Thief

# Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data for Thief across three resolutions reveals a predictable but informative scaling pattern. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo of the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 delivers an average of 225 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 Low drops that to 198 FPS, a reduction of approximately 12%. At 3840x2160 Low, the average falls to 145 FPS, which is a further 27% drop from the 1440p figure. This progression from 1080p to 4K at Low settings represents an overall 35.6% reduction in average FPS, indicating that even at the lowest graphical preset, resolution scaling imposes a significant load on the rendering pipeline.

The pattern shifts when examining higher settings. At High settings, the averages are 184 FPS at 1080p, 143 FPS at 1440p, and 84 FPS at 4K. The delta between 1080p and 1440p is 22.3%, while the delta between 1440p and 4K is 41.3%. This steeper decline at higher resolutions suggests that the GPU becomes increasingly the limiting component as pixel count grows. The RTX 4090, with its 24 GB of GDDR6X memory and 1.01 TB/s bandwidth, is clearly capable of handling the geometry and texture work at 1080p with headroom to spare, but the 4K Ultra setting — which produces 80 FPS average — shows the absolute ceiling of this configuration under maximum load.

The Medium settings data provides the most complete picture, as it includes minimum and maximum FPS values. At 1080p Medium, the range is 173 to 234 FPS with an average of 203. At 1440p Medium, the range narrows to 153 to 206 FPS with an average of 179. At 4K Medium, the range is 94 to 127 FPS with an average of 110. The minimum FPS at 4K Medium (94) is still comfortably above 60, indicating that even in demanding scenes, this combo maintains playable frame rates. However, the gap between minimum and average FPS widens as resolution increases — from 30 FPS at 1080p to 26 FPS at 1440p to 16 FPS at 4K — suggesting that frame time consistency degrades somewhat at higher resolutions, likely due to increased memory pressure and pixel shading workload.

The Ultra preset data shows the most dramatic scaling curve. At 1080p Ultra, the average is 181 FPS, which is only slightly below the High preset's 184 FPS. At 1440p Ultra, the average drops to 136 FPS, and at 4K Ultra, it falls to 80 FPS. The 1080p to 4K Ultra delta is 55.8%, the largest of any preset. This indicates that Ultra settings introduce effects and shading complexity that scale superlinearly with pixel count, making 4K Ultra the most demanding configuration in this dataset. The data shows that this combo is CPU-limited at 1080p across all presets, as the FPS differences between Low (225), Medium (203), High (184), and Ultra (181) are relatively modest compared to the resolution scaling effects.

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 by TSMC. Its base clock is 3.50 GHz with a boost clock of 5.10 GHz, and it draws a 65 W TDP. The CPU features 24 MB of shared L3 cache, with 192 KB of L1 and 3 MB of L2 per core. Memory support is dual-channel DDR5 with a bandwidth of 102.4 GB/s. In synthetic benchmarks, this CPU scores 32,924 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 4,648 in single-core, placing it in the 90th percentile among all tested CPUs.

Thief is a stealth game originally released in 2014, and its CPU demands are modest by modern standards. The benchmark results show that at 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra settings is only 44 FPS (225 vs 181), which suggests that the CPU is delivering frames faster than the GPU can render at lower resolutions but becomes less relevant as resolution increases. The data indicates that at 1080p Low, the CPU is likely the limiting factor, as the RTX 4090 is capable of much higher frame rates in less CPU-bound scenarios. The 14 cores and 14 threads of the Ultra 5 245 provide ample parallel processing capacity for Thief's AI, physics, and game logic, while the 5.10 GHz boost clock ensures strong single-threaded performance for the main game loop.

Comparing to nearest rivals, the Ultra 5 245 shows a -0.4% delta versus the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G and -0.5% versus the AMD Ryzen 9 7900, meaning it is essentially performance-equivalent to those parts in aggregate benchmarks. Against the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H, the delta is +0.6%, and against the Intel Core i5-14600K, it is +0.8%. These narrow deltas (all within +/-1%) indicate that the Ultra 5 245 sits in a highly competitive performance band, and any differences in Thief's frame rates at CPU-bound resolutions would be negligible. The processor's 90th percentile ranking among all CPUs reinforces that it is not a bottleneck in this configuration, even at 1080p where CPU load is highest relative to GPU load.

