Thief

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER delivers a striking performance profile in Thief, one that is heavily dictated by resolution and settings. The measured data reveals a system capable of exceptional frame rates, but the scaling patterns expose where each component's influence begins and ends. This analysis walks through the benchmark results step by step, interpreting what the numbers mean for gameplay across different configurations.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate progression from 1080p to 4K shows a clear and predictable pattern, but the magnitude of the drop tells a specific story about the system's balance. At the High preset, the average FPS moves from 181 at 1920x1080 down to 128 at 2560x1440, and finally to 75 at 3840x2160. This represents a 29% reduction from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 41% reduction from 1440p to 4K. The total scaling from 1080p to 4K is a 59% drop in frame rate, which is substantial but not catastrophic for a title from this era.

The Low preset shows a similar pattern with higher absolute numbers. At 1080p, the system produces 221 FPS, which falls to 195 at 1440p and 130 at 4K. The percentage drops are 12% and 33% respectively, indicating that the CPU is keeping pace well at lower settings while the GPU becomes the limiting factor at higher resolutions. The fact that 4K Low still achieves 130 FPS suggests the RTX 4080 SUPER has considerable headroom even under demanding pixel counts.

Looking at the Medium preset, which includes min and max FPS data, the averages are 200 at 1080p, 168 at 1440p, and 99 at 4K. The min FPS values are telling: 170 at 1080p, 143 at 1440p, and 84 at 4K. The gap between min and max FPS widens as resolution increases, going from a 60 FPS spread at 1080p to a 30 FPS spread at 4K. This compression of the frame time variance at lower resolutions suggests the CPU is delivering consistent performance, while at 4K the GPU workload creates more fluctuation.

The Ultra preset follows the same curve: 178 FPS at 1080p, 122 at 1440p, and 72 at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 31%, and from 1440p to 4K is 41%. Notably, the difference between High and Ultra at each resolution is small, ranging from just 3 FPS at 1080p to 3 FPS at 4K. This indicates that the Ultra preset's additional graphical effects are not heavily taxing the GPU, or that the game's engine does not scale those effects significantly.

The data points to the GPU as the primary limiter at 4K. Even at the lowest settings, the 4K resolution demands significant pixel processing, and the 130 FPS result at Low versus the 221 FPS at 1080p Low shows a 41% reduction that aligns with the pixel count increase of 4x. The CPU, with its 14 cores and 14 threads, appears sufficient to feed the GPU at all tested resolutions, as evidenced by the relatively modest scaling penalties at lower settings.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 and RTX 4080 SUPER combination achieves a rank of 95 out of 2851 tested combos in Thief. This places the system in the top 3.3% of all configurations tested for this game, which is an exceptional result for a title released in 2014. The high ranking is unsurprising given the GPU's raw compute capabilities and the CPU's modern architecture.

The CPU's benchmark scores provide context for this ranking. In Cinebench R23, the Core Ultra 5 235 scores 14769 in multi-core and 2085 in single-core tests. These results place it in the 89th percentile against all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 46062. Its nearest rivals in CPU benchmarks include the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 with a score of 46030 (0.1% ahead) and the Intel Core i9-13900HX with 46098 (0.1% behind). This tight grouping indicates the Core Ultra 5 235 is competitive with top-tier mobile and desktop processors from previous generations.

For the GPU, the RTX 4080 SUPER sits in the 86th percentile of all GPUs with an average benchmark score of 54209. Its nearest rivals show a narrow margin: the RTX 4080 is 0.1% behind, while the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X is 1.1% ahead. The GPU's PassMark G3D score of 34245 reflects strong raw performance, and its 16 GB of GDDR6X memory ensures it is not constrained by VRAM capacity in this game.

The combination's rank of 95 out of 2851 suggests that while many individual components score higher in synthetic benchmarks, the pairing of this specific CPU and GPU works exceptionally well in Thief. The game's engine appears to favor the combination of Arrow Lake's strong single-thread performance (evidenced by the 2085 Cinebench R23 single-core score) and Ada Lovelace's efficient rasterization.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data allows for clear recommendations based on target frame rates and resolution. For 4K gaming, the Medium preset at 99 FPS average is the sweet spot, providing a playable experience above 60 FPS with a minimum of 84 FPS. The High preset at 75 FPS is also viable for those prioritizing visual fidelity over headroom, but the Ultra preset at 72 FPS dips close to the edge of smoothness. The Low preset at 130 FPS is unnecessary for 4K, as the visual compromises do not yield proportionally higher performance.

