Thief

The data for Thief with the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and AMD Radeon RX 7700 shows a clear performance hierarchy driven by resolution and settings. The combination of a high-core-count CPU and a mid-range GPU produces results that are heavily influenced by the graphics card at higher resolutions, while the CPU’s strength allows for very high frame rates at lower settings. The following analysis breaks down the measured FPS, component roles, and ranking against other tested configurations.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is significant and reveals the GPU as the primary limiting factor. At 1080p with Ultra settings, the average FPS is 108. Moving to 1440p at the same settings reduces the average to 74 FPS, a 31.5% decrease. Pushing further to 4K Ultra brings the average down to 43 FPS, a 60.2% drop from the 1080p result. This steep decline indicates that the render resolution is heavily taxing the graphics card.

The pattern holds across all settings. At High settings, the transition from 1080p (113 FPS) to 1440p (77 FPS) and then 4K (46 FPS) shows a consistent performance penalty. The scaling from 1440p to 4K is particularly harsh, with the average FPS nearly halving in each case. This is a classic symptom of the GPU hitting its memory bandwidth or compute limits as the pixel count increases.

At Low settings, the scaling is less dramatic but still present. The average FPS drops from 195 at 1080p to 134 at 1440p and further to 79 at 4K. The fact that the 4K Low result (79 FPS) is still below the 1440p Medium result (102 FPS) suggests that even with reduced graphical fidelity, the raw resolution demand keeps the GPU from reaching its full potential. The data indicates that the Radeon RX 7700 is the bottleneck at 4K and 1440p, while at 1080p, the system becomes more balanced.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus has 24 cores and 24 threads, with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.80 GHz. This processor is positioned at the 96th percentile against all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 84003. Its nearest rival in synthetic tests is the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, which scores 0.2% lower, and the AMD EPYC 7F72, which scores 1.3% higher. The high boost clock is particularly relevant for gaming workloads.

Thief is a game from 2014, and its engine is not designed to fully utilize 24 cores. However, the CPU’s high single-core performance, as evidenced by a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 7303, ensures that the game’s primary thread is not a bottleneck. The measured FPS at 1080p Low settings (195 FPS) demonstrates that the CPU can feed the GPU quickly enough to achieve very high frame rates. The Passmark single-thread score of 4823 further supports this capability.

The CPU’s role is therefore to provide a stable, high-frequency foundation. In scenarios where the GPU is not saturated, such as at 1080p Low, the CPU’s boost clock allows it to render frames with minimal latency. The data suggests that the processor is not a limiting factor in this combination, as the FPS drops are consistently tied to resolution and settings changes rather than CPU-bound scenarios. The 36 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR5 memory support with 115.2 GB/s bandwidth also contribute to reducing potential data bottlenecks.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7700 is the decisive component in this pairing. It features 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 624.1 GB/s. The GPU has a base clock of 1900 MHz and a boost clock of 2459 MHz. Its performance percentile is 58 against all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 15852. The nearest rival is the AMD Radeon R9 370X, which is 0.1% lower, and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti, which is 1.7% higher.

The GPU’s memory capacity is adequate for Thief, even at 4K. The game’s texture requirements are unlikely to exceed 16 GB, so the VRAM is not a constraint. Instead, the raw processing power and memory bandwidth determine the frame rates. The 624.1 GB/s bandwidth is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p, but the high pixel count at 4K stresses the memory subsystem, leading to the significant FPS drops observed.

The boost clock of 2459 MHz is relatively high for this class of GPU, but the 2041 MHz game clock is a more realistic indicator of sustained performance. The benchmark results show that the GPU can handle 1080p High at 113 FPS, which is respectable. However, at 4K Ultra, the average FPS falls to 43, indicating that the GPU’s 25.18 TFLOPS of FP32 compute power is not enough to maintain fluid frame rates at extreme resolutions. The data shows a clear ceiling for this GPU in high-resolution scenarios.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and AMD Radeon RX 7700 ranks 1150 out of 2851 tested combos for Thief. This places it in the top 40.3% of all configurations. The rank is more than adequate for a system that pairs a top-tier CPU with a mid-range GPU. The CPU’s high percentile (96) is offset by the GPU’s lower percentile (58), resulting in a combined score that is solid but not exceptional.

