Thief

# Thief with Intel Core Ultra 5 225 + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER

This pairing of Intel's Arrow Lake-based Core Ultra 5 225 with NVIDIA's Ada Lovelace RTX 4070 SUPER produces a compelling 1080p and 1440p experience in Thief, a 2014 stealth title that remains demanding at higher resolutions and presets. The measured frame rates reveal a system that is clearly GPU-limited at 4K Ultra, yet surprisingly CPU-bound at 1080p Low, where the RTX 4070 SUPER's potential is capped by the processor's single-thread performance. The data shows a combo that ranks in the 92nd percentile of all tested configurations, with headroom that varies dramatically depending on resolution and settings.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is steep, particularly at lower settings. At Low settings, the average frame rate falls from 216 FPS at 1920x1080 to 114 FPS at 3840x2160 — a 47% reduction that indicates the GPU is becoming the primary constraint as pixel count quadruples. At Ultra settings, the decline is less severe in percentage terms but more impactful in absolute numbers: 156 FPS at 1080p drops to 63 FPS at 4K, a 60% reduction that pushes the experience below the 66 FPS High preset at the same resolution.

The scaling pattern between Medium and High presets is telling. At 1440p, Medium delivers 147 FPS while High drops to 112 FPS — a 24% penalty for the higher preset. At 4K, the same preset jump costs 24% (87 to 66 FPS). This consistent proportional drop suggests the GPU is handling the additional shading and texture work predictably, without hitting memory bandwidth walls or VRAM ceilings. The 4K Medium result of 87 FPS with a 74 FPS minimum shows the system can maintain playable frame rates at 4K if settings are moderated, but the 4K Ultra result of 63 FPS reveals the limits of this combination at the highest visual fidelity.

The 1080p to 1440p scaling is more gradual, hinting that the CPU has more influence at lower resolutions. At High settings, 1080p yields 164 FPS while 1440p yields 112 FPS — a 32% drop that is larger than the 25% pixel count increase, suggesting the GPU is starting to become the bottleneck. At Low settings, the 1080p result of 216 FPS versus 1440p's 191 FPS is only a 12% difference, which is remarkably small given the 78% pixel increase. This anomaly points to a CPU limitation at 1080p Low — the Core Ultra 5 225's single-core performance caps frame rates near 216 FPS regardless of the GPU's capability.

GPU Role

The RTX 4070 SUPER brings 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus, delivering 504.2 GB/s of bandwidth. In Thief, a game from 2014, this memory configuration is more than sufficient for texture streaming and asset loading at any resolution tested. The 4K Ultra result of 63 FPS suggests the GPU's compute resources — 7168 shading units, 224 texture mapping units, and 80 raster output units — are the limiting factor at maximum settings, not memory capacity or bandwidth. The 56 RT cores and 224 tensor cores are largely irrelevant for this title, which predates widespread ray tracing adoption.

The clock behavior is noteworthy. With a base clock of 1980 MHz and boost up to 2475 MHz, the AD104 chip demonstrates substantial headroom. The measured FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K at Low settings (216 to 114 FPS) implies the GPU is running at or near boost clocks at lower resolutions, but the 4K results show the GPU working harder to maintain frame rates, likely sustaining higher clocks under load. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 4627 and PassMark G3D score of 29995 place this GPU in the 83rd percentile of all GPUs, with nearest rivals like the RTX 4090 Mobile (43667 average score, 1% higher) and Quadro M6000 24 GB (43262, 0.1% lower) indicating the desktop 4070 SUPER sits in a competitive mid-to-high tier.

