Thief

# Thief on Intel Core Ultra 7 155H + AMD Radeon 760M: A Severely GPU-Bound Combination

The Intel Core Ultra 7 155H paired with the AMD Radeon 760M delivers an average of 31 FPS at 1080p High settings in Thief, placing this combo at rank 2840 out of 2851 tested combinations. This is a bottom-tier result, and the data indicates that the integrated Radeon 760M is the overwhelming bottleneck, with the CPU's substantial 16-core/22-thread configuration providing no meaningful headroom at any resolution. The benchmark results show a system that can scrape by at 1080p Low but becomes essentially unplayable at higher resolutions, making it a strictly casual or legacy-hardware option for this 2014 stealth title.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is severe and reveals a classic GPU-bound scenario. At 1080p Low, the combo produces 53 FPS, which falls to 36 FPS at 1440p and then to 21 FPS at 4K. That is a 32% reduction from 1080p to 1440p and a further 42% drop from 1440p to 4K. The pattern is consistent across settings: High goes from 31 FPS at 1080p to 21 FPS at 1440p (a 32% decline) and then to 12 FPS at 4K (a 43% decline). Medium follows the same trajectory: 40 FPS at 1080p, 28 FPS at 1440p, and 16 FPS at 4K. The uniform percentage drops across all quality presets strongly indicate that the limiting factor is raw pixel throughput, not scene complexity or CPU draw-call overhead.

The scaling behavior is textbook for an integrated GPU with shared memory. At 1080p, the Radeon 760M can still produce playable frame rates on Low (53 FPS) and near-playable on Medium (40 FPS). But moving to 1440p cuts performance by roughly a third across the board, and 4K effectively halves it again. The 4K numbers are uniformly poor: 12 FPS on High, 12 FPS on Ultra, 16 FPS on Medium, and 21 FPS on Low. None of these approach a playable threshold, and the gap between Low and Ultra at 4K is only 9 FPS (21 vs 12), which suggests the GPU is completely saturated at that resolution regardless of how much graphical detail is loaded.

What this scaling says about the limiting component is unambiguous. The CPU, with its 24 MB of shared L3 cache and 89.6 GB/s memory bandwidth, is not the constraint. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect the FPS gap between 1080p and 4K to narrow as resolution increases (since the CPU has more time to prepare frames). Instead, the FPS drops linearly with pixel count, which is the signature of a GPU that is maxed out. The Radeon 760M's 512 shading units and 16 ROPs are simply not enough to feed a 4K display in this game, and the data confirms that the iGPU's 5.323 TFLOPS of FP32 compute is the hard ceiling.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon 760M is an integrated graphics solution based on the RDNA 3.0 architecture, built on a 4 nm process with 25,390 million transistors. Its clock speeds are notable: a base of 800 MHz and a boost of 2599 MHz, which is a high sustained boost for an IGP. However, the memory configuration is the critical weakness. The GPU uses System Shared memory, meaning it draws from the same DDR5 pool as the CPU. The memory bandwidth is listed as "System Dependent," and with the CPU's dual-channel configuration providing 89.6 GB/s, the iGPU must contend with the CPU for that same bandwidth. This shared-memory design is a fundamental limiter in Thief, a game that was released in 2014 and expects dedicated VRAM.

The benchmark results for the Radeon 760M place it in the 35th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 6019. Its nearest rivals are the AMD Radeon RX 6400 (score 6001, 0.3% faster), NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770M (score 6000, 0.3% faster), and NVIDIA Quadro P2000 (score 6049, 0.5% slower). This puts the 760M in a performance class roughly equivalent to a low-end discrete GPU from several generations ago, which explains why Thief's 1080p Low setting is the only configuration that reliably exceeds 50 FPS. The PassMark G3D score of 5310 and DirectX 11 score of 52 reinforce this picture: the GPU can handle the game's geometry and textures at modest settings, but it lacks the fill rate and memory bandwidth for higher presets.

