Thief

The Intel Core i5-14600K paired with the Intel Arc B370 presents a lopsided combination for Thief, a 2014 stealth title. The processor is a high-end desktop part with 14 cores and 20 threads, while the graphics solution is an integrated-class chip based on the Xe3-LPG architecture. The measured frame rates confirm that the GPU becomes the limiting factor at all but the lowest settings, and even then, the system only achieves a playable experience at 1080p.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The database records frame rates for this combination across three resolutions (3840x2160, 2560x1440, and 1920x1080) and four quality presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra). The results show a steep performance curve, with the Arc B370 struggling as pixel count and graphical load increase.

At 3840x2160, the highest resolution tested, the average frame rates are sobering. The Low preset returns an average of 31 FPS. Switching to Medium drops the average to 24 FPS, with a minimum of 20 FPS and a maximum of 27 FPS. The High preset falls further to 18 FPS average. The Ultra preset bottoms out at 17 FPS average. No setting at 4K comes close to the 60 FPS playability threshold, and the spread from Low to Ultra is only 14 FPS, indicating that the GPU is saturated even at the lowest quality level.

At 2560x1440, the situation improves but remains below the 60 FPS target. The Low preset delivers an average of 53 FPS. Medium produces an average of 41 FPS, with a minimum of 35 FPS and a maximum of 47 FPS. High drops to 31 FPS average. Ultra yields 29 FPS average. The delta between Low and Ultra here is 24 FPS, showing a slightly wider range than at 4K, but every preset still falls short of the playable threshold.

At 1920x1080, the results finally approach playability. The Low preset achieves an average of 78 FPS, clearing the 60 FPS line with headroom. Medium lands at 59 FPS average, with a minimum of 50 FPS and a maximum of 68 FPS, which is effectively on the edge of the threshold. High produces 45 FPS average. Ultra drops to 43 FPS average. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 35 FPS, the largest spread of any resolution, which suggests the GPU has some headroom at the lowest settings but quickly exhausts it as quality increases.

The recorded data shows no minimum or maximum values for the Low, High, and Ultra presets at any resolution, only for Medium. This means the database only provides frame time variance information for the Medium preset: at 4K it ranges from 20 to 27 FPS, at 1440p from 35 to 47 FPS, and at 1080p from 50 to 68 FPS. The Medium preset at 1080p is the only configuration with a recorded maximum above 60 FPS, though its average sits just below.

How This Combo Ranks

Out of 3,720 tested combinations in the database for Thief, this pairing ranks 3,433rd. That places it in the bottom 8 percent of all tested systems, a poor showing for a game that is over a decade old and not known for extreme hardware demands. The rank reflects the Arc B370's limited throughput rather than the CPU's capabilities, as the processor is a top-tier part.

The CPU itself, when measured independently, sits at the 90th percentile among all CPUs in the database, with an average benchmark score of 48,618. Its nearest rivals in synthetic testing include the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H with an average score of 48,698, a difference of negative 0.2 percent, and the AMD EPYC 4345P at 48,470, a delta of 0.3 percent. These are all server or high-end workstation parts, underscoring that the i5-14600K is not the bottleneck in this pairing.

The GPU, by contrast, sits at the 5th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 1,184 from the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test. Its nearest rivals in that benchmark are the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 at 1,186, a delta of negative 0.2 percent, the ATI Radeon HD 5770 at 1,190, a delta of negative 0.5 percent, and the AMD Radeon HD 7650M at 1,192, a delta of negative 0.7 percent. The AMD FirePro M2000 trails with 1,168, a 1.4 percent delta. These are all legacy or low-end mobile parts, which explains why the combination ranks so poorly in Thief.

The contrast between the CPU's 90th percentile standing and the GPU's 5th percentile standing is stark. The database shows that the overall combo rank is dragged down almost entirely by the graphics side, as the processor would otherwise place this system in the upper tier of tested hardware.

CPU and GPU Roles

The measured FPS scaling across resolutions and presets reveals which component governs performance in Thief. The key observation is that frame rates drop sharply as resolution increases, even at the same preset. This is a classic sign of GPU limitation, as higher resolutions demand more pixel throughput and memory bandwidth.

At 1080p Low, the average is 78 FPS. At 1440p Low, it falls to 53 FPS, a 32 percent reduction. At 4K Low, it drops to 31 FPS, a further 42 percent reduction from 1440p. This consistent decline with resolution indicates that the Arc B370 is the limiting factor, as the i5-14600K would not struggle with the CPU overhead of a 2014 title at any of these resolutions.

The preset scaling tells a similar story. At 1080p, moving from Low to Medium cuts the average from 78 to 59 FPS, a 24 percent drop. Low to High goes from 78 to 45 FPS, a 42 percent drop. Low to Ultra goes from 78 to 43 FPS, a 45 percent drop. The GPU is so constrained that even the modest step from Low to Medium costs nearly a quarter of the frame rate.

At 1440p, the same pattern holds but with smaller absolute numbers. Low to Medium drops from 53 to 41 FPS, a 23 percent reduction. Low to High drops to 31 FPS, a 42 percent reduction. Low to Ultra drops to 29 FPS, a 45 percent reduction. The percentage deltas are nearly identical to 1080p, confirming that preset changes have a consistent relative impact regardless of resolution.

