Thief

# Thief Performance Analysis: Intel Core Ultra 9 185H + NVIDIA RTX 4060

This benchmark analysis examines the measured performance of the Intel Core Ultra 9 185H paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 in Thief, a stealth title released in 2014. The data shows a mobile platform delivering playable frame rates across most configurations, with clear scaling patterns from 1080p through 4K that reveal where each component's influence dominates.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data for this combo in Thief shows a clear hierarchy across quality presets, with the most balanced experience found at Medium settings. At 1920x1080, the Medium preset delivers 125 FPS average with a measured minimum of 106 FPS and maximum of 143 FPS. This represents a 34% improvement over High settings (95 FPS) while maintaining a comfortable margin above the 60 FPS threshold. The frame time consistency at Medium, evidenced by the 106 FPS minimum, suggests smoother gameplay than the High preset's unrecorded minimum, which likely falls closer to the average.

For 2560x1440 users, Medium again emerges as the optimal choice. The 86 FPS average with a 73 FPS minimum and 98 FPS maximum provides headroom above typical display refresh rates while preserving visual fidelity. High settings at 1440p yield 65 FPS average, which is functional but leaves little buffer for demanding scenes. The step from Medium to High costs 21 FPS (from 86 to 65), a 24% reduction that may not justify the visual gains in a stealth-focused title where clarity matters more than effects density.

At 3840x2160, the situation changes. Medium produces 50 FPS average with a 43 FPS minimum, which falls short of smooth gameplay standards. Low settings at 4K deliver 66 FPS, making it the only 4K preset that consistently exceeds 60 FPS. For 4K play, Low is the recommended preset; the alternative is accepting sub-60 FPS performance at Medium. The Ultra preset at any resolution delivers the lowest frame rates: 90 FPS at 1080p, 62 FPS at 1440p, and 36 FPS at 4K. These represent diminishing returns over High settings, with only 5 FPS separating Ultra from High at 1080p (90 vs 95, actually Ultra is slower) and 3 FPS at 1440p (62 vs 65).

The data indicates that Medium at 1080p and 1440p, plus Low at 4K, provide the best experience per the measured rows. These configurations balance frame rate stability with visual quality, as evidenced by the recorded minimum FPS values being tight to the averages.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 in this system operates with 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, yielding 272.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU's specifications include a base clock of 1830 MHz and a boost clock of 2460 MHz, with 3072 shading units and 48 ROPs. These specifications place the RTX 4060 at the 61st percentile among all GPUs in the benchmark database, with an average benchmark score of 17639.

In Thief, the GPU's role becomes increasingly dominant as resolution rises. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p to 4K shows the RTX 4060 handling the load progressively harder. At 1080p Medium, the GPU produces 125 FPS; at 1440p Medium, 86 FPS; at 4K Medium, 50 FPS. This pattern indicates a GPU-bound scenario at higher resolutions, where the 8 GB VRAM capacity and 272.0 GB/s bandwidth become limiting factors. The 4K Ultra result of 36 FPS suggests the GPU's compute throughput (15.11 TFLOPS FP32) and memory subsystem struggle with the highest quality settings at that resolution.

The RTX 4060's nearest rivals in the GPU benchmark rankings provide context for its performance ceiling. The AMD Radeon HD 7790 scores 17666 (0.2% higher), the AMD Radeon 780M scores 17588 (0.3% lower), and the AMD Radeon Pro 560 scores 17551 (0.5% lower). These close margins indicate the RTX 4060 sits in a tightly contested performance band. In Thief specifically, the GPU's 8 GB VRAM is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p at all settings, but 4K Ultra may approach memory capacity limits given the game's 2014-era engine.

The GPU's DirectX 12 Ultimate support (12_2) and 24 RT cores are architectural features that Thief, as a 2014 title, does not fully utilize. The game's rendering workload relies more on traditional rasterization, where the RTX 4060's 118.1 GPixel/s pixel rate and 236.2 GTexel/s texture rate become relevant. These throughput figures explain the GPU's ability to maintain 164 FPS at 1080p Low, where pixel and texture work are minimal, versus 36 FPS at 4K Ultra, where both are heavily exercised.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a consistent decline as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160, with the magnitude of the drop revealing the limiting component. Across all settings, the average FPS reduction from 1080p to 4K is approximately 60-65%. For example, High settings drop from 95 FPS at 1080p to 65 FPS at 1440p to 38 FPS at 4K. This represents a 60% reduction from 1080p to 4K, which is consistent with a GPU-bound workload where pixel count quadruples.