The GPU's compute performance — 35.48 TFLOPS FP32 and FP16 — is more than adequate for Thief's DirectX 11 rendering path. The PassMark DirectX 11 score of 273 and DirectX 12 score of 110 suggest the card handles legacy APIs well, which is relevant for a 2014 title that primarily uses DX11. The 80 ROPs deliver a pixel rate of 198.0 GPixel/s, which explains the strong 4K Medium performance of 87 FPS — the rasterization throughput is sufficient for moderate settings but becomes strained at Ultra where more complex shading and effects increase per-pixel work.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo ranks 235 out of 2851 tested configurations, placing it in the top 8.2% of all CPU-GPU pairings tested in Thief. This is a strong result, though the percentile position (92nd) is slightly lower than the CPU's individual percentile (85th) or GPU's percentile (83rd) might suggest independently — the combination works well but doesn't boost either component beyond its standalone capabilities. The rank of 235 means 2,616 other combos perform worse, while 234 perform better, indicating that higher-end pairings (likely featuring flagship GPUs or newer CPUs) can extract more performance in this title.

The CPU's nearest rivals in general benchmarks — AMD Ryzen 5 5600F (36945 avg score, 0% delta), AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D (37018, -0.2%), AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 450 (37093, -0.4%), and Intel Core i9-12900T (37112, -0.5%) — all score within 0.5% of the Core Ultra 5 225's 36938 average. This suggests the CPU is not a differentiator in this combo's ranking; the GPU carries more weight. The RTX 4070 SUPER's nearest rivals include the Quadro M6000 24 GB (43262, -0.1%), RTX 5050 Mobile (43268, -0.1%), and RTX 4090 Mobile (43667, -1%), all within 1% of the 4070 SUPER's 43223 average score. This tight clustering indicates the GPU tier is well-defined, and the combo's rank is largely determined by this GPU's position rather than any unusual synergy.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the results show a clear progression: Low delivers 216 FPS average, Medium 196 FPS (with a 166 FPS minimum and 225 FPS maximum), High 164 FPS, and Ultra 156 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 60 FPS, or 28%, which is modest for a settings range that typically spans 50% or more. The Medium preset's minimum of 166 FPS indicates excellent frame pacing, with no dips below 144 Hz refresh rates. The High and Ultra results both exceed 150 FPS, making any high-refresh monitor the bottleneck rather than the hardware.

At 2560x1440, the pattern shifts. Low produces 191 FPS, Medium 147 FPS (125 minimum, 169 maximum), High 112 FPS, and Ultra 107 FPS. The Medium minimum of 125 FPS remains above 120 Hz, but High and Ultra results are closer to 100-112 FPS, which is still smooth but no longer saturating high-refresh displays. The spread from Low to Ultra is 84 FPS, or 44%, a wider gap than at 1080p, confirming that the GPU is becoming more influential at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the results reveal the system's limits. Low produces 114 FPS, Medium 87 FPS (74 minimum, 100 maximum), High 66 FPS, and Ultra 63 FPS. The gap from Low to Ultra is 51 FPS, or 45%, similar to 1440p in proportion. However, the absolute values matter: 4K Ultra at 63 FPS is below the 66 FPS High preset, and only the Low preset stays comfortably above 100 FPS. The Medium preset's 74 FPS minimum is the only 4K result that remains consistently above 60 FPS, making it the only viable 4K option for locked 60 FPS gameplay.

CPU Role

The Core Ultra 5 225 features 10 cores and 10 threads, with a base clock of 3.30 GHz and boost up to 4.90 GHz. This Arrow Lake-S architecture, built on TSMC's 3 nm process, delivers strong multi-threaded performance — Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 25891 and single-core score of 3655 — placing it in the 85th percentile of all CPUs. The PassMark single-thread score of 4412 and multi-thread score of 30459 confirm this processor's balanced capabilities. The 20 MB of shared L3 cache and 3 MB L2 per core provide adequate bandwidth for game logic and draw call processing.

In Thief, the CPU's role is most evident at 1080p Low, where the 216 FPS ceiling appears to be a processor limitation. The fact that 1440p Low only drops to 191 FPS — a 12% reduction despite a 78% pixel increase — suggests the CPU is still the limiting factor at both resolutions. At 1080p High, the 164 FPS result is 24% lower than Low, indicating the GPU is now doing more work, but the CPU is still providing enough headroom. The Cinebench R20 single-core score of 891 and R15 single-core score of 368 show strong single-thread performance, which is critical for a 2014 game that likely relies on one or two primary threads for game logic.

