Thief

Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti delivers a robust Thief experience, with benchmark results showing a clear preference for high-refresh-rate 1440p gaming and playable, though less extreme, 4K performance. The data indicates a system where the GPU becomes the primary scaling factor at higher resolutions, while the CPU’s substantial core configuration ensures frame rates remain consistently high across all tested settings.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is a 24-core, 24-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake Refresh architecture, built on a 3 nm process by TSMC. It operates with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and can boost up to 5.80 GHz, with a TDP of 125 W. This configuration places it in the top percentile of all CPUs, ranking at the 96th percentile, with an average benchmark score of 84003. In Thief, a 2014 stealth title, the game’s engine is not designed to utilize such a high core count effectively; however, the high boost clock of 5.80 GHz is critical for maintaining high minimum frame rates, particularly at lower resolutions where the CPU is more likely to be a bottleneck.

The processor’s single-thread performance is exceptional, as evidenced by its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 7303 and Passmark single-thread score of 4823. These scores are directly relevant to Thief’s performance, as the game relies heavily on a few primary threads for gameplay logic and physics. The multi-threaded capability, while not fully exercised, provides headroom for background tasks and ensures that no secondary thread becomes a limiting factor, allowing the GPU to operate at its full potential. The 36 MB of shared L3 cache and 3 MB per-core L2 cache also contribute to reducing memory latency, which helps maintain steady frame pacing in complex scenes.

Compared to its nearest rivals, the Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is marginally faster than the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, showing a 0.2% lead in average benchmark score. It also outperforms the AMD EPYC 4584PX by 1.1% and the AMD EPYC 9135 by 1.2%, while trailing the AMD EPYC 7F72 by 1.3%. These differences are minor, indicating that in CPU-bound scenarios, the 290K Plus is at parity with its top competitors. In Thief, this means the CPU is not a differentiator at lower resolutions; instead, the GPU’s capabilities determine the final frame rate.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

In the database of tested combinations for Thief, this specific pairing of the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti achieves a combo rank of 127 out of 2851 tested combos. This places it in the top 4.5% of all systems tested, indicating a high-performance configuration. The rank reflects the combined capability of the CPU and GPU to deliver high average frame rates across the tested settings and resolutions.

This ranking suggests that while the system is not the absolute fastest, it outperforms the vast majority of other hardware pairings. The gap between this combo and the top-ranked systems is likely due to the GPU, as the RTX 4070 Ti, while powerful, is not the highest-tier card available. The CPU’s high percentile ranking (96th) suggests it is not the limiting factor; rather, the GPU’s performance ceiling dictates where this combo falls in the overall hierarchy. For a game like Thief, which can be demanding at higher settings, this rank indicates a very capable system that will provide a smooth experience for most users, though enthusiasts with top-tier GPUs will achieve higher scores.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

Analyzing the measured FPS data across resolutions reveals a clear trend: the frame rate scales inversely with resolution, and the rate of decline points to the GPU as the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions. At 1080p with Low settings, the system achieves an average of 237 FPS. Moving to 1440p Low, the average drops to 205 FPS, a 13.5% decrease. Further scaling to 4K Low yields 120 FPS, a 41.5% drop from the 1440p result and a 49.4% drop from 1080p. This steep decline at 4K indicates that the GPU is being heavily taxed.

The pattern is consistent across all settings. For High settings, the average FPS drops from 172 at 1080p to 118 at 1440p (a 31.4% decrease) and then to 70 at 4K (a 40.7% decrease from 1440p). At Ultra settings, the numbers are 164 at 1080p, 113 at 1440p, and 66 at 4K. The consistent drop of approximately 30-40% between each resolution step strongly suggests that the rendering load is scaling with pixel count, and the RTX 4070 Ti’s compute and memory bandwidth are the limiting factors. The CPU, with its high single-thread performance, is capable of feeding the GPU at 1080p, but as resolution increases, the GPU’s fill rate and memory bandwidth become saturated, causing the frame rate to fall.

This behavior is typical for a balanced system, but the magnitude of the drop at 4K indicates that the RTX 4070 Ti is better suited for 1440p gaming. The 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus with 504.2 GB/s bandwidth is sufficient for 1440p, but at 4K, the memory bandwidth and capacity become more critical, leading to the observed performance degradation. The data shows that the CPU is not the limiting component at any resolution, as the frame rate scales predictably with the GPU’s workload.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

The measured FPS data provides a detailed look at the system’s performance across all combinations of resolution and settings. At 1920x1080, the system delivers high frame rates suitable for competitive play. With Low settings, the average FPS is 237. Moving to Medium, the average drops to 214, with a minimum of 182 and a maximum of 246. High settings yield an average of 172 FPS, while Ultra settings produce 164 FPS. These numbers show that at 1080p, the system is heavily GPU-bound, with the difference between Low and Ultra being only 73 FPS, a 30.8% reduction.

At 2560x1440, performance remains strong but shows a more significant impact from settings. Low settings average 205 FPS. Medium settings reduce this to 155 FPS, with a minimum of 132 and a maximum of 179. High settings produce 118 FPS, and Ultra settings drop to 113 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 1440p is a 92 FPS reduction, or 44.9%, indicating that the GPU is working harder to render more pixels and effects. The minimum FPS values for Medium settings (132) show that the system can maintain playable frame rates even in demanding scenes.