At 1440p, the Ultra preset at 122 FPS is the recommended choice. The additional 6 FPS gained by dropping to High (128 FPS) does not justify the visual downgrade, and the Medium preset's 168 FPS is excessive for most displays. For competitive play or high refresh rate monitors, the Low preset at 195 FPS provides the maximum headroom, but the visual fidelity loss is significant.

For 1080p, the Ultra preset at 178 FPS is ideal. The game runs smoothly on any modern display, and the 3 FPS difference between Ultra and High (181 FPS) is negligible. The Medium preset at 200 FPS offers marginal gains, but the Ultra preset's visual enhancements come at no practical cost. The Low preset at 221 FPS is only relevant for extreme refresh rate displays, which are rare in this resolution class.

The data shows diminishing returns from Medium to Ultra at all resolutions, with the gap between these presets being just 1-3 FPS. This suggests that players should always opt for Ultra if their display can handle the frame rate, as the performance cost is minimal relative to the visual improvement.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete dataset provides a comprehensive view of performance across all tested configurations.

At 1920x1080, the system delivers:

• Low: 221 FPS average
• Medium: 200 FPS average (min 170, max 230)
• High: 181 FPS average
• Ultra: 178 FPS average

The spread from Low to Ultra is 43 FPS, which is relatively narrow and indicates that the CPU is not a bottleneck at this resolution. The min FPS of 170 at Medium settings shows that even the lowest frame rates remain well above 144 Hz, making this resolution ideal for high refresh rate gaming.

At 2560x1440, the results are:

• Low: 195 FPS average
• Medium: 168 FPS average (min 143, max 194)
• High: 128 FPS average
• Ultra: 122 FPS average

The gap between Low and Ultra widens to 73 FPS, suggesting the GPU is beginning to feel the load. The Medium preset's min FPS of 143 is still above 120 Hz, providing a smooth experience on most gaming monitors.

At 3840x2160, the data shows:

• Low: 130 FPS average
• Medium: 99 FPS average (min 84, max 114)
• High: 75 FPS average
• Ultra: 72 FPS average

The Low to Ultra spread reaches 58 FPS, but the absolute numbers remain playable. The Medium preset's min FPS of 84 ensures consistent frame delivery, while the High and Ultra presets hover near 72-75 FPS, which is acceptable for 60 Hz displays but may show tearing on higher refresh rate panels.

The min and max FPS data at Medium settings reveals an interesting pattern: the frame time variance decreases as resolution increases. At 1080p, the range is 60 FPS (170 to 230), at 1440p it is 51 FPS (143 to 194), and at 4K it is 30 FPS (84 to 114). This suggests that at lower resolutions, CPU-bound frame pacing creates larger swings, while at 4K, the GPU's consistent workload smooths out delivery.

FAQ

Q: Is this system capable of 4K gaming in Thief?

A: Yes, the measured data shows 4K performance ranging from 72 FPS at Ultra settings to 130 FPS at Low settings. The Medium preset at 99 FPS average with an 84 FPS minimum provides the best balance for 4K play.

Q: How does the Ultra 5 235 compare to its nearest CPU rivals?

A: The CPU's average benchmark score of 46062 is 0.1% behind the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 (46030) and 0.1% ahead of the Intel Core i9-13900HX (46098). The AMD EPYC 4364P and EPYC 7303 are both 0.2% behind at 45970 and 45960 respectively.

Q: What is the best preset for a 144Hz display at 1440p?

A: The Ultra preset at 122 FPS is the recommended choice for 1440p. It provides the highest visual quality while staying close to the 144 Hz refresh rate. The High preset at 128 FPS offers a marginal improvement and may be preferred if frame drops are a concern.

Q: Does the RTX 4080 SUPER bottleneck the CPU in this game?

A: The data indicates the GPU becomes the limiting factor at 4K, where the 59% FPS drop from 1080p aligns with increased pixel workload. At 1080p and 1440p, the CPU maintains high frame rates, suggesting a balanced pairing.

