Thief

The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 pairing delivers a playable, if not flawless, experience in Thief, a 2014 stealth title. The data shows a system that is clearly capable of high frame rates at 1080p and 1440p, but one that begins to show its limits when pushed to 4K resolution. The benchmark results paint a picture of a balanced combo where the GPU becomes the primary constraint at higher resolutions, while the CPU provides ample headroom at lower settings.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data for this combo shows a predictable and steep decline in performance as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At 1080p with High settings, the average frame rate is 107 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440, that average drops to 73 FPS, a reduction of 34 frames. Pushing further to 3840x2160, the average falls to 43 FPS, which is a significant 60% drop from the 1080p High result. This pattern strongly indicates that the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060’s rendering capabilities are the limiting factor at higher resolutions.

The scaling from 1440p to 4K is particularly telling. The 73 FPS at 1440p High drops to 43 FPS at 4K High, a loss of 30 FPS. This is a much larger absolute drop than the 34 FPS loss seen when moving from 1080p to 1440p. This suggests that the GPU is being saturated by the pixel count at 4K, and its 8 GB of VRAM and 128-bit memory bus are likely becoming a bottleneck. The game’s age is a factor here, as it is not as demanding as modern titles, but the RTX 4060 still struggles to maintain a smooth 60 FPS at 4K on High settings.

Comparing the Low and Ultra presets at each resolution further highlights the GPU's role. At 1080p, the difference between Low (184 FPS) and Ultra (101 FPS) is substantial, showing the impact of graphical fidelity on the GPU. However, at 4K, the same comparison shows a smaller gap: Low (74 FPS) versus Ultra (41 FPS). The fact that even Low settings at 4K cannot reach the frame rates seen at 1440p on Ultra (70 FPS) reinforces the conclusion that the resolution itself, not just the settings, is the primary hurdle. The data suggests that for a consistent 60 FPS experience, 1440p is the practical ceiling for this combo with High or Ultra settings.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Thief at 4K resolution smoothly?

A: The data indicates no. At 3840x2160 with High settings, the average frame rate is 43 FPS. Even on Low settings, the average is only 74 FPS. While playable, these numbers fall short of a consistently smooth 60 FPS target, especially on higher presets.

Q: What is the best resolution for this CPU and GPU pairing in Thief?

A: The benchmark results show that 2560x1440 is the sweet spot. At this resolution, the combo achieves 73 FPS on High and 70 FPS on Ultra, both of which are comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. The 126 FPS average on Low settings also provides headroom for high refresh rate monitors.

Q: How does the CPU perform relative to its direct competitors?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 225’s average benchmark score of 36938 is nearly identical to its closest rivals. It is statistically tied with the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F (36945, 0% delta), and only 0.2% behind the AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D (37018) and 0.4% behind the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 450 (37093). This indicates that CPU performance is not a distinguishing factor in this system's results.

Q: Is the GPU's performance competitive with other graphics cards?

A: The RTX 4060's average benchmark score is 17639, placing it in the 61st percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon HD 7790, scores 17666, which is a -0.2% delta, meaning the RTX 4060 is slightly slower. This shows the GPU's performance level is comparable to older, lower-tier cards, which is relevant when considering its 4K limitations.

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

A: At 2560x1440, the High preset yields an average of 73 FPS, while the Ultra preset yields 70 FPS. The 3 FPS difference is minimal, suggesting that the Ultra preset does not impose a significant additional load on the system at this resolution and can be used without a major performance penalty.

Q: What is the lowest frame rate recorded for this combo?

A: The only settings preset that lists a minimum FPS is Medium. At 1920x1080, the minimum is 119 FPS; at 2560x1440, it is 82 FPS; and at 3840x2160, it is 48 FPS. These minimums represent the worst-case frame times during the benchmark run.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 is the decisive component in this combo's gaming performance. Its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus provides a bandwidth of 272.0 GB/s. For a game like Thief, which has modest VRAM requirements by today's standards, capacity is not likely a primary issue, but the memory bus width can limit performance at high resolutions. The data supports this: at 4K, the GPU is clearly the bottleneck, as frame rates are significantly lower than at 1440p regardless of the preset.

