Thief

The Intel Core i5-10400F paired with the Intel Arc B570 produces a highly resolution-dependent experience in Thief. At 1080p, the system delivers strong, playable frame rates across all settings, but the performance curve degrades sharply as resolution increases. At 4K, the combination struggles to maintain smooth gameplay, indicating that the graphics card becomes the primary limiting factor under higher pixel counts. The data shows a clear hierarchy where CPU performance is sufficient to feed the GPU at lower resolutions, but the Arc B570’s architecture is overwhelmed by the demands of 4K rendering.

Resolution Scaling

The measured frame rates reveal a steep performance drop as resolution scales from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At High settings, the average FPS falls from 77 at 1080p to 53 at 1440p, and then plummets to 31 at 4K. This represents a 31% reduction moving from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 41% drop when going from 1440p to 4K. The scaling pattern is consistent across all quality presets, though the absolute numbers differ.

At Low settings, the system achieves 125 FPS at 1080p, which drops to 91 FPS at 1440p and 54 FPS at 4K. The percentage losses here are 27% and 41% respectively, showing that even with reduced graphical load, the 4K resolution imposes a severe penalty. Medium settings produce 101 FPS at 1080p, 69 FPS at 1440p, and 41 FPS at 4K, with the 4K figure representing a 40% drop from 1440p. Ultra settings follow the same trend: 73 FPS at 1080p, 50 FPS at 1440p, and 29 FPS at 4K.

The pattern indicates that the GPU is the dominant constraint at higher resolutions. The consistent percentage drops between 1440p and 4K across all settings—roughly 40%—suggest that pixel throughput is the bottleneck. The CPU, with its 6 cores and 12 threads, appears to have adequate headroom at 1080p, as evidenced by the high frame rates, but cannot compensate for the GPU’s limitations when pixel count quadruples. The 4K results are particularly telling: even at Low settings, the system only manages 54 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold often considered ideal for smooth gameplay.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B570 is a mid-range graphics card built on the Xe2-HPG architecture, manufactured on a 5 nm process by TSMC. It features 10 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 160-bit bus, delivering 380.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU operates at a fixed clock speed of 2500 MHz for both base and boost, which is relatively high for this class of hardware. The card’s 2304 shading units, 144 texture mapping units, and 80 render output units provide a theoretical FP32 performance of 11.52 TFLOPS.

In Thief, the GPU’s role is clearly demonstrated by the scaling data. The 10 GB VRAM capacity is not a limiting factor at any tested resolution, as the game’s textures and geometry likely fit comfortably within that allocation. The memory bandwidth of 380.0 GB/s appears sufficient for 1080p and 1440p workloads, but the 4K results suggest that the card’s raw compute throughput is inadequate for the increased pixel shader load. The pixel rate of 200.0 GPixel/s and texture rate of 360.0 GTexel/s are moderate figures, and the 4K frame rates reflect these limitations.

The Arc B570’s performance in this title aligns with its overall benchmark standing. It holds a 65th percentile ranking among all GPUs and boasts an average benchmark score of 20556. Its nearest rivals in synthetic tests include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile, which scores 20534 (0.1% lower), and the Intel Arc A750, which scores 20582 (0.1% higher). This places the B570 in a competitive position relative to its peers, though the game-specific results show that Thief can be demanding on certain hardware configurations. The 4K Ultra result of 29 FPS indicates that the card is firmly in the territory where high-resolution, high-detail gaming is not feasible.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combination depend heavily on the target resolution and desired frame rate. At 1920x1080, High settings provide an average of 77 FPS, which is smooth for most gameplay scenarios. The Medium preset offers 101 FPS, and Low reaches 125 FPS, but the visual quality degradation may not be worth the extra frames when High already delivers a comfortable experience. Ultra settings drop to 73 FPS, still playable, but the marginal improvement over High may not justify the performance cost.

At 2560x1440, the situation becomes more nuanced. High settings produce 53 FPS, which is borderline for smooth play, while Medium achieves 69 FPS and Low hits 91 FPS. For a consistent 60+ FPS experience, Medium is the recommended preset at this resolution. The Medium setting also provides the only measured minimum FPS data points (59 FPS at 1440p), indicating that frame pacing is relatively stable. Ultra at 1440p yields 50 FPS, which may be acceptable for slower-paced stealth gameplay but risks noticeable stuttering in action sequences.

At 3840x2160, none of the presets achieve a fully smooth experience. Low settings top out at 54 FPS, while Medium drops to 41 FPS, High to 31 FPS, and Ultra to 29 FPS. For players prioritizing frame rate over visual fidelity, Low is the only viable option, but even that falls short of 60 FPS. The data suggests that 4K gaming with this hardware requires significant compromises, and users may prefer to reduce resolution to 1440p for a better balance. The Medium preset at 1440p offers the best combination of visual quality and performance, with an average of 69 FPS and minimums above 55 FPS.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete measured dataset provides a detailed view of the system’s capabilities across all twelve tested configurations. At 1920x1080, the frame rates range from 73 FPS at Ultra to 125 FPS at Low. The Medium preset delivers 101 FPS on average, with a measured minimum of 86 FPS and maximum of 116 FPS. High settings produce 77 FPS on average. These numbers indicate that 1080p is well within the system’s comfort zone, with even the most demanding preset maintaining playable frame rates.