The 16 ROPs and 32 TMUs are particularly limiting for Thief's rendering. At 4K, the pixel rate of 41.58 GPixel/s sounds adequate on paper, but the shared memory bandwidth means the GPU cannot sustain that rate when textures and frame buffers compete with CPU traffic. The measured 4K results (12-21 FPS) confirm that the memory subsystem is the choke point. The GPU's DirectX 12 Ultimate support (12_2) and Vulkan 1.4 capability are forward-looking, but they do not help in a 2014 title that likely uses DirectX 9 or 11 paths, where the 760M's PassMark DirectX 9 score of 65 and DirectX 11 score of 52 indicate only modest strength.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank of 2840 out of 2851 tested combinations places this system in the bottom 0.4% of all CPU-GPU pairings in the benchmark database for Thief. This is a remarkably poor showing, and it is almost entirely attributable to the GPU. The CPU itself ranks in the 83rd percentile among all processors, with an average benchmark score of 32697, which puts it on par with the Intel Core i5-14600T (score 32707, 0% difference) and ahead of the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 360 (score 32662, 0.1% faster). The CPU is not the problem; the iGPU is.

To contextualize the combo rank, consider that there are only 11 combinations ranked worse. These would presumably pair the same or similar weak GPUs with even weaker CPUs. The data shows that the 760M's performance percentile of 35 is the binding constraint. When a system's GPU is in the bottom third of all GPUs, and the game is a GPU-bound title like Thief, the combo rank will inevitably be near the floor regardless of CPU strength. The CPU's 16 cores and 22 threads, while excellent for productivity workloads (Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 15028), provide zero benefit in a game that likely uses only a few threads and is limited by pixel throughput.

The deltaPct values for the CPU's rivals are all within 0.4% of the Ultra 7 155H, meaning that swapping the CPU for a Ryzen 5 7400F or Ryzen 7 PRO 6850H would change nothing in Thief. The GPU is so dominant a bottleneck that any CPU in the same performance class would produce identical FPS. This is the key takeaway for anyone evaluating this combo: the 2840th rank is a GPU story, not a CPU story.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows 1080p is the only viable resolution. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 53 FPS average, and at 1080p Medium it hits 40 FPS. At 1440p, even Low settings drop to 36 FPS, and at 4K the highest average is 21 FPS (Low), which is below playable thresholds.

Q: How does the Radeon 760M compare to its closest GPU rivals?

A: The Radeon 760M has an average benchmark score of 6019, placing it in the 35th percentile. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 6400, scores 6001 (0.3% higher), while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770M scores 6000 (0.3% higher). The NVIDIA Quadro P2000 scores 6049, which is 0.5% higher than the 760M.

Q: Is the Intel Core Ultra 7 155H a strong CPU for gaming?

A: The CPU is strong in absolute terms, ranking in the 83rd percentile of all processors with an average benchmark score of 32697. It matches the Intel Core i5-14600T (score 32707, 0% delta) and beats the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 360 (score 32662, 0.1% delta). However, in Thief, the CPU's strength is irrelevant because the GPU is the bottleneck.

Q: What FPS can I expect at 1440p Medium settings?

A: At 1440p Medium, the measured average FPS is 28, with a minimum of 23 and maximum of 32. This is below the 30 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay, and the frame time variance (23-32 FPS range) may cause noticeable stuttering.

Q: Does the Radeon 760M support modern graphics APIs?

A: Yes, the Radeon 760M supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. However, for Thief, the relevant older DirectX paths show lower performance, with PassMark DirectX 11 score of 52 and DirectX 9 score of 65.

Q: How does the combo perform at 4K Ultra settings?

