Thief

The Intel Core i5-13400F paired with the Intel Arc B580 delivers a playable experience in Thief, but the margin of safety depends heavily on the resolution you choose. At 1920x1080, this combination is decisively capable, hitting 83 FPS on the Ultra preset. At 2560x1440, it remains comfortable on High settings at exactly 60 FPS. The story changes at 3840x2160, where only the Low preset clears the 60 FPS threshold, producing an average of 61 FPS. The data shows a system that scales predictably with resolution, but one that demands significant settings compromises for 4K output.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The benchmark results for Thief provide a clear progression of performance across the three primary resolutions. Starting at 1920x1080, the combo is never challenged. On Low settings, the average frame rate reaches 150 FPS, which is the highest recorded figure in the entire dataset. Moving to Medium, the average drops to 114 FPS, with a minimum of 97 FPS and a maximum of 131 FPS. High settings still produce a very smooth 87 FPS average. The most demanding preset, Ultra, maintains an average of 83 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS playability threshold. This resolution shows the Arc B580 operating with substantial headroom, as even the heaviest workload does not pull the average below 80 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the performance curve steepens noticeably. The Low preset delivers a robust 103 FPS average. Medium settings follow with a 78 FPS average, and the recorded range spans from 66 FPS to 90 FPS. High settings produce exactly 60 FPS on average, which meets the playability standard but leaves no room for fluctuation. The Ultra preset falls short of the threshold, averaging 57 FPS. This indicates that the transition from 1080p to 1440p costs roughly 20-30% of the frame rate at each corresponding preset, with the Ultra setting being the first to drop below the 60 FPS line.

The 3840x2160 results reveal a significant performance cliff. Low settings average 61 FPS, which is the only playable configuration at this resolution. Medium settings drop to a 46 FPS average, with a minimum of 39 FPS and a maximum of 53 FPS. High settings average 35 FPS, and Ultra averages just 33 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium at 4K is substantial — a 15 FPS difference — suggesting that the Arc B580's memory bandwidth and pixel throughput are overwhelmed once the render load increases beyond the simplest settings. The minimum frame rates for the higher presets are not reported, but the Medium preset's 39 FPS floor indicates that stuttering would be noticeable during busy scenes.

CPU and GPU Roles

The measured data indicates that the Intel Core i5-13400F is not the limiting factor in this pairing. The CPU's benchmark scores, including a Cinebench R23 multi-core result of 22604 and a single-core score of 3191, are more than sufficient for a 2014 title like Thief. The game's engine does not appear to stress the processor heavily, as evidenced by the fact that the GPU is the component that dictates the frame rate ceiling at every resolution.

The Arc B580's role becomes more pronounced as resolution increases. At 1920x1080, the GPU has ample resources, and the scaling from Low (150 FPS) to Ultra (83 FPS) shows a 44% performance drop as the pixel shader workload intensifies. This is a classic GPU-bound scenario where the CPU can feed frames faster than the graphics card can render them. At 2560x1440, the same pattern holds, with the Low-to-Ultra spread shrinking to 45% (from 103 FPS to 57 FPS), confirming that the GPU is still the primary constraint.

The 3840x2160 data reveals a more severe GPU bottleneck. The Low preset (61 FPS) to Ultra preset (33 FPS) represents a 46% reduction, but the absolute numbers are much lower. The Arc B580's 12 GB of GDDR6 memory and 456.0 GB/s bandwidth appear insufficient for the 8.3 million pixel count of 4K when using High or Ultra settings. The CPU's 10 cores and 16 threads remain largely idle during these workloads, as the frame rate is entirely dependent on the GPU's ability to process the larger render targets. In summary, the Core i5-13400F provides more than enough headroom, and the Arc B580 is the sole determinant of playability across all tested configurations.

Best Settings per Resolution

For each resolution, the most demanding preset that maintains an average of at least 60 FPS is the recommended starting point. At 1920x1080, that preset is Ultra, which achieves an average of 83 FPS. This is the optimal configuration for users with 1080p displays, as it provides the full visual experience without sacrificing smoothness. The data shows that High (87 FPS) and Medium (114 FPS) are also viable, but Ultra offers the highest fidelity within the playable range.

At 2560x1440, the best settings are High, which delivers exactly 60 FPS on average. This preset balances the visual improvements of the High tier with the playability threshold. Medium settings provide a safer margin at 78 FPS, but High is the most demanding option that stays at or above 60 FPS. The Ultra preset falls short at 57 FPS, so it is not recommended for a consistent experience. Users who prefer a buffer against frame drops may choose Medium, but the data confirms High as the highest-quality playable option.

At 3840x2160, the only playable preset is Low, with an average of 61 FPS. This configuration is the sole option that meets the 60 FPS standard. The Medium preset (46 FPS) and higher are not viable for smooth gameplay. The Low preset likely disables or simplifies many of the graphical effects that tax the GPU at 4K, such as shadows, reflections, and post-processing. While this results in a visual downgrade, it is the only way to achieve a fluid experience at this resolution with this hardware.

