Thief

Thief is an older title, but it remains a demanding showcase, and the data for the Intel Core Ultra 5 235 with the AMD Radeon RX 570 tells a clear story about hardware limits. The measured frame rates show a system that is firmly anchored by its graphics card, especially as resolution climbs. This combination ranks 2744th out of 2851 tested combos in this game, placing it in the lower tier of configurations. The following analysis breaks down exactly what these numbers mean for playability and settings.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS data shows a brutal scaling curve as resolution increases, which is the classic signature of a GPU-bound system. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 75 FPS. Moving to 1440p at the same Low preset drops that to 51 FPS, a 32% reduction. Pushing further to 4K at Low settings yields just 30 FPS, which is a 60% loss from the 1080p figure. This dramatic falloff indicates that the AMD Radeon RX 570 is being overwhelmed by the pixel count, and the Intel Core Ultra 5 235 is not the limiting factor here.

The pattern holds across all settings presets. At High settings, the average frame rate goes from 43 FPS at 1080p to 30 FPS at 1440p, and then collapses to 17 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1440p to 4K is particularly steep, representing a 43% performance hit. This is a clear indication that the GPU’s memory bandwidth and fill rate are insufficient for 4K rendering in this game. The CPU, with its 14 cores and 24 MB of shared L3 cache, has ample headroom; the bottleneck is purely the graphics pipeline.

The Ultra preset tells the same story. At 1080p, you get 41 FPS, which is only slightly below the High preset’s 43 FPS, suggesting that the jump from High to Ultra is not particularly taxing at this resolution. However, at 1440p Ultra, the average drops to 28 FPS, and at 4K Ultra, it falls to 17 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 4K on Ultra is a 58.5% performance loss. The data strongly suggests that for a smooth experience, you must stay at 1080p, as the GPU simply does not have the raw throughput for higher resolutions.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 570 is the decisive component in this pairing. Its specifications reveal why it struggles at higher resolutions. The GPU features 4 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 224.0 GB/s of bandwidth. This is a modest amount by modern standards, and Thief’s textures at 4K likely exceed this capacity, causing severe frame rate drops. The 2048 shading units and 32 ROPs are also contributing to the pixel rate of 39.81 GPixel/s, which is simply not enough to drive a 4K display at playable speeds.

Clock speeds are relatively modest, with a base of 1168 MHz and a boost of 1244 MHz. The memory runs at 1750 MHz, or 7 Gbps effective. These clocks, combined with the 5.095 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, place the RX 570 in a specific performance tier. Its benchmark scores reflect this position. The GPU’s average benchmark score is 28766, and it sits in the 74th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 6800M, which scores 28874 with a deltaPct of -0.4%, and the AMD Radeon R9 M295X at 28580 with a deltaPct of 0.7%. This shows the RX 570 is closely matched with those parts in synthetic tests, but in Thief, the 4 GB VRAM limit becomes a practical constraint.

The GPU is built on the 14 nm process with a 150 W TDP, making it a power-efficient card for its era, but efficiency does not translate to high-end performance. The 224.0 GB/s bandwidth is the key limiting factor at 4K. Even at Medium settings, which produce a min FPS of 19 at 4K, the GPU is clearly thrashing. The data indicates that the GPU is the primary bottleneck across all resolutions, and the CPU’s performance is effectively irrelevant in this scenario, as the frame rates are capped by the graphics card’s output.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the only viable path to a consistently playable experience is to use 1080p with lower settings. At 1080p Low, the average of 75 FPS is excellent and provides a smooth, responsive experience. This is the clear best choice for competitive or fast-paced play. The Medium preset at 1080p delivers 57 FPS on average, with a minimum of 48 FPS, which is still acceptable for most players and offers better visual fidelity. This represents the best balance of quality and performance.

For those who prioritize visuals over frame rate, the High preset at 1080p yields 43 FPS, which is playable but will feel less fluid. The Ultra preset at 1080p drops to 41 FPS, which is nearly identical to High. This suggests that the visual upgrade from High to Ultra is minimal while the performance cost is negligible, so you might as well enable Ultra if you are already at High settings. However, the jump from Medium to High costs 14 FPS, which is a significant 24.5% reduction, making Medium the more sensible default.

