Thief

Measured FPS Breakdown

The recorded data for this combination of Intel Core i5-11400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 in Thief shows a clear pattern across resolutions and presets. At 1920x1080, the lowest average frame rate recorded is 101 FPS on Ultra settings, while the highest is 146 FPS on Low settings. The Medium preset at 1080p delivers an average of 132 FPS, with a minimum of 112 FPS and a maximum of 152 FPS. High settings at 1080p sit at 107 FPS average. Every preset at this resolution clears the 60 FPS playable threshold by a wide margin.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain strong. Low settings produce an average of 126 FPS. Medium settings average 96 FPS, with a minimum of 82 FPS and a maximum of 110 FPS. High settings average 73 FPS, and Ultra settings average 70 FPS. All four presets at 1440p stay above 60 FPS, though the margin narrows considerably at the top end.

At 3840x2160, the situation changes. Low settings are the only preset that stays comfortably playable, averaging 74 FPS. Medium settings average 56 FPS, with a minimum of 48 FPS and a maximum of 65 FPS. High settings average 43 FPS, and Ultra settings average 41 FPS. The 4K results show that only the Low preset maintains an average above the 60 FPS threshold, and even that margin is modest. The Medium preset dips below 60 FPS on average, and its recorded minimum of 48 FPS indicates noticeable frame drops during demanding scenes.

The scaling between resolutions is consistent. At Ultra settings, the average drops from 101 FPS at 1080p to 70 FPS at 1440p, then to 41 FPS at 4K. This represents a reduction of roughly 31% when moving from 1080p to 1440p, and another 41% when moving from 1440p to 4K. The Low preset shows a similar pattern, going from 146 FPS at 1080p to 126 FPS at 1440p to 74 FPS at 4K.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data shows that the GPU becomes the dominant factor as resolution increases. At 1920x1080, the performance gap between Low and Ultra presets is 45 FPS (146 versus 101). At 2560x1440, that gap narrows to 56 FPS (126 versus 70). At 3840x2160, the gap between Low and Ultra is 33 FPS (74 versus 41). The consistent pattern is that higher resolutions compress the relative differences between presets, which indicates the GPU is being pushed closer to its limits at 4K.

The CPU's role is most visible at lower resolutions. At 1080p, the i5-11400F with its 6 cores and 12 threads is able to feed the RTX 4060 enough data to reach 146 FPS on Low settings. The processor's 3DMark scores support this: 5619 in the 16-thread test and 868 in the single-thread test. These figures place the CPU in the 71st percentile of all CPUs in the database. At 1080p, the frame rates are high enough that the CPU's per-core performance and thread scheduling matter for maintaining those averages.

At 1440p and 4K, the GPU takes over as the limiting factor. The RTX 4060's 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 272.0 GB/s bandwidth, combined with its 3072 shading units, determine how many pixels can be processed per frame. The GPU's passmark G3D score of 19545 and its 61st percentile ranking among all GPUs in the database indicate mid-range positioning. The measured FPS data confirms this: at 4K Ultra, the average of 41 FPS suggests the GPU is the bottleneck, not the CPU.

The scaling between presets at each resolution reinforces this interpretation. At 4K, the difference between Medium (56 FPS) and High (43 FPS) is 13 FPS, while the difference between High and Ultra (41 FPS) is only 2 FPS. This diminishing return at the highest presets suggests the GPU is running out of headroom. At 1080p, the difference between Medium (132 FPS) and High (107 FPS) is 25 FPS, showing that the GPU still has capacity to spare at this resolution.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The database places the Intel Core i5-11400F in close company with several other processors. The AMD EPYC 7H12 has an average benchmark score of 17120, which is 0.3% higher than the i5-11400F's average of 17177. The Intel Core i5-12450H scores 17239, which is 0.4% lower than the i5-11400F. The AMD Ryzen 3 PRO 8300G scores 17278, 0.6% lower. The Intel Core Ultra 7 164U scores 17074, 0.6% higher. These deltas are all within one percent, meaning any of these processors would produce nearly identical frame rates in Thief when paired with the same GPU.