A: At 4K Ultra, the combo produces an average of 12 FPS. This is identical to the 4K High average (12 FPS), indicating the GPU is fully saturated and cannot differentiate between High and Ultra at this resolution. The 4K Low setting yields 21 FPS, still far below playable.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides a clear hierarchy of playable configurations. The only preset that delivers consistently smooth performance is 1080p Low, which averages 53 FPS. This is the recommended setting for any gameplay session where responsiveness matters. 1080p Medium averages 40 FPS with a min of 34 and max of 46, which is acceptable for a stealth game like Thief where twitch reflexes are less critical, but the frame dips below 35 FPS may be noticeable. 1080p High drops to 31 FPS, and 1080p Ultra to 29 FPS; both are borderline and not recommended for consistent play.

At 1440p, no preset reaches a comfortable threshold. Low averages 36 FPS, Medium averages 28 FPS (min 23, max 32), High averages 21 FPS, and Ultra averages 20 FPS. The 1440p Low setting might be tolerable for casual exploration, but the 36 FPS average will feel sluggish during action sequences. At 4K, all settings are effectively unplayable, with averages ranging from 12 FPS (High/Ultra) to 21 FPS (Low). The 4K Medium setting has a measured min of 14 FPS and max of 19 FPS, which is a slideshow by any standard.

The optimal strategy is to prioritize resolution over quality. The data shows that dropping from Medium to Low at 1080p yields a 13 FPS gain (40 to 53 FPS, a 32.5% improvement), which is substantial. Conversely, raising from Low to Medium at 1440p costs 8 FPS (36 to 28 FPS, a 22% loss) with only marginal visual gains. For this hardware, the recommendation is clear: run Thief at 1080p with Low settings for the best balance of playability and visual fidelity. If the user insists on Medium settings, they must accept the 40 FPS average and 34 FPS minimum at 1080p. Ultra settings are a waste of resources at any resolution, as the GPU cannot leverage the extra detail without collapsing frame rates.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 155H is a 16-core, 22-thread mobile processor based on the Meteor Lake architecture, built on a 7 nm process. It features a base clock of 3.80 GHz and a boost clock of 4.80 GHz, with a 28 W TDP. The cache hierarchy includes 112 KB L1 per core, 2 MB L2 per core, and 24 MB of shared L3 cache. In Thief, the CPU's role is minimal because the game is GPU-bound at every resolution and setting tested. The evidence is in the FPS scaling: if the CPU were limiting, we would see diminishing returns when lowering resolution, but instead we see linear scaling with pixel count.

The CPU's benchmark scores demonstrate its capability in other workloads. Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 15028 and single-core score of 1743 place it in the upper echelon of mobile processors. The PassMark multithread score of 24873 and single-thread score of 3468 confirm strong all-around performance. The nearest CPU rivals are all within 0.4% of its average score, meaning that in CPU-bound scenarios, the Ultra 7 155H is competitive with desktop-class parts like the Ryzen 5 7400F. However, Thief does not present a CPU-bound scenario for this combo.

The CPU's memory bandwidth of 89.6 GB/s is shared with the GPU, and this is where the CPU indirectly hurts gaming performance. The Radeon 760M has no dedicated VRAM, so it must use the same DDR5 memory channels as the CPU. In Thief, this shared bandwidth is the primary reason the GPU cannot maintain higher frame rates at 1440p and 4K. The CPU's 22 threads and 16 cores do not help here; in fact, the CPU's own memory accesses (for game logic, AI, and physics) compete with the GPU's texture and framebuffer traffic. The result is that a more powerful CPU would not improve Thief performance, but a CPU with lower memory bandwidth might make it worse.

The launch MSRP of the Ultra 7 155H is $503, which reflects its positioning as a premium mobile processor. In gaming, however, the CPU's value is negated by the iGPU's limitations. The data shows that the CPU's 83rd percentile ranking is irrelevant when paired with a GPU in the 35th percentile. For Thief specifically, the CPU is never the bottleneck, and any of its rival CPUs (i5-14600T, Ryzen AI 7 PRO 360, Ryzen 5 7400F, or Ryzen 7 PRO 6850H) would deliver identical frame rates. The 16 cores and 22 threads are future-proofing for other tasks, but in this game, they are idle overhead.