Thief

Measured FPS Breakdown

The recorded data for this combination of the Intel Core i3-12100F and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 shows a clear progression in performance as resolution drops. At 3840x2160, the system struggles to maintain smooth frame rates across most presets. The Low preset averages 57 FPS, which is close to the 60 FPS playability threshold but does not clear it. Medium drops to 43 FPS on average, with minimums of 37 FPS and maximums of 50 FPS. High falls further to 33 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 31 FPS. None of these 4K results reach the playable mark.

Moving down to 2560x1440, the situation improves considerably. The Low preset delivers an average of 97 FPS, while Medium averages 74 FPS with a recorded minimum of 63 FPS and maximum of 85 FPS. High sits at 56 FPS, just below the 60 FPS threshold, and Ultra manages 54 FPS. The data indicates that 1440p is viable for this combo only at Low and Medium settings, with Medium being the highest preset that stays above 60 FPS.

At 1920x1080, the system performs well across the board. Low averages 142 FPS, Medium averages 108 FPS with minimums of 91 FPS and maximums of 124 FPS, High averages 82 FPS, and Ultra averages 78 FPS. Every preset at 1080p clears the 60 FPS threshold by a comfortable margin, with even the most demanding setting holding an average above 75 FPS.

The scaling pattern across resolutions is consistent: each step down from 4K to 1440p to 1080p yields substantial FPS gains. For example, at Medium settings, the jump from 3840x2160 (43 FPS) to 2560x1440 (74 FPS) represents an improvement of roughly 72%, and the further jump to 1920x1080 (108 FPS) adds another 46% on top of that. Similar proportional gains appear at High settings, where 33 FPS at 4K becomes 56 FPS at 1440p and then 82 FPS at 1080p.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The database places the Intel Core i3-12100F at the 68th percentile among all tested CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 13494. Its nearest rivals in the CPU hierarchy are closely clustered. The Intel Core 3 N355 scores 13492, a negligible 0% difference. The Intel Core i5-9500 scores 13452, just 0.3% lower. The Intel Core 5 120UL scores 13594, which is 0.7% higher, and the Intel Core i7-1250U scores 13351, 1.1% lower. These deltas are all within a couple of percentage points, meaning any of these processors would deliver effectively indistinguishable performance in this game for CPU-bound scenarios.

For the GPU side, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 sits at the 58th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 15290. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 at 15283 (0% difference), the AMD Radeon 680M at 15270 (0.1% lower), the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 OEM at 15199 (0.6% lower), and the AMD Radeon RX 7600 at 15171 (0.8% lower). The spread here is also tight, with all four alternatives falling within roughly 1% of the RTX 2060's score. In practical terms, a system built with any of these GPU alternatives paired with a similarly performing CPU would produce nearly identical frame rates in Thief.

Given that both the CPU and GPU have rivals within a narrow performance band, a user with a comparable setup should expect the same resolution and preset outcomes: unplayable at 4K across all settings, playable at 1440p only on Low and Medium, and fully playable at 1080p on every preset.

How This Combo Ranks

The database ranks this specific CPU and GPU combination at position 2927 out of 3720 tested combos for Thief. That places it in the lower third of all tested systems, roughly at the 21st percentile from the bottom. The rank reflects the aggregate performance across all resolutions and settings measured, and it is consistent with the FPS data: the combo handles 1080p comfortably, manages 1440p at lower presets, and cannot sustain playable frame rates at 4K.

Interpreted against the broader field, this ranking suggests that while the system is far from the bottom of the database, it also sits well behind a large number of more capable configurations. The 2927th position out of 3720 means the majority of tested combos outperform it, which aligns with the RTX 2060 being an older generation card and the i3-12100F being a budget-oriented quad-core processor. The combo's strength is its consistency at 1080p, where it delivers high frame rates, but its weakness is the lack of headroom for higher resolutions or maximum settings at 1440p.

FAQ

Q: Is this system capable of running Thief at 4K resolution?

A: No. At 3840x2160, the highest average FPS recorded is 57 on the Low preset, which falls short of the 60 FPS playability threshold. Medium, High, and Ultra all average below 45 FPS.

Q: What is the best preset at 2560x1440 that maintains at least 60 FPS?

A: Medium is the highest playable preset at 1440p, with an average of 74 FPS, a minimum of 63 FPS, and a maximum of 85 FPS. Low also qualifies at 97 FPS, but High and Ultra do not reach 60 FPS.

Q: Can this combo run Thief on Ultra settings at 1920x1080?