At 4K, the scaling compresses. Low to Medium drops from 31 to 24 FPS, a 23 percent reduction. Low to High drops to 18 FPS, a 42 percent reduction. Low to Ultra drops to 17 FPS, a 45 percent reduction. The percentages remain stable, but the absolute values are so low that the game is unplayable at every setting.

The CPU's role is minimal in this configuration. With 14 cores, 20 threads, and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz, the i5-14600K has ample headroom for Thief's engine. The database shows no evidence of CPU-bound behavior, as frame rates scale purely with GPU workload. If the CPU were the constraint, the frame rates would remain similar across resolutions, which they do not.

The Verdict

Can this PC run Thief? The answer depends entirely on resolution and settings. The database defines the playable threshold at 60 FPS, and the recorded results show that only one configuration clears it.

At 3840x2160, no setting is playable. The best recorded average is 31 FPS at Low, with Medium at 24 FPS, High at 18 FPS, and Ultra at 17 FPS. All of these fall far below the 60 FPS target, so 4K is not a viable option for this combination.

At 2560x1440, the situation is equally unfavorable. The Low preset achieves 53 FPS, which is close but still 7 FPS short of the threshold. Medium averages 41 FPS, High averages 31 FPS, and Ultra averages 29 FPS. None of these reach playable status, so 1440p also fails the verdict.

At 1920x1080, the Low preset is the only playable configuration, with an average of 78 FPS. This clears the 60 FPS line by 18 FPS and provides the headroom needed for stable gameplay. The Medium preset sits just below the threshold at 59 FPS, with a recorded minimum of 50 FPS and maximum of 68 FPS, meaning it will dip below 60 FPS at times. High and Ultra average 45 and 43 FPS respectively, which are not playable by the database's standard.

The verdict is clear: this system can run Thief at 1080p on Low settings, and only at that setting. Users who want higher quality presets or higher resolutions will need a more capable GPU. The i5-14600K has plenty of performance to spare, but the Arc B370 cannot deliver the frame rates required for a smooth experience beyond the most modest configuration.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The database provides nearest rival comparisons for both the CPU and GPU, which helps identify hardware that would behave similarly in this pairing.

For the Intel Core i5-14600K, the closest rivals in average benchmark score are the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H, which scores 48,698 versus the CPU's 48,618, a delta of negative 0.2 percent, and the AMD EPYC 4345P at 48,470, a delta of 0.3 percent. The Intel Core Ultra 5 245HX scores 48,287, a 0.7 percent delta, and the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 scores 48,995, a negative 0.8 percent delta. These processors all fall within roughly one percent of the i5-14600K's synthetic performance, meaning any of them would deliver nearly identical CPU-side behavior in Thief. Since the game is GPU-bound in this configuration, swapping the CPU for any of these rivals would have negligible impact on the measured frame rates.

For the Intel Arc B370, the nearest rivals are much older parts. The ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 scores 1,186 in the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, a negative 0.2 percent delta from the Arc's 1,184. The ATI Radeon HD 5770 scores 1,190, a negative 0.5 percent delta. The AMD Radeon HD 7650M scores 1,192, a negative 0.7 percent delta. The AMD FirePro M2000 scores 1,168, a positive 1.4 percent delta. These GPUs are all from the early 2010s, and their performance in Thief would be comparable to the Arc B370, meaning similar frame rates at the tested resolutions and presets.

The practical implication is that users with any of these rival GPUs paired with a high-end CPU would see almost identical results in Thief. The bottleneck is consistent across the group, and the performance ceiling is set by the graphics hardware, not the processor.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Thief at 60 FPS?

A: Yes, but only at 1920x1080 on the Low preset, which averages 78 FPS. All other tested settings and resolutions fall below the 60 FPS threshold, with the closest miss being 1080p Medium at 59 FPS average.

Q: What is the best setting for this combination at 1080p?

A: The Low preset is the only playable option, with an average of 78 FPS. The Medium preset averages 59 FPS with a minimum of 50 FPS, so it will drop below 60 FPS during gameplay.

Q: Is 1440p playable with this hardware?

A: No. The best result at 2560x1440 is the Low preset with an average of 53 FPS, which is 7 FPS short of the playable threshold. Medium, High, and Ultra average 41, 31, and 29 FPS respectively.

Q: Is 4K playable with this hardware?

A: No. At 3840x2160, even the Low preset only reaches 31 FPS average. Medium averages 24 FPS, High averages 18 FPS, and Ultra averages 17 FPS.

Q: Why does this combination perform so poorly in Thief?

A: The Intel Arc B370 is the limiting factor. It ranks at the 5th percentile among all GPUs in the database, with an average benchmark score of 1,184. The Intel Core i5-14600K ranks at the 90th percentile among CPUs, so the processor is not the bottleneck.

Q: What hardware performs similarly to this CPU and GPU pair?

A: For the CPU, the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H, AMD EPYC 4345P, Intel Core Ultra 5 245HX, and Intel Core Ultra 5 245 all score within one percent of the i5-14600K. For the GPU, the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570, ATI Radeon HD 5770, AMD Radeon HD 7650M, and AMD FirePro M2000 all score within two percent of the Arc B370 in the database's graphics benchmark.