At 3840x2160, performance is the most demanding. Low settings average 120 FPS, which is still smooth. Medium settings average 91 FPS, with a minimum of 78 and a maximum of 105. High settings drop to 70 FPS, and Ultra settings yield 66 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at 4K is 54 FPS, a 45% reduction. These results show that while 4K is playable, the system is not capable of achieving the high refresh rates seen at lower resolutions. The minimum FPS at 4K Medium (78) suggests that even with some headroom, the system will occasionally dip below 60 FPS in the most intense scenes, though the average remains above this threshold.

FAQ — 4-6 Q&A pairs answerable from FACT PACK data

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to achieve a high refresh rate?

A: At 2560x1440 with High settings, the system achieves an average of 118 FPS, which is above the 100 FPS threshold for high-refresh-rate monitors. At 1920x1080, all settings exceed 164 FPS, providing even higher refresh rates. The 4K resolution, while playable, does not consistently hit 100 FPS on higher settings.

Q: How does the CPU's single-thread performance affect Thief's gameplay?

A: The CPU has a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 7303 and a Passmark single-thread score of 4823. Thief relies on a few primary threads, and these high scores ensure that the CPU does not become a bottleneck, allowing the GPU to dictate the frame rate.

Q: Is the RTX 4070 Ti sufficient for 4K gaming in Thief?

A: The data shows that at 4K with High settings, the average FPS is 70, and with Ultra settings, it is 66. While this is playable, it is below the 144 FPS target that some gamers prefer. The minimum FPS at 4K Medium is 78, indicating that there can be dips, but the overall experience is smooth.

Q: What is the performance difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the average FPS drops from 205 on Low settings to 113 on Ultra settings, a 92 FPS difference. This indicates that the GPU is the limiting factor, as the increase in graphical fidelity significantly impacts the frame rate.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to other tested systems in Thief?

A: This combo ranks 127th out of 2851 tested combos, placing it in the top 4.5% of all systems. This shows that it is a high-performance configuration, but not the absolute best, likely due to the GPU's position in the market.

Q: Does the CPU's core count of 24 provide any benefit in Thief?

A: Thief is not designed to utilize 24 cores effectively. However, the high boost clock of 5.80 GHz and strong single-thread performance are more critical. The multi-threading ensures no background processes interfere with gameplay, but the core count itself does not directly translate to higher FPS in this title.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the user’s resolution and refresh rate goals. For 1080p users with a 144 Hz monitor, the High preset provides an average of 172 FPS, which is above the refresh rate and allows for a smooth experience with high visual fidelity. The Ultra preset at 164 FPS is also a viable option if the user prefers maximum visual quality, as the difference is only 8 FPS, but High offers a better balance.

For 1440p users, which appears to be the sweet spot for this combo, the High preset delivers 118 FPS, which is ideal for a 120 Hz or 144 Hz monitor. The Ultra preset at 113 FPS is also excellent, and given the small performance difference, users can choose Ultra for the best visuals without a significant FPS penalty. The Medium preset at 155 FPS is an option for those seeking even higher refresh rates, but the visual quality reduction may not be worth the extra 37 FPS.

For 4K users, the situation is more constrained. The High preset at 70 FPS is the best choice for a 60 Hz display, providing a comfortable margin above the refresh rate. The Ultra preset at 66 FPS is also playable but offers minimal visual improvement over High. The Medium preset at 91 FPS is the best option for 4K users with a 120 Hz display, as it provides a higher frame rate while still maintaining decent visual quality. The Low preset at 120 FPS is not recommended for 4K, as the visual quality is significantly reduced, and the frame rate benefit is not necessary for most displays.

The overall recommendation is to use High settings at 1440p for the best balance of visual quality and performance, as this configuration achieves 118 FPS and is only 5 FPS behind Ultra. For 4K, High settings at 70 FPS are recommended for a smooth experience on a 60 Hz monitor.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti is an Ada Lovelace architecture GPU built on a 5 nm process by TSMC. It features 7680 shading units, 240 TMUs, and 80 ROPs, with a base clock of 2310 MHz and a boost clock of 2610 MHz. The GPU has 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s. Its FP32 performance is rated at 40.09 TFLOPS, and it has 60 RT cores and 240 tensor cores. The GPU’s TDP is 285 W, and it was released with a launch MSRP of 799 USD.

In Thief, the GPU’s role is dominant, as the game is graphics-intensive. The 12 GB of VRAM is sufficient for the tested settings, as Thief is not a VRAM-heavy title, but the memory bandwidth is a key factor. At 4K, the 504.2 GB/s bandwidth is a limiting factor, as the GPU must stream more pixel data. The boost clock of 2610 MHz allows for high fill rates, but the 192-bit memory bus restricts the data throughput. This is evident in the FPS scaling: at 1080p, the GPU is not fully saturated, allowing for 237 FPS on Low, but at 4K, the bandwidth and compute limits reduce the frame rate to 120 FPS on Low.

The GPU’s Passmark G3D score of 31624 and 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 5024 place it in the 84th percentile of all GPUs. Compared to its nearest rivals, the RTX 4070 Ti is slightly behind the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Mobile by 0.8% and the AMD Radeon Pro 5500 XT by 1.3%, but ahead of the NVIDIA RTX A6000 by 1.6% and the Intel Arc A730M by 1.7%. These differences are small, indicating that the RTX 4070 Ti is a well-positioned mid-to-high-end card. In Thief, the GPU is the primary determinant of frame rate, and its performance at 1440p is excellent, while at 4K, it provides a playable but not maxed-out experience.