Q: How significant is the difference between High and Ultra settings?

A: The difference is minimal, ranging from 3 FPS at 1080p (181 vs 178) to 3 FPS at 4K (75 vs 72). The Ultra preset provides additional visual effects at a negligible performance cost.

Q: What frame rate can I expect at 1080p with Medium settings?

A: The average FPS is 200, with a minimum of 170 and a maximum of 230. This provides an excellent experience for any display, including those with 240 Hz refresh rates.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 is a 14-core, 14-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture, built on a 3 nm process by TSMC. Its base clock of 3.40 GHz and boost clock of 5.00 GHz provide strong single-thread performance, which is critical for Thief's engine. The CPU's Cinebench R23 scores of 14769 multi-core and 2085 single-core place it in the 89th percentile of all CPUs, indicating robust performance for this workload.

The cache hierarchy consists of 192 KB of L1 per core, 3 MB of L2 per core, and 24 MB of shared L3 cache. This configuration supports fast data access for the game's level streaming and AI routines. The dual-channel DDR5 memory support with 102.4 GB/s bandwidth ensures the CPU can feed the GPU without stalling.

In the measured FPS data, the CPU's influence is most apparent at 1080p and 1440p, where the frame rates remain high even at Low settings. The 221 FPS at 1080p Low indicates the CPU can issue draw calls and process game logic well above 200 FPS. The min FPS of 170 at 1080p Medium further confirms the CPU's ability to maintain consistent frame delivery under load.

The PassMark scores provide additional context: the multi-thread score of 37816 and single-thread score of 4516 show balanced performance. The floating point math score of 117951 and integer math score of 87948 indicate strong compute capabilities that benefit game physics and simulation. The data compression score of 390711 and encryption score of 29293 suggest the CPU handles background tasks without impacting game performance.

The CPU's 65 W TDP is modest for a desktop processor, and its 20 PCIe Gen 5 lanes provide ample bandwidth for the RTX 4080 SUPER. The integrated Arc Xe-LPG Graphics 24EU is not relevant for gaming with a discrete GPU, but its presence does not detract from performance.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture using a 5 nm process at TSMC, with the AD103 chip containing 45,900 million transistors. Its base clock of 2295 MHz and boost clock of 2550 MHz deliver substantial compute throughput, with FP32 performance rated at 52.22 TFLOPS. The 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus provides 736.3 GB/s of bandwidth, which is more than sufficient for Thief's textures at any resolution.

The GPU's 10240 shading units, 320 TMUs, and 112 ROPs handle the rasterization workload efficiently. The texture rate of 816.0 GTexel/s and pixel rate of 285.6 GPixel/s ensure the GPU is not limited by fill rate in this game. The 80 RT cores and 320 tensor cores are available for features that Thief does not utilize, but their presence does not hinder traditional rendering.

In the measured FPS data, the GPU's role becomes dominant at 4K resolution. The 59% FPS drop from 1080p to 4K at High settings (181 to 75 FPS) aligns with the 4x pixel count increase, indicating the GPU is the primary limiter at this resolution. The 130 FPS at 4K Low shows the GPU's raw pixel throughput, while the 72 FPS at 4K Ultra demonstrates the cost of additional effects.

The GPU's benchmark scores reflect its high-end positioning: a PassMark G3D score of 34245 and a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 6600. The Geekbench OpenCL score of 219065 and Vulkan score of 260075 show strong compute performance. The GPU sits in the 86th percentile of all GPUs, with its average benchmark score of 54209 being 0.1% ahead of the RTX 4080 and 1.1% behind the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X.

The 320 W TDP and triple-slot design indicate the GPU requires substantial cooling, and the 1x 16-pin power connector with a 700 W suggested PSU confirms its power demands. The PCIe 4.0 x16 interface provides sufficient bandwidth for this game, as the 736.3 GB/s memory bandwidth is the more relevant constraint for texture streaming at 4K.

The GPU's role in Thief is clear: it provides the headroom for high frame rates at 1080p and 1440p, while becoming the limiting factor at 4K. The 16 GB VRAM ensures no texture pop-in or loading stutters are observed, even at Ultra settings with the highest quality assets.