Thief

Thief, a 2014 stealth title, remains a demanding benchmark even on modern hardware. For the combination of the Intel Core Ultra 5 235 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070, the measured data shows a system that excels at high refresh rates at 1080p and 1440p, while only beginning to show strain at 4K Ultra settings. The benchmark results place this combo at rank 406 out of 2851 tested combinations, putting it in the top tier of systems for this game.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 is built on the Arrow Lake architecture, a 3 nm process from TSMC. It features 14 cores and 14 threads, a configuration that prioritizes physical cores over hyper-threading. The base clock is 3.40 GHz, and it can boost up to 5.00 GHz. This CPU has a 24 MB shared L3 cache, with 192 KB of L1 cache per core and 3 MB of L2 cache per core. The 65 W TDP classifies it as a mainstream desktop part, and it supports DDR5 memory over a dual-channel bus, providing a theoretical memory bandwidth of 102.4 GB/s.

In synthetic benchmarks, the Core Ultra 5 235 demonstrates strong single-threaded and multi-threaded performance. Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score is 14769, while the single-core score is 2085. The Passmark single-thread score is 4516, and the multithread score is 37816. The CPU's overall average benchmark score is 46062, which places it in the 89th percentile of all CPUs. Compared to its nearest rivals, it is effectively tied with the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375, which scores 46030 (a 0.1% delta), and the Intel Core i9-13900HX, which scores 46098 (-0.1% delta). It also marginally edges out the AMD EPYC 4364P and AMD EPYC 7303, both scoring around 45970-45960.

For a game like Thief, which is a 2014 title built around stealth mechanics and CPU-driven game logic, the single-thread performance of the Core Ultra 5 235 is critically important. The high boost clock of 5.00 GHz and a strong Passmark single-thread score of 4516 suggest that the CPU can handle the game's simulation and AI tasks without becoming a bottleneck. The multi-thread performance, while robust, is less critical for this older title, but the 14 cores ensure that any background tasks or modern system overhead do not interfere with the game's performance. The data shows that at 1080p with Low settings, the system achieves 221 FPS, which is a scenario where the CPU is often the limiting factor. The high single-thread score indicates that the CPU is capable enough to feed the GPU at these high frame rates, preventing a CPU-induced cap on performance. The benchmark results confirm that this processor is a capable partner for the RTX 4070 in this title, with its high clock speeds and efficient architecture ensuring it does not hold back the GPU in most scenarios.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture, using the AD104 chip manufactured on a 5 nm process by TSMC. It features 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s. The GPU has a base clock of 1920 MHz and a boost clock of 2475 MHz. It contains 5888 shading units, 184 texture mapping units, and 64 ROPs. The card also includes 46 RT cores and 184 tensor cores, though these features are less relevant for a 2014 title like Thief which does not support ray tracing. The memory clock is listed as 1313 MHz, which translates to 21 Gbps effective. The GPU's TDP is 200 W.

The RTX 4070's Passmark G3D score is 26927, and its average benchmark score is 37648, placing it in the 81st percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals in the database include the NVIDIA Tesla P4 with an average score of 37628 (0.1% delta), the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 with 37507 (0.4% delta), and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile with 38135 (-1.3% delta). The data shows that the RTX 4070's performance is well above the median, making it a high-end part suitable for demanding gaming workloads.

In Thief, the GPU's role is primarily tied to resolution and graphical settings. At 1080p, the RTX 4070 is rarely the limiting factor, as evidenced by the high frame rates across all settings. The GPU's 12 GB of VRAM is more than sufficient for this title, which was released before the era of massive texture packs and 4K asset streaming. The card's boost clock of 2475 MHz and high texture and pixel rates (455.4 GTexel/s and 158.4 GPixel/s respectively) allow it to handle the game's DirectX 11 rendering efficiently. The Passmark DirectX 11 score of 244 and DirectX 12 score of 103 indicate strong performance in the API that Thief uses. As the resolution increases to 1440p and 4K, the GPU becomes more stressed, with the frame rate dropping from 147 FPS at 1080p High to 101 FPS at 1440p High, and finally to 59 FPS at 4K High. This scaling pattern confirms that the GPU is the primary driver of performance at higher resolutions, while the CPU handles the lower-resolution, high-frame-rate scenarios effectively.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS rows provide a clear picture of how different graphics presets affect performance. For the best experience, the data suggests that the High preset is the sweet spot for most users. At 1080p, the High preset achieves 147 FPS, which is only 7 FPS less than the Ultra preset’s 140 FPS. The jump from Medium to High is 193 FPS to 147 FPS, a significant 46 FPS drop, but the visual quality increase is substantial. At 1440p, the High preset delivers 101 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay, while the Ultra preset drops to 96 FPS. The Medium preset at 1440p gives 132 FPS, but the visual fidelity is noticeably lower.

For 4K gaming, the High preset yields 59 FPS, which is borderline playable but might be too inconsistent for some. The Medium preset at 4K delivers 78 FPS with a minimum of 66 FPS and a maximum of 89 FPS, making it a more stable option for 4K. The Ultra preset at 4K drops to 56 FPS, which is below the ideal 60 FPS target. Therefore, the recommendation is to use the High preset for 1080p and 1440p gaming, as it provides an excellent balance of visual quality and frame rate. For 4K, the Medium preset is the recommended choice, as it maintains an average of 78 FPS and offers a smoother experience than High or Ultra. The Low preset, while achieving very high frame rates (221 FPS at 1080p, 174 FPS at 1440p, and 103 FPS at 4K), sacrifices too much visual quality and should only be used for competitive play or on very high refresh rate monitors where maximum FPS is the priority. The data indicates that the High preset is the best overall choice for this hardware combination, offering a 147 FPS average at 1080p and a 101 FPS average at 1440p, both of which are well above the threshold for a responsive and visually smooth experience.

