Thief

FAQ

Q: Can this PC run Thief at 1920x1080?

A: Yes, at 1920x1080 with Low settings, the recorded average FPS is 78, which clears the 60 FPS playable threshold. Medium settings produce an average of 59 FPS, which is just below that threshold.

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo?

A: The data shows 1920x1080 is the only resolution where any preset reaches 60 FPS or higher. At 2560x1440, the best recorded average is 53 FPS on Low settings, and at 3840x2160, the best average is 31 FPS on Low settings.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B370 compare to other GPUs in the database?

A: The Arc B370 sits at the 5th percentile among all tested GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 (0.2% faster), the ATI Radeon HD 5770 (0.5% faster), and the AMD Radeon HD 7650M (0.7% faster). The AMD FirePro M2000 is 1.4% slower.

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-14600KF a strong CPU for gaming?

A: The CPU ranks in the 90th percentile among all tested processors. Its average benchmark score is 49394, which is roughly 0.3% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 9 7900 and 0.4% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G, while the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 388 is 0.8% ahead.

Q: Does the game run at 60 FPS on Ultra settings anywhere?

A: No. At every resolution tested, Ultra settings fall well short of 60 FPS. The highest Ultra result is 43 FPS at 1920x1080, followed by 29 FPS at 2560x1440 and 17 FPS at 3840x2160.

Q: What is the most demanding preset that maintains 60 FPS?

A: Based on the recorded measurements, Low settings at 1920x1080 is the only preset-and-resolution combination that maintains 60 FPS, with an average of 78 FPS. Medium at 1080p averages 59 FPS, which misses the threshold by just 1 FPS.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark data for Thief reveals a clear pattern: the GPU is the dominant constraint at every resolution. The Intel Arc B370 ranks at the 5th percentile among all GPUs, while the Intel Core i5-14600KF sits at the 90th percentile among CPUs. This massive gap indicates the processor has ample headroom, and the graphics component is the limiting factor in nearly all scenarios.

Examining resolution scaling confirms this. At 1920x1080 with Medium settings, the average FPS is 59. Moving to 2560x1440 at Medium drops the average to 41 FPS, a reduction of roughly 30%. At 3840x2160, Medium averages only 24 FPS, which is about 59% lower than the 1080p Medium result. This steep decline with increasing pixel count is characteristic of a GPU-bound workload. If the CPU were the bottleneck, the performance hit from higher resolutions would be far less pronounced.

The same pattern holds across other presets. High settings at 1080p produce 45 FPS, at 1440p produce 31 FPS, and at 4K produce 18 FPS. Low settings follow suit: 78 FPS at 1080p, 53 FPS at 1440p, and 31 FPS at 4K. In every case, the performance roughly halves or worse when doubling the resolution from 1080p to 4K. This is the signature of a GPU that is saturated at lower resolutions and progressively more overwhelmed as pixel count rises.

The CPU's role is minor here. With 14 cores, 20 threads, and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz, the i5-14600KF has far more compute capacity than Thief requires, especially considering the game's 2014 release date. The recorded CPU benchmarks, such as a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32544 and a single-core score of 4594, place it well above what a stealth game from that era would need. The data shows no scenario where the CPU appears to limit frame rates; instead, the FPS drops correlate entirely with the GPU's workload increase as resolution rises.

For practical purposes, anyone building with this combo should understand that the GPU dictates playability. Lowering settings has a direct and measurable effect on FPS, as seen in the 1080p Low result of 78 FPS versus the 1080p Ultra result of 43 FPS. The CPU will not hold the system back, but the Arc B370's low percentile ranking means the graphics card must be paired with modest settings to achieve smooth gameplay.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the recorded data shows a wide spread across presets. Low settings deliver an average of 78 FPS, which is the only result above the 60 FPS playable threshold in the entire dataset. Medium averages 59 FPS with a minimum of 50 and a maximum of 68, placing it just one frame below the target. High averages 45 FPS, and Ultra averages 43 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium is 19 FPS, while the gap between High and Ultra is only 2 FPS, indicating diminishing returns at the higher settings.

At 2560x1440, no preset reaches 60 FPS. Low averages 53 FPS, Medium averages 41 FPS with a minimum of 35 and a maximum of 47, High averages 31 FPS, and Ultra averages 29 FPS. The difference between Low and Medium is 12 FPS, and between High and Ultra is 2 FPS. The best result, Low at 53 FPS, is 7 FPS short of the playable threshold. Medium at 41 FPS is 19 FPS short, and High at 31 FPS is 29 FPS short.

At 3840x2160, performance drops sharply. Low averages 31 FPS, Medium averages 24 FPS with a minimum of 20 and a maximum of 27, High averages 18 FPS, and Ultra averages 17 FPS. The Low result at 4K is identical to the High result at 1440p (31 FPS), showing how much resolution scaling taxes the GPU. The Medium preset at 4K has the only recorded minimum and maximum values in the dataset, with a tight 20 to 27 FPS range, suggesting consistent but low performance.