At 1440p, the experience is compromised. The Low preset provides 51 FPS, which is playable, but Medium drops to 39 FPS, and High falls to 30 FPS. These numbers are below the threshold for smooth gameplay, especially in a stealth title where quick reactions are needed. 4K is simply not a viable option. The best average at 4K is 30 FPS on Low, and Medium, High, and Ultra all fall to 23 FPS or below. The recommendation is to avoid 1440p and 4K entirely with this GPU. Stick to 1080p and choose Medium for the best experience, or Low if you need higher frame rates.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete dataset provides a detailed view of performance across all tested configurations. At 1920x1080, the results are as follows: Low settings produce an average of 75 FPS. Medium settings produce 57 FPS, with a minimum of 48 and a maximum of 65. High settings produce 43 FPS. Ultra settings produce 41 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 34 FPS, which shows that the settings menu has a significant impact on performance at this resolution.

Moving to 2560x1440, the numbers drop considerably. Low settings average 51 FPS. Medium settings average 39 FPS, with a minimum of 33 and a maximum of 45. High settings average 30 FPS. Ultra settings average 28 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 23 FPS. Notably, the minimum FPS at Medium (33) is lower than the average at High (30), indicating that frame pacing can be inconsistent at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the results are mostly unplayable. Low settings average 30 FPS. Medium settings average 23 FPS, with a minimum of 19 and a maximum of 26. High settings average 17 FPS. Ultra settings also average 17 FPS. The data shows a clear cliff: from 1440p to 4K, the average FPS at High drops from 30 to 17, a 43% decrease. The Medium preset is the only one with a recorded minimum and maximum at 4K, showing 19 and 26 FPS respectively, but even the maximum is below the threshold for smooth gameplay.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 5 235 and the AMD Radeon RX 570 ranks 2744th out of 2851 tested combos in Thief. This places it in the bottom 3.7% of all configurations. This low ranking is almost entirely attributable to the GPU. The CPU itself is a strong performer; its average benchmark score is 46062, placing it in the 89th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 with an average score of 46030 and a deltaPct of 0.1%, and the Intel Core i9-13900HX with a score of 46098 and a deltaPct of -0.1%. This shows the Core Ultra 5 235 is a high-end processor.

In contrast, the RX 570’s performance is middling. Its average benchmark score is 28766, which places it in the 74th percentile of all GPUs. When paired, the CPU’s strength is wasted because the GPU cannot keep up. The combo ranking of 2744 is a direct consequence of this imbalance. The CPU could easily drive a much more powerful graphics card, but the RX 570 holds the entire system back. The data shows that in Thief, this pairing is severely limited, and the experience will be poor at any resolution above 1080p.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 is the only resolution that provides consistently playable frame rates. At 1080p, the average FPS ranges from 41 on Ultra to 75 on Low. At 1440p, the averages drop to between 28 and 51, and at 4K, they fall to between 17 and 30, making those resolutions unsuitable for smooth gameplay.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from 1080p to 1440p?

A: The performance loss varies by setting. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 75 at 1080p to 51 at 1440p, a 32% reduction. At High settings, it drops from 43 to 30, a 30% reduction. The GPU is the limiting factor, and the loss is substantial across all presets.

Q: Is the Intel Core Ultra 5 235 bottlenecking the AMD Radeon RX 570?

A: No. The CPU is a high-end part with a benchmark score in the 89th percentile, while the GPU is in the 74th percentile. The frame rates in Thief are consistently low at high resolutions, which indicates the GPU is the bottleneck. The CPU has significant headroom and is not the cause of the low FPS.

Q: Is the Ultra preset worth using over High at 1080p?

A: At 1080p, the High preset averages 43 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 41 FPS. The 2 FPS difference is minimal, so enabling Ultra will not significantly harm performance while providing the highest visual quality. The jump from Medium to High is more costly, with a 14 FPS drop.

Q: What is the minimum FPS at 1440p Medium settings?

A: At 2560x1440 with Medium settings, the minimum FPS is 33, with an average of 39 and a maximum of 45. This indicates that while the average is playable, there will be moments of noticeable stutter, making it a less consistent experience than at 1080p.

Q: Can this combo achieve 60 FPS in Thief?

A: Yes, but only at 1080p with Low settings, where the average is 75 FPS. At Medium settings, the average is 57 FPS, which is close but does not reach 60. No other settings or resolutions achieve an average of 60 FPS or higher.