Thief

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-10400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 lands at rank 1684 out of 3720 tested combinations in Thief. That places this pairing in the upper half of the database, though not at the very top, which is notable given the modern, high-end GPU at the center of the build. The rank is a composite of both components, and the data suggests that the GPU carries most of the weight here. The RTX 5080 sits at the 87th percentile against all GPUs, while the i5-10400F sits at the 68th percentile against all CPUs. The combo rank of 1684 reflects a system where the processor is competent but not elite, while the graphics card is clearly a top-tier part. For a game released in 2014, this pairing is dramatically overqualified, yet the rank shows that the database still places it behind a significant number of other combinations. That is likely because many of those higher-ranked combos feature newer, higher-core-count CPUs that feed the GPU more efficiently, even in an older title like Thief. The recorded data confirms that this is a playable combination at all tested resolutions, but the ranking invites a closer look at how the CPU and GPU split the workload.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark results in Thief reveal a clear pattern: the GPU is the dominant factor at every resolution, but the CPU's influence becomes more visible as resolution drops. At 3840x2160, the gap between Low and Ultra settings is 18 FPS (92 down to 74), which indicates that the GPU is working hard to push pixels and the CPU is not the limiting factor. At 2560x1440, the spread between Low and Ultra is 21 FPS (110 down to 89), a slightly larger delta that hints at the CPU beginning to exert more influence as the pixel count falls. At 1920x1080, the spread widens to 25 FPS (125 down to 100), and the pattern is unmistakable: lower resolutions shift more of the burden onto the processor. The i5-10400F, with its 6 cores and 12 threads, is not a weak part, but the data shows that it does throttle the RTX 5080's potential at 1080p. The GPU's massive compute resources, 56.28 TFLOPS of FP32 throughput and 10752 shading units, are simply not fully utilized when the CPU is feeding frames at lower resolutions. The scaling between resolutions reinforces this: at High settings, the average FPS moves from 102 at 1080p to 90 at 1440p to 75 at 4K, a smooth degradation that tracks the GPU's rendering load. The CPU, meanwhile, is a steady presence, never becoming the bottleneck at 4K but increasingly relevant as the resolution drops. The conclusion from the data is that this game, for this combo, is GPU-bound at 4K and progressively more CPU-bound at 1440p and 1080p, though never to the point of unplayability.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the recorded numbers are consistently high across all presets. Low settings produce an average of 125 FPS, which is the highest figure in the entire dataset. Medium settings drop to 113 FPS on average, with a minimum of 96 and a maximum of 130, showing that even the lowest dips remain well above the playable threshold. High settings average 102 FPS, and Ultra averages 100 FPS. The step from Medium to High is 11 FPS, while the step from High to Ultra is just 2 FPS, indicating that Ultra is a relatively minor additional load over High. At this resolution, the CPU is the more influential component, and the data suggests that the i5-10400F's single-thread performance, measured at 1451 in Cinebench R23, is sufficient to keep the RTX 5080 fed, but the GPU is not being pushed to its limits.

Moving to 2560x1440, the averages step down but remain strong. Low settings hit 110 FPS, Medium averages 99 FPS with a minimum of 85 and a maximum of 114, High averages 90 FPS, and Ultra averages 89 FPS. The delta between Low and Ultra here is 21 FPS, which is larger than the 18 FPS gap seen at 4K, confirming that the CPU's role grows at this resolution. The minimum recorded figure at Medium, 85 FPS, is still 25 FPS above the playable threshold, so there is no risk of stutter or slowdown in demanding scenes. The data shows a smooth, predictable scaling pattern: each step down in settings yields roughly 10 to 11 FPS at this resolution, except for the High to Ultra step, which is only 1 FPS. That near-zero difference suggests that Ultra at 1440p is essentially the same load as High, likely because the game's Ultra preset does not add much geometric or shading complexity beyond High.

At 3840x2160, the averages remain comfortably playable but show the GPU working harder. Low settings average 92 FPS, Medium averages 83 FPS with a minimum of 71 and a maximum of 96, High averages 75 FPS, and Ultra averages 74 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 18 FPS, the smallest spread across all resolutions, which indicates that the RTX 5080 is the limiting factor here and the CPU has ample headroom. The minimum recorded figure at Medium, 71 FPS, is still 11 FPS above the playable threshold, and the maximum of 96 FPS shows that even at 4K, the GPU can burst well beyond the average. The High to Ultra step is again just 1 FPS, mirroring the pattern seen at 1440p and suggesting that Ultra is a marginal upgrade over High in this title. The overall picture is one of consistent, high-performance rendering across the board, with no resolution or preset dipping below the 60 FPS threshold.