A: Yes. At 1080p, the Ultra preset averages 78 FPS, which clears the 60 FPS threshold. All four presets at this resolution are playable, with Low at 142 FPS, Medium at 108 FPS, and High at 82 FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 2060 compare to its nearest GPU rivals in benchmark scores?

A: The RTX 2060 has an average benchmark score of 15290. Its closest rivals are the GTX 580 at 15283 (0% difference), the Radeon 680M at 15270 (0.1% lower), the RTX 3050 OEM at 15199 (0.6% lower), and the RX 7600 at 15171 (0.8% lower). All are within 1% of each other.

Q: What frame rate can be expected at 1440p on Low settings?

A: The Low preset at 2560x1440 averages 97 FPS. This is the highest average recorded at that resolution, though Medium is the recommended choice for better visual quality while still staying above 60 FPS.

Q: Does the combo rank highly among all tested systems for Thief?

A: No. It ranks 2927th out of 3720 combos, placing it in the lower portion of the database. This is consistent with its performance profile: strong at 1080p but limited at higher resolutions.

CPU and GPU Roles

The recorded FPS scaling across resolutions and presets reveals how the workload shifts between the CPU and GPU. At 3840x2160, the frame rates are uniformly low across all presets, ranging from 31 FPS on Ultra to 57 FPS on Low. The small delta between Low and Ultra at 4K (26 FPS difference) suggests the GPU is heavily saturated at this resolution, and even reducing graphical load does not unlock substantial performance. The GPU is the primary bottleneck.

At 2560x1440, the spread between presets widens. Low averages 97 FPS while Ultra averages 54 FPS, a difference of 43 FPS. This indicates that the GPU still dominates performance, but the lower resolution gives it enough headroom for settings to matter more. The CPU, with its 4 cores and 8 threads, is sufficient to feed the GPU at this resolution, as evidenced by the fact that even the most demanding preset stays above 50 FPS.

At 1920x1080, the gap between Low and Ultra narrows relative to 1440p: Low averages 142 FPS while Ultra averages 78 FPS, a difference of 64 FPS in absolute terms but a smaller proportional gap. The high frame rates at Low (142 FPS) indicate that the CPU can push the GPU to its limits, but the Ultra preset's 78 FPS shows that the GPU still has room to become the limiting factor when settings are maximized. The data suggests that at 1080p, the CPU is capable enough to avoid becoming a bottleneck, and the GPU dictates the final frame rate based on the preset.

The pattern across resolutions points to the GPU being the dominant constraint in all scenarios. The CPU's performance, measured by its benchmark scores (e.g., 11860 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 1674 in single-core), is adequate for this game, and the FPS scaling follows what would be expected from GPU-bound workloads: larger drops at higher resolutions where pixel count increases dramatically.

Best Settings per Resolution

For 3840x2160, no preset achieves an average of at least 60 FPS. The closest is Low at 57 FPS, but that still misses the threshold. The database records no playable settings at this resolution, and as such, there is no recommended preset.

For 2560x1440, the best playable preset is Medium, which averages 74 FPS. This is the highest quality setting that maintains an average above 60 FPS at this resolution. Low also qualifies at 97 FPS, but Medium offers a better balance of visual fidelity and performance. High and Ultra fall below the threshold at 56 FPS and 54 FPS, respectively.

For 1920x1080, the best playable preset is Ultra, averaging 78 FPS. This is the most demanding setting available, and it still clears the 60 FPS threshold by a comfortable margin. The other presets also qualify: High at 82 FPS, Medium at 108 FPS, and Low at 142 FPS. For users prioritizing maximum visual quality, Ultra is the recommended choice, while those seeking higher refresh rates can drop to Medium or Low for significantly higher averages.

The Verdict

The data shows that this combination of the Intel Core i3-12100F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 can run Thief, but the experience depends heavily on the chosen resolution. At 1920x1080, the system is fully capable, with all four presets averaging above 78 FPS and the most demanding setting, Ultra, maintaining a playable average. At 2560x1440, the system is partially capable: Low and Medium presets clear the 60 FPS threshold, with Medium being the highest recommended setting at 74 FPS, while High and Ultra fall just short. At 3840x2160, the system is not capable of reaching 60 FPS on any preset, with the best result being 57 FPS on Low.

The verdict by resolution is clear. For 1080p, the answer is a definitive yes, with headroom to spare. For 1440p, the answer is a conditional yes, limited to lower and medium settings. For 4K, the answer is no. Users targeting higher resolutions would need a more powerful GPU, while those satisfied with 1080p gaming will find this combo well suited to Thief.