Thief

The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER combination delivers exceptionally high frame rates in Thief, ranking in the top 3% of all tested configurations. The benchmark data reveals a pairing that is overwhelmingly GPU-limited at higher resolutions but still capable of pushing well beyond 200 FPS at 1080p, making it a top-tier choice for this 2014 stealth classic.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 is a 14-core, 14-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture, built on a 3 nm process. It has a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.10 GHz, with a 65 W TDP. This processor is part of the Core Ultra Series 2, and its 24 MB of shared L3 cache helps feed the GPU with data. In synthetic benchmarks, the CPU achieves a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 32924 and a single-core score of 4648, indicating strong multi-threaded and single-threaded performance. The chip’s overall average benchmark score is 48995, placing it in the 90th percentile of all CPUs.

In the context of Thief, a game from 2014, the CPU’s role is significant but often secondary. The data shows that at 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves 225 FPS. By contrast, at 4K with Low settings, the average drops to 130 FPS. This 95 FPS gap is primarily due to GPU load increasing with resolution, but it also shows that the CPU is not a bottleneck at 1080p, as it is able to feed the GPU enough data to hit very high frame rates. The processor’s high single-core performance is particularly relevant, as Thief is not designed to fully utilize 14 cores. The PassMark single-thread score of 4394 supports this, showing high per-core throughput that is critical for maintaining high minimum frame rates in a game that is likely to be bound by a few main threads.

The CPU’s performance relative to its nearest rivals is tight. It is 0.4% slower than the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G and 0.5% slower than the AMD Ryzen 9 7900, but it is 0.6% faster than the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H and 0.8% faster than the Intel Core i5-14600K. These deltas are minimal, meaning the Core Ultra 5 245 provides a competitive baseline. In a game like Thief, where the frame rate is often dictated by the GPU, the small differences between these CPUs would likely translate to a negligible difference in average FPS. The processor’s 90th percentile ranking confirms it is a high-end part, but its primary job in this combo is to stay out of the way of the RTX 4080 SUPER.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER is the dominant component in this pairing. It is a high-end GPU from the GeForce 40-series, based on the AD103 chip and Ada Lovelace architecture. It has 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 736.3 GB/s. The GPU’s base clock is 2295 MHz, with a boost clock of 2550 MHz. This hardware allows it to achieve a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 6600 and a PassMark G3D score of 34245, placing it in the 86th percentile of all GPUs.

The GPU’s memory capacity and bandwidth are crucial for Thief, especially at higher resolutions. At 4K with Ultra settings, the combo averages 72 FPS, while at 4K High, it averages 75 FPS. The 16 GB VRAM is more than sufficient for this title, even at 4K, preventing any texture swapping or stuttering that could occur with smaller memory pools. The 736.3 GB/s bandwidth ensures that the high-resolution textures and geometry are streamed quickly to the rendering cores.

The RTX 4080 SUPER’s performance is closely matched with its direct predecessor, the RTX 4080, as indicated by a delta of -0.1% in average benchmark scores. It is 1.1% faster than the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X, but 2.7% slower than the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB and 2.8% slower than the AMD Radeon 8060S. These rival deltas are based on average synthetic scores, but in Thief, the actual FPS results show a very capable card. The GPU is the clear limiting factor when moving from 1080p to 4K, as the FPS drops significantly with the increased pixel count, indicating that the rendering load scales heavily with resolution.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 and RTX 4080 SUPER combination ranks 88th out of 2851 tested combos in Thief. This places it in the top 3.1% of all configurations, which is an exceptional result. This high ranking is primarily driven by the GPU’s raw power, which is more than capable of handling the demands of this game. The CPU’s 90th percentile ranking among all CPUs also contributes, ensuring that there is no significant bottleneck even at lower resolutions where CPU load is relatively higher.

The rank of 88 is an aggregate measure, but the FPS data shows consistency across all settings. At 1080p, the combo never dips below 178 FPS (Ultra settings), and at 1440p, it stays above 122 FPS (Ultra settings). Even at 4K, the lowest average FPS is 72 (Ultra settings), which is still highly playable. This consistency across resolutions suggests that the combo is well-balanced for Thief, with no single component dragging down the overall performance. The rank reflects this balance, positioning it as a top-tier setup that is only beaten by combos with even more powerful (likely newer or more expensive) components.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of performance across resolutions and settings.

At 1920x1080, the combo performs exceptionally well. With Low settings, it averages 225 FPS. Increasing to Medium drops the average to 203 FPS, with a minimum of 173 FPS and a maximum of 234 FPS. High settings yield 184 FPS average, while Ultra settings produce 178 FPS average. The range from Low to Ultra is 47 FPS, showing that the GPU has plenty of headroom even at the highest settings. The High and Ultra results are very close (184 vs 178 FPS), suggesting that the game’s Ultra preset may not add a significant load over High.

At 2560x1440, the performance scales down as expected. Low settings average 198 FPS, which is still very high. Medium settings average 168 FPS (min 143, max 194). High settings produce 128 FPS, and Ultra settings average 122 FPS. The drop from Low to Ultra is 76 FPS. Notably, the gap between High and Ultra narrows to just 6 FPS, reinforcing that the Ultra preset is not much more demanding than High at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is heavily taxed. Low settings average 130 FPS, which is still smooth. Medium settings drop to 99 FPS (min 84, max 114). High settings produce 75 FPS, and Ultra settings average 72 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra is 58 FPS. The results here show that the RTX 4080 SUPER is capable of delivering playable frame rates at 4K, even with the game’s most demanding settings, though the margin for error is smaller than at lower resolutions.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals that the GPU is the primary limiting component. At Medium settings, the average FPS drops from 203 at 1080p to 168 at 1440p (a 17.2% decrease) and then to 99 at 4K (a 41.1% decrease from 1440p). The total drop from 1080p to 4K at Medium is 104 FPS. This pattern is consistent across all settings. At Low settings, the drop is from 225 FPS to 198 FPS to 130 FPS, a total reduction of 95 FPS. At High settings, it goes from 184 FPS to 128 FPS to 75 FPS, a total reduction of 109 FPS. At Ultra, it is 178 FPS to 122 FPS to 72 FPS, a total reduction of 106 FPS.

The fact that the FPS nearly halves when moving from 1440p to 4K indicates that the rendering load is pixel-bound, which is a classic sign of GPU limitation. The CPU’s influence is minimal here, as its workload does not scale with resolution. The data suggests that if the CPU were the bottleneck, we would see similar FPS numbers at 1080p and 1440p, but the significant drops confirm that the RTX 4080 SUPER’s rendering cores are the limiting factor. The 16 GB VRAM is sufficient, as there is no anomalous drop at 4K that would indicate memory capacity issues. This scaling behavior is typical for a high-end GPU paired with a strong CPU: the combo is optimized for high refresh rate gaming at 1440p, but remains viable at 4K with adjusted settings.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best resolution to play Thief with this CPU and GPU combo?*

A: The data indicates that 2560x1440 is the sweet spot. At Medium settings, it averages 168 FPS, and even at Ultra, it maintains 122 FPS. This resolution offers a balance between visual fidelity and high frame rates, whereas 4K drops below 100 FPS for most settings.

*Q: Is this combo overkill for Thief at 1080p?*

A: Yes, the data shows that at 1920x1080, the combo exceeds 178 FPS even at Ultra settings. With Low settings, it hits 225 FPS. This performance is far beyond the 60 FPS target, making it overkill for standard 60 Hz monitors, but ideal for high-refresh-rate displays.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from 1080p to 4K at High settings?

A: At High settings, the average FPS drops from 184 at 1080p to 75 at 4K. This represents a 109 FPS loss, or approximately a 59% reduction in performance, illustrating the heavy GPU load at 4K.

Q: Does the CPU bottleneck the GPU in this game?

A: The data shows no significant CPU bottleneck. At 1080p, where CPU load is highest relative to GPU, the combo still achieves 225 FPS on Low settings. If the CPU were a bottleneck, we would see frame rates plateau regardless of resolution, but the consistent scaling with resolution indicates the GPU is the limiting factor.

Q: What settings should be used for a smooth 4K experience?

A: For a consistent 60 FPS or higher at 4K, the Low preset averages 130 FPS, and Medium averages 99 FPS. Even High and Ultra settings stay above 72 FPS, making them playable, but the Medium preset offers a good balance with a 99 FPS average.

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

A: This combo ranks 88th out of 2851 tested configurations, placing it in the top 3.1%. This high rank is due to the RTX 4080 SUPER’s strong performance, which is in the 86th percentile of all GPUs, and the Core Ultra 5 245’s 90th percentile CPU ranking.