The ranking suggests that many other combinations outperform this one in Thief, likely those with more powerful GPUs. However, the 1150th position out of 2851 still means that this setup beats the majority of tested systems. The data indicates that the bottleneck is clearly the GPU, as the CPU is among the best available. If the GPU were upgraded, the combo rank would likely improve substantially, as the CPU has ample headroom to support a faster graphics card.

The rank is consistent with the measured FPS data. The 4K Ultra result of 43 FPS is below the 60 FPS target, which would push the combo down the rankings. In contrast, the 1080p Low result of 195 FPS is excellent and would place it higher relative to other systems that struggle at lower resolutions. The overall rank reflects a balance of performance across all tested settings, with strong results at 1080p and acceptable results at 1440p, but weaker performance at 4K.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system demonstrates its peak performance. With Low settings, the average FPS is 195, which is the highest measured value in the entire dataset. Medium settings reduce the average to 148 FPS, with a minimum of 126 and a maximum of 171. High settings yield an average of 113 FPS, while Ultra settings produce 108 FPS. The gap between High and Ultra is minimal, suggesting that the extra visual fidelity comes at a small performance cost.

At 2560x1440, the performance drops noticeably. Low settings average 134 FPS, which is still very smooth. Medium settings average 102 FPS, with a minimum of 86 and a maximum of 117. High settings average 77 FPS, and Ultra settings average 74 FPS. The difference between High and Ultra at this resolution is only 3 FPS, indicating that the GPU is becoming the limiting factor. The minimum FPS data for Medium (86) shows that frame pacing remains acceptable.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is heavily taxed. Low settings average 79 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for a fast-paced stealth game. Medium settings average 60 FPS, with a minimum of 51 and a maximum of 69. This is the only resolution where the minimum FPS data is provided, and the 51 FPS minimum suggests occasional stutters. High settings average 46 FPS, and Ultra settings average 43 FPS. These results are below the ideal 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. The data shows that 4K is only viable with Low settings, and even then, the frame rate is not consistently high.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to maintain 60 FPS?

A: The 2560x1440 Medium setting provides an average of 102 FPS, well above the 60 FPS target. At 4K, only the Low setting (79 FPS) exceeds 60 FPS on average, while Medium barely hits 60 FPS with a minimum of 51.

Q: How much faster is the CPU compared to its nearest rival?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus has an average benchmark score of 84003, which is 0.2% higher than the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K and 1.1% higher than the AMD EPYC 4584PX. It is 1.3% lower than the AMD EPYC 7F72.

Q: Does the GPU have enough VRAM for 4K in this game?

A: Yes, the 16 GB of GDDR6 memory is more than sufficient for Thief, which is a 2014 title. The performance drop at 4K is due to compute and bandwidth limits, not memory capacity.

Q: What is the FPS difference between High and Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: The difference is 5 FPS, with High averaging 113 FPS and Ultra averaging 108 FPS. This suggests that enabling Ultra settings is a reasonable trade-off for the visual improvement.

Q: How does the GPU compare to the RTX 3060 Ti in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 7700 has an average benchmark score of 15852, which is 1.7% lower than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti’s score of 16129.

Q: Is the CPU a bottleneck at 1080p Low settings?

A: No. The CPU’s high single-core performance allows for an average of 195 FPS at 1080p Low, indicating that it is not limiting the frame rate. The GPU remains the primary constraint at higher resolutions.

Settings Recommendations

The data indicates that the optimal experience for this system is at 2560x1440 with Medium settings. This configuration yields an average of 102 FPS, which is smooth and responsive, with a minimum of 86 FPS ensuring that most scenes stay above the 60 FPS threshold. The visual quality at Medium is still good for Thief, and the performance headroom allows for consistent gameplay.

At 1920x1080, the Ultra setting is recommended for players who prioritize visual fidelity. The average of 108 FPS is still very high, and the 5 FPS cost over High is negligible. For competitive play or very high refresh rate monitors, the Low setting at 1080p provides an average of 195 FPS, which maximizes responsiveness but sacrifices graphical detail.

At 3840x2160, the Low setting is the only viable option for maintaining a playable frame rate. The average of 79 FPS is acceptable, but the Medium setting’s 60 FPS average with a 51 FPS minimum is risky for consistent performance. The High and Ultra settings at 4K are not recommended, as they fall below the 60 FPS target and would result in a less fluid experience. Overall, the sweet spot is 1440p Medium, balancing visual quality and performance.