The Medium preset shows the clearest scaling data due to its recorded minimum and maximum FPS values. At 1080p Medium, the range is 106-143 FPS (125 average). At 1440p Medium, the range is 73-98 FPS (86 average). At 4K Medium, the range narrows to 43-58 FPS (50 average). The narrowing range at higher resolutions suggests the GPU becomes more consistently saturated, reducing frame time variance.

The Low preset demonstrates the least severe scaling: 164 FPS at 1080p, 113 FPS at 1440p, and 66 FPS at 4K. The 1080p to 4K drop of 98 FPS (60%) mirrors the High preset's proportional decline. However, the absolute values indicate that at Low settings, the CPU may begin to influence results at 1080p, where 164 FPS approaches the practical limit for many game engines.

The Ultra preset shows the steepest absolute decline: 90 FPS at 1080p, 62 FPS at 1440p, and 36 FPS at 4K. The 4K result at 36 FPS is 60% lower than 1080p, matching the overall pattern. The consistency of this ~60% scaling factor across all settings strongly indicates the RTX 4060 is the limiting component throughout the resolution range, with the CPU providing sufficient headroom even at 1080p Low.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of Intel Core Ultra 9 185H and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 ranks 2242 out of 3720 tested combos in Thief, placing it in the 40th percentile of all configurations. This ranking reflects the mid-range positioning of both components: the CPU sits at the 85th percentile among all processors, while the GPU sits at the 61st percentile among all graphics cards. The combo's rank suggests that the GPU's mid-pack performance anchors the overall result more than the CPU's above-average standing.

The combo ranking at 2242 out of 3720 indicates that 1478 tested configurations deliver higher frame rates in Thief. This is consistent with the RTX 4060's position relative to its nearest rivals, where it trades blows with the AMD Radeon HD 7790 (0.2% higher average score) and the AMD Radeon 780M (0.3% lower). The GPU's 61st percentile ranking means a substantial portion of the GPU hierarchy outperforms it, which is reflected in the combo's overall position.

Within the context of the CPU's capability, the Intel Core Ultra 9 185H's 85th percentile ranking suggests the processor is not the bottleneck in this pairing. The CPU's nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 350 (0.1% lower average score), Intel Core 7 250H (0.2% lower), AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845 (0.4% lower), and AMD Ryzen 7 7700X (0.7% lower). These margins are minimal, indicating the Core Ultra 9 185H performs competitively within its class. However, the combo's 40th percentile ranking in Thief demonstrates that the GPU's mid-range standing limits the overall frame rates achievable.

The data implies that pairing this CPU with a stronger GPU would likely yield significantly better Thief performance, given the processor's headroom. Conversely, the current GPU would produce similar results with a weaker CPU at most settings, except potentially at 1080p Low where the 164 FPS result may begin to tax the processor.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 9 185H features 16 cores and 22 threads, with a base clock of 3.90 GHz and boost clock of 5.10 GHz. This Meteor Lake architecture processor, built on Intel's 7 nm process, includes 24 MB of shared L3 cache and 2 MB of L2 cache per core. The CPU's 45 W TDP classifies it as a mobile part, yet its benchmark scores demonstrate strong compute capability: 17984.5 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 1810.5 in single-core, with a PassMark multithread score of 29376.

In Thief, the CPU's role is secondary to the GPU across most measured configurations. The evidence lies in the resolution scaling: if the CPU were the primary bottleneck, frame rates would remain similar across resolutions. Instead, the 60% FPS drop from 1080p to 4K at every setting indicates GPU limitation. However, the 1080p Low result of 164 FPS suggests the CPU can support high frame rates when the GPU workload is light, and the processor's single-core performance (1810.5 in Cinebench R23 single-core, 3697 in PassMark single-thread) is adequate for the game's logic and draw call processing.

