Thief

Thief, a 2014 stealth title, responds strongly to both processor and graphics hardware, but the data for the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 combination reveals a clear hierarchy in performance scaling. The measured frames per second (FPS) across resolutions and settings indicate a system that is capable of delivering high refresh rates at 1080p and 1440p, while 4K performance remains demanding. This analysis breaks down the measured data to show how the CPU and GPU each contribute to the final experience, what settings provide the best balance, and how this specific pairing ranks against other tested configurations.

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

The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 is a 10-core, 10-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture, built on a 3 nm process. It has a base clock of 3.30 GHz and a boost clock of 4.90 GHz. Its 20 MB of shared L3 cache and support for DDR5 memory are key characteristics for handling game logic and physics. In Thief, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and process AI, and the data suggests that at lower resolutions, this processor is more than adequate to keep up with the RTX 4070.

Examining the performance scaling, we see that at 1080p with Low settings, the system achieves an average of 216 FPS. This is a very high frame rate, indicating that the CPU is not a bottleneck at this level. The jump from Low to Medium settings at 1080p results in a significant drop to 193 FPS, but the Ultra preset still yields 140 FPS. This shows that even at the highest settings, the CPU maintains a robust frame delivery. The processor’s single-thread performance, evidenced by its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3655, is likely a strong factor in these results, as Thief’s engine can be sensitive to single-core speed.

At 1440p, the pattern shifts. With Low settings, the average FPS is 174, which is still excellent. However, the gap between 1080p and 1440p at Low settings (216 FPS vs. 174 FPS) suggests that the GPU is starting to take on more of the workload. The CPU's influence becomes more apparent in the High and Ultra presets, where the frame rates remain high but are not as far above the 60 FPS threshold. The Core Ultra 5 225’s multi-threaded capabilities, reflected in its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 25891, ensure that the game's background tasks and physics simulations do not cause stutters, even when the GPU is under heavier load. The data indicates that for most gameplay scenarios in Thief, this CPU provides ample headroom, allowing the GPU to be the primary determinant of performance.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of how each quality preset impacts performance. At 1080p, the Ultra preset delivers an average of 140 FPS, which is well above the threshold for smooth gameplay. The Medium preset offers 193 FPS, and Low offers 216 FPS. While the Low and Medium presets provide higher frame rates, the Ultra preset’s 140 FPS average is still exceptionally smooth and likely offers the most visually complete experience without sacrificing playability. The data suggests that for a high refresh rate 1080p monitor, the Ultra preset is the optimal choice, as it provides a significant visual upgrade over lower settings while maintaining a very high frame rate.

Moving to 1440p, the Ultra preset averages 96 FPS. This is still a very playable frame rate, offering a good balance between visual fidelity and responsiveness. The High preset at 1440p averages 101 FPS, which is barely a performance penalty compared to Ultra. Given this small difference, the High preset might be preferred if the goal is to maximize frame rate, but the Ultra preset’s 96 FPS is perfectly acceptable for a smooth experience. The Medium preset at 1440p provides 132 FPS, which is a more substantial jump in performance, but the visual quality reduction may be noticeable. For 1440p, the data supports the Ultra preset as the best experience, as it stays comfortably above 90 FPS, ensuring fluid motion.

At 4K, the situation changes dramatically. The Ultra preset averages 56 FPS, which is just below the 60 FPS target for many users. The High preset averages 59 FPS, also borderline. However, the Medium preset jumps to 78 FPS, and Low to 103 FPS. This data indicates that for a consistent 60 FPS experience at 4K, the Medium preset is the recommended choice, as it provides a significant performance buffer while still offering a substantial improvement over Low settings. Choosing High or Ultra at 4K risks dipping below 60 FPS in more demanding scenes, as the average is already very close to that line. Therefore, the data suggests that the best experience at 4K is achieved with the Medium preset, which balances visual quality with a stable, higher frame rate.

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

The performance scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals a classic pattern of GPU-bound behavior. At Ultra settings, the average FPS drops from 140 at 1080p to 96 at 1440p, a decrease of 44 FPS, and then to 56 at 4K, a further drop of 40 FPS. This steep decline as resolution increases is a strong indicator that the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 is the limiting component at these higher resolutions. The CPU, which is capable of delivering 140+ FPS at 1080p, is not the primary constraint; rather, the GPU's rendering workload is what drives the frame rate down as pixel count increases.

The same trend is visible at other settings. At High settings, the FPS goes from 147 at 1080p to 101 at 1440p, and then to 59 at 4K. At Medium settings, it goes from 193 to 132 to 78. The proportional drop is consistent, with the 4K performance often being less than half of the 1080p performance. This is a typical characteristic of a game that is heavily reliant on the graphics card for pixel shading and fill rate. The RTX 4070, with its 12 GB of GDDR6X memory and 504.2 GB/s bandwidth, is a capable card, but the demands of 4K rendering are substantial.

