Thief

Intel Core i5-12400 + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 is a mid-range desktop pairing that delivers strong frame rates in Thief, a 2014 stealth title from the FACT PACK. The combination ranks 1690 out of 3720 tested combos for this game, placing it in the 45th percentile of all configurations. The data shows that the system clears the 60 FPS playability threshold at every resolution tested, though the margin shrinks considerably at 4K Ultra settings. At 3840x2160, only Low settings remain fully playable, while 1440p and 1080p both allow Ultra presets with comfortable headroom. The CPU, an Alder Lake-S part with 6 cores and 12 threads, sits in the 72nd percentile of all processors, while the Blackwell 2.0 GPU also lands in the 72nd percentile of all GPUs. These benchmark results indicate a balanced pairing where neither component bottlenecks the other severely, but the GPU becomes the limiting factor at higher resolutions.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest settings preset that maintains at least 60 FPS at 1920x1080?

A: Ultra settings run at 108.6 FPS average, which is the most demanding preset tested and still clears the 60 FPS threshold by a wide margin. High settings achieve 110.8 FPS, Medium reaches 146 FPS, and Low hits 173.1 FPS.

Q: Is the combo playable at 3840x2160?

A: Yes, but only with Low settings, which deliver 78.5 FPS average. Medium settings drop to 59.8 FPS, just below the 60 FPS playability threshold, while High and Ultra fall to 43.4 FPS and 43.3 FPS respectively.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals in average benchmark score?

A: The Intel Core i5-12400 scores 18683 on average benchmarks, which is 0.1% behind the AMD EPYC 7643 at 18697, 0.3% behind the Intel Core i7-1355U at 18730, and 0.7% behind the AMD Ryzen AI 5 330 at 18811. It leads the Intel Core i3-14100F by 0.9%, which scores 18519.

Q: What GPU performance is similar to the RTX 5060's average benchmark score?

A: The RTX 5060 averages 26331 in benchmark scores. The AMD Radeon 860M scores 26401 (0.3% higher), the NVIDIA GeForce MX550 scores 26421 (0.3% higher), and the AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary scores 26553 (0.8% higher). The AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT trails by 1.2% at 26011.

Q: What is the FPS difference between Low and Ultra settings at 2560x1440?

A: Low settings run at 134.2 FPS average, while Ultra settings run at 75.1 FPS average. This represents a 59.1 FPS drop, or roughly 44% lower performance, when moving from the least to most demanding preset at this resolution.

Q: Does the system maintain 60 FPS at 4K Medium settings?

A: No. The average FPS at 3840x2160 Medium is 59.8, which falls just 0.2 FPS short of the 60 FPS playability threshold. The verdict data lists only Low as playable at this resolution.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data reveals how the balance between CPU and GPU shifts across resolutions in Thief. At 1920x1080, the system produces 173.1 FPS at Low settings, indicating that the RTX 5060 has substantial headroom and the i5-12400's single-thread performance is sufficient to feed the GPU. The 3DMark single-thread score of 910 and Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2257 for the CPU suggest strong per-core throughput. When moving from 1080p Low to 1080p Ultra, FPS drops from 173.1 to 108.6, a 64.5 FPS reduction that points to increasing GPU load rather than CPU limitation. The CPU's multi-threaded capabilities, evidenced by a 3DMark max-threads score of 5890 and Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 15989, are more than adequate for a stealth title that typically has modest thread demands.

At 2560x1440, the scaling continues to favor GPU-bound performance. Low settings produce 134.2 FPS, Medium reaches 100.3 FPS, High drops to 78.8 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 75.1 FPS. The transition from 1080p Low to 1440p Low costs 38.9 FPS (173.1 to 134.2), which is a 22.5% reduction that aligns with the increased pixel count. The GPU's memory bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s and 8 GB of GDDR7 memory become more relevant at this resolution, as the higher pixel throughput demands more from the memory subsystem. The CPU's role diminishes further, as evidenced by the relatively small gap between High and Ultra at 1440p (78.8 to 75.1 FPS, a 3.7 FPS difference) compared to the gap between Low and Medium (134.2 to 100.3, a 33.9 FPS difference).

At 3840x2160, the GPU is clearly the dominant constraint. Low settings yield 78.5 FPS, but Medium falls to 59.8 FPS and both High and Ultra hover near 43 FPS (43.4 and 43.3 respectively). The near-identical scores at High and Ultra suggest that the RTX 5060's 3840 shading units and 48 ROPs are saturated, with the pixel rate of 119.9 GPixel/s becoming the limiting factor. The CPU's 6 cores and 12 threads with an 18 MB shared L3 cache have negligible influence on 4K performance, as the frame rate collapse tracks purely with GPU workload. The data suggests that at 1080p and 1440p, the pairing is well-balanced, but at 4K, the GPU becomes the sole determinant of playability.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, which achieves 108.6 FPS average. This is the highest possible quality setting for this resolution. High runs at 110.8 FPS, Medium at 146 FPS, and Low at 173.1 FPS, all well above the threshold. The verdict data confirms that all four settings are playable at 1080p, with Ultra providing the best visual experience while maintaining a 48.6 FPS margin over the 60 FPS minimum.

At 2560x1440, Ultra is again the best playable preset, delivering 75.1 FPS average. This clears the 60 FPS threshold by 15.1 FPS, leaving some headroom for demanding scenes. High settings run at 78.8 FPS, Medium at 100.3 FPS, and Low at 134.2 FPS. All four presets are playable at this resolution according to the verdict data, making 1440p Ultra the recommended configuration for users who prioritize visual fidelity without sacrificing smoothness.

