Thief

Intel Core i9-14900K paired with Intel Arc B580 is a lopsided combo for Thief: the CPU sits in the 95th percentile of all processors with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 39399.5, while the GPU lands in the 68th percentile of all graphics cards with a PassMark G3D score of 15748. The benchmark data, measured rather than estimated, shows this system handles Thief comfortably at 1080p and 1440p, but 4K requires dropping to Low settings to stay above the 60 FPS playable threshold. This combination ranks 2779th out of 3720 tested combos for this game, meaning the GPU is the limiting factor in most scenarios.

Similar Performance Performance Alternatives

The Intel Core i9-14900K's nearest rivals in aggregate benchmark score are extremely close. The Intel Core i9-14900KF scores 79371 on average, which is only 0.3% lower than the 14900K's 79097 average. The Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus sits 0.6% behind at 79574, while the AMD EPYC 7413 trails by 1.2% with an 80041 average. On the other side, the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 is 1.7% ahead with a 77740 average — oddly a lower raw score but a positive deltaPct due to how the comparison is calculated. In practical terms for Thief, any of these CPUs would deliver identical frame rates, as the game's demands are nowhere near stressing a 24-core, 32-thread Raptor Lake part.

For the Intel Arc B580, the nearest GPU rivals are a mixed bag. The AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP scores 23061 on average, just 0.2% below the B580's 23021 average. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 is 0.6% ahead at 22895, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 sits 0.7% behind at 23172 — an odd inversion where a higher raw score corresponds to a negative deltaPct. The NVIDIA P106-100 is 1% behind at 23249. In Thief specifically, these GPUs would produce nearly identical average FPS at each resolution and settings combination, so anyone with one of those cards can expect the same experience as the Arc B580 results shown here.

CPU and GPU Roles

Thief is a 2014 title, and the data makes clear that the GPU dominates performance scaling. At 1920x1080, moving from Low to Ultra settings drops average FPS from 150 to 83, a 67 FPS swing that is entirely driven by graphics load. The CPU's role is minimal — the i9-14900K's PassMark single-thread score of 4697 and multi-thread score of 58674 are far beyond what this game can utilize, so frame rates scale purely with GPU workload and resolution.

Resolution scaling confirms the GPU bottleneck. At Low settings, average FPS drops from 150 at 1080p to 103 at 1440p (a 31% reduction) and then to 61 at 4K (another 41% reduction). At Ultra settings, the same resolution progression goes from 83 to 57 to 33, with the 4K figure falling below half of the 1080p result. The GPU's 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus with 456.0 GB/s bandwidth is sufficient even at 4K, but the raw compute throughput of 13.67 TFLOPS FP32 simply cannot sustain high preset detail at that pixel count.

Between 1440p and 4K, the gap widens more than between 1080p and 1440p, indicating the Arc B580 hits a memory bandwidth or fill-rate wall at 4K. The 213.6 GPixel/s pixel rate and 427.2 GTexel/s texture rate are decent for 1080p and 1440p, but 4K Ultra demands far more than the 80 ROPs and 160 TMUs can deliver. The CPU never becomes a constraint — even at 1080p Low with 150 average FPS, the i9-14900K has ample headroom.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers strong results across all presets. Low settings average 150 FPS, Medium averages 114 FPS with a minimum of 97 and maximum of 131, High averages 87 FPS, and Ultra averages 83 FPS. The gap between Medium and High is 27 FPS, while High to Ultra is only 4 FPS — suggesting diminishing returns at the top end.

At 2560x1440, performance remains playable but tighter. Low averages 103 FPS, Medium averages 78 FPS with a minimum of 66 and maximum of 90, High averages exactly 60 FPS, and Ultra dips to 57 FPS. The Medium preset's 66 FPS minimum shows that even the lower end stays above the playable threshold, but Ultra at 57 FPS falls just short.

At 3840x2160, the picture changes dramatically. Low averages 61 FPS, Medium averages 46 FPS with a minimum of 39 and maximum of 53, High averages 35 FPS, and Ultra averages 33 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium is 15 FPS, while High to Ultra is only 2 FPS — the GPU is saturated and further detail increases yield minimal extra cost but the baseline is already too low for smooth play.

The Verdict

This PC can run Thief, but with significant caveats at higher resolutions. At 1920x1080, every preset from Low to Ultra clears the 60 FPS threshold, with Ultra averaging 83 FPS — a fully playable experience with maximum detail. At 2560x1440, High settings average exactly 60 FPS, which meets the playable bar, and Low and Medium also qualify, but Ultra falls to 57 FPS and is not playable by the 60 FPS standard.

At 3840x2160, only Low settings average 61 FPS, which clears the threshold by a single frame. Medium at 46 FPS, High at 35 FPS, and Ultra at 33 FPS are all below the playable threshold. The verdict data confirms this: playable settings at 4K are limited to Low, at 1440p to High/Low/Medium, and at 1080p to all four presets. If 4K is the target, the Arc B580 will require Low settings, and even then the 61 FPS average leaves no margin for demanding scenes.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the best settings are Ultra, delivering 83 FPS average. This is the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS, and the 23 FPS headroom above the threshold provides a comfortable buffer.

At 2560x1440, the best settings are High, delivering exactly 60 FPS average. This is the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS, though the margin is zero — any minor scene complexity could push it below the threshold. Medium at 78 FPS is the safer choice if consistent frame times matter more than visual fidelity.

At 3840x2160, the best settings are Low, delivering 61 FPS average. This is the only preset at 4K that stays at or above 60 FPS, and the 1 FPS margin is razor-thin. Medium at 46 FPS is not playable, so there is no middle ground.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Thief at 1080p with maxed-out settings?

A: Yes. At 1920x1080 with Ultra settings, the system averages 83 FPS, well above the 60 FPS playable threshold. All four presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra) clear 60 FPS at this resolution.

Q: What is the best preset for 1440p gaming?

A: High settings average exactly 60 FPS, which meets the playable threshold. Ultra drops to 57 FPS and is not playable. For a safety margin, Medium averages 78 FPS with a minimum of 66 FPS.

Q: Is 4K playable on the Intel Arc B580 with this CPU?

A: Only at Low settings, which average 61 FPS. Medium drops to 46 FPS, High to 35 FPS, and Ultra to 33 FPS — all below the 60 FPS threshold. The 4K Low result is a marginal pass with only 1 FPS of headroom.

Q: How does the Arc B580 compare to its closest GPU rivals in aggregate performance?

A: The Arc B580 averages 23021 in benchmarks. The AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP is 0.2% lower, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 is 0.6% higher, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 is 0.7% lower, and the NVIDIA P106-100 is 1% lower. In Thief, these cards would produce nearly identical frame rates.

Q: Does the Core i9-14900K bottleneck the Arc B580 in Thief?

A: No. The CPU's nearest rival, the Core i9-14900KF, scores only 0.3% differently in aggregate benchmarks, and the CPU sits in the 95th percentile overall. Thief's frame rates scale with GPU load and resolution, not CPU performance, so the i9-14900K is never the limiting factor.

Q: What is the frame time consistency like at Medium settings?

A: At 1080p Medium, the system averages 114 FPS with a minimum of 97 and maximum of 131, a 34 FPS spread. At 1440p Medium, it averages 78 FPS with a minimum of 66 and maximum of 90, a 24 FPS spread. At 4K Medium, it averages 46 FPS with a minimum of 39 and maximum of 53, a 14 FPS spread.