Comparing settings across resolutions, the pattern is consistent: Low is always the fastest, followed by Medium, then High, then Ultra. However, the relative gaps change. At 1080p, Low is 32% faster than Medium. At 1440p, Low is 29% faster than Medium. At 4K, Low is 29% faster than Medium. This consistency suggests the settings presets scale uniformly, and the GPU's performance ceiling is reached at all resolutions.

The minimum FPS data, where available, shows that Medium at 1080p dips to 50 FPS, which is 10 FPS below the average and 10 FPS below the playable threshold. Medium at 1440p dips to 35 FPS, and Medium at 4K dips to 20 FPS. These minimums indicate that even the best playable preset, Low at 1080p, has no recorded minimum in the data, so frame pacing consistency cannot be fully assessed for that setting.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-14600KF and Intel Arc B370 ranks 3433 out of 3720 tested combos in Thief. This places it in the bottom 8% of all configurations in the database. The rank reflects the GPU's severe limitation: the Arc B370 sits at the 5th percentile among GPUs, while the CPU is at the 90th percentile among CPUs. This pairing of a top-tier processor with a bottom-tier graphics card produces a system that is heavily imbalanced for gaming.

The combo rank of 3433 out of 3720 means that 287 other tested combinations perform worse, while 3432 perform better. Given the GPU's percentile ranking, this result is expected. The Arc B370's nearest rivals are all older or lower-end parts: the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570, ATI Radeon HD 5770, AMD Radeon HD 7650M, and AMD FirePro M2000. These GPUs score between 1168 and 1192 on the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, while the Arc B370 scores 1184. The performance delta among these five GPUs is less than 2%, meaning they are essentially interchangeable in terms of raw GPU compute.

In contrast, the CPU's nearest rivals are modern, high-end parts. The AMD Ryzen 9 7900 scores 49228, the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G scores 49196, the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 scores 48995, and the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 388 scores 49796. The i5-14600KF's average benchmark score of 49394 places it squarely in this group, with deltas ranging from -0.8% to 0.8%. This confirms the CPU is a strong performer, but its capabilities are wasted in this particular game with this GPU.

For context, the combo rank in Thief is primarily determined by the GPU, as the game's frame rates scale almost entirely with graphics load. A system with a weaker CPU but a stronger GPU would likely rank much higher in this game. The data shows that the i5-14600KF's 90th percentile CPU standing does not translate into a high combo rank because the Arc B370 cannot leverage that processing power to generate higher FPS.

The Verdict

Can this PC run Thief? The answer depends on the resolution and settings, but the recorded data provides clear guidance. At 1920x1080, the system can run the game at Low settings with an average of 78 FPS, which comfortably clears the 60 FPS playable threshold. Medium settings at 1080p average 59 FPS, just one frame below the threshold, so players willing to accept a marginal shortfall could use Medium, but the data does not classify it as playable.

At 2560x1440, the verdict is not playable at any setting. The best result is Low at 53 FPS, which is 7 FPS below the threshold. Medium, High, and Ultra are progressively worse, with averages of 41, 31, and 29 FPS respectively. None of these reach the 60 FPS target, so 1440p gaming is not viable with this combo.

At 3840x2160, the verdict is also not playable. Low averages 31 FPS, Medium averages 24 FPS, High averages 18 FPS, and Ultra averages 17 FPS. These results are far below the 60 FPS threshold, and even the most aggressive settings reduction does not produce a smooth experience at 4K.

The overall verdict from the database is that only 1920x1080 with Low settings qualifies as playable. This is a single preset-and-resolution combination out of 12 measured scenarios. Players with this hardware should target 1080p and accept Low settings for a consistent experience above 60 FPS. Medium at 1080p is borderline, and anything higher in resolution or settings will result in sub-60 FPS performance.

The Intel Core i5-14600KF is not the limiting factor; the Intel Arc B370's low GPU percentile ensures that frame rates are constrained by graphics processing. Upgrading the GPU would likely transform this system's playability, but with the current Arc B370, the practical ceiling is 1080p Low.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Low, with an average of 78 FPS. Medium is the next step up but averages 59 FPS, which is 1 FPS below the playable threshold. Therefore, Low is the recommended setting for a smooth experience at 1080p. The data shows no recorded minimum for Low, so average FPS is the primary indicator, and 78 FPS provides a 18 FPS margin over the threshold.

At 2560x1440, no preset achieves 60 FPS, so there is no "best" playable setting. The closest option is Low at 53 FPS, but this falls short of the threshold. Medium at 41 FPS, High at 31 FPS, and Ultra at 29 FPS are all below the target. Players at 1440p would need to reduce resolution to 1080p to achieve playable performance.

At 3840x2160, no preset achieves 60 FPS either. Low averages 31 FPS, Medium averages 24 FPS, High averages 18 FPS, and Ultra averages 17 FPS. None of these settings are suitable for smooth gameplay, and the resolution should be avoided entirely with this hardware.

In summary, the only viable configuration is 1920x1080 with Low settings. The 78 FPS average provides a comfortable margin above the 60 FPS threshold, and the data indicates this is the sole playable combination. Players seeking higher visual quality at 1080p could attempt Medium at 59 FPS, but the database classifies this as not playable, and the 50 FPS minimum recorded for Medium suggests occasional dips below the threshold. For a consistent experience, Low at 1080p is the definitive recommendation.