Thief

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, this combination delivers consistently high frame rates across every preset. The Low preset averages 146 FPS, while Medium reaches 132 FPS with a minimum of 112 FPS and a maximum of 152 FPS. High settings produce 120 FPS on average, and Ultra still holds 118 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is only 28 FPS, which indicates the GPU is barely strained at this resolution and the CPU is feeding frames comfortably.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance remains strong but the scaling pattern changes. Low averages 129 FPS, Medium drops to 117 FPS with a recorded minimum of 99 FPS and maximum of 134 FPS, High comes in at 101 FPS, and Ultra maintains 96 FPS. The drop from Low to Ultra is 33 FPS, slightly larger than at 1080p, which reflects the increased pixel workload on the RTX 4070. Still, every preset at 1440p stays well above the 60 FPS playable threshold.

At 3840x2160, the picture shifts noticeably. Low averages 103 FPS, Medium averages 78 FPS with a minimum of 66 FPS and maximum of 89 FPS, High drops to 59 FPS, and Ultra falls to 56 FPS. The step from Medium to High is the largest single-preset jump in the entire dataset, a 19 FPS loss. Both High and Ultra sit below the 60 FPS playable threshold, meaning 4K users must accept Medium or Low for smooth gameplay.

The recorded data shows that min and max FPS values are only available for the Medium preset at each resolution. At 4K Medium, the minimum of 66 FPS confirms that even the slowest frames clear the 60 FPS bar. At 1440p Medium, the 99 FPS minimum is comfortably above any stutter concern. At 1080p Medium, the 112 FPS minimum shows headroom for background tasks or recording software.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The nearest rivals for the Intel Core i5-11400F, based on average benchmark scores, include the AMD EPYC 7H12 with a score of 17120 and a delta of 0.3 percent, the Intel Core i5-12450H with 17239 and a delta of -0.4 percent, the AMD Ryzen 3 PRO 8300G with 17278 and a delta of -0.6 percent, and the Intel Core Ultra 7 164U with 17074 and a delta of 0.6 percent. The i5-11400F itself scores 17177 in the database average, so all four rivals sit within a fraction of a percent of its performance. In practical terms, swapping to any of these CPUs would produce nearly identical frame rates in Thief, because the game's workload at these settings is dominated by the GPU at most resolutions.

On the GPU side, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 has an average benchmark score of 37648. Its nearest rivals are the NVIDIA Tesla P4 at 37628 with a delta of 0.1 percent, the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 at 37507 with a delta of 0.4 percent, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile at 38135 with a delta of -1.3 percent, and the AMD Radeon PRO W6400 at 37157 with a delta of 1.3 percent. These deltas are all within 1.3 percent, so the RTX 4070 and these alternatives would land within a few frames of each other in Thief. A user coming from an RX Vega 56 would see essentially the same average FPS, while the RTX 4080 Mobile would be marginally faster, though not enough to change which presets clear 60 FPS.

The CPU sits at the 71st percentile among all CPUs, and the GPU sits at the 81st percentile among all GPUs. That combination means the RTX 4070 is the stronger component in this pairing, which matches the observed FPS data: at 1080p and 1440p, the GPU is the limiting factor at higher presets, while at 4K the GPU workload fully dominates.

How This Combo Ranks

The database records this combo at rank 1334 out of 3720 tested combinations for Thief. That places it in the top 35.9 percent of all tested systems, a solid mid-to-upper tier result. The ranking reflects the balance between a 71st percentile CPU and an 81st percentile GPU. Systems ranked above this combo likely pair the RTX 4070 with faster CPUs or pair faster GPUs with comparable CPUs, but the measured FPS data shows this combo already clears 60 FPS at 4K Medium and at every preset up to 1440p Ultra.

The rank of 1334 out of 3720 also indicates that a large number of tested combos fall below this system. Given that the game launched in 2014, many tested configurations are older or weaker, and this modern pairing lands well ahead of the median. The percentile figures for the individual components support this: the CPU outperforms 71 percent of all CPUs in the database, and the GPU outperforms 81 percent of all GPUs.

The Verdict

Yes, this PC can run Thief, and it does so with substantial margin at most settings. The verdict data confirms that at 1920x1080, all four presets are playable, with the best being Ultra at 118 FPS. At 2560x1440, all four presets are also playable, with Ultra at 96 FPS as the best option. At 3840x2160, only Low and Medium are playable, and Medium is the best playable preset at 78 FPS.

The 60 FPS playable threshold is cleared by a wide margin at 1080p and 1440p. Even the most demanding preset at 1440p, Ultra, averages 96 FPS, which is 60 percent above the threshold. At 4K, the story changes: High averages 59 FPS, just one frame below the threshold, and Ultra averages 56 FPS. The 4K Medium preset, with its 66 FPS minimum, is the safest choice for 4K users who want smooth frame pacing without dropping to Low.

For a game from 2014, this hardware is overkill at 1080p and 1440p. The RTX 4070's 12 GB of GDDR6X memory and 504.2 GB/s bandwidth are far beyond what Thief requires at those resolutions. The Core i5-11400F, with 6 cores and 12 threads boosting to 4.40 GHz, provides ample single-thread performance for a title of this era. The only resolution where the hardware meets real resistance is 4K Ultra, where the 56 FPS average falls short of the 60 FPS target.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, with an average of 118 FPS. There is no reason to lower settings at this resolution; even the heaviest preset leaves 58 FPS of headroom above the threshold.

At 2560x1440, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is also Ultra, averaging 96 FPS. This is the recommended target for 1440p users, as it provides the full visual experience while maintaining a 36 FPS cushion above the playable threshold.

At 3840x2160, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Medium, averaging 78 FPS with a minimum of 66 FPS. High falls to 59 FPS and Ultra to 56 FPS, so neither is suitable for a locked 60 FPS experience. For 4K, Medium is the ceiling, and its minimum of 66 FPS ensures the frame time stays consistent.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Thief at 4K Ultra settings?

A: No. The measured data shows 4K Ultra averages 56 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS playable threshold. High settings at 4K also fall short at 59 FPS.

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

A: Ultra is the best playable preset at 2560x1440, with an average of 96 FPS. All four presets at this resolution clear the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: How much faster is 1080p Ultra compared to 4K Ultra?

A: 1080p Ultra averages 118 FPS, while 4K Ultra averages 56 FPS. That is a difference of 62 FPS, or roughly 2.1 times the 4K frame rate.

Q: Does the Medium preset at 4K stay above 60 FPS at all times?

A: Yes. The recorded minimum FPS for 4K Medium is 66 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS playable threshold. The average is 78 FPS.

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

A: The Intel Core i5-11400F has an average benchmark score of 17177. Its nearest rivals, including the AMD EPYC 7H12 and Intel Core i5-12450H, score within 0.6 percent, so performance differences in Thief would be negligible.

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

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 has an average benchmark score of 37648. Its nearest rivals, such as the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile, are within 1.3 percent, meaning frame rates in Thief would be nearly identical across these GPUs.