Thief

Measured FPS Breakdown

Starting with 4K, the Intel Core i5-14600KF paired with the Intel Arc B390 produces a narrow spread of results across the four presets. At 3840x2160, the High preset averages 20 FPS, while Low rises to 35 FPS. Medium sits at 26 FPS with a recorded minimum of 22 FPS and a maximum of 30 FPS. Ultra trails the group at 19 FPS. None of these averages approach the 60 FPS threshold, and even the best case (Low at 35 FPS) is barely more than half of what would be considered playable. The data indicates that this resolution is heavily constrained by the GPU, as the frame rates remain low regardless of how much load is shifted to the CPU.

Moving to 2560x1440, the picture improves but still falls short of the target. High averages 34 FPS, Low reaches 59 FPS, Medium lands at 45 FPS with a minimum of 38 FPS and a maximum of 52 FPS, and Ultra drops to 33 FPS. The Low preset nearly touches 60 FPS, but it does not sustain it. The gap between Low and High is 25 FPS, which shows that settings have a substantial impact at this resolution. Medium and High sit close together in the mid-30s to mid-40s range, while Ultra is only a single frame behind High. The recorded data shows no preset at 1440p clearing the 60 FPS line.

At 1920x1080, the results finally become usable. Low averages 86 FPS, Medium averages 66 FPS with a minimum of 56 FPS and a maximum of 75 FPS, High averages 50 FPS, and Ultra averages 48 FPS. The jump from High to Low is 36 FPS, which is the largest single-step improvement across any resolution in the dataset. Medium remains comfortably above 60 FPS, while High and Ultra both fall into the 48 to 50 FPS range. The minimum recorded at Medium (56 FPS) is close to the threshold but still below it, meaning brief dips can occur even when the average is acceptable.

Best Settings per Resolution

For 3840x2160, the database lists no playable settings. Every preset, from Low to Ultra, produces an average below 60 FPS. The best option, Low at 35 FPS, is still 25 FPS short of the playable threshold. There is no configuration at this resolution that meets the minimum requirement, so the verdict is that 4K is not viable for this game with this hardware combination.

At 2560x1440, the situation is similar. No preset achieves an average of 60 FPS or higher. Low comes closest at 59 FPS, but it does not reach the mark. Medium and High are 15 and 26 FPS behind respectively, while Ultra is 27 FPS behind. The database records no playable settings for 1440p, meaning the user would need to accept frame rates below the threshold or lower the resolution.

For 1920x1080, the playable settings are Low and Medium. Low averages 86 FPS, which is well above the threshold, and Medium averages 66 FPS, which clears it by 6 FPS. The best settings at this resolution are Medium, because it offers the highest preset that stays at or above 60 FPS. High and Ultra both fail to reach the threshold, averaging 50 FPS and 48 FPS respectively. The recommendation is clear: at 1080p, Medium is the most demanding preset that remains playable.

CPU and GPU Roles

The Intel Core i5-14600KF is a 14-core, 20-thread processor with a boost clock of 5.30 GHz. Its benchmark scores are strong, including a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32544 and a single-core score of 4594. It ranks in the 90th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 49394. The nearest rivals are the AMD Ryzen 9 7900, which scores 49228 (0.3% lower), the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G at 49196 (0.4% lower), the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 at 48995 (0.8% lower), and the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 388 at 49796 (0.8% higher). This places the i5-14600KF in a tight cluster of high-end processors where performance differences are minimal.

The Intel Arc B390, on the other hand, is a much weaker component. It has a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1482, which places it in the 9th percentile among all GPUs. Its nearest rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX at 1463 (1.3% higher), the NVIDIA GeForce 800M at 1460 (1.5% higher), the NVIDIA GeForce GT 625 OEM at 1446 (2.5% higher), and the NVIDIA GeForce GT 710 at 1443 (2.7% higher). These are all very old, low-end graphics solutions, indicating that the Arc B390 sits at the bottom of the GPU performance ladder.

The scaling data reveals which component dominates. At 3840x2160, dropping from Ultra to Low raises the average FPS from 19 to 35, an 84% improvement. At 2560x1440, the same settings change goes from 33 to 59 FPS, a 79% improvement. At 1920x1080, Ultra to Low goes from 48 to 86 FPS, a 79% improvement. This consistent scaling across resolutions shows that the GPU is the primary bottleneck. The CPU is capable of feeding the GPU with data, but the Arc B390 simply cannot render frames quickly enough at higher resolutions.