For the GPU side, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 has an average benchmark score of 17639. The AMD Radeon HD 7790 scores 17666, which is 0.2% lower. The AMD Radeon 780M scores 17588, 0.3% higher. The AMD Radeon Pro 560 scores 17551, 0.5% higher. The AMD Radeon Pro 460 scores 17509, 0.7% higher. These rival GPUs are all within one percent of the RTX 4060 in aggregate benchmark performance. In practical terms, a system built with any of these GPUs and a comparable CPU would deliver frame rates within a few FPS of the measurements recorded for this combo.

It is worth remembering the nearest rivals for the GPU include integrated graphics solutions like the Radeon 780M and older discrete cards like the HD 7790. The benchmark scores cluster tightly, but real-world gaming performance can diverge based on driver optimization and specific game engines. The measured FPS data for Thief is specific to this CPU and GPU combination, so the rival hardware should be considered approximate in terms of actual in-game results.

FAQ

Q: Can this PC run Thief at 1920x1080 with maximum settings?

A: Yes. At 1080p with Ultra settings, the average frame rate is 101 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Q: What is the best preset for 2560x1440?

A: Ultra settings are playable at 1440p with an average of 70 FPS. All four presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra) clear 60 FPS at this resolution.

Q: Is 4K gaming viable with this hardware?

A: Only at Low settings, which averages 74 FPS. Medium settings average 56 FPS, High averages 43 FPS, and Ultra averages 41 FPS, all below the 60 FPS threshold.

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

A: The i5-11400F has an average benchmark score of 17177. Its closest rivals are within 0.6% of that score: the AMD EPYC 7H12 at 0.3% higher, the Intel Core i5-12450H at 0.4% lower, the AMD Ryzen 3 PRO 8300G at 0.6% lower, and the Intel Core Ultra 7 164U at 0.6% higher.

Q: What frame rates does the Medium preset produce at 1440p?

A: The Medium preset at 2560x1440 averages 96 FPS, with a minimum of 82 FPS and a maximum of 110 FPS.

Q: Which component is the bottleneck at 4K?

A: The GPU. At 3840x2160, even the Medium preset only averages 56 FPS with a minimum of 48 FPS, and the performance gap between presets narrows, indicating the RTX 4060 is the limiting factor.

How This Combo Ranks

The database ranks this CPU and GPU combination at 1997 out of 3720 tested combos for Thief. This places it in the lower half of all tested systems. The ranking reflects the overall balance of the hardware. The CPU sits in the 71st percentile of all CPUs, while the GPU sits in the 61st percentile of all GPUs. The combination produces playable frame rates at 1080p and 1440p across all presets, but struggles at 4K beyond Low settings.

The rank of 1997 out of 3720 means there are 1723 tested combinations that perform better in this game, and 1996 that perform worse. This is a middle-of-the-pack result. The bottleneck at 4K is the primary reason the ranking is not higher. Systems with more powerful GPUs would climb the ranking significantly at 4K, while the CPU's performance is sufficient for the lower resolutions.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, which averages 101 FPS. This is the best visual quality available while maintaining a comfortable margin above the playable threshold.

At 2560x1440, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is also Ultra, averaging 70 FPS. The margin is smaller than at 1080p, but it remains above the threshold.

At 3840x2160, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Low, averaging 74 FPS. Medium settings drop to 56 FPS average, which misses the 60 FPS threshold.

These results show that the system can handle maximum visual quality at 1080p and 1440p, but requires significant settings reductions at 4K to maintain playable frame rates.

The Verdict

This PC can run Thief. At 1920x1080, all four presets are playable, with Ultra settings averaging 101 FPS. At 2560x1440, all four presets are also playable, with Ultra averaging 70 FPS. At 3840x2160, only the Low preset is playable, averaging 74 FPS. The verdict by resolution is clear: 1080p and 1440p are fully playable at maximum settings, while 4K requires Low settings to stay above 60 FPS.

The data indicates that the RTX 4060 is the limiting factor at 4K. The i5-11400F provides adequate CPU performance across all resolutions, as evidenced by the high frame rates at 1080p where the CPU matters most. For gamers targeting 1080p or 1440p, this combination delivers smooth performance with headroom to spare. For 4K, the system is only viable at the lowest preset, and even then the average of 74 FPS leaves limited margin for demanding scenes. The recorded Medium preset at 4K shows a minimum of 48 FPS, which would be noticeable in gameplay. Overall, this is a capable 1080p and 1440p system for Thief, with 4K limited to Low settings.