The GPU's clock speeds are 1830 MHz base and 2460 MHz boost. These figures, combined with its 3072 shading units, define its raw compute power, which is rated at 15.11 TFLOPS for FP32 operations. This level of performance is sufficient for high frame rates at 1080p and 1440p, but the 4K results (43 FPS on High) show that the GPU is overextended. The card's position in the 61st percentile of all GPUs and its close benchmark score to the AMD Radeon HD 7790 (17666 vs 17639) contextualize its capabilities; it is a solid mid-range performer, not a high-end 4K solution.

The GPU's architecture, Ada Lovelace, supports modern features like DirectX 12 Ultimate and Vulkan 1.4, which ensures compatibility with the game's API requirements. However, these features do not compensate for the raw pixel throughput needed for 4K. The data suggests that gamers should view the RTX 4060 as a 1080p and 1440p card for this title. Pushing it to 4K will result in average frame rates in the 40-70 FPS range, which may be acceptable to some but falls short of the performance seen at lower resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations, this pairing of the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 ranks 1398 out of 2851 total combos. This places it almost exactly in the middle of the pack, at roughly the 49th percentile. This ranking is a reflection of its balanced performance profile: it is not a top-tier enthusiast setup, nor is it a low-end budget build. It sits in the heart of the mainstream market, offering a competent experience for most gamers.

This mid-pack ranking is consistent with the component-level benchmarks. The CPU's average score of 36938 places it at the 85th percentile of all CPUs, indicating strong processing power. The GPU, however, with an average score of 17639, is at the 61st percentile of all GPUs. The combo's overall rank is thus a synthesis of a strong CPU and a mid-range GPU. The fact that the combo ranks lower than the CPU's percentile suggests that the GPU is holding back the system's potential in gaming workloads, reinforcing the earlier analysis that the RTX 4060 is the limiting factor in Thief, particularly at higher resolutions. The result is a system that is better suited for high-refresh-rate gaming at 1080p or solid 60 FPS gaming at 1440p, rather than for 4K.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following is a detailed breakdown of the measured average frame rates for this combo in Thief:

• 1920x1080 (1080p):
• Low: 184 FPS average.
• Medium: 140 FPS average, with a minimum of 119 FPS and a maximum of 161 FPS.
• High: 107 FPS average.
• Ultra: 101 FPS average.

• 2560x1440 (1440p):
• Low: 126 FPS average.
• Medium: 96 FPS average, with a minimum of 82 FPS and a maximum of 110 FPS.
• High: 73 FPS average.
• Ultra: 70 FPS average.

• 3840x2160 (4K):
• Low: 74 FPS average.
• Medium: 56 FPS average, with a minimum of 48 FPS and a maximum of 65 FPS.
• High: 43 FPS average.
• Ultra: 41 FPS average.

The data shows a clear hierarchy. At 1080p, the system is massively overperforming, with even the Ultra preset exceeding 100 FPS. At 1440p, the High and Ultra presets provide a solid 70+ FPS experience. At 4K, all presets drop below 75 FPS, with the High and Ultra presets dipping into the low 40s, which is not ideal for a smooth experience. The Medium preset at 4K, with its 56 FPS average and 48 FPS minimum, represents the most viable option for 4K gaming if one must use that resolution.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal experience for this combo in Thief is at 2560x1440 resolution. At this resolution, the High preset delivers an average of 73 FPS, providing a smooth and visually rich experience. The Ultra preset is also a strong choice, as it only costs 3 FPS (70 FPS average) compared to High, making it a free visual upgrade for most systems. For gamers with high refresh rate monitors (144Hz or higher), the Low preset at 1440p, which achieves 126 FPS, offers a path to very high frame rates.

For those prioritizing maximum visual fidelity, the High preset at 1080p (107 FPS) is a viable and excellent option. However, the 1440p High preset is the better recommendation as it strikes a superior balance between image quality and performance. Playing at 4K is not recommended for a consistent experience. The High preset at 3840x2160 only averages 43 FPS, which is below the standard for smooth gameplay. If 4K is a must, the Medium preset is the only reasonable option, with an average of 56 FPS and a minimum of 48 FPS, but this still falls short of a locked 60 FPS.

In summary, the data suggests that the “sweet spot” for this hardware combination is 1440p with the High or Ultra preset. This configuration allows the RTX 4060 to operate within its comfort zone, providing frame rates that are both high enough for responsive gameplay and visually detailed enough to appreciate the game’s stealth atmosphere. The 1080p High preset is a close second, but the jump to 1440p yields a noticeably sharper image without a significant performance hit.