The role of the CPU becomes more visible at 1080p. Here, the gap between Low and Medium is 20 FPS (86 to 66), while the gap between Medium and High is 16 FPS (66 to 50). The CPU has enough headroom to handle the extra draw calls and physics at lower resolutions, but the GPU still limits the top end. At 1440p and 4K, the GPU is so far behind that even the strongest CPU cannot compensate. The recorded data shows that the i5-14600KF is not the limiting factor; it is the Arc B390 that prevents higher frame rates.

The Verdict

Can this PC run Thief? The answer depends entirely on the resolution. At 1920x1080, yes, with limitations. The database records two playable settings: Low at 86 FPS and Medium at 66 FPS. Medium is the best playable setting, as it provides a 66 FPS average with a minimum of 56 FPS. This means the game will run smoothly most of the time, but there may be brief dips below 60 FPS during demanding scenes. High and Ultra are not playable, averaging 50 FPS and 48 FPS respectively.

At 2560x1440, the answer is no. No preset reaches 60 FPS. Low comes closest at 59 FPS, but it falls short by a single frame. Medium, High, and Ultra are all in the mid-30s to mid-40s range, which is below the playable threshold. The user would have to accept stutter or lower the resolution.

At 3840x2160, the answer is a firm no. The highest average is 35 FPS at Low, and the lowest is 19 FPS at Ultra. This is far below the 60 FPS threshold, and no settings change can make it playable. The combination of a strong CPU and a weak GPU means that 4K is out of reach.

Overall, this system is a 1080p machine for Thief. The CPU has more than enough power, but the GPU holds the system back. Players who want 60 FPS should stick to 1080p and use Medium settings. Lowering to Low will provide a comfortable margin, but Medium is the highest preset that clears the threshold.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For the CPU, the nearest rivals are all within 1% of the i5-14600KF's average benchmark score. The AMD Ryzen 9 7900 scores 0.3% lower, the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G scores 0.4% lower, and the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 scores 0.8% lower. The AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 388 scores 0.8% higher. In practical terms, any of these processors would behave nearly identically in Thief. The game is not CPU-bound at the resolutions tested, so swapping between these CPUs would produce no noticeable frame rate difference. The i5-14600KF's 90th percentile ranking means it is already in the top tier, and the rivals are essentially equivalent.

For the GPU, the situation is different. The Arc B390's nearest rivals are all older NVIDIA parts with scores within 1.3% to 2.7% of the Arc's 1482. The GeForce GT 520MX scores 1.3% higher, the GeForce 800M scores 1.5% higher, the GeForce GT 625 OEM scores 2.5% higher, and the GeForce GT 710 scores 2.7% higher. These are all very low-end GPUs, and the differences between them are negligible. In Thief, any of these would produce similar frame rates to the Arc B390, meaning they would all struggle at 1440p and 4K, and they would all manage 1080p at Low or Medium settings. The delta percentages are small, so users upgrading from one of these GPUs to another would see no meaningful change in performance.

The CPU alternatives are strong enough to handle any of these GPUs without bottlenecking. The GPU alternatives are all weak enough that the CPU would still be underutilized. The data suggests that the pairing of a high-end CPU with a low-end GPU is the defining characteristic of this system.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this PC in Thief?

A: The only resolution with playable settings is 1920x1080. Low averages 86 FPS and Medium averages 66 FPS. Both 2560x1440 and 3840x2160 have no presets that reach 60 FPS.

Q: Can I run Thief at 60 FPS with Ultra settings?

A: No. At 1920x1080, Ultra averages 48 FPS. At 2560x1440, Ultra averages 33 FPS. At 3840x2160, Ultra averages 19 FPS. No resolution supports Ultra at 60 FPS.

Q: Why does the CPU not help more at higher resolutions?

A: The Intel Core i5-14600KF is a high-end processor with a 90th percentile ranking, but the Intel Arc B390 is a low-end GPU in the 9th percentile. At 4K and 1440p, the GPU is the bottleneck. Lowering settings improves frame rates by 79% to 84%, which shows the GPU is the limiting factor.

Q: What is the difference between Low and Medium at 1080p?

A: Low averages 86 FPS, while Medium averages 66 FPS. Medium has a recorded minimum of 56 FPS and a maximum of 75 FPS. Both are playable, but Medium is the highest preset that stays at or above 60 FPS.

Q: Are there any playable settings at 2560x1440?

A: No. Low comes closest at 59 FPS, but it does not reach the 60 FPS threshold. Medium averages 45 FPS, High averages 34 FPS, and Ultra averages 33 FPS.

Q: How does the Arc B390 compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The Arc B390 scores 1482 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12. Its nearest rivals are the GeForce GT 520MX (1.3% higher), GeForce 800M (1.5% higher), GeForce GT 625 OEM (2.5% higher), and GeForce GT 710 (2.7% higher). All these GPUs are within a few percentage points, so they would perform similarly in Thief.