Thief

The Intel Core i5-14600KF paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 delivers a thoroughly playable experience in Thief, with the data showing that 1080p and 1440p resolutions are entirely comfortable at the highest settings, while 4K requires a reduction in quality to maintain a 60 FPS baseline. Measured frame rates are available for three resolutions and four preset levels, providing a clear picture of how this combination scales with graphical load.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the most demanding preset tested is Ultra, and the data shows an average frame rate of 102.4 FPS. This clears the 60 FPS playable threshold by a wide margin, making Ultra the recommended setting for this resolution without any compromise.

At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset again delivers the highest fidelity, with a measured average of 70.4 FPS. This remains comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold, so users can keep the game at maximum quality settings while maintaining smooth performance.

At 3840x2160, the situation changes. The Ultra preset averages only 40.8 FPS, and High is not much better at 43.6 FPS. The Medium preset reaches 59.4 FPS, which is just below the 60 FPS target. The data indicates that only the Low preset, averaging 73.9 FPS, provides a stable experience above the playable threshold at 4K.

FAQ

*Q: Can this PC run Thief at 4K with maximum settings?*

A: No. The Ultra preset at 3840x2160 produces an average of 40.8 FPS, which is well below the 60 FPS playable threshold. To maintain smooth gameplay at 4K, the Low preset is required, yielding 73.9 FPS.

Q: What is the best quality setting at 2560x1440?

A: The Ultra preset is fully playable at 1440p, with an average frame rate of 70.4 FPS. This is the most demanding preset that stays above 60 FPS at this resolution.

Q: How much performance is gained by dropping from Ultra to Low at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the Low preset averages 185.8 FPS compared to 102.4 FPS on Ultra. That is a substantial difference, but even the Ultra setting is far above the playable threshold.

Q: Is the Medium preset at 4K playable?

A: The Medium preset at 3840x2160 averages 59.4 FPS, which is marginally below the 60 FPS target. In practice, this is borderline, but the data categorizes it as not meeting the playable threshold.

Q: Does the RTX 4060 struggle more at higher resolutions in this game?

A: Yes. The frame rate drops sharply with resolution: from 102.4 FPS at 1080p Ultra to 70.4 FPS at 1440p Ultra, and then to 40.8 FPS at 4K Ultra. The scaling shows a clear GPU bottleneck at 4K.

Q: What is the performance difference between High and Ultra at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, High averages 70.8 FPS while Ultra averages 70.4 FPS. The difference is negligible, with High being only slightly faster in the measured data.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured frame rates are presented as average FPS values across each resolution and preset combination, with no minimum or maximum frame data recorded.

1920x1080:

• Low: 185.8 FPS
• Medium: 141.1 FPS
• High: 106.7 FPS
• Ultra: 102.4 FPS

At 1080p, the progression from Low to Ultra shows a steady decline in performance. The gap between Low and Medium is 44.7 FPS, while the step from High to Ultra is much smaller, at just 4.3 FPS. This suggests that the High and Ultra presets are similarly demanding, with diminishing returns in cost for the highest quality tier.

2560x1440:

• Low: 127 FPS
• Medium: 96.1 FPS
• High: 70.8 FPS
• Ultra: 70.4 FPS

At 1440p, the Low preset maintains a strong 127 FPS, but the jump to Medium reduces performance to 96.1 FPS. The High and Ultra presets are nearly identical in cost, with a difference of only 0.4 FPS. The data shows that the largest performance hit occurs between Medium and High, a drop of 25.3 FPS.

3840x2160:

• Low: 73.9 FPS
• Medium: 59.4 FPS
• High: 43.6 FPS
• Ultra: 40.8 FPS

At 4K, every preset step brings a significant penalty. Low to Medium costs 14.5 FPS, Medium to High costs 15.8 FPS, and High to Ultra costs 2.8 FPS. The Low preset is the only one that remains above the 60 FPS playable threshold, while Medium falls just short.

