Thief

FAQ

Q: Can this PC run Thief at 4K resolution?

A: Yes. The measured data shows all four settings presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra) remain above 60 FPS at 3840x2160. The most demanding preset, Ultra, averages 63.1 FPS, which clears the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Q: What is the best setting for 1440p gameplay?

A: Ultra is the best setting at 2560x1440, averaging 91.5 FPS. This is well above the 60 FPS threshold, so there is no need to reduce quality to achieve smooth performance.

Q: How much performance drops when moving from 1080p to 4K?

A: At Ultra settings, the average frame rate drops from 99.6 FPS at 1920x1080 to 63.1 FPS at 3840x2160, a decline of 36.5 FPS. The scaling shows the game becomes significantly more demanding as pixel count increases.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor at 4K Ultra?

A: The data shows the GPU is the primary constraint at 4K. At 3840x2160, the gap between Low (91.3 FPS) and Ultra (63.1 FPS) is 28.2 FPS, indicating that graphical settings heavily influence performance. The CPU has ample headroom, as evidenced by the high frame rates at lower resolutions.

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

A: This combination of Intel Core i5-10400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 ranks 1784th out of 3720 tested combos for Thief. This places it in the upper half of all configurations in the database.

Q: What are the closest CPU alternatives in terms of benchmark scores?

A: The Intel Xeon 6756E is 0.2% ahead, the AMD EPYC 7552 is 0.5% ahead, while the Intel Core 7 160UL is 0.3% behind and the AMD Ryzen 3 7320C is 0.6% behind. These are effectively equivalent in overall processing power.

Best Settings per Resolution

1920x1080 (1080p): Ultra is the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS, averaging 99.6 FPS. Low runs at 125.7 FPS, Medium at 110.4 FPS, and High at 100.7 FPS, but Ultra delivers the maximum visual quality while still more than 39 FPS above the playable threshold.

2560x1440 (1440p): Ultra remains the best choice, averaging 91.5 FPS. The step down to High yields 87.7 FPS, which is actually lower than Ultra, indicating some variability in the measurements. Medium runs at 102 FPS and Low at 107.7 FPS, but Ultra provides the highest fidelity without sacrificing smoothness.

3840x2160 (4K): Ultra is still the most demanding playable preset, averaging 63.1 FPS. This is just 3.1 FPS above the 60 FPS floor, so players seeking more headroom could drop to High at 64.7 FPS or Medium at 84.1 FPS. Low runs at 91.3 FPS. Ultra is technically playable, but the margin is narrow.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark data reveals a clear division of labor between the Intel Core i5-10400F and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070. At 1920x1080, the frame rates across presets are tightly clustered: Low at 125.7 FPS, Medium at 110.4 FPS, High at 100.7 FPS, and Ultra at 99.6 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 26.1 FPS, which indicates that even at the lowest settings, the system cannot exceed roughly 126 FPS, suggesting a CPU bottleneck at this resolution. The processor's 6 cores and 12 threads, with a 4.30 GHz boost clock, appear to be the limiting factor when the GPU is not fully stressed.

Moving to 2560x1440, the spread widens slightly: Low at 107.7 FPS, Medium at 102 FPS, High at 87.7 FPS, and Ultra at 91.5 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra is 16.2 FPS, a smaller gap than at 1080p. This suggests the GPU is beginning to take on more responsibility, but the CPU still exerts influence, as the frame rates remain relatively high across all presets.

At 3840x2160, the GPU becomes the dominant constraint. The frame rates scale more dramatically with settings: Low at 91.3 FPS, Medium at 84.1 FPS, High at 64.7 FPS, and Ultra at 63.1 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 28.2 FPS, the largest of any resolution. This pattern, combined with the fact that 4K Ultra drops to near the 60 FPS threshold, indicates the RTX 5070's rendering load is the primary bottleneck. The CPU, which was limiting at 1080p, has ample spare capacity at 4K.

