Thief

Intel Core i5-14600K and Intel Arc B570 is a combination that sits in a peculiar spot for a 2014 stealth title like Thief. The data shows a system that is decisively capable at 1080p, comfortably playable at 1440p with settings adjusted, but one that falls short of the 60 FPS threshold entirely at 4K. The benchmark results indicate a pairing where the GPU becomes the primary limiting factor as resolution scales, while the 14-core CPU provides ample headroom even in the most demanding scenarios.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, the data shows no settings preset achieves the 60 FPS playable threshold. The highest recorded average is 54 FPS at Low settings, which still falls below the playable threshold of 60 FPS. The Medium preset drops to 41 FPS average, High to 31 FPS, and Ultra to 29 FPS. None of these clear the bar, so the verdict for 4K is that this combo cannot deliver a playable experience at any quality level.

Moving to 2560x1440, the situation improves considerably. The Low preset delivers 91 FPS average, which is well above the threshold. The Medium preset achieves 69 FPS average, with a minimum of 59 FPS and a maximum of 79 FPS. This is the best playable setting, as it stays at or above 60 FPS on average while providing better visual quality than Low. The High preset at 53 FPS and Ultra at 50 FPS both fall short of the 60 FPS target.

At 1920x1080, every single preset clears the 60 FPS threshold. The most demanding preset, Ultra, still delivers 73 FPS average, making it the best setting for this resolution. Low runs at 133 FPS, Medium at 101 FPS, and High at 77 FPS. The data shows that even at the highest quality settings, this combo has substantial performance headroom at 1080p.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo ranks 2994 out of 3720 tested combinations in Thief, placing it in the 80th percentile of all tested systems. This ranking reflects a machine that is above average for this game, but not at the top tier. The percentileVsAllGpus score of 65 for the Intel Arc B570 indicates the GPU sits above the median of all GPUs, while the CPU's percentileVsAllCpus score of 90 places the Intel Core i5-14600K in the top decile of all processors. This disparity is telling: the CPU is clearly a high-end part, while the GPU is a mid-range performer. The overall combo ranking is pulled down by the GPU's relative standing, which explains why 4K performance is lacking while 1080p performance is strong. The gap between the CPU's elite ranking and the GPU's above-average ranking is the key to understanding this system's behavior in Thief.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of performance across all three resolutions and four presets. At 3840x2160, the Low preset delivers 54 FPS average, Medium delivers 41 FPS with a minimum of 35 and maximum of 47, High delivers 31 FPS, and Ultra delivers 29 FPS. The 4K results show a steep drop-off as settings increase, with a 25 FPS difference between Low and Ultra.

At 2560x1440, Low delivers 91 FPS, Medium delivers 69 FPS with a minimum of 59 and maximum of 79, High delivers 53 FPS, and Ultra delivers 50 FPS. The Medium preset is the only one that provides both an average above 60 FPS and a minimum close to it, with the 59 FPS minimum being just one frame below the threshold.

At 1920x1080, Low delivers 133 FPS, Medium delivers 101 FPS with a minimum of 86 and maximum of 116, High delivers 77 FPS, and Ultra delivers 73 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 60 FPS, showing that even the most demanding preset maintains a healthy margin above the playable threshold. The minimum FPS data at Medium settings shows the system maintains solid frame pacing, with the 86 FPS minimum at 1080p being particularly strong.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Looking at the nearest rivals for the CPU, the Intel Core i5-14600K's average benchmark score of 48618 is closely matched by several other processors. The Intel Xeon Gold 5318H scores 48698, a delta of -0.2 percent, making it effectively identical in performance. The AMD EPYC 4345P scores 48470, a delta of 0.3 percent, and the Intel Core Ultra 5 245HX scores 48287, a delta of 0.7 percent. The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 scores 48995, a delta of -0.8 percent. All four rivals are within one percent of the i5-14600K, meaning any of these CPUs would behave nearly identically in Thief.

For the GPU, the Intel Arc B570's average benchmark score of 20556 is matched by the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile at 20534, a delta of 0.1 percent. The Intel Arc A750 scores 20582, a delta of -0.1 percent, the NVIDIA Quadro M4000M scores 20480, a delta of 0.4 percent, and the AMD Radeon R9 M390X scores 20662, a delta of -0.5 percent. These four GPUs would produce nearly identical frame rates in Thief, with the Arc A750 being the most direct alternative as a desktop Intel part. A system with any of these CPU and GPU combinations would land within one percent of the measured performance presented here.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data reveals a clear division of labor between the CPU and GPU at different resolutions. At 1920x1080, the CPU's high percentile ranking of 90 and the GPU's 65 percentile create a situation where the GPU is still the bottleneck, but both components have significant headroom. The jump from 73 FPS at Ultra to 133 FPS at Low represents a 60 FPS swing, which is primarily driven by GPU load. The CPU, with 14 cores and 20 threads, is never stressed by a 2014 stealth title, even at lower resolutions where frame rates are higher.

At 2560x1440, the GPU begins to show its limits. The drop from 91 FPS at Low to 50 FPS at Ultra represents a 41 FPS swing, and the Medium preset's 69 FPS average with a 59 FPS minimum shows the GPU is working harder. The CPU remains largely uninvolved in this scaling, as its performance is far beyond what Thief requires. The data shows the GPU is the component that determines whether the 60 FPS threshold is met at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is entirely the limiting factor. The best result is 54 FPS at Low, and the GPU cannot reach 60 FPS at any setting. The CPU's performance is irrelevant at this resolution because the GPU is saturated. The scaling from 1080p to 4K shows a consistent pattern: the GPU's compute resources, including its 2304 shading units and 144 texture mapping units, are the bottleneck, while the CPU's 24 MB of shared L3 cache and 125 W TDP provide more than enough processing power for the game's logic and physics.

The Verdict

The verdict for this system is clear: it can run Thief playably at 1920x1080 and 2560x1440, but not at 3840x2160. At 1920x1080, every preset clears the 60 FPS threshold, with Ultra delivering 73 FPS average. This makes Ultra the best setting for a smooth experience at full HD. At 2560x1440, the Medium preset delivers 69 FPS average with a 59 FPS minimum, making it the best playable option, while Low provides a more comfortable 91 FPS average. The High and Ultra presets at 53 FPS and 50 FPS respectively fall short of the threshold.

At 3840x2160, no preset reaches 60 FPS. The closest is Low at 54 FPS, which is still 6 FPS short of the playable threshold. The Ultra preset at 29 FPS and High at 31 FPS are far below playable levels. This combo is therefore not suitable for 4K gaming in Thief. The data shows a system that is excellent for 1080p, good for 1440p with settings turned down, and inadequate for 4K. Users with a 1080p or 1440p display will find this combination fully capable, but those targeting 4K should look to a more powerful GPU.