The CPU's nearest rivals in benchmark scores — all within 0.5% of the 36938 average — include the Ryzen 5 5600F (36945) and Ryzen 5 5500X3D (37018). The latter's 3D V-Cache advantage in some games does not appear to translate to a measurable edge in Thief, as the overall combo rank is more influenced by the GPU tier. The 65W TDP and dual-channel DDR5 memory support (102.4 GB/s bandwidth) provide sufficient memory bandwidth for Thief's needs, though the game's age means it likely doesn't leverage modern memory architectures fully.

Settings Recommendations

For 1920x1080, the data shows that Ultra settings at 156 FPS are the best experience. The 60 FPS gap between Low and Ultra is relatively small, and the 156 FPS average leaves ample headroom for any high-refresh display. The Medium preset's 196 FPS is technically smoother, but the visual quality improvement from Ultra more than compensates for the 40 FPS difference, especially since both remain far above 144 Hz.

At 2560x1440, Ultra at 107 FPS is the recommended choice for most users. The 107 FPS average is above 100, providing smooth gameplay on 100 Hz monitors, and the 5 FPS difference between High (112 FPS) and Ultra (107 FPS) is negligible. For users with 144 Hz displays, Medium at 147 FPS offers the best balance, with a 125 FPS minimum that rarely dips below 120 Hz. The Low preset at 191 FPS is unnecessary unless chasing maximum frame rates.

At 3840x2160, the recommendation is Medium at 87 FPS (74 minimum). This is the only 4K preset that maintains a minimum above 60 FPS, ensuring consistent gameplay without drops below 60. The High preset at 66 FPS may be acceptable for users with 60 Hz displays, but the 74 to 100 FPS range of Medium provides more consistent pacing. Ultra at 63 FPS is not recommended, as the average barely exceeds 60 and any scene complexity increase could cause drops below that threshold. Low at 114 FPS is viable for competitive play but sacrifices too much visual quality for a single-player stealth title.

For the overall best experience across all resolutions, High settings at 1440p (112 FPS) or Medium at 4K (87 FPS) offer the best balance of visual fidelity and performance. The data suggests that this combo is best utilized at 1440p, where it can run Ultra at 107 FPS, or 1080p, where it saturates most refresh rates.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Thief?

A: The data shows 2560x1440 at Ultra (107 FPS average) or High (112 FPS) provides the best balance of visual quality and performance. At 4K Ultra, the average drops to 63 FPS, while 1080p Ultra at 156 FPS exceeds what most monitors can display.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in Thief?

A: At 1080p Low, the 216 FPS ceiling compared to 1440p Low's 191 FPS (only 12% lower despite 78% more pixels) indicates CPU limitation. At 4K, the GPU is clearly the bottleneck, with Ultra at 63 FPS versus 1080p Ultra's 156 FPS.

Q: Can this system maintain 60 FPS at 4K in Thief?

A: Yes, at Medium settings the average is 87 FPS with a 74 FPS minimum. At High settings the average is 66 FPS, which is above 60 but with no minimum data to confirm consistency. At Ultra, the 63 FPS average is too close to 60 to guarantee stable performance.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to other tested systems?

A: It ranks 235 out of 2851 combos, placing it in the top 8.2% of tested configurations. The CPU is in the 85th percentile and the GPU in the 83rd percentile individually, but the combo's 92nd percentile rank shows they work well together.

Q: What is the frame pacing like at 1440p Medium?

A: The measured minimum of 125 FPS and maximum of 169 FPS around the 147 FPS average indicate tight frame pacing. This 44 FPS spread (roughly ±15%) is typical for a well-optimized preset and should feel smooth on 120-144 Hz displays.

Q: Does the 12 GB VRAM on the RTX 4070 SUPER matter in Thief?

A: Given that the game released in 2014 and the 4K results show no memory-related issues (the GPU compute limits performance, not VRAM), the 12 GB GDDR6X is more than sufficient. The 504.2 GB/s bandwidth also ensures texture streaming at 4K Ultra is not bandwidth-limited.