Thief

The Intel Core i5-13400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 delivers a commanding performance profile in Thief, a 2014 stealth title whose dated engine is thoroughly overwhelmed by this modern hardware combination. Across every tested resolution and preset, the system maintains frame rates that far exceed the 60 FPS playability threshold, with the data revealing a pattern of diminishing returns as settings climb and resolutions expand.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo produces its highest raw frame rates, starting with a 178.5 FPS average on Low settings. Moving to Medium drops the average to 158.7 FPS, while High settles at 147.4 FPS. The most demanding Ultra preset still delivers a robust 141.7 FPS average, representing a 20.6% reduction from the Low preset but remaining more than double the playability threshold. The spread between Low and Ultra at this resolution is 36.8 FPS, indicating that even maximum graphical fidelity cannot meaningfully challenge this hardware.

Stepping up to 2560x1440, the performance curve tightens. Low settings produce a 160.2 FPS average, which falls to 145.1 FPS on Medium and 127.2 FPS on High. Ultra maintains a 124.3 FPS average, a figure that still clears the 60 FPS threshold by a factor of two. The delta between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 35.9 FPS, nearly identical in absolute terms to the 1080p spread, though the percentage gap narrows slightly as the resolution increases.

At 3840x2160, the RTX 5090’s immense 32 GB GDDR7 memory and 1.79 TB/s bandwidth come into play. Low settings yield a 132.4 FPS average, Medium drops to 116.9 FPS, and High reaches 86.8 FPS. Ultra is the only preset that dips below the 100 FPS mark, registering an 83 FPS average. The gap between Low and Ultra at 4K expands to 49.4 FPS, the largest absolute spread in the dataset, suggesting that pixel throughput becomes a more significant factor at this resolution even for a GPU with 104.8 TFLOPS of FP32 compute.

Notably, the measured FPS data includes only average frame rates; minimum and maximum values are absent from the dataset. This limits temporal analysis, but the averages alone paint a picture of consistent headroom across all configurations.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data reveals a clear division of labor between the Intel Core i5-13400F and the RTX 5090, with the GPU assuming the dominant role as resolution increases. The i5-13400F, with its 10 cores and 16 threads, provides ample single-thread performance for a game from 2014 — its 3DMark single-thread score of 960 and Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3191 indicate strong per-core capability that older game engines typically favor.

At 1080p, the CPU’s influence is most apparent. The difference between Low (178.5 FPS) and Ultra (141.7 FPS) settings suggests that while the GPU is processing more effects and geometry at Ultra, the CPU is still feeding it sufficient draw calls to maintain high frame rates. The 36.8 FPS drop from Low to Ultra at 1080p is proportionally smaller than at 4K, where the same settings change produces a 49.4 FPS drop — evidence that the GPU becomes the bottleneck as pixel count rises.

The scaling between 1080p and 1440p shows a modest 10.2% reduction in average FPS across presets, while the jump from 1440p to 4K produces a more dramatic 30-35% reduction. This pattern aligns with the RTX 5090’s specifications: its 176 ROPs and 423.6 GPixel/s pixel rate are formidable, but the 512-bit memory bus and 1.79 TB/s bandwidth are taxed more heavily at 4K. The CPU’s role diminishes correspondingly, as its 3DMark multi-thread scores (7,314 at 16 threads) suggest it can comfortably handle Thief’s AI and physics simulation at any resolution.

The preset scaling further illuminates this dynamic. At every resolution, Low to Medium produces a smaller FPS drop than Medium to High or High to Ultra, indicating that the game’s more demanding settings engage GPU-heavy features like shadow resolution and ambient occlusion that scale with pixel count.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination ranks 354th out of 3,720 tested combos in Thief, placing it in the top 9.5% of all configurations in the database. This high percentile ranking is unsurprising given the GPU’s benchmark pedigree — the RTX 5090 sits in the 92nd percentile among all GPUs with an average benchmark score of 79,842, while the CPU ranks in the 77th percentile among all CPUs with an average score of 25,292.

The rank of 354 out of 3,720 means 3,366 other combos perform worse, but it also implies a significant number of configurations outperform this pairing. Given Thief’s 2014 release date, the ranking likely reflects that many higher-tier CPU and GPU combinations — particularly those with newer architectures or higher core counts — achieve even greater frame rates. The RTX 5090’s nearest rivals in aggregate benchmarks include the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB (0.3% higher score) and the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64X (1.4% lower), suggesting that the GPU’s raw compute is competitive with professional-grade hardware.