The Verdict

The verdict from the data is clear: this PC can run Thief at 60 FPS, but only under specific conditions. At 1920x1080, the system is fully capable, with all four presets — Low, Medium, High, and Ultra — producing averages above 60 FPS. The Ultra preset's 83 FPS average confirms that the combination has no trouble at the most common gaming resolution.

At 2560x1440, the verdict is conditional. The system can run the game at High settings with an average of 60 FPS, which is exactly the playable threshold. However, this leaves no headroom for dips below the average, so users may experience occasional frame drops in intense scenes. The Medium preset (78 FPS) provides a more comfortable margin, but the High preset is the maximum playable setting.

At 3840x2160, the verdict is marginal. Only the Low preset achieves 61 FPS on average, which is just above the 60 FPS threshold. This is a playable experience, but the visual quality is significantly reduced compared to the higher presets. The Medium preset's 46 FPS average and the High and Ultra presets' 35 FPS and 33 FPS averages, respectively, are all below the playability standard. Therefore, 4K gaming is possible only with the lowest settings, and even then, the frame rate is close to the boundary of acceptable performance.

Overall, the combo ranks 2779 out of 3720 tested configurations for this game, placing it in the lower half of the sample. This ranking reflects the fact that while the system can handle 1080p and 1440p well, its 4K performance is limited. The data suggests that the Arc B580 is a mid-range GPU that excels at lower resolutions but struggles with the demands of 4K rendering in Thief.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Looking at the nearest rivals for the Intel Core i5-13400F, the AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS has an identical average benchmark score (25284 vs. 25284, with a 0% delta). This means that a system with the Ryzen 9 6900HS would behave nearly identically in CPU-bound scenarios. The Intel Core 5 120 is also very close, with a score of 25362 and a -0.3% delta, indicating slightly higher performance. The AMD Ryzen 5 5600X3D (25365, -0.3%) and the AMD Ryzen 7 6800H (25201, 0.4%) round out the group, all within a 0.7% margin of the Core i5-13400F. For gaming, any of these CPUs would provide similar frame rates in Thief, as the game is not CPU-intensive.

For the Intel Arc B580, the nearest GPU rivals are more interesting. The AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP has an average score of 23061, which is 0.2% lower than the Arc B580's 23021. This suggests nearly identical rasterization performance in synthetic benchmarks. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 (22895, 0.6%) is slightly slower, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 (23172, -0.7%) is slightly faster. The NVIDIA P106-100 (23249, -1%) is also close. In practice, a system with an RTX 2080 would deliver frame rates very similar to the Arc B580 in Thief, though driver-level differences may affect specific scenes. The RTX 3080 would offer a small performance advantage, but not enough to change the overall verdict at 4K.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-13400F and Intel Arc B580 combination holds a rank of 2779 out of 3720 tested combos for Thief. This places it in the 25th percentile of tested systems, meaning that roughly 75% of configurations deliver higher frame rates in this game. The ranking is primarily influenced by the GPU's performance at higher resolutions, as the CPU is not a bottleneck. The data indicates that this combo is adequate for 1080p and 1440p gaming but falls behind the pack at 4K. The relatively low rank is a reflection of the Arc B580's position in the GPU hierarchy, which is below the high-end cards that dominate the top of the rankings.

FAQ

*Q: Can this PC run Thief at 60 FPS on a 4K monitor?*

A: Yes, but only on the Low preset. The measured average FPS at 3840x2160 with Low settings is 61 FPS, which just clears the 60 FPS threshold. All other presets (Medium, High, Ultra) fall below 60 FPS, with averages of 46, 35, and 33 FPS, respectively.

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

A: The High preset is the most demanding option that maintains an average of 60 FPS at 2560x1440. The measured average is exactly 60 FPS. The Medium preset offers a higher average of 78 FPS, but High provides better visual quality within the playable range.

Q: How does the Arc B580 compare to the RTX 2080 in this game?

A: The Arc B580 has an average benchmark score of 23021, while the RTX 2080 scores 22895, a delta of 0.6%. This indicates that the Arc B580 is marginally faster on average. In Thief, you would expect very similar frame rates from both GPUs, with the Arc B580 holding a slight edge.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor for this game?

A: The GPU is the clear limiting factor. The Core i5-13400F's benchmark scores are high enough to avoid bottlenecking, while the Arc B580's performance drops significantly as resolution increases. The frame rate scaling between resolutions (e.g., 150 FPS at 1080p Low vs. 61 FPS at 4K Low) is consistent with a GPU-bound workload.

Q: What is the best settings preset for 1080p gaming?

A: The Ultra preset is the best option, achieving an average of 83 FPS at 1920x1080. This is the highest settings tier measured, and it still provides a comfortable margin above the 60 FPS threshold.

*Q: How does this combo rank among all tested systems for Thief?*

A: The combination ranks 2779 out of 3720 tested combos, placing it in the lower half of all configurations. This rank is driven by the GPU's limited 4K performance, while its 1080p and 1440p results are more competitive.