Thief

The Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus paired with the AMD Radeon RX 570 produces a benchmark profile for Thief that is heavily constrained by the graphics card, particularly as resolution increases. The data indicates a system where the CPU’s substantial compute resources are largely left idle, with the GPU becoming the definitive bottleneck at higher pixel counts.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a steep and consistent performance decline as resolution scales from 1920x1080 up to 3840x2160. At High settings, the average frame rate drops from 43 FPS at 1080p to 30 FPS at 1440p, and finally to 17 FPS at 4K. This represents a 60% reduction in average FPS from 1080p to 4K. The pattern is consistent across all settings presets, confirming that the scaling behavior is tied to the rendering resolution rather than specific quality toggles.

At Low settings, the frame rates are 75 FPS at 1080p, 51 FPS at 1440p, and 30 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 24 FPS, while the drop from 1440p to 4K is 21 FPS, showing a fairly linear degradation per pixel count increase. For Medium settings, the averages are 57 FPS, 39 FPS, and 23 FPS respectively. The Ultra preset yields 41 FPS at 1080p, 28 FPS at 1440p, and 17 FPS at 4K.

The nature of this scaling strongly indicates that the limiting component is the GPU. The RX 570 has 2048 shading units and a 256-bit memory bus, but its 4 GB GDDR5 memory and 224.0 GB/s bandwidth are the likely constraints at higher resolutions. The pixel rate of 39.81 GPixel/s and texture rate of 159.2 GTexel/s are insufficient to maintain playable frame rates when the pixel workload quadruples from 1080p to 4K. The data shows that even at Low settings, 4K resolution only achieves 30 FPS, which is barely playable. This is a classic sign of a GPU-bound scenario where the fill rate and memory bandwidth are saturated. The CPU, with its 24 cores and 24 threads, is not the constraint here, as its performance does not degrade based on resolution.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of the Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus and the AMD Radeon RX 570 ranks at position 2744 out of 2851 tested combos for Thief. This places the combo in the bottom 4% of all tested configurations, indicating that it is a low-performing pairing for this specific title. The rank is driven almost entirely by the GPU’s capabilities, given that the CPU is a high-end part.

The GPU itself has an average benchmark score of 28766, which places it in the 74th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals in the database include the AMD Radeon RX 6800M, which scores 28874 with a deltaPct of -0.4%, and the AMD Radeon RX 470, which scores 28996 with a deltaPct of -0.8%. The NVIDIA Quadro RTX 8000 scores 28421 with a deltaPct of 1.2%. These are all statistically similar scores, showing that the RX 570 is performing exactly as expected for its class. The fact that a high-end CPU is paired with a GPU that scores in the 74th percentile explains the poor combo ranking. The data suggests that the CPU is not a contributing factor to the low rank; rather, the GPU’s inability to push high frame rates in Thief is the primary reason this combo sits at 2744. The CPU’s own percentile rank of 96 places it in the top 4% of all CPUs, but this advantage is negated by the GPU bottleneck.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS this combo achieves in Thief at 1920x1080?

A: The highest average FPS achieved at 1080p is 75 FPS, which occurs at Low settings. The next highest is 57 FPS at Medium settings.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in this game for this combo?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the limiting factor. This is evident from the frame rate scaling; as resolution increases from 1080p to 4K, the average FPS drops dramatically across all settings, which is a hallmark of a GPU bottleneck. The CPU’s performance is not resolution-dependent.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to all other tested combos for Thief?

A: This combo ranks 2744 out of 2851 tested combos. This places it in the bottom few percent of all configurations tested for this game.

Q: What is the average FPS difference between Low and Ultra settings at 2560x1440?

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 51 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 28 FPS. This is a 23 FPS difference between the lowest and highest quality presets.

Q: Does the RX 570 achieve playable frame rates at 4K in Thief?

A: At 3840x2160, the highest average FPS is 30 FPS, which occurs at Low settings. At Medium settings, the average drops to 23 FPS. These figures are generally considered below the threshold for smooth gameplay.

Q: What is the 4K performance at High settings for this pairing?

A: At 3840x2160 with High settings, the average FPS is 17. This is the same average FPS as the Ultra preset at the same resolution, indicating that the GPU has reached its performance ceiling.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured average frame rates are 75 FPS for Low, 57 FPS for Medium, 43 FPS for High, and 41 FPS for Ultra. The Medium preset shows a minimum of 48 FPS and a maximum of 65 FPS, indicating some variance, but the average remains stable. The gap between High and Ultra is minimal, with only a 2 FPS difference, suggesting that the Ultra preset adds little visual benefit for the performance cost at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the average frame rates drop to 51 FPS for Low, 39 FPS for Medium, 30 FPS for High, and 28 FPS for Ultra. The Medium preset shows a range of 33 FPS minimum to 45 FPS maximum. The performance hit from 1080p to 1440p is significant, with Low settings losing 24 FPS and High settings losing 13 FPS. This resolution is where the GPU starts to struggle to maintain high refresh rates.