The CPU's 85th percentile ranking against all processors, with an average benchmark score of 35670, places it well above the GPU's 61st percentile. This disparity explains why the combo ranks at 2242 out of 3720 (40th percentile) rather than higher. The processor's nearest rivals all score within 0.7% of the Core Ultra 9 185H's average, indicating a tightly grouped performance tier. In a 2014 title like Thief, which likely does not utilize 16 cores or 22 threads fully, the CPU's multi-core advantage (17984.5 in R23 multi-core vs 1810.5 single-core) remains largely untapped.

The CPU's 89.6 GB/s memory bandwidth, delivered through dual-channel DDR5, provides sufficient data throughput for the GPU at all tested settings. The 24 MB shared L3 cache helps maintain frame pacing, as evidenced by the Medium preset's minimum FPS values (106 at 1080p, 73 at 1440p, 43 at 4K) being reasonably close to their averages. If the CPU were starved for data, these minimums would likely show more variance. The processor's integrated Arc Xe-LPG Graphics 128EU is irrelevant to this discrete GPU configuration, but its presence indicates the platform's flexibility.

FAQ

Q: What is the best settings preset for 1440p gaming with this combo?

A: Medium settings at 2560x1440 deliver 86 FPS average with a 73 FPS minimum and 98 FPS maximum, making it the optimal balance of frame rate and visual quality. High settings at 1440p produce 65 FPS average, while the 62 FPS Ultra result offers minimal improvement over High.

Q: Can this system achieve 60 FPS at 4K in Thief?

A: Only at Low settings, which produce 66 FPS average at 3840x2160. Medium settings at 4K yield 50 FPS average with a 43 FPS minimum, while High and Ultra fall to 38 FPS and 36 FPS respectively.

Q: How does the RTX 4060 compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The RTX 4060's average benchmark score of 17639 is 0.2% lower than the AMD Radeon HD 7790 (17666), 0.3% higher than the AMD Radeon 780M (17588), and 0.5% higher than the AMD Radeon Pro 560 (17551). These margins are within measurement noise.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between High and Ultra settings?

A: At 1080p, High averages 95 FPS while Ultra averages 90 FPS, a 5 FPS difference. At 1440p, the gap is 3 FPS (65 vs 62). At 4K, the difference is 2 FPS (38 vs 36). Ultra provides negligible gains over High in this title.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in Thief?

A: The GPU is the limiting factor across all tested settings. Evidence from resolution scaling shows a consistent 60% FPS drop from 1080p to 4K, which is characteristic of GPU-bound performance. The CPU's 85th percentile ranking versus the GPU's 61st percentile supports this conclusion.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested configurations?

A: This combo ranks 2242 out of 3720 tested combos in Thief, placing it in the 40th percentile. The ranking reflects the GPU's mid-pack positioning, as the CPU's above-average performance cannot compensate for the graphics card's limitations.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete measured FPS data for this configuration in Thief is as follows:

1920x1080:

• Low: 164 FPS average
• Medium: 125 FPS average, 106 FPS minimum, 143 FPS maximum
• High: 95 FPS average
• Ultra: 90 FPS average

2560x1440:

• Low: 113 FPS average
• Medium: 86 FPS average, 73 FPS minimum, 98 FPS maximum
• High: 65 FPS average
• Ultra: 62 FPS average

3840x2160:

• Low: 66 FPS average
• Medium: 50 FPS average, 43 FPS minimum, 58 FPS maximum
• High: 38 FPS average
• Ultra: 36 FPS average

The Medium preset is the only configuration with recorded minimum and maximum FPS values across all resolutions, providing the most complete frame time data. At 1080p, the Medium range (106-143 FPS) shows a 37 FPS spread. At 1440p, the range narrows to 25 FPS (73-98). At 4K, the range compresses to 15 FPS (43-58). This progressive narrowing indicates increasing GPU saturation at higher resolutions, which stabilizes frame delivery at the cost of lower averages.

The scaling from 1080p to 1440p to 4K at each setting follows a consistent pattern. Low settings drop from 164 to 113 to 66 FPS. Medium drops from 125 to 86 to 50 FPS. High drops from 95 to 65 to 38 FPS. Ultra drops from 90 to 62 to 36 FPS. The proportional decreases are uniform across settings, confirming that resolution, rather than quality preset, is the primary driver of performance changes for this combo.