Thief

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 delivers a playable but not flawless experience in Thief, with performance scaling that clearly exposes the GPU as the primary constraint at higher resolutions. The combo ranks in the 49th percentile of tested combinations (1398th out of 2851), placing it firmly in the middle of the pack—a position driven almost entirely by the RTX 4060's 8 GB frame buffer and modest bandwidth, rather than the CPU's substantial processing power.

Resolution Scaling

The measured frame rates show a predictable and steep decline as resolution increases, but the pattern reveals more than just pixel count. At 1080p with Ultra settings, the combo produces 101 FPS average; at 1440p that drops to 70 FPS (−30.7%), and at 4K it falls to 41 FPS (−41.4% from 1440p). This is a classic GPU-bound scaling curve—the CPU has ample headroom, evidenced by the fact that even at 4K Low settings the system still manages 74 FPS, which is only 59.8% of the 1080p Low result of 184 FPS.

The delta between Low and Ultra settings grows with resolution, which is a strong indicator of where the bottleneck lies. At 1080p, Low yields 184 FPS while Ultra yields 101 FPS—a gap of 83 FPS. At 4K, Low yields 74 FPS while Ultra yields 41 FPS—a gap of only 33 FPS. This compression of the settings gap at higher resolutions means the GPU is already saturated; cranking settings from Low to Ultra at 4K costs only 33 FPS because the renderer is starved for pixel throughput, not because the settings are cheap.

Looking at the Medium preset, which is the only one with min/max data, we see the same trend. At 1080p Medium, the average is 140 FPS with a minimum of 119 and maximum of 161. At 1440p Medium, the average drops to 96 FPS (min 82, max 110), and at 4K Medium it falls to 56 FPS (min 48, max 65). The 4K Medium minimum of 48 FPS is below the generally accepted 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay, indicating that even the middle preset cannot sustain comfortable frame pacing at 4K.

The data suggests that 1080p is the sweet spot for this combo, where the CPU's 24 cores and 24 threads (with a boost clock of 5.80 GHz) can feed frames without being the limiting factor. At 1440p, the combo remains viable but the RTX 4060's 128-bit memory bus and 272.0 GB/s bandwidth start to show their limits. At 4K, the GPU is unequivocally the bottleneck—the CPU is effectively idle waiting for the GPU to finish each frame.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060, built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with a 5 nm process, carries 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus. This configuration provides 272.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is a modest figure for modern titles and directly explains the 4K performance ceiling observed in Thief. The GPU's boost clock of 2460 MHz and base clock of 1830 MHz are not the limiting factors—the memory subsystem is.

The RTX 4060's 3,072 shading units and 48 ROPs deliver a pixel rate of 118.1 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 236.2 GTexel/s. These raw throughput numbers are sufficient for 1080p and 1440p gaming, as evidenced by the measured results. However, the 8 GB VRAM capacity becomes a concern at 4K Ultra, where the average FPS drops to 41—just above the 40 FPS threshold that many consider the absolute minimum for playable action games.

The GPU's benchmark profile reinforces this analysis. Its PassMark G3D score of 19,545 places it in the 61st percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 17,639. Its nearest rivals in the database—the AMD Radeon HD 7790 (avg score 17,666, delta −0.2%), AMD Radeon 780M (17,588, +0.3%), AMD Radeon Pro 560 (17,551, +0.5%), and AMD Radeon Pro 460 (17,509, +0.7%)—are all within 1% of its performance. This clustering indicates the RTX 4060 is a mid-tier card that, while modern, does not offer the headroom required for 4K Ultra settings in a 2014 title with heavy ambient occlusion and shadow effects.

The fact that the GPU's production status is "End-of-life" and it was released on 2023-05-17 with a launch MSRP of 299 USD further contextualizes its position. It is not a flagship part, and the measured FPS data in Thief reflects that. The 4K Ultra result of 41 FPS is below the 48 FPS minimum seen at 4K Medium, showing that the Ultra preset's additional effects (likely higher shadow resolution and more dynamic lights) push the memory bandwidth over the edge.

FAQ

*Q: Can this combo run Thief at 4K smoothly?*

A: Not at high settings. At 4K High, the average FPS is 43, and at 4K Ultra it drops to 41. Even at 4K Medium, the minimum FPS is 48, which is below the 60 FPS target for smooth gameplay. Only 4K Low achieves a comfortable 74 FPS average.

*Q: What is the best resolution for this CPU+GPU pairing in Thief?*

A: 1080p is the clear winner. At 1080p Ultra, the combo delivers 101 FPS average, and at 1080p High it reaches 107 FPS. The 1440p results are playable (70 FPS at Ultra) but represent a significant step down from 1080p.

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

A: The RTX 4060's average benchmark score is 17,639. Its closest competitor, the AMD Radeon HD 7790, scores 17,666 (a delta of −0.2%), meaning the RTX 4060 is effectively tied with that older card. The AMD Radeon 780M is 0.3% behind, and the AMD Radeon Pro 560 is 0.5% behind.

*Q: Is the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus the bottleneck in Thief?*

A: No. The CPU's benchmark scores are strong—it has a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 51,731 and a single-core score of 7,303, placing it in the 96th percentile of all CPUs. The FPS data shows the GPU is the limiting factor, especially at 1440p and 4K.