At 3840x2160, the average frame rates fall to 30 FPS for Low, 23 FPS for Medium, 17 FPS for High, and 17 FPS for Ultra. The Medium preset shows a minimum of 19 FPS and a maximum of 26 FPS. All presets at 4K are effectively unplayable for a smooth experience, as even the lowest quality setting cannot maintain a solid 30 FPS floor. The data shows that the RX 570 is not suitable for 4K gaming in Thief, regardless of the quality settings.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 570 is built on the Polaris 20 chip using the GCN 4.0 architecture, fabricated on a 14 nm process at GlobalFoundries. It has a die size of 232 mm² and contains 5,700 million transistors. The GPU operates at a base clock of 1168 MHz and a boost clock of 1244 MHz. Its memory subsystem consists of 4 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 224.0 GB/s and a memory clock of 1750 MHz (7 Gbps effective). The GPU has 2048 shading units, 128 texture mapping units, and 32 raster output units, yielding a pixel rate of 39.81 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 159.2 GTexel/s. The FP32 performance is rated at 5.095 TFLOPS.

In Thief, the GPU’s role is decisive. The 4 GB memory capacity is a likely constraint at higher resolutions, as texture data and framebuffer requirements increase. The measured FPS at 4K, which caps at 30 FPS on Low and 17 FPS on High/Ultra, suggests that the memory bandwidth of 224.0 GB/s is being saturated. The GPU’s average benchmark score of 28766 places it in the 74th percentile, which is moderate. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 470, has a deltaPct of -0.8%, meaning the RX 570 is slightly faster, but the difference is negligible. The performance data shows that the GPU is the primary bottleneck in this combo, as the frame rates scale inversely with resolution, which is a direct function of the GPU’s rendering capabilities. The boost clock of 1244 MHz is relatively low, which limits the raw computational throughput available to the game engine.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus is a 24-core, 24-thread processor from the Core Ultra Series 2, based on the Arrow Lake Refresh codename. It has a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.50 GHz. The CPU features 36 MB of shared L3 cache and 3 MB of L2 cache per core, with 192 KB of L1 cache per core. Memory support is DDR5 over a dual-channel bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 115.2 GB/s. The CPU is built on a 3 nm process at TSMC and has a die size of 243 mm² with 17,800 million transistors. It supports PCIe Gen 5 with 20 lanes from the CPU.

In Thief, the CPU’s role is diminished due to the GPU bottleneck. The CPU has a percentile rank of 96, placing it in the top tier of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 93785. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Xeon 6520P, which scores 93786 with a deltaPct of 0%, and the AMD EPYC 4564P, which scores 95183 with a deltaPct of -1.5%. These scores indicate the CPU is performing at a very high level. However, in this game, the frame rates are not CPU-limited. The measured FPS data shows that at 1080p Low, the combo achieves 75 FPS, which is respectable, but the CPU has the capacity to push much higher frame rates if the GPU could keep up. The 24 threads are more than sufficient for a 2014 game like Thief, which likely uses only a fraction of the available cores. The CPU’s high boost clock of 5.50 GHz should provide excellent single-threaded performance for game logic, but this advantage is not realized in the average FPS, reinforcing the conclusion that the RX 570 is the limiting component. The CPU’s 24 cores and 36 MB of L3 cache are underutilized in this scenario.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal configuration for this combo is at 1920x1080 resolution. At this resolution, the Low preset delivers an average of 75 FPS, which is the highest frame rate recorded in the entire dataset. For a better visual experience, the Medium preset provides 57 FPS, which remains smooth and playable. The High preset yields 43 FPS, and the Ultra preset drops to 41 FPS. The difference between High and Ultra is minimal (2 FPS), so the Ultra preset offers no tangible benefit over High. The data suggests that running at 1080p Medium is the best balance of visual quality and performance, as it maintains an average above 55 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 51 FPS, which is playable but approaching the lower limit for fast-paced action. The Medium preset at 1440p averages 39 FPS, which is borderline, and High and Ultra dip to 30 FPS and 28 FPS, respectively. Therefore, 1440p should only be considered with the Low preset to maintain acceptable frame rates. At 3840x2160, all presets are below 30 FPS, with Low at 30 FPS and all others at or below 23 FPS. This resolution is not recommended for this combo, as the frame rates are too low for a smooth experience. The data shows that the performance ceiling of the RX 570 in Thief is at 1080p, where the user can choose between high frame rates at Low/Medium or playable frame rates at High/Ultra. For the best overall experience, selecting the Medium preset at 1920x1080 is the recommended choice, as it provides a substantial frame rate advantage over High while still offering improved visuals over Low.