Thief

The Intel Core i5-13400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 delivers a thoroughly playable experience in Thief, though the margin of success depends heavily on the resolution you choose. Measured data shows the combo handles 1080p and 1440p with significant headroom, while 4K requires a careful choice of graphics settings to stay above the 60 FPS threshold. The benchmark results indicate a system that is well-balanced for this 2014 stealth title, with the GPU becoming the primary constraint only at the highest resolution.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for this combination reveals a clear performance hierarchy across the three resolutions and four quality presets. At 1920x1080, the frame rates are consistently high, starting at 180 FPS on Low settings. Medium settings still produce an average of 157.4 FPS, while High and Ultra presets deliver 124.2 FPS and 116.7 FPS respectively. This means even the most demanding setting at 1080p leaves nearly double the headroom above the 60 FPS playability threshold. The spread between the lowest and highest preset is 63.3 FPS, indicating that visual quality adjustments have a measurable but not dramatic impact at this resolution.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance remains robust but the scaling becomes more pronounced. Low settings produce an average of 146.4 FPS, which drops to 109.6 FPS on Medium. The High preset yields 83.1 FPS, while Ultra trails at 78.4 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra here is 68 FPS, showing that the higher resolution amplifies the cost of each quality tier. Notably, the difference between High and Ultra at 1440p is only 4.7 FPS, suggesting diminishing returns at the top end of the settings ladder.

At 3840x2160, the picture changes dramatically. The RTX 3070 manages 82.4 FPS on Low settings, which is still comfortably above 60. Medium settings drop to 65.5 FPS, barely clearing the playable threshold. However, High settings fall to 46.6 FPS, and Ultra drops further to 49.8 FPS. Interestingly, the High preset is actually slightly slower than Ultra in this data, a quirk that suggests the High settings may trigger specific rendering paths that are less optimized. The jump from Medium to High represents a 28.9% performance loss, making the 4K High preset the first point where this combination fails to maintain 60 FPS. Min and max FPS values were not captured in the data, so the analysis relies entirely on average frame rates.

How This Combo Ranks

The combined benchmark data places this Intel Core i5-13400F and RTX 3070 pairing at rank 1379 out of 3720 tested combinations for Thief. This places the system in the upper third of all configurations evaluated, roughly in the 63rd percentile of tested combos. The CPU alone sits at the 77th percentile among all processors tested, while the GPU ranks at the 61st percentile among all graphics cards. The combination's overall rank reflects a slight gap between the CPU's relative strength and the GPU's more mid-range standing.

The data suggests that this pairing is considerably stronger than the median tested system, but it is far from the top of the leaderboard. Given that the game is from 2014, the rank indicates that modern mid-range hardware still has substantial headroom for this title. The 3720 total combos include many older and lower-end parts, so a rank of 1379 confirms that this system should handle the game without the need for aggressive compromises, except at 4K with high presets.

Best Settings per Resolution

For 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, which delivers an average of 116.7 FPS. There is no reason to sacrifice visual quality at this resolution, as even the Ultra preset maintains nearly double the playable threshold.

At 2560x1440, the answer is again Ultra settings, producing an average of 78.4 FPS. This clears the 60 FPS bar by a comfortable margin of 18.4 FPS, allowing for full visual fidelity without performance concerns.

The situation at 3840x2160 is more nuanced. The best playable setting is Medium, which averages 65.5 FPS. This clears 60 FPS but with only 5.5 FPS of headroom, leaving little margin for demanding scenes. The Low preset is also playable at 82.4 FPS, but Medium offers better visuals while still staying above the threshold. High and Ultra both fall below 60 FPS at 46.6 and 49.8 FPS respectively, making them unsuitable for a smooth experience at 4K.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Looking at the nearest rivals for the CPU, the Intel Core i5-13400F has an average benchmark score of 25292. Its closest competitor is the AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS, which scores 25284, a negligible 0% difference. The Intel Core 5 120 scores 25362, putting it 0.3% ahead, while the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X3D also scores 25365, again 0.3% ahead. On the other side, the AMD Ryzen 7 6800H scores 25201, which is 0.4% behind. These deltas are all within a fraction of a percent, meaning any of these CPUs would produce virtually identical frame rates in Thief when paired with the same GPU.

