Thief

Measured FPS Breakdown

The recorded data for this combination of Intel Core i5-14400F and Intel Arc B370 in Thief shows a wide spread of performance depending on resolution and preset. At 3840x2160, the system struggles across all settings. The High preset delivers an average of 18 FPS, while Low improves that to 31 FPS. Medium lands at 24 FPS average, with a minimum of 20 and maximum of 27. Ultra is the worst at 17 FPS average. None of these numbers approach the 60 FPS playable threshold, and even the most aggressive reduction to Low only brings the average to 31 FPS.

Dropping to 2560x1440 helps considerably, but still leaves the combo short of smooth playability. High averages 31 FPS, Low averages 53 FPS, and Medium averages 41 FPS with a minimum of 35 and maximum of 47. Ultra averages 29 FPS. The gap between Low and High here is 22 FPS, showing that the preset choice has a major impact at this resolution. Yet even the best case, Low at 53 FPS average, remains 7 FPS below the 60 FPS target.

At 1920x1080, the picture changes meaningfully. Low reaches an average of 78 FPS, which clears the playable threshold by a solid margin. Medium averages 59 FPS, just 1 FPS shy of the target, with a minimum of 50 and maximum of 68. High averages 45 FPS, and Ultra averages 43 FPS. The data indicates that 1080p is the only resolution where this combo can produce playable frame rates, and only at the Low preset. The scaling from 1440p Low (53 FPS) to 1080p Low (78 FPS) is a 25 FPS jump, reflecting the heavy load that higher pixel counts place on this GPU.

How This Combo Ranks

Within the database of tested combinations for Thief, this specific pairing ranks 3433 out of 3720 combos. That places it in the bottom portion of all tested systems, roughly in the 8th percentile of combinations. The GPU itself sits at the 5th percentile among all GPUs in the database, with an average benchmark score of 1184 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12. This low percentile helps explain why the measured FPS numbers are so constrained at higher resolutions.

The CPU, by contrast, is far more capable. The Intel Core i5-14400F ranks in the 83rd percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 32279. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840U at 32233 (0.1% difference), the Intel Core i9-11900 at 32226 (0.2% difference), the AMD Ryzen 7 6800HS at 32354 (0.2% lower), and the Intel Core i7-12800H at 32121 (0.5% higher). These nearly identical scores indicate that the CPU is not the limiting factor in Thief; the GPU clearly is.

The combination rank of 3433 out of 3720 reflects the severe bottleneck created by pairing a strong processor with a very weak graphics solution. In a game like Thief, which depends heavily on rendering throughput, the GPU's low standing dominates the outcome. The database shows that even a top-tier CPU cannot compensate for a GPU that ranks in the 5th percentile.

CPU and GPU Roles

The recorded FPS scaling between resolutions and presets reveals which component matters more for this game. Comparing 3840x2160 to 1920x1080 at the same preset shows the GPU's influence. At Low, the average goes from 31 FPS at 4K to 78 FPS at 1080p, a 2.5x improvement from reducing pixel count. At High, it goes from 18 FPS to 45 FPS, a 2.5x improvement as well. This consistent scaling across presets indicates that the GPU is the dominant factor when resolution changes.

The preset scaling at a fixed resolution tells a similar story. At 2560x1440, moving from Low (53 FPS) to Medium (41 FPS) to High (31 FPS) to Ultra (29 FPS) shows a steady decline that tracks GPU workload. The CPU, with its high percentile ranking and strong multi-threaded scores (21645 in Cinebench R23 multi-core, 25470 in Passmark multithread), has ample headroom. Thief is not a CPU-intensive title by modern standards, and the i5-14400F's 10 cores and 16 threads are more than sufficient.

The fact that even at 1080p Low, the system only reaches 78 FPS average, suggests the GPU is nearing its ceiling. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see diminishing returns when lowering resolution, but the data shows near-linear gains from 4K to 1080p. The GPU's shared memory architecture, with system-dependent bandwidth, further reinforces that it is the limiting component. The CPU's role here is minimal: it feeds frames fast enough, but the Arc B370 cannot render them quickly at higher resolutions.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The nearest rivals for the Intel Arc B370, based on average benchmark scores, are all older or weaker GPUs. The ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 scores 1186, just 0.2% higher. The ATI Radeon HD 5770 scores 1190, 0.5% higher. The AMD Radeon HD 7650M scores 1192, 0.7% higher. The AMD FirePro M2000 scores 1168, 1.4% lower. These deltas are all within a couple of percent, meaning any of these GPUs would produce nearly identical frame rates in Thief at the same settings and resolution.