The CPU’s nearest rivals tell a similar story: the AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS matches its average score almost exactly (0% delta), while the Intel Core 5 120 and AMD Ryzen 5 5600X3D trail by 0.3%. This indicates the i5-13400F’s performance profile is well-balanced for gaming workloads, even if it does not lead its class.

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous: this PC runs Thief with exceptional headroom at every resolution and preset tested. At 3840x2160, all four presets clear the 60 FPS threshold, with Ultra averaging 83 FPS and Low reaching 132.4 FPS. The verdictByResolution data confirms all settings are playable at 4K, with Ultra serving as the best settings due to its visual fidelity and still-robust frame rate.

At 2560x1440, the system achieves a 124.3 FPS average at Ultra, while 1920x1080 pushes that figure to 141.7 FPS. Every resolution and preset combination exceeds 60 FPS by a comfortable margin — the lowest recorded average is 83 FPS at 4K Ultra, which is 38.3% above the playability threshold. This combo does not merely run Thief; it dominates it, leaving no scenario where frame rate becomes a concern.

The absence of minimum FPS data means stutter and frame-time consistency cannot be assessed, but the average frame rates suggest a smooth experience is highly likely given the hardware’s raw capabilities.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For the CPU, the Intel Core i5-13400F’s nearest rivals in aggregate benchmark scores offer comparable gaming behavior in Thief. The AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS matches its average score at 25,284 versus 25,292 (0% delta), providing nearly identical multi-threaded performance. The Intel Core 5 120 and AMD Ryzen 5 5600X3D both trail by 0.3%, with scores of 25,362 and 25,365 respectively — differences that would be imperceptible in gameplay. The AMD Ryzen 7 6800H leads by 0.4% with a 25,201 score, again a negligible margin.

On the GPU side, the RTX 5090’s nearest rivals in aggregate benchmarks are led by the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB, which scores 79,605, a 0.3% advantage. The NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB follows at 79,396 (0.6% higher), while the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT scores 78,940 (1.1% higher). The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64X trails by 1.4% with an 80,959 score. These rivals would produce nearly identical frame rates in Thief, with differences of one to three FPS at most — well within the noise of real-world testing.

Notably, these rival GPUs are a mix of professional and mobile parts, reflecting the RTX 5090’s position at the top of consumer graphics. The Tesla P100’s similarity in score suggests that the RTX 5090’s gaming performance aligns closely with compute-oriented hardware in this title’s workload.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, Ultra is the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS, delivering an 83 FPS average. This is the optimal choice for 4K gaming, as it extracts the maximum visual quality while maintaining a 38.3% buffer above the playability threshold. Users prioritizing higher frame rates could select High for 86.8 FPS or Medium for 116.9 FPS, but Ultra’s 83 FPS is already well within comfortable territory.

At 2560x1440, Ultra again emerges as the best settings, with a 124.3 FPS average. The gap between Ultra and High (127.2 FPS) is a mere 2.9 FPS, making Ultra the clear recommendation for 1440p displays. The 124.3 FPS figure provides a 107.2% margin over the 60 FPS threshold, offering substantial headroom for frame-time spikes or background processes.

At 1920x1080, Ultra delivers a 141.7 FPS average, representing the best settings at the lowest resolution. The 1080p Ultra figure is 136.2% above the playability threshold, ensuring a fluid experience on high-refresh-rate monitors. The progression from 1080p to 4K shows a 41.5% reduction in Ultra FPS (141.7 to 83), yet even the lowest figure remains decisively playable.

FAQ

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

A: Yes. The measured average FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings is 83 FPS, which exceeds the 60 FPS playability threshold by 38.3%.

Q: What is the lowest average frame rate recorded for this combo?

A: The lowest average is 83 FPS, occurring at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings. All other resolution and preset combinations produce higher averages.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested configurations in Thief?

A: It ranks 354th out of 3,720 tested combos, placing it in the top 9.5% of all configurations in the database.

Q: Which component limits performance more at 4K?

A: The GPU becomes the primary bottleneck at 3840x2160, as evidenced by the 49.4 FPS spread between Low (132.4 FPS) and Ultra (83 FPS) settings, compared to a 36.8 FPS spread at 1920x1080.

Q: Are all settings playable at every resolution?

A: Yes. The verdictByResolution data shows that High, Low, Medium, and Ultra are all playable at 3840x2160, 2560x1440, and 1920x1080, with no preset dropping below 60 FPS.

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

A: The 1920x1080 Ultra average of 141.7 FPS is 70.8% higher than the 3840x2160 Ultra average of 83 FPS, a difference of 58.7 FPS.