FAQ

Q: What is the average frame rate at 1440p with High settings?

A: The measured average FPS at 2560x1440 with High settings is 101 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU compare to the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 has an average benchmark score of 46062, which is 0.1% higher than the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375's score of 46030.

Q: Is the RTX 4070 capable of 4K gaming in Thief?

A: Yes, at 4K with Medium settings, the RTX 4070 achieves an average of 78 FPS with a minimum of 66 FPS, making it playable. At High settings, the average drops to 59 FPS.

Q: What is the maximum FPS recorded for this system?

A: The highest average FPS recorded is 221 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings. The maximum FPS in any measured row is 222 FPS, which occurs at 1080p Medium.

Q: What is the GPU's percentile ranking among all GPUs?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 is in the 81st percentile of all GPUs based on its average benchmark score.

Q: Does the CPU have more cores than threads?

A: Yes, the Intel Core Ultra 5 235 has 14 cores and 14 threads, meaning it does not support hyper-threading and has a 1:1 core-to-thread ratio.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a predictable scaling pattern as resolution increases from 1080p to 4K. At 1080p High, the system achieves 147 FPS. Moving to 1440p High, the frame rate drops to 101 FPS, a reduction of approximately 31%. At 4K High, the frame rate falls to 59 FPS, a further drop of about 42% from 1440p. This scaling behavior is characteristic of a system where the GPU becomes the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions. The CPU, with its strong single-threaded performance, is capable of maintaining high frame rates at 1080p, where the load on the GPU is lower. At 4K, the GPU's rendering workload increases significantly due to the four-fold increase in pixel count compared to 1080p, and the RTX 4070's performance drops accordingly.

The data shows a similar trend across other settings. At Low settings, the frame rate drops from 221 FPS at 1080p to 174 FPS at 1440p (a 21% decrease) and then to 103 FPS at 4K (a 41% decrease). The Medium preset shows 193 FPS at 1080p, 132 FPS at 1440p, and 78 FPS at 4K. The Ultra preset shows 140 FPS at 1080p, 96 FPS at 1440p, and 56 FPS at 4K. The percentage drop from 1080p to 4K is consistent across all settings, hovering around 60-65% reduction in frame rate. This consistency indicates that the GPU is the dominant factor in performance scaling with resolution. If the CPU were the bottleneck, the frame rate would not scale as dramatically with resolution changes. The fact that the frame rate drops by roughly 60% from 1080p to 4K, regardless of the graphics preset, strongly suggests that the RTX 4070's rendering capabilities, including its fill rate and memory bandwidth, are the limiting factors at higher resolutions. The CPU's role is to feed the GPU with data, and its high single-thread performance ensures it does not become a bottleneck until frame rates exceed 200 FPS at 1080p Low settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following data provides a complete breakdown of the measured average FPS for the Intel Core Ultra 5 235 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 combination in Thief.

1920x1080:

• Low: The average FPS is 221. This is the highest frame rate recorded for this system, indicating that the CPU is capable of pushing very high frame rates when the GPU load is minimal.
• Medium: The average FPS is 193, with a minimum of 164 and a maximum of 222. This setting provides a high refresh rate experience with a small performance cost compared to Low.
• High: The average FPS is 147. This is a significant drop from Medium (46 FPS less), but still well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay.
• Ultra: The average FPS is 140. The difference between High and Ultra is only 7 FPS, making Ultra a viable option at 1080p if maximum visual quality is desired.

2560x1440:

• Low: The average FPS is 174. This is a 21% decrease from the 1080p Low result, but still very high.
• Medium: The average FPS is 132, with a minimum of 113 and a maximum of 152. This provides a smooth experience for high refresh rate 1440p monitors.
• High: The average FPS is 101. This is the recommended setting for 1440p, offering a good balance between visual quality and performance.
• Ultra: The average FPS is 96. The drop from High to Ultra is only 5 FPS, making Ultra a reasonable choice at this resolution for those with 100Hz or higher displays.

3840x2160:

• Low: The average FPS is 103. This shows that even at 4K, the system can achieve over 100 FPS on the lowest settings, making it a viable option for high refresh rate 4K monitors.
• Medium: The average FPS is 78, with a minimum of 66 and a maximum of 89. This is the most balanced 4K setting, providing a stable frame rate above 60 FPS.
• High: The average FPS is 59. This is just below the 60 FPS target, which may result in occasional stutters on standard 60Hz displays.
• Ultra: The average FPS is 56. This is the most demanding setting and yields the lowest frame rate of all measured configurations.

The data shows a clear hierarchy of performance across resolutions and settings. For a competitive or high-refresh-rate experience, 1080p Low or Medium provides the highest frame rates. For a balanced experience, 1440p High offers 101 FPS, which is excellent. For 4K, Medium is the only setting that consistently maintains an average above 60 FPS, with 78 FPS. The Ultra preset at 4K, yielding 56 FPS, is the only configuration that falls below the 60 FPS playability threshold, suggesting that users should prefer High or Medium settings at 4K for a smoother experience. The minimum FPS values recorded for Medium settings (164 at 1080p, 113 at 1440p, and 66 at 4K) indicate that even the lowest frame rates are acceptable, with no severe stutters or drops below playable levels. This comprehensive data confirms that the Intel Core Ultra 5 235 and RTX 4070 combination is a powerful pairing for Thief, capable of delivering high frame rates across all resolutions, with only the most extreme settings at 4K pushing the GPU to its limits.