates the GPU is far from stressed. Medium settings yield 103 FPS on average, with a minimum of 87 and a maximum of 118. High settings drop to 78 FPS average, and Ultra settings settle at 75 FPS average. The narrow gap between High (78) and Ultra (75) suggests that the Ultra preset’s additional graphical features have a minimal impact on performance at this resolution, making Ultra a viable choice for users seeking maximum visual quality without a significant FPS penalty.

At 2560x1440, the performance scales down as expected. Low settings average 93 FPS, still smooth. Medium settings average 71 FPS, with a minimum of 60 and a maximum of 81, indicating that frame pacing remains consistent. High settings average 54 FPS, which is acceptable for most players but begins to show the GPU’s limits. Ultra settings average 51 FPS, a marginal drop from High, reinforcing the pattern seen at 1080p where Ultra is only slightly more demanding than High.

At 3840x2160, the combo struggles to maintain playable frame rates. Low settings average 55 FPS, which is just above the 50 FPS threshold that many consider the minimum for smooth gameplay. Medium settings average 41 FPS, with a minimum of 35 and a maximum of 48, indicating noticeable frame dips during intense scenes. High settings average 32 FPS, and Ultra settings average 30 FPS, both of which are below the 30 FPS standard that most consider the absolute minimum for playability. The data shows that 4K is only viable at Low settings, and even then, the average FPS is not comfortably above 60.

The measured FPS breakdown also reveals that the Medium preset’s min/max values are the only ones recorded across all resolutions. At 1080p, the min is 87 and max is 118; at 1440p, min is 60 and max is 81; at 4K, min is 35 and max is 48. These ranges suggest that Medium settings provide a stable frame delivery without massive spikes or drops, which is crucial for a stealth game where consistent frame times matter for aiming and traversal.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 125H is a 14-core, 18-thread processor based on the Meteor Lake architecture, manufactured on Intel’s 7 nm process. It has a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.50 GHz, with a TDP of 28 W. The cache hierarchy includes 112 KB of L1 cache per core, 2 MB of L2 cache per core, and 18 MB of shared L3 cache. Memory support is DDR5 with a dual-channel bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 89.6 GB/s. The CPU is part of the Core Ultra Series 1, released on 2023-12-13, and targets the mobile segment with an Intel BGA 2049 socket.

In Thief, the CPU’s role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and game logic. The benchmark results show that the CPU is not the primary bottleneck in this combo. At 1080p Low, the average FPS of 135 is likely approaching the CPU’s frame-generation limit, but at higher resolutions and settings, the GPU takes over as the limiting factor. The CPU’s Cinebench R23 multicore score of 12804.5 and single-core score of 1647.5 indicate solid performance, but its nearest rivals—the AMD Ryzen 7 5800, Intel Core i5-12600K, and AMD Ryzen 7 5700X—are all within 0.3% of its average benchmark score of 27507. This places the 125H in a tight performance band where it neither significantly helps nor hinders the overall gaming experience.

The CPU’s Passmark single-thread score of 3399 is respectable, and its multithread score of 21100 shows it can handle heavy workloads. However, Thief is a game that primarily relies on single-thread performance for game logic and physics, and the 125H’s single-core performance is adequate but not exceptional. The data shows that at 4K Ultra, the average FPS is 30, which is likely a GPU limit rather than a CPU limit, as the GPU’s 13.17 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is insufficient to maintain higher frame rates at that resolution with Ultra settings. The CPU’s 14 cores and 18 threads ensure that background tasks and streaming do not cause stutter, but the game’s performance is ultimately dictated by the RTX 5050’s capabilities.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings preset depends on the target resolution and the user’s preference for visual fidelity versus frame rate. At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset is the recommended choice because it delivers an average of 75 FPS, which is only 3 FPS lower than High (78 FPS) but provides the full visual experience. The gap between High and Ultra is marginal, so there is no reason to sacrifice visual quality for a negligible FPS gain. Medium settings at 1080p yield 103 FPS, which is beneficial for users with high-refresh-rate displays, but the jump from Medium to Ultra costs only 28 FPS on average, making Ultra the best balance.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset is the recommended choice. It averages 71 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS standard for smooth gameplay, with a minimum of 60 FPS indicating no significant drops. High settings average 54 FPS, which is playable but may suffer from occasional dips during action sequences. Ultra settings average 51 FPS, which is only slightly lower than High, but both are below the 60 FPS threshold that most players prefer. Medium provides the best frame rate stability while still offering a decent visual experience, as the min/max range (60-81) shows consistent delivery.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset is the only viable option, averaging 55 FPS. Medium settings average 41 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS standard and may result in a less fluid experience. High and Ultra average 32 and 30 FPS, respectively, which are below the 30 FPS minimum for many players and are not recommended for serious gameplay. For users who prioritize visual quality over frame rate, Medium at 4K is the highest preset that remains marginally playable, but Low is the safest recommendation for maintaining a consistent experience. Overall, the data suggests that 1080p Ultra or 1440p Medium are the sweet spots for this combo, depending on the user’s display resolution.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core Ultra 5 125H combined with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 ranks 2285 out of 2851 tested combos in Thief, placing it in the 80th percentile of the performance distribution (i.e., it is slower than about 80% of tested combinations). This rank is notably low for a modern setup, and the measured FPS data explains why: at 4K Ultra, the combo only achieves 30 FPS, which is below the playability threshold, and even at 1080p Ultra, it only reaches 75 FPS. While these frame rates are acceptable for many users, the combo’s overall ranking is dragged down by the GPU’s limitations at higher resolutions.

The combo’s rank is influenced by both components. The CPU’s percentile of 79 relative to all CPUs is solid, but its nearest rivals—the AMD Ryzen 7 5800, Intel Core i5-12600K, and AMD Ryzen 7 5700X—are all within 0.3% of its average score, meaning the CPU is not providing any performance advantage. The GPU’s percentile of 66 relative to all GPUs is lower, and its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL (0.6% higher score), AMD Radeon HD 8970M (1% higher), and NVIDIA RTX A4000 Mobile (1.6% higher). The RTX 5050 only outperforms the AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT by 1.6%, indicating that it is a mid-range GPU that struggles with demanding titles at high resolutions.

In the context of Thief, this combo’s rank of 2285 out of 2851 means that many other CPU-GPU combinations deliver higher frame rates, particularly at 1440p and 4K. The data shows that the combo is best suited for 1080p gaming, where it can achieve high frame rates on Ultra settings, but it falls behind when pushed to higher resolutions. For users considering this combo for Thief, the ranking suggests that it is a capable entry-level to mid-range option, but it will not compete with higher-end configurations that feature more powerful GPUs. The combo’s performance is consistent with its component specifications, and the ranking reflects that it is a balanced but not exceptional choice for this game.