For the GPU, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 posts an average benchmark score of 17208. Its nearest rival is the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT at 17083, which is 0.7% slower. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690 scores 17037, trailing by 1%, and the AMD Radeon HD 7970M scores 17019, also 1.1% behind. The NVIDIA Tesla K40c is 1.5% faster with a score of 17468. In practical terms, a system with the RX 7600 XT would deliver nearly identical FPS numbers in Thief, while the GTX 690 and HD 7970M would be only marginally slower. The Tesla K40c's slight advantage would not translate into a meaningful FPS difference at any of the tested resolutions.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark data reveals how the balance of responsibility shifts between the CPU and GPU as resolution increases. At 1920x1080, the frame rates are extremely high across all presets, ranging from 116.7 to 180 FPS. The fact that even the Low preset hits 180 FPS suggests the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU far more frames than it can render at this resolution, meaning the GPU is likely the limiting factor even at 1080p. The scaling from Low to Ultra shows a 35.2% drop in performance, which is consistent with a GPU-bound scenario where increased pixel shading work reduces output.

At 2560x1440, the pattern continues with a 46.4% drop from Low to Ultra, which is more pronounced than at 1080p. This further confirms the GPU's dominant role, as the additional pixel count amplifies the cost of higher-quality effects. The CPU's 16 threads and 20 MB of L3 cache are sufficient to maintain high minimum frame rates, but the average FPS numbers are clearly dictated by the GPU's rendering throughput.

The 3840x2160 results provide the clearest evidence of GPU limitation. The drop from Low to High is 43.4%, and the fact that High (46.6 FPS) performs slightly worse than Ultra (49.8 FPS) suggests memory bandwidth or cache pressure at these settings. The RTX 3070's 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are the likely bottlenecks at 4K, as the GPU is forced to manage larger textures and more complex shading. The CPU's role becomes almost negligible at this resolution, with the GPU clearly holding back performance across all presets.

FAQ

*Q: Can this system run Thief at 1920x1080 with all settings maxed out?*

A: Yes. The Ultra preset at 1080p averages 116.7 FPS, well above the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Q: What is the best setting for 4K gaming on this hardware?

A: Medium settings at 3840x2160 provide an average of 65.5 FPS, which is the highest quality preset that stays above 60 FPS. High and Ultra both fall below the threshold at 46.6 and 49.8 FPS respectively.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from 1080p to 1440p at Ultra settings?

A: At 1920x1080 Ultra, the average is 116.7 FPS, while 2560x1440 Ultra drops to 78.4 FPS. This represents a 32.8% reduction in frame rate.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more important for this game?

A: The GPU is the primary limiting factor across all resolutions. At 4K, the RTX 3070's performance drops dramatically with higher presets, while the i5-13400F maintains sufficient throughput even at 1080p Low where it feeds 180 FPS.

Q: What other GPU would perform similarly to the RTX 3070 in this game?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT scores 0.7% lower in average benchmarks, making it the closest match. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690 and AMD Radeon HD 7970M are 1% and 1.1% slower respectively.

Q: Does the data include minimum or maximum frame rates?

A: No. The measured FPS data only provides average frame rates for each resolution and preset combination. Stutter and frame-time consistency cannot be assessed from this data.

The Verdict

This PC can absolutely run Thief, but the experience varies by resolution. At 1920x1080, every preset clears the 60 FPS threshold, with Ultra averaging 116.7 FPS. At 2560x1440, Ultra also remains playable at 78.4 FPS, offering full visual quality with comfortable headroom. At 3840x2160, the system can only manage Medium settings at 65.5 FPS, just barely above the playable line; High and Ultra fall to 46.6 and 49.8 FPS respectively, making them unsuitable for smooth gameplay. The data shows a system that is excellent for 1080p and 1440p gaming, and capable of 4K only with reduced settings. For players prioritizing 4K, the Medium preset is the safe choice, while those on 1440p or 1080p displays can enable the highest settings without concern.