Across all resolutions, the pattern is consistent: the CPU and GPU combination scales predictably with resolution, and the most demanding settings at 4K are not viable for a 60 FPS experience.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Looking at the nearest rivals for the CPU, the Intel Core i5-14600KF has an average benchmark score of 49394, with a percentile ranking of 90 among all CPUs. Its closest competitors include the AMD Ryzen 9 7900, which scores 49228 (a delta of 0.3%), and the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G at 49196 (0.4% higher). The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 trails slightly at 48995 (0.8% higher), while the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 388 is marginally ahead at 49796 (-0.8%, meaning the i5-14600KF is slower). These rival CPUs would deliver nearly identical frame rates in Thief, since the game is unlikely to be CPU-bound at the tested settings.

For the GPU, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 has an average benchmark score of 17639 and sits at the 61st percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon HD 7790 at 17666 (-0.2%), which is essentially a match in raw score. The AMD Radeon 780M scores 17588 (0.3% lower), the AMD Radeon Pro 560 scores 17551 (0.5% lower), and the AMD Radeon Pro 460 scores 17509 (0.7% lower). In practical terms, any of these GPUs would produce frame rates very close to the RTX 4060 in Thief, with differences of less than one percent in synthetic benchmarks. The measured FPS data for this combo should be treated as representative of this entire performance class.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-14600KF and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 ranks 1829th out of 3720 tested combinations in Thief. This places it in the middle of the pack, which is consistent with the RTX 4060 being a mainstream GPU rather than a high-end part. The ranking indicates that while this combo is far from the top of the charts, it is also not at the bottom, and the measured frame rates show that it handles the game well at most settings.

The percentile data supports this: the CPU is in the 90th percentile of all CPUs, but the GPU is only in the 61st percentile. This suggests that the GPU is the limiting factor in this pairing, which is reflected in the 4K results where the GPU cannot maintain 60 FPS at higher presets.

The Verdict

This PC can run Thief successfully at all three tested resolutions, but with conditions. At 1920x1080, every preset from Low to Ultra clears the 60 FPS threshold, with the Ultra preset averaging 102.4 FPS. This is a thoroughly playable experience at maximum quality. At 2560x1440, the same is true: all four presets, including Ultra at 70.4 FPS, remain above 60 FPS. The only resolution requiring a compromise is 3840x2160, where the Low preset alone provides a playable 73.9 FPS. The Medium preset at 4K falls just short at 59.4 FPS, and High and Ultra are not viable at 43.6 FPS and 40.8 FPS, respectively.

For users who prioritize resolution over visual fidelity, 4K at Low settings is acceptable. For those who prefer higher quality, 1440p Ultra is the most demanding setting that maintains a comfortable frame rate, while 1080p Ultra offers the smoothest experience with the highest visual detail.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data shows that the GPU is the dominant factor in Thief performance, particularly at higher resolutions. At 1080p, the CPU is likely sufficient to feed the GPU, as the frame rates are high across all presets. However, the sharp decline in performance from 1080p to 4K at the same preset level indicates a GPU bottleneck. For example, Ultra settings drop from 102.4 FPS at 1080p to 40.8 FPS at 4K, a reduction of 61.6 FPS. This is a classic sign of pixel-throughput limits, where the RTX 4060's 8 GB of memory and 128-bit bus are strained by the higher pixel count.

The CPU's role becomes more apparent at lower resolutions, where the frame rates are high enough to potentially expose CPU limitations. At 1080p Low, the average is 185.8 FPS, which is near the upper end of what many CPUs can sustain. The i5-14600KF, with its 14 cores and 20 threads, is well-equipped for this task, and its 90th percentile ranking suggests it is not a weak link. Still, the scaling between presets at 1080p shows a 44.7 FPS drop from Low to Medium, which is more likely due to GPU load than CPU constraints.

At 1440p, the CPU and GPU are more balanced. The Low preset achieves 127 FPS, and the Ultra preset holds 70.4 FPS. The step from High to Ultra is minimal (0.4 FPS), suggesting that these two presets are limited by the same factor, most likely the GPU. At 4K, the CPU is almost certainly not the bottleneck, as even the Low preset only reaches 73.9 FPS, and the GPU is heavily loaded.

In summary, the RTX 4060 is the primary determinant of performance in Thief, with the i5-14600KF providing ample headroom at all resolutions. The measured data indicates that users should focus on the GPU when considering upgrades for higher resolutions, while the CPU is more than adequate for this title. The verdict is straightforward: at 1080p and 1440p, this combo delivers a strong 60 FPS experience at maximum settings; at 4K, only the Low preset is viable.