At 3840x2160, the situation changes dramatically. Only Low settings, at 78.5 FPS average, remain at or above 60 FPS. Medium falls to 59.8 FPS, which is 0.2 FPS below the threshold and therefore not classified as playable. High and Ultra are both unplayable at 43.4 FPS and 43.3 FPS respectively. The best playable setting at 4K is Low, with a 18.5 FPS margin over the 60 FPS threshold. This represents a significant visual compromise, but the frame rate is stable enough for smooth gameplay.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The nearest rivals for the Intel Core i5-12400 in average benchmark score are clustered within 1% of its 18683 average. The AMD EPYC 7643 scores 18697, a 0.1% delta, making it the closest match despite being a server-class processor. The Intel Core i7-1355U scores 18730 (0.3% higher), and the AMD Ryzen AI 5 330 scores 18811 (0.7% higher). The Intel Core i3-14100F scores 18519, which is 0.9% lower. In practical terms for Thief, any of these CPUs would deliver nearly identical frame rates, as the game's CPU demands are modest relative to these processors' capabilities. The i5-12400's percentile ranking of 72 places it alongside these rivals in overall CPU performance.

For the GPU, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060's nearest rivals are also tightly grouped. The AMD Radeon 860M scores 26401 (0.3% higher), the NVIDIA GeForce MX550 scores 26421 (0.3% higher), and the AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary scores 26553 (0.8% higher). The AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT trails at 26011, a 1.2% gap. These deltas are small enough that gaming performance in Thief would be virtually indistinguishable across these GPUs. Users with any of these alternatives should expect similar FPS results at each resolution and preset combination, though the RTX 5060's 8 GB GDDR7 memory and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth give it a slight edge in texture-heavy scenes. The GPU's percentile ranking of 72 confirms its position among these comparable parts.

The Verdict

This PC can run Thief at 60 FPS or higher across multiple configurations. At 1920x1080, the system delivers playable frame rates at all four settings presets, with Ultra achieving 108.6 FPS average. This is the optimal resolution for this combination, offering both maximum visual quality and smooth performance. At 2560x1440, all presets also remain playable, with Ultra at 75.1 FPS providing the best balance of quality and speed. The 15.1 FPS headroom at 1440p Ultra suggests that the system can handle brief drops below average without falling under the 60 FPS threshold.

At 3840x2160, the system is only playable at Low settings, which achieve 78.5 FPS average. Medium settings fall to 59.8 FPS, just missing the playability threshold. High and Ultra are not viable at this resolution, with both averaging 43 FPS. The verdict data lists only Low as playable at 4K. Users who prioritize 4K resolution will need to accept significant graphical compromises, while those who value high settings should stick to 1440p or 1080p. The data shows a clear resolution ceiling for this pairing: 1440p Ultra is the highest quality setting that maintains comfortable performance, while 4K is limited to Low presets.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of Intel Core i5-12400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 ranks 1690 out of 3720 tested combos for Thief, placing it in the 45th percentile of all configurations. This mid-pack ranking reflects the system's ability to handle the game well at most settings, but not at the extreme end of 4K Ultra. The CPU's 72nd percentile ranking and the GPU's 72nd percentile ranking are both above the combo's overall ranking, suggesting that the pairing's performance is slightly below what the individual components might suggest. This is likely due to the GPU's limitations at 4K, where the RTX 5060's 8 GB memory and 128-bit bus width create a bottleneck.

In the context of all tested combos, this system outperforms 55% of configurations and underperforms 45% of them. The ranking indicates that while this is not a top-tier setup for Thief, it is far from inadequate. The system comfortably handles 1080p and 1440p gameplay at maximum settings, which covers the majority of gaming scenarios. The 4K limitation at Low settings is the primary factor pulling the combo rank down, as many higher-ranked configurations would maintain playable frame rates at 4K Medium or High. For a mid-range pairing, this ranking is respectable and reflects the system's balanced capabilities.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system produces its highest frame rates across all settings. Low settings achieve 173.1 FPS average, Medium reaches 146 FPS, High hits 110.8 FPS, and Ultra runs at 108.6 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium is 27.1 FPS, while the gap between High and Ultra is only 2.2 FPS, suggesting diminishing returns at the top end. All settings at this resolution provide excellent playability with minimum headroom of 48.6 FPS above the 60 FPS threshold. The data shows that 1080p is where this combination shines, with even Ultra settings leaving substantial performance on the table.

At 2560x1440, performance scales predictably with settings. Low settings run at 134.2 FPS, Medium at 100.3 FPS, High at 78.8 FPS, and Ultra at 75.1 FPS. The transition from Low to Medium costs 33.9 FPS, while Medium to High costs 21.5 FPS, and High to Ultra costs only 3.7 FPS. This pattern indicates that Ultra offers marginal visual improvements over High at a small performance cost. Every setting at 1440p remains above 60 FPS, with Ultra having the smallest margin at 15.1 FPS. The system's performance at this resolution is strong enough to recommend Ultra as the default setting for users with 1440p displays.

At 3840x2160, the frame rates drop significantly. Low settings produce 78.5 FPS average, which is the only playable configuration. Medium falls to 59.8 FPS, a 0.2 FPS shortfall from the playability threshold. High and Ultra achieve nearly identical scores of 43.4 FPS and 43.3 FPS respectively, indicating that the GPU is fully saturated at these presets. The difference between Low and Medium is 18.7 FPS, while the difference between Medium and High is 16.4 FPS. The data suggests that 4K gaming with this combination requires Low settings for smooth performance, and that users seeking higher visual quality at 4K would need a more powerful GPU. The measured FPS values across all resolutions and settings show a consistent pattern: the RTX 5060 provides excellent performance at 1080p and 1440p, but struggles to maintain playable frame rates at 4K beyond Low presets.