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous: this PC can run Thief at every resolution and preset tested, and it clears the 60 FPS threshold with room to spare. At 3840x2160, the playable settings include High, Low, Medium, and Ultra, and the best setting is Ultra with an average of 74 FPS. That is 14 FPS above the threshold, meaning even the most demanding preset at 4K delivers a smooth experience. At 2560x1440, all four settings are playable, and Ultra averages 89 FPS, which is 29 FPS above the threshold. At 1920x1080, Ultra averages 100 FPS, a full 40 FPS above the threshold. The verdict by resolution is consistent: no matter the resolution or preset, this combo stays well clear of the 60 FPS floor. The lowest recorded average across the entire dataset is 74 FPS at 4K Ultra, and the lowest minimum is 71 FPS at 4K Medium, so even the worst-case frame times are playable. The i5-10400F, despite being a 2020 mid-range processor, does not bottleneck the RTX 5080 to the point of failure, and the GPU's immense power ensures that Thief, a game from 2014, is rendered with massive headroom. For a player targeting a locked 60 FPS experience, this system offers the ability to max out every visual option at any resolution without compromise.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Looking at the CPU's nearest rivals in the database, the Intel Core i5-10400F is closely matched by several other processors. The Intel Xeon 6756E scores 14163 in average benchmarks, which is just 0.2% lower than the i5-10400F's 14185. The AMD EPYC 7552 scores 14115, a 0.5% delta. On the other side, the Intel Core 7 160UL scores 14232, which is 0.3% higher, and the AMD Ryzen 3 7320C scores 14277, 0.6% higher. These deltas are all within a single percentage point, so any of these CPUs would behave nearly identically in Thief when paired with the RTX 5080. The practical difference between them is negligible, and the game's frame rates would be essentially unchanged. For the GPU, the RTX 5080's nearest rivals are similarly close. The AMD Radeon 8060S scores 55757, 0.6% lower than the RTX 5080's 56083. The AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB scores 55698, 0.7% lower. The AMD Radeon Pro W5700X scores 54828, 2.3% lower, which is a slightly larger gap but still minor. The AMD Radeon RX 9070 GRE scores 57367, which is 2.2% higher than the RTX 5080. Swapping the RTX 5080 for any of these GPUs would produce frame rates within a few percent of the recorded numbers, meaning the playability verdict would not change. The data implies that this combo sits in a dense cluster of similar-performing hardware, and buyers or builders with any of these alternative parts should expect broadly comparable results in Thief.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, which averages 74 FPS. This is the highest visual quality available, and it still delivers a comfortable margin above the threshold. The data shows that High averages 75 FPS, which is essentially identical to Ultra, so there is no reason to drop below Ultra at 4K. At 2560x1440, Ultra is again the best choice, averaging 89 FPS. The gap between Ultra and High at this resolution is just 1 FPS, so players can confidently select Ultra for maximum fidelity. At 1920x1080, Ultra averages 100 FPS, and again there is no reason to choose a lower preset. Across all three resolutions, the recommendation is the same: run the game at Ultra settings. The RTX 5080 is powerful enough to handle the maximum preset at every resolution, and the i5-10400F does not create a bottleneck that would force a compromise. The data suggests that Thief's Ultra preset is not significantly more demanding than High, as evidenced by the 1 to 2 FPS deltas between the two at every resolution, so the visual upgrade comes at almost no performance cost.

FAQ

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

A: Yes. At 3840x2160, all four settings (Low, Medium, High, Ultra) are playable, with averages ranging from 74 FPS at Ultra to 92 FPS at Low. The lowest minimum recorded is 71 FPS at Medium, which is above the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: What is the best settings preset for this combo at 1440p?

A: Ultra is the best choice at 2560x1440, averaging 89 FPS. High averages 90 FPS, so the difference is negligible, but Ultra offers the highest visual quality with no meaningful performance penalty.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals in the database?

A: The Intel Core i5-10400F has an average benchmark score of 14185. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Xeon 6756E (14163, 0.2% lower), the AMD EPYC 7552 (14115, 0.5% lower), the Intel Core 7 160UL (14232, 0.3% higher), and the AMD Ryzen 3 7320C (14277, 0.6% higher). All are within 1% of each other.

Q: Is the RTX 5080 significantly faster than its closest GPU rivals in this game?

A: No, the differences are small. The RTX 5080 scores 56083 on average, while the AMD Radeon 8060S scores 55757 (0.6% lower), the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB scores 55698 (0.7% lower), and the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X scores 54828 (2.3% lower). The AMD Radeon RX 9070 GRE scores 57367, which is 2.2% higher.

Q: What is the lowest average FPS recorded for this combo in Thief?

A: The lowest average is 74 FPS, which occurs at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings. The lowest minimum FPS is 71, recorded at 3840x2160 with Medium settings. Both remain above the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Q: Does the CPU bottleneck the GPU at 1080p?

A: The data suggests the CPU becomes more influential at 1920x1080, where the spread between Low (125 FPS) and Ultra (100 FPS) is 25 FPS, the largest across all resolutions. However, the i5-10400F still delivers enough performance to keep every preset well above 60 FPS, so the bottleneck is not severe.