For the CPU side, the Intel Core i5-14400F's nearest rivals are all within 0.5% of its average score. The AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840U, Intel Core i9-11900, AMD Ryzen 7 6800HS, and Intel Core i7-12800H would all behave similarly in terms of CPU-bound performance. Since the CPU is not the limiting factor in this game, swapping to any of these processors would have negligible impact on the measured FPS.

If a user were to keep the i5-14400F and swap the GPU to one of the rivals listed, the frame rates would remain essentially unchanged, within a margin of 1-2 FPS at most. Conversely, keeping the Arc B370 and swapping the CPU to any rival would also produce no meaningful change, since the GPU bottleneck dominates. The database suggests that this combo sits in a performance tier where the GPU defines the experience entirely, and the CPU is effectively irrelevant for Thief.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, no preset reaches the 60 FPS playable threshold. The best average is 31 FPS at Low, which is far below playable. The verdict data confirms that no settings are playable at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the same applies. No preset achieves 60 FPS average. The best is Low at 53 FPS, still 7 FPS short. Medium at 41 FPS and High at 31 FPS are even further away. The verdict lists no playable settings for 1440p.

At 1920x1080, only Low clears the threshold with an average of 78 FPS. Medium comes close at 59 FPS, but the database defines playable as at or above 60 FPS, so Medium does not qualify. The best settings per resolution, therefore, are: none for 4K, none for 1440p, and Low for 1080p. For users who want to try Medium at 1080p despite the 59 FPS average, the recorded minimum of 50 FPS and maximum of 68 FPS show noticeable variance, which could lead to occasional stutter.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Thief at 4K?

A: No. The highest average FPS at 3840x2160 is 31 FPS on Low, with Medium at 24, High at 18, and Ultra at 17. None of these approach the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Q: What is the best playable setting at 1080p?

A: Low is the only preset that clears 60 FPS, with an average of 78 FPS. Medium averages 59 FPS, which is below the threshold.

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

A: It ranks 3433 out of 3720 combinations, placing it in the lower portion of the database. The GPU's 5th percentile standing drives this low rank.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in Thief?

A: The GPU is clearly the bottleneck. The Intel Arc B370 ranks in the 5th percentile among GPUs, while the i5-14400F ranks in the 83rd percentile among CPUs. The FPS scaling across resolutions follows GPU workload patterns.

Q: What GPU performance is similar to the Intel Arc B370?

A: The ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570, ATI Radeon HD 5770, AMD Radeon HD 7650M, and AMD FirePro M2000 all have average benchmark scores within 1.4% of the Arc B370.

Q: At 1440p, what is the best achievable average FPS?

A: Low preset gives 53 FPS average, which is the highest recorded at 2560x1440. Medium gives 41, High gives 31, and Ultra gives 29. No preset reaches 60 FPS.

The Verdict

The data shows that this PC can run Thief, but only under very specific conditions. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the system achieves 78 FPS average, which is comfortably above the 60 FPS playable threshold. This is the sole configuration that qualifies as playable according to the database's criteria.

At 2560x1440, the best result is 53 FPS on Low, which is not playable. The GPU simply lacks the rendering power to maintain 60 FPS at this resolution, even with all settings reduced. At 3840x2160, the situation is worse, with the best average at 31 FPS on Low. The verdict by resolution confirms this: playable settings exist only for 1920x1080, and only for Low.

Users who own this combination and wish to play Thief should expect to run at 1080p with Low presets. Medium at 1080p is borderline at 59 FPS, but the database does not classify it as playable. Higher resolutions are not viable. The Intel Core i5-14400F provides more than enough CPU headroom, but the Intel Arc B370's low performance ceiling limits the experience to the most modest settings. For a game from 2014, this is a disappointing outcome, but the recorded measurements leave no room for interpretation.