Moving to 2560x1440, the averages shift downward significantly. Low settings achieve 91 FPS, which is still excellent, while Medium provides 69 FPS with a minimum of 59 FPS and maximum of 79 FPS. High settings drop to 53 FPS, and Ultra falls to 50 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium is 22 FPS, while the gap between Medium and High is 16 FPS, and High to Ultra is only 3 FPS. This suggests diminishing returns on visual quality at the higher presets, with Ultra offering negligible performance improvement over High.

At 3840x2160, the results are more constrained. Low settings average 54 FPS, which is the only preset above 50 FPS. Medium drops to 41 FPS, with a minimum of 35 FPS and maximum of 47 FPS. High averages 31 FPS, and Ultra averages 29 FPS. The spread between Low and Ultra is 25 FPS, representing a 46% reduction in performance. The minimum FPS data for Medium at 4K (35 FPS) suggests that frame drops can be pronounced, potentially impacting gameplay smoothness in busy scenes. The lack of minimum FPS data for other presets at 4K limits deeper analysis, but the averages are consistently below the 60 FPS threshold.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested hardware combinations for Thief, this specific pairing of the Intel Core i5-10400F and Intel Arc B570 ranks 2350 out of 2851 total combinations. This places it in the 18th percentile of all tested systems, indicating that a significant majority of other configurations deliver higher frame rates in this game. The ranking reflects the GPU’s mid-tier positioning rather than any CPU deficiency, as the processor’s overall benchmark percentile of 68 is notably higher than the GPU’s 65th percentile.

The combo’s rank suggests that Thief is particularly demanding on GPU resources, and the Arc B570’s performance is a limiting factor. When compared to other systems in the database, this combination falls behind many that feature higher-end graphics cards, even if paired with similar or lesser CPUs. The 4K results, in particular, drag down the overall ranking, as many competing systems can achieve higher frame rates at that resolution. The 1080p and 1440p results are more competitive, but the aggregate score is weighed down by the 4K performance.

The ranking also highlights the importance of GPU selection for this game. While the i5-10400F provides adequate CPU power, the Arc B570’s compute capabilities are insufficient for high-resolution play. Users considering this combination for Thief should prioritize lower resolutions or reduced settings to improve the experience. The data indicates that a stronger GPU would significantly improve the combo’s ranking, as the CPU is unlikely to be the bottleneck at any of the tested settings.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-10400F is a 10th generation Comet Lake processor with 6 cores and 12 threads. It operates at a base clock of 2.90 GHz and can boost up to 4.30 GHz, providing solid single-threaded performance for gaming workloads. The CPU’s 12 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR4 memory support with 42.7 GB/s bandwidth are adequate for feeding a mid-range GPU. The processor’s benchmark results are respectable, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 10283 and a single-core score of 1451, placing it in the 68th percentile of all CPUs.

In Thief, the CPU’s role appears secondary to the GPU. The 1080p results show that the processor can drive frame rates well above 100 FPS at Low settings, suggesting no significant CPU bottleneck at lower resolutions. The fact that frame rates scale consistently with resolution—dropping by roughly 40% from 1440p to 4K regardless of settings—indicates that the GPU is the primary constraint. The CPU’s 6 cores and 12 threads are sufficient for this game’s threading model, which is likely not heavily multi-threaded given its 2014 release.

However, the CPU’s performance characteristics do influence the overall experience. The boost clock of 4.30 GHz provides strong single-threaded performance, which is beneficial for game logic and physics calculations. The Cinebench R15 single-core score of 146 and R20 single-core score of 609 indicate that the processor can handle the CPU-bound aspects of gameplay without issue. The passmark single-thread score of 2541 further confirms this capability. The CPU’s performance is comparable to rivals like the Intel Xeon 6756E (0.2% higher average score) and AMD EPYC 7552 (0.5% higher), but it trails the Intel Core 7 160UL by 0.3% and the AMD Ryzen 3 7320C by 0.6% in overall CPU benchmarks. These differences are negligible for gaming, where the GPU dominates.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best resolution to play Thief with this hardware combination?*

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 provides the most comfortable experience, with averages ranging from 73 FPS at Ultra to 125 FPS at Low. At 2560x1440, only Low and Medium presets exceed 60 FPS, while 3840x2160 fails to reach 60 FPS even at Low settings.

*Q: How does the Intel Arc B570 perform at 4K in Thief?*

A: The GPU averages 54 FPS at Low settings, 41 FPS at Medium, 31 FPS at High, and 29 FPS at Ultra at 3840x2160. None of these results reach the 60 FPS threshold, indicating that 4K gaming is not viable with this card in this title.

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-10400F a bottleneck for the Arc B570 in this game?

A: The data suggests the CPU is not a bottleneck. At 1080p, the system achieves 125 FPS at Low settings, indicating the processor can feed the GPU adequately. The consistent performance drops with increasing resolution point to the GPU as the limiting component.

Q: What settings should be used for a 60 FPS target at 1440p?

A: Medium settings provide an average of 69 FPS with a minimum of 59 FPS at 2560x1440, making it the only preset that consistently stays near or above 60 FPS. High settings average 53 FPS, which falls short of the target.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to other tested systems?

A: It ranks 2350 out of 2851 total combinations for Thief, placing it in the lower 18% of all tested systems. This rank is primarily due to the GPU’s limitations at higher resolutions, as the CPU holds a 68th percentile ranking among all processors.

*Q: Does the Arc B570’s 10 GB VRAM cause any issues in Thief?*

A: The measured data shows no evidence of VRAM-related performance drops. The consistent scaling patterns across resolutions and settings suggest that the 10 GB capacity is sufficient for this game, with the GPU’s compute throughput being the limiting factor rather than memory capacity.