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

A: The measured average is 96 FPS, with a minimum of 82 FPS and a maximum of 110 FPS. This is a solid result that should feel smooth on most displays, though not as fluid as the 1080p Medium result of 140 FPS average.

Q: Does lowering settings from Ultra to Low provide a linear FPS improvement across resolutions?

A: No. At 1080p, the improvement from Ultra to Low is 83 FPS (from 101 to 184). At 1440p, the improvement is 56 FPS (from 70 to 126). At 4K, the improvement is only 33 FPS (from 41 to 74). The diminishing returns at higher resolutions confirm the GPU is the primary constraint.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 ranks 1398th out of 2,851 tested combos in Thief, placing it just below the median (49th percentile). This ranking is somewhat surprising given the CPU's pedigree—the Core Ultra 9 290K Plus has an average benchmark score of 84,003 and sits in the 96th percentile of all CPUs, with its nearest rival being the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K (avg score 83,807, delta 0.2%).

The low ranking is attributable almost entirely to the GPU. The RTX 4060's percentile rank of 61% is far below the CPU's 96%, and in a game like Thief that is heavily GPU-bound at higher resolutions, the overall combo score suffers. The data shows that this pairing is unbalanced: a top-tier CPU (24 cores, 24 threads, 5.80 GHz boost) is being held back by a mid-range GPU.

Comparing to other combos in the database, the rank of 1398 out of 2851 means there are 1,397 combinations that achieve higher FPS in Thief. This includes systems with stronger GPUs paired with weaker CPUs, which outperform this combo because the game's performance is dictated by the graphics card. The 4K Medium result of 56 FPS average, while respectable, is not enough to push the combo into the top quartile.

If the goal is to improve this ranking, the data points to upgrading the GPU rather than the CPU. The CPU's headroom is evident from the fact that at 1080p Low, the combo reaches 184 FPS—a result that suggests the CPU could drive even higher frame rates if paired with a more powerful GPU. However, with the RTX 4060, the system is firmly in "good 1080p, acceptable 1440p" territory.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the recommended settings for this combo depend on the target resolution and desired smoothness. For 1080p, the Ultra preset is fully viable, delivering an average of 101 FPS with no min/max data indicating stutter. For players who prefer maximum visual fidelity, 1080p Ultra is the best choice—it maintains a high frame rate while utilizing all of the GPU's features.

For 1440p, the High preset (73 FPS average) is the safest recommendation, as it stays above the 60 FPS threshold with some margin. The Ultra preset at 1440p yields 70 FPS, which is also acceptable, but the Medium preset (96 FPS) provides the smoothest experience if frame rate is prioritized over visual quality. The 1440p Medium minimum of 82 FPS is particularly reassuring for consistency.

For 4K, none of the presets provide a fully smooth experience. The Ultra preset (41 FPS) and High preset (43 FPS) are below the 60 FPS target and may feel sluggish. The Medium preset (56 FPS average, 48 FPS minimum) is borderline—it might be playable on a VRR display, but the minimum frame rate is concerning. The Low preset (74 FPS) is the only 4K option that clears 60 FPS, but it sacrifices most of the game's visual effects.

The best overall experience per the measured rows is 1080p Ultra, which balances high visual quality with a 101 FPS average. For those with 1440p monitors, 1440p High (73 FPS) offers the best trade-off between image quality and performance. At 4K, the recommendation is to either drop to Low settings (74 FPS) or accept the Medium preset's 56 FPS average with its 48 FPS minimum.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo produces its best results across all settings. The Low preset achieves an average of 184 FPS, which is the highest measured value in the entire dataset. The Medium preset averages 140 FPS, with a minimum of 119 FPS and a maximum of 161 FPS—a tight range indicating stable performance. The High preset averages 107 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 101 FPS. The gap from Low to Ultra at 1080p is 83 FPS, showing that the GPU can handle the full settings range at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, performance drops notably but remains playable. The Low preset averages 126 FPS, down 58 FPS from 1080p Low. The Medium preset averages 96 FPS, with a minimum of 82 FPS and a maximum of 110 FPS—the minimum is still above 60 FPS, which is good. The High preset averages 73 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 70 FPS. The gap from Low to Ultra at 1440p is 56 FPS, a smaller range than at 1080p.

At 3840x2160, the GPU becomes the clear limiting factor. The Low preset averages 74 FPS, which is the only 4K result above 60 FPS. The Medium preset averages 56 FPS, with a minimum of 48 FPS and a maximum of 65 FPS—the minimum is below 50 FPS, which may cause noticeable stutter in fast-moving scenes. The High preset averages 43 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 41 FPS. The gap from Low to Ultra at 4K is just 33 FPS, confirming that the GPU is saturated at this resolution regardless of settings.

The complete dataset shows a consistent pattern: the CPU is never the bottleneck, as evidenced by the high frame rates at 1080p Low (184 FPS). The RTX 4060's 8 GB VRAM and 272.0 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for 1080p and 1440p, but insufficient for 4K with anything above Low settings. The measured results align with the GPU's 61st percentile ranking—it is a capable 1080p card that struggles with 4K.