The scaling from 1080p Ultra (99.6 FPS) to 4K Ultra (63.1 FPS) represents a 36.6% reduction in frame rate. This is a substantial drop that aligns with the 4x increase in pixel count, though not a linear scaling, indicating that the GPU is handling the additional workload efficiently but still hitting its limits. At lower presets, the CPU constrains performance more noticeably, particularly at 1080p where Low and Medium presets both exceed 110 FPS.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For the CPU, the Intel Core i5-10400F's closest rivals in the database are remarkably similar in overall benchmark scores. The Intel Xeon 6756E scores 14163, just 0.2% higher, while the AMD EPYC 7552 scores 14115, 0.5% higher. On the lower side, the Intel Core 7 160UL scores 14232, 0.3% below, and the AMD Ryzen 3 7320C scores 14277, 0.6% below. These differences are within noise margins, meaning any of these processors would deliver nearly identical frame rates in Thief when paired with the same GPU. The i5-10400F's 68th percentile ranking among all CPUs reinforces that it sits comfortably in the mid-range tier.

For the GPU, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070's nearest rivals are all AMD professional cards, which is notable. The AMD Radeon Pro 580 scores 40318, 0.1% higher, and the AMD Radeon Pro WX 7100 scores 40063, 0.8% higher. The AMD Radeon Pro 5300 scores 40870, 1.2% lower, while the NVIDIA RTX A500 Mobile scores 39568, 2% lower. These delta percentages are small, so swapping in any of these GPUs would produce nearly indistinguishable performance in Thief. The RTX 5070's 82nd percentile among all GPUs places it well above average, but its nearest competitors show that the performance envelope is tight at this tier.

The combination of a mid-range CPU with a high-end GPU is typical for systems targeting high refresh rates at 1440p or playable 4K. The CPU rivals listed are all server or mobile parts, which suggests the i5-10400F's desktop-oriented performance profile is well-matched to gaming workloads. The GPU rivals being professional cards indicates that the RTX 5070's gaming performance aligns closely with workstation GPUs, which are often optimized for sustained compute rather than frame rate delivery.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific pairing of Intel Core i5-10400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 ranks 1784th out of 3720 tested combos for Thief. This places it at roughly the 48th percentile of all configurations in the database, meaning it outperforms nearly half of all tested systems. Given the GPU's 82nd percentile ranking, the overall combo rank is dragged down by the CPU's 68th percentile standing, confirming that the processor is the weaker link in this pairing.

The rank of 1784 indicates that while this system is fully capable of running Thief at playable frame rates across all resolutions, there are many other combinations that deliver higher average FPS. The margin between this combo and those ranked higher is likely driven by CPUs with stronger single-thread performance, as Thief's frame rates at 1080p show a pronounced CPU bottleneck. Players using this system will see excellent performance, but the data suggests that a more powerful CPU would unlock higher frame rates at lower resolutions.

The Verdict

The data confirms that this PC can run Thief at playable frame rates across every resolution and every settings preset tested. At 1920x1080, the system delivers 99.6 FPS on Ultra, 100.7 FPS on High, 110.4 FPS on Medium, and 125.7 FPS on Low. All of these comfortably exceed the 60 FPS playable threshold, with the lowest margin being 39.6 FPS.

At 2560x1440, performance remains strong. Ultra averages 91.5 FPS, High runs at 87.7 FPS, Medium at 102 FPS, and Low at 107.7 FPS. Every preset clears 60 FPS by at least 27.7 FPS, making 1440p Ultra the recommended configuration for the best balance of visual quality and smoothness.

At 3840x2160, the system still achieves playable performance, but the margins shrink. Ultra averages 63.1 FPS, which is just 3.1 FPS above the threshold. High runs at 64.7 FPS, Medium at 84.1 FPS, and Low at 91.3 FPS. The verdict is that 4K is playable at all presets, but Ultra leaves little headroom for demanding scenes or background tasks. For a more comfortable 4K experience, Medium or High provides additional safety margin while still looking excellent.

The overall assessment is that this combination is well-suited for Thief, a 2014 stealth title that does not overly stress modern hardware. The GPU is more than capable, and the CPU, while the limiting factor at lower resolutions, still provides enough performance to maintain high frame rates. The system ranks in the upper half of all tested combos, and the recorded data shows no configuration that fails to reach 60 FPS. Players can confidently select Ultra settings at any resolution, with the caveat that 4K Ultra sits close to the playable threshold.