The data at Low settings tells a slightly different story. The FPS drops from 216 at 1080p to 174 at 1440p, a relatively small decrease, but then falls to 103 at 4K. This suggests that at Low settings, where the GPU has less work to do, the CPU's capabilities are more relevant at 1080p and 1440p. However, at 4K, even with Low settings, the GPU becomes the limiting factor, as the sheer number of pixels to process overwhelms the advantage of reduced graphical complexity. This scaling analysis confirms that for this combination, the RTX 4070 is the primary determinant of performance in Thief, particularly at resolutions above 1080p.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 combination is ranked 419th out of 2851 tested combos in Thief. This places it within the top 15% of all configurations in the database. This is a strong showing, indicating that this pairing is well-suited for the game. The rank reflects the measured FPS data, which shows excellent performance at 1080p and 1440p, and acceptable performance at 4K with adjusted settings.

To contextualize this rank, it is helpful to look at the individual component standings. The CPU, the Intel Core Ultra 5 225, has an average benchmark score of 36938, which puts it in the 85th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F with a deltaPct of 0%, and the AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D, which is 0.2% slower. This shows that the CPU is a high-performing part, and its capabilities are in line with other strong processors.

The GPU, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070, has an average benchmark score of 37648, placing it in the 81st percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA Tesla P4 (0.1% faster) and the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 (0.4% slower). While the GPU is not at the very top of the performance charts, its high percentile rank confirms it is a powerful component. The combination of a top-quartile CPU and a top-quartile GPU results in a system that ranks highly in a specific game like Thief, where the balanced workload between processor and graphics card is handled effectively. The 419th rank out of 2851 combos reflects the synergistic strength of this pairing for this particular title.

FAQ — 4-6 Q&A pairs answerable from FACT PACK data

Q: What is the launch MSRP for the Intel Core Ultra 5 225?

A: The launch MSRP for the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 is $246.

Q: What is the highest average FPS recorded for this combo in Thief?

A: The highest average FPS recorded is 216, which was achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: At which resolution and preset does the combo first drop below a 60 FPS average?

A: The combo drops below a 60 FPS average at 3840x2160 resolution with the Ultra preset, where it averages 56 FPS.

Q: What is the performance difference between the 1080p and 1440p High presets?

A: At 1080p High, the average FPS is 147. At 1440p High, the average FPS is 101, representing a decrease of 46 FPS.

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

A: The combo is ranked 419th out of 2851 total tested combos in Thief.

Q: How much VRAM does the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 have?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 has 12 GB of GDDR6X memory.

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

The following is a detailed breakdown of the measured average FPS for this combination in Thief.

1920x1080 (1080p)

• Low: 216 FPS average.
• Medium: 193 FPS average, with a minimum of 164 FPS and a maximum of 222 FPS.
• High: 147 FPS average.
• Ultra: 140 FPS average.

2560x1440 (1440p)

• Low: 174 FPS average.
• Medium: 132 FPS average, with a minimum of 113 FPS and a maximum of 152 FPS.
• High: 101 FPS average.
• Ultra: 96 FPS average.

3840x2160 (4K)

• Low: 103 FPS average.
• Medium: 78 FPS average, with a minimum of 66 FPS and a maximum of 89 FPS.
• High: 59 FPS average.
• Ultra: 56 FPS average.

This data shows a consistent scaling pattern. The Medium preset is the only one with recorded minimum and maximum FPS, providing a frame time variance range. The most significant performance drop occurs when moving from 1440p to 4K, particularly at High and Ultra settings, where the average FPS falls by over 40 FPS. This reinforces the notion that 4K is a significant challenge for this GPU in this game.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070, based on the Ada Lovelace architecture, is the primary driver of visual performance in this combination. It features 5888 shading units, 184 texture mapping units, and 64 render output units. Its boost clock is rated at 2475 MHz, and it is equipped with 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s. These specifications directly influence how the GPU handles Thief's rendering tasks, such as texture fill, lighting, and shadow mapping.

The GPU's role is most evident in the resolution scaling. At 1080p, the GPU has a relatively easy time, and the FPS is high across all presets. But as resolution increases to 1440p and 4K, the GPU's workload increases proportionally, and the FPS drops correspondingly. The 12 GB of VRAM is sufficient for Thief's textures at all measured settings, as no VRAM-related stutters are indicated in the FPS data. The memory bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s allows for efficient data transfer, which is crucial for maintaining high frame rates at higher resolutions.

The RTX 4070's performance in Thief is strong, but the data shows its limits at 4K. The card achieves an average of 78 FPS at 4K Medium, which is a playable frame rate, but the Ultra and High presets struggle to maintain 60 FPS. This indicates that the GPU's raw compute power is the limiting factor at 4K with high visual fidelity. The card's 29.15 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is substantial, but the demands of 4K rendering at Ultra settings exceed what it can deliver for a consistent 60 FPS experience. The GPU's performance percentile of 81% and its benchmark scores, such as a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 3854, confirm its mid-to-high-end positioning. In Thief, it excels at 1080p and 1440p, providing a high refresh rate experience, while at 4K, it requires a settings adjustment to achieve a smooth frame rate.