The ECC memory support and PCIe Gen 5 with 20 lanes are notable features, but for Thief, the key characteristics are the high boost clock and substantial L3 cache. The data shows that at 1440p and 4K, the CPU's influence on FPS diminishes, as the GPU becomes the primary determinant of performance. The fact that 1080p Ultra (181 FPS) is only slightly below 1080p High (184 FPS) suggests that the CPU can handle the additional draw calls and object count of Ultra settings without significant frame rate penalties, a sign of healthy headroom in this legacy title.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is the flagship of the GeForce 40-series, built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with a 5 nm process. It features 16,384 shading units, 512 TMUs, and 176 ROPs, along with 128 RT cores and 512 tensor cores. The GPU has a base clock of 2235 MHz and a boost clock of 2520 MHz, with memory running at 1313 MHz (21 Gbps effective) across a 384-bit bus. The 24 GB of GDDR6X memory provides 1.01 TB/s of bandwidth, and the card draws a 450 W TDP. In synthetic benchmarks, it scores 38,194 in Passmark G3D and 26,613 in Passmark GPU Compute, placing it in the 88th percentile among all GPUs.

In Thief, the RTX 4090's performance scales predictably with resolution and settings. At 1080p, the GPU is not fully utilized, as evidenced by the relatively flat FPS curve across presets: 225 (Low), 203 (Medium), 184 (High), and 181 (Ultra). The largest gap is between Low and Medium (22 FPS), while High and Ultra are nearly identical. This suggests that at 1080p, the GPU's pixel throughput and memory bandwidth are more than sufficient, and the bottleneck shifts to the CPU. At 1440p, the GPU begins to assert its influence: the spread between Low (198) and Ultra (136) is 62 FPS, a 31.3% reduction from Low to Ultra. At 4K, the GPU is clearly the dominant factor, with Low at 145 FPS and Ultra at 80 FPS — a 44.8% reduction.

The 24 GB VRAM capacity is far beyond what Thief requires, even at 4K Ultra, so memory capacity is never a limiting factor. The 1.01 TB/s memory bandwidth, however, does play a role in the 4K results, where texture streaming and pixel fill rates demand high bandwidth. The 4K Medium result of 110 FPS average with a 94 FPS minimum demonstrates that the RTX 4090 can maintain high frame rates even in complex scenes at 4K, but the Ultra preset at 80 FPS shows the limits of the Ada Lovelace architecture when all effects are enabled at maximum resolution.

Comparing to nearest rivals, the RTX 4090 shows a 0% delta versus the Intel Arc Pro A60, a +0.3% delta versus the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48, a -2.5% delta versus the AMD Radeon Pro W6600M, and a +2.9% delta versus the AMD Radeon PRO V710. These deltas are based on aggregate benchmark scores, and in gaming workloads like Thief, the RTX 4090's massive shading and texture rate (1,290.2 GTexel/s) and pixel rate (443.5 GPixel/s) give it a substantial advantage. The GPU's 88th percentile ranking confirms it is among the top performers, and the measured FPS data shows no signs of thermal or power throttling, even at 4K Ultra where the GPU operates at maximum load.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 1080p with High settings?

A: The average FPS at 1920x1080 with High settings is 184 FPS.

Q: How does the combo rank among all tested combinations in Thief?

A: This combo ranks 42nd out of 2,851 tested combinations, placing it in the top 1.5% of all configs.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded at 4K Medium settings?

A: The minimum FPS at 3840x2160 with Medium settings is 94 FPS, with a maximum of 127 FPS and an average of 110 FPS.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor at 1080p?

A: The data indicates the CPU is the limiting factor at 1080p, as FPS differences between settings are relatively small (225 Low vs 181 Ultra), suggesting the GPU has headroom that the CPU cannot feed.

Q: What is the launch MSRP of the CPU and GPU?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 has a launch MSRP of $270, and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 has a launch MSRP of 1,599 USD.

Q: How much faster is 1080p Low compared to 4K Ultra?

A: The 1080p Low setting achieves 225 FPS average, while 4K Ultra achieves 80 FPS average, a difference of 145 FPS or a 64.4% reduction in frame rate.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured FPS values across all presets are as follows. Low settings produce an average of 225 FPS. Medium settings produce an average of 203 FPS, with a minimum of 173 FPS and a maximum of 234 FPS. High settings produce an average of 184 FPS. Ultra settings produce an average of 181 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 44 FPS, with the largest single-step drop being 22 FPS between Low and Medium.

At 2560x1440, the measured values show a wider spread. Low settings average 198 FPS. Medium settings average 179 FPS, with a minimum of 153 FPS and a maximum of 206 FPS. High settings average 143 FPS. Ultra settings average 136 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 62 FPS, with the largest drop being 36 FPS between Low and High. The Medium preset at 1440p shows a 53 FPS range between minimum and maximum, indicating more frame time variability than at 1080p.

At 3840x2160, the measured values demonstrate the GPU's limits. Low settings average 145 FPS. Medium settings average 110 FPS, with a minimum of 94 FPS and a maximum of 127 FPS. High settings average 84 FPS. Ultra settings average 80 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 65 FPS, and the gap between High and Ultra narrows to just 4 FPS, suggesting that the Ultra preset at 4K is hitting a hard performance ceiling. The Medium preset at 4K shows a 33 FPS range between minimum and maximum, which is the smallest of any resolution at that preset, indicating more consistent frame pacing under heavy GPU load.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides clear guidance for optimizing the Thief experience with this hardware combo. At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset at 181 FPS average is only 3 FPS lower than High (184 FPS), making Ultra the obvious choice for 1080p users. The 4 FPS cost of enabling Ultra over High is negligible, and the visual quality improvements from Ultra settings are worthwhile given the headroom. Even at 1080p Medium (203 FPS), the minimum of 173 FPS is well above typical display refresh rates, so users with high-refresh monitors could opt for Medium to push frame rates toward the 200+ FPS range, but the diminishing returns are clear.

At 2560x1440, the High preset delivers 143 FPS average, which is perfectly suited for 144 Hz displays. The Ultra preset at 136 FPS is only 7 FPS lower, so users prioritizing visual fidelity should select Ultra. The Medium preset at 179 FPS offers a 43 FPS advantage over Ultra, which could be attractive for competitive play or 165 Hz+ monitors, but the visual quality trade-off is substantial. The data shows that 1440p High is the sweet spot for balanced performance and visuals, as it maintains triple-digit frame rates while preserving most graphical features.

At 3840x2160, the recommendations shift. The High preset at 84 FPS average is adequate for 60 Hz displays with some headroom, while the Ultra preset at 80 FPS average is only 4 FPS lower. Given the minimal performance cost, Ultra is recommended for 4K users who prioritize visual quality, as the 80 FPS average still exceeds 60 FPS thresholds. The Medium preset at 110 FPS offers a significant 30 FPS advantage over Ultra, making it the choice for 4K users with 120 Hz displays who want to stay above 100 FPS. The Low preset at 145 FPS is viable for maximum frame rates at 4K, but the graphical concessions are substantial for a game that rewards visual immersion. Overall, the data suggests that 1440p High or 4K Medium provide the best balance of frame rate and visual fidelity for this combo, with 1080p Ultra being nearly free in performance terms.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 ranks 42nd out of 2,851 tested combinations in Thief, placing it in the top 1.5% of all configurations tested. This high ranking is primarily driven by the RTX 4090's exceptional rasterization performance, as the GPU's 88th percentile standing among all GPUs and its massive compute resources (82.58 TFLOPS FP32) ensure that even the most demanding 4K Ultra settings are handled with ease. The CPU's 90th percentile ranking among all CPUs provides a solid foundation, but the data shows that the GPU is the primary contributor to this combo's high rank.

The rank of 42 out of 2,851 means that 41 other combos achieve higher average FPS in Thief. Given that the RTX 4090 is the most powerful consumer GPU in the GeForce 40-series, it is likely that higher-ranked combos use CPUs with even stronger single-threaded performance, which would push 1080p frame rates higher. The Ultra 5 245's single-core Cinebench R23 score of 4,648 is strong, but processors with higher boost clocks or better memory latency could extract more frames at 1080p Low where the CPU is the bottleneck. However, the delta between this combo and the top 41 is likely small at higher resolutions, where the GPU dominates.

In the context of all tested combos, this configuration's 42nd place ranking is exceptional, as it outperforms 98.5% of all tested pairs. The measured FPS data confirms that this combo delivers consistently high frame rates across all resolutions and presets, with even the most demanding 4K Ultra configuration achieving 80 FPS average. The combination of the Ultra 5 245's 14 cores and 5.10 GHz boost clock with the RTX 4090's 16,384 shading units and 1.01 TB/s memory bandwidth creates a balanced system that excels in Thief's rendering workloads, and the 42